The Temple there was almost identical to the one Darian had seen a short while ago. He pushed open the main door, looking at the small dark hall. Inside, the small book was sitting at the center of the altar.
The couple walked forward calmly. In two seconds, the book began to pulse with a brilliant light.
At first, the light was white, but it soon shifted into a deep violet.
A small female silhouette began to form, making Darian's eyes widen instantly.
"Mom..." the words slipped out of his mouth. At that moment, he felt a strong grip on his hand and turned. Niara was frozen, her heart racing.
"Y-your... mom?" she stammered.
At that moment, a small, ethereal woman condensed into existence before them.
Darian let out a sigh. "A lot happened, but I reincarnated with a father, a mother, and... an older sister. I didn't expect to see her now. I was going to tell you everything later."
Ruri's eyes opened, and they were immediately drawn to the figure beside Darian.
"..."
Silence.
The two of them exchanged looks, and that made Darian feel a chill run down his spine. They were more alike than one could imagine. And knowing that, Darian was sure they could either get along like sisters... or be the complete opposite.
After almost two minutes of silence, when Darian was about to open his mouth to try and say something...
"Darian, leave. I need to have a private conversation with her," Ruri said in an emotionless tone. "Niara, right?"
Niara nodded slightly.
"B-but..." Darian stammered.
Ruri turned her gaze to him, speaking dryly. "Brat. Don't you trust me? Or don't you trust your wife?"
He was left speechless for a moment.
"You made it this far, but she was the one who saved this universe from destruction before, and even absorbed half of the anomalous power. Without her, everything would've been destroyed long ago. So it's only fair that the benefit from the book goes to her. I just want to... talk, and give her something important."
Ruri's voice sounded reasonable, but to Darian, it felt a bit strange. He quickly thought about what that "important thing" could be. But a serious voice sounded beside him, interrupting his thoughts.
"It's fine, Dan. I also want to talk in private."
Darian turned to Niara with a tense expression. She looked back at him and gave a small smile.
"Alright. Darian, stop wasting our time. It won't take long. As for you... Don't you have your allies to check on?" Ruri said, focusing on him.
Only then did Darian remember his inventory. He took a deep breath, and, facing both Ruri's and Niara's gazes, he knew he couldn't do anything but nod and leave.
With a snort, he turned and walked toward the door.
When he stepped out, the door slammed shut behind him, completely sealing everything happening inside.
Darian took a deep breath, then sat on a nearby rock. Now that he had become an immortal, the seal on his Spiritual Inventory could finally be opened.
He didn't waste any time and moved his senses inward, into his soul.
There, a small spatial rune existed. Darian focused, and the power flowing through his body moved.
*Crack*
A muffled sound echoed from within his soul. The seal was released, and Darian entered immediately...
"?!"
The moment he entered, a wave of immortal energy burst out like a divine torrent. It was a terrifying force, so strong that even Darian felt pressure from it, startling him.
He focused, then saw Awel, Eleri, Tir, and Ailik floating there.
The three were in dagger form, and Ailik was the only one in humanoid form. Instantly, his senses confirmed it: all of them... were the core of all that power!
Darian approached and examined them, stunned.
The four of them were asleep in a very, very long hibernation. But their auras and fluctuations were absurdly dense and incredible.
Only after a long time did Darian's heart calm down, and he finally understood. After all, he had read and studied everything about this technique in detail back then.
"This is the power of the Spiritual Inventory... besides generating Void and Nether power, those who could live inside it would be nourished by the energy contained there. But I was dead... so it shouldn't have...!"
He stopped, his eyes widening.
"My father... he added his own power into it and sealed everything, making the four of them be nourished for five thousand years, adapting and merging with power above his own immortal level." Darian stammered, clearly sensing it within all of them.
Since the four of them would be asleep, and it would take quite some time before his mother became pregnant, his father helped them like this. Now...
"Their individual power levels are definitely one step away from something beyond the immortal level." Darian took a deep breath.
He had his doubts about whether, after becoming an immortal, his three partners could still help him. But now that doubt was completely gone. In fact, they would be far more than he could currently control.
Darian kept analyzing them as carefully as possible for several hours.
After almost a full day, he opened his eyes.
'The seal inside them has been removed, but their consciousness has been asleep for too long. It should take some time before they wake up... for safety, it's better not to force it,' he thought, with a deeply satisfied smile on his face. Soon, they would wake up and be together again.
At that moment, Darian almost jumped when he heard the temple door open.
From inside, he saw Niara walking out slowly, and also... a different aura was flowing from her.
She immediately looked Darian straight in the eyes, and then an excited smile bloomed across her face.
"Everything's done, my mother-in-law is amazing!"
Darian let all the air leave his lungs in relief.
"What did she give you?"
As he asked that, he saw a different glint appear in Niara's eyes.
"It's a secret... My mother-in-law said I couldn't tell a soul. But you'll find out soon enough."
Darian snorted, helpless.
"Let's go back to my universe?" Niara held his hand and said, full of excitement.
Darian shook his head. "We need to deal with a problem in this universe before leaving, or everything you saved is going to be destroyed..."
After hearing that, Niara narrowed her eyes. Then Darian began explaining everything he had seen since arriving.
***
Time passed, day after day.
Inside the universe, endless chaos erupted. The atmosphere across all four realms became extremely tense, and the shadow of blood and war loomed over every living being.
King Ostarion tried every possible way to talk and explain to the Black Scale and Green Scale Realms what had really happened. But the Golden Scale Realm had many deceitful methods and acted much faster, poisoning the relationship between them.
Now, more than three days after the return of the Sacred World, all the armies of the four realms were mobilizing.
There was no longer any way to avoid this war. King Ostarion was already preparing to fight to the end against the other three realms. At the start of the day, he made an announcement to the entire population, declaring that war was inevitable.
But on that very same day, just a few hours after that announcement, something changed.
All the cultivators of the White Scale Realm were on maximum alert, watching every tiny fluctuation approaching the main planet.
Until two figures appeared, flying slowly closer.
"WHO ARE YOU!"
Roars filled with Qi crossed through space, reaching the intruders.
"It's me, Darian. I just got back."
His voice struck those figures' ears like lightning. They widened their eyes in disbelief, then activated artifacts to check and confirm whether it was a trap.
Then... they saw a human man, with no cultivation or power fluctuations whatsoever. By his side... for some reason, they couldn't clearly identify. It looked like a Dragoness, but her face and form were slightly distorted.
"It's Darian!" The leader of the watchers was someone who had been in the Sacred World; he recognized Darian's aura and confirmed it.
Without delay, the message reached the royal castle.
"WHAT!" King Ostarion roared, half shocked, half excited. Without hesitation, he rushed out, shooting straight out of the castle.
When he left the city, he saw Darian's figure approaching from above. By his side...
The King narrowed his eyes. Even activating the power of his cultivation, that Dragoness seemed to be covered by a mist that prevented him from seeing her clearly.
"It took me a while, but I'm back," Darian said calmly.
"And the lady by your side?" the King asked, clearly disturbed. Something in him made him want to kneel and treat her with the utmost respect, even without being able to see her fully.
Darian smiled faintly.
But...
At that moment, a dozen figures shot up from the city into the sky, heading straight toward the King. All of them radiated chaotic and desperate fluctuations.
King Ostarion turned, surprised.
"My King! Not good! Princess Lanaya committed suicide!"
The King's expression changed completely, and with a furious roar, he shot forward like a gust of wind.
