Alm and Bruno closed their eyes, focusing completely, and their Yin and Yang tattoos glowed intensely. The whale didn’t need to say a word; everyone fell silent, feeling the tension emanating from it. The gaping hole was still at the top of the barrier, they were not safe. This was a moment of life or death for everyone.
They reached the third level of the Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector. Now that they had invaded and defeated so many powerful cultivators from the twelve families, all their worries and reflections as they descended to the planet were thrown aside.
At this exact moment, all twelve small families were probably moving towards that place. Alm and Bruno knew well the mindset of higher-level cultivators on lower planets. The only advantage of this whole situation was that, after this unexpected event, their reputation was tarnished. Initially, opponents would try to resolve everything as quickly as possible before the four Empyrean families found out. It was a unique opportunity, but to seize it, they needed to survive first.
’Domination,’ murmured Alm and Bruno mentally in unison.
That was the key to everything now. When they opened the formation, they felt its internal structure. Although they had never bothered to study formations, they realized that it was composed of basic elements, created with Yin and Yang. This was the energy and the complete structure. Even without fully understanding its workings, if they could master all of this, they could use the formation against its creators. It was already activated after all, it was like taking control of a functioning toy remote.
Silent seconds passed. They took deep breaths and pondered the principles of the technique.
Bruno murmured softly. ’The first level is about establishing the foundation of the technique. Yin and Yang for cultivators represented everything in their lives, and at the same time was a complex enigma to comprehend. But for us, it meant nothing. We were already the purest Yin and Yang.’
’The second level represents the union of Yin and Yang. It’s where the practitioner learns to integrate and balance the opposing energies of Yin and Yang. It’s about finding internal balance and harmony between these forces. A collaborative effort of two opposites that should repel each other; yet at the same time, they are just opposite sides of the same coin,’ Alm recited calmly.
Bruno sighed and continued. ’The third is control through Yin and Yang, Domination. The practitioner learns to utilize the balance of these two poles to exert control over situations, manipulating energies according to their will. This can involve strategies of dominance, influence, or manipulation. Everything is subject to domination.’
At that moment, the whale opened its eyes and clasped its hands together. A wave of pure energy surged around them, all Yin and Yang intertwining like a vortex, then simply vanished as if it were the flame of a blown-out candle.
’True domination isn’t just about controlling others, but also about adapting and seamlessly integrating into the environment around you,’ Bruno spoke mentally.
At this moment, all their energies were completely united with the laws around them. They quickly felt the entire environment as if they were one with the celestial laws. Then, their wills began to act in accordance with them, rather than unilaterally imposing their will.
All the runes of the formation froze in time. Then, the whale made a gesture, and the entire structure of the formation followed its command, reversing itself. The hole they entered through closed up; now, the entire formation was completely under their control. It closed off again completely from the external world, but now the laws and Qi could be invaded.
In addition to understanding external domination, they also achieved an inner balance between their own Yin and Yang energies. This means they are not only masters of external domination but have also found balance within themselves. However, although they are now able to dominate the forces around them, something is still lacking in their understanding.
Alm took a deep breath and understood what was missing from this power. ’Harmony beyond Duality. In the fourth level, it transcends the notion of domination and seeks to achieve a higher harmony that goes beyond the dualities of Yin and Yang. Instead of seeking control over forces, the focus is on releasing imposed limitations and seeking true freedom.’
[Congratulations, advancement achieved!]
[Level 4] [Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector cultivation technique] [Unlocked]
Alm and Bruno inwardly smiled as they hit the mark. Not only did they gain the fourth level, but they already had a good grasp of it. But... harmony between the two of them? That seemed like something hard to see happening anytime soon.
The whale floated and turned to everyone. "It’s all right now. They won’t be able to enter; our home isn’t that city anymore. The entire desert is now part of our home."
Then, he approached Corin and saw the black chains binding him. They immediately felt like they had seen this before, something that gave them an impression of closeness to the underworld.
’This will be useful, it’s a good gift,’ Alm said, then the whale waved its tattoos.
Everyone was freed, and a large quantity of chains was stored in their inventory. The whale comforted Corin, who was completely in tears. Corin was very, very emotional and didn’t care what others thought about it. He just expressed in the purest way what he felt, whether good or bad.
While the whale remained silent, Calirer approached gently. Corin was then gently embraced, and he nestled between her two raised points; after all, she was much taller than him. The whale nodded, seeing Calirer comforting him. During this time, things had changed quite a bit; the two seemed to have gotten along well.
Everyone was physically recovered thanks to the power of faith, but psychologically they seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Corin was just an example. Right after, the whale saw Almin rising, supported by a slim woman dressed in red. Her facial features resembled someone.
Alm and Bruno sighed and approached them. As soon as they were in front, the woman looked up at the whale and trembled from head to toe.
Almin stopped and looked into the eyes of the whale, then sighed lightly. "The brother has finally returned. I thought I wouldn’t have the chance to settle our issues..."
