Frown on John's forehead remained fixed
because of the ancient ruin that was present in the lower world.
A ruin contains a teleportation array, which helps one directly ascend
Who knows how many ruins are there like this all across the Dao world
Under normal circumstances—
He wouldn't even glance at it.
But now—
It was his greatest threat.
"…Troublesome."
John leaned back slightly on his throne.
"I can't interfere."
Even if he used his means to close one or two such ruins, there are still countless such ruins present in the world
And, even if he tried, he couldn't close the ruin within 5 days
because the lower world was millions of light-years away from him.
Even for him—
Reaching there directly would take time.
Time he did not have.
And that ruin—
Could decide everything.
John closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank deeper.
And a silent link formed across space.
He saw the.
A blazing figure.
A phoenix.
Wings of flame stretched across the void.
Its body moved like light itself—
Tearing through space.
Bending it.
Folding distance.
Each flap of its wings—
Distorting reality.
Leaving trails of burning radiance behind.
It was beautiful.
And terrifying.
"Phoenix."
His voice echoed within its mind.
The creature responded instantly.
"Master."
Its voice was clear.
Loyal.
John didn't waste time.
"How long till you reach?"
After a brief pause phoniex responded.
"At current speed—"
"Five days."
John's eyes narrowed slightly.
Too slow.
"...And if you use an escape technique and burn your blood essence…" John asked
"I can reach in two days."
The phoenix continued.
"But upon arrival—"
"My strength will fall drastically."
"To the level of a newly ascended immortal."
after hesitation..
"And I will enter forced slumber to recover my lost blood essence."
"The recovery time…"
"…may take hundreds of years."
Silence.
The blazing figure continued flying through space.
John opened his eyes.
A deeper frown formed.
He understood.
Perfectly.
The phoenix—
Was not just a messenger.
It was his shield.
His guarantee.
Without it—
He would be exposed.
Vulnerable.
At the worst possible time.
But—
Time…
Was slipping.
If someone reached that ruin—
If someone activated that array—
Everything would end.
John's fingers tapped slowly against the armrest.
One choice.
Two paths.
Sacrifice protection—
For speed.
Or—
Maintain safety—
And lose this opportunity.
---
He started to contemplate
Even if something happens to Phoenix, I can just send my servant later to help me, but if I miss this opportunity
I don't know when the next time I can get close to the system again
Without further thinking
John reconnected to Phoenix
"Use every means at your disposal to reach the world as fast as you can, burn your blood essence, use the escape technique"
As soon as Phoenix heard his order, he no longer waited; he burned his blood essence and used an escape technique to move as fast as it can
Looking at Phoenix speed john was amazed
"This speed might rival even 5 star beast", but without further thinking, he returned his consciousness to himself
He looked at rows of servants
"Taoist", he called out
a monk like person came in front
"Your command master"
"Go to this place and help this person in every way you can", saying he transfered image and location of himself to the monk's mind
"As you command, without further question monk left the throne room, swiftly"
------------------
Meanwhile—
Inside the ancient ruin.
A lone figure moved cautiously.
He was one of the players from Blue Star.
Unlike others—
He didn't arrive in a town.
Or a sect.
He was thrown—
Directly into this place.
The moment he opened his eyes—
He was already inside the ruin.
At first—
He panicked.
Because when he tried to go out of ruin, he found
Outside was covered with a sea of lava.
Uncrossable.
There was no exit.
Only one path existed inside the ruin.
"…What the hell is this place…"
His voice trembled slightly.
He checked himself.
A set of clothes.
Ten copper coins.
And his backpack.
A small blessing.
Inside it—
Biscuits.
Chips.
Water.
Things from his original world.
Enough to survive.
For now.
At first—
He tried to move in circles to find a way out.
But quickly realised—
There wasn't one.
"…So it's forcing me to go deeper…"
Swallowing his fear—
He moved forward.
Step by step—
He started exploring the ruin.
The walls of ruin were covered in strange symbols.
Ancient.
But thanks to system blessing—
The language barrier disappeared.
And meaning flooded into his mind.
"…Skills?"
His eyes widened.
What he thought were random carvings—
Were actually—
Instructions.
Techniques.
Left behind by the creator of the ruin.
As he continued reading—
He learned the truth.
This ruin—
Was not a trap.
It was a test.
And at the end—
There was a reward.
A teleportation array.
One that could directly—
Allow ascension.
At first—
He didn't understand.
"Ascend…? What does that even mean…?"
He was confused.
Slow.
Careful.
He didn't rush.
Until—
The system announcement came.
[Ranking Event Initiated]
[First to Ascend will receive special rewards]
That moment—
Everything changed.
His breathing quickened.
"First… to ascend?"
His eyes turned sharp.
Now—
He understood.
This ruin—
Was his opportunity.
A chance—
Excitement.
Greed.
Hope.
All mixed together.
He turned back.
Re-reading everything.
Carefully.
This time—
He didn't skim.
He studied.
Every marking.
Every instruction.
Every hidden detail.
Time passed.
Hours.
Then—
He stood up.
His expression changed.
No longer confused.
No longer hesitant.
"…Alright."
He took a deep breath.
"I'm doing this."
He gathered what little he had.
Adjusted his backpack.
Checked the path ahead.
And stepped forward.
Deeper into the ruin.
Toward—
Ascension.