That dark world was completely dead and cold, without any trace of the dark energy from the past. There were no evil cultivators or signs of life on the surface. Alm and Bruno immediately noticed the seven empty and deactivated black towers.
’When we fled, we removed all the Yin from the towers, but they were still collecting energy for the formation. The demon wouldn’t have the power to do anything with the seal, we have to investigate,’ analyzed Alm dryly.
They advanced straight ahead, unconcerned about the environment around them. One of the advantages of the union of Yin and mental power was that they could move without being detected. This was mainly due to Rehvka’s ability to command their steps.
She could make no fluctuations escape; her Yin was completely cold and specialized. Her mind was stable and analytical. Even Alm was surprised by her ability; she could hide and move perfectly, demonstrating a unique potential to become a terrifying assassin.
Ruri also had skills in this area, but her straightforward personality made her prefer quick attacks instead of hiding and waiting games. Alm had previously thought that Ruri could become a perfect assassin, but she always chose to act quickly rather than skulk and manipulate.
A true assassin goes beyond simply hiding; they must have the right mindset. Speaking, creating scenarios, being patient - all of this is part of the method to make the target feel unconsciously cornered. The biggest gaps are not in skills or techniques, but in people’s minds. These are the fatal gaps.
Assassination depends on opportunity, while the act of killing depends on power. However, even in this case, stealthily attacking a much stronger cultivator cannot be entirely done by luck or opportunity. Any sign of hostility when approaching would be instantly perceived by them. Carrying out an assassination without having a calm and rational mind is impossible. Ruri had technical skills, but it was Rehvka who possessed the necessary mindset.
It didn’t take long for them to pass through the desolate Celestial Abyss City, the central place where they had spent time and created many memories, especially for a certain child at the time. Ruri looked around with nostalgia, reminiscing about her childhood and the beginning of her adolescence when she started to live freely with her master.
They arrived at the black tower, but didn’t immediately descend into the abyss. Ruri used her four Seven-Color Supreme Runes to study the tower’s mechanism. The whale had already explained that there were nine seals, composing a gigantic formation beyond divine level. Now, with mastery of the forge god’s dao, Ruri had a treasure to analyze.
After closing her eyes for a few minutes, she spoke seriously. ’There’s a small formation that uses the laws of space to gather Yin from afar; but everything was deactivated. Now, another small formation seems to have been connected. It’s adding a golden power and incorporating it into the whole.’
Alm and Bruno nodded in understanding. ’The behemoth said they could rebuild the destroyed seal in a few hundred years, and it seems they’ve already started. Can you...’
’Steal everything? Sure!’ Ruri finished excitedly. ’That golden power is the same as what I saw in that place where we found Corin. And the spatial runes at the tower’s base are excellent for creating another one that I know.’
’Great. Let’s visit all the towers then,’ replied the whale emotionlessly, although Ruri could clearly perceive otherwise in his eyes.
Rehvka watched the synergy and competence of the two with admiration. Her sister possessed completely abnormal and divine talents; was it because the master had raised her since she was young? Could she also achieve that with time? She pondered silently as she looked at them.
With Ruri leading, they ascended the tower. Everything seemed completely devoid of Qi until they reached a distorted space. Countless golden points seemed like stars, spinning and dancing in a strange synchrony. Ruri’s four multicolored runes advanced toward them.
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Crack!
The whale saw the golden runes freeze and waved without hesitation. Everything was stored in the spatial inventory. They calmly analyzed what they had obtained: the heroic golden power was already very useful, but the center of each of the hundreds of runes contained a bit of divine Qi. That was quite a gift for them, opening up many possibilities.
Ruri quickly gathered everything that was useful, with a smile on her face, leaving nothing behind. Then, they turned to leave, knowing that there were still six other towers to explore.
Alm and Bruno had no concerns about the consequences of this. Surely, as soon as they removed everything, the twelve families who created the black towers would become aware. But there was only one entrance to that place, and it was within the desert they themselves had closed off with the formation. Now, with everything sealed for a month, it was as if they had handed everything to them on a silver platter.
It took a whole day to traverse all seven black towers. Ruri was radiant with so many spatial runes she had gained, while Alm was already plotting nefarious plans for the use of what he acquired.
Finally, it was time to enter the abyss. They flew and jumped straight in without caring about anything.
The cycles of the abyss, which should have been deadly for non-demons, were completely interrupted. The destruction of the seal was a factor, but the demon still consumed all the Yin and infernal laws that existed there to recover. Now, the abyss was just an empty and dead place. Of course, in theory, it would be temporary until the formation was restored.
They flew at the fastest speed they could muster with just their QIs, descending through the abyss; there was no way to speed up, the place was vast, and Ruri couldn’t use spatial laws as it would compromise her ability to conceal.
The journey was long, but the two of them enjoyed it gently. During this time, Ruri used the array to tell Rehvka stories from the time they lived among the evil cultivators.
Rehvka was surprised to learn that they used Ruri as an excuse to be a cultivation furnace. They even carried her on their shoulders, making it clear to everyone. Ruri made sure to mention how much kinder her master was when she was younger.
’Master... has a preference...’
’Don’t think nonsense!’ Alm interrupted Rehvka’s thoughts through the array. ’Ruri has always been troublesome since early on, so I had to give her extra attention. Saying she was a cultivation furnace was just convenient at the time.’
Ruri smiled and said nothing, letting Rehvka interpret as she wished. Meanwhile, Alm was cursing Bruno for creating a lolicon stigma and including him in it.
However, to Alm’s surprise, Rehvka spoke softly, ’Master likes children. He really wants to have a son, doesn’t he?’
Ruri nodded. ’Before, I thought he really wanted me. But it was a misunderstanding caused by the idiotic previous body owner. Now, looking back, it’s clearer. He lost that before...’
Ruri began to speak and abruptly stopped, not wanting to continue. The two of them understood exactly what was insinuated; they knew well their master’s past story and how his wife had died with their child still in the womb.
The whale snorted. Alm finally felt understood but quickly cut off the subject. ’You two are overthinking, it was just convenience at the time.’
Ruri laughed, but her gaze became a bit strange. Rehvka understood what she thought and smiled softly, both decided to stay silent. Alm sighed. These two were now creating strange theories and interpretations, but seemed to be getting along well and understanding each other.
Shortly after, they reached the entrance of the ancient Ashen Realm. "Ancient" because there was no longer a real entrance; everything was open and unobstructed. The spatial distortion there broke, and now it was only a third of its previous size. They could even see the last black tower a little further ahead.
They approached carefully to avoid accidents. But as they got very close to the tower, they felt it was completely empty. Alm and Bruno became suspicious and entered slowly. Was it some kind of trap? They used their souls to the limit to sense something, but their instincts didn’t alert them to anything. Confirming their safety, they trusted it completely.
As Ruri took the first step into the tower, she closed her eyes. Then, seconds later, she jumped, startled.
’Master! The spatial runes... are being used, but for another purpose,’ she said, squinting her eyes to feel it in detail. ’It’s connected to some distant place through a spatial channel. But it’s completely stable. With the energy from the runes... this should remain open for quite some time.’
The whale squinted thoughtfully. This meant that the demon used it to go to another distant place; that’s why everything there was empty. So, they quickly climbed to the spot, realizing there was no apparent danger.
Upon reaching the top, the three of them saw a spatial portal. Alm and Bruno immediately felt the Qi leaking from the portal and got excited.
’This leads to the divine realm!’