While still in shock, Alita’s thoughts raced wildly as she tried to figure out why a Divine Lord would descend to a place like this.
"Hahaha. Relax, relax. You don’t have to be so tense. This disk-shaped vessel is quite popular in the Pangora Starfield. Are you from there?" Raisho asked.
At that mont, Leyvi and Anda saw a female figure erge from the central pillar in the room, where the screens and complex panels surrounded it.
The woman was dazzlingly beautiful, though if Leyvi were to compare her to Pink Enchantress Rose using his Handsoness Slider scale, she would be a few points below Rose.
Unfortunately, she did not possess a physical body and existed only in spirit form.
There was no need for Leyvi and Anda to guess her identity. This woman was undoubtedly Alita.
"Yes, esteed Divine Lord. I am from the Pangora Starfield. May this lowly one ask why such a figure like you is here?" Alita asked as politely as possible.
"Co on, no need to be so formal. Just call Senior Raisho. It looks like you’re unaware of the decree, so you must have been on your journey before it was issued," Raisho said casually.
"A decree? A decree from our Supre Ruler, the Exalted Progenitor Divine King? What was it about?" Alita asked, puzzled as to how such a decree could lead to a Divinity appearing in a place like this.
Raisho smiled. "Our Supre Ruler is no longer just a Divine King. He has managed to reopen the path for us and has beco a Divine Emperor. Even now, he remains the only Divine Emperor in our galaxy. No one else has reached his level yet, not even his peers from back then. They are all still at the Divine King realm."
"Divine Emperor!" Alita exclaid, her shock deepening once again.
At this mont, Raisho’s gaze toward Alita’s spirit form softened, carrying a trace of sympathy.
"If you had waited just a little longer before setting out on your journey, you might have had the chance to beco a Divine Lord like ," Raisho said.
Alita’s heart sank upon hearing this. "What do you an, Senior Raisho?"
Raisho let out a soft sigh. "After our Supre Ruler beca a Divine Emperor, not only could he visit neighboring galaxies with ease, he was even able to cross the vast cosmic void and reach those incredibly ancient galaxies."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"When he returned, he brought back nurous opportunities and profound knowledge. He scattered these opportunities across the Galactic Center, and those who obtained them gained a much higher chance of attaining Divinity."
By this point, Alita was completely shaken.
"Because of this, the number of Divinities in our galaxy increased massively. The other cultivation realms also experienced exponential growth due to the new knowledge our Supre Ruler introduced, along with the changes he implented afterward. It led to an era we now call the Golden Age of Cultivation. If you hadn’t departed at that ti..." Raisho trailed off, shaking his head. "It’s quite regrettable."
In truth, Alita was not the only one who had made such a choice. Back then, many cultivators had been stuck at that threshold, so they ventured out in search of their own opportunities. After all, they were only one step away from what they believed to be eternal life.
Raisho knew exactly how her story had unfolded after her journey failed to bear fruit.
Failing to reach Divinity, she eventually reached the end of her true lifespan, her life force completely depleted. Unable to accept that fate, she made a desperate choice, transforming herself into a tool spirit and binding her existence to an object.
In her case, it was this cosmic vessel.
As long as the vessel remained intact, her sense of self would continue to exist.
True lifespan is not simply the length of ti a body can live.
It is the duration for which an existence is allowed to exist as itself.
Every living being is, at its core, a collection of information, mories, identity, and consciousness, bound together into a single "self." This collection does not hold itself together naturally. It is sustained by an unseen force, a fundantal principle of the universe.
That sustaining force is what cultivators refer to as true lifespan.
As long as this force remains, the "self" continues to exist. Even if the body is destroyed, the remaining fragnts of that self can still persist, reform, or be reborn in so way.
But once true lifespan is exhausted, the binding force disappears.
When that happens, it is not just death.
The body collapses, the soul disperses, and the very information that defines the individual unravels completely. mories, identity, and consciousness all dissolve back into the universe, leaving nothing behind that can ever return.
No reincarnation. No resurrection. No possession. No trace.
Becoming a tool spirit is a thod to resist this fate.
