Imaginary barriers are something inherent in every world housed by the Imaginary Tree. It separates one world from another, making it difficult to travel between one another. Special means must be used to pierce through an imaginary barrier. Akivili’s Astral Express was an example. The power of Trailblazing within it could traverse the places where the rails have been placed—places once visited by the Nameless.
Normally, an imaginary barrier wasn’t supposed to completely reject a newcomer. There would be ‘loopholes’, so as to speak. Not all entrances can be blocked off, more so if the Path Energy of another Aeon was used.
It is where immortal cultivation comes into fray.
The Cocoon of Finality possessed an extremely high dimensionality. Its normal level remained at the Void Refinement Realm. At times, it could burst with power comparable to Aeons. The gap between it and a mortal could not be explained with words. The original Kiana has to sleep on the Moon to properly adapt to it. There was also the matter at Mars with the shadows (i.e., Honkai Energy variant) as well as the Sea of Data.
Kiana’s cultivation allowed her to handle the Cocoon’s status without the need of slumbering. She also resisted the erosion of the Cocoon’s fragment on Mars. She possessed enough control over the Cocoon’s high status that she was able to modify the imaginary barrier with ease. Kiana added two functions on it—time dilution and external rejection.
The former increased the solar system’s flow of time thousands of times. The latter resisted all forms of Path Energy manifestation. It is the function that resisted the intrusion of other Pathstriders—Emanators, even.
However, the presence of Aeons eroded its typical operation. Its nigh-infinite energy source was affected by THEIR statuses (i.e., Authority). Kiana’s enhancement was threatened by THEIR repeated interruptions.
Fuli’s descent was the final blow. Some of THEM could no longer hold back. Be it discreet or aboveboard, THEIR gazes were directed towards the solar system.
“Your current state…”
After mentioning the imaginary barrier’s current state, Kiana pointed out Shi Tian’s severe injuries. Ten more gazes went straight at him, all filled with concern.
“I can deal with this later. Taking care of the problem comes first.”
“...Alright.”
Her eyes could not hide her thoughts. She wanted to deal with everything as fast as possible.
“Currently, it could exist for four, no, three hundred more years before falling.” She paused before saying, “It is still decreasing as we speak.”
“Can’t we launch a counter-attack?”
The one who spoke was Senti. Her bright red irises contained her frustration. She had just comprehended a brand-new ultimate move when enemies came knocking at her door. If she wouldn’t beat them, who else would?
“I don’t recommend doing so. Among those Aeons is Finality.”
Senti was silenced by Kiana’s revelation. It wasn’t just her; everyone else was silenced.
Finality.
They all had heard about THEM. Finality is one of, if not the most special Aeon in this world. They represented the inevitable end. The arrival of their presence left the universe in sorrow. None could halt the world’s arrival at the final station—Terminus.
“There are also some others I haven’t seen before. They are as old as that Amber Lord.”
“Basically, everyone in this world?” Shi Tian asked.
“Yeah.”
He sighed out of exasperation. He knew his presence would bring unprecedented changes. The fact immortal cultivators could reach the level of Aeons without external help is the biggest allure.
‘I am lucky enough to control its spread.’
Shi Tian controlled whoever receives a spirit root. It is the biggest requirement to become an immortal cultivator. Other than that, they could only reach the Red Dust path—living the life of a mortal until they reach a special resonance state with their Dao. Needless to say, its difficulty is extremely higher than normal cultivation.
What he couldn’t control, however, was the possibility of a mutation happening once Aeons were exposed to spiritual qi. His worries weren’t unwarranted. The Sea of Quanta and the Imaginary Tree reacted drastically in the presence of spiritual qi.
“Let me check it once.”
This time, it was Wendy who spoke up. Shi Tian almost disagreed with her proposal subconsciously, only to snap back to reality. She sensed his thoughts and faced his gaze head-on. Her vibrant green irises held unshakeable determination. Only then did he realize something.
‘I was not the only one who faced future projections.’
Everyone clashed with their future projections and learned various things. Shi Tian wouldn’t be able to stop Wendy. She wanted to change the future too!
Seeing him nod, she took out a palm-sized turtle shell. Every hexagonal space was engraved with a set of inscriptions. It is an eighth-grade Dao Artifact similar to Shi Tian’s bronze coin.
The moment her fingertips touched the shell’s center, pale green winds arose. Once they passed through everyone, several projections identical to them appeared from behind. Time turned chaotic before the green winds receded back into the turtle shell. Streams of golden blood came out of Wendy’s eyes. Her face turned pale as the faint red light left her body. It was a sign of her lifespan dissipating.
She calmly wiped the blood off of her face before speaking:
“Your original plan is our best choice.”
Wendy turned to face Shi Tian. The latter understood what she meant.
“I planned for a vanguard team to leave ahead of everyone else. They can mess up some things on the Aeons’ side. Moreover, our eighth-level Tao Heart can directly affect them.”
Prior to everything, their greatest trump card was the breakthrough to the Dao Integration Realm. It was supposed to take one hundred years at their fastest speed. They already have the Realm Breaking Pill that could increase their cultivation by a minor realm. There were still the Tao Gifts after that. Barring other abnormalities, all twenty-one of them would have reached the pinnacle of Void Refinement Realm before the imaginary barrier’s enhancement fails.
Unfortunately, this plan went off-course by the sudden changes now. It forced Shi Tian to make a concession. The feat for his and Kiana’s breakthrough had long been prepared. The resurrection of the Previous Era and Amphoreus’ actualization is enough to let them step into the Dao Integration Realm. They are the only ones who can immediately break through without being stuck at the pinnacle of Void Refinement Realm.
As such…
“I need everyone to buy time for me and Kiana.”