My Infinite Cultivation System

Ao Di’s expression shifted, the change subtle yet unmistakable. Amusement crept into his features, slow and deliberate, as though he had discovered something mildly entertaining in an otherwise dull moment. His molten eyes glowed with a deeper intensity as they settled upon Victor.

"Oh?" he said, his voice carrying a faint echo that seemed to grind against the air itself. "You are the ones who informed us, correct? The ones who traded the secret of this planet for protection?"

Victor remained bowed, his posture rigid, his head lowered in complete submission. He did not dare meet the dragon elder’s gaze.

"We are, great elder," Victor replied carefully. "We sought only to align ourselves with power worthy of our loyalty."

A low, rumbling laugh escaped Ao Di. It resembled the sound of massive stones crushing against one another, harsh and unyielding.

"You sold your own kind for survival," Ao Di said. "How quaint."

Victor did not move. "We did what was necessary."

Ao Di dismissed him with a casual wave of his clawed hand, as though brushing away an insect. "I will deal with you later. First, let me finish this race."

He turned away from Victor and faced Alex and the gathered humans.

The shift in attention felt like the descent of a mountain.

His gaze alone carried a suffocating weight that pressed down on every living being present. It was not merely pressure. It was something deeper, something primal, as if existence itself was being judged and found wanting.

Mothers instinctively pulled their children closer, clutching them as though they could shield them from what was coming. Soldiers who had once stood with resolve now lowered their weapons, fully aware of their futility. The weapons felt meaningless in their hands, like props in a performance that had already reached its conclusion.

Across the planet, the same scene unfolded in countless variations. Inside homes, underground shelters, and hidden bunkers, humans watched through flickering screens. Fear spread not as panic but as a heavy silence. They had endured the trial. They had survived what they believed was the worst. Yet now they stood at the edge of something far more final.

Husbands held their wives. Parents held their children. Strangers held one another without hesitation.

Tears fell without restraint.

No one spoke.

And then, breaking through the suffocating stillness, a voice rang out.

"Alex, I love you."

It was clear and unwavering despite the tremor beneath it.

Every head turned.

Anna stood at the edge of the crowd. Her face was wet with tears, her eyes red yet resolute. Her hands trembled at her sides, but she did not retreat. For so long, she had kept her feelings buried, convincing herself that there would always be another moment, a better time. She had told herself that he would never see her that way.

Now, with death standing before them, those illusions no longer held any meaning.

She loved him.

And she refused to let silence be her final regret.

Alex looked at her.

Until that moment, his expression had remained cold and controlled, unchanged by the tension around him. Now something shifted. It was subtle, but it was there. Surprise flickered across his features, followed by something far more complex. There was hesitation, and beneath it, something that resembled regret. He put everyone in this tensed situation just to make those arrogant bastards more arrogant, so that he could put his plan into action.

Anna did not expect an answer. She did not even hope for one. It was enough that he knew.

They held each other’s gaze for a long moment.

Then Alex turned away.

He faced Ao Di once more.

The dragon elder had watched the entire exchange with visible amusement. "Touching," he said. "A final confession before extinction. There is a certain poetry in it."

Alex stepped forward.

When he spoke, his voice was calm.

Not merely calm, but controlled to a degree that felt unnatural.

"Are you certain you want to do this?" he asked. "Perhaps you should consult your superiors before making a decision you cannot reverse."

The words fell into the silence like stones into still water, their impact spreading outward in unseen ripples.

Ao Di’s smile faded.

His molten eyes narrowed, the glow within them sharpening.

"What did you say?"

Alex did not repeat himself.

He stood still, his hands resting at his sides. His expression remained unchanged, yet something about him had shifted. The change was not visible in any conventional sense, yet it could be felt.

Alex’s position long since surpassed the boundaries of this universe. As the disciple of the being who governed not just one universe but a hundred, his existence had risen beyond the comprehension of ordinary entities. Even the so called eternal races stood on a completely different scale compared to him.

A single sentence from him could erase them without resistance.

"Did you just threaten us?" Ao Di said, his voice carrying a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "An insect like you dares to speak in such a manner? Now you have my interest. Tell me, where does this confidence come from?"

Alex remained silent.

He was thinking.

The dragon race was, after all, an eternal race. Their annihilation would not be a trivial matter, even for him. Yet the elder’s arrogance and disregard had already crossed a line.

Alex’s gaze shifted briefly upward, toward the sky.

"Sage of the Dragon Race," he said, his voice carrying across space itself, "if you can hear me, I will offer you a path. Bring half of your entire wealth, and I will spare your race from annihilation."

His tone was steady, devoid of emotion.

Merlin watched from the folds of space, hidden beyond perception.

He understood immediately.

Alex had instructed him not to act earlier. Now the reason was clear. This was not merely about punishment. It was about extracting value.

Even so, Merlin felt a trace of unease.

The dragon elder’s actions had already warranted destruction on a racial scale. Alex’s position was far too elevated for such behavior to go unanswered.

There had been a failure on his part as well. Merlin had not informed the other sages. Had he done so, this situation would never have unfolded.

Far away, within a secluded realm of the universe, a golden dragon observed a massive cosmic beast.

The creature before him was a transcended realm cosmic beast, yet in that moment it remained utterly still, not daring to produce even the faintest sound.

The dragon’s gaze held a predatory glint.

"You appear quite appetizing," he murmured. "It has been a long time since I last indulged."

Before he could act, a voice reached him.

It came from across the vast expanse of the universe, clear despite the distance.

He paused.

A faint smile appeared on his face, tinged with amusement.

The voice belonged to someone weak. That much he could discern instantly. He heard it because it was probably important, that’s why his sage domain peaked that particular voice.

"I am in a favorable mood," he said. "Perhaps I will erase that galaxy entirely. It will serve as a form of assistance to the universe to remove pests."

He raised his hand.

From where he stood, he prepared to strike the Milky Way itself. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Then another voice entered his mind.

"Ao Hong, do not act," Merlin said. "If you make a move against that boy, your entire bloodline will be erased."

Ao Hong’s expression hardened.

"Merlin," he replied, his tone turning cold, "are you threatening me? Is that boy connected to you? Do you intend to oppose me for the sake of an insect?"

"Do as he has asked," Merlin said calmly. "I assure you, he possesses the power he claims."

A flicker of unease passed through Ao Hong.

"What are you implying?"

Merlin’s response came without hesitation.

"He is the sole disciple of Supremacy Alexander. Now the choice is yours."

In that instant, Ao Hong felt as though all strength had left his body.

He was the strongest sage within this universe. Yet before a supreme existence, he was nothing.

Not even dust.

Back on Earth, Ao Di roared.

The sound tore through the air with overwhelming force.

"How dare you speak such blasphemy about the progenitor?" he bellowed. "I had intended to grant you a painless death. Now I will ensure that your soul suffers for eternity before I end you."

He raised his power, preparing to strike.

Then everything stopped.

The Milky Way itself seemed to freeze.

Time ceased its flow.

Particles suspended in the air remained motionless, as though reality had been paused.

The stillness did not feel natural.

It was not the quiet of a world holding its breath, nor the fragile pause before destruction. It was something far more absolute, as if the very concept of motion had been denied permission to exist.

Ao Di remained frozen mid action, his power gathered yet unable to advance even a fraction further. The raging energy around him had halted, suspended like a painting carved into reality itself. His expression, twisted with fury only a moment ago, was locked in place.