Prologue: The Last Rebellion Part 1 Before the name Adrian Voss existed... Before a weak young man was born in a small city called Hinthada... There was an existence whose name stood above countless worlds. Aetherion. The Strongest Immortal Emperor. In an endless universe filled with billions of stars and countless civilizations, every living being chased the same dream. Power. Longevity. Immortality. From ordinary mortals to ancient beings who had lived for millions of years, everyone walked the same path. They cultivated. They fought. They searched for the secrets hidden beyond their limits. But no matter how far they walked... No matter how high they climbed... There was always a boundary they could not cross. A final wall created by the universe itself. Aetherion was the only one who reached that wall. And then... He broke it. His journey began like countless others. He was not born as an invincible existence. He was not chosen by destiny. He was not protected by the heavens. He climbed from nothing. Through countless battles. Through endless suffering. Through eras where entire civilizations disappeared while he continued moving forward. He watched ancient friends die. He watched enemies become legends and then vanish into history. He watched countless geniuses appear... Only to disappear before reaching the height they dreamed of. But Aetherion continued. His determination surpassed his lifespan. His will surpassed his body. His understanding surpassed the limits of ordinary existence. Eventually... The realms that once seemed impossible became nothing more than steps beneath his feet. The laws that controlled others became something he could observe. The enemies that stood before him became memories. And after countless years... Aetherion reached the highest realm of his universe. The realm where no other being had ever stood. The realm of the Immortal Emperor. At that moment... The entire universe recognized his existence. His name spread across countless galaxies. Ancient clans lowered their heads. Powerful beings stopped fighting. Even those who hated him had to admit one truth. Aetherion had become the strongest existence in their universe. But standing at the top... He felt no happiness. No excitement. No satisfaction. Because after reaching the peak... He discovered something that nobody else had ever seen. A flaw. A hidden truth buried beneath the foundation of existence itself. At first, he believed the universe was simply a place where life existed. A vast world governed by natural laws. But as his understanding grew deeper... He began seeing things that ordinary beings could never perceive. Invisible chains. Chains connected to every living soul. The first chain was called Fate. Every creature born into existence carried a path. Some paths were obvious. Some were hidden. Some seemed like coincidence. But Aetherion saw the countless possibilities behind every life. Birth. Encounters. Losses. Victories. Failures. Even the smallest decisions created ripples that were guided by invisible forces. Fate did not completely control every action. It did something far more subtle. It controlled possibilities. It narrowed choices. It guided countless beings toward paths they believed they had chosen themselves. The second chain was Cause and Effect. For ordinary beings, it was simply the balance of existence. Every action had a consequence. Every choice created a result. But at Aetherion's level... He saw the deeper structure. Cause and effect was a system that recorded everything. Every movement. Every thought. Every decision. Nothing disappeared. Nothing was truly free. Every existence was connected by countless invisible reactions. The third chain was Karma. Many believed karma was simply a record of good and evil. But Aetherion discovered something far deeper. Karma was a binding force. A mark placed upon souls. It followed beings through life and death. Through countless experiences. Through countless reincarnations. It connected the past with the future. A soul could escape a single life... But escaping the chain itself was another matter. The fourth chain was Time. The most beautiful and terrifying law. Time allowed existence to move forward. It allowed civilizations to rise. It allowed memories to be created. It gave meaning to life. But it was also the reason everything eventually ended. No matter how powerful a being became... Time continued. Even immortals were not completely free from its influence. They only possessed a longer moment before the universe demanded an ending. The fifth chain was Lifespan. Every existence had a limit. Humans. Beasts. Immortals. Ancient beings. Everything born inside the universe carried a predetermined amount of time. The universe allowed them to exist... But only for a certain period. And finally... The last chain. The deepest chain. Death and Reincarnation. For countless beings, reincarnation was considered a miracle. A chance to begin again. A second life. A new opportunity. But Aetherion saw the truth hidden beneath it. Reincarnation was not freedom. It was a cycle. A soul would return... But memories would be sealed. Experiences would disappear. Identity would be rewritten. A being could live thousands of lives... Yet never remember the countless times it had already died. The universe allowed souls to continue. But it never allowed them to truly escape. For the first time in countless ages... Aetherion became silent. The strongest existence in his universe. The one who had surpassed every enemy. The one who had broken countless limits. Yet he discovered that he was still bound. Not by an enemy. Not by another cultivator. Not by a higher being. But by the universe itself. He stood alone in the endless void. Looking at the countless stars beneath him. And for the first time... The strongest Immortal Emperor felt something he had forgotten. From that moment... Aetherion began a journey that no immortal had ever attempted. Not searching for a stronger enemy. Not seeking greater power. But searching for a way beyond the universe. A way beyond fate. A way beyond karma. A way beyond all restrictions placed upon existence. He wanted to reach a realm where no universe could define him. Where no law could control him. Where no cycle could bind him. Eternal existence. Absolute freedom. The universe had given every being the illusion of freedom. But no one inside it was truly free. Aetherion slowly closed his eyes. Then... He opened them again. A terrifying determination burned within them. "I have broken every chain placed before me." "I have surpassed every limit created by this universe." "If the universe itself is my final prison..." "Then I will break this prison as well." That day... The strongest Immortal Emperor made a decision that would shake the foundation of existence. He would no longer seek greater power. He would no longer chase another realm. He would no longer accept the destiny written for him. He would fight against the universe itself. And seek the one thing that even the strongest being had never possessed. True freedom.