Just then, the cat's voice echoed in Kranos' mind, pulling him out of his thoughts and cultivation.

"Old man, the transmigrator anomaly is regaining consciousness. Aren't you even curious what kind of golden finger he possesses?"

Kranos frowned slightly, unfamiliar with the strange term. A glimmer of confusion crossed his face as he asked, "What is a golden finger?"

The cat let out a dramatic sigh. "Truly hopeless. How dumb…" it muttered before shaking its head and delivering a swift smack to the still-unconscious man's forehead.

A soft ripple spread from the cat's paw, striking the man's head, but a faint shadowy aura cloaked his body, absorbing the blow entirely. He was in no real danger.

"Arg," the young man groaned, his voice hoarse as he stirred. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing eyes that were dull and unfocused. Blinking slowly, he struggled to make sense of his surroundings.

As his vision cleared, the first thing he noticed was the endless void stretching around him. There was no sky, no earth, only swirling nothingness filled with distant, ethereal lights. It was a dreamlike space, weightless and infinite.

"It didn't work?" he murmured under his breath in English, the familiar words rolling off his tongue instinctively.

Kranos stiffened. That language—he recognized it.

English.

A spark of intrigue flashed in Kranos' eyes. He turned toward the man, studying him with newfound interest.

The transmigrator finally noticed Kranos, his silver hair flowing gently in the windless void, his silver eyes glowing softly with a depth that felt both ancient and young. Standing next to him was a peculiar-looking cat, exuding arrogance and mystery. Both were hovering silently in the air, weightless in this realm beyond time.

The young man's breath caught. "No way. They're flying?"

His voice trembled slightly.

"You… who are you?" he stammered, wide-eyed with awe and apprehension. His instincts, sharpened by countless hours of reading webnovels, screamed at him. These were no ordinary individuals. The flowing robes, the supernatural presence, the oppressive atmosphere, it all pointed to one thing.

Powerful cultivators.

What about the silver-haired youth? Could he be one of those young masters? Those types always stirred up drama, he thought nervously. He had read far too many stories where the protagonist clashed with unreasonable heirs to great sects or clans. That never ended well.

Hoping not to provoke anything, he stared silently as Kranos approached with calm, graceful steps across the air.

"Where are you from?" Kranos asked. His voice was serene but carried an unspoken authority.

The young man's eyes widened. Kranos had spoken in perfect English.

What is going on? Did I transmigrate into a cultivation world where they speak English? The question rang in his mind as he stared at Kranos like he had seen a ghost.

After a brief internal struggle, he decided to go with a practiced lie.

"I was once a cultivator," he said, slowly standing. "But I lost all my cultivation. I've come to the mortal realm to find a worthy disciple."

He straightened his back as he spoke, trying to project an aura of composure. A faint, barely perceptible force radiated from his body, as if he was attempting to imitate the aura of a seasoned expert.

Most transmigrators start in the mortal world. This should be believable, he thought. His heart raced with uncertainty.

Kranos' expression remained neutral, but a slight curve of amusement tugged at the corners of his lips.

The cat, however, had no patience for deception. It rolled its eyes in exasperation and delivered another smack to the man's forehead.

"Are you stupid? Why are you lying? Just spill the truth already."

The man flinched from the blow but was more shocked by the fact that the cat had also spoken in English.

Kranos glanced at the feline, mildly surprised.

"You can speak English too?"

"Of course I can. It's a simple enough language," the cat answered with a smug tilt of its head.

The transmigrator felt his pulse quicken. His expression shifted. Could they really be transmigrators too?

His mind raced through possibilities. Maybe they were playing a trick on him. Maybe this was a test. He couldn't afford to be careless.

With a forced laugh, he responded, "Hah. I don't know what you're talking about."

Kranos gave him a knowing look. He could understand the man's caution. If his identity as a transmigrator was exposed, who knew what might happen?

But the cat didn't share that sentiment. It raised a paw and smacked the man again.

"Why are you still lying? We already know you're a transmigrated anomaly. You're not from this world. Just tell us where you came from and what golden finger you received."

