roadtomastery

Chapter 445: Planet Destroyer

Earthen Gemini was a desolate, uninhabitable planet. It looked like a red ball covered in fumes, with pillars of smoke occasionally escaping into space. Its atmosphere was low in oxygen and rich in heavy metals, which the nearby sun heated to unhealthy degrees.

Due to these reasons, this planet was unfit for life. Simultaneously, it was rich in previous ores—just the diamonds near the surface were estimated to be millions of tons. The ...

Chapter 444: Serial Assassin

The Trampling Ram waited in position between the stars. Thanks to its specially designed glass walls, it did not reflect the starlight, lending itself perfectly for an ambush.

Jack stood on the bridge, arms crossed. His chest was bare, while a gray cloak fluttered behind his back. He seemed like a warlord. Next to him, Brock calmly waited, reading from the Bro Code. Golden ripples spread out of him every once in a while to scan the dista...

Chapter 443: Reunion

“BIG BRO!” a brorilla shouted, shooting into space.

“Brock!” Jack exclaimed. Part of his suppressed feelings erupted. Warmth appeared in his heart. With his brother by his side, the world was not as dark anymore.

The two men met in the vacuum and hugged tightly. Jack could feel Brock’s disbelief, his shock, his excitement. He’d thought Jack dead—how could he not be relieved?

“Brock!” Jack exclaimed again, wi...

Chapter 442: Counting One’s Blessings

“What do you mean it’s gone?”

“That it’s gone! The Animal Abyss is gone!”

“It’s a black hole, you idiot. It cannot just disappear.”

“Well, it did!”

The Animal Kingdom was shocked. When they sent one of the Ancestors to guard the Abyss, it was so he could keep intruders away, prevent them from stealing an artifact or two. The Abyss itself was a black hole—how could anyone possibly affect it?

Chapter 441: Slaying

Mure flew into a rage. How could this happen!? How could someone of such low level match him?

Yet, he was in battle. This was no time to think.

Mure had acted hastily before, but this time he listened to his instinct and went completely all-out. Lightning erupted from inside his body—crimson sparks covered him, filling him with power. His strength and speed skyrocketed. His crimson robes disintegrated, revealing the upper chest o...

Chapter 440: Emerging

The strongest Ancestor of the Animal Kingdom was Mure Emberheart—a middle B-Grade leonine. This millennium was his shift of watching over the Animal Abyss.

Generally speaking, such a shift was a highly boring duty. He couldn’t leave without reason, so all he did every day was cultivate in isolation. Every hundred years, he would venture into the Abyss to see if he could find anything, and that was the sole break in his routine.

Chapter 439: Gift Shopping

“What about the Gods?” Jack asked, looking at the other side.

“There were twelve of them, as you already know,” Pasan explained. “By the time we hid in here, the Crusade was almost over. None of them had died, so it’s likely they’re all still alive.”

“I know a few things about them,” Jack said. “However, it’s the first time I see them arranged in groups.”

“That is their battle formation. The twelve...

Chapter 438: A Taste of History

The repairing was complete. Jack’s Dao Tree was whole again. With just a few days of rest, it would recover from exhaustion and return to its former glory. As for Jack himself, he was completely and utterly spent. His mind was in tatters, and his soul was worn out. He was mentally exhausted.

However, the hardest part was behind him. The pain of his son’s loss remained, but he had regained himself and repaired his Dao. He could cultiv...

Chapter 437: Repairing the Crack

Jack sank into his soul world, completely isolating the outside world. Even if someone attacked him, he wouldn’t know. He needed absolute focus.

Starry light welcomed him from all directions. Purple stars twinkled. In the void, a lone tree stood there, rooted into a floating, multi-colored fist.

This fist was large, around three feet wide. Each of its fingers was a different color—purple, silver, green, red, black—representin...

Chapter 436: It’s Time

The Forest of the Strong had been a silent place lately. Eric had been kidnapped in front of everyone’s face. The joyful atmosphere had been broken apart.

Huali and Dorman were distraught. Harambe was inconsolable for having failed to stop this, though he never could have. Edgar sat on the highest tower of his newly-built academy, sipping wine and sighing over the ugliness of the world.

