Duality of Shadows

Chapter 746: Bloody And Bitter
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Three figures emerged, shooting out from the planet Gloom like shimmering stars. The moment they took off, all the High Elders of the sect were stunned. These three weren’t moving using laws or Qi.

Cultivators at the peak of divine cultivation sensed something indescribable coming from them, and at the same time, noticed something they couldn’t believe.

"This power... it’s not part of the heavenly laws... how is this possible?" an older Fey murmured.

In seconds, the three figures vanished from sight. Glancing around, they saw the void covered by a warm, red aura. Ahead, a world of flames so massive it could be seen across the entire galaxy pulsed intensely. They clenched their fists and launched toward the phenomenon, moving at a terrifying speed.

No divine cultivator could move as fast as they did. In less than a minute, they reached the vicinity. However, the intense primordial flames hit them furiously.

The androgynous figure narrowed their eyes, and then the Alv and the Chromaraic woman moved forward. Their cultivation and bloodlines were pushed to the limit. Although weakened, the Alv could still defend himself. A multicolored ring appeared behind the woman, spinning and affecting all the fire laws around, creating space for the third to advance.

They entered the red world, wrapped in a primordial aura. In the center of this power, they saw something surprising: a human female figure, who was actually the core of all that power.

"What the hell…"

The Alv’s words trailed off as the woman suddenly opened her eyes.

She turned to them. In her black pupils, a deep red swirled like flames. Her face had the simple beauty of a mortal woman, like someone from an ascendant planet. However, the pure aura of the phoenix made her skin glow, and her well-defined curves, along with her revealing neckline, created an indescribable and fatal attraction.

"Hmm?" She looked at them briefly, a calm smile blooming on her face.

The three were confused, running through a thousand possibilities at once. But, surrounded by that primordial power, they failed to notice another danger approaching.

The androgynous figure was the only one to notice too late. "What!?"

*ROARR!!*

Suddenly, the space around them distorted, followed by feline roars. "Celestial Jaguar?!"

The three tried to react and use their powers, but it was too late. The space around them closed in. That was the signature ability of the ancient time-space beast, known as the bringer of eclipses.

Thousands of jaguars appeared, attacking and sealing the area in an instant. Escaping was impossible once the opponents were already at their side. Any chance of escape was eliminated.

The next second, thousands of Immortal Cranes and Zaoris, along with a small group of Kun Peng hybrids, emerged. They all roared and charged, invading the sealed space. The elite of these four races, almost all at the peak of divine cultivation, attacked the three, who were now trapped.

Outside, Ruri and the whale’s group appeared next to Lyra. "How did I do? Convincing?" Lyra asked, smiling at Almin.

"For someone who just woke up, you were excellent. Now, we need to…"

Almin stopped mid-sentence, sensing something strange. The whale’s entire group turned toward the sealed world. They felt three strange powers erupting simultaneously.

"…this isn’t part of the heavenly laws," Kaiyka murmured, stunned. Suddenly, her eyes shifted to the void, and a green screen appeared in front of her.

[01 Gold Mission Acquired]

[Objective: Capture an Inquisitor]

[Description: The enemy possesses a hidden and unnatural power that isn’t from this universe. Their ability is beyond the heavenly laws, but it’s still incomplete. Their source is not Qi; they absorb and refine the very laws, or any surrounding energy.]

Kaiyka read the clear and direct message, with a very useful description. If Alm and Bruno knew this, they would explode with rage at such injustice.

The next moment, Ruri and the group sensed the death of dozens of beasts. "There’s only three of them… but how can they be this strong?"

Everyone could see clearly. The beasts attacked like a swarm, manipulating space—the most destructive force possible—along with time, which slowed and affected the enemies. Even so, the three were like lions facing rats trying to bite them.

"Heaven’s Will gave me a mission. We need to capture one of them. The beasts won’t be able to win on their own," Kaiyka said quickly.

Everyone knew she was a missionary, just like the whale, but a different kind. She explained in detail the description she had received. Everyone was stunned. These Divine Inquisitors were much more dangerous than they had imagined.

The heroes were supreme, but their power was still perceptible and had a comprehensible origin: the heavenly laws that sustained them and granted them infinite power. It was an invincible power, but one that could be understood. However, these three… their power beyond the heavenly laws was completely unpredictable, and the description made it clear that they were beyond the natural laws themselves.

"Master can’t get here fast enough. He’s counting on us to handle this; if we hesitate because of fear, we could lose everything," Ruri said urgently, clenching her fists.

