Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A massive rift split open in the center of the colossal floating fortress. From within emerged a ferocious, rainbow crystal barrel belonging to a gigantic magical rail cannon, its muzzle firmly locked onto one of the Dark King's incarnations.
The magnificent war machine activated its ultimate weapon.
A deafening roar echoed throughout the Dark Plane.
Before the cannon fired, a mysterious device activated first, releasing layer upon layer of silver ripples that swept across everything. Accompanied by terrifying Space-Time and Chaos power, they instantly froze the Dark King, who had been preparing to evade, locking him firmly in midair.
Boom!
The central Magical Rail Cannon completed its charge.
A brilliant rainbow beam erupted violently, piercing through the heavens and space itself before striking the immobilized Dark King's incarnation head-on.
In an instant, the Dark King's majestic body vanished within the endless magical radiance.
The enormous beam continued unabated, blasting toward the end of the Dark Plane with unmatched momentum. Its dazzling light dispersed the surrounding darkness, illuminating the entire world as though it had become daylight.
Rumble!
More than ten seconds later, the Dark Plane shook violently.
A deafening explosion reverberated across the world as a blazing sun rose in the distance, unleashing overwhelming tides of destructive energy that swept throughout the entire plane.
When everything finally settled, only a gigantic scorched hole remained above the million dark palaces ahead, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
The dozen or so Dark Kings stood frozen in place, their faces filled with fear.
Originally, they had believed Lu Jun himself would be the greatest threat in this battle. With over a dozen Roof Emperor-level Dark Kings wielding the authority of darkness, they thought they possessed enough leverage to negotiate.
Yet humanity's potential in magical warfare had completely exceeded their expectations.
It was no exaggeration to say that a single ultimate-weapon floating fortress rivaled a Roof Emperor.
At that moment, Holy Son Wentai suddenly chuckled softly.
"My friends, I have decided to accept the Underworld King's conditions."
With an easy smile, he continued.
"Back then, gathering the faith of the entire Magic Plane and willingly descending into the Dark Plane to become a king was merely a temporary measure. Now that humanity has produced someone as extraordinary as Lu Jun, I no longer have any regrets."
As soon as he finished speaking, his aura plummeted dramatically, falling below the Roof Emperor realm.
A portion of conceptual authority flew away from him, converging upon a young woman standing at the core of the floating fortress.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
As the expeditionary army entered the Dark Plane, Asharuya's aura rose continuously.
Her eyes widened in astonishment as she watched her adoptive father turn away and leave without hesitation.
"Father! What are you..."
Wentai never looked back.
His figure gradually disappeared into the endless darkness, leaving behind only a somewhat lonely silhouette.
He casually waved his hand.
"Consider this the last gift I'll ever leave you."
It was obvious that he knew he could no longer keep his Plane Authority.
Rather than surrendering it to Lu Jun, he preferred to pass it to someone he approved of.
After all, Lu Jun had taken his daughter's Divine Soul and had killed his wife, Salan.
Mo Fan muttered.
"My father-in-law is really unfair. His own daughter and son-in-law are standing right here, yet instead of giving it to family, he gives it to an outsider?!"
Hearing that, Ye Xinxia couldn't help glancing at Mo Fan.
She silently thought.
"What father-in-law could tolerate his own son-in-law calling his wife's killer a brother without beating him half to death?"
The rights and wrongs of the past had long since become impossible to distinguish.
Was Wentai wrong for abandoning his wife and daughter in pursuit of power?
Was Salan guilty because of the countless atrocities she committed?
Or was Lu Jun merely repaying kindness by seizing the Divine Soul?
At least from Mo Fan's and Ye Xinxia's perspectives, Lu Jun had done nothing wrong.
He had killed the Red Cardinal and later became the Ancient King, saving both of their lives.
Soon afterward, the remaining dozen Dark Kings exchanged helpless glances.
They desperately wanted to curse Wentai, yet in the end they merely sighed and surrendered their authorities one after another.
A smile appeared on Lu Jun's lips.
He claimed the largest share of authority, becoming the true Lord of the Dark Plane.
The remaining authorities were distributed among his trusted followers who specialized in Dark Magic, such as Ding Yumian, Tang Yue, and the others.
The nine floating fortresses were stationed at key locations throughout the Dark Plane, quickly bringing the entire plane under control.
Countless mages traveled back and forth across the Dark Plane, harvesting enormous quantities of resources.
Endless magical factories operated day and night, establishing interplanar teleportation gates to transport processed materials back to the Magic Plane.
The floating magical fortresses were not merely weapons of war.
They also served as enormous production bases, rapidly taking root throughout the plane.
Lu Jun was extremely patient.
After conquering the Dark Plane, he spent more than ten years steadily developing it.
During that time, magical productivity exploded.
More than a dozen additional floating fortresses were constructed and stationed across both major planes to maintain order.
Once the time was right, he launched his armies to conquer the many connected worlds.
Among them was the Summoning Plane.
Within the Graveyard of Fallen Kingdom Beasts, the brilliance of the sun and moon suddenly replaced the heavens.
