The thunderous explosion echoed across the riverbed like the roar of heaven and earth collapsing together. The violent tremors forced both Alex and Cyr to halt their conversation immediately. Their eyes instinctively snapped upward.

[Replication successful! Congratulations to the Originator for replicating World Treasure: 13 Red Source Crystals.]

[Replication failed!]

[Replication failed!]

[Replication failed!]

"This...?"

Alex was afraid that Cyr might be able to sense something just like Serena Lightfoot, so he didn't try to replicate treasures on his body immediately.

However, when the explosion occurred and both of their attentions shifted, Alex regained his composure faster than Cyr. Almost instantly, a thought flashed through his mind: perhaps, if he tried to replicate the treasures on Cyr's body while the man's attention was elsewhere, Cyr might not notice anything.

With that in mind, Alex acted without hesitation.

But to his surprise, out of all the treasures Cyr possessed, he only succeeded in replicating the 13 Red Source Crystals. Every other attempt ended in complete failure.

He could only sigh in his heart.

Fortunately, Cyr didn't notice anything.

Alex then shifted his attention back to the explosion that overturned the entire river.

Following that, he was left speechless.

In fact, not just him, but Cyr was also shocked to see a massive spiral of energy descending from the sky, tearing open the clouds as it spun downward. The spiral of energy resembled a storm born from the sky, consuming the light around it. Powerful waves surged violently, crashing in every direction, as if the river itself was bowing to the descending power. The once-stable space trembled, water currents twisting into chaos.

That spiral of energy came crashing down in front of the two, and then, slowly, its terrifying presence began to condense. A shadow seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The swirling light and shadow merged together very soon, forming the outline of a human figure. Within moments, the storm subsided, leaving behind a single person standing gracefully amidst the raging waters.

It was a woman.

Her beauty was dazzling. The aura surrounding her carried both gentleness and mystery, as though she did not belong to this world. Even the distorted waters seemed to calm around her figure.

"Serena…?"

Alex's eyes widened in disbelief. The name escaped his lips before he could stop himself. His heart skipped a beat. He had not expected to see this woman here of all places.

But then, his mind quickly steadied. He remembered Yun Liao's words—that it was Serena Lightfoot who had put the Suppressing Dragon Bone Chain up for auction. With that reminder, his initial shock subsided, though countless questions still stirred in his heart.

On the other hand, Cyr Mistveil, who stood beside him, was visibly shaken. His eyes narrowed, and his usually calm expression faltered for the first time. With his level of cultivation and perception, he could clearly see that Serena's cultivation was only at the Life Creation Stage.

Life Creation Stage.

To someone like Cyr, who stood at the Saint Foundation Stage, that level should have been utterly insignificant, more like a mere ant.

And yet… as he looked at her, a dangerous shiver ran through his body. His instincts screamed at him not to offend this woman. The warning was so strong that it felt as if some unseen heavenly force was pressing down on him. Even with his pride, Cyr did not dare to dismiss the feeling.

Alex, meanwhile, had already pulled up Serena's information panel.

.....

[Name: Serena Lightfoot.

Cultivation: Life Creation Stage.

Special Physique: Mystic Illusory Body, Ancient Mystic Thunder Body.

Bloodline: Mystic Illusory Bloodline.

Soul: Mystic Illusory Soul.

Note: She is the reincarnation of the Mystic Illusory Empress of Clear Sky World!]

.....

"Life Creation Stage…"

The first time he had seen Serena, even his system failed to show her cultivation realm. But he is sure that at that time, her strength had been nowhere near this level. [Ref. Ch: 333.]

Yet now, his system revealed her cultivation, which shocked him greatly. He never expected Serena to be a Life Creation Stage warrior.

What shocked him even more was when he compared her growth to his own.

Alex himself had risen at an astonishing pace. During his rise, he cheated several times, not only having many resources in hand, but also going through nirvana several times. Only then did he climb all the way to the Origin God Realm in the shortest time possible. His improvement speed was something even he sometimes found terrifying.

And yet, Serena was still ahead of him.

It didn't make sense at all.

How was this possible?

How could she improve so much in such a short span of time?

Serena had always been mysterious. He had never been able to see through him. Instead, she gave him the feeling of directly looking at his soul.

Although his system told him that she is the reincarnation of the Mystic Illusory Empress of Clear Sky World, he is sure her identity is not as simple as just a mere reincarnation of an Empress from a small world like the Clear Sky World. She must have another identity, something that even his system was unable to see through.

After all, the information about her given by the system was too little. It still didn't show her skills, cultivation techniques, other treasures in her possession, and more.

As Alex continued to think, his thoughts grew restless, and countless questions filled his heart.

And then, he couldn't help but imagine whether Serena was like him, someone who originally didn't belong to this Astral Sea, or perhaps this galaxy. Perhaps, she came from far away as well.

The more Alex thought, the less he understood.

"Alex... Didn't expect to see you here, huh!"

Serena raised her brows in surprise, truly not expecting Alex to appear in the Immortal Heaven World.

As far as she knew, there shouldn't be a way for people of Essence Sky World to leave the world's boundary.

Alex's appearance here had truly given her a surprise.

In fact, Alex had always surprised her. She could see through every person, look at their soul clearly. But Alex was the only exception she had ever encountered.

In fact, Alex was the one who always gave her the feeling of spying at her, trying to look at everything she had.

Just a moment ago, she had the same sensation, as if Alex was spying on her.