The Human Emperor, a mighty Eternal Realm cultivator who commanded three universes, had been plotting to conquer this place since he coincidentally learned of its existence from Ji Dao. Upon arriving, he had intended to casually create a clone and refine it. However, he was astonished by the power of faith from numerous believers within this star cluster, particularly on Water Blue Star. He had never witnessed such divine abilities of will, capable of raising universal levels in an instant.
A quick scan of several minds revealed the existence of Lin Feng, further delighting him. If he could refine this person into his clone, he would not only gain countless devout followers but also achieve ultimate control through such a powerful faith system. The mere thought of an entire universe worshipping the same person and how easily that person could then refine it filled him with anticipation. Moreover, upon refining and controlling it, his Eternal Power would likely reach the maximum of 10,000 points. As the Lord of the Three Yuan Universes, despite his heaven-defying talent of doubling his accumulated Eternal Power with each newly refined universe, he currently possessed only 50,000 points.
If his judgment was correct, finding Lin Feng and refining him as a clone to conquer this universe would elevate him to the Four Yuan Universe Lord realm, granting him a staggering 120,000 Eternal Power – more than doubling his overall strength! This prospect filled him with excitement. Therefore, his swift action against Ji Dao and others, who had provided him with information, was solely to maintain the purity of faith in this universe. Furthermore, he gritted his teeth and expended Eternal Power to unleash a peerless divine ability of attraction and teleportation, intending to pinpoint Lin Feng's location amidst the vast cosmos and draw him over.
As he closed his eyes to search, it took him a full hour to capture Lin Feng's trace using a portion of the solidified faith. The fact that Lin Feng possessed only a few thousand points of Eternal Power further eased his mind. Such strength was insignificant! He began to lock onto Lin Feng's form for attraction. His initial assessment placed Lin Feng at least a hundred universes away. While he wondered how a mere Universe Lord with a few thousand Eternal Power dared to venture so far, it would only cost him more time. A year of travel for him was akin to a nap. It would take at most a few months to pull Lin Feng back, a duration he could easily wait.
Lost in his fantasies, the Human Emperor failed to notice that Xiao Feng, the puppet by Tai Hao Huang Shi's side, who had been rendered immobile by his oppressive aura, suddenly moved and vanished.
…
"Finally, success!" Lin Feng let out a long sigh. He had just expended over ten thousand points of Eternal Power to traverse countless universes and establish a connection with the puppet Xiao Feng. If he hadn't suddenly felt a strange sense of being spied upon, he would have continued until his Eternal Power was depleted. He had nearly lost control. Only when he sensed the puppet Xiao Feng leaving Water Blue Star under his remote control did he finally relax.
After defeating the Eternal Realm cultivators in the surrounding universes, his Eternal Power was restored to its cap. He then resumed expending it to remotely control the puppet Xiao Feng. As their distance decreased, his control grew stronger. He even found an unoccupied universe and had the puppet Xiao Feng occupy and begin refining it. By continuously using the Law of Time to shorten the duration remotely, he greatly accelerated the process. Ten days later, when the puppet Xiao Feng successfully refined the universe, Lin Feng instantly teleported over. He was satisfied with the puppet Xiao Feng's greatly enhanced strength, boasting 6,000 points of Eternal Power.
After they joined forces and swept through all the nearby universes, not only did the puppet Xiao Feng's Eternal Power reach its cap of 50,625 points, but Lin Feng also accumulated over a hundred thousand points beyond his own limit. As he pondered how to further increase his strength, a teleportation gate appeared before him. Sensing a familiar aura from the other side, Lin Feng stepped through.
…
Whoosh! Lin Feng took a step forward. Seeing the familiar blue planet under the starry sky, he felt as if he had returned from a different lifetime. The suppressed crowd below looked up with surprise and joy.
"Brother Feng!"
"Esteemed One!"
Yang Jun and Zhu Yan's eyes were red with emotion. Brother Feng was finally back! In the days that followed, they had experienced both pride and despair. The appearance of the Human Emperor had almost driven them to despair, making them believe they would never see Brother Feng again. The women cried and collapsed to the ground. Even Huang Shi was in tears. This man, who had created countless miracles, whom he had once called a young friend and now addressed as Esteemed One, had returned!
