The vast universe spread out like an endless painting, like a shimmering band of light stretching across countless worlds. Every speck of starlight was an independent universe, with its own rules, concepts, and power system.
These universes varied in size.
The smaller ones were only at the level of a single universe, with a single timeline that moved straight forward without deviation.
In such universes, changing the past could alter the entire course of history, even turning the future into something completely unrecognizable.
And some universes, because they had entered the multiversal level.
In them, merely changing the past might create an entirely new timeline, while the original world line would continue to exist.
Just as the human body is a microscopic universe, there is likewise a close connection between the starry sky and the countless worlds.
Thus, within that sea of clouds where countless rays of light gathered, Rin's Void Universe slowly revealed itself from the depths of the base-axis universe to the gaze of countless eyes.
The Void Universe and the base-axis universe.
The relationship between the two was like that between a person and their shadow.
Illusory, yet also real.
But just as many people subconsciously regard the existence of a shadow as something natural.
To the entire infinite universe, the fact that a Void Universe was hidden within the base-axis universe likewise felt perfectly normal to them.
Perhaps it was just a special dimension hidden beneath the world.
Many ancient beings who had reached two digits, who could observe the outside and know of a broader world, had not noticed the base-axis universe for the first time.
However, even two-digit beings were still limited by their own worlds.
Observing the outside was not a problem.
Just looking was fine, but even two-digit beings could not really do anything.
If they truly wanted to come into contact with the base-axis universe, the only way was to use the Little Garden universe as a ship, then ram it straight over and let the two worlds collide directly.
Only in this way could two-digit powerhouses descend into another worldview without risk.
Of course, that so-called lack of risk was only from their own perspective.
When one worldview collides with another worldview, there is only one result, and that is mutual fusion.
Mm, to put it nicely, it is called fusion.
To put it badly, it is mutual devouring.
The strong devour the weak, thereby integrating them into a new worldview.
"What a powerful aura!"
As Rin's consciousness sank, the three women guarding outside the base-axis universe immediately sensed several gazes, some distant, some curious, some greedy.
The vast majority of the owners of those gazes were not stronger than the three women.
The three women were now three-digit beings.
Relying only on themselves, they might still be unable to reach the exceptional level.
But before Rin and Violet fell asleep, they had already handed the authority over the Void Universe and the base-axis universe to them.
This meant that if the three women were of one mind, they could even contend with two-digit beings from other worldviews without falling behind.
Therefore, even if a worldview truly came crashing over, the three women were not afraid.
"So this is what two digits are like?"
Velzard closed her eyes and carefully felt the probing from those gazes. She opened her eyes and said in confusion, "It feels like they are not as strong as I imagined."
"They should not all be two digits."
Luo Hao said, "Most of these gazes are only on par with us, and quite a few are even inferior to us."
In Rin's words.
He was special. That Traveler ability allowed him to ignore the limitations of worldviews, freely enter and leave any world, and enjoy the benefits within them.
"For other worlds, if they do not have a being at the peak of two digits, they simply cannot expand their worldview."
There is a difference between worldviews colliding and a person exploring on their own without relying on a worldview.
Rin belonged to the latter.
Two-digit beings, however, were still limited to the former. They could not be like Rin, sending only their consciousness into an unknown world.
"So the owners of most of these gazes are only three-digit beings?"
Velgrynd seemed to understand, and this made her relax a great deal at once. "Worlds whose strongest can only reach three digits probably would not dare make contact with us."
As soon as that thought arose, the three women indeed sensed many universes moving away from the sleeping base-axis universe.
Moving a universe was something only two-digit beings could do.
As for the universes whose limits were only three digits, they were now using their own methods to hide their auras, vanishing completely from the senses of the three women.
Clearly, Rin had worries about being discovered by others, and others had the same worries as well.
"One digit, two digits, three digits."
Velzard said, "Our world should count as a three-digit world."
The limits of universes of different ranks are all different.
A one-digit world has one-digit powerhouses.
Whether it is Little Garden or the base-axis universe, the concept of one digit is an unimaginable height.
A universe like Little Garden, although it has not given birth to a one-digit existence, has as many as seventeen two-digit beings.
That also means that Little Garden is a universe suitable for the existence of two-digit beings.
Even among all two-digit universes, Little Garden is one of the richest.
Compared to that, what is the base-axis universe but some poor backwater place?
It is merely a three-digit universe that cannot even nurture a two-digit being, simply embarrassing!
Of course, there is definitely no small gap between Little Garden's two-digit beings and the two-digit beings of the entire universe.
Simply put, there is a huge difference in their hidden value.
Under the Little Garden worldview, those two-digit beings are indeed two-digit beings.
But once they leave the Little Garden universe, their strength may not necessarily remain at the two-digit level.
Take Velgrynd as an example.
Second Sister is a three-digit being, and with Rin's power, she can reach the exceptional three-digit level.
Thus, there are three battlefields.
The home-ground battle of the Void Universe, the away battle of the Little Garden universe, and the battle in the void zone where there is no distinction between host and guest.
Once Little Garden's two-digit beings leave the Little Garden worldview, their own strength will definitely be greatly weakened.
Especially under the rule suppression of the Void Universe, whether they can still display exceptional three-digit strength would already be a question.
With worse luck, they might only be able to reach the ordinary three-digit level.
This point can be seen clearly from the difference in hierarchical systems.
To put it bluntly, those who cannot reach the highest level on their own must rely on external support to obtain that status, effectively binding themselves to a greater system in exchange for power.
That system functions like an organization, the higher status is like ownership within it, and those who hold that status are equivalent to stakeholders.
Once that system collapses or loses its foundation, the authority they rely on also disappears, and their position and strength decline sharply.
As for how great the gap is between those who rely on such support and those who truly reach the level on their own.
The saying that everything below the highest level is insignificant is enough to illustrate it.
(To be continued.)