Unaware of the mess Alexander caused, Azvon had a bead covered in strange fluctuations within his palms.

"I can't believe this madness... you truly can't let this old man rest one bit!"

What laid in his hands were Alexander's real Dantian and part of his still intact soul around it. This was done very soon, as to avoid a complete death.

As for how Alexander managed to do so much without a Dantian? Well, he could just make another on the spot. It would be subpar, but still functional for a self-detonation. At least it clearly was when one saw the result. [Transcend] caused a strange attraction of energies, but so based on acupoints. The Dantian could therefore be swapped without much trouble.

"Is that master?" Turning his head around, Azvon heard a gentle voice. He saw a woman of fair skin and exquisite silver hair with gem-like lips. He felt a strange sense of familiarity from her. And behind this woman was another.

"This old man greets Tempered Goddess Marguerite!" Standing up, Azvon gave a nod alongside his greeting.

Raising her hand, Marguerite looked on. Watching the sky still in mayhem, pink and pale blue energies forming storms and stars above them.

"No need for formalities." Letting loose her cultivation, she made Azvon aware of her power. Mainly as to avoid having someone attacking her.

Surprisingly, even though she was a sect master from the sect world, her cultivation was already half a step into the Dream Dominion Realm!

"So, who is this young lady? She has brother Alexander's aura on her person. At least I think so..."

Hearing this, the gorgeous woman bowed slightly.

"My name is Aurora! I greet senior! The reason I have his aura is because I am actually his Guardian of Ascendency!"

"Huh?" Raising a brow, Azvon was at a complete loss.

"And he let you go? Why would... I don't get it..."

"It's complicated..."

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.

.

"Now that's some luck for you!" Laughing like a maniac, Azvon heard the gist of it.

Aurora had left in hope of taking over someone to wake Alexander up from his sleep. After succeeding someway, she was located and thrown away by Elizabeth. After which, her soul roamed around the sect world, finding itself inside the Diamond Sect. Soon, she was found by Tempered Goddess Marguerite, strongest of the entire sect world.

Unfortunately being soul searched, she was still accepted as a disciple with the promise of letting her go back to her master once everything was over.

After a while, they heard a commotion. Limbo in shambles.

And from afar, they watched as Alexander obliterated not only the Saint Hall, but one of the strongest experts of the entirety of Limbo.

But, as they saw, Alexander was already too far into the fight, unable to step back. A secret technique would be fine as long as it did not push one's limits too far.

Clearly however, Alexander did push too far.

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.

.

Some time before Alexander blew himself up.

As he removed his Dantian along a fraction of his soul, an invisible portal opened, a hand coming out of it. Time suddenly froze across the entire world.

Coming out of the portal, another Alexander. One with a much more profound cultivation base.

"Look at you... at least I got the timeline right. Pity me who didn't know how to do it... Anyway..." Gently clawing at Alexander's aura, it became fluid, moving along his hand. Soon entirely extracted, the supposedly older Alexander grafted this strange ethereal material onto the fragmented soul.

"Sigh... if only I knew how to transfer one's existence before... I wouldn't need to do that now! This should increase the recovery time by multiple folds. But most importantly, I will remain my true self! Well, good luck me."

Stepping back into the portal, said portal closed again. The moment it did, time resumed.

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.

.

Inside a small insignificant world of lush greenery and a black sky, a faint light slowly fell down from high up. It landed in a very small clearing, on a patch of gentle grass surrounded by strangely shaped trees.

This bead was slightly cracked and blemished, a former clean shade long gone. Around it was a faint aura.

Landing near, a young lady kneeled before it. Reaching for it, she placed the bead on her thighs, caressing it. She nursed it with care. Surrounded by blades of grass, their tips golden.

Years went by, the world around them shielded from outside.

It was a part of Azvon's Multiverse.

It was a very risky move from him. Aurora was only in the Universe Realm, so it was not too dangerous. But Alexander on the other hand...

If he recovered his cultivation in an instant, Azvon might get severely injured. Having someone in the Universe Realm was already the agreed limit. Of course, as someone in the Heaven Surpassing Realm, someone who had his body tempered during the Calamity Enduring Realm as well, someone who endured the baptism of the void from the Earth Transcending Realm, he would most likely be able to contain more.

However, was this a chance he was willing to make? Maybe...

Always a teacher first and foremost.

Still, if Alexander needed to cultivate again, Azvon would kick him out at some point. There was a limit to charity.

