After leaving the Nine Rings, Chen Xiang hurried back to the old house in the Eighth Ring. Only when he entered the secret chamber, filled with time-loop runes, did the faint feeling of being watched finally dissipate.

Who was watching him?

That vague, almost intangible sensation must have come from a being at least at the pseudo-god level... Was it the First Generation? The Primal Fear? Or perhaps that so-called Archdeacon of the Abyssal Void?

While pondering, Professor Su Luo, who was meditating in the chamber, opened his eyes:

"Little Chen?"

Professor Su Luo scrutinized Chen Xiang, surprised to sense a dramatic transformation in the young man.

There was a faint but palpable feeling that made his heart race.

He tried to glimpse more, but found nothing, and the unsettling feeling only intensified, with his own intuition sending out frantic warnings!

"Professor Su," Chen Xiang greeted.

"You can leave now. The Outer Three Rings have been abandoned by the Great City, and the Secret Bureau won't enter the Outer Three Rings. There shouldn't be any problems."

After a pause, he added, "However, I've received word that the Archdeacon of the Abyssal Void has arrived in the Great City. Though hidden, I doubt he would target you."

"The Archdeacon of the Abyssal Void?"

Professor Su Luo's expression tightened.

"That guy actually came here?"

"You know him?"

"I know of him, but he doesn't know me," Professor Su Luo replied simply.

"He's a true giant at the pseudo-god level. I once encountered the Archdeacon of the Hall of Knowledge. That sense of greatness, that feeling of powerlessness... This must be related to the altar. You should be careful in the coming days."

"I understand," Chen Xiang smiled, his gaze deepening.

"I actually came to ask you something. You once instructed me to wait in a basement under Saint Luo Plaza in the Nine Rings. If I'm not mistaken, you meant for me to wait for that Old Altar, correct?"

Professor Su Luo wasn't surprised, and he nodded with a bitter smile.

"That was the plan. I had once engraved a space-time marker on the altar, intending to banish it into the void storm. After ten days, it would naturally reappear in that basement..."

He sighed softly, "But now, that won't work. The complications caused by the altar exceeded my expectations. I didn't fully consider all the variables."

Chen Xiang's eyes lit up slightly. The greatest obstacle to retrieving the altar wasn't the dimensional Doomsday Spear nailing it down, but the countless eyes watching it!

He quickly asked, "Professor, if the altar is no longer sealed by that spear, would your marker still function?"

"It would," Professor Su Luo confirmed with a nod. Then, his expression shifted:

"Are you... No, is the Old Council planning to act? Which council member will personally come?"

His demeanor turned serious.

"If possible, Chen, you must tell the council member not to act rashly. The Great City hasn't taken the altar yet, perhaps using it as bait!"

"It's not a council member who's coming,"

Chen Xiang said, sitting down cross-legged and smiling.

"I'm the one who's coming."

"???" Three question marks popped up on Professor Su Luo's forehead. Chen Xiang merely smiled, offering no further explanation:

"I have a way to break the seal, and I can get out safely. But I didn't have a method to retrieve the altar until now. Knowing your marker works, I'm confident."

"This..."

Professor Su Luo was both alarmed and concerned.

"Child, be cautious with everything."

"I understand. It's safe outside now. Would you like to take a walk?"

Professor Su Luo quickly realized that Chen Xiang wanted to use the peculiar secret chamber alone, and immediately agreed:

"It's been a long time since I felt the natural wind. It's time for me to get some fresh air."

After he left, Chen Xiang shook his wrist, summoning a massive red bull.

The black bull had accumulated four days' worth of soul essence, and by his estimation, there were already nearly three thousand units of standard soul essence!

As usual, Chen Xiang took two thousand units for himself, leaving the rest for the black bull to absorb.

Holding the Bloodstone in his hand, he silently absorbed the two thousand units of soul essence, feeling an overwhelming sense of fullness and unparalleled pleasure deep in his spirit.

Time passed slowly, and by the time Chen Xiang opened his eyes again, his soul essence had more than tripled!

He could sense that he had undergone a profound transformation. It wasn't his physical constitution or the strength of his soul that had changed, but rather...

Authority!

With a single thought, the entire secret chamber was instantly engulfed in pitch-black flames. He stood up, and the chamber, now cloaked in black fire, was pulled into the shadows!

"Why such a massive increase... Oh, I see."

Chen Xiang realized:

"I've established a connection with the Nine Dimensions, and the authority I gained is intricately tied to them."

He continued to experiment with his current powers. The black flames now had the ability to kill even saints;

His shadow authority allowed him to drag objects and even people into the shadows to be smothered;

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

As for his phasing ability...

Chen Xiang phased out, disappearing from his original position.

He was still there, yet also not there.

"Space folding, an advanced form of phasing."

He stood in the folds of space, hidden in the creases, invisible to reality. It was a strange feeling, almost like...

Ascension!

But not quite, as he didn't yet possess a higher-dimensional perspective.

"It seems I can combine phasing and shadow authority, but I haven't figured out how yet. I'll develop it slowly."

Chen Xiang dispelled the black flames, dismissed the shadows, and stepped out from the folds of space. He patted the black bull with a wide grin:

"Oh, Bull, you truly are my lucky star!"

As he spoke, the crack-like tattoo on his wrist twisted, transforming into a mirror.

"Moo!!"

The black bull let out a terrified cry.

"What are you screaming for? You must be hungry by now, right? Don't worry, eat up, there's plenty!"

Chen Xiang said boldly:

"Mirror, summon the souls!"

