Hello, dear readers! Here's your chapter! I took a few weeks break because IRL has been crazy for me for a while, which is why you got no chapters for two weeks. Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm planning to ease back into writing/youtube from this week, but I can't make any promise on the posting schedule.
The first case of my new detective story is available on youtube, along with the first chapter being available on patre0n if you're interested. it's a story following a detective and a new police officer who partner together to resolve crimes committed or linked to extraordinary beings. The setting is a 1920 style parallel world.
Do check the first case of 'Everlight City's Extraordinary Investigations' : https://youtu.be/BKCr9mg4OeQ
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Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
As soon as the words left Sera's lips, massive Qi fluctuations erupted from her body, shaking the surrounding Void.
In front of her body, an ethereal 'rope' made of mysterious Qi swiftly materialized before extending toward the Realm's barrier, after which it started slowly merging with it.
Interestingly, at the location where her Spell was operating, the energy emitted from the Void barrier was progressively altered to match her aura.
Of course, the changes were relatively slow, with each second passing only converting a few meters in radius, with the speed bound to slow down as the perimeter widened.
After observing the magical process attentively, Demian asked.
"So, you're merging your Mana into the barrier... Are you planning to do the same for the whole secret realm? With that speed, I don't think one or two years will be enough. Honestly, even a 100 years might not be enough to succeed."
Shaking her head slightly, Sera explained.
"Actually, the more of the realm's barrier my Qi merges with, the faster it will go. It's because I'm now facing the whole secret realm, so the more converted, the weaker the opposition. Also, don't forget that the longer I wait, the stronger I get, so that will also help speed up the whole process."
Her explanation made him realize how little he understood about high-level spells, though he could not really be blamed for his lack of knowledge, as his growth had been too quick to have a solid foundation.
However, Demian was not too worried, as he knew someone who could perfectly help him, Liya, and Bryn remedy that problem: Seraphine.
Feeling amazed, Liya commented.
"Refining an entire secret realm into a bead... Sweetie, you're really amazing."
Whether it was her previous life's identity when she had to bear the fate of her entire clan alone, or her current identity as the youngest daughter who, compared to her mother and her older sister, had always been somewhat 'average', Seraphine always enjoyed her loved one's praises.
After all, whether the lowest or the highest, when alone, loneliness could easily find its way to one's heart, and only genuine kindness and admiration could warm one's cold heart.
Thus, as her smile grew slightly wider, the dark elf explained.
"Thanks, Mom. But it's not as amazing as it seems. After all, with my cultivation, I can barely refine a Tier 3 secret realm since its Laws are incomplete. If you ask me to do the same with higher-tiered secret realms, I wouldn't even be able to merge the slightest bit of my Qi with the Void barrier. As for refining a Mortal World like Earth, even the average Immortals wouldn't be able to succeed."
Shaking her head slightly, Liya replied.
"Well, I'm not comparing the four of us to Immortals. Not yet, at least."
Pausing for a second, the redhead glanced at the other three before asking.
"Now that Sera is refining the realm bead, I think the four of us should separate into two groups."
Gesturing toward Demian and Brynhild, she said.
"One of you can stay with her for some time, while the other and I would go meet Sergei and Ling to inform them about what happened. That way, they'll be reassured. Also, while we're on the way, we can take care of the mission we were previously on and even get rid of those Void Seed evil cultivators who chased after us. If we find them, of course."
Both Demian and Bryn agreed with her suggestion, with the former suggesting.
"Bryn can go with you, Love. Her race has a great affinity for battle, which is bound to help her master her bloodline techniques better. Plus, with you there as support, whether for healing or as a spellcaster, the two of you should be safe enough. And in case of something going wrong, just use the upgraded Soul Bond to teleport to us directly."
As those words left his lips, an azure sofa materialized behind Sera and his own body, its surface shimmering with barely visible golden runes, whose depth, though far from Sera's previous spell, was nonetheless beyond what others at his level could fathom.
Sitting comfortably on the Water Elemental construct, Demian remarked with a light smile.
