Eden, Ori, and King terdiam.
Untuk satu detik yang singkat, segala hal tertegun di dalam Medan Perang Dewa yang Gugur. Hanya ada keheningan yang memekakkan telinga di dalam pikiran, jiwa, dan hati Wei Wuyin. Untuk pertama kalinya sejak awal kemunculan mereka, Wei Wuyin dan Kratos sendirian. Keakraban dan ikatan yang tak terlukiskan terjalin, hampir menyerupai hubungan kembar terikat-jiwa; keduanya beresonansi satu sama lain sepenuhnya tanpa sedikit pun pemisahan antara id, ego, dan pikiran. Itu adalah resonansi yang tak dapat dijelaskan.
Sejak Wei Wuyin memulai jalur kultivasinya dengan keempat Roh Kultivasi miliknya, ia selalu menjelajahi kekuatan mereka selangkah demi selangkah melalui eksperimen dan proses teori serta hasil yang dikurasi secara saksama. Melalui metode inilah ia menemukan kemampuan Eden untuk mengubah ingatan dan kemampuan Kratos untuk memanggil Portal Void. Itu adalah jalur yang berat dan penuh risiko, namun setiap kali ia melangkah maju dengan gagah berani dan kesuksesan yang mengejutkan.
Para Roh itu sendiri serupa, sama tidak tahunya dengan Wei Wuyin, dan perlahan namun pasti mendalami kekuatan dari kekuatan besar mereka. Dalam hal itu, mereka sama persis seperti para kultivator, hanya saja tingkat keakraban dan kemudahan penggunaan kekuatan mereka jauh lebih tinggi. Ada kalanya Eden, Kratos, Ori, dan King sama sekali tidak menyadari apa yang bisa dan tidak bisa mereka lakukan, sehingga tidak punya pilihan selain membiarkan Wei Wuyin bereksperimen.
Sebagaimana Wei Wuyin membutuhkan mereka, mereka pun membutuhkan dia.
Sejak menjadi Pewaris Dosa, Wei Wuyin sering berkomentar bahwa keempat Rohnya—yang memiliki kesadaran dan akal budi setara dengan spesies cerdas mana pun—sedang menempuh jalur kultivasi mereka sendiri, terutama ketika mereka memegang kendali atas kesengsaraan, kemajuan, dan evolusi mereka, serta merencanakan setiap langkah menantang surga dengan mantap. Dan, seperti halnya para kultivator, ada kalanya mereka terlalu percaya diri atau meremehkan kemampuan diri sendiri, sehingga Wei Wuyin harus lolos dari situasi genting dengan tipu muslihat dan caranya sendiri.
Ini adalah keuntungan paling nyata bagi Wei Wuyin, tetapi apa yang tidak pernah bisa ditebak oleh orang lain adalah bahwa hal itu juga merupakan kelemahan terbesar dirinya dan para Rohnya. Biasanya, para kultivator memiliki pemahaman intuitif tentang apa yang bisa atau tidak bisa dilakukan oleh Roh Kultivasi mereka, termasuk jati diri mereka, dan mereka dapat mendalaminya serta menjelajahinya sedikit demi sedikit untuk menggali rahasianya. Hingga baru-baru ini, baik Wei Wuyin maupun Eden menyebut kekuatan masing-masing sebagai Energi Eden, bukan Energi Akasha. Itu adalah ketidaktahuan yang biasanya tidak akan ada pada Roh Kultivasi dan Kultivator mereka masing-masing.
Lama sekali, sangat lama yang lalu, Wei Wuyin pernah merasakan perasaan luar biasa itu. Namun hanya sekali. Selama evolusi mencapai Fase Asal Zenith, ia merasa seolah-olah setiap Rohnya adalah sebuah Dao. Meskipun sebagian besar itu adalah keadaan naif akibat ketidaktahuannya, kedalaman kekuatan mereka saat itu benar-benar terasa seluas dan sekompleks Dao itu sendiri.
