"Hahahaha, excellent, excellent!" The Demoness’s voice echoed, while all the heroes showed great excitement at the discovery.
"The Reincarnation Mirror is close to being mastered. Now that the two parts of the cauldron have merged and are under control, they’ve returned to our hands! Hahahaha," another Demonic Hero commented.
For the heroes, it was a complete victory. There was no way the enemies could escape, and the stolen part of the cauldron was fully returned and under control.
"Since it was three simultaneous moves, there were at most three different Heaven-Defiers acting. One of them was that female, but she only came with her divine soul, which she burned. And to dominate the other part of the cauldron and unite them... who would’ve thought that this woman was another disguised Heaven-Defier?" The Demoness commented, excited. "Well, she really was determined."
Everyone agreed, as they had seen Lyra controlling the other part while the couple united the cauldron in front of them.
Without delay, the heroes eagerly advanced toward Almin and Lyra. At that moment, Alm and Bruno sighed; there was no time to think of alternatives. They could only act and hope a window of opportunity would appear. But...
’Brother, don’t do anything.’
Almin’s voice echoed in their minds, making them turn toward him seriously. The message was transmitted in the same way the Queen and they had communicated in the past, even when distant: through the celestial laws. This could only mean one thing...
’Can you control the power of this cauldron?’ Bruno quickly asked.
’Just a tiny fraction. Lyra is pushing herself to make it possible,’ Almin immediately responded. ’Don’t do anything. The only solution is to let the heroes capture us.’
’What the hell are you saying?! I won’t allow you to die without a fight!’ Alm responded angrily.
As the heroes closed in, Almin spoke firmly: ’I’m not going to die... not now. Inside this cauldron is a small internal world. I may not be able to use all its power yet, but I can seal the cauldron completely from the outside world.’
Alm and Bruno’s eyes widened, understanding his intentions. The cauldron was physically indestructible, formed by laws instead of physical matter. Not even the heroes or the Queen could easily open it. The Queen, in particular, would have to choose between focusing entirely on the cauldron or continuing to try to open the universe where the Behemoth was sealed.
Even though it made more sense for her to focus on the cauldron, both tasks would take time.
’You...’ Bruno murmured, unable to find words.
’Don’t worry. There’s a huge amount of Qi and laws inside. Lyra and I can survive there for a while and even cultivate, though more slowly,’ Almin responded calmly. ’This is the best choice. We fell into their trap, but now they’ll prioritize taking the cauldron intact and leave the others here free.’
Alm and Bruno recognized the logic and safety in the plan. It was a perfect solution, but... a sharp pain, like a spear piercing their hearts, consumed them.
The mistakes they had made led to the current desperate situation. Now, their brother and sister-in-law would have to face the consequences, and they didn’t even know how much time they would have or if they could save them in the future.
They clenched their fists tightly, but didn’t move or break the concealment. Their gazes followed the heroes advancing toward the couple. Then, both smiled faintly, avoiding looking directly toward Alm and Bruno, fearing to reveal their position and the presence of other allies.
The heroes used the power of the domain to suppress Almin and Lyra, preventing any action. However, the power of the cauldron was beyond their expectations and control. Suddenly, it pulsed with a unique aura, enveloping the couple.
The heroes’ eyes widened as Almin and Lyra disappeared, but they quickly realized, from the fluctuations, that they had entered the internal world of the cauldron.
"An internal world? How pathetic. Do they think they’ll hide there forever?" The Demoness mocked.
Even so, the heroes reacted quickly. The cauldron’s power seemed unpredictable, and any mistake would be fatal. In sync, they manipulated the heroic domain.
In moments, a dozen golden runes appeared, sucking all the golden energy from the area like a black hole and concentrating it in the runes. These, in turn, completely covered the cauldron.
With sighs of relief, the heroes moved closer. It didn’t take long for them to realize that the couple was completely out of their reach, protected inside the cauldron.
Still, they were satisfied with the result. They had recovered the two parts of the cauldron, now united and perfectly controlled. In addition, they had captured two Heaven-Defiers and severely weakened the other, who only had a soul.