"As for me, I cultivate the Water Element, so where better than the Void Sea to master the Elemental Law?"
Seeing the paradoxical image of a handsome young man leisurely reclining on a comfortable sofa in the middle of Void Qi waves tumbling and crashing everywhere, their power enough to destroy mountains and seas, both Liya and Bryn had a strange expression which quickly turned into a few bouts of giggles.
Shaking her head slightly, Liya replied while wearing an amused grin.
"My man is really something else, huh?"
After sharing a few more words, both Liya and Bryn kissed him goodbye before departing to the Surface Layer, leaving Demian and Sera alone, seated on the sofa, with one focusing most of her attention on her spell while the other held her in his arms, commenting 'innocently'.
"I wonder how it\d feel if we did it in the Void Sea..."
On the mother and daughter's side, the two were quick to reach the Surface Layer, where they used their powerful senses to perceive the Qi flow surrounding them.
Just like water, Qi floated downward, from strong to weak, creating a phenomenon akin to a mountain stream turning into a river and ending up in the sea.
Although not overly precise due to its extreme complexity, with their current senses, it was enough to find their way to the nearest island and thus, once they identified the strongest Qi flow, the two flew at full speed toward that direction, with no regard for conserving energy.
After all, with the use of Deianm's perks, even by flying in the surface layer at full speed, the energy replenishment vastly outpaced the expenditure.
Only if they did the same in the second Void layer could they experience Qi depletion, though that would take multiple times as long as someone at the same level.
As for using one of the Flying Boats in their Void Rings, it would be a huge waste of time since the two's current speed was beyond that of those Tier 3 flying artifacts by an unknown amount.
A day passed by, with the Qi flow they had been following growing stronger and clearer, its source rapidly coming into view.
Indeed, tens of thousands of kilometers away, a massive Island appeared in their senses, with a few gigantic mountains and lush forests teeming with birds and other random animals.
From a brief sweep of their Soul Sense, the two women only found a few Tier 3 beasts and plants distributed here and there, each having their own territory.
As for the rest, most were at Tier 1, with relatively fewer at Tier 2.
Still, for their current strength, even that Peak Tier 3 Sliver-patterned Panther could only be considered a beautiful but weak cat, as simply leaking a hint of their aura would be enough to shock it to death.
However, they had neither the will nor the time to indulge in killing random beasts, so they simply teleported to that panther's side, scared it enough for it to divulge the location of the nearest human city before moving in that direction, leaving the panther shaken by the encounter.
After all, Tier 4 beings were relatively rare, and no matter how powerful the beast was, if the two women were displeased, he could have lost his life instantly.
Shaking his massive head filled with silky black fur, the panther mumbled.
"I may have been too stubborn for all those years, refusing to use a Beast Transformation Pill to turn into human form and integrate with the Federation. I was fortunate this time that these two weren't too bloodthirsty and didn't kill me, but I may not be as lucky next time."
Indeed, beasts and humans with ID Tokens were considered Federation citizens and benefited from a certain amount of protection.
However, those without were fair game and could be hunted without official repercussion.
In the panther's case, it had no ID Token, and though his identity as a Spirit Beast and his Peak Tier 3 strength had saved him from danger so far, luck could only take one so far.
As the saying goes, 'tempting fate too many times will inevitably result in death'.
Unbeknownst to Liya and Bryn, their interrogation granted the Federation a future Military Elite Peak King Beast, though it was doubtful that the two would have paid it any mind at all.
Although the Island they were on, 'Green Mountain Island', was much larger than the Origin Islands from where they came, spanning hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of kilometers in size, their current flying speed was beyond even the fastest mortal plane, a velocity that would have been impossible to attain if not for mastering a hint of Elemental Laws and wielding Void Qi.
Thus, it took only an hour for the two to arrive above a great city sprawling over a-few-hundred-kilometers-large plateau.
Its northern side flanked the giant mountain, while its eastern side brushed against a roaring great river, with waterfalls aplenty.