Ketika itu, King dengan tegas menendangnya keluar.
Pemisahan id, ego, dan pikiran ini ditimbulkan oleh ketidakcocokan terbesar mereka meskipun hal itu merupakan kontributor terbesar bagi kesuksesan Wei Wuyin saat ini. Setelah momen pencerahan dan resonansi tersebut, Wei Wuyin tidak pernah merasakan perasaan itu lagi, meskipun ia telah memperoleh kemampuan untuk mengirimkan Mantra Mental ke dalam Inti Astral mereka.
Tingkat pemisahan itulah yang tak terlihat dan tak berwujud seperti pikiran itu sendiri. Cacat terbesar Wei Wuyin dalam kultivasinya, tak terlihat namun seberat dunia itu sendiri.
Namun, pada saat ini, pada detik dan momen pikiran yang sunyi serta tenang ini, Wei Wuyin merasa seolah-olah tingkat pemisahan itu telah dirobohkan—secara paksa!
Wei Wuyin dapat merasakan setiap emosi Kratos. Setiapembusan rasa frustrasi, ledakan amarah yang tertahan karena terus-menerus disisihkan, kejengkelan batin karena menjadi Roh termuda dan terlemah di keluarganya yang direduksi hanya menjadi alat transportasi dan persembunyian glorifikasi dalam pertempuran, serta ketidakmampuannya untuk merebut kemenangan atas lawan sejati mana pun.
Wei Wuyin dapat merasakan inti sejati dari seekor Naga Sejati, rasa bangga tanpa akhir yang agung, serta tekad pantang menyerah yang bermanifestasi sebagai semangat bebas untuk penaklukan, supremasi, dan pertempuran. Baru sekarang Wei Wuyin menyadari bahwa faktor besar dalam pengembangan Benih Hukum Imperial miliknya sebenarnya sebagian besar berkat Kratos, bukan King.
Ini bukan pertama kalinya Kratos merasa tidak digunakan secara maksimal dan tidak memadai. Ada masa di masa lalu ketika Eden, Ori, dan King mengambil posisi belakang agar Kratos dapat membuktikan diri di dalam Starfield Everlore saat itu. Saat itu, Wei Wuyin lebih suka menggunakan Ori dan King untuk pertempuran, condong ke arah Ori karena fleksibilitasnya. Hal ini semakin diperkuat oleh fakta bahwa Kratos telah mencapai puncak Dao Fana lebih dulu daripada yang lain dalam hal Tanda Mitosnya. Hal itu dapat dianggap sebagai aset dan kemampuan terkuat Wei Wuyin pada waktu itu, namun ia selalu dikesampingkan.
Berapa kali Wei Wuyin menggunakan Api Void? Berapa kali ia mengandalkan Naga Elemen itu?!
Sekarang, Wei Wuyin dapat merasakan semua emosi mengamuknya selama masa itu yang dilipatgandakan seribu kali lipat.
'Aku telah mengabaikanmu…' Wei Wuyin merasakan tusukan rasa sakit di jiwanya yang begitu mengerikan hingga tak terlukiskan. Ori, Eden, dan King tidak pernah merasakan pengabaian apa pun karena kontribusi konstan mereka, terutama King, yang menajamkan ketajamannya dan meningkatkan intensitas Niatnya sebagian besar dengan sangat selektif dalam penggunaannya. Ketika pedang itu dicabut dari sarungnya, dunia akan dibawa menuju kemusnahan oleh ketajamannya!
Ori dan Eden berada dalam penggunaan yang konstan, terutama dalam hal Racikan Alkimia. Terutama selama tujuh tahun belas kultivasi terpencil di Minor Elysium.
