The pathway stretched beyond their expectations, and even at their rapid pace, it consumed three relentless days before they reached the elemental barrier that guarded the entrance to Solitude.
As they approached, Dong Rui’s eyes widened in awe. "Fascinating!"
At the heart of Frostfell lay a surreal sight - a vast expanse of molten lava, juxtaposed against a frigid wasteland. Miraculously, neither the lava’s scorching flames nor the frost’s icy grip encroached upon each other, as if suspended in an ethereal balance. The boundaries between these opposing elements were so sharply defined that it defied all logical comprehension.
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"Brother Liang, are you ready?" Dong Rui’s expression grew solemn. "Once we cross this barrier, we shall enter Solitude."
Liang hesitated for a moment before nodding, he stepped forward and breached the elemental barrier without hesitation.
Dong Rui followed suit, a faint smile playing upon her lips.
Upon setting foot in Solitude, Liang was immediately struck by the overwhelming presence of runic energy. It permeated the air so thickly that it was almost palpable, a constant whisper in his mind.
In contrast to Liang’s astonishment, Dong Rui’s countenance remained unchanged, Which brought no surprise to Liang.
Liang deduced from this that the runic energy present on Nexus must be comparable to, or perhaps even surpass, the potency of Solitude, That’s why she wasn’t impressed unlike him.
Suddenly, an authoritative voice boomed through the air, arresting their progress.
"Halt!"
They looked up to see an elderly man seated upon a wooden spirit boat, hovering effortlessly above them. His long, gray hair flowed like a silken cascade, and his white beard reached his waist. His piercing gaze seemed to penetrate their very souls.
"Identify yourselves," the old man commanded, his voice devoid of emotion.
Liang and Dong Rui exchanged a glance, their faces etched with surprise.
"Senior, my name is Dong Rui, and my father is Dong Tian Di of the Dong Clan," Dong Rui said respectfully, cupping her hands in greeting.
The old man’s gaze flickered with interest as it fell upon Dong Rui. He studied her for a moment, his eyes gleaming with a keen intelligence that seemed to penetrate her very soul. Dong Rui felt her heart pounding in her chest - the old man’s aura was overwhelming, he was at least a Divine Paragon.
"As expected of Dong Tian Di’s daughter," the old man said at last, his voice deep and resonant. "You are indeed impressive."
A faint blush spread across Dong Rui’s cheeks at the old man’s praise. "Thank you, Senior."
"You may pass," the old man said dismissively, waving his hand as if to shoo away a fly.
Dong Rui inwardly sighed with relief. She had been worried that the old man would be more difficult to deal with, but it seemed that her father’s reputation had preceded her.
"Let’s go," she said to Liang, who was standing beside her.
Liang nodded, but before they could take a step, the old man spoke again..
"You, little girl, may go," he said, his gaze now fixed on Liang. "But this little friend of yours must stay."
Dong Rui’s brow furrowed slightly. "Senior, Brother Liang came here with me to participate in the Duality Chessboard Gathering. I hope you will allow him to pass as well."
"The gathering?" the old man snorted coldly. "I am aware of it. Otherwise, I would not have allowed members of the Dong Clan to enter so easily."
"Brother Liang has no relation to the Dong Clan. Why can’t he enter?" Dong Rui asked sharply.
"Dong Rui, you may leave. I will meet you at the gathering," Liang said, breaking his silence.
Dong Rui looked at him in surprise for a moment before nodding. "Then, see you later, Brother Liang." With that, she disappeared in a flash of movement.
The old man turned his attention back to Liang, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Who told you I would let you leave?"
"Let me?" Liang chuckled. "You probably want to ask about Red Lotus, right?"
"Oh, and how did you know that?" the old man asked, his eyes flashing coldly. He had indeed stopped Liang for that very reason.
"It’s not that hard to guess," Liang said calmly. "Spirit Wandering Paragon, one of the Ten Divine Paragons."
The old man burst into laughter. "Hmph, I see. That’s how you figured it out."
"So, what happened to Red Lotus’ body?" the old man finally voiced out his concern.
Liang shook his head. "I don’t know. The chaos currents enveloped both of us, and I barely survived that day. Most likely, her body was torn to shreds and vanished."
"Vanished?" the old man raised an eyebrow.
Liang shrugged. "If you don’t believe me, you can search for it yourself."
"Do you take me for a fool?" the old man laughed coldly and waved his hand dismissively, the sky began to darken. The clouds suddenly started to move on their own, swirling and churning like a tempestuous sea. A spirit array of immense power was clearly being activated
Liang’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the old man. It seemed his guess was correct - this old man was mainly looking for Red Lotus’ body mostly to claim her space bracelet.
But from the looks of things, Liang wasn’t sure he could handle a Divine Paragon with his current strength. In fact, he was certain that he couldn’t. The old man’s aura was simply too powerful, like an insurmountable mountain that loomed over him.
Liang knew that he had to think of something, and fast. The spirit array was almost fully activated now.
Suddenly, an idea came to him. It was a risky plan, but it was his only chance.
"Old man, our friend here was granted the permission to pass, let him leave!"
A cold voice suddenly pierced through the air, The spirit array in the sky, which had been on the verge of activation, abruptly stopped, the swirling clouds freezing in place as if suspended in time.
Liang looked up in surprise, his eyes widening as he tried to locate the source of the voice. He couldn’t sense any presence nearby, but the voice seemed to be coming from all around him, as if spoken by the very air itself.
Spirit Wandering Paragon’s eyes flickered thoughtfully as he turned to face the unseen speaker. " You don’t have the right to interfere in my affairs."
The voice replied. "This young man has done nothing to warrant your aggression. Let him pass."
Spirit Wandering Paragon laughed. "You dare to lecture me?"
"I know that you are a powerful Divine Paragon," the voice said. "But even you are not above the laws of the solitude."
Spirit Wandering Paragon’s eyes flickered thoughtfully for a moment. He weighed the voice’s words carefully, considering his options. Finally, with a wave of his hand, the spirit boat flew away and disappeared into the clouds.
Liang looked at where the boat had disappeared in surprise. He then shifted his gaze to where Spirit Wandering Paragon was looking and tried to expand his Ethereal Will as much as possible, but he couldn’t sense any presence.
"I wouldn’t try if I were you," the voice suddenly sounded again, this time with a hint of mockery. "Feeling my presence is way above your league."