The professor had aged overnight. She had b...

Chapter 435: Hall of Wonders

Hey guys! Reminder that we're going on a break for 1-2 weeks as Book 5 ends tomorrow for the 10$ patrons. I'll restart posting somewhere between the 24th and 26th of June. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!

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Cultivation was a timeless experience. The hours flowed between one’s fingers like grains of sand, accumulating at their feet until they were standing on a brilliant sand castle.

However, it was also tiring. The ex...

Chapter 434: Meditation

The area near the Vortex was forbidden to the Black Hole People. They were too weak to stay here for extended periods of time. As a result, it had grown deserted.

In Jack’s eyes, however, it was a great cultivation spot. It could even be called perfect. An artificial black hole hovered right in front of him, letting him perceive it freely, while the darkness and lack of sound calmed his mind.

For a while, he could even forget abo...

Chapter 433: Vigilante

In the universe outside the Black Hole World, a number of changes had occurred recently. It had been a month since Jack disappeared—presumed dead. However, before the Animal Kingdom could even finish celebrating, a new menace appeared in their constellation.

A starship floated through the void. Its bridge was occupied by well-dressed, joyful cultivators—its hull was filled with chained-up prisoners, soon to be slaves. They were, wit...

Chapter 432: Star-Eye Wonder

Happy new month, guys! Let it be awesome!

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The nothingness was impressive. There were flickers of light, multi-colored curtains washing over the void reminiscent of Earth’s auroras. They swam and wrapped around each other in the sky, yet they did not exist—nothing but visions the mind invented to protect itself from true nihility.

“What do you think?” Mia asked, puffing up her chest. “Isn’t it impressive?” 2024-05-01 17:36:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 431: There is Always Hope

Nightmares.

The phantom of a large leonine laughing before red skies. Dark rain and booming thunder. Blinding flashes of lightning. Jack running at full speed yet remaining in the same place, forced to watch as a young boy was shred to pieces by the razor-sharp falling rain.

“Dad!” the boy screamed.

“NOOO!”

His eyes snapped open. With a pained grunt, he grabbed his head. Tears had formed at some point—not of g...

Chapter 430: A Different Civilization

Hey guys! Reminder that we're going on a break for 1-2 weeks as Book 5 ends tomorrow for the 10$ patrons. I'll restart posting somewhere between the 24th and 26th of June. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!

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The Black Hole World was not too vast, but it sure seemed so. Layers of city were stacked on top of each other, each stretching endlessly. No matter how high or low Jack’s perception spread, all he found was more layers....

Chapter 429: Black Hole World

Jack awoke groggily. His entire body was in pain. He could not move his limbs, nor could he sense them—as if the only thing awake about him was his brain.

A young woman emerged in the mist of his vision. She seemed human—pale skin, blond hair, blue eyes, soft hands tending to his wounds. She was beautiful, too. As she gazed at him, she smiled. “It’s okay,” she said. “You don’t need to wake up yet. Rest.”

Jack wanted...

Chapter 428: Ripples Across the Universe

Author's note: So, yeah... That happened. My condolences.

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Inside a starship sailing at full speed, a brorilla suddenly opened his eyes. “No…” he muttered. For the first time since he was born, his voice held pain. “Big bro…”

Their souls were connected. The moment Jack’s Dao cracked, Brock felt it like a spike of burning pain through his own heart, accompanied by deep, wrathful grief. Then, when Jack flew int...

Chapter 427: The Responsibility of a Father

Jack and Eric hadn’t seen each other in five years. In Jack’s memory, Eric was just a little boy with whom he’d toured the world and built a little treehouse in the forest. Besides a few vacation weeks, he’d only been present for the first six months after his children were born; he watched them grow, watched them develop their personalities and become aware of themselves. He’d heard them call him daddy.

Now, facing the five-ye...

Chapter 426: An Unfortunate Letter

Oh wow guys, the sky was yellow yesterday. A bunch of sand flew over from the Sahara---for whatever reason. It felt apocalyptic. Like I was in my books. Maybe I should write that somewhere.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Edit change: The first part of this chapter has been partly rewritten, so don't worry about some comments no longer making sense.

