C2029 Cardo's Choice
Above the moon, a radiant Mirror of the Infinite appeared out of thin air. Pei Yuling, with a smile gracing his lips, pointed to the mirror and courteously addressed the gathered crowd, "My master extends an invitation to you all."
Years had passed, and this cultivator, adrift in the extraterrestrial, now emanated the aura of a Voidweaver.
He hovered in midair, his presence akin to a luminous, colorful butterfly. Behind him, a pair of ethereal, colorful wings unfurled like a halo, sending ripples through the fabric of space.
"Why is it you?" Yue Mu of the Sword Sect asked, his expression darkening as he scoffed, "You consort with the Voidweavers of the extraterrestrial, a puppet of the Origin Deity. How dare you appear here?"
"That was in the past," Pei Yuling replied, his smile unwavering. Clad in a pristine, snow-white cape, he exuded an otherworldly elegance. "The master I now serve is Lord Jihui. Moreover, all Voidweavers are under Lord Jihui's command. And it's not just the Voidweavers; Awkwafina of the Shadowkin, along with other powerful beings from various races, are also loyal to Lord Jihui."
"Or to put it another way, they are loyal to us from the Abyss," he continued, unfazed by the incredulous stares of Zhang Guanyu, Yue Mu, and Su Qingmo. "The Otherkin who pledge allegiance to us share a connection with the Abyss."
"Please, come inside!" Pei Yuling gestured with a slight bow.
"There's no need to hurry to the Ashlands. First, let us venture into the Abyss," he invited.
Jihui's voice emanated from the portal created by the Mirror of the Infinite, carrying with it a soothing power.
Upon hearing Jihui's voice, the Unbound cultivators and Solar Spirits, who were torn between following the Everlands or seeking a path to the Ashlands, found their resolve.
Before long, a second wave of humans, who had not yet attained the highest echelons, descended into the uppermost tier of the Abyss.
"The various levels of the Abyss await your exploration. All beings within the Abyss are aware of your arrival. They will ultimately pledge loyalty to us, so please refrain from harming them."
"Go forth and embrace the baptism of the Abyss's power, and temper both your bodies and souls."
After the newcomers arrived, Jihui, a being of flesh and blood, stirred his soul and left behind a devil soul in that place.
His corporeal body vanished without a trace.
...
At the Star River boundary connecting to the Wasteland, Jihui, with his flesh and blood form, ripped open a slender space rift, leading Cardo, who was as exquisitely crafted as a jade sculpture, into view.
Cardo, who had locked away time, wielded the Light Scepter in her hand, standing at the dim edge of this world like a deity illuminating the cosmos.
Having received the inheritance of the Light Spirit from the highest reaches of the Abyss, she was now tantalizingly close to Tan Xiaotian.
She was merely half a step away from reaching the eleventh level.
"Head to the Wasteland as soon as you can, and live up to its expectations," Jihui urged, gazing at the lifeless barrier between the two realms. "Yuan Le and the Beast Gods of the Wasteland have come this way for that very reason."
"How do I make my way there?" Cardo inquired earnestly.
When she had received the inheritance of the Light Spirit, the very source spirit she had so desperately sought had made it clear to her.
To ascend to the eleventh level, she must venture into the Wasteland.
For within its depths lay a missing piece of the Light Spirit, a remnant of its past.
Yuan Le hadn't entirely deceived her; a peculiar light energy indeed lay hidden deep within the Wasteland, possessing a spiritual consciousness. Without a corresponding Beast God bloodline, one could not gain the recognition of this energy, nor be endowed with the essence of light magic.
Yuan Le had assumed that this was the Light Spirit, the ultimate pursuit of Cardo.
Yet, this radiant energy, along with the thunderous power sealed by the Demon God Bertain and the Root of the Solar Meridian, were merely fragments of the Primal Anima.
Cardo had been guided by the Light Spirit to seek out this light energy in the Wasteland and integrate it into herself, as only then might she have the potential to break through to the eleventh level.
Moreover, she had been told that beings like her, upon reaching the eleventh level, would naturally attain immortality.
She did not need to seek a Life Keychain from Primal Blood representatives like Yuan Le or Yu Yuan; her path to the eleventh level was her own to forge.
