The Sea of Quanta is a special place. Each dimension is separated by a "plane", hence the first, second, third, fourth, and so on. The more directions it has, the more planes it possesses.
The Sea of Quanta projects all eleven dimensions within the three-dimensional plane. Meaning, the weird structures we come across are actually products of other dimensions, just that it appears three-dimensional within our eyes.
The Nascent Soul Realm's perspective revealed this truth to me. The Sea of Quanta is filled with these projections akin to the Cocoon of Finality's Herrscher Core Projections. These came from varying sources, with all of them remaining elusive in our eyes.
Other than that, there are phenomena where a strange fusion of two or more dimensional planes emerge. It was similar to stitching the third and fifth dimension together, creating a tangled, chaotic mess. The center of it is destructive. Its aftershocks emanate its weakened effects within its radius.
These phenomena are the reason why any sense of direction does not work inside the Sea of Quanta.
Fortunately, this no longer works on me. I am a Nascent Soul cultivator whose life level touched upon the higher dimensions. I am powerful enough…
…
I should really stop distracting myself now.
Looking at the two silent and affectionate women by my side, I could only bite the bullet. Nobody said a word which contributed to this atmosphere. I cannot judge if it is a good thing or not. I chose not to touch upon it.
Kiana and Seele began a 'competition' of sorts. They fiddled with my fingers and threw away some affectionate acts now and then. It's basically handholding and kissing. Only, the biggest challenge came from the fact that I need to balance them both.
Simply put, a harmonious harem first lay on me. Equal treatment is necessary, or else things become unsavoury.
Seele, in particular, kept testing my limits. Her exaggerated eagerness and quickened breaths almost felt overwhelming. As a result, the Tuna was riled up too. She was unlike the inexperienced Seele. Having known me well for five years, she knew what would rile me up. It is a challenge to my self-control at this point—to my Tao Heart.
I could feel the other four behind us watch this intently.
My saving grace was my [Cloud Seeking Steps]. Its [Great Accomplishment] mastery, coupled with my Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, allowed me to step onto 'clouds' (i.e., universe) freely. Its maximum speed reached the base speed of peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, a hundred times the speed of light.
Even without any direction, I used it to brute-force our way out. It took five minutes to find the inactive Eye of the Deep as well as Bronya.
I wasn't surprised by her physical body's exaggerated growth. The Golden Core Realm is the second-to-the-last stage where the physical body follows its most optimized version. If she is still a little duck at this point, Bronya has a problem.
"As I thought, this is the best outcome."
"""..."""
I was left speechless. Even when she gave me her nod of approval, no words escaped my mouth.
"Did it already start?" I asked.
"Yes. Everyone else is unreachable."
With a simple spiritual consciousness connection, she transmitted the complete details of what happened when we were gone.
Otto and Kevin…
It's not surprising. I left Otto out to visit the Imaginary Tree. I have a vague feeling it would be helpful back then. The hexagrams I cast now only confirm it. As for Kevin, his true intention is to test everyone. A change of mind occurred with him.
Though the strange phenomena over the fourth dimension remains unknown, my hexagrams can still be trusted as it is based on the unaffected "Present".
"Got it. There are a few places we need to visit first. Bronya and Kiana need to come to Klostern and set everyone free. You can engage with Otto inside the Imaginary Tree if needed. Seele comes with me."
Kiana only sent a subtle grievous look as she nodded. I am lucky to have someone as understanding as her.
With the planning stage over, I took the lead when we left the Sea of Quanta.
Originally, the Eye of the Deep was needed for this endeavor. Things change with a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Hum-!
Pssshk-!
My fingertip tore through dimensions like a fabric. Earth lies on the three-dimensional plane. It is not hard to create a passageway leading to it. It is but one of my basic powers.
The moment we stepped out, a foreign power attempted to send us elsewhere. The connection with my long-dormant Herrscher Core awakened once more.
I did not mind this phenomenon. A Dharma Avatar appeared behind me. It is a hundred meters tall golden-orange projection of myself. It bore the translucent armor phantom of my Tao Body. The Dharma Laws of Yin-Yang, Void, and Extremity embodied a primal destructive force unseen by the world!
Shatter-!
My Dharma avatar dissipated into the wind. The power forcing us inside a certain Bubble World disappeared.
Seeing everyone's confused looks, I explained what happened.
"It's good you waited for us."
"Yes."
Bronya gave out her typical seal of approval—a nod. The two women by my side released my arms. I felt slightly more relaxed.
"Once you arrive there, don't hesitate to strike at it with great force. The barrier containing the Principal and others has a limit."
"The Selene." Bronya muttered.
"Yes."
Having explained it to her before, Bronya knew how to handle the rest.
Like that, everyone else aside from Seele and Veliona departed for Klostern. A swift sweep of my spiritual consciousness revealed the desolate Earth. The buildings, power plants, factories, planes…
Everything is devoid of people. More strangely enough was Earth's frozen state. The abandoned plane is frozen mid-air. The same went to the more sensitive nuclear plants. Time stopped for them all.
"Should I call her out now?"
I met Seele's dark blue eyes.
"Later. We'll need to arrive somewhere first."
My Dharma Avatar appeared once again. It mobilized the Dharma Law of Clouds, thus bringing forth an enhanced version of the [Cloud Seeking Steps]. I enveloped the other two with it.
A second later, we arrived in a dark and wide hallway.
"This is a Bubble World."
Seele discovered its peculiarities at first glance… or rather, knew about it already.
"It's a pseudo Bubble World. This shelter has a barrier made of the Sea of Quanta's energy. Everything else is the real thing." She explained further.
"The shelter of the Previous Era." Veliona added.
"That's it."
I was left on the receiving end this time.
The Herrscher of the End swept through Earth with honkai energy. The only reason why some Previous Era ruins survived was due to these pseudo Bubble Worlds. The Sea of Quanta's power saved them from being destroyed by honkai energy. Since honkai energy is a derivative of imaginary energy, it is perfectly opposed by the Sea of Quanta's energy.
That, and Vill-V's invention regarding these underground bases saved them. This Previous Era shelter is none other than World Serpent's base.
Now, it is completely devoid of life. Everyone headed to do their bound duties… aside from several avatars of Gray Serpent.
"Let's go meet them."
The place where memories were inserted by the Flamechasers before their deaths…
The Elysian Realm.