The next day, Ruri returned to the forge with a radiant and excited smile. Her joy and happiness were so palpable that Alm and Bruno couldn’t help but feel a warmth in their hearts.
As she hugged the whale, she said, "Almin helped with some pills. Mistie is totally stable now, and her baby is growing again. But the growth rate seems a little fast..."
"Yeah, I had to stimulate the growth to make it quick. Mistie is really small, and Dire Feys are about the size of a human. She’ll be born in two months but will incubate for another nine to grow to the ideal size," the whale replied calmly, while Ruri looked at them, extremely excited, her heart beating fast.
"Let’s get to work. I’ve studied the Prana Hammer enough to notice its laws are similar to the Void Spear’s, but they lean more toward something like space-time. Take a look."
The whale interrupted Ruri’s wild excitement and took out the hammer. Though a bit disappointed, she smiled and focused. She closed her eyes, trying to manipulate the law. After a few minutes, a draconic aura flowed around her.
"Master, Yinou..." Ruri stopped when she saw the whale’s confusion. "Yinou is the name of the Yin Chaos Dragon. She said we’re like sisters now. Runula and all my pets are getting a lot of help from her."
The whale nodded, intrigued. It had all happened so fast. Maybe, after seeing what the whale could recently do, the Primordial Dragon had decided to fully invest in Ruri. Any doubt about the whale’s ability to change things vanished.
"Sister Yinou said this law is close to space laws, but it’s different. Its ability would be to break space-time and, subtly, reality itself. However, its power is limited because it’s a flawed and incomplete law."
Reflecting for a moment, the whale asked, "What limits it? Lack of raw power?"
"In a way, yes," Ruri replied. "That’s one of the main flaws. The other is that, even with enough energy to break space-time, a counterforce would destroy the runes before the power could be used. It’s like a blade that, when gathering power, shatters before hitting the target."
Bruno was thoughtful. Meanwhile, Alm, remembering something, opened the inventory. Suddenly, a statue a few meters tall appeared, made of an unknown material, incredibly tough and heavy. It was the statue where the God of Wealth’s power was concentrated.
"The Forge God made this. I don’t know the material, and it’s likely he refined several metals to create it," commented the whale.
The whale’s remark made Ruri’s eyes light up. Her body was covered in scales, but they weren’t black or multicolored. The draconic power fused with Ruri’s energy; now it was a perfect part of her. The new scales had a soft violet hue, like flower petals.
Ruri approached and touched the statue. After a few seconds, she said, "Yinou confirmed. This is an ancient ore, not a mix. It’s so rare it doesn’t even have an official name. It only existed on the first planets of the universe, and it’s almost impossible to find now."
"But it doesn’t have real power to be so desired. It’s just extremely resistant to energies and laws..." Ruri said slowly, until a sudden message passed through her mind. She turned to the whale and smiled, "Yinou said this would be perfect... the counter energy would be nullified if the hammer were made from this ore."
The whale nodded, satisfied. The hammer was crafted with a runic enchantment seal, adding the Law of Prana. With evolved chaotic refinement, it was now possible to incorporate new elements without losing the original enchantment.
"Hmm... raw power won’t be a problem. Look," said the whale. Then he revealed something that completely altered the laws of the place. They revealed a rune that pulsed with two poles but formed one: the Duality of Shadows law.
Ruri felt the fluctuations of this law flow within her. A little while later, she confirmed: "She said this shouldn’t exist, but it definitely has enough power to destroy anything."
’Great,’ Bruno thought, excited. ’Power and durability are covered. Now let’s add the bonuses...’
Alm replied coolly: ’We’ll use the Diffuser runic seal, which affects the Qi around and disperses it. The other will be the Sharpening seal; together, they’ll be more efficient.’
’Two attack seals? We won’t be able to use the hammer as a weapon. An immortal spirit would never withstand our law; only we, with our souls and tattoos, can,’ Bruno argued.
Alm agreed: ’True. But with those two seals, plus the power to break reality, we’ll have a perfect combo. If my theory is correct, we’ll be able to destroy barriers or formations... nothing will stand before this hammer.’
Bruno jumped with excitement. If they used their power to manipulate the hammer, a single strike with the two runic seals and the law at full force could shatter even the strongest barriers, like they were made of glass. In battle, it would be almost useless, but against formations and barriers, the destruction would be catastrophic.
The whale turned to Ruri: "In a week, the black sealed worlds will open. We’ll be able to truly cultivate again with their resources. Gather your soldiers and get them ready." Bruno said lightly, then noticed Ruri’s aura falter.
