"Why?" Shirley asked Lhasa.
"…"
Lhasa didn't say anything, her expression bleak. It was like she didn't even want to talk about it.
"Alright, don't force yourself."
After a few seconds, Shirley patted her shoulder. She could tell that she had been traumatized in the fragmented shadow world. First of all, light spirits and darkness spirits never really mixed, so she could understand why she would be scared.
Lhasa calmed a few seconds later.
She cast Shirley a worried glance before she shook her head, "You humans are powerful and deceptive, but from another perspective, I understand that it's ingenious. Perhaps it won't end in the same result as my father and mother did."
"…" Shirley pursed her lips, "You can be sure we won't fall prey to anyone. We have strong souls."
"Hopefully~"
Lhasa nodded and then led them to the fragmented shadow world.
They arrived an hour later and stood in front of the dark vortex.
Shirley and the others didn't feel any danger at all, but this was about darkness spirits. They knew they could be deceptive and that was why Lhasa said that they may be able to survive there.
In her opinion, humans were deceptive.
Shirley clenched her teeth, thinking those supreme geniuses were really stupid.
If they only knew how to create peace instead of throwing attacks at everything they couldn't talk with or betraying them after exchanging words, then Lhasa wouldn't have such an opinion of humans. However, she wasn't offended since she was also of the same opinion.
She thought about it while walking and considered that strength was the foremost requirement to create peace. Because she had overwhelmed the spirits and the supreme geniuses back in the Starry Empyreal Ruins, they didn't dare to attack and were willing to create peace with her.
Ultimately, she felt power was the most important thing in life to do anything, whether it be creating peace or forcing people to obey.
"Alright, see you later~"
Shirley waved her hand toward Lhasa, causing her to return to the gesture the same way.
The former giggled, thinking that their meeting was funny since Lhasa roared if she dared steal the light spirit essence, and she just did that, but they still went on to make acquaintances.
Shirley headed inside.
Isabella and Bylai were the last ones to enter.
As they did, they noticed someone hiding in the rocks quite a distance away. They smiled, knowing the little Grand Geocrest Metal Spirit still followed them.
She was like a little hunter of her own, slowly ripping apart their facades. Although she was clumsy, they knew she was cautious. A spirit like her wouldn't be able to survive without doubting anything, so they knew she would investigate them until she was satisfied.
They weren't offended.
Sometime later, the little Grand Geocrest Metal Spirit finally moved towards the entrance.
Lhasa was still here, waiting to see if they would come back from realizing the danger. She then noticed the little spirit coming towards her.
"You shouldn't go. The further you leave your fragmented homeworld, the more the chances that you will shatter and return to the embrace of death."
"I know…" The little Grand Geocrest Metal Spirit pouted, "They're… different. I can't help myself…"
"Humans…" Lhasa sighed, "I have heard stories that they come from another world, one that doesn't even belong to the myriad of worlds here. I didn't believe it… but to think it was true. Some of them are deceptive, like darkness spirits, and some of them are honest, like us, but their external appearance is the same. We can't differentiate. They come with smiles but stab in the back. They are heavy-handed but turn peaceful once they get what they want. It's frightening… so be careful…"
"…"
The little Grand Geocrest Metal Spirit nodded before entering the fragmented shadow world.
A while ago, Shirley and the others stepped into the fragmented shadow world.
The air was damp and heavy, thick with an unseen weight that clung to her skin. It was cold and made her shiver ever so lightly.
As they stepped into this world, their legs were covered in thick, crawling mist that blanketed the entirety of the ground and even the skies above. It was as though it was an ocean of churning grey clouds. The sun nor the other stars could be seen here, making the atmosphere look dark and dreary.
Shirley narrowed her eyes as she panned her gaze. Her crimson gaze lit up with an ocular art since she felt soul sense was suppressed in this space.
Bylai, beside her, had already released her metal energy in small pulses beneath the surface, setting up a web of resonance that could detect shifts in terrain and movement beneath the fog. Isabella, calm and silent, walked a few paces behind, her aura restrained but firm, warding off the suffocating presence of the fragmented shadow world around them.
