John's galaxy-soul shimmered against the endless dark, his perception spreading like a net across the cultivation galaxy before him. Stars sang their truths, worlds pulsed with hidden life, and across each planet he felt the presences of cultivators—some strong enough to shatter mountains, others barely holding on to life itself.
He weighed them. Measured them. None of them came close.
Not even slightly.
"Interesting…" John mused. "They've touched power, but they're still bound by something."
His eyes swept planet to planet.
"Too big."
"Too small."
"No life."
"Too much life."
"…Isn't that just magic?"
Then his perception narrowed, focusing on a vibrant, azure-green planet near the galaxy's heart. Unlike the weak, flickering lights of countless other worlds, this one burned steadily—strong, but not overwhelming. Balanced. Alive.
"Not too weak, not too strong… just right. That'll do."
The planet's name surfaced in his mind: Celestrina.
As he drifted closer, a ripple passed through the void. The entire planet seemed to shiver, as though it had noticed his approach. Then, from its surface, a vast luminous figure emerged—shaped like a woman made of starlight, her form woven from rivers and mountains, her voice echoing with the harmony of nature itself.
She bowed deeply, her presence trembling.
"Senior," she greeted, her tone filled with awe and fear.
Celestrina's POV
Her consciousness quaked. Even from a distance, the being's mere existence distorted her skies. Mountains bowed under invisible weight, oceans churned, cultivators across her lands knelt instinctively without knowing why.
NORTHERN CONTINENT – MOUNTAIN BEAR SECT
A sect elder roared in frustration, his knees buckling as he pressed against the ground with trembling arms.
"W-what is this suppression?! Why can't I stand?!"
Around him, disciples collapsed, their foreheads pressed against the cold stone tiles.
The sect master gritted his teeth, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth as he resisted. "How should I know?! This is beyond tribulation… beyond Dao… It feels like the heavens themselves are bowing!"
SOUTHERN SEAS – DEMON TRIBE TERRITORY
A monstrous leviathan breached the waves, its body spanning hundreds of meters. It roared in anger—only to suddenly go still. Its massive body flipped over, belly-up, as if submitting to an unseen master.
Deep within the demon tribe's capital, the patriarch's scales cracked as he fell prostrate. "This… this isn't the might of a god… it's something higher…"
EASTERN DESERT – WANDERING CULTIVATOR
A lone cultivator meditating atop a dune gasped as his spiritual sense shattered. His mind was instantly filled with a galaxy spinning in endless motion.
He coughed blood, collapsing to the sand. Tears streamed down his face as he whispered, "What… what have I glimpsed? This presence… this is no mortal, no immortal… this is existence itself."
WESTERN MOUNTAINS – HOLY TEMPLE
Priests and priestesses gathered in their sacred hall suddenly screamed in unison as golden statues of their gods cracked. The temple shook violently, divine inscriptions unraveling like paper in the wind.
The high priestess fell to her knees, her voice trembling. "Even our gods… dare not reveal their forms before this being."
Celestrina felt all of it—the collective despair of her inhabitants. Her spirit trembled, her essence flickering as she dared to look at him.
And immediately regretted it.
His form was incomprehensible, a shifting galaxy of stars and darkness. Her spirit nearly unraveled at the sight.
What is he? A primordial? No… even primordials are bound by order. But this one… I can't even define him. He simply… exists. My essence trembles just to acknowledge him.
Please don't destroy me.
John's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, calm yet vast, like an ocean stretching beyond her horizon.
"I came to this galaxy out of curiosity," he said. "Your planet stood out to me. I'd like to observe cultivation here—up close."
For a moment, she almost forgot to breathe. Then she realized the pressure rolling off him was still spreading across the void. Nearby worlds trembled in response, their spirits crying out in alarm.
She lowered her head further. "Senior… please. Your presence… it is too much. The nearby planets… they cannot withstand it."
John blinked, then chuckled softly. "Ah. My mistake."
With a thought, he drew in his aura. The suffocating weight vanished in an instant, leaving only a quiet stillness. Planets settled. Skies cleared. Countless cultivators across neighboring worlds gasped as though waking from drowning.
The planet spirit stared in disbelief. He can control his pressure so effortlessly… as though it was never there at all.
She exhaled shakily. "If it is only to observe… then Celestrina welcomes you."
John smiled warmly, the stars within his galaxy-soul twinkling in amusement.
"Good. Then, I'll be in your care."
With that, his immense form shimmered, collapsing into a more compact, humanlike shape as he descended toward the surface.
The planet spirit clasped her hands together in silent prayer, her voice trembling as she whispered aloud:
"Please… let him only observe. Please don't let him shatter my lands by accident…"