Twenty years later.
In a grand palace, a young man sat restlessly in a lavish hall.
His name was Chen Feng.
Today was the month of May—it was his eighteenth birthday, and also the day that would determine his future fate and achievements.
Moments later, a beautiful, otherworldly woman flew in through the main doors—quite literally flew in, her body radiating green light.
It was Tang Zichen.
Time seemed to have left little mark on her. She looked much the same as she had twenty years ago, only with a few added years of maturity, now carrying the air of a commanding beauty.
This was, of course, thanks to her high physical constitution.
Constitution could affect lifespan—the higher it was, the more it slowed aging.
For example, a certain bald great devil still looked like a man in his twenties.
"Mom!"
Seeing her, Chen Feng immediately went to greet her.
When his eyes fell on the Hero Stone in her hand, he became a little tense.
"Xiaofeng, are you ready?"
Tang Zichen went straight to the point. "If you're ready, let's begin."
Still nervous, Chen Feng hesitated. "Where's Dad? Isn't he coming?"
Tang Zichen shook her head. "He's pursuing the secrets behind the hidden realms. He won't be back any time soon."
"What about Master Ba? And Grandpa… they promised last time to come watch, why didn't they?"
"They were called away last night," Tang Zichen replied. "Another interdimensional passage appeared, and the creatures inside were all monsters. Your Master Ba and the others went to hold the line."
"I see…" Chen Feng's voice held a hint of disappointment.
Tang Zichen then asked, "Before, when I asked which hero you wanted to bond with, you kept hesitating. Have you decided now?"
Chen Feng froze, then said quietly, "I want to bond with S3…"
It wasn't that he didn't want to follow in his mother's footsteps with S2—S2 had simply never had a single successful male bond. That proud female hero seemed downright unfriendly toward men.
Hearing this, Tang Zichen's expression remained calm.
Seeing her son's tension, she even reassured him. "Relax. No matter which hero you choose to bond with, I'll support you. Even if you fail, it's not the end—you can still take another path."
Chen Feng knew she was referring to the "Lord God Space" of another world.
That hidden space deep in the universe had been discovered by his father, who had destroyed its AI god and taken control of it.
Now, the Lord God Space was the bald great devil's supply base.
Whoever he wanted as a reincarnator, became one.
Chen Feng glanced at his mother. Her face was still serene, but his mind began to wander.
He knew she had always been competing with "Auntie," especially since Auntie's daughter—his elder sister—had successfully bonded with the S2 talent last year, causing a sensation.
With a godlike mother teaching her, his sister had reached the sixth rank in just one year.
Chen Feng could only feel helpless.
His mother, Tang Zichen, was also godlike in power.
He had seen her strike down with a single palm, crushing an army of a million beastmen from the Sixteenth Universe into pulp with overwhelming telekinesis.
Had she not held back, the enemy's planet itself could not have withstood it.
But he was male—and could not bond with S2.
"Mom, I'm ready," Chen Feng said softly.
Tang Zichen glanced at him, then placed the Hero Stone on a nearby table.
"Sit down, and put your hand on it."
Chen Feng obeyed, placing his hand on the stone and closing his eyes.
The moment he touched it, his head tilted as if he had lost consciousness.
Tang Zichen waited quietly at his side.
After a while, Chen Feng slowly awoke, a faint joy in his eyes.
Seeing this, Tang Zichen knew at once that he had succeeded in bonding with a hero talent, and she let out a quiet breath of relief.
But unexpectedly, Chen Feng's brows furrowed and he muttered, "No… something's wrong."
"What's wrong?" Tang Zichen asked.
His expression grew solemn. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Mom! Dad's fooled everyone. The hero talent he bonded with… isn't S1 at all!"
"S1's talent is controlling space—it doesn't have anything as terrifying as Dad's power!"
"If you don't believe me, watch!"
With that, Chen Feng punched forward.
A "black hole" appeared in midair. It lingered there for a long time, yet produced no gravitational pull—an odd sight indeed.
He then casually picked up a nearby vase and tossed it into the black hole. The vase and the black hole vanished together.
Seeing this, Tang Zichen's usually calm expression finally shifted, showing clear surprise.
"You bonded with S1? And you succeeded?"
"That's right!"
Confidence returned to Chen Feng's face, and a proud smile formed. "My ability is powerful—I can manipulate space at will. That vase has already been exiled to the depths of the universe!"
"Master Ba has always wanted me to bond with S3 so he could take me as his final disciple and heir. I guess he'll be disappointed now, hehe."
But noticing that his mother's face showed only admiration and joy—and no doubt whatsoever that his ability differed from his father's—Chen Feng grew puzzled.
"Mom, what hero talent did Dad bond with, really? Did you already know?"
Indeed, Tang Zichen had long known Chen Ye's secret.
After their marriage, Chen Ye had confessed of his own accord.
He feared that if someone else ever succeeded in bonding with S1, his deception would be exposed.
Confessing voluntarily and being caught in a lie were entirely different matters.
Seeing her son's curiosity, Tang Zichen smiled.
"Your father's hero talent is one of a kind!"
(The true end)