"You and everyone else will go. Inside, only the young ones from across the universe will compete. I won’t need to participate directly; you already have the master heroic key. It’ll be easy to reach the core and grab all the resources. I’m counting on you, only you can do this for all of us."
Ruri looked at the whale and felt his confidence in her. She nodded energetically: "Count on me, I’ll be perfect."
She left, and Bruno sighed, having practically signed them up to reward her greatly later.
Before, Alm and Bruno didn’t allow Ruri and her group to go alone to the sealed worlds, nor leave the sect. It was all because of the incidents with the four great ancestral nations. They all had their faces marked by the heroes’ companions, making it dangerous to act on their own.
But now, there was only one companion of the heroes who could know them: that young Leviathan. All the others had been killed in recent events, which temporarily made things easier for them.
At the whale’s group’s current level, they were like emperors among the young heroic disciples. There was no more competition between them, and, on top of that, they all now had a well-trained army.
As for the Empyreans above the Ancestral, they would hardly compete for the resources of the black sealed worlds. That was because they simply didn’t exist. According to the information Nebai gathered, the amount of karmic blessing gained in these worlds had a limit. It would only evolve an Empyrean up to the Ancestral level.
With so many openings already, a lot of blood had been spilled and many lives lost. By now, practically all sects had reached that level. So, they’d leave the weaker ones to benefit while they waited for the next event similar to the Convention to advance. This had become a certainty, because otherwise no one would ever advance.
It would be more productive if Ruri and the others worked in the sealed worlds, while the whale and Almin focused on other tasks.
As soon as Ruri left, the whale worked hard for a week.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
On the day everyone was set to leave, marking the Yinblood sect’s return to the black sealed worlds, was when they finished the new hammer.
The whale lifted the gigantic hammer. It had metallic parts, but others that seemed like living tissue. The fusion of Yin and Yang with the law of Prana made the hammer pulse in strange colors that constantly shifted.
Bruno struggled to come up with a fitting name. Impatient, Alm interrupted: ’It’ll be called Eraser. Simple and straight; don’t waste my time.’
’Why not Reality Eraser or Cosmic Eraser? No! Apocalypse Eraser!’
Bruno tried to make the name flashier, but Alm completely ignored his suggestions and stored the hammer in the inventory. He moved, controlling the whale, leaving the forge to meet up with the allies waiting for them.
When they arrived, they saw a sea of disciples in the sect’s central courtyard. All the recruited soldiers were there, along with the youths from the four space-time beasts and a few Elunium Golems. They all turned to the whale with bright eyes.
High up, they spotted the small Fey sitting on a rock. There was a noticeable bulge in her belly, and a lively, cheerful aura radiated from Mistie.
Upon realizing he had arrived, Mistie smiled and gave a few instructions about their destination. They were headed to a world that combined the laws of wind and electricity. Though the world seemed simple, the black sealed worlds were connected across all galaxies.
Even though it was physically located in the Demon Eye galaxy, any sect in the universe could access it; all they had to do was reach the center of their galaxy and follow the spatial trail.
This happened because the sealed worlds were actually part of a grand formation. All the red, gray, and black ones were connected to the center of the galaxy, and all the galaxies were connected together. The queen was a megalomaniac to create something so huge. But the goal was just as big: to generate laws capable of helping dominate the items of Primordial Chaos.
The whale gave a slight nod to everyone, and that was enough to motivate them. Then, the High Elders led them to the entrance.
After they set off, the whale turned toward the Twelve Peaks Forest. Almin and Lyra were still hidden there.
Upon entering, in the area closest to the exit, they found a small town. Since the entrance didn’t pose much danger to the disciples, the beasts had chosen to build their homes there so as not to interfere with people’s adventures.
The small town was rustic, but when the whale stepped foot there, someone shouted; it was a high-pitched, childlike voice. Alm and Bruno were surprised, and within ten seconds, a swarm of small beasts appeared.
They had all been born very recently, probably not even a year old. There were almost half a million of them. Their bodies were infantile, and because they were beasts in an environment full of natural resources, all of them, as soon as they were born, had been nurtured to grow quickly.
Even though they were young, there was no trace of innocence in their eyes. After all, they were the reincarnations of those who had been used as slaves in that dream world. Their memories had been extracted, which is why they grew so quickly; there was no need for them to live as children and grow up slowly.
