Calirer, Maelik, and Runula returned to Planet Gloom a few days later. They reported to Ruri and the others what they had witnessed, but they didn’t have much information about Almin and Lyra. Everyone was tense, but they eagerly awaited the return of the two.
Meanwhile, Alm and Bruno floated slowly through the void of space, trying to calm their minds.
After so much time meditating in the empty space after destroying that universe, both felt more at home amid solitude and emptiness. But this time, they weren’t alone — three felines that looked like Earth cats accompanied them.
In their desperate situation earlier, the inventory became another major issue for Alm and Bruno. They couldn’t just destroy their souls and return their consciousnesses to what was left in their bodies, like Ruri did. The only alternative was to rely on the celestial miracle to be reborn since they decided to take the inventory with them.
If they completely destroyed their souls without the miracle, the micro-universe and everything inside it would probably vanish. Deciding whether to take the inventory or not would be something to carefully consider in the future.
’Almin and Lyra aren’t suffering, Master. This little inner world must be something ancient and very old. It should contain countless herbs and inconceivable things. Those two are certainly more than happy to explore everything there for years.’ Liumi spoke gently, trying to comfort them. ’And it’s likely that if Master takes too long... a couple alone, with so much free time, will end up creating new members for the family.’
Alm and Bruno sighed; indeed, not only was it an untouched and ancient inner world, but they also seemed to have two of them. For this place to exist even after the cauldron was split in two, the two halves of the cauldron must have kept a part of this separation.
Over the millennia, the separated parts of the cauldron with different laws created distinct environments influenced by their laws. Almin and Lyra would have a chance to study unique and opposing natural aspects, plus plenty of time to improve their alchemy... or deepen their relationship.
’The problem is, we don’t know how much time we have or where they were taken. Maybe we can only locate the cauldron if we kill the Queen.’ Bruno commented lightly, making Liumi nervous. ’Well... lamenting doesn’t help. Maybe this will become an opportunity. Heaven’s Will might find some chance now that Almin is close to the enemy.’
Seeing the glowing eyes of the purple cat, Alm and Bruno sighed, setting aside their guilt. They needed to trust the people around them, and maybe something good would come out of this situation.
They reflected on what had happened calmly. Both were excited about the recent achievement of getting half the cauldron, believing they could easily recover the other half. But they ended up losing both and returning to square one defeated.
’Isla is with her... now our brother...’ Bruno murmured sadly.
After that, they tried to suppress their mental chaos, focusing on the next step.
They recalled when they asked Lyra for guidance on the calamity of Life or Death and sought counsel from the Fire Phoenix. The two phoenix sisters, along with the God of the Forge, had drawn this calamity onto the battlefield in the past, causing significant destruction.
According to Lyra, this calamity — the manifestation of the Reincarnation Mirror — switched between the sides of Life and Death every 400 days. Each aspect of it, one of the two Phoenixes could perceive easily. Though the heroes could also locate the calamity, it was only with the union of the two poles and the sacrifice of primordial beasts that they were able to manipulate it slightly at the time.
The Fire Phoenix also said that currently, the Life aspect was active, and she could feel it, though her current limited condition only allowed her to indicate an approximate direction.
She pointed toward a place that had ’only’ a hundred galaxies. The calamity could be anywhere, and it didn’t stay in one place for long. It was infeasible to search that way, so Alm and Bruno simply stored that information without giving it much thought.
’The heroes let slip that the Reincarnation Mirror was also close to being dominated. But that might still take thousands of years. After all, the cauldron was their priority, and they didn’t put as much effort into this other one.’ Alm commented coldly.
Bruno agreed, but he thought about the third sealed item in this universe, the Beast Lancer of the Void. It was the first calamity they encountered before coming into contact with the law that controlled it. Maybe Coltia could help with that, but they still had no idea how to locate it.
’The Ice Phoenix is still sealed. Now that we know we need to preserve more than just her soul; if we release her perfectly, we can find the exact place with her help,’ Bruno thought calmly.
’If the Queen already has things lined up to conquer this other item. Now that she has the complete cauldron, she’ll start moving with everything to capture it. Some trace of this movement might surface.’
Alm sighed. Liberating the Ice Phoenix should be the priority now. However, even with Nebai investigating with the help of the entire Larimar market of the universe, they didn’t know on which planet that primordial beast was sealed.