Cardo reached her decision.
"Thanks to you, my lord, otherwise I truly wouldn't have made it through."
Jihui smiled warmly and explained, "Without Yuan Le's two blood shadows and the two Dark Towers that crumbled in the Abyss, we wouldn't have had the key."
While he spoke, he produced an Onyx Altar that he had assembled and gestured for Cardo to step into it.
Cardo took one look and recognized that the makeshift altar was constructed from pieces of the Dark Tower.
The altar was a reconstruction by Jihui, using the remnants of the Dark Towers that, along with Yuan Le's blood shadows, had shattered in the Abyss.
"This artifact cannot wield the power it did in Yuan Le's hands, nor can it teleport. But it carries the essence of Yuan Le's flesh and blood, and it can help you traverse the barrier between realms, ensuring your successful arrival in the Wasteland."
"Oh, and remember, as soon as you reach the Wasteland, shatter the Onyx Altar immediately and leave without delay."
"Because once this artifact enters the Wasteland, Yuan Le's true form will be able to detect its presence."
Jihui said with a chuckle.
Cardo stood on the fragmented Onyx Altar, skeptical as she asked, "So Yuan Le can't sense it now?"
"He's in the Dark Realm. Plus, his two blood clones were vanquished by the lord in the Abyss, which weakened him, so he can no longer sense it." Before Cardo could ask more, Jihui gave the Onyx Altar a firm push toward the barrier.
"Remember! Upon arriving in the Wasteland, the first thing to do is destroy the altar under your feet and get away quickly. Once you've escaped the Beast God's pursuit, then you can search for the scattered pieces."
"Safe travels."
Jihui bid farewell with a wave of his hand.
Whoosh!
A burst of energy, radiant like the aurora, appeared out of nowhere. The Onyx Altar beneath Cardo's feet was suddenly shrouded in a crimson glow, and she passed through seamlessly.
"Now, it's time to properly address the situation in the Everlands," Jihui murmured to himself.
A loud, resonant phoenix cry pierced the air.
To Jihui's astonishment, the majestic Dark Phoenix of the Everlands appeared within the luminous barrier and followed Cardo into the Wasteland.
As she entered and exited, the Dark Phoenix made a sudden return. Her massive phoenix form, with claws of purple that seemed forged from divine metal, clutched the Onyx Altar that had yet to completely crumble. Her icy gaze fixed upon Jihui.
Chilled to the bone, Jihui's smile slowly solidified on his face.
"He's been hiding in the Dark Realm."
With a cold huff, the Dark Phoenix's wing cleaved through the void, and in her other talon, a Frost Well materialized. "I must seek out Yuan Le first," she declared.
Her graceful phoenix silhouette vanished from Jihui's sight.
...
In the Ashlands, within the cauldron, the flame embodying Blazing Fire stood still, unbothered by the Bane and ghosts that formed numerous arrays around it, showing no signs of being refined.
The green-black essence of the Origin Realm slowly coalesced and morphed, taking on the appearance of a peculiar eyeball.
It watched in silence as the Bane and the howling ghosts traversed the Path of the Undead, as though observing a farce.
Neither the Crucible of Evil nor the so-called mightiest of Evil Devils posed any threat to the spiritual sense of the Everlands' origin.
Without Yu Yuan, the eleventh-level Solar Spirit, present to oversee the grand scheme, and lacking the additional power of Primal Blood and Primal Vitality, the Crucible of Evil's attempts at refinement and suppression were nothing more than child's play.
Moments later, the Origin turned its attention to Yu Yiyi.
A thread of spiritual sense from the Origin emerged deep within Yu Yiyi's soul the instant it laid eyes on her.
The green-black essence of the Origin vanished abruptly.
Yu Yiyi jolted, only to discover a profound and mysterious essence from the Everlands within the depths of her soul.
Yu Yiyi, as the cauldron spirit, not only maintained her soul connection to Yu Yuan but also felt his presence more intensely due to this infusion of the Origin. And with the presence of this essence, her Bane Soul was evolving towards the stature of a Great Demon God among the Sky Fiends.