She naturally took the lead in the whale’s absence, just like she had during the hundred-year war on Pristine Planet. Her eyes fixed on Corin, who was watching the battle closely, focusing on the Chromaraic woman.

"If it’s that woman, it’s possible," Corin said without hesitation.

Ruri nodded in agreement and turned to Almin. "This will be a desperate fight, like in the past. But this time, we’re on the offensive."

Almin nodded slightly, and Lyra, standing beside him, watched his calm, serious face in shock. She had just woken up from a long sleep a few minutes ago. In her memories, Almin was a young man with a twisted mind, hiding his fear and resentment behind a facade of grandeur, stepping on others.

But she felt the good person within him. He always pretended otherwise but refused to harm or use the other slaves. Now… he seemed confident, someone who had lived, fought, and survived on his own merits. He had faced his fears and confronted everything head-on.

"We’re going to defeat a peak divine cultivator with our teamwork. That will prove to him we’re not a burden. He can kill gods and primordial beasts like he’s playing with them. If we want to follow him and be useful, this is the least we need to do."

Almin spoke calmly as he pulled his spear from his inventory. A sharp battle aura formed around him, and everyone nodded; those siblings really did seem alike at times. Lyra, for her part, watched him with a racing heart.

Ruri closed her eyes, and the Empyrean mark shone on her forehead. Mental power flowed through her being, and then she turned to Kaiyka, who slowly drew her katana from her waist.

Inside the sealed space, chaos and blood flowed everywhere.

A devastating battle unfolded, something that would make any universe cultivator pale. There were thousands of powerful ancient beasts against just three, but these three had an energy around them that made enemies lose their defenses at the slightest touch.

The Zaori leader watched the situation with tension. "The spatial laws are weakening… even the Yin of death and attack laws disappear when they get close to them."

The Celestial Jaguar leader spat. "Their hidden power is absorbing everything around, like fuel. We managed to injure the one who seems like a lesser humanoid, but the other two are covering his weakness. The synergy between them and their power is hard to break. We need to shatter their formation, or we’ll never…"

Suddenly, a message arrived in the Celestial Jaguar’s mind. He looked up at the sky and, using his domain, subtly opened the sealed space.

A human holding a katana appeared. Her blade descended, capable of cutting through the very world.

The Immortal Crane Leader, from a distance, saw the opportunity and roared, "Use all the stagnation! Prevent them from reacting!"

The thousands of Immortal Cranes, experts in temporal manipulation, huffed and applied their time laws to the maximum.

The three Divine Inquisitors felt the temporal flow around them slow down, as if they were submerged in a sea of sludge. Moving their muscles or using their power became incredibly difficult. But… that would only hold them back for a single breath.

At that moment, they saw the cutting blade approaching, slicing through the space. Their eyes widened as they saw a human wielding that curved blade. Though her cultivation was mediocre, the attack emanated an oddly deadly pressure.

"So many surprises… but it’s useless," the Chromaraic woman murmured dryly, refocusing on the attack.

Her multicolored hair danced as the rainbow ring behind her spun. Countless bloodline runes fused into her body, creating a natural armor that blended all elements. It was something Corin often used along with his physical cultivation; an elemental defense made with bloodline that could handle any other common law.

The woman smiled as she felt her movements return, but…

"Dao of Primal Supremacy!"

A cold voice sounded, making her glance away. She saw a young man of her own race staring at her.

A strange primordial presence emerged, destabilizing her bloodline. At that moment, the blade reached her front.

She roared, sensing the danger. Her eyes changed, and a gray rune appeared on her forehead. "FUCK OFF!"

An explosion of power emanated from her body, hitting the katana and its wielder. The attack was completely destroyed, and Kaiyka was violently thrown away, spitting blood.

The woman smiled dryly, but, a second later, a hidden presence materialized behind her. As she turned, her world went dark and everything faded.

Darkness enveloped her, and she tried, stunned, to understand what had happened. After three seconds, something finally reached her perception. Looking up, she saw a stunning moon, surrounded by a celestial ring.

"This is the Dao of the Moon Goddess."

The Chromaraic woman narrowed her eyes. It was a strange manifestation, a unique Dao. As she tried to probe the surroundings, her surprise grew: all the presence of heavenly laws had vanished.

Suddenly, countless auras appeared around her. Up high, the young Chromaraic reappeared, watching her, while her internal bloodline remained in chaotic disarray.