As for its southern and western sides, they both faced an endless green forest, with a paved road large enough to accommodate dozens of carriages starting from the southeastern gate and leading to the sea through the extensive forest.
Although invisible to most cultivators, Liya and Bryn could also sense a Peak Mid Tier 3 defensive formation protecting the entire city, though it seemed to be lying mostly dormant at the moment.
It was not surprising, as formations once completely activated were money pits, and most cities did not possess the financial means to activate them at all times.
Instead, most Governors only activated the city arrays to deal with lethal threats, while the rest of the time, it was only there to screen powerful cultivators, dangerous Demons, etc.
Gazing at the massive urban sprawls, Liya muttered wistfully.
"Even after having lived for more than a year in Bright Star City, I'm still not used to the size of everything here."
Letting out a few chuckles, Bryn cocked her brow and replied while glancing at her mother.
"It's all a matter of perspective, Mom. If I didn't decrease my own body size, I'd be a few hundred meters tall. Even you would be at least a hundred meters tall. Compared to that, a city spanning a few hundred kilometers isn't that impressive, is it?"
As one's cultivation level increased, so did their own 'normal' size, forcing them to master size-changing techniques if they wanted to mingle in normal settings.
It was especially the case for large-sized human races like Giants, and since Bryn's bloodline evolved further into the Immortal Titan race, her height was bound to increase exponentially, reaching heights akin to one's head beyond the heavens and one's feet planted on the Earth, with a body spanning the entire creation.
Strengths, defense, stamina, combat talent, etc...
Titans were an extremely powerful race, and Bryn's current state barely matched that of a Titan newborn with a deficient bloodline.
Shaking her head slightly, Liya responded.
"You're right, but still... Anyway, I'll contact Sergei and Ling through my Token."
Although the token network connected all islands in the archipelago together, they needed to be on an actual island to use it, as the area between each island was pretty much a signal void, making it impossible to reach anyone through their ID Token.
That was why they decided to find a random island like this Green Mountain Island before calling the Sergei couple.
As the words left her lips, a simple token appeared in Liya's right hand before she used a thought to activate the item, connecting with the Information Array below the city.
Apparently, they were lucky, as Ling's holographic face quickly appeared above the token with a concerned expression as she immediately asked.
"Are the four of you alright? You've been missing for almost half a year now, and we were starting to be worried."
Of course, from the bond, she and Sergei could assess that the four Mikhailovs were still alive, but with no news, their worries still grew.
Could they be stuck somewhere? Maybe having been taken prisoner? Were they waiting for her and Sergei to save them?
Honestly, the wait had started to weigh on her mind, though what comforted her somewhat was the growing efficacy of the bond, making it clear to the smart woman that Demian's cultivation had most likely experienced a massive increase, though she could have never guessed to what extent.
Skipping one entire rank in less than half a year was possible for the Body Strengthening and Qi Gathering Rank, but trying to do the same in the Foundation Building Rank was next to impossible, let alone the Core Formation.
After all, the bottleneck between Tier 3 and Tier 4 was not something one could surpass on a whim, instead needing decades for the most gifted who also possessed enough resources, and hundreds of years for those with less talent and resources.
As for those with neither of the two, the chance of breaking through was virtually zero.
Even if Ling tried her best to overestimate Demian and the girls, it was impossible for her to imagine them having reached the Void Seed Rank in so little time.
Truly, a case of limited experience bringing a limited perspective.
With a smile, Liya replied reassuringly.
"Don't worry, sister Ling. The four of us are fine. More than fine, actually. Although we've met a few unexpected challenges, everything ended well for us. Right, all of us broke through successfully, and Sera even found a cultivation treasure. She's currently refining it with Demian by her side to protect her until she's done. As for Bryn and me, we decided to find the closest Island to contact you and Sergei."
Nodding her head with a relieved expression, Ling commented.
"That's great! When you had Peak Tier 2 cultivation, you were already invincible against Tier 3 cultivators, so with Core Formation cultivation, as long as no Void Seed experts find you, you should be safe. Just tell me which Island you're on, and I'll come meet you with Sergei as soon as possible."
