Chapter 119: The First Branch Reappearing back in the skies of Astralis, Ash hovered motionless for a moment, the four suns casting strange multi-shadows across the vast continents below. The world felt different now—quieter, the chaotic auras of invading clans fading like echoes. This world could be considered his, with the Astral Prime Clan under his banner. But he would allow them to keep face on the surface; pride was a currency he understood well. He wasn’t far from the Nocturne domain. Spreading his 59-billion-kilometer mana sense, he saw them all leaving—starships rising into the void, Liam’s broken form carried aboard under heavy guard. He nodded, satisfied. The Noctis Clan would know soon enough; their branch would scatter or submit. Now that Astralis was ’safe’ for the most part, he disappeared—teleporting multiple times in ripples of space—until he reached the heart of the Astral Prime Clan’s new continental domain. One final fold. He materialized in Celeste’s private planetarium chamber, the vast spherical room alive with swirling galaxies projected on the walls, stars twinkling in perfect silence. The floating cultivation rug hovered at the center, Celeste seated cross-legged upon it—silver hair flowing like starlit rivers, ethereal white robes shimmering. She opened her starlit eyes the moment he arrived, no surprise, only calm recognition. Ash floated forward, wings folding neatly, landing softly on the rug opposite her. "Astralis is safe for the most part," he said, voice warm as he sat cross-legged. "All known threats have left or are leaving. The Nocturne and Noctis branches won’t linger." Celeste nodded slowly, the projected cosmos reflecting in her eyes. "Good. My people can breathe freely again." Ash leaned forward slightly, a playful smile on his face. "I think... you’d look even more beautiful beneath real stars, Celeste." She tilted her head, faint amusement in her expression. "Flattery from the man who stands in fate’s blind spot... dangerous." They talked more easily now—the tension of negotiation replaced by something lighter. Ash spoke of his Originat Clan: young, unrated, but with immense potential. "Your people’s knowledge, legions, and skills would help us immensely," he said. "I want the Galactic Astral Prime Clan as an official branch of Originat.... We will use Astralis as our temporary base—until we claim a world of our own." Celeste considered, starlit gaze steady. "An official branch... under your banner." She paused, then nodded. "Agreed....." Ash’s smile deepened. "Smart and beautiful. My favorite combination." He shifted closer on the rug, not touching, but near enough that her aura brushed his like warm dawn. She didn’t pull away. Then her expression turned serious. "The.... looming threat," she said quietly. "From my estimations, we have about fifty years until doom encroaches." Ash nodded, hand brushing hers lightly... affectionate and reassuring. "Nothing will happen to you or your people," he promised, voice low and certain. "I’ll make sure of it." Celeste’s cheeks tinted faintly, starlit eyes holding a moment longer. He rose then, wings rustling. "Until next time." Space rippled, and he vanished.... The Original Desire was really something else. ---- Reappearing in his inner cosmos. The vast 59-billion-kilometer universe greeted him—rainbow plains, starlight tree at the center, eternal rose-gold dawn. He glanced at his companions as they cultivated, estimating from his status tracker that it would be three more days before Vaeloria, Nia, Seris, Sonna, Yonna, Thalion, Caelan, and Kael were finished. Ash headed to a quiet space alone—a floating jade platform above a silver ocean. He took out everything from the Astral Realm: Mythic Eternal Starlight Lotuses glowing with Law-refining essence, Calamity beast cores pulsing with stellar power, ancient weapons humming with forgotten runes, rare ores veined with void and star energy. |Law of Abundance| The items multiplied.... hundreds turned into thousands, thousands into tens of thousands, with quality quietly rising in the swell of abundance. Ash smiled as he evolved every item to staggering heights. The Lotuses now granted instant Law mastery, Beast cores yielded 250 thousand EL per absorption with a chance at stellar law, and the weapons ascended to Divine and Paragon tiers. Taking it all in, he then used his Law of Mana and Space to distribute them among every inhabitant of his inner cosmos. His subordinates, especially his closest companions, reacted instantly. The moment they appeared before them, their eyes widened, and without a single question, they exchanged knowing smiles and understood exactly what needed to be done. With that settled, he turned to his next course of action—a creation he considered truly special. With his companions all approaching the Calamity rank, they would soon set off on their own journeys, carrying the influence and power of the Originat Clan far and wide. But before they left, he wouldn’t leave them high and dry. From his weeks of experience on Astralis, he knew this world of cultivation was dangerous. Hell, he’d even died once and had to be reborn. And not just that... ’You’ve got people running around with systems, titles.... and who knows what the hell else.’ He thought. One thing was certain—he’d make sure his people fought on a level playing field. With that thought, he seized the seed of the replicated Orb of Origin, which surged 500-fold under the force of his cosmos power. Before him now hovered an empty world, yet it brimmed with something that surpassed even the Aura of Origin. Something that should have been impossible...