Within his Divine Kingdom, Han Jue's Star Stream Sea avatar continuously replenished divine power to his transforming main body.
His consciousness, however, sank deep into the core of his being.
A mysterious force descended from nowhere, from everywhere, pouring directly into Han Jue's divine body and triggering a fundamental transformation.
The colors of his body began to shift.
Fiery crimson. Verdant emerald. Azure blue. Rich ochre. Brilliant gold. Each hue flickered across his form before melting together into a swirling, hazy chaos, the primal state from which all things emerged.
This was the evolution of Chaos Laws itself.
The seemingly ordinary pronucleus at his core contained mysteries beyond mortal comprehension, an infinite well of possibility condensed into a single point.
As this incredible power flooded his divine body, it also permeated throughout his Divine Kingdom. The vast realm trembled under the weight of boundless pressure, not domineering or oppressive, but warm and encompassing, like a mother's embrace. Every living thing within felt an inexplicable attachment, a bone-deep recognition of something fundamental.
This pressure transcended even the Primal Chaos City Lord. It surpassed the mightiest Universe Master in existence.
It was the consciousness of the Original Universe itself.
Having experienced the descent of the Original Universe's will once before, Han Jue was no stranger to this phenomenon. Still, its arrival carried weight that pressed against his very soul.
The manifestation of universal consciousness also drew the attention of certain beings scattered throughout the cosmos.
Within the Ancestral God Sect.
The Ancestral God Sect, situated in the Ancestral God Mystery Realm, maintained the closest connection to the Original Universe's consciousness of any organization. The moment it descended, the three Ancestral Gods reacted instantly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the span of a heartbeat, all three Ancestral Gods materialized above Bauhinia Island. Yet despite their overwhelming presence, not a single being below could detect their arrival.
"The great consciousness of the Original Universe has descended," one Ancestral God murmured, surprise coloring his ancient voice. "What has this Star Sea Venerable accomplished?"
"Could he truly be favored by the universe itself?" another wondered aloud.
Han Jue's growth trajectory did bear striking resemblance to those legendary few who had earned the universe's direct attention. Even the Primal Chaos City Lord had harbored such suspicions.
Now, with the Original Universe's consciousness descending once more, the three Ancestral Gods found their doubts solidifying into certainty.
"This Star Sea Venerable already serves as a Guardian Venerable within our sect," the third Ancestral God observed. "Once he officially breaks through to Universe Venerable, his combat power will likely rival that of third- or fourth-tier Universe Masters. At that juncture, we should promote him to Guardian God Lord."
The three Ancestral Gods exchanged meaningful glances, their unified will reaching consensus without need for words.
"Agreed."
"I concur."
Whoosh!
As suddenly as they'd appeared, the three Ancestral Gods vanished, leaving no trace of their presence behind.
Han Jue's consciousness blurred for an immeasurable instant.
When awareness returned, he found himself standing in a space beyond description, a void filled with countless points of light, each one pulsing with power that dwarfed even the Sky Wolf Master.
This was the Universe Origin itself.
The fundamental source of all existence.
As Han Jue absorbed the impossible vista surrounding him, one point of light suddenly transformed into a streak of brilliance. It shot toward his consciousness at speeds that made light itself seem sluggish.
Here, in this place beyond places, the normal limits of reality held no sway.
Han Jue instinctively tried to dodge, but the point of light had already arrived before him.
Whoosh!
Time froze.
Han Jue stared wide-eyed at the scene. The light remained motionless mere inches from his consciousness, while countless other points around him seemed to dance with joy, eagerly awaiting his choice.
"This is... letting me choose for myself?" Han Jue's lips curved into a slight smile. "Then I'll choose!"
Time resumed its flow, or perhaps it had never truly stopped.
Han Jue began examining the points of light one by one, each containing fragments of universal law and power. After studying 10,080 different options, he arrived at the 10,081st point.
Whether it was illusion or reality, this particular light seemed fractionally larger than all the others.
After carefully probing the information contained within, Han Jue no longer hesitated.
"This one," he declared, extending his right hand directly into the point of light.
Streams of information flooded his consciousness alongside a cascade of vivid images.
Han Jue witnessed the birth of the universe, the explosive emergence of space and time from primordial chaos. He watched countless forms of life spring into existence, evolve, thrive, and fade. Then came the universe's destruction, the inevitable collapse back into nothingness. Birth and death, decay and prosperity, creation and annihilation, the complete cycle of universal existence unfolded before him.
Woven throughout these visions lay the endless tapestry of universal laws, something even more supreme than Chaos Laws themselves. The fundamental principles governing all of reality.
A powerful force suddenly attempted to erase these images from Han Jue's consciousness, to strip away knowledge mortals were never meant to possess. But his Six Eyes had already recorded everything with perfect clarity. The memories were etched into his very being, impossible to forcibly remove without destroying him entirely.
After its failed attempt, the force reluctantly withdrew.
Bang!
In the next instant, Han Jue's consciousness was violently expelled from the Universe Origin.
His awareness snapped back to his body with jarring abruptness.
A piece of information crystallized in his mind, the innate secret technique bestowed upon him by the Original Universe for achieving perfect genetic level.
But Han Jue had no time to examine this gift.
He was certain that the scenes he'd just experienced in the Universe Origin were no less significant than the destruction and rebirth of the universe that Luo Feng had witnessed after making his deal with the Original Universe's consciousness!
Yet when Han Jue tried to recall those images, although he could remember everything about them, the context, the significance, he could only perceive fragments of the actual visions. It was as if some overwhelming entity had temporarily sealed his memory behind an impenetrable barrier.
The Original Universe's consciousness itself was preventing him.
Han Jue released a quiet sigh. It seemed he could only view those scenes again after becoming significantly stronger.
This time, he'd been able to forcibly memorize them only thanks to his Six Eyes. When his power broke through again, reaching Universe Venerable or Universe Master level, he should be able to perceive the complete picture of those visions.
For now, he'd focus on what he could access.
The innate secret technique.
Innate Secret Technique: Chaos Evolution
Han Jue's eyes widened as he absorbed the information flooding his mind.
This was an abnormally powerful technique, so overwhelming that he immediately wanted to test it against the Sky Wolf Master.
Chaos Evolution. The name itself revealed its nature.
From the beginning of chaos, the two superior Origin Laws of time and space had evolved. From these two supreme principles, the eight inferior Origin Laws had then emerged, Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and Light. Together, these formed the ten fundamental Origin Laws upon which the universe was built.
This was the foundation for constructing a universe. The root of Chaos Laws. A path toward becoming a Chaos Ruler.
The technique's effect was both simple and terrifying: it allowed Han Jue to burn most of his divine body, temporarily fusing the power of the laws he'd comprehended. The extent of the fusion depended entirely on his divine power reserves.
To fully merge Chaos Laws, one would need divine power reserves comparable to a Chaos Ruler.
At his current level, Han Jue could expend most of his divine power to completely fuse one superior Origin Law with one inferior Origin Law. This would grant him divine power comparable to a true Universe Master for a brief period, and through additional secret techniques, he could unleash even greater destructive force.
However, the technique required divine power equivalent to a Universe Master to activate. Given Han Jue's current reserves, using this ability would be extremely difficult, unless he relied on replenishment from his Star Stream Sea clone.
The conditions were harsh.
But the effect was phenomenal.
This was Chaos Evolution.
A technique that could temporarily elevate him to heights far beyond his current realm.
Han Jue's lips curved into a satisfied smile as he finally allowed himself to examine the full scope of his transformation.
The breakthrough was complete.