Namun, dalam napas yang sama, Kratos dapat merasakan secara lebih intim pikiran, niat, and pola pikir Wei Wuyin pada setiap saat ia merasa tidak digunakan secara maksimal dan dilupakan. Semua pertimbangan Wei Wuyin, upaya hati-hati dan sadar untuk menonjolkan kekuatan masing-masing, serta usahanya yang terbaik untuk memastikan tidak ada dari mereka yang pernah merasa dilupakan atau diabaikan, terutama setelah insiden marahnya sebelumnya…
Untuk pertama kalinya, Kratos melihat sudut pandang Wei Wuyin.
'Aku mengerti sekarang…' Kratos merasakan tusukan rasa sakit di jiwanya yang sama mengerikannya. Ia telah bersikap egois, memelihara dendam yang tidak adil dan berat sebelah.
Keduanya merasa lebih dekat dari sebelumnya.
'Jadi begitulah rasanya?' Wei Wuyin dan Kratos sama-sama merasakan, untuk pertama kalinya, arti memiliki Roh Fase Asal Zenith, tingkat keterhubungan antara dua entitas—Roh Kultivasi dan Kultivator—pada tahap keintiman dan kedekatan yang sama sekali berbeda dan jauh lebih tinggi.
Tiba-tiba, semuanya menjadi jelas. Lautan Kesadaran Wei Wuyin terhubung secara intim dengan dunia batin Inti Mistis Void Naga, dan selanjutnya terhubung ke Tanda Mitos Mistis dengan cara yang menakjubkan dan ajaib. Proses yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya, bagaikan pencerahan yang penuh berkah!
Untuk pertama kalinya, Inti Mistis Void Naga, Tanda Mitos Mistis, dan Garis Darah Naga Void Sejati Wei Wuyin beresonansi bersamaan, melepaskan raungan tunggal yang lemah dan hampir tak terdengar.
DUAR!!!
Aura Sage Pakhet yang melonjak tak terbendung, dan hal yang sama berlaku untuk serangannya! Meskipun ia mengambil waktu sejenak untuk melepaskan energi yang terkumpul dalam raungan kegembiraan dan sensasi yang fantastis, serangannya terjadi dalam sepersekian milidetik!
Seluruh Medan Perang Dewa yang Gugur adalah pemandangan apokaliptik berupa celah-celah dengan limpahan cahaya surgawi keemasan yang perlahan-lahan mengubah udara menjadi logam, dan semua energinya dengan cepat dikonversi. Sebelumnya, Sage Pakhet telah membanting Alam Surgawi Hukum Logam ke arah Void itu sendiri dan tiga dimensi ruang dengan kekuatan sembrono, menyerbu seluruh alam dengan kehadirannya, dan memaksa Wei Wuyin keluar dari Void.
Itu adalah taktik instingtif dari pihaknya, namun terbukti sangat efektif, sekaligus menguras sejumlah besar kekuatannya. Tetapi tindakan itu secara tidak langsung telah mengubah Medan Perang Dewa yang Gugur menjadi Domain Radiasi, Energi, Aura, dan Kekuatan Logam Surgawi saat celah-celah tersebut memuntahkan cahaya metalik keemasan.
Tanpa sengaja ia telah menyiapkan panggung untuk dirinya sendiri, mengeksekusi kemampuan yang belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya murni dari insting saja! Domain Surgawi! Meskipun belum lengkap, meskipun dikerahkan secara serampangan, kekuatan dan aura surgawinya terus meningkat sementara semua Hukum lainnya ditekan! Jika para Sage Tertinggi dari dunia luar mengetahui hal ini, mereka akan sangat terguncang oleh bakat mentah Sage Pakhet!
Namun mengingat ia adalah seorang Sage yang memahami Otoritas Mayor dari sebuah Hukum, ia sangat, tidak, berbakat secara mengerikan dalam manipulasi dan pengembangan Hukum! Seorang jenius sejati!
Pada titik ini, bagaimanapun, seluruh tubuhnya hampir terbuat dari emas padat dengan sedikit sekali perbedaan bentuk. Sulit untuk menguraikan fitur wajahnya, dan selain mengetahui bahwa ia cantik, ia lebih menyerupai patung emas yang dibentuk menyerupai dewa daripada manusia. Bahkan kepalanya sesekali sedikit menyerupai singa betina!