"Everything’s been completed perfectly, and ahead of schedule. The Sacred Goddess will be very pleased. Let’s return quickly," the Demonic Hero Leader ordered, excited, and everyone agreed.
*BOOOM!*
The sealed world trembled, sinister sounds echoing throughout the space. The heroes looked up, seeing spatial fractures covering the horizon like spider webs. The world was collapsing after Ruri exhausted all her power using the formation.
They just snorted, indifferent. That was the cue to leave. All the gold had vanished, including the cage sealing the world in the universe. They had consumed everything in the previous movement.
Without hesitation, the heroes moved, taking the cauldron with them, disappearing like golden blurs to an unknown location.
"..."
Meanwhile, Alm and Bruno stood still, clenching their fists, their faces full of frustration and rage. After everything was over, an overwhelming feeling of defeat and failure consumed them.
Bruno was the first to sigh, snapping out of his stupor. There was no time to waste; the sealed world was collapsing, and the spatial laws were in complete turmoil.
The entire horizon was distorted and chaotic, terrifying even the High Elders at the peak of divine cultivation.
They tried to use the same method to leave that they had used to enter, but it was impossible. The distorted spatial laws were remnants of the immense power of the domain used by the heroes, which collided with Ruri’s full attack.
She had extracted all the power from the sealed worlds, and the level of destruction was comparable to the wars between immortals of the past. It was impossible for mortals to pierce the space.
If they had time to wait, the laws would stabilize; but that would only be after the collapse of the sealed world, and they would be doomed. Even the Dao of the Heavenly Elemental Spirits couldn’t be used in this situation.
Alm and Bruno snorted dryly and pulled out the Eraser. Then, they jumped and advanced toward the skies.
Everyone in that sealed world watched as a single figure rose courageously toward the chaotic laws. Everyone’s hearts thudded like frightened drums as they felt the dark aura surrounding him. It was dense and pure karma, making him seem worse than the worst of demons.
Alm and Bruno were furious, out of control, but aware that they needed to act, or everyone there would perish.
Upon reaching the peak, the power of the earth in their bodies exploded. They burned the laws they had created using the Behemoth’s bloodline, and by using the immortal-level law domain they had been studying, they pushed the power of the earth—known for its resistance and stability—to its limit.
Everyone watched, stunned, as brown earth runes covered the horizon. The chaotic space seemed to slow down, and the collapse of the sealed world was temporarily delayed.
*BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!*
Without hesitation, the hammer swung with full force. Alm and Bruno struck blow after blow, breaking the space-time fabric and reality itself. Holes began appearing in space, connecting directly to the Queen’s universe. They kept attacking, creating numerous holes to allow everyone’s escape.
No words were necessary. The High Elders didn’t even look back before jumping desperately toward the skies, escaping through the portals. Even the young ones who came for the entrance test, still divine cultivators capable of flight, followed their example and fled quickly.
The members of the Shadow God Sect and Heavenly Spirit God Sect also jumped hurriedly, crossing the portals that lasted less than thirty seconds before closing. Since the evacuation involved billions of people, Alm and Bruno could only keep opening new holes to speed up the process.
Vrix gave one last look at the imposing figure in the skies but soon followed his sect. Alm and Bruno had previously instructed him to leave things as they were. He didn’t care much for this sect; in fact, he had a deep hatred for it. He just wanted to know if his new father, mother, and his underworld clan were safe.
Lansha, Mihkriel, and all the allies who came for the entrance test also fled in silence, following the other young people and High Elders of the Heavenly Spirit God Sect. Lansha had guided them to keep going like this, believing they would be more useful infiltrating the sect as disciples.
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Calirer, Runula, and Maelik kept their demonic disguises using their powers, escaping the sealed world among the demons. They knew it could be dangerous if they were identified outside, so they planned to discreetly distance themselves and return to the Yinblood Sect.
In a few minutes, the sealed world was completely evacuated. Bruno used his celestial soul to confirm, sighing in relief when he realized there was no one left.
With that, the body of the young man they had created, sustained by the central earth rune, crumbled into dust.
With one last wave, they attacked with the Eraser again, opening a passage to a distant place. Then, they disappeared as just their celestial souls. Now, they would slowly return home, completely defeated.