Zhulong's enormous body coiled through the sky as it let out a thunderous roar while bathing in the power of Life and Death.
Its aura rose continuously.
Its vitality flourished once again.
At last, it was completely resurrected, transforming into the true Candle Dragon.
With every opening and closing of its eyes, day and night alternated.
Nearby, a floating fortress descended.
Standing with his hands behind his back, Lu Jun smiled.
"I've kept my promise."
Time flowed onward.
More than a hundred years had passed since the Magic Emperor overthrew the Holy City.
Magical civilization officially entered the Interstellar Era.
Powerful floating magical fortresses spread throughout the cosmos, while countless magical starships traveled between the various planes.
It was an incomparably glorious and prosperous age.
Humanity stood at the pinnacle, coexisting in "peace" with the countless races of every world while mutually benefiting one another as magic advanced at an unprecedented pace.
At the headquarters of the Military Strategy Palace, Lu Jun stood atop a mountain peak, gazing into the distance.
Wherever his eyes reached, colossal floating fortresses hovered across the sky, casting vast shadows over the land below.
"So you're here."
"I thought you'd gone off exploring the universe again, searching for unknown worlds."
A mature, gentle, magnetic female voice sounded behind him.
Lu Mei walked forward gracefully.
Her flawless face remained as beautiful and alluring as ever.
Even after a hundred years, time had left no mark upon her youthful appearance.
She sighed softly.
"What are you thinking about? Where do you want to explore next?"
Hearing that, Lu Jun turned around and looked at the woman before him. A gentle expression appeared on his face as he said.
"No. I've decided to retire and step down from all my positions."
Lu Mei was utterly stunned upon hearing those words and couldn't help asking,
"You're not joking?"
"Of course not." Lu Jun smiled faintly. "I want to rest for a long, long time. For the rest of my life, I want to spend it together with all of you."
The moment those words were spoken, Lu Mei's heart was thrown into turmoil.
She felt touched, overjoyed, and eager beyond words. Yet when the moment truly arrived, she still hesitated before quietly asking.
"Why?"
"I've already done enough for humanity. I've fulfilled the historical responsibility entrusted to me and have lived up to this era."
Lu Jun spoke calmly,
"Besides, I've begun to notice darkness taking root within the Military Strategy Palace. Ironically, the source of that corruption lies with me."
"I've become omnipotent. Too many people worship me blindly and pursue the absolute authority of the Magic Emperor."
"That's not a good sign. Doesn't that make us no different from the Holy City of the past?"
He criticized himself openly and honestly.
"In truth, I've become an obstacle preventing civilization from continuing to progress."
"My own knowledge and wisdom are no longer enough to clearly see the road ahead."
"It's time for me to say goodbye."
"Civilization completes a cycle every thousand years and undergoes transformation every century."
"What is newly born will eventually decay, and from decay, new life will emerge once more."
"With my current cultivation, even if I relinquish the authority over countless worlds, I would still remain invincible throughout the cosmos."
"I could manipulate the space-time of this universe however I pleased."
"So what meaning does the progress of civilization still hold before someone like me, whose power belongs entirely to himself?"
"What benefit could it possibly bring me?"
"So I'd rather let go and give civilization the gift of time."
Lu Jun quietly gazed into the distant scenery, his voice unwavering.
After hearing him, Lu Mei recalled some of the problems that had already begun appearing within the Military Strategy Palace. Her expression dimmed briefly before she smiled once again.
"Fortunately, you restrained the spread of the Longevity Art."
"Although human mages now live much longer than before, they still haven't reached true immortality."
"Everything is still changing rather than remaining forever unchanged."
Lu Jun's eyes remained tranquil.
"Yes."
Lu Mei looked at him and asked softly,
"How do you intend to leave?"
"I'll make the necessary arrangements."
"I'll quietly withdraw under the pretext of entering secluded cultivation and setting out on a distant journey."
"At first, the entire world will probably fall into confusion. But with time, the world will gradually forget that I ever existed."
-----------------------THE END----------------------
New Fanfic
[Versatile Mage: Rewards for Opening Blood Coffin]
After transmigrating into the world of Versatile Mage, Xia Yu obtained a blood coffin right from the start.
As long as he sacrificed enough demon essences, he could open the blood coffin once and obtain an unknown reward!
In this world overrun by demons, Xia Yu slays demons, protects the nation's territory, and climbs to the pinnacle of magic.
Amid the internal power struggles in the Holy City, where magical geniuses are feared and suppressed, Xia Yu fights his way into the Holy City and rewrites the world's magical order.
Standing atop the walls of the Holy City, a reporter from the China asks.
"Mr. Xia Yu, throughout your journey, you have repelled the sea demons and rewritten the rules of the world. Which events and people have left the deepest impression on you?"
Xia Yu recalls the many great magical predecessors of the china who once made selfless contributions.
"My success was achieved by standing on the shoulders of giants."
"Back during the war against the sea demons, when the Chinese first Speaker unleashed the Ice Element Forbidden Spell, 'Scenery of the Northern Country,' thousands of miles were sealed in ice, and countless..."