"As you wish!" The mirror responded cheerfully, emitting a hazy glow as one ghost after another emerged from the void and obediently charged toward the black bull.

"Moo! Moo moo moo!!"

The black bull clenched its mouth shut, shaking its head wildly, but the ghosts coiled around it, prying its mouth open and forcing their way in.

One, a hundred, a thousand...

Soon, the ghosts in the chamber were exhausted, but before the black bull could catch its breath, the mirror expanded its summoning range.

Time flew by, and by the time dawn broke, then dusk fell, and dawn broke again, a total of 190,000 ghosts had been swallowed into the black bull's stomach.

Unlike the last time, the Big Black Bull's stomach was already full this time, and its efficiency in swallowing the ghost spirits was very low, so it took a day and a half.

Chen Xiang looked at the Big Black Bull, lying on the ground, rolling its eyes and hanging its tongue, and waved his hand regretfully:

"Alright, that's enough for now. Little Bull, your appetite is still too small."

"Moo..."

The Big Black Bull let out a weak response, feeling angry and frustrated, but too exhausted to make any more noise. It felt its future as a bull was bleak, and it might even become the only member in the great Disaster Bull tribe's history to die from overeating.

"Four hundred thousand ghost souls in total. If I calculate it, the daily yield is around 1,200, which means about 36,000 soul essences in a month."

Chen Xiang grinned, deciding that once this current matter was settled, he would lay low for a while, but not for too long. Swallowing soul essences for a few years—by then, the strength of his soul might not rival outer gods, but at least it wouldn't be far from that of a true god.

Just as he was about to store the half-dead Big Black Bull into the Mirror World and put away the mirror, the Mad Mirror reminded him:

"You need to be careful; Lu Saleng is no good."

"What do you mean? You know him?"

"I only recognized him yesterday. He's the crippled old man I told you about!" the Mad Mirror said indignantly. "A despicable, evil, shameless servant!"

Chen Xiang chuckled, realizing that Lu Saleng was the one who had sacrificed the Mad Mirror to the subspace in the first place. He knocked on the mirror, teasing:

"Alright, stop taking things personally. You say he's no good, but what's the real reason?"

"I forgot!" the mirror said confidently. "You know I went mad and forgot a lot, but I just know he's a bad guy!"

"Sure, sure. You couldn't beat him, he messed with you, so now he's the bad guy, huh?"

"How dare you—oh no, I mean, what nonsense are you talking about!" the mirror squeaked angrily. "There's no way I couldn't beat him! Do you even know who I am? Besides, if you don't listen to the invincible Mirror King, you'll regret it soon enough!"

Chen Xiang watched with amusement as the mirror went on its rant. This little thing was quite entertaining.

Once the Mad Mirror had raved enough, Chen Xiang turned it back into a rift tattoo on his arm. After reinforcing the chamber with a time-loop rune, he left.

Before leaving, Chen Xiang checked his phone. It was June 23, 1518. Only five days had passed since the Eighth Ring Incident, but it already felt like a long time.

...

Returning to the Sixth Ring, Chen Xiang followed the directions given by the academy staff and found his sister and brother's new home not far from the academy building. The Sixth Ring was special; there were no villas, but the academy had torn down part of a square and, in half a day, used transcendents to build a villa.

As soon as Chen Xiang entered, he heard his sister complaining:

"When I went out this morning, people around were whispering and giving me strange looks—so annoying!"

"Sis, it's not a big deal. It's a good thing, actually; it shows the academy values our little brother. Little brother?" Chen Xin was the first to spot Chen Xiang, and Chen Shaoyan turned to see him, standing up abruptly.

"Big Sis, Second Brother, I'm back." Chen Xiang smiled. "Good news: I've found Little Saleng. He's in the hospital now, and I'll bring him back in a few days."

As the situation grew more complicated, Chen Xiang was increasingly worried about his family. He had made an agreement with Lu Saleng: he would retrieve the altar himself, but Lu Saleng would protect his family.

Chen Shaoyan breathed a sigh of relief but then asked nervously:

"Little brother, what about Little Yaya? Have you found any trace of her?"

Chen Xiang was silent for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Don't worry, Sis. I've received news about Silly Girl, but I can't bring her back just yet. I can't explain the details."

Chen Shaoyan and Chen Xin nodded quietly, not asking further questions.

The three siblings sat in silence for a while before Chen Shaoyan stood up and headed to the kitchen.

"One returned is good enough. It's just good that one came back." She sighed. "I didn't prepare any ingredients beforehand, but for lunch, I'll make you tomato and egg noodles—your favorite. Will you be staying a few more days this time?"

Hearing the hope in his sister's voice, Chen Xiang glanced at the message that Little Wei had just sent him on his phone. Swallowing his words of farewell, he sighed softly:

"Sis, I'll leave after the noodles."

"Alright, alright. Being busy is good. Being busy is good." Chen Shaoyan's voice was tinged with melancholy, but she didn't say much more.

Chen Xiang quietly sat down on the sofa and opened his phone to read the messages from Little Wei.

"Old Chen, urgent! Urgent! Urgent!"

"I haven't found Big Bro yet, but my Sixth Brother has already found me!"

"That dog hired the Secret Investigation Bureau!"

"I'm on the run towards the Ninth Ring—come save my skin!"

Chen Xiang shook his head with a smile, knowing that Little Wei's situation wasn't too serious. It was just a reunion of siblings. Still, he played it safe, splitting off part of his shadow and sending it off into the distance.