The man's heart trembled. His expression froze.

So transmigrators weren't a secret here?

He hesitated. But seeing no point in further lies, he sighed in defeat. "Alright. I was a college student. I died after being hit by a truck. That's how I ended up here."

Kranos arched a brow but gave a small nod.

"And your golden finger?"

The man frowned, his expression troubled. "I don't know. Nothing's appeared yet. No system. No strange power. Nothing activated when I arrived."

Kranos folded his arms, considering this. If they knew about golden fingers and cheat abilities, it meant others had likely appeared before.

The man continued, "I guess it hasn't awakened. Maybe I need to trigger something."

"I see," Kranos said softly. A gentle smile formed on his lips. "Welcome to the immortal world."

He turned away, eyes drifting toward the distance. So English is spoken by outsiders. Maybe it's the common tongue of other realms, he pondered.

The cat broke the silence, turning toward the transmigrator and motioning with its paw. "Come. Let's chat a bit."

Sensing that Kranos was about to resume cultivation, the cat saw no reason to disturb him.

Kranos returned to his seated posture, closing his eyes and drawing the essence of time into his domain. A subtle glow surrounded him as he absorbed time particles, faintly visible like golden mist.

He needed ten million time points to return home. The process was slow, but steady.

The transmigrator, meanwhile, encountered a new problem.

He was hungry.

It had finally dawned on him, this wasn't a normal world. It was some kind of void. A prison maybe. There was no food, no water. He was still mortal, after all, and his body couldn't survive indefinitely.

If not for the cat's constant shielding, that blurry shadow around him, he would have long since perished.

Still no golden finger, he thought, anxiety creeping in. He clenched his fists.

His thoughts drifted back to his old world. To his bed, his favorite snacks, the smell of his mother's cooking. It all felt so distant now.

Because of one poor decision, joining that online group chat as a joke, he had lost everything.

He sighed deeply and shut his eyes, trying not to think too hard. Grief welled inside him.

The cat noticed his silence. For a moment, it seemed to understand.

Then, suddenly, it raised a paw and smacked him again.

"You're reminiscing in the middle of a conversation?" the cat huffed. "That world is gone. Move on."

The man awkwardly scratched his head and returned to the conversation.

Time passed slowly. Kranos remained still, his cultivation continuing uninterrupted. The occasional mutter from the cat provided a strange sense of normalcy in the vast silence of the void.

Eventually, the transmigrator's condition worsened. Unable to sustain himself any longer, his body began to weaken.

The cat noticed and frowned. With a quiet chant, it placed him into suspended animation. His breathing slowed, his body becoming still, floating weightlessly beside them.

Kranos opened one eye and glanced at him. Something told him this man would be useful once they returned.

He sighed and checked his system panel.

Over eight million time points gathered.

Almost there.

He resumed cultivating. Minutes passed. Hours. Days. There was no way to measure time in the void, only the silent rhythm of energy absorption.

Nearby, the cat complained.

"This loneliness, we're going to die alone out here. No strength, no escape…"

It whined and muttered.

"If I had my real body, I would've left already. This form is pitiful."

Kranos ignored most of it, though sometimes the cat's voice slipped into his thoughts.

At long last, he reached the required time points.

Ten million.

A wide smile spread across his face.

He drew the accumulated time essence into his domain, encompassing himself, the cat, and the sleeping transmigrator.

"Hey, cat," he called out. "What do you say? Want to go back to the cultivation world?"

The cat immediately stopped mid-whine, ears twitching.

It turned slowly, disbelief in its eyes.

"You're joking. You can't be serious."

Kranos exhaled. "You forget, I am your master."

He activated the time technique he had painstakingly perfected. In his mind, the royal palace appeared, its grand halls, his parents' warm smiles, the home he had once lost.

The void trembled.

Ten million time points vanished.

A pulse of light burst around them.

And then, they were gone.

Moments later, Kranos arrived in the immortal world once again.

But everything had changed.

A wave of dread washed over him as he stared ahead.

The twelfth calamity had descended.

Kranos was horrified.

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