The Tale of the Void Emperor

"Anyway, you broke through very fast. I guess it's thanks to that unique physique you got that is related to this Ark of Exordium," Dreevindo said.

"Yep. Sister Huarin also has a special physique like that, but it's of a lower version than mine," Lily said with a smile, "anyway, she will be done within eight to twelve hours too."

"What about Athan? What happened while I was training," Lily asked.

Mimi and Dreevindo told her what Athan did while the three of them looked at the cloudly screen to the lookout in case any rift portal opened near them.

According to Dreevindo, multi-colored portals are more common, and it's been five minutes since they came out of the previous rift dimension. So, one should appear around them anytime.

"So he killed an Epic powerhouse," Lily muttered as she looked at Athan and smiled, "he is really in a hurry to get his family back."

"I also miss sister Avelia, Tiana, Qerin, and brother Mike," Lily said with a pout.

"Your brother Athan will surely bring them back very soon," Lily pinched Mimi's cheeks and spoke with a smile.

"A rift portal appeared!" Dreevindo exclaimed as he saw a multi-colored rift portal a few kilometers in front. He then disappeared as he went outside and rushed towards it.

Hearing that, Lily and Mimi also went outside and rushed towards it.

Lily couldn't take the Ark into any portal while staying inside the ark space. If she could, they wouldn't have to pay for teleportation as well.

The Ark stays in its separate dimension; it's like a permanent parallel space that sticks to whatever space its master traverse. So, even if Lily controlled the Ark and moved it towards the portal, it wouldn't enter inside but pass by it since the portal is also a path to a different dimension and space.

As such, If she wants to go other places through rift portals or teleportation rings, or formation, she has to go through that with her real body.

Dreevindo was the first one to reach the portal…no.

Before Dreevindo could go into the portal, he was smacked back while coughing blood as a middle-aged man with a blue robe appeared in front of the portal.

Dreevindo stopped himself and wiped the blood before looking at the front with a fearful expression. Mimi and Lily also stopped.

"No one shall enter this rift portal," the middle-aged man said with an expressionless face.

Six more people arrived at the portal, but they also stopped hearing the middle-aged man and sensing the powerful aura from him.

The middle-aged man was exuding the same power as those kings, meaning that he was at the Epic stage and walking the path of becoming an Epic existence.

"What do you mean, senior?" one of the people who arrived here asked with a frown.

Suddenly, four men and four women arrived here, but they flew towards the middle-aged man and bowed slightly, "thank you, uncle Aoukin."

The middle-aged man nodded and turned to the side as all those eight people entered through the portal.

The portal was Atomix-stage according to the colors around its border.

The middle-aged man looked at everyone and spoke indifferently, "go look for another rift portal."

"Are you doing this to reduce the competition inside?" Dreevindo spoke with a frown, "but you know that in this vast Firmamemnt Chasm and other Firmament chasms in other Lerento's would have some more rift portals that lead to the same rift dimension."

"It doesn't matter," the middle-aged man answered indifferently, "one less is one less; you lot are around fifteen, so fifteen people less in the competition."

More people had arrived here, and eight seconds had already passed.

"Old man, you are an idiot," Lily snorted and spoke.

*Swoosh…*

A sharp glowing dagger shot out from the middle-aged man's sleeves towards Lily, but it missed as Lily entered inside the Ark space.

Mimi and Dreevindo disappeared as Lily sent them inside the Ark space.

Before others and the middle-aged man could display their surprise, Lily appeared outside once again.

She looked at the middle-aged man and spoke with a smile, "since you care about those eight people that much, then I am sure a few of them will die."

"At least, I will make sure that some of them do," Lily said with a grin before she disappeared again.

However, her voice reverberated, "you used your power to block other people; I will use my power to kill your people when I encounter them inside."

The middle-aged man frowned as he didn't know what had happened and thought, 'her aura was not that strong, just at Raisor-stage. So, how did she disappear? Those two who disappeared should be her companions as well. However, I can't sense their presence anymore. Hmmm…'

"Bye~"

Suddenly, the middle-aged man turned around as he sensed his presence and after that, he heard a voice.

However, he didn't see anything, but his face turned dark as he turned around and looked at other people, "did that girl just enter inside the rift portal?"

Everyone nodded as they clearly saw Lily suddenly popping out very near the rift portal entrance and entering inside.

"Damn!" The middle-aged man cursed, but he couldn't do anything.

The portal was of Atomix-grade, so he, who was an Epic powerhouse, couldn't enter inside.

People who are at higher than the rift portal's grade can't enter inside, while lower-stage people than the rift portal's grade can enter inside.

…

"Let's go!" Lily said as she called out Mimi and Dreevindo from the Ark space.

"That old man really hit me hard," Dreevindo said with a frown and a painful expression.

"Humph, he almost killed sister Lily," Mimi said with an angry expression, "if we encounter those eight people, then we will also not spare them."

Lily smiled and patted Mimi, "yep. I am sure we will eventually encounter them while searching for resource treasures and catalysts."

…

While Lily, Mimi, and Dreevindo started moving in a random direction, Athan inside the Ark space suddenly started oozing out black and white threads as they rapidly whirled around him.

The threads increased, and soon, a cocoon formed around Athan.

Lily and others didn't know that Athan was going to take one hell of his time coming out of the cocoon this time.