Chapter 514: Nine Billion Worlds

Chapter 514: Nine Billion Worlds

As Max stood in silence, trying to digest this newfound knowledge about his origin, the flame-armored guard tilted his head slightly and gave him a strange look. “Thousand Vine Sector of the Verdant Sky Realm… hmm.”

His voice was thoughtful, but tinged with something else—curiosity, perhaps even a sliver of disbelief. “I have heard of that mortal realm planet before. If I remember correctly, there were rumors it was destroyed, or at the very least, sealed off. It’s been… what? A thousand years since someone from that sector came to take the Trial of True Inheritance.”

The guard’s gaze lingered on Max for a moment longer, as if trying to see through the veil of time itself. “I guess the rumors were wrong. You do have the bloodline from our Black Dragon Palace,” he added quietly, before stepping aside to let them through.

Max said nothing, but his mind was spinning. ‘Destroyed? Sealed? Thousands of years since someone from Acaris came here?’ He was stunned once again.

‘It seems after no genius had come to take the Trial of True Inheritance for a thousand years, the people here assumed something must have happened to the planet,’ Max thought, his mind racing with a hundred questions.

As they continued forward, the parrot spirit finally released the spatial hold on him, allowing Max to walk on his own.

Together, they made their way along a paved path that led toward an enormous sealed entrance at the base of the towering city walls. The gate before them was carved with coiling dragons and bound by glowing rune locks, emanating an aura of timeworn authority.

Unable to hold back any longer, Max asked as he followed behind the parrot spirit, “Tell me, what is this ‘mortal world’ you spoke of? And what are those realms and domains you mentioned just now?” His tone wasn’t demanding—it was seeking, hungry for understanding.

The parrot spirit glanced at him, its glowing feathers dimming slightly as it replied in a tone unusually serious. “There are two fundamental planes where humans have existed since time immemorial—Mortal Plane and Divine Plane. Mortal Planes are collectively known as the Mortal Realm, which includes your planet Acaris… and this one,” it gestured subtly toward the land they were standing on. “The Mortal Realm is home to all mortal life—billions upon billions of humans, cultivators, empires, guilds. Every world that has yet to touch the true essence of divinity belongs to this vast web of planets.”

Max listened, eyes slightly widening as understanding dawned upon him.

“But the Divine Plane…” the parrot spirit continued, “they are something else entirely. They are vast beyond comprehension. There exist Three Thousand Divine Realms in the Divine Plane, each one immeasurable in size and depth. And within those Three Thousand Divine Realms are the Three Thousand Boundless Worlds—a collective of realms that together amount to over nine billion cultivated and governed worlds. All of them combined are known as the Limitless Expanse Divine Realm, or simply—the Divine Realm.”

The parrot’s voice seemed to echo in the air as it spoke those final words, as if the very concept of the Divine Realm carried weight that transcended space.

Max’s heart pounded. ‘Nine billion worlds? A realm beyond the Mortal Plane?’ He had always known the universe was bigger than Acaris. But this… this was not just bigger—it was truly limitless.

He stood still for a long moment, letting the weight of the parrot spirit’s words settle into the depths of his mind. Acaris—his world, his origin—was nothing more than a small, forgotten speck in the vast sea of the Mortal Realm.

He now understood that even the Middle Domain, once thought to be vast and unconquerable, was merely the tip of a colossal iceberg, a single grain of sand compared to the titanic scale of existence.

And above all of that… was the Divine Realm, home to over nine billion worlds, a place so vast and mysterious that just imagining it sent chills through him.

‘This world is too big…’ Max thought, and for the first time in a long time, he felt true excitement coursing through his veins—not just the hunger to grow stronger, but the thrill of knowing how much more there was to see, to understand.

Every limit he had once known was shattered. The ceiling was gone.

Then, like a spark igniting deep within, a thought struck him—clear and sharp. “That means… my real home is somewhere in the Divine Realm…” he whispered, his voice low but heavy with emotion.

His fists clenched, his eyes tightening as his heart surged. “Mother… Father… wait for me. I will save you. I will find you.” The flame in his soul, once dimmed by confusion, now blazed with purpose.

A moment later, Max took his first step into Obsidian Dragon City, the parrot spirit floating silently by his side. The moment he crossed the threshold of the great gate, a subtle but immense pressure descended on him. It wasn’t crushing, but it was dense—like stepping into a land that rejected weakness.

Instantly, the mana within his body dimmed, his strength waning by nearly twenty percent in an instant. He gritted his teeth, adjusting his breath, understanding that this wasn’t ordinary suppression—this was the natural pressure of this city.

“The fire energy here is… too rich, too pure!” Max gasped, his voice caught between astonishment and reverence as he instinctively took in a breath.

What entered his lungs wasn’t air—it was something far more potent. It was as if every breath was a direct infusion of the most primal fire energy in existence, so pure it bypassed the impurities of worldly elements and resonated directly with his soul.

This wasn’t just a training environment—it was a sacred land molded by fire itself. In fact, using the word rich to describe this energy almost felt disrespectful. It wasn’t mere abundance—it was essence.

This was power that sat closest to the very root of the Concept of Flames, brushing against the Laws that governed the universe.

“If I train here…” Max murmured, eyes wide as flames flickered faintly in his pupils, “it can even be described as twice the result with half the effort…” His voice was filled with emotion, a deep yearning mixed with awe.

In this city, even if one chose not to actively cultivate their strength, their body would still passively absorb fire essence from the environment. Just existing here was a form of continuous refinement—a natural baptism in fire energy. The purity of the mana would slowly temper one’s spiritual and elemental core, making one’s foundation cleaner, stronger, and more attuned to fire.

For someone who trained in the Concept of Flames, this was paradise. For someone with a fire-aligned bloodline, it was destiny. And Max could feel it—this entire city was built atop layers of fire essence veins, its formations woven with the Concept of Flame.

The people who lived here, those young elites he had passed earlier, all carried formidable bloodlines, each one naturally harmonizing with fire. Their bodies, talents, and spiritual resonance were already perfectly compatible with flame energy.

No wonder Obsidian Dragon City was the place where the trial for the True Inheritance was conducted. Here, with such an overwhelming advantage, the ease with which one could perceive and evolve their Concept of Flames was unimaginable.

Max clenched his fist slowly, his blood simmering with hunger.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!