Wei Wuyin merasakan tekanan dahsyat yang mengalir deras di tubuhnya.
Matanya yang bercorak naga dan berdaya selestial bergeser ke arah sosoknya yang mendekat dengan cepat. Untuk pertama kalinya, ia melihat gerakannya. Berdiri dengan mantap, ia menghadapi Sage Pakhet dan menyambut tendangannya yang mengarah ke kepalanya dengan kedua lengan bersilang. Otot-ototnya menonjol bersiap.
Sage Pakhet tidak menahan diri sedikit pun. Ia melayangkan tendangan dengan kekuatan terkuatnya! Itu akan cukup untuk melenyapkan starfield secara instan!
BAM!!
Seluruh tubuh Wei Wuyin dihantam oleh kaki emasnya, dan gelombang cahaya keemasan menyapu dirinya saat setiap sisik di tubuhnya hancur berkeping-keping, kulitnya robek di setiap area yang bisa dibayangkan, dan jubah bagian atasnya robek berkeping-keping hingga tidak lebih dari sekadar kain pelapis compang-camping. Seluruh tubuhnya dirusak dan terluka parah.
Namun, ia tidak mundur satu langkah pun!
Satu. Langkah. Pun. Tidak!
Eden, Ori, and King went silent.
For a single moment of time, all things fell silent within the Battlefield of the Fallen Divine. Only a deafening silence within Wei Wuyin's mind, soul, and heart. For the first time since their inception, Wei Wuyin and Kratos were alone. An indescribable familiarity and bond was established, almost like the connection with soul-connected twins; the two resonated with each other wholeheartedly without the slightest separation of id, ego, and thought. It was an inexplicable resonance.
Since Wei Wuyin began his cultivation path with his four Spirits of Cultivation, he has always been exploring their powers step by step through experimentation and a carefully curated process of theory and results. He discovered Eden's ability to alter memories and Kratos' ability to conjure Void Portals through this method. It was an arduous, risky path, yet he strode toward bravely each time with startling success.
The Spirits themselves were similar, as ignorant as Wei Wuyin, and slowly yet surely delving into the powers of their immense powers. They were no different than cultivators in that respect, only their familiarity and ease of usage with their powers were considerably higher. There were times when Eden, Kratos, Ori, and King were entirely unaware of what they could and couldn't do, left with no choice but to allow Wei Wuyin to experiment.
As much as Wei Wuyin needed them, they, too, needed him.
Since becoming an Inheritor of Sin, Wei Wuyin often remarked that his four Spirits, who were as sentient and sapient as any living, intelligent species, were traversing their own cultivation paths, especially when they took the reins of their tribulations, advancements, and evolutions, steadily planning for each heaven-defying step. And, just like cultivators, there were times they overestimated or underestimated themselves, and Wei Wuyin had to narrowly escape the predicament with his own cunning and means.
This was Wei Wuyin's most obvious benefit, but what others could never guess was that it was his and his Spirits' greatest weakness. Normally, cultivators had an intuitive sense of what their Spirits of Cultivation could or could not do, including what they were, and they could delve into it and explore it little by little, excavating its secrets. Until recently, Wei Wuyin and Eden had both referred to its respective powers as Eden Energy, not Akashic Energy. That was ignorance that would normally not exist for Spirits of Cultivation and their respective Cultivators.
Long, long ago, Wei Wuyin had once experienced that wondrous feeling. But only once. During the evolution of reaching the Zenith Origin State, he felt as if each of his Spirits were a Dao. While that was largely a state of naivety due to his ignorance, the depths of their powers at the time genuinely felt as expansive and complex as the Daos themselves.
Back then, King had decisively kicked him out.
This id, ego, and thought separation brought about by their greatest disconnect despite being the greatest contributor to Wei Wuyin's current success. After that moment of enlightenment and resonance, Wei Wuyin had never felt that feeling again, despite gaining the ability to send a Mental Incantation into their Astral Cores.
