Duality of Shadows

The world inside the planet returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. Until a heavy sound echoed, causing the whole planet to tremble slightly.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

At the place where the Central Lotus once stood, everything seemed unchanged, but a massive body crashed to the ground, its eyes still open. All the life and soul of the glorious Primordial beast disintegrated, fragmenting and vanishing forever. And in exchange, nothing remained of that young man.

But... a small divine fragment floated in the air. Alm and Bruno had no strength left, and only one thought crossed their minds, making a green screen appear before them.

[Heavenly Points available: 120]

[Miracle of physical, mental, and spiritual rebirth] [90 Heavenly Points]

[Activate the miracle?] [Yes / No]

Without hesitation, they quickly accepted. After completing the Golden Optional Quest, they had earned 100 heavenly points, plus 20 more for completing the side quest.

This was the third time they were using the miracle; next time, the amount of points would be so absurd they might not be able to use it again for a long while.

In a second, they felt a warm, comforting sensation run through their bodies. Soon, it was like they had opened their eyes after a long, perfect night’s sleep. They were completely recovered, full of energy.

However, they quickly realized they no longer had their physical bodies. Now, they were a round pill, just a few centimeters across, floating in the air. Before they could even process the situation, a hand grabbed them.

"Are you alright?" Almin’s voice sounded, clearly shocked. He was far away but had seen and felt everything that had happened.

’It should be around here,’ Bruno quickly said, while Alm focused, using his soul to locate something.

’There!’ Alm pointed to a spot between the volcanic rocks.

Almin rushed over and picked up a small object, his eyes full of disbelief. It was his pill. Feeling its energy, he realized everything was stabilized. The pill... was complete?

’I think I managed to make all the changes, and I used the first lightning strike to finish it,’ Bruno said mentally.

"But... what about the tribulation?" Almin asked, still perplexed.

Alm sighed, thoughtful. ’We honestly didn’t know what would happen... Well, let’s just say we bugged the heavenly laws. We did something impossible, outside the rules and predictions. The tribulation technically won, killing the one holding the pill; but here we are, perfectly alive and well. In the end, we were the ones who won, and now the pill is complete.’

According to the rules, the tribulation was supposed to test both the creator and complete the pill’s power with celestial energy. Alm and Bruno had used the Wuji to direct the first wave of lightning and complete the pill. Only after that did they use their power to destroy the Dragon and sacrifice themselves.

Thus, the annihilation considered the target dead and disappeared. Then, they revived. How could the laws predict a miracle of rebirth? There wasn’t any programmed reaction for that, so it was like breaking the rules.

The pill that should have vanished after the heavens’ victory remained intact; the heavenly laws couldn’t destroy it, not knowing how to react. And since they were alive, they technically won.

Recovered, Alm and Bruno activated their soul powers and flew toward the Dragon’s body. Smiling, the inventory rune appeared, swallowing up the entire primordial body. Without a doubt, this was the greatest treasure they had ever gained in their lives.

Almin, still in shock, approached. ’Quick, this dragon created a crack in the seal with its strength. Bring Lyra out. You finally achieved your goal. I helped a bit at the end, but without your effort and creation, none of this would’ve been possible.’

Almin’s eyes trembled, and his heart raced. After all his hard work, could he finally have Lyra by his side again?

Meanwhile, Alm and Bruno’s divine souls left the pill and moved toward the mountain where the Central Lotus was. At the top, they saw a golden rune, very similar to the ones found on the Behemoth’s seal.

The difference was that there was a small crack in the center of the rune. The seal formation was desperately trying to repair the damage caused by the Dragon, and they knew they didn’t have much time.

’You saw everything. Are you going to keep your word or not?’ Alm spoke coldly.

’Y-yes!’ the Phoenix responded, with a slightly strange voice.

Alm and Bruno turned toward Almin, who was still in a daze. He felt their gaze and quickly rushed over, opening his inventory. A woman, unconscious, appeared in his arms. Lyra no longer had the youthfulness she had when they first saw her. Now, she looked like a mortal around 60 years old, her skin already wrinkled.

She had almost no cultivation left, and her vital energy was extremely weak. Almin was keeping her alive only with pills; but within a hundred years, that would be her limit. Perhaps that’s why Almin had taken such risks and worked so hard.

Alm and Bruno approached and activated their tattoos. Bruno focused, beginning to channel Almin’s Qi into Lyra. Soft sounds of something breaking resonated inside her body.

It took two minutes. She was originally in the Qi Gathering Realm, and now they had pushed her to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, then advanced her to the Core Formation Realm.

’I’ll give you the Primordial power and the bloodline of that Dragon,’ Alm told the Phoenix. ’It was originally yours. Use it to create a Primordial rune in her and merge your bloodline.’