"Another Divine Dao? What a waste of talent." The woman said dryly, pulling out a short blade. "You dared to betray the Sacred Goddess..."

The world turned red, making her swallow hard. Another human appeared, surrounded by nine black moons, burning with sinister flames.

*AAAAAAH!*

The woman turned at the sound of a scream and saw a small Fey holding an axe as big as she was. A disturbing madness shone in her eyes.

Next to her, a slender woman with green skin walked steadily. Pure Yang flames ignited around her body, distorting the space with intense heat.

Two wyverns roared fiercely, while a water dragon slithered between them. Suddenly, a soft and enchanting voice echoed in all directions, accompanied by the melodious sound of a string instrument.

*BANG! BANG!*

Zaimo and Thea fired at the same time, while Kisala released her arrows. At the front line, Deryu, Ambry, and Lansha formed the vanguard.

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"DIE!"

The woman’s blade attacked violently. Ambry blocked it in a frenzy, getting thrown back. But any slight opening that appeared was seized upon with precise and coordinated attacks from everyone. Their synchronization was impeccable.

The Chromaraic woman lost the power of her bloodline as Corin kept his Dao active. Her strange ability, which allowed her to absorb and use any energy around her, was completely blocked. In that moonlit world, all the laws rejected her.

Now, the only thing she had left was the same as any ordinary cultivator: her cultivation Qi. Against young cultivators several realms below her? That would be more than enough.

At first, the Chromaraic woman found it all amusing. But in the next second, a chilling fear overtook her.

Individually, each of those young ones was insignificant, like flies buzzing around her. However, the precision and absurd strength with which they attacked were astonishing. Their weapons, armor, and clothing bore runic seals; their strikes were anything but normal.

One second later, those "flies" turned out to be bees — and in the third second, they revealed themselves to be cunning and venomous snakes.

"FUCK!"

The woman roared in fury, making her short blade pulse with power. A sharpening rune, well known to everyone there, shone on her weapon. Lansha was closest, and the blade surged forward with invincible momentum.

There was no chance... the cut sliced through and split Lansha in half.

In a swift move, the woman struck again. She easily recognized the rune of a Conqueror Empyrean and destroyed it. The revival power was annihilated in an instant.

"Next! Come on, entertain me a little." She shouted with a bloody smile.

But then... Time and space rippled, and the woman’s eyes widened.

She looked at the bright moon in the sky. She saw a rune emerge again, as if time were reversing. In the next second, a slender green figure took shape.

Yes, this was the time-return technique that the whale had acquired. Ruri studied it carefully and incorporated it into her Dao. Using it in the outside world was impossible; Ruri didn’t have enough power. But within her Dao, she was the supreme law.

Lansha opened her eyes and smiled. They knew that in a regular fight, they would be insignificant against that woman and would never be able to kill her. However, by falling into that place, the odds changed drastically.

Now, it wasn’t a conventional battle. They all possessed strange and terrifying powers... and, more importantly, they were completely immortal. Ruri didn’t turn them back in time directly; she only reversed the Conqueror’s rune.

Almin attacked with a black fire moon. All the others followed with synchronized attacks. The array they formed was another extreme weapon. They could all communicate telepathically, feel each other’s presence, and even share part of their power among themselves if needed.

One hour...

Three hours...

Six hours...

A katana pierced the chest of the Chromaraic woman, who was now completely drained of Qi and strength.

"You weren’t any fun. I thought you’d have some tricks up your sleeve... but all you had was arrogance and little skill." Kaiyka spoke slowly.

The woman tried to roar in response, but her eyes turned violet as a mental power flooded her mind, erasing all her consciousness.

"We won..." Almin and Corin murmured together, while the exhausted group breathed heavily. The joy in their hearts was so great they could hardly find words.

The moonlit world shattered.

Ruri appeared, then closed her eyes and embraced something round and fluffy.

They all found themselves back in the emptiness of space, where they saw the whale. Beside him, Lyra was silent. Around them, the space-time beasts looked battered.

There were no signs of the other two enemies. One of them seemed to be extremely weakened already, and the remaining duo was cornered when they removed the woman from the formation. But... things weren’t that simple.

The beasts had been reduced to half their numbers... even with a total advantage, the victory was bloody and bitter. The whale arrived shortly after and helped in the fight, preventing even greater losses.

"Good job. Let’s head back," the whale said calmly, and everyone nodded, exhausted but victorious.

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