"This place…"
Shirley opened her mouth, "I don't like the silence."
"Yes.. It's creepy~" Aila shivered, "Hopefully, no ghosts pop up~"
"…"
Instantly, everyone turned to look at her with wide eyes, wondering why she said it out loud. Now, they were also scared that something might jump out.
Darkness spirits? Who cared?
Ghosts?
It shook them to the core.
"Sowwy~" Aila lowered her head. She thought that they would laugh, but it seemed like she had increased the tension instead.
Abruptly, they shifted their gazes to the front.
"We're already being watched…" Isabella said softly.
Bylai frowned, "They're… probing us…? Doesn't feel harmful…"
"If that's the case, they're just curious spirits. Look, ever since we entered that darkness minor spirit acts dead."
Shirley pointed to a tree in the distance.
Its bark was black, and it looked dilapidated, but its aura was very much alive and thriving. However, what she pointed at wasn't a tree but a cicada insect that hid behind the protrusion of a bark, but that wasn't enough since it was still visible, so it acted dead.
It was nothing but a mere wisp, a non-sentient being that didn't have a mind of its own and was just a manifestation of a minor amount of energy or nature, running purely on instincts.
It was scared of them and didn't even want to move.
But the same couldn't be said about sentient spirits.
They hid in the surroundings, slowly sizing them up.
"Well, as long as there's no hostility, we'll continue forward for now."
Shirley waved her hand. She led them further into this fragmented shadow realm.
She allowed her flames to settle on her fingertips, letting only faint embers flicker along her fingers as it brightened the area around them. Her crimson eyes opened slightly, allowing her vision to pierce through the veil of fog. Faint silhouettes danced at the edge of her vision. They appeared like shadows with no definite form, shifting like illusions, but… undeniably they were spirits.
Then, without warning, a shimmer of pale violet light cut through the mist ahead.
A figure emerged- a darkness spirit. Unlike the others, this one dared to show up. Its appearance was like that of a human with dark skin but faint shimmering dark waves underneath while a pair of wavy antennae hung along its ears. It had glowing crescent eyes and a long, thin body wrapped in layers of flowing shadow. It was a male spirit.
"Strange beings…"
A ghastly voice emerged from his mouth, "There were a few of you who came before but escaped after seeing the Greater One. If you all don't want to die, I suggest you leave."
"Oh…?"
Shirley was pleasantly surprised.
She had expected this darkness spirit to be devious and invite them inside, but it told them to leave. She also recognized the race of the darkness spirit before her.
The Plummeting Midnight Sky Rover.
It was ranked fifteenth in the Emperor Grade Darkness Elemental Rankings. The Plummeting Midnight Sky Rover was said to be a lonely and solitary Darkness Elemental that prefers to freely roam the midnight sky and see new things. However, when dawn arrives, they become enraged and go on a killing spree to kill whatever is in their sight, even crash mountains and corrode rivers.
Its prowess is enough to reach rank eighth in terms of rankings when it becomes enraged or agitated. However, at usual times, its prowess is worse enough to be ranked at twenty-two.
Shirley had never seen such a powerful Plummeting Midnight Sky Rover. She guessed he was as powerful as the Lhasa was- and to think dawn hadn't even arrived in this world yet, he could be so powerful.
However, it was thanks to being there no light that she felt he could maintain his sanity and grow here without going berserk.
"Who's the Greater One?" She asked.
"…"
The Plummeting Midnight Sky Rover didn't say anything. He just descended into the fog and disappeared.
"…"
Shirley's lips parted, "So rude…"
She shook her head and continued onwards.
"Well, at least he didn't attack…" Aila giggled.
"Now I'm really looking forward to seeing this so-called Greater One." Bylai grinned, "I hope I can take the challenge if we're fighting."
She raised her fists, her palms clenching with battle intent.
"We'll see about that~" Isabella and Shirley laughed.
They eyed each other, not wanting to lose an opportunity to battle a big fish.