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Two months ago…

Artus Emberheart was in a terrible mood...

Chapter 425: Highest Stakes

The Animal Abyss—the periphery of this black hole—was a mysterious place where even B-Grades regularly perished. One’s perception was useless, while spacetime was so chaotically warped that finding one’s way through here was basically impossible. Even the Animal Kingdom, with its million years of history, had not managed to solve this enigma.

Additionally, Jack was a lamp without oil. His already lacking strength was deeply exhau...

Chapter 424: The Abyss Stares Back

Happy new week, guys! Prepare yourselves!

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The two meteors streaked through space. Jack knew he was bound to be caught eventually. All he could do was delay—and spend that time despising his own weakness.

This was not a new experience. He’d been through the same thing many times in the past. It was just that, during the three years he’d spent training and the easy battles that came afterward, he’d forgotten just ho...

Chapter 423: I Am Speed

Jack did not pause. He shot forward, but it did little to inhibit his latest pursuer. The void shimmered behind him; it parted, revealing a white-haired, young-looking woman.

The moment she appeared, the universe seemed to have found a new master. Starlight danced around her, and the void curved as if wanting to bow. Her aura naturally billowed out, commanding the respect of reality.

Jack felt his movements slow even as his mind fe...

Chapter 422: Matching a B-Grade

I'm back!!

"Where are you back from?" you'll ask. I was travel-writing with some friends. Great way to change the scenery---and, since we're talking, this experience really drove home how blessed I am to be in my current position. I never thought I'd make it this far. I am floored by the support you guys continuously give me, so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for enjoying my scribles. I couldn't have done it without you.

A...

Chapter 421: Searching the Comet

Jack sat cross-legged in his room. Simple walls surrounded him, fitted with a wide window which overlooked the vastness of space. Endless stars twinkled. They gathered in rivers, stamping their presence into the cosmos as the arms of Jack’s home galaxy—the Milky Way.

Despite the beauty, however, Jack’s eyes were closed. He wasn’t looking out, but in.

Life and Death.

Space and Time.

These were the Daos on which h...

Chapter 420: Animal Abyss

The universe remained dark. Endless stars glittered in all directions.

How horrifying this could be, Jack imagined, leaning against the glass window. To be isolated here without a starship or the ability to fly… This is a prison of another kind, an inescapable loneliness. No matter how you float around, the closest salvation lies many light years away…

“We’re getting close!” Nauja shouted from the helm. ...

Chapter 419: Returning to Hell

“Hey,” Salin said. “That was nice. We escaped.”

“Narrowly,” Jack replied, frowning. “Did you sense their aura? That was a B-Grade—and not a weak one. They were here for us.”

“We’re here for them, too. So what?”

“Come on, Salin. We fought for, what, a minute? And they arrived. Not only were they waiting just next to a teleporter, but they even supercharged it to move at extremely high speed. They were...

Chapter 418: Bro Squad, Assemble!

Three figures hovered in space, ten thousand miles away from the Center Moon. They were Brock, Gan Salin, and Nauja. These three bros, who had once bonded on the outer planet of Field Nebula, were preparing to assault an outpost of the Hand of God.

“Girl Bro,” Brock said. “What do you see?”

“A thousand people. Most are D-Grades—only a handful are C-Grades, with the strongest among them at the late C-Grade.”

Nauj...

Chapter 417: Riddle

Clouds of gasses hung in the void like pregnant titans. They were brown, yellow, purple, green… All colors in existence covered the cosmos, bloating it with the essence of creation just waiting to happen.

“Pretty,” Nauja said.

Jack raised a brow. “Just that? I thought seeing a nebula up close would be a little more exciting.”

“Oh, I’ve been around. It’s not my first nebula.”

“She’s right,” Salin ...

Chapter 416: Choosing One’s Path

Five extra chapters today for the 3$ and 5$ tiers. The same went for Patreon, so you remain 5 and 10 chapters ahead respectively. Enjoy!

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The trip to reach the former Exploding Sun headquarters would take two months.

Jack’s group traveled from teleporter to teleporter, using fake names and disguise pills to keep their identities hidden. They stayed near other people as little as possible, always moving with caution.