This path would not be the one that he would choose, but it was the only viable option in front of him.

He would need to slaughter trillions of mortals and godly beings to gain the resources that he needed for his evolution, and he needed to be quick. His slaughter would have to take place in a portion of the universe that was heavily populated.

There was no consideration of whether he should risk himself and reveal his full might to the universe instead of killing so many mortals and immortals. In twenty or so years when the tainted blood of the universe reached the surface of reality, its vitality leeching properties would wipe out every life in the universe.

If their deaths could serve him now, it would be the best option for them. Rowan would keep their Soul Origin safe, freeing them from a destiny of endless reincarnation without choice.

He was already down a million Spirit Guises and he could not keep the Forge in one piece for long. He had made his decision and he had suitable targets in mind.

The galactic Superclusters that could be found towards the center of the universe. This region was a bustling portion of the universe filled with great powers that Rowan had not had the opportunity to explore.

He had heard of countless wonders that could be found in this area, with extremely talented individuals gaining great power with the dense amount of Aether present in the region, but he could no longer visit that place as an explorer instead he would be coming as a butcher.

"If this is the way it has to be I will keep your Soul Origin safe."

Rowan was about to send a message to Maeve to move his Forge to a suitable inhabited world when his Primordial Record vibrated.

His consciousness froze in shock and he looked over to make sure he was not mistaken, but the Primordial Record vibrated once more, and this time it was louder, shaking the entire Forge.

With the Primordial Record evolution, he had not been able to access it after trying various ways to stimulate a response out of it. His most valuable treasure became nothing but a book for the last twenty years.

Rowan knew that this black book had a unique awareness, and if it chose to draw his attention, then it must be important.

Rowan's consciousness touched the cover of the Primordial Record which was hovering over the pool of endless purple. Since his evolution was still ongoing, everything has been covered in a shade of deep purple, and except for the Primordial Record, he could not recognize or find anything inside the purplish haze.

His consciousness was lost in a sea of purplish haze that extended for tens of light years. This was a distance that was impossible for any mortal to comprehend, and even a god would take some time to travel around his Forge, but his essence had already filled it and was straining to burst open this space.

Except for the Primordial Record that was a part of him and yet still distinct enough in all the chaos that he could easily spot and reach it.

His excitement was mounting as he pried open the Primordial Record. After all this while, he would have access to his greatest treasure again, it was too long since he touched its pages.

Three seconds later his consciousness was shaking with so much force it was vibrating the purplish haze that surrounded him. If Rowan had a body, his face would be red from the strain of trying to pry open the singularity.

"Now this is a worrying development. What am I missing?" Rowan cursed, about to leave the Primordial Record and venture out to the universe when it vibrated again more violently, but this time with his consciousness around the Primordial Record he was able to receive its message.

It turns out that he was not supposed to open the Primordial Record when what he needed to do was just to touch it.

There was amusement and a little bit of annoyance in that message and Rowan learned that with a single consciousness, he would not be able to open the present form of the Primordial Record, but the Singularity was able to send over a portion of its contents to his mind.

P

#%&*

##....%#

SOUL ORIGIN GAINED: 1,009,887,665

SOUL CRYSTAL GAINED: 2,887,773

##%%....

Rowan was stunned at what he was witnessing. He had expected a bounty of Soul Crystals from the powerful enemies he had come across and defeated, from Caine, Ohrox the Demon King and so many other creatures, both mortal and immortal, that had been slained by him in the last two decades, but where had he acquired one billion Soul Origin from?

Before now he would have sworn he had barely gained more than twenty million Soul Origin. Although he had slaughtered the entire mortal population of the Cerulean galaxy homeworld, he had not received more than twenty million Soul Origins, since not every soul produced Soul Origin.

Most of the Souls became nothing but Soul Origin, but a small fraction generated Soul Origin.

Rowan wracked his mind for a few seconds before realizing where such a stupendous number of Soul Origin had most likely originated from inside him.

His present situation where he was stuck halfway in his evolution was because of the rapid development that had been ongoing inside his body.

Countless new souls had been born inside him for the last twenty years, or 3,700 years if he used his own time, and of those souls, some had perished, and a portion of them had given him their Soul Origin.

It would seem that any new soul born inside him when they died, he had a great chance of receiving their Soul Origin. The amount of Soul Crystals he had available also could not be just from the mighty immortals he had slain, because a larger portion of their souls had not been digested and remained inside of him.

The most likely explanation was that many souls had perished inside him after nearly four thousand years, and they had all contributed a sizable chunk of soul energy to him.

In his time of need and confusion, the Primordial Record had once more shown him a path towards salvation. Every time this treasure had acted for his sake, it was usually for something monumental.

Perhaps there was a reason the Primordial Record did not want him to attack the Superclusters at the center of the universe?

Ultimately it did not matter, he had what he wanted.

"Ahh" Rowan's consciousness groaned in realization, "I was searching outwards and I have forgotten to look inside myself. I am a Dimension, a universe unto myself."

The Primordial Record understood every aspect of his being and had led Rowan to the right path.

Casting his voice until it echoed throughout the Forge he called out, "Sheol, my City of Rest, my Bastion of Light, reveal yourself!"

A piercing cry emerged from the center of the massive purple egg that was straining against the confines of the Forge, and lights like from the brightest rainbow shone briefly through the haze before dying out.

The multicolored light stained the purple egg for a few seconds before it was swallowed beneath the purple haze.

Rowan's consciousness pinpointed the location and he began pushing towards it, his abundant essence fighting against his movements and it almost seemed as if he was fighting through a tremendous stormy ocean in a broken boat.

Time ceased to have any meaning, as his consciousness pushed deeper into himself, not forgetting where he had seen that light, and then with a silent pop like a bubble bursting he entered a vast space.

Like the Primordial Record, the City of Sheol had created a space over itself to protect against the chaotic essence of Rowan. The ever-shifting form of the city had assumed a rather unassuming form.

The City it transformed into resembled a fortress of rock and black steel. Rowan did not know where this city might have been located in reality, but it seemed as if it was built to withstand a siege against an entire universe if it was needed.

The walls of the city were thousands of feet tall, and several hundred feet thick, everything was built from heavy metals that sucked in the light as if the materials that it was made of were so dense it was generating its gravity.

What was concerning to Rowan, however, was that on the gate of his city, were massive claw marks, as if something had been trying to break into his city.