Hearing the woman's statement about them being Core Formation cultivators, a strange expression appeared on both Liya and Bryn's faces, though neither of them corrected her, opting to surprise Ling once she arrived.
After informing her that they were currently located in Green Mountain City, the Capital City of Green Mountain Island, Ling suggested for them to avoid contacting the Island's authorities, as no one knew if the Governor or anyone under him was a Frost Beast Palace informant, and wait for her in a random Inn.
After disconnecting the call, Liya let out a few giggles before commenting.
"I can't wait to see her face when she arrives and find out that our cultivation has reached the Void Seed Rank."
Shaking her head, a wry smile hanging on her lips, Bryn remarked.
"You're so childish, Mom."
Turning her head toward her daughter, Liya winked at her and replied in a mischievous tone.
"What can I say? I've been feeling younger and younger lately. I guess my inner child is coming out."
Whether it was the rapid increase in strength or the crushing power contained in her body, Liya was not sure, but she felt as if all the tension in her mind was rapidly vanishing, leaving her feeling incredibly carefree.
Fear brought confusion and a lack of self-confidence.
However, once one has gained enough inner and outer strength, self-trust, and all-encompassing trust, liberate themselves from inner and outer pollution, then the greatest freedom could be achieved.
Carefreeness, serenity, and peace.
That was what Liya was experiencing, shedding the rigid for the flexible, removing much of her heavy seriousness for a much lighter playfulness.
Hearing the joking words, Bryn chose to stay silent for a few moments before she asked calmly.
"Since we're here, do you want to check on that Governor and the people below him in case someone here is actually linked to that Wolven Pleasure organization?"
Although her tone did not fluctuate, Liya could sense the barely suppressed killing intent in her daughter's voice, prompting her to let out a sigh and ask rhetorically, all hints of playfulness vanishing from her face.
"Those people really got to you, huh?"
Before Bryn could say anything, Liya continued.
"In any case, it will take Ling a few days to arrive here, so we've got some time to kill. I guess we might as well do as you say."
With the two having agreed to act, their body immediately disappeared from their previous location before reappearing in front of the Governor Hall, the latter standing proudly in the middle of the city where hundreds of cultivators walked and flew around.
However, whether it was those people or the Formation, none could sense the two women's presence, instead passing around and even through them as if the two were some kind of ghost.
Observing the phenomenon, Liya mumbled.
"Using Void Qi to cloak our presence is honestly overpowered, but the effect does feel a bit strange."
With a serious expression, Bryn replied, ignoring her mother's mutters.
"Let's not waste too much time here. We'll both use our Soul Sense to investigate this place for a while. If any of us notice anyone suspicious, we'll grab the person and interrogate them. If we find nothing, then we can just wait for Aunt Ling to arrive."
With her overly powerful Soul Sense that could not only spread to most of the city but also could not be detected by anyone below the Void Seed Rank, it would be a piece of cake to find what they were looking for.
If it were there in the first place, of course.
Thus, relying on such a 'brute-force' method, the only difficulty remaining was picking up the correct intel inside an ocean of information.
However, the two women were not deterred by the difficulty and swiftly deployed their Soul Sense, with Liya covering the eastern side and Bryn the western side, while the center was managed by both of them.
After all, the latter location was where the most powerful and influential cultivators lived, making it more likely to find something useful there.
As for people's privacy?
That was a principle only used between people of similar strength, so unless someone stronger enforced that rule, what could those weaker cultivators do to stop the two women from spying on them?
Of course, neither of the two was interested in seeing things they were not supposed to see, so they naturally ignored many strange, but still lawful, scenes.
Also, small crimes, like petty thefts, drunken fights, etc., were also put aside, as those things were for the Protector Hall Branch to deal with, and not something they had the time to or the intention to bother themselves with.
After half an hour of silent observation, Bryn's brows furrowed slightly as she commented.
"Is it me, or does this city seem a lot more... Lawless...? Compared to Bright Star Island, it's like night and day."
Nodding her head, Liya replied wistfully.
"