It was that degree of separation that was as invisible and intangible as thought itself. Wei Wuyin's greatest flaw in his cultivation, unseen yet heavy as the world itself.
However, at this very moment, at this single, silent, and still moment of time and thought, Wei Wuyin felt as if that degree of separation had been torn down—forcefully!
Wei Wuyin could feel every emotion of Kratos. Every single huff of frustration, pent-up bouts of anger at being repeatedly relegated, the internal vexation of being the youngest and weakest Spirit of his family, reduced to a glorified transportation and hiding device in battles, and unable to claim victory over any genuine opponents.
Wei Wuyin could feel the very heart of a True Dragon, the majestically endless sense of pride, and the unyielding will manifesting as an unfettered spirit for conquest, supremacy, and battle. Only now did Wei Wuyin realize a huge factor of his development of the Imperial Law Seed was largely due to Kratos, not King.
This wasn't the first time that Kratos had felt underused and inadequate. There was a time long ago when Eden, Ori, and King had taken a back seat so that Kratos could prove itself within the Everlore Starfield back then. At the time, Wei Wuyin preferred using Ori and King for battles, leaning toward Ori due to its versatility. This was reinforced by the fact that Kratos had reached the peak of the Mortal Dao before the others in terms of its Mark of Myth. It could be considered Wei Wuyin's strongest asset and ability at the time, yet it was always relegated.
How many times did Wei Wuyin use Void Flames? How many times did he rely on those Elemental Dragons?!
Now, Wei Wuyin could feel all of its raging emotions during that time amplified a thousand-fold.
'I've neglected you…' Wei Wuyin felt a pang of pain in his soul that was indescribably horrible. Ori, Eden, and King never felt any neglect due to their constant contributions, especially King, who sharpened its edge and elevated the intensity of its Intent largely by being very selective in its usage. When it was unsheathed, the world would be brought to annihilation by its edge!
Ori and Eden were in constant usage, especially in regard to Alchemical Concoctions. Especially during the seventeen years of secluded cultivation on the Minor Elysium.
However, in the same vein, Kratos could feel more intimately Wei Wuyin's thoughts, intentions, and mindset at each of the times it felt underused and forgotten. All of Wei Wuyin's considerations, careful and conscious attempts at highlighting each of their strengths, and trying his very best to ensure none of them ever felt forgotten or neglected, especially after his earlier incident of flaring up…
For the first time, Kratos saw Wei Wuyin's side of things.
'I understand now…' Kratos felt a pang of pain in its soul that was equally as horrible. It was being selfish, nursing an unfair and one-sided grudge.
The two felt closer than ever before.
'So this is how it feels?' Wei Wuyin and Kratos both felt, for the first time, what it meant to possess a Zenith Origin State Spirit, that degree of connectivity between two entities—Spirit of Cultivation and Cultivator—on an entirely different, vastly elevated stage of intimacy and closeness.
Suddenly, everything came into focus. Wei Wuyin's Sea of Consciousness was intimately connected to the inner world of his Draconic Void Mystic Core, and further linked to the Mark of Mystic Myth in a wondrous, magical manner. The process of unprecedented, like serendipitous enlightenment!
For the first time, the Draconic Void Mystic Core, Mark of Mystic Myth, and Wei Wuyin's True Void Dragon Bloodline resonated together, releasing a single, faint, almost inaudible roar.
BOOM!!!
Sage Pakhet's rising aura was unstoppable, and the same could be said for her assault! While she had taken a brief moment to unleash her built-up energy in a fantastic roar of excitement and thrill, her attack occurred within a fraction of a millisecond!
The entire Battlefield of Fallen Divine was an apocalyptic sight of fissures with leaking golden heavenly light that was slowly transforming the very air into metal, and all of its energies were being rapidly converted. Earlier, Sage Pakhet had crashed the Heavenly Realm of Metal Law against the very Void and three dimensions of space with reckless force, invading the entire realm with its presence, and forcefully pushing Wei Wuyin out of the Void.