The whale nodded. "It was troublesome... Well, who is this?"
"I... my name is Doara, sir!" The woman spoke quickly, bowing.
"Hmm? Ah, I remember you. Detue and Alnia’s daughter... You really resemble your parents." The whale spoke and looked at the two a little strangely.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Almin immediately noticed the strangeness. "Don’t think nonsense. This girl is almost like a daughter to me. When the two... passed away... she was still very young; I raised her in the end."
Alm and Bruno nodded. Then, they looked at Doara, who showed no expression of displeasure. It was truly a paternal relationship. It should have been like that with Ruri and them. The two wondered where they had failed in raising her for everything to become so strange. Perhaps in the past, they should have had a serious conversation with Almin about this; anyway, it was too late now.
They looked around and spotted Loeus and Langrum in the distance. Both were meditating together, with their hands joined. The Yin and Yang tattoos of the two were shining intensely. Next to them, they saw five figures that looked almost human; however, they had green skin. When they felt their Qis, the intense Yang left no doubts.
The whale let out a sigh. "Five children?"
"That was in the last five years before the desert was sealed... if it were up to Langrum, she would have a child every year until she died; she was just forced to stop. Well... now, she can resume her work." Almin said softly beside the whale. "I remember the time before she got pregnant; Loeus was always sleeping and seemed always worn out... while Langrum was getting more energetic and fierce every day. In the end, Loeus understood that her being pregnant brought him some rest, and simply accepted it."
The two observed and talked together, with strange expressions, side by side. There was no longer any distance between them, nor the shadow of submission that marked the days when one was treated as a mere pet. Now, they were just brothers again, stripped of any concern for status or hierarchy.
Almin had had enough time to reflect on everything that had happened. In this second chance at life, he had experienced enough pain to see things clearly. Even if he couldn’t imagine himself making the same choices as his brother, he could understand the reasons behind his actions. He knew his brother deeply; his recent attitudes indicated that he had recognized his mistakes and was acting completely differently from what Almin could have predicted based on his memories.
In the end, their true enemy was crystal clear. Almin’s hatred for being manipulated, along with so many others in the same boat, only grew. Now, all he wanted was to move forward, leaving the grievances of the past behind. Of course, the whale left the desert city without ever talking about the queen to him.
At that time, all Almin understood was that his actions when his brother’s wife died simply made no sense. He should have never acted as if it was a good thing that she committed suicide. Not only he but everyone he knew back then wasn’t that type of person. It didn’t take long for him to see that something wasn’t right about it, and he also understood his brother’s hatred due to it.
In the end, it was Ruri who told Almin the rest of the story, sharing the tales she heard when the whale and Ruri talked that night. It all became clear to Almin. Unfortunately, the whale was already gone when he found out.
The whale then floated towards the city, and everyone followed suit. The gates were opened, and he saw a worn-out population, with deep, dry eyes. Everyone fell to their knees upon seeing him in the air.
The whale sighed. They had failed them all. This place was supposed to be safe for those who just wanted to live. But in the end, everything crumbled when they weren’t around. They would have to consider other measures in the future. Now, the main damage to everyone was not physical, but psychological.
The whale immediately activated the entire formation of the city. He sensed some different and strange things, but soon realized that only Ruri would have the ability to mess with something of that level.
The whole city formation began to absorb the Qi of the world at full speed. They helped using their tattoos. In a few hours, the whole air of the city began to change. Green began to emerge on the black soil, life began to flow again. They stopped, leaving everyone in the city completely excited and celebrating. Then they went to the castle after giving the order for everyone to rest for a while.
They entered the central room and finally turned their attention to the main issues. They sat down, trying to put Ruri in bed. But she didn’t want to let go of them at all, even though she was sleeping deeply.
’Now she’s an adult... well, it doesn’t matter.’ Bruno spoke and simply decided to let her do as she pleased. They just turned her to face them, and automatically she clung to their stomachs, and her lips curved.
Seeing that dry, almost wrinkled face, they felt really bad; she looked like someone who had lived thousands of years in suffering. The whale took a deep breath and thought about many things. The most urgent thing now was that in their inventory. They retrieved Rehvka and used all the power of faith to physically restore her body.
Due to her cultivation being at a divine level, an exorbitant amount of faith power had to be used; it was just slightly less than what they had to use on themselves to recover. The internal damage to Rehvka’s body was caused by the rusted kitchen knife, whose metal was of unknown and terrifying origin. A trace of the power that was able to seal even their divine souls was in her wounds. Consequently, if it weren’t for this power, it was hard to imagine her healing.
Their two beautiful disciples were now there, close to them. They looked at their faces that only contained a shadow of their natural beauty. Both were unconscious; physically, they were fine, but internally, they were in bad shape.
Even in the divine world, their situation would be considered incurable and irreversible; burning one’s life and soul was a taboo among all cultivators. But they trusted their master almost irrationally. Only he could solve it, and the whale had many problems on his shoulders that only increased.