And as usual, time flowed without a care. A river gently and roughly crashing around the shores, caressing the worlds, flowing divinely from the unknown upstream, toward the mysterious goal.

Alexander's Dantian slowly recovered, his soul as well. The cracked bead began to mend itself slowly, while the soul fluctuations stabilized.

But their former prestige seemed forgotten, decayed from a strange past.

Without paying much attention to it, Alexander had been granted enlightenment, receiving, or more so creating a new secret art. Its price was heavy and broad, emptying his figurative pockets.

In a world where he did not put proper preemptive measures, his body would have blown up, his soul dissipated, his mind vanished and finally...

...his existence itself would have withered away.

For him to have salvaged so much was incredible.

His body did explode, but his soul was still functionally alive, his mind present and his existence... Unfortunately, even his current silent self knew. His existence did take a heavy blow.

He could not figure out how much he had lost, but saying it costed him no less than twenty percent of it would be within the realms of possibilities.

Twenty times the battle prowess... This meant twenty times the raw strength, speed, senses, vision and everything else, including the damage taken.

The Calamity Enduring Realm did temper one's body, but there were limits, especially when the body was not stable enough.

The loss he suffered was not negligible. However, he did take the life of a Cave Master.

This granted him an invisible title of absolute in Limbo.

He was now so close!

The horizon was blocked with a hard wall. He only needed to reach it now.

But first, recovery.

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The golden tipped grass swaying, a translucent youth rested onto a woman's body. His eyes closed, enjoying the faint breeze. Inside of him, a discolored Dantian slowly regained vigor.

The energies around them, flowing across the world, gathered.

But with a frown, the ghostly youth gouged out the bead.

'Unfortunate... But is it truly so? This time, I should prepare myself as I used to.' Gently raising the bead, he gave it to Aurora.

"Keep it safe until I absorb it back."

Smiling gleefully, she stored the bead inside her internal world, protected by all kinds of arrays and puppets.

"I will."

"Great. Now, I need to restart my cultivation, but better... Some realms I can just skip, some I must perfect, and others I should perhaps alter."

With a will commanding the world, a vortex attracted all kinds of energies, forming a new body.

"Now..." Closing his eyes, Alexander's new fleshly vessel began to sense Qi before circulating it.

'One, two, three...'

'...ninety-nine, a hundred.'

'...'

'A hundred and one... no. Still doesn't work.'

Qi Refining Realm's peak.

'Acupoints... too easy to open. Wait...'

'Let's skip the earlier process for them. Let's directly get liquid Meridians!'

Taking a few hours to carefully adjust the pressure, Alexander had to give up the idea for now.

'My body can't take the pressure... And getting them outside of me, this is the same result. Unfortunate. Without the mold of my body it is too difficult to do.'

'But moving on...'

As such, Alexander reformed his cultivation base, taking multiple times the amount of time needed when his body and soul were being tempered.

He also skipped anything primordial related as well as some of the Celestial Realm's cultivation stages. He took his time, slowly climbing back to the Universe Realm.

After some easy deliberations, Alexander and Aurora were let out, appearing inside a damp cave.

"Great house you have there."

"Is this how you repay my kindness? With tasteless remarks?"

"Of course not. I was just observing a reality."

"..." Shooing him away, Azvon closed his eyes.

"The exit is over there."

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Back outside, Alexander was greeted with a grey sky and countless trees of dark green, some strange crystals of colors on the barks.

'Quite the lively forest.' Sitting cross-legged, Alexander did not wait. He immediately resumed his recovery. Still putting some more emphasis on body and soul than usual.

As usual, it took some time, however he was still successful. Even achieving a sturdier body and a denser soul. But when he felt strange, and failed to breakthrough to the Dream Dominion Realm again, he asked Azvon.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"I can't really tell now, try going all out."

Pushing his aura to the limits, Alexander then asked again.

"How about now?"

"You look weak."

"What do you mean? Compared with before, when I was using my secret art and everything? Because that's nor-"

"No no! I mean, you look weak when compared with the you of before in the same state."

'But I have a stronger soul and body?'

"Why would I? Technically, I should be much better."

"..."

"..."

Seen pondering on the matter, Azvon rubbed his chin.

"I think... maybe it has to do with the loss of existence."

"Is it such a big deal? The only reason I strengthened it was because of... what was his name again? I think something like Valtos?"

"Well, from my understanding of the sages and your breakthrough mid-fight, this existence is very important there."

"..."

'Well, now I have to make a shit ton of clones again...'