The whale and Purimu slowly advanced toward the inner sealed world. Meanwhile, the Leviathan and Heze stayed in a distant region, with the demon beast ensuring it wouldn’t be detected. Its sharp senses allowed it to avoid being found easily.
The heroes could scour the world created by the Ziz’s laws in seconds, thanks to the almost exclusive dominance of his law and the help of the formation that kept it sealed. However, in the external sealed world, the situation was far more complex and dense.
The heroes would never be able to sense the entire region at once, and could only explore large areas at a time, much like how Alm and Bruno used their divine souls before.
This meant returning to the place was a huge risk, but necessary. They needed to enter, not just to find Lyra, since a message through the array would be enough for that, but to use the law that flowed in that environment.
Lyra had been placed in the array by Almin, as a squad leader. This gave her limited abilities in the array. She could benefit from the soldiers under her command and from the connection to her general, but sensing the center of the array, represented by the whale, would only be possible if he allowed it.
Alm and Bruno had already noticed the presence of several people in the array before, but they only focused on Yuan, a well-known squad leader, and his two generals. Ruri was his general; but since Lansha and Rivine were also generals, they could communicate and let Yuan sense them.
However, not everyone in the alliance was in the array; Purimu and her soldiers, for example, weren’t part of it.
According to her, there was a long process of testing to be approved and officially enter. Since the alliance was large and many talents emerged, the requirements had multiplied. If Purimu successfully completed the event and returned with her allies, her father had promised she would finally be accepted. That’s why she had been so anxious and defensive earlier.
Within a few hours, the whale and Purimu, surrounded by a dark aura, blended into the environment. The large hole created by Lansha had already disappeared, with the formation restoring everything perfectly. The two approached and entered through the conventional portal, using spatial laws.
Technically, upon entering, they should have been separated and appeared in random locations. However, when the formation tried to do that, the whale easily dissipated its influence, completely ignoring the rule.
The place was just as they had left it, and Alm and Bruno didn’t feel any imminent danger, indicating that no heroes were watching the location. After all, why would anyone be foolish enough to return? Once inside, leaving silently afterward would be impossible.
Only one day remained until the event’s end, and they would have to stay until the finish. Without wasting any time, the whale used the array to locate Lyra and her soldiers. With its will, everyone of lower rank in the array felt its presence.
"Come to me, immediately." The message was direct, allowing everyone to identify its location and come to meet it.
Inside the inventory, the Ziz indicated where the central region of the formation was, and they headed in that direction.
Purimu folded space, getting them to a place quickly where a deep river of blood raged, with a furious current. Its force was capable of devouring any form of life that tried to enter.
’Here it’s easy to feel my law, even if only in remnants,’ the Ziz’s voice echoed from the inventory.
As they waited, the whale reflected and asked the Ziz: "The Soul-Wind Gems that are born here, do they belong to your power?"
’Not directly,’ answered the Ziz. ’The formation that seals me was specially designed for me, and these gems appear as a defense mechanism. If I tried to influence anything, all the gems would be used to suppress me. Not even a thread of my will could manifest without being detected. For ordinary cultivators, these gems contain wind laws and a unique suppressive power, perfect for internal enhancements.’
The Ziz spoke calmly, but soon realized the whale’s expression turning deeply thoughtful, until a sinister smile formed on its face.
If the seal was designed specifically for the Ziz, what would happen if he left the inventory? The formation would immediately detect him, causing all the gems in the region to move together to suppress his presence.
A few minutes later, Lyra and a large group of soldiers arrived, already relatively close to the location. Upon seeing the whale, Lyra became visibly emotional, clenching her fists tightly.
"What’s wrong? Almin wouldn’t have been foolish enough to say I wouldn’t return, would he? I was just absent, working elsewhere," Bruno commented calmly.
Lyra nodded and approached, giving a faint smile. Without delay, they questioned her about the Phoenix and explained their plans in detail.
"Lady Phoenix mentioned that she’s already felt some of the energy from this place. She’s sure she can meet the expectations," Lyra said seriously.
"Great," said Bruno. "But the goal isn’t just to free that half of the cauldron from the seal. I want you to learn to use this law in tandem with the Phoenix. You must master it and keep it under control. No one can know afterward that it’s with you. Understood?"
Lyra swallowed hard. Using the Phoenix’s power for this didn’t entirely depend on her, but controlling it and keeping it hidden would require her active effort. The Phoenix couldn’t sustain its power for long periods, which meant Lyra would have to maintain control alone for quite a while.
"This is the center of the formation, you can easily feel the remnants of the law. It’s not the law itself, but you can understand its properties before the crucial moment. You have one day. After that, the Phoenix and you will have to work together," Bruno explained bluntly. The mission was extremely challenging, and there was no room for failure.
"I don’t want to force you into anything. If you don’t feel safe, when the Phoenix removes the seal and runs out of energy, I can keep it with me. However, in the future, I intend to get the other half. I trust you and want you to keep it, since a cauldron would be perfect for you and Almin to use."
Lyra took a deep breath, thinking nervously for a few seconds before looking the whale directly in the eyes. "Brother-in-law, I’ll do it. Don’t worry, I won’t be a burden to anyone."
"Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve heard you’re quite useful in other ways. No one thinks little of you. Actually, I’m surprised at how quickly you’ve developed," the whale said, nodding.
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Lyra smiled faintly. "Almin pushes himself too much and never stops working. As for you, brother-in-law, you gave me a great friend and trust in me. At first, it was hard... but even being so average, I had to keep trying and trying until I succeeded."
"No one is born knowing. I was below average in everything too," Bruno said lightly. "But you already have the courage to fail and try again, no matter how many times it takes. That already makes you superior to most geniuses in the world. I’ve lost count of how many talents, after their first big failure, gave up even on life itself."
After speaking, Alm and Bruno scoffed. To this day, they were still making mistakes and trying again; it never ended, and it never would. The courage to know you’ll make mistakes and still go ahead was something very important. Maybe these were the experiences that the heavenly laws wanted everyone to live through.
After the conversation, Lyra moved, gently floating above the river of blood with her eyes closed. She focused entirely on sensing the peculiar law that approached the essence of Yang.
More and more people arrived over time, until a dwarf appeared with his soldiers. He looked at the whale and froze, his expression anxious and fearful. At the same time, a playful laugh echoed.
"Being cowardly now? You always said you never believed in his stories and that even your father exaggerated too much," Purimu said with a sarcastic laugh, addressing Sihmo. "What’s wrong? Are you scared?"
Sihmo didn’t take a step, visibly on edge. He was the first son of Zaimo and Nebai and had undoubtedly grown up hearing many stories about that imposing figure. Alm and Bruno also watched him in silence, which only intensified his tension.
’It’s the same karmic connection we felt with Purimu at the start,’ Alm pondered. ’In her case, we thought it was because we created her race, but it seems it’s not so simple. These two must be people we know... the manipulator of Heaven’s Will must have acted again.’