Death… And Me

Chapter 4410: Too Small

Duze thought about it for a moment before answering. ”We don’t stop the regions from discovering it. The reason is simple: it is virtually impossible to create such a cultivation technique without first reaching the Region God Realm. That level of cultivation changes your understanding completely. Before then, the chances of someone figuring it out on their own are so low that they might as well not exist.”

Rean found that explanation strange. ”Didn’t you just say there are cultivators in the grassroots lands who manage to learn how to control Godly Pressure?”

”I did,” Duze confirmed with a nod. ”However, that doesn’t mean they also created a cultivation technique capable of producing Godly Energy or manipulating Godly Pressure directly. That makes you a lot rarer. I told you before, didn’t I? There are many different paths that can lead to the same destination.”

He folded his arms behind his back as he continued. ”Truth be told, any cultivator region that discovers how to control Godly Pressure almost always does it through completely different means. For example, it is far more common for Array Masters to stumble upon arrays capable of manipulating Godly Pressure long before anyone even imagines creating a cultivation technique that interacts with it directly.”

”Others discover special treasures, unusual natural phenomena, or remnants left behind by previous civilizations. Those methods have appeared countless times throughout history. Yours, however...” He glanced at the twins’ group. ”...is a completely different story.”

”I see...” Rean nodded in understanding. ”But it has happened before, right? Someone else created a cultivation technique first?”

”Of course!” Duze answered without hesitation. ”At the end of the day, there are simply too many cultivators from too many races spread throughout the grassroots lands alone. Rare as it may be, eventually someone somewhere will accomplish something extraordinary. It has happened before, it happened now with you four, and it will happen again in the future. Still...”

He looked at the four of them with genuine interest. ”I’ve been working as a supervisor for a very long time, and this is the first time I’ve personally encountered someone who developed the cultivation technique before discovering any other method of controlling Godly Pressure. I have to admit, that is truly impressive.”

[See? Your Sister Orb is very impressive! Perhaps you will learn to appreciate me more in the future.]

Roan ignored the Orb completely, as if she hadn’t spoken at all. ”Alright, we understand that part. So what exactly do we need to do to leave these grassroots lands? It is obvious that our opportunities will be much greater once we do.”

”Right!” Duze quickly replied. ”First of all, reaching the Zone God Realm is an absolute requirement. Without that level of cultivation, you won’t even qualify to enter the place you need to reach.”

Everyone focused their attention on him.

”Now then,” Duze continued, ”do you know why almost nobody below the Region God Realm ever leaves the grassroots lands? Because doing so requires reaching something known as the Sprouting Portals.”

”The Sprouting Portals?” Everyone repeated almost simultaneously.

”That’s right.” Duze nodded. ”Think of them as a test prepared by the Celestial Plane itself. The Sprouting Portals are always located deep inside Godly Creatures’ Territories. Your maps show those territories as enormous black areas because almost no one has ever successfully explored them, correct? Nearly ninety percent of the lands surrounding Besgol and the neighboring regions remain completely uncharted.”

He pointed somewhere into the distance as though the territories were visible through the walls.

”The Sprouting Portals were deliberately established in those dangerous regions, places where even Godly Apexes can occasionally be found.”

The twins’ group’s expressions immediately became serious. They had already learned that Godly Apexes were Fifth-Level Godly Creatures. Even the Godly Horrors, which ranked below them, had nearly wiped out the Besgol Region. Just imagining creatures even stronger roaming those territories was enough to make anyone feel pressured.

”The usual pattern,” Duze continued, ”is that anyone below the Region God Realm has virtually no chance of reaching the portals alive. Even Region Gods themselves frequently lose their lives attempting the journey. That’s why almost everyone simply waits until they become strong enough before trying.”

Kentucky scratched his head. ”Then why are they called Sprouting Portals?”

Duze smiled slightly. ”Because we consider anyone capable of reaching one to have finally sprouted as a true cultivator. Before that point, you’re merely growing beneath the surface. Once you reach a portal, you’ve finally broken through the soil. It’s a simple name, but one that has remained for an incredibly long time.”

Roan frowned slightly as another question came to mind. ”No one in Besgol has ever mentioned these portals before. If that’s the case, how do newly advanced Region Gods even know they exist?”

”Because we arranged things so they would naturally discover them,” Duze explained patiently. ”The moment you break through into the Region God Realm, you’ll begin sensing the presence of the nearest Sprouting Portal. They don’t really know the portals themselves. At the same time, your cultivation completely stops progressing.”

”Stops?” Rean blinked.

