Merin gathers his power, drawing it inward until the surrounding void bends faintly under his will.
He stands suspended in the endless dark, his gaze fixed upon the world below.
A planet turns slowly beneath him, circling its star in quiet, unremarkable rhythm.
He watches it in silence, then sighs.
Disappointment settles across his expression.
It is only a planet.
Worse, a dust-laden world, its potential thin, its future limited.
In the vast void, only two places can truly give rise to life.
A plane, or a planet.
Planes stand above all, even the weakest among them possessing a crystal wall barrier.
That barrier isolates them from the violent currents of void energy.
At the same time, it absorbs and refines that energy into something stable and nourishing.
Planets, however, are far more fragile.
They rely on magnetic fields, weak shields formed under the influence of their stars.
The star's field calms the raging void energy first.
Then the planets are drawn into that softened region, revolving endlessly within it.
Among thousands, perhaps one will nurture life.
Life-bearing planets are rare.
Yet even they are nothing compared to planes.
Even the smallest plane is hundreds of times rarer than such a planet.
A cultivator of the first stage, or even the third, can reshape a barren planet into one that supports life.
But no such being can create a plane.
That difference defines the boundary between ordinary and extraordinary.
Merin understands this clearly.
Which is why disappointment lingers.
His clone exists on such a planet.
A low beginning.
Yet he does not dismiss it entirely.
A drop of water can still become an ocean.
Potential may be small, but it is not nonexistent.
He cannot leave it as it is.
After reaching the Saint realm, he discovered a harsh truth.
He can no longer connect to the vast rule network of the greater human world.
His previous plane was only a fragment, a small plane within that immense structure.
It possessed its own rule network, yet remained linked to the greater whole.
As the master of that plane, he could sense the larger network faintly.
But sensing is not understanding.
Even a single wisp of law remains beyond his grasp.
Unless he burns the power of faith he has gathered.
Faith, born from believers, becomes his only bridge.
And this planet holds life.
Which means it holds believers.
That alone gives it value.
Merin lowers his gaze once more.
Then he moves.
His hand extends toward the planet, fingers opening as space itself bends.
The Law of Space unfolds silently around him.
Distance collapses.
The vast gap between him and the planet shrinks as if it never existed.
His palm descends, not through motion, but through control of space itself.
The planet trembles.
Not from force, but from the distortion surrounding it.
Space folds inward, layer by layer.
The orbit breaks.
The planet begins to shrink.
Mountains compress, oceans condense, skies fold into themselves.
Yet nothing is destroyed.
Everything remains intact, preserved within the compression of space.
From a world, it becomes a sphere.
From a sphere, it becomes something smaller still.
Until it rests within his palm.
A tiny world, no larger than a bead.
Merin closes his fingers slightly, stabilising it.
Then, with a flicker of thought, he forms a second construct.
A small light emerges, condensing into a radiant sphere.
It mimics the planet's former star.
He places it beside the miniature world.
Immediately, the planet begins to revolve around the light once more.
Its cycle restored, its balance maintained.
A complete system, now held within his hand.
Merin watches it briefly, ensuring its stability.
Then he turns.
The void stretches endlessly before him.
Without another glance, he begins his return journey.
Merin moves through the void without resistance, his figure crossing distances that cannot be measured.
Ahead, the faint outline of his world appears, wrapped within its crystalline barrier.
He does not slow.
With a single step, he passes through the crystal wall, its surface rippling briefly before sealing behind him.
The inner void greets him, quieter, more stable, shaped by the rules of his plane.
He walks forward, his presence bending the surrounding space into submission.
Another barrier rises before him, thinner, layered with refined energy.
He crosses it just as easily.
In the next moment, he returns fully to his world.
He stands within the nine wind and thunder layers, the final defence surrounding the plane.
Here, violent currents surge endlessly.
Purple thunder roars in every direction, tearing through space with destructive force.
Each strike carries the authority of heaven itself.
Merin pauses.
Even he senses the danger within it.
This is not power meant to be ignored.
Yet the thunder does not approach him.
As both an inhabitant and the master of this world, the forces recognise him.