It was an instinctive tactic on her behalf, but it had proved exceedingly effective, yet also exhausted a considerable amount of her power. But the action had indirectly transformed the Battlefield of Fallen Divine into a Domain of Heavenly Metal Radiance, Energy, Aura, and Power as the fissures bled golden metallic light.
She had inadvertently set the stage for herself, executing an unprecedented ability by pure instinct alone! A Heavenly Domain! While it was incomplete, while it was entirely haphazardly deployed, her strength and heavenly aura were on the constant rise while all other Laws were suppressed! If the Supreme Sages of the outside world knew of this, they would be deeply shaken by Sage Pakhet's raw talent!
But considering she was a Sage who comprehended a Major Authority of a Law, she was astonishingly, no, demonically talented in the manipulation and development of Laws! A true genius!
At this point, however, her entire body was almost made of solid gold with very little distinction. It was difficult to decipher her facial features, and besides knowing that she was beautiful, she resembled a golden statue shaped in the image of a divinity rather than a person. Even her head faintly resembled a lioness at times!
Wei Wuyin felt the raging, torrential pressure on his body.
His draconically-empowered celestial eyes shifted to her rapidly approaching form. For the first time, he saw her movements. Standing firm, he faced Sage Pakhet and met her kick aimed at his head with his two arms crossed. They bulged in preparation.
Sage Pakhet held nothing back. She kicked out with her strongest power! It would be enough to obliterate starfields instantly!
BAM!!
Wei Wuyin's entire body was impacted by her golden leg, and a flush of golden light washed over him as every scale on his body shattered, his skin split in every single conceivable area, and his upper robes were torn asunder into nothing more than rags. His entire body was ravaged and damaged.
However, he didn't move a single step back!
Not. Single. Step!
"I finally understand where your confidence comes from," Wei Wuyin softly muttered to himself as his entire draconic exoskeleton was blown off. On an instinctual level, Kratos felt that it could win. However, Wei Wuyin had tried engaging multiple times and even used a different tactic, but failed each time. At the time, he didn't see how Kratos could be confident, and their separation always prevented Wei Wuyin from understanding the nonsensical explanations that Kratos conjured up.
But now… he understood.
Kratos was a True Dragon, a primordial beast, and it functioned on instincts. This was why it could never give Wei Wuyin a clear explanation for any of its abilities. It was difficult to explain instincts. Incredibly difficult.
Now, Wei Wuyin's Mystic Core, Mark of Myth, and Bloodline had felt merged, and he could feel those instincts in his Sea of Consciousness. They weren't just Kratos' anymore but his!
"..." Sage Pakhet was shaken. Her kick contained almost limitless heavenly metal power, and she was being bolstered by her incomplete Heavenly Domain, feeling stronger than ever, yet Wei Wuyin had withstood her attack by guarding with just his physical body. While he was de-scaled, quite literally, the fact that his aura was as calm and healthy as before was a shocking fact.
Still, her brief disbelief only lasted for the briefest of moments before she spun beautifully, kicking at Wei Wuyin's bloodied, scaleless abdomen.
BOOM!!!
Like rolling thunder, Wei Wuyin was kicked yet again, and his body spewed out grayish draconic blood across the sky for dozens of miles while the ground beneath his feet had endless fractures across its golden surface.
But he remained standing! Unmoved!
Covered in blood, Wei Wuyin's trembling body moved slightly, and his head lifted to meet Sage Pakhet's pure golden gaze that was almost inhuman. The Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity were gone, only silvery True Dragon eyes remained.
Sage Pakhet felt her heart quiver inexplicably. With urgency, she raged! She struck, kicked, and clawed until the entire sky and ground, both tainted with a golden hue, were painted in dragon's blood! Each blow contained a portion of heaven's might!
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