239: New opportunities

At the top of the high tower, the wind still blew.

But the fierce wind that could previously tear steel apart was now as gentle as a cat's breath.

Li Dong withdrew his hand, and the entire world quieted down from its manic excitement, entering an orderly and vibrant state of respiration.

The three Grand Elders stood not far away, not daring to even breathe loudly; that miraculous feat of "smoothing out the world" had completely shattered their understanding of power.

This was no longer a question of strength or weakness; this was the difference between a creator and a Mortal.

"Come over here," Li Dong said. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, including Li Qingxuan, who had just set down her vermilion brush far away in the imperial palace.

A moment later, a bright yellow figure broke through the air; it was the Empress, Li Qingxuan.

She landed silently, the gold threads on her dragon robe shimmering with majesty under the spiritual light of the newly born world.

She did not look at the three Elders, her gaze falling directly on Li Dong, the surging emotions in her eyes finally settling into calm.

"You're becoming more and more skilled at being an absentee manager," Li Qingxuan said, though it was unclear if she was complaining or teasing.

Li Dong smiled and pointed to the ground beneath their feet: "How about it? Are you satisfied with this family business?"

"Too satisfied, so satisfied that I'm afraid it might explode the next second." Li Qingxuan walked to his side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him, her gaze sweeping over the vibrant imperial capital below. "Tell me, what is going on? Pie falling from the sky is never a good sign."

She was a qualified emperor; any good thing that exceeded her control was, in her view, equivalent to a crisis.

"This isn't pie; this is a nutritious meal after debridement surgery." Li Dong looked at the group—Lin Yue, Li Qingxuan, and the three Grand Elders—who could be considered the core management of this world.

"Debridement surgery?" the leading Grand Elder couldn't help but ask.

"You can understand the so-called 'True Lord' from before as a giant cancer cell spread throughout the Universe, constantly devouring and polluting various worlds to extract nutrients." Li Dong used an analogy they could understand. "As for me, I'm the one holding the scalpel. Not long ago, I finally cut out this cancer cell."

His words were spoken lightly, but to the listeners, they were no less than a thunderous roar.

A Universe-level cancer cell? And he cut it out?

They felt their imagination was ridiculously impoverished.

"And what happens after cutting it out?" Lin Yue spoke, always able to grasp the main point. "What about the 'madman' you mentioned before, and the 'unease' you felt?"

"Good question." Li Dong gave her an approving look. "After the cancer cell was cut out, the 'immune System' of the Universe itself—or the 'Origin'—which had been imprisoned by it, has awakened. It has begun to self-repair; this is the massive newborn energy you feel now. It is delivering nutrients to all the 'organs' that were infected—that is, the various worlds."

"But this nutrition is too intense," Li Qingxuan continued. "It's like serving a bowl of braised pork to someone who has been starving for three days; they would be stuffed to death. Our world is that person who has been hungry for a long time."

"Exactly." Li Dong nodded. "The will of the Universe's Origin is very pure, so pure that it is somewhat... crude. It only knows how to repair and purify, but it doesn't know how to proceed gradually. Therefore, many worlds that had adapted to darkness and barrenness have actually developed new complications from this 'treatment.' This is the 'inability to tolerate supplementation' I was worried about before."

He paused and continued: "And that 'prehistoric virus' I detected on the way is another trouble. It played dead while the 'True Lord' was rampant, but now that the cosmic environment has improved, it has been activated instead. An old antique that has been sleeping for who knows how many epochs—who knows if it's good or bad that it has awakened?"

These words finally clearly revealed the new landscape of the entire Universe to everyone.

It turned out that the world ascension they were so proud of was merely a small warming trend after the Universe had just recovered from a major illness. And outside, more and more complex chaos was brewing.

The three Grand Elders looked at each other, the slight joy that had just risen on their faces vanishing, replaced by deep worry.

"Then... what should we do?" an Elder asked, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"Blocking is not as good as channeling," Li Dong repeated his previous words. "Power itself has no good or evil; only people do. You cannot expect everyone to become a Saint, but you can find an outlet for their ambition."