Suddenly, they all knelt down, recognizing the whale. Alm and Bruno snorted dryly, but soon a concerned figure appeared amid the commotion. It was Lyra, who looked at the young ones, and then at the whale.
Understanding the reason for the stir, she gave a small wave and smiled. "Almin’s been waiting for you, sir. He made incredible pills again!" Lyra exclaimed excitedly.
Right after she spoke, due to her slight excitement, an aura of flames flowed from her. The next second, she realized in shock that it had slipped from her control.
Alm and Bruno mentally sighed; Lyra was just a mortal from the planet Pristine. Her talent was nothing more than that of an average mortal. Even though she had once been considered good at alchemy, that was on that ascending planet; in the divine world, she was less than mediocre.
All this time had passed, and she still couldn’t even control her bloodline. Alm and Bruno began to wonder about Almin’s future. Lyra seemed to be a big problem; at this rate, she’d never be able to leave that place.
Since her cultivation and alchemy talent weren’t much, in the end, Almin would have to carry her as a burden. Her brother would never abandon her, and everything would get more complicated for him.
The whale remained impassive, without any reaction, as usual. Until Alm and Bruno noticed something strange. Lyra looked into their eyes, and suddenly she trembled, her eyes becoming moist.
"Sorry, sir... I’ll try not to be a burden. Almin tried to teach me alchemy, but I can’t even understand what he’s saying. I’m useless... but, if I still can’t get it after a long time, I swear... just give me some time."
On the outside, the whale remained indifferent. Even the thousands of beasts watching the scene looked confused. Why did she suddenly start crying? The whale didn’t seem to care about anything, and nothing seemed to be a problem for him.
However, inside, Alm and Bruno were in complete shock. Only one person could fully understand what they thought and felt: Ruri. But she had grown up alongside them and gradually learned to pick up on it. Lyra, on the other hand, barely knew them.
’Is this... a legendary empathic soul?’ Bruno muttered, in disbelief.
Alm sighed. ’It’s a natural talent... useless for cultivation and battle... but a talent, nonetheless...’
Among mortals, some were born different from the rest. It was extremely rare, but sometimes, a few were very intelligent, or exceptionally talented in specific areas. There were also those with the ability to perfectly sense everything another person thought and felt—just with a look.
People like that lived painfully. Feeling what others felt meant experiencing their malice and everything else. Usually, this kind of talent led to an early death, or the person choosing to live isolated from the world, far from everyone.
For some unknown reason, they had witnessed an empathic soul before. In their journey as a villain, they once encountered a woman by chance; they were gravely wounded, near death, and she helped them without knowing who they were.
Even though she sensed his malice, she also felt his pain. But instead of pulling away, she tried to change the villain’s bloodthirsty ways. The result is easy to guess. After recovering, she, her entire planet, and eventually the whole solar system and galaxy were refined.
’With everything we’ve seen the Heaven’s Will manipulate up until now... would it bring that woman back again?... Yes, it would,’ Bruno muttered, then answered his own question.
Alm sighed; it was better to pretend they hadn’t noticed and never investigate if it was truly the same person. Then, the whale turned to Lyra.
"You’re not useless. You just have a different kind of talent; nothing is truly useless if used the right way. The only thing that makes you useless to me is a lack of willpower. All of my allies cultivate their Dao Heart first, everything else comes after. If you don’t have the courage to fight and face any obstacle, then you really will be a burden."
The whale spoke calmly, and Lyra swallowed hard. Bruno looked at her deeply; with a glance, she already knew exactly what he felt and that he wasn’t lying.
"Just trust me, stay loyal, give it your all; and most importantly, take care of my brother. In time, you’ll find your path. That’s what cultivators call the Dao." The whale said softly, noticing her eyes trembling.
"Don’t place your happiness on someone else or external things; doing that will only lead to your destruction. Create your own Dao and follow it. I, Almin, and everyone else are here to support you."
Lyra listened and nodded, breaking down in tears. The whale looked toward a distant point, and their eyes met with Almin’s. He had been there the whole time but didn’t want to interfere because he didn’t know what to say to motivate her.
"I’ll take care of him and do my best..." she muttered, and Almin slowly approached, supporting her.
’So much work. But... I feel good helping her. Damn, maybe it’s because of the past,’
Bruno muttered, while Alm remained silent. He felt the same, which only confirmed that Lyra and they had a deep connection from the past. But they chose to ignore it, and Alm just cursed.
"Heaven’s Will, manipulative son of a..."