The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2661: Back to the Eight Ring

A wide smile appeared on Cain’s face the moment victory was secured.

He had done it.

He had defeated the Overseer alone.

This was an entity that even the mightiest members of a Supreme Race could not overcome on their own, a perfect challenger forged by the Red King to test those who sought to reach the deepest secrets of the Sacred Dimension. Yet Cain had stood before it, matched it, surpassed it, and finally cut it down with his own mastery of the Flow.

However, the joy of victory lasted only a moment before a wave of pain and fatigue assaulted his body.

The exhaustion was so overwhelming that Cain could no longer remain standing. His legs lost strength, and he fell to the crystalline ground, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth as his body trembled under the backlash of the battle.

"The damage I endured was too much," Cain muttered, his voice rough and strained. "Even with the support of the Scarlet Throne, I was pushed to my limit."

Just as those words left his mouth, the two severed halves of the Overseer rose into the air and fused back together. Golden light flowed across the metallic frame, repairing the cut that had split it apart, and in the blink of an eye, the imposing construct had returned to its original state.

Cain could not help but show a rueful smile as he saw that.

The effort he had put into defeating the Overseer had been immense, yet the entity reconstructed itself as if the battle had never happened.

"Is that the might of a Fourth Realm construct?"

That thought crossed the Scarlet King’s mind, but he did not linger on it for too long. If he achieved his goal and reached the end of the Sacred Dimension, then all the answers he sought would be revealed.

For now, he needed to recover.

"None of my vital organs were destroyed, so I should be fine after a few hours. That should be enough time to internalize everything I learned during the battle."

Cain closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to sink inward.

The fight against the Overseer had forced him to improve in every aspect of the Flow. Synchronization, Divergence, Redirection, partial fusion with the Endless River, and the use of the Light of the Flow had all been pushed to new heights. His abilities had not merely grown stronger; they had become more refined, more natural, and more deeply integrated into his instincts.

Most importantly, he could feel that a true breakthrough was drawing closer.

His heart filled with particular excitement when he recalled the final moment of the battle, when he had managed to draw a stream of the Endless River itself around the edge of his blade and use it to pierce through the Golden Lotus.

"That power might be enough to cut through even Fourth Realm energy," Cain whispered to himself. "Perhaps it could even affect the Samsara Force."

Every lesson he had gained in this place was something he intended to use against the mightiest enemies awaiting him in the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.

After several hours, Cain finally opened his eyes.

The wounds across his body had closed, his internal injuries had stabilized, and although he was far from fully rested, he had recovered enough to continue moving forward.

He nodded to himself before giving the Overseer one final glance.

Then he took a deep breath and stepped toward the Eighth Ring.

This was the ring he had failed to overcome during his previous journey.

Back then, he had been too weak and too inexperienced to properly comprehend what lay before him. This time, however, confidence burned in his heart. He had survived a journey through the Endless River, and he had even used it to leave Paradise and return to the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe.

Yet the moment Cain entered the Eighth Ring, his eyes narrowed.

Once more, he saw an endless golden river stretching before him, a vast current that seemed to connect all things in reality.

However, this time he noticed something different.

"I couldn’t tell before," Cain said as his gaze sharpened, "but now I can."

His fists slowly clenched.

"This is not the Endless River. At least, not the real one."

The realization struck him like thunder.

Shock and awe flooded his heart as a possibility emerged.

"Did the Red King create his own Endless River?"

Unfortunately, Cain had no time to dwell on that terrifying thought.

The next instant, an overwhelming force seized him and plunged him into the depths of the Red King’s Endless River.

At first, the experience felt almost identical to his previous contact with the natural Endless River. His mind was forced into a state where individuality was stripped away, where ego, desire, memory, and intent had to become a blank page so the embodiment of all causality could course through his soul without obstruction.

Fortunately, Cain had already achieved that level long ago.

This part presented no real difficulty.

The true challenge lay elsewhere.

He had to remain firm within the current while preserving his flesh and blood, preventing his physical vessel from unraveling and dissolving into the endless golden river. Luckily, as long as he did not attempt to move across universes, maintaining his body inside the Endless River was not an impossible task.

Of course, that assumption depended on the trial being brief.

Yet hours passed, and Cain remained submerged within the Red King’s Endless River with no way to advance and no indication of how long the process would continue. The golden currents flowed around him without pause, testing his body, soul, and will through sheer persistence rather than overwhelming force.

A frown gradually appeared on his face.

"What am I supposed to do?"

His thoughts echoed within the current.

"I should have already been considered successful after achieving unity with the Endless River."

Cain’s endurance was beginning to approach its limit. His physical body could withstand the pressure for a long time, but not forever, and the continuous erosion of the golden current was slowly wearing away even his monstrous vitality.

He did not know what came next.

He did not know what the Red King expected from him.

Then, just as his body began to tremble beneath the strain, something changed.