He looked at Li Qingxuan: "You are the emperor; you set the rules. For example, establish a 'Pioneer Legion' to explore the Void Realm outside the world; set up 'Dragon-slaying bounties' to let those Cultivators whose power has skyrocketed hunt down the ancient Vicious Beasts that were also spawned by the energy. Let them use their energy outside; it's better than fighting tooth and nail at home over a piece of territory."

He looked at the three Grand Elders again: "You are guardians and also preachers. What you need to do is not suppress, but guide. I will pass on the deeper techniques of the [Eternal Prison] to you; it can not only devour but also 'regulate.' You must teach future generations how to control power, rather than being enslaved by it."

As he spoke, Li Dong extended his finger and tapped each of the three Elders on the center of their brows.

There was no earth-shattering phenomenon; the three Elders just shuddered, and a massive amount of information and insights poured into the depths of their Divine Soul like a burst dam. It was the supreme technique regarding Law, energy, and how to sort and guide power from the root.

The three immediately sat cross-legged, closing their eyes to digest, with intoxicated expressions on their faces.

"As for you." Li Dong finally looked at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue met his gaze, her eyes clear and bright: "I felt it, that pure energy; it wanted to change me, to make me as 'pure' as it is. But I refused; I prefer to use my own will to polish my own sword."

"Very good." Li Dong smiled. "This is the true path of the strong. The Universe's Origin is great, but you don't have to become it. Just like the sun shines on all things, you don't have to turn yourself into a sun."

Lin Yue understood, and she also smiled; it was the joy of meeting a worthy opponent.

Just at this moment, Li Dong's gaze suddenly narrowed slightly, as if penetrating the endless Void Realm, looking toward a corner of the Universe.

His perception was already connected to the pulse of the entire Universe. Just a moment ago, while he was sorting out the Law of his home world, he was also observing the movements of the entire Universe with the [Void Eye].

He saw countless worlds falling into chaos due to excess energy; he saw some ancient celestial bodies, under the stimulation of the newborn energy, unexpectedly giving birth to vague self-awareness and beginning to madly devour everything around them; he also saw...

The [ancient stone slab] within him suddenly emitted a slight but undeniable resonance.

This resonance did not point to those chaotic areas, but pointed far away in one direction. A coordinate that was extremely ancient, extremely silent, and seemed to have been forgotten by time.

That place was the "starting point."

Li Dong understood instantly.

The awakening of the Universe's Origin not only awakened those sleeping "viruses" but also activated certain forgotten "beacons." The [ancient stone slab] was one of them; it was guiding him to find a most fundamental answer.

Perhaps only at that "starting point" could he find the key to completely resolve this "newborn chaos."

His new mission was incredibly clear at this moment.

He was no longer just the "chief surgeon" and "rehabilitation department director" of this Universe; he had to become a "guide," a "Tuner." He would travel through this newborn Major Thousand Worlds, recalibrating those off-key notes one by one to the correct scale.

"I'm leaving," Li Dong said.

Li Qingxuan's expression shifted, but she quickly returned to calm. She just nodded: "I will handle the empire. You can rest assured and do your things."

She did not ask him where he was going or how long he would be gone. Because she knew his journey was already far beyond the sea of stars she could imagine. What she needed to do was to guard his only destination.

Li Dong turned to Lin Yue and found she was looking at him with an unprecedentedly bright gaze.

"Next time you go on a business trip, remember to notify me in advance," Lin Yue said.

Li Dong was stunned, then immediately understood and laughed heartily: "Sure. But the threshold for being my assistant is very high."

"I know." Lin Yue gripped the sword in her hand. "Next time we meet, I will let you see my qualifications."

This was no longer the following of someone looking up, but the agreement of fellow travelers.

Li Dong said nothing more.

He glanced at the three Elders still in meditation, glanced at the heroic Empress before him, and finally glanced at the spirited Lin Yue beside him.

This home was already on the right track.

He had no more worries; his figure turned into a beam of the purest light, without tearing space, without disturbing the Law, and just naturally merged into the pulse of the Universe, disappearing.

At the top of the high tower, the wind blew again.

Li Qingxuan stood with her hands behind her back, overlooking her vast empire, the majesty of the emperor even greater than before.

Lin Yue slowly closed her eyes, the Sword Intent around her body condensing again, purer and sharper than ever before.

A new journey had begun.

Not just Li Dong's, but theirs as well.