Chapter 779 Prime Disciple Competition: Eclipse Island
Hopping off the Spire, Mira slowly descended to the ground, where there were only a few participants left. She didn't bother with them as they were mostly injured, weak, or both.
Sensing her connection with Elenei, she quickly found the massive Dracophoenix, who had now broken through to Low-Stage 6th Rank.
At her full size, she was over 25 meters tall, or around the size of an 8-story building. She still had fiery red scales, icy white Phoenix feathers, and a serpentine body, but her strength seemed much more contained now that her vessel was big enough to hold all of it.
Still, Mira couldn't help but marvel at just how large her 'pet' was. Rhydian never grew that big, and she was a higher cultivation than Elenei.
'Is she going to keep growing like that?' Mira wondered, hoping that wouldn't be the case.
'No,' Elenei answered back straight into her mind. 'I won't keep growing endlessly like this. It's just that the power of my race is difficult to hold within a smaller body. However, now that I've formed my Beast Core, I won't need to keep growing bigger, just denser.'
Mira nodded indifferently but was still thinking that 25 meters was a bit too tall.
Nevertheless, it couldn't be changed now, so she moved on.
"Did you get everything you wanted? Are you a Progenitor now?"
A happy yet complicated look appeared in Elenei's eyes, but she ended up nodding. 'Yes and no. I'm definitely on the right path, but I guess there's more to a Progenitor than just their strength and bloodline. I've almost separated myself completely from my Dragon and Phoenix counterparts, but there's still one last step I need to take.'
"Do you know what it is?"
Elenei shook her head, 'I have an idea, but it's just a theory. I think I just need a more comprehensive understanding of past Progenitors, how they came to be, what makes me different, and more about my own bloodline.'
There wasn't much Mira could help with there. If anything, Elenei knew more on that subject than she did, considering her knowledge was mostly comprised of myths or obscure visions through the statues.
"Alright, enough about that. Let's go to the next island. I'm sure those greedy bastards from the other Sects are already looting the place dry by now!" Mira's eyes narrowed at the thought of someone stealing HER loot.
'Aren't you the most greedy?' Elenei gave Mira a weird look, as it almost seemed like she thought everything here was hers and these people were trespassing.
However, in reality they were the ones who invaded someone else's Secret Realm and were stealing all the goods. But, at the same time, she agreed with Mira's words.
This place was too good to pass up. She couldn't allow some inferior beasts to take what should've been hers!
Elenei nodded and immediately started heading to the other side of the island with Mira.
Not even a minute later, they reached the end of the island.
Mira and Elenei found themselves at a crossroads as they approached the trio of bridges. Each one led to a unique, fantastical island that seemed to defy the norms of nature.
To the left, the floating island blazed with roaring flames, painting a picture of hell itself. The ground looked like scorched earth with rivers of lava meandering through it. Fiery geysers sporadically erupted, throwing molten rocks into the air.
This was an environment of destruction and rebirth, where the old was consumed to give way to the new. Eerily beautiful flame flowers blossomed near the lava rivers, their petals emitting a soft glow in contrast to the otherwise aggressive landscape. The very air around it flickered with heat, creating mirages.
Mira and Elenei could feel the heat of the island from where they stood, despite being at least a kilometer away.
Straight ahead was a rather unique island. It was as if someone had scooped a piece of the night sky and placed it in this realm.
The exterior was draped in complete darkness, making it difficult to discern any landmarks. But at its core stood a towering pillar of radiant light, a beacon in the surrounding obscurity. It pierced the heavens, but nothing in particular could be noted from it.
Close to the pillar, one could see shadows moving, their forms elusive and constantly shifting, as if the very essence of the island was in change.
To the right was an island that appeared to be a frozen landscape, yet not of ice. Instead, it was made entirely of crystal. The ground, the trees, and even the wildlife were crystalline entities.
The entire island sparkled and refracted light, creating dazzling rainbows in every direction. Cascading waterfalls of liquid crystal flowed from towering cliffs, pooling into clear lagoons below. The air was filled with the gentle chime of crystal, a harmonious symphony that soothed the soul. This place seemed to be in perfect balance, a serene haven amidst the chaos of the other islands.
Elenei's eyes were drawn to the hellish fire island, her Dracophoenix nature resonating with its fiery environment. The others looked great, but as a being whose origin and abilities were fire, that one stood out the most.
"I need to go there." She murmured before glancing at Mira, whose eyes were somewhere else. "I'll see you later, Mira. Don't die."
Elenei received a nod and stepped onto the bridge leading to the next fiery island, not looking back.
Meanwhile, Mira was looking at the center island, the one that was completely dark except for the beam of light. That one called out to her very soul.
She didn't know what she'd find there or if she would find anything at all, but her instincts told her she should go there.
On the other hand, she also felt a faint pull toward the crystal island. It wasn't nearly as strong as the previous one, but something told her she wouldn't lose out by going there either.
Shaking her head, she turned back to the center. "I think I'll have the most luck on the eclipse-looking island."
As Mira set her foot onto the bridge leading to the Eclipse island, a cold breeze kissed her cheeks. The temperature drop was sudden but not uncomfortable; it was as though the very air around the island was saturated with the mysterious energies of the night.
The bridge itself seemed to be made of an obsidian-like material, cool to the touch and reflective, mirroring the myriad of colors beneath her feet. With every step, tiny ripples of light emanated from her footfalls, giving her the sensation of walking amongst the constellations.
The closer she got to the island, the more intense the obscurity became. The darkness wasn't just an absence of light but felt palpable, like a living entity.
But through that overwhelming void, the radiant pillar at the island's center was a constant, casting a warm, inviting glow that seemed to push back the encroaching shadows.
As she stepped onto the island, she felt a shift – like stepping into another dimension altogether.
The darkness was so thick that she could barely see her hand in front of her face. It felt like she had walked into a room filled with mud as it became more difficult to move.
A whisper, so faint that Mira thought she might've imagined it, floated to her ears: "Seeker of light amidst the shadows..."
Startled, Mira tried to discern where the voice came from. It was neither hostile nor friendly but eerily neutral. "Hmmm?" she tilted her head, looking around to see where that voice came from.
Straining her ears, Mira attempted to trace the direction of the ethereal voice. The sensation of the thick darkness enveloping her was unnerving, but she focused on that beacon of light, which seemed to stand still amidst the chaotic ambiance.
Drawing on her cultivation, Mira released her Soul Sense, aiming to get a better feel for her surroundings. The energy rippled through the dense atmosphere and illuminated faint paths, diverging in multiple directions. Each pathway looked as though it had been etched out of the shadow, bordered by walls of impenetrable darkness.
"Seeker of light amidst the shadows," the voice whispered again, this time more clear, echoing from one of the paths. "To find what you seek, you must first lose yourself."
Swallowing hard, Mira took a deep breath and immediately made her decision. She chose the path from where the voice echoed and began to follow it.
The further she ventured down the chosen path, the more pronounced the darkness became. Yet, the voice's echoes acted as a guiding force, drawing her deeper into the labyrinthine shadow realm of the island.
As Mira walked, the walls of darkness seemed to pulse, contracting and expanding as though they were alive. She could feel her own heartbeat synchronize with this movement, which was both mesmerizing and alarming.
A few more moments passed as she walked before everything went completely black.
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