Chapter 001: Return to Earth

Westford.
An ordinary city in central Chicia, basking under the scorching summer sun. People hurried along the streets, their footsteps brisk.
Atop an unfinished building, a young man in tattered clothing stood on the rooftop, gazing down at the entire city. A faint smile appeared on his weary face.
"Finally, I'm back."
His soft whisper carried countless bittersweet memories.
Perhaps Ethan Thubron never imagined he could return to this planet in his lifetime.
Staring at this familiar yet unfamiliar city, the image of the woman who haunted his dreams resurfaced in his mind. He didn't know how many years had passed on Earth since he left.
Even if a thousand years had gone by, he had to come back for that promise.
After centuries of relentless battles in the starry realms, he was exhausted. Traversing the endless cosmos, crossing countless ruined cosmic portals, he risked the near-collapse of his Nascent Soul—but he had no regrets.
Dong!
A deep bell tolled. Following the sound, he looked toward a distant skyscraper where the Grand Clock from his memories chimed once more.
When his gaze fell upon the giant LED screen beneath the Grand Clock, Ethan froze. He stared intently at the displayed date, his entire being filled with excitement.
August 23, 2018—the date today.
When he left, it was August 20, 2012. This meant that after he was transported to the depths of the cosmos by that broken celestial array, only six years had passed on Earth.
"Six years, just six years. Monica must still be here; she should still be in this city." Standing there, Ethan trembled, his voice quivering as he spoke.
Who could have imagined that the Stellar Sovereign who once dominated the Inferno Battlefield would ever lose his composure like this?
"I need to find her, immediately." Ethan kept repeating in his mind. Instinctively, he prepared to step into the air.
His foot stepped off the edge of the rooftop, but under Earth's gravity, he plummeted downward.
Thud!
Over ten seconds later, a dull sound echoed from the base of the building.
Amidst the construction debris, Ethan struggled to his feet. His already ragged clothes were now even more tattered.
Falling from over a dozen stories high, it was fortunate that his body, tempered in the starry realms, was strong enough; otherwise, he'd be dead by now.
"Damn it, crossing that broken cosmic array nearly shattered my Nascent Soul. I can't use any of my powers right now; I'll have to rely on physical strength for the time being." Climbing out of the rubble, Ethan muttered bitterly to himself.
Fortunately, this was an abandoned building with no one around. Otherwise, if someone had seen him, he'd likely make tonight's news headlines.
To avoid attracting attention, Ethan quietly borrowed a set of clothes hanging out to dry at a nearby residential building.
Relying on his memory, he returned to his old neighborhood. But when he arrived, the familiar place was gone, replaced by a luxurious residential complex.
He searched repeatedly but couldn't find a single familiar face.
With no other choice, he decided to risk using his Nascent Soul again, attempting to locate his mother through their shared bloodline aura.
His Nascent Soul was on the verge of collapse; using it again was extremely dangerous, and any misstep could lead to eternal doom. But he couldn't care less.
Activating his Nascent Soul, he released his severely damaged spiritual sense, extending it in all directions across the city.
"Eastward, about three miles away, there's someone with the same bloodline aura as mine. In this city, the only person related to me by blood is my mother—it must be her."
Due to the severe damage to his Nascent Soul, he could only sense the presence of the bloodline aura; he couldn't see any images.
After confirming the location of that aura, he retracted his spiritual sense, suppressing his dizziness, and swiftly ran in that direction.
As he approached, an old, dilapidated factory came into view.
No one knew how many years this factory had been abandoned. Peering inside from the entrance, there were waist-high weeds everywhere and various discarded industrial waste.
Why would Mom be here?
Staring at the abandoned factory, Ethan was filled with doubt.
He frowned slightly and quickly walked inside. As he entered, even without relying on his spiritual sense, he could clearly feel the exact location of that bloodline aura.
Passing through piles of industrial scrap and around a collapsed workshop, he finally arrived in front of a warehouse.
At this moment, a domestic SUV was parked at the warehouse entrance.
He quieted his footsteps, moved to the side of the warehouse, and looked inside through a damaged spot.
Inside, several men of varying builds were sitting at a table, playing cards and drinking. In the corner of the warehouse, a little girl was curled up, wiping away tears.
When his gaze fell upon the little girl, his mind buzzed, leaving him momentarily stunned.
He could clearly feel the exact same bloodline aura emanating from her.
As a celestial lord, even with his damaged Nascent Soul, he could tell that the bloodline aura on this little girl came from him—in other words, she was his daughter.
For a long moment, Ethan was utterly bewildered. He didn't need to guess to understand who this little girl was.
Back then, after graduating from university with Monica Lyson, they had returned to Westford together. Six years ago, he went hiking at Mount Fulcrum with some friends. During the trip, an accident occurred; he fell off a cliff and never returned.
At that time, Monica must have just become pregnant, and this little girl was their daughter.
Understanding everything now, Ethan's gaze toward the little girl softened. Simultaneously, when he looked at those burly men, his eyes grew icy.
He didn't know what had transpired before this, but after roaming the starry seas for a millennium, how could he not see that his precious daughter had been kidnapped by these men?
"Since you dare to make my daughter cry, you'll have to pay the price," Ethan whispered.
Meanwhile, the tattooed thugs inside the warehouse were still engrossed in their cards and drinks, completely unaware that a ferocious predator had them in his sights.