Tai Hao's eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation. This miracle spoken of by Elder Brother Huang Shi, the true god of his faith, could he contend with the terrifying Eternal Realm cultivator?
Lin Feng's arrival also caused the Human Emperor to open his eyes. He hadn't expected Lin Feng, who should have taken months to be drawn back, to suddenly appear closer and traverse over so quickly. Although the Eternal Power emanating from Lin Feng seemed to have increased significantly since his last scan, the Human Emperor did not panic. Instead, he felt reassured. After all, Lin Feng was not an Eternal Realm cultivator; how could he contend with him? Lin Feng, however, showed no fear. His strength was far inferior to that of the Five Yuan Universe Lord, Brother Hao Han, whom he had encountered!
His form remained unchanged as he withstood the incoming attack. Rumble! The Human Emperor's unreserved pressure failed to budge Lin Feng's body. However, it instantly shattered the meticulously constructed chains that linked all the believers, which the Human Emperor had set up. They vanished. Affected by this, countless streams of faith instantly converged, transforming into light that enveloped Lin Feng.
"Damn it!" The Human Emperor's face contorted in anger. He hadn't expected Lin Feng, though not an Eternal Realm cultivator, to possess enough Eternal Power to resist his pressure. He also hadn't expected Lin Feng to possess the ability to break through to the Eternal Realm at any moment. In that case, these loyal followers of Lin Feng could not be claimed for his own. He decided then to conquer this universe and make it his fourth domain.
As the Human Emperor made his decision and was about to act, Lin Feng felt a surge of power within him. The immense faith, carrying the beliefs of countless believers on Water Blue Star, seemed to be pleading with him. Lin Feng clenched his fists and swallowed. If that was the case, then he would refine it.
Boom! In this entire universe, almost everyone was Lin Feng's follower. Coupled with the augmentation of his powerful Law of Time, his refinement of this universe was completely unimpeded. It was as smooth as a surging river flowing into a well-constructed channel. The vast amount of Eternal Power stored within him filled him to the brim in the blink of an eye.
"Your main universe refinement is successful. You have gained 151,875 points of Eternal Power."
"You have broken through to the Eternal Realm."
"Your second universe [Zhu Xian Universe] takes effect. Your accumulated Eternal Power has increased to 166,875 points."
"Your third universe [Nine-Colored Universe] takes effect. Your accumulated Eternal Power has increased to 189,375 points."
"Your fourth universe [Chaos Universe] takes effect. Your accumulated Eternal Power has increased to 223,125 points. Your talent [Deification Fusion] takes effect. You have gained an additional bonus of 669,375 points of Eternal Power."
"Your fifth universe [Puppet Universe] takes effect. Your talent [Deification Fusion] takes effect. Your accumulated Eternal Power has increased to 4,715,625 points."
Millions of points of Eternal Power elevated Lin Feng's aura to a terrifying level. He now viewed the Human Emperor as a mere ordinary cultivator, posing no threat whatsoever. As the aura within him stabilized, Lin Feng felt a sense of calm. He slowly opened his eyes and calmly unleashed a sword strike.
"Since you dared to come, you shall remain here forever!" With a soft shout from Lin Feng, amidst the expectant gazes of his companions, the sword strike arrived in an instant. The blinding brilliance froze the Human Emperor, who had been acting nonchalantly.
How could he be so strong? Even someone of his own level, who had refined and controlled three universes, wouldn't possess such an overwhelming aura! The Human Emperor was stunned by the power emanating from the sword. Was this... a premonition of death? His expression froze. Under the vast, star-like Eternal Power of Lin Feng, he felt as insignificant as a speck of dust, with no ability to resist. He saw death.
"I actually provoked such a being?" Before his death, the Human Emperor felt that life was utterly absurd. He had merely planned to conquer a weak, unrefined universe, only to encounter a rare Multi-Universe Lord far stronger than himself. In fact, the other's strength was nearly a hundredfold greater. His countless years of cultivation flashed before his eyes. His ambition of dominating the universe instantly turned to bubbles. If that was the case, he would rest well. The Human Emperor calmly closed his eyes.