’Heaven’s Will should also move in that direction. We need to cultivate quickly for things to flow. That’s the only way.’ Bruno affirmed.
A few days later, they finally arrived back on Planet Gloom.
Upon noticing their return, Ruri rushed anxiously to meet them. After they returned to their bodies and opened their eyes, Ruri quickly hugged them tightly, sensing what they tried to conceal clearly.
After gently calming her down, they gathered all their allies and calmly recounted the events.
"Almin and Lyra..." Ruri murmured, but there were no tears or explosive emotion.
No one, hearing that, panicked or imagined the worst. Everyone trusted that the two would survive until they were rescued. To them, there was no doubt that Alm and Bruno would eventually save them. This minor setback was just a big opportunity forming in the grand game they had perfectly planned.
"They’re at the enemy’s house now. This will allow master to plan a more elaborate attack and find where they’re hiding." It was Maelik who spoke, completely confident in his words.
"..."
Alm and Bruno looked at him and the others, sighing. Everyone trusted them completely, without even seeing the huge mistake they had made. Still, no one underestimated the danger of the situation, and everyone was ready to give everything to help them; no matter what was coming.
The whale snorted, then Nebai shared the news: "Sir, the Larimar market, operating within the Heavenly Spirit God Sect, has contacted us. Lansha and the others said everyone is fine and that they’ve worked hard for when you decide to make your move."
They nodded, and then Nebai took out hundreds of space rings, commenting, "They also sent this. Looks like you asked them to get it."
Alm and Bruno examined the contents: scarlet crystals densely filled with Qi and traces of infernal laws. These were treasures from the sealed world, a mission they had entrusted to them.
The two were slightly surprised; that pair really worked well together. The amount was staggering, enough to fill hundreds of space rings. These were extremely valuable cultivation resources for them.
The whale turned to everyone and said, "Ruri, Corin, and Maelik, let’s cultivate to catch up with the others. As for the rest, get yourselves ready. Now we have infiltrators in the two largest sects of the enemy alliance. Soon, we’ll make some big moves."
Everyone nodded seriously and returned to fully focus on cultivation and training. Thea remained isolated, improving her new body. Once she was done, her power should multiply several times, reaching the level of the others.
The whale and the three cultivators sealed themselves underground. Without delay, Alm and Bruno began converting all the crystals into Qi. The four were at the elemental level of the Heavenly Saint Realm. All of them had surpassed this level, having spent several years on the main mission. Now, they were ready to advance.
In just a few seconds, sounds of breaking echoed among the three. As they advanced to the first level, the whale interrupted them. Using their celestial souls, they made a move that bent the laws before everyone.
They could feel the celestial laws more clearly this way. Then, without hesitation, they opened the gates of life and death, directly stealing several pure runes of laws.
These runes had no power in themselves but carried a subtle will of the celestial laws. Normally, cultivators found them rarely, in places with a high concentration of natural power, and they were considered enormous treasures. Absorbing these runes allowed a better understanding of the laws that govern the world.
At their cultivation level, maximizing knowledge of these laws was essential for exponential growth and a broader path for the future. Finding just one of these runes was already a heavenly gift for any cultivator.
The Dragons had helped the Yinblood Sect acquire exactly a dozen runes for each member. However, Alm and Bruno delivered hundreds, then thousands, of these runes. They could steal as many as they wanted, although there was a natural limit to growth.
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The three cultivators absorbed the runes without hesitation, advancing levels repeatedly. After each breakthrough, they stopped to absorb more runes until they reached the limit. When they reached the fourth level, the whale finally advanced to the first.
The amount of resources available was immense. At one point, Mistie brought everything from the sect’s treasure, doubling the resources available.
In one week, the three stood up, feeling the new power in their bodies. They had reached the ninth level of the Heavenly Saint Realm all at once.
"Fully adjust to this. After that, you’ll be ready to face the tribulation together." The whale said, signaling for them to leave.
He then focused on absorbing the rest. Fortunately, only a third of the resources had been consumed by that point. After a few more days, when the last drop of Qi was exhausted, the final sound of breakthrough echoed within the whale.
"Ninth level, great." Alm murmured dryly.
The two took a deep breath, awaiting the message for the next side quest. Their expectations were high, and they felt that Heaven’s Will was moving the pieces of the board in their direction.