They part around him, avoiding his presence instinctively.
He begins to descend.
Layer by layer, he moves downward.
Each layer holds different forms of wind and thunder, each more refined than the last.
None obstructs him.
Finally, he emerges above the clouds.
Below him stretches the vast expanse of his world.
Mountains, rivers, cities, and life unfold beneath his gaze.
He observes quietly.
Then he notices the change.
Two decades have passed.
Time has moved forward in his absence.
A faint thought crosses his mind.
Biyun should have already reached the Soul-Awakening Stage by now.
His gaze shifts slightly, recalling another matter.
His son.
The child born from his clone.
He has already read through all the memories.
Everything that happened, every betrayal, every struggle.
Yet he feels nothing toward those involved.
To him, they are no different from ants.
Their lives are too short to matter.
If he sleeps for a while, they will vanish on their own.
But two people remain outside that indifference.
Xue Rong.
And his son.
He will not allow them to fade with time.
He considers briefly, then makes his decision.
He will not bring them to Dragon City.
They will remain in the capital of the Dali Kingdom.
There, he will arrange protection.
He will send guards, not just to protect, but to guide them in cultivation.
Their future will be secured without removing them from their world.
His thoughts settle.
Then he raises his palm.
The small planet rotates within it, circling the artificial light he created.
It appears fragile, insignificant against the vastness around him.
Yet within it, time flows differently.
By influencing its revolution, he has slowed the passage of time.
Only a few weeks have passed inside.
His consciousness enters it briefly.
He observes the situation below.
Bao'er has already ascended the throne.
The regent council governs in his name.
Their rule is stable, yet unease lingers among them.
They remember the moment Li Xuanyi dissolved into light.
Fireflies escaping into nothingness.
They cannot explain it.
So they assign meaning to it.
They believe a deity descended to live among mortals.
And after completing his purpose, he returned to the heavens.
Merin withdraws his awareness.
His gaze shifts downward, toward his own world.
The central ocean spreads vast and deep.
Countless islands scatter across its surface.
Demon beast clans thrive within those lands, forming powerful territories.
He considers it briefly.
Then decides.
That is where the planet will be placed.
His magic power flows outward.
It enters the miniature world within his palm.
Instantly, everything freezes.
Life halts.
Movement ceases.
Winds stop.
Waves solidify.
Even time itself seems to pause within it.
Then he begins.
With precise control, he separates the continental plates.
The landmass fractures, not through destruction, but through controlled division.
Massive continents split apart into smaller sections.
Each piece is guided by his will.
He lowers his hand toward the ocean below.
One by one, the fragments descend.
They expand as they fall, returning to their original scale.
Land meets water.
A new continent begins to form.
The ocean shifts, currents adjusting to the sudden change.
Waves rise and settle as the land stabilises.
Mountains anchor themselves.
Rivers carve new paths.
The world accepts the addition.
Merin does not stop.
He reaches deeper, connecting the new landmass to the nodes of his plane.
Energy lines extend, linking the foreign world to the existing structure.
For a moment, resistance appears.
Then, with a low hum, the connection forms.
The nodes accept it.
The two systems synchronise.
The new land becomes part of his world.
Only then does he withdraw slightly.
His will moves again, issuing a silent command.
From a nearby temple, his order spreads outward.
Guards are to be sent immediately.
Their task is clear.
Protect Xue Rong and Bao'er.
Guide them in cultivation.
Ensure their safety at all costs.
Within the newly placed land, time resumes.
Life begins to move again.
The people feel nothing unusual.
They do not know they have crossed into another world.
Yet something changes.
A subtle comfort spreads through their bodies.
The dragon energy of the plane nourishes them quietly.
Strength grows within them without understanding.
Merin watches for a moment longer.
Everything stabilises.
Nothing resists.
Nothing collapses.
Satisfied, he lowers his hand.
Then he disappears.
In the next instant, he appears upon his throne.
The hall is silent, vast, and filled with restrained power.
He sits, his expression calm, his thoughts already moving forward.
The next step forms clearly within his mind.
The Divine Kingdom.
And beyond that, the Dao Space.