”Completely,” Duze confirmed. ”No matter how much energy you absorb or how long you cultivate, your cultivation won’t increase by even the slightest amount.”

He raised a finger before anyone could misunderstand.

”And no, don’t blame us for that. The cultivation lockdown has nothing to do with the organizations managing the grassroots lands. It is simply another restriction imposed by the Celestial Plane itself, much like the restrictions on flight, Weapon Intent, Laws, and the countless other limitations you’ve gradually encountered since ascending.”

Kentucky’s eyes immediately lit up. ”Oh! So the portals exist to remove those restrictions?”

”Exactly.” Duze nodded approvingly. ”There are obviously cultivators beyond the Region God Realm. Me included. The Sprouting Portals exist to guide qualified cultivators out of the grassroots lands and toward the territories governed by the major powers of this tiny part of the Celestial Plane.”

He spread his hands.

”There are literally millions of those governing powers, each responsible for their own section of the grassroots lands. I happen to belong to only one of them.”

”As you might have guessed,” he continued, ”the Sprouting Portals around this part of the Celestial Plane all lead to my home, the Ruckus Region. Every single one of the 1,210,245 cultivator settlements located inside our jurisdiction ultimately sends its successful cultivators there.”

Rean unconsciously inhaled.

The Besgol Region struggled just to maintain communication with a few dozen neighboring regions, yet over a million cultivator settlements belonged to a single governing power. Even more shocking was the realization that the Ruckus Region itself represented only one among millions of similar powers.

”The Celestial Plane really is enormous...”

”What? This?” Duze burst into laughter. ”Hahaha! This is nothing! The grassroots lands and the powers controlling them might as well not even exist.”

He waved dismissively.

”Take every universe inside your Great Void. Then gather every planet from every universe. Grind all of those planets into sand and pile every single grain together. Even if you compared that unimaginably huge amount of sand against the grassroots land and every governing region overseeing them...” He shrugged. ”...they still wouldn’t amount to a single grain of sand in that pile in comparison to the entire Celestial Plane.”

Everyone fell silent.

Duze wasn’t exaggerating for dramatic effect. His expression remained perfectly natural, as though he were merely stating an everyday fact.

”No one truly knows how large the Celestial Plane is,” he continued. ”Some cultivators firmly believe it is literally infinite. Whether that’s true or not, nobody can prove either way.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, ”There is one place that many people refer to as the center of the Celestial Plane. Not because it’s actually located in the geometric center, but because the greatest powers we’ve ever discovered all happen to reside there.”

He shrugged once more.

”As far as anyone knows, there could easily be dozens... hundreds... perhaps even countless other ’central areas’ scattered throughout the endless expanse of the Celestial Plane. Regions filled with civilizations and supreme powers we’ve never contacted simply because the distances involved are too vast.”

Duze chuckled.

”Oops... that’s enough philosophy for today. None of that really matters to either of us at the moment.”

He returned to the original subject.

”Back to the Sprouting Portals. Although attempting to reach one before the Region God Realm is generally considered suicide, that doesn’t actually mean it’s impossible.”

”The only real requirement is reaching the Zone God Realm. If someone possesses enough strength, talent, luck, or sheer insanity...” He grinned. ”...they can certainly try.”

Then he looked at the four of them. ”What I can do is tell you where the nearest Sprouting Portal is located relative to the surrounding regions. Interested?”

The twins exchanged glances.

They had absolutely nothing to lose.

”Sure,” Roan answered. ”Why not?”

”Good.” Duze immediately accessed his RC before transmitting a set of coordinates directly to all four of them.

”There you go.”

His expression became much more serious afterward. ”It goes without saying that this information is highly confidential. Even newly advanced Region Gods don’t actually know what they’re sensing. They merely feel an irresistible pull toward the portal without understanding its true nature.”

He sighed. ”The last thing we want is countless Law Gods and Zone Gods throwing away their lives chasing after legends. Believe me...” He looked directly at them. ”...they will not reach those portals.”

Kentucky scratched his cheek. ”What about us?”

”I doubt you will either,” Duze admitted honestly. ”At least, not with your current strength.”

Then he smiled. ”But unlike everyone else, you now know what lies ahead. Whether you attempt it or not is entirely your own decision.”

He spread his hands helplessly. ”That’s as far as I can help. I’m already stretching the limits of what I’m allowed to interfere with.”

Looking at the four one last time, he nodded. ”So... I sincerely wish all of you good luck.”

Before anyone could ask another question or even thank him...

He simply vanished, not a trace left behind.

His mission was over, and there was no reason for him to remain any longer.