"The battle is over?" Everyone watched in stunned silence. No one had expected that Lin Feng, facing such a desperate existence, would act without fear. Even fewer had expected that Lin Feng, having just ascended to the Eternal Realm, would actually defeat the Human Emperor, who had cultivated for longer and appeared more powerful.
"Believers, follow me to conquer!" Lin Feng swung his sword again. His voice, though calm, ignited the entire universe. "Our journey has just begun!" With a surge of momentum, Lin Feng not only swept through the entire universe and brought it under his complete control but also refined the Human Emperor's two clone universes through spatial traversal. When he absorbed the last universe, Lin Feng's eyes gleamed. The hundreds of millions of Eternal Power did not move him. What mattered was that by absorbing the Human Emperor and his two clone universes, his controlled universes would increase by three, reaching the limit of nine. This meant he was about to become the first being in the Multi-Universes in countless eons to control nine universes, attaining the title of Eternal Lord and the supreme authority to redefine the laws of the universe. It was within reach!
"Fusion!" With a soft whisper in Lin Feng's heart, countless streams of Eternal Power, like starlight, cascaded towards his body. The locations of the nine universes appeared in his mind, each glowing and connecting to form a vast network. As the universes gradually linked, his aura became increasingly unfathomable. His body gradually faded until it disappeared.
"Brother Feng!"
"Esteemed One!"
The crowd cried out in alarm. Although Lin Feng's figure had vanished, the world-shattering sword strike he had unleashed had not dissipated. That sword not only pierced the Human Emperor's body but also continued forward with an unstoppable momentum, instantly shattering the sky and soaring towards distant reaches. It traversed galaxies, leaped across star fields, and finally, breached through this universe, creating a hole. It seemed to herald the birth of a powerful being. Countless universes were alarmed, and all Eternal Realm cultivators turned their gaze.
How long had it been since a new Eternal Realm cultivator had been born? This seemed to be... the aura of a newborn Eternal Realm? No! From much deeper within the cosmos, at the residence of the Five Yuan Universe Lord, whom Lin Feng had once visited, an aged voice exclaimed, "This is an Eternal Lord!"
…
Water Blue Star, 3022. As the most dazzling pearl of the universe and the safest region in the Multi-Universes, its people lived in peace and happiness. There was no harassment from alien planets, nor invasions from other universes. Every cultivator here could steadily improve their strength. "Eternal Return," a game paying homage to entry-level cultivation games from a century ago, received enthusiastic support from many families with limited means who could not afford to trial and cultivate on other planets.
In a cultivation room in a welfare district of Huaxia, a clean-cut young man was attempting to enter the game for the first time. Compared to his peers who used various novel login methods, he had a fondness for the ancient method of wearing a helmet. As he picked up a helmet, said to be identical to the one used by the strongest cultivator in Water Blue Star's history, a Universe Lord-level being, he looked at the portrait of his idol on the wall, Lord Lin Feng, known as the Eternal Lord, and yearned for it.
"Eternal?" he mused. "Does eternity truly exist in this world?" He took a deep breath. The word felt too distant for him. He would first enter the game, adapt to cultivation quickly, and strive to pass the novice period within three years, reaching the strength of Universal Level One.
The moment he picked up the helmet, a gentle voice echoed in his ear, "Eternity exists."
Clang! The young man jumped in fright, and the helmet slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground. He looked up in alarm. Did the Lin Feng in the portrait just smile at him? He felt a chill run down his spine and quickly picked up the helmet and put it on. Little did he know that the instant he entered the game, several blue lights flashed on the helmet before disappearing. A ghostly voice whispered in the young man's ear, "Myriad Worlds Enhancement System is activating..."
Wearing the helmet, the young man's face shifted between joy and astonishment. Opposite him, in the portrait on the wall, Lin Feng's smile grew wider.
(The End)
From its inception on July 18, 2021, the book has spanned 584 days and 571 chapters. It was my first attempt at writing an online game novel, the first book to reach 500,000 words, then 1,000,000 words, and my first completed work. There were times of hesitation and struggle, but fortunately, with the companionship of my lovely readers, I have come this far. Thank you to everyone who offered valuable opinions and suggestions, and to those who gave gifts. Thank you all. We shall meet again in my next book, if fate allows!