The Chaos Yang Dragon had directly absorbed the Phoenix’s Primordial power and bloodline, taking in the Yang to recover. Inside its body, a significant amount of the Phoenix’s bloodline and power still remained.

As soon as they pulled everything out of the inventory, a subtle soul fragment flowed out of the seal. It was the Phoenix; she skillfully manipulated her bloodline and power, and now that Lyra had a core, it was possible to store an internal rune within her.

It took a few minutes for the process to be completed. Almin felt an intense primordial bloodline flowing from Lyra. The density was surprising—within the dragon’s body, there had been an enormous amount of this bloodline.

’It’s done. Here’s the pill. I’ll give you 99% of my divine soul. Use it all to merge with the pill and nourish your soul,’ Bruno told the Phoenix. ’Then, burn the soul inside your body. Leave just a minimal fragment, enough so that no one can notice you escaped without deeper investigation.’

Alm and Bruno closed their eyes as the power of their souls moved slowly, separating from them. The Phoenix’s soul fragment received everything, including the pill, still with evident disbelief. But within a minute, she merged with the pill easily.

It was the same method Heaven’s Will had used to place Alm and Bruno inside the pill. Almin managed to replicate the process easily, making a few adjustments, and the tribulation completed the rest. Heaven’s Will itself had shown that it was possible.

Shortly after, inside the seal, the Phoenix’s soul began to fracture and break. The seal didn’t allow her to fully destroy herself; if she tried, at a critical point, a power would freeze her completely. But that wasn’t her intention. She burned down until only 30% of her soul remained and stopped.

Inside the pill, less than 1% of her soul was present. However, with the power Alm and Bruno had given her, she managed to restore that fragment to 31%. This part of her soul became the greatest concentration of her essence, allowing her consciousness to fully fix itself there. What remained in the body was just a remnant, disposable at any moment.

’It’s... perfect. I... I’m free...’ the Phoenix murmured, full of happiness.

’Not completely yet,’ Alm responded coldly. ’Use your flames to revive Lyra. You’ll need to stay hidden inside her body. Almin and she will be your companions, and they’ll guard your power. When the time comes, you’ll be free to rebuild your body.’

’Don’t worry. I know I can’t hide alone or act for long,’ the Phoenix said, her voice now filled with emotion. ’I’ll trust you and wait. For now, just seeing the world through her eyes is an incredible gift... thank you for freeing me.’

Alm and Bruno nodded silently, while Almin struggled to hold back tears. The pill, where the Phoenix resided, floated toward Lyra’s mouth.

They stepped back a little, and soon after, an intense heat filled the space, causing discomfort even to Alm and Bruno’s divine souls.

Within seconds, Lyra’s body was engulfed by flames so pure that, upon seeing them, it was impossible not to feel reverence. They represented the peak of natural life—the beginning and rebirth. The Nirvana flames burned with such intensity that it seemed the light of the world came from them.

It took only two seconds for Lyra’s body to turn to ashes.

Then, small, white, pure points floated and gathered together. The heavenly laws bowed before the scene, delivering all the life energy. And so, a gentle and magical reconstruction occurred before everyone’s eyes.

Almin collapsed in tears, clenching his fists. Alm and Bruno sighed, feeling the new body radiate vitality. Lyra now appeared as a young woman under 20 years old, her skin and aura glowing.

The Primordial rune was hidden, but the Fire Phoenix bloodline was extremely dense. However, this wasn’t a problem, as many in the Phoenix Cry Sect possessed powerful bloodlines.

As for the pill, it was now inside Lyra’s body, and just like Alm and Bruno had remained hidden in Raoni’s body, no cultivator would notice its presence unless they investigated with extreme care.

Almin ran to hug her with all his strength, but Lyra’s eyes remained closed. After so long unconscious, her mind was unstable and it would take time for her to fully awaken.

’She doesn’t exist in the sect’s records, so you can’t just show up with her now,’ Alm spoke calmly to Almin.

Bruno added: ’I’ll take her with me. Then come to my sect. I won’t let her wake up without you by her side.’

Almin nodded, then pulled out a black dress, gently dressing Lyra. She had been reborn from the ashes; now she was exposed as if in the moment of her birth, except this time, she was a fully formed adult.

Alm and Bruno waited patiently while Almin said a brief goodbye. Then, they placed Lyra in their inventory. As if waiting for that moment of resolution, a green screen appeared:

[Congratulations, Golden Main Quest completed.]

Alm and Bruno snorted and turned to Almin: ’Everything will stay hidden for a while, but it won’t last long. So, get ready. Don’t be discreet, enjoy every second in the sect before it all collapses.’

Almin nodded softly. He then saw the two souls covered by strange runes. The next moment, Alm and Bruno disappeared, and the pill that contained their souls fell, now completely empty.