Instead of relying on true lifespan to hold the self together, one transfers their entire existence into an external object. The object becos a substitute anchor, preserving the structure of their identity even after their true lifespan has ended. However, this can only be done once because they don’t have their original power to repeat the thod.
True lifespan is also the reason why so beings can return after death.
If they are killed before their true lifespan ends, their "self" still has ti remaining. Given the right conditions, that remaining ti can allow them to reassemble, reincarnate, or transform into sothing new.
But if their true lifespan has already run out, then no thod in existence can bring them back. At least not yet.
The only known ways to extend true lifespan are to ascend to higher realms of existence or to obtain rare, naturally ford treasures that contain fragnts of this mysterious force.
However, it was basically over for Alita. In her current state, she couldn’t cultivate or consu those treasures.
That was why Raisho felt sympathy for her. He had once stood in the sa position, searching for a path to Divinity. The difference was simple, yet absolute.
He was lucky. She was not.
He too had planned to travel the galaxy in search of opportunity, but sothing delayed him. That delay, insignificant as it might have seed at the ti, beca the very reason he was able to remain and eventually achieve Divinity.
This was why he reminded Lin Wei never to look down on luck.
The sa circumstances. Two vastly different outcos. That was the quiet, terrifying power of luck.
Alita remained shaken.
She still could not believe that all she had needed to do was wait a little longer to obtain everlasting life. Back then, among those standing just one step away from Divinity, she had been considered one of the very best.
And now... all of that past glory had been reduced to this.
What a tragic outco.
Leyvi and Anda exchanged glances. They had just been exposed to knowledge far beyond their current level, a glimpse into the greater galaxy and the truth of Alita’s past. These were things they were never supposed to know at this stage.
anwhile, Anda had already begun connecting the dots, quietly assembling a much bigger picture in her mind.
Lilian had once told her that her Divine ntor ca from a distant galaxy, and that her galaxy was only one among many ancient galaxies connected together. If that person could travel such vast distances like the Exalted Progenitor ntioned earlier, then her Divine ntor must also be a Divine Emperor.
Anda felt a subtle shock.
It seed Lilian’s Divine ntor was far more extraordinary than she had initially imagined.
"Do you regret hearing the truth from ?" Raisho asked, looking at the visibly disturbed Alita. "Would you rather not have known any of this?"
Alita remained silent for several minutes before finally answering.
"Senior Raisho... thank you for telling . Even though it is difficult to accept, I would rather know the truth than remain ignorant of it."
"Hahaha! Good answer. And a good expression," Raisho said with a satisfied smile. "As expected of soone who managed to cultivate that far. You did not lose hope so easily, even after being reduced to this."
"Listen here, Miss Alita. Our galaxy is still young. There are many things we do not yet understand, but that does not an we will remain ignorant forever. We are always progressing. If you continue to persevere, who knows? Soone may eventually discover a thod to restore true lifespan, allowing you to cultivate again in the future," Raisho said, offering a asure of encouragent.
"Hearing such words from a Divine Lord... makes happy," Alita replied.
"Now, now. There’s no need to force it. I can clearly sense your sadness," Raisho said with a light chuckle. "Ah, right. I still haven’t told you about the decree."
He then went on to explain the decree, detailing the efforts to promote the growth of the galaxy and expand its population.
"I see... so cultivators grow alongside the galaxy itself. I didn’t expect such a relationship," Alita said, her tone steadier now. "No wonder the Exalted Progenitor issued such a decree. Then destroying any celestial body must now be considered a cri, am I right, Senior?"
Her mood seed to have improved slightly.
"Hahaha! Exactly right," Raisho replied. "Every celestial body holds the potential for life to flourish. They are essential to us. Anyone caught destroying planets or stars without proper reason will have their cultivation stripped away and used to nourish other celestial bodies instead."
Leyvi and Anda exchanged another glance.
The scale of this conversation was far beyond anything they could comprehend. Destroying planets and stars... how could soone even reach such a level of power?
For them, such things still belonged to a distant, almost unimaginable horizon.
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