"I have not seen His Majesty for many years, and yet His Majesty remains the same, even surpassing his former self," Rong Sen said with a sigh as he glanced at Shen Lian.
When Shen Lian exiled him, Shen Lian had only recently stepped into the Quasi-Emperor realm. Now upon meeting again, Shen Lian had already become the Great Emperor of the Human Race, shaking the Nine Heavens, and was so unfathomable that Rong Sen could no longer gauge his depths.
Over the years, Rong Sen had stationed himself at the frontier, but his cultivation had only progressed slowly. This left him feeling that he had wasted too many precious years.
"Rong Sen, now that you have returned, let us drink heartily together."
"Yes, after you left for the frontier, it has been thousands of years since we last drank together. This time, you must not think of leaving easily," Xuan Ba and Yuan Ye said, both laughing heartily.
Hearing this, Rong Sen felt a rare warmth in his heart.
He, Xuan Ba, and Yuan Ye had been close friends for many years, and even he and Shen Lian shared deep bonds. If not, when Shen Lian had been pursued by the Nine Great Dao Venerables and Holy Masters shortly after becoming a Quasi-Emperor, he would not have fought alone against the Nine Great Immortal Dao Lineages and ancient Sacred Lands for Rong Sen's sake.
In the end, with just a light sentence, Shen Lian had exiled him to the frontier, resolving his life-threatening crisis.
"I will drink later. I returned this time because I have something important to report to His Majesty Emperor Lian," Rong Sen said. He smiled at Xuan Ba and Yuan Ye, then turned solemn, cupping his hands toward Shen Lian.
"Your Majesty Emperor Lian, at the edge of the realm I have been guarding, void distortions are appearing from time to time, and unfamiliar spiritual minds are sweeping across. They seem to originate from beyond the boundary sea."
"Beyond the boundary sea? Void distortions?" Shen Lian frowned.
The boundary sea was one of the most mysterious existences in the entire universe.
There, countless Minor Worlds floated like lotus flowers upon an endless sea.
Each wave represented a Minor World.
In total, there were three thousand Minor Worlds.
Countless powerful cultivators rose from those realms and entered the greater world of the universe to compete for supremacy.
Shen Lian himself had once soared from a Minor World within the sea. In the vast universe, he had fought against the proud sons of heaven, stood shoulder to shoulder with mighty powers, battled the Immortal Taoism, and trampled upon ancient Sacred Lands.
Ultimately, after slaying nine Quasi-Emperors within Jiehai, he had challenged and slain the sole Great Emperor of the universe, causing the old emperor to fall and a new one to ascend. His path laid the foundation for his unparalleled reputation as Emperor Lian.
But the far side of the boundary sea remained unknown even to him.
When Shen Lian had broken through to become a Great Emperor, he had ventured toward it. However, endless void storms raged there, so fierce that even Quasi-Emperors would risk annihilation if careless.
Despite flying for several years, he had not reached the end and had been forced to return to the universe.
Now, Rong Sen reported that strange spiritual minds were emerging from the end of the boundary sea.
"Exactly," Rong Sen said, cupping his hands. "At first, these unfamiliar spiritual thoughts appeared only once every thousand years. But lately, they have been occurring more frequently. In the past three hundred years alone, they have appeared multiple times."
"The sinner did not dare delay and, fearing it might herald a major upheaval, returned immediately to report to Your Majesty."
Shen Lian narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them.
Unfamiliar spiritual thoughts originating from beyond the boundary sea.
Even while sitting high atop Daluo Divine Mountain, he had not detected it.
Very good. It seemed the battlefield of the heavens was about to shift into the universe.
"You did well," Shen Lian said after a moment of silence, reining in his thoughts. He looked at Rong Sen approvingly.
Then, turning to him, Shen Lian said, "Come. Follow this Emperor and we shall go beyond the world."
Without another word, Shen Lian reached out, placed his right hand on Rong Sen's shoulder, and took a step forward.
"Yes," Rong Sen managed to say before he felt the world spinning around him, stars shifting and space twisting.
In just a few breaths, the scene cleared, and Rong Sen found himself standing above the sea of the boundary.
"This..." Rong Sen's eyes widened with astonishment.
In such a short time, Shen Lian had carried him across more than half the multiverse.
Such speed was unimaginable.
The waves of the sea roared endlessly.
Shen Lian, clad in a black imperial robe embroidered with the Black Bird emblem, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out into the vastness before him.
The black seawater rolled in endless waves.
If one looked carefully, they would see that every wave held a world within it.
This was the end of the universe.
Here lay the boundary sea.
Its origins were unknown, seemingly born together with the universe itself.
One side of the boundary sea connected to the universe.
The other side stretched into the void, destination unknown.
Shen Lian slowly spread his arms and closed his eyes.
Boom.
In an instant, a terrifying spiritual force erupted from Shen Lian, sweeping across the boundary sea with overwhelming might.
The divine sense swept every inch of the sea.
Billions of beings living in the three thousand Minor Worlds felt an impending disaster descend upon them, trembling with fear.
In the next moment, Shen Lian opened his eyes.
"Got you," he said, his voice low.
In his gaze, chaotic light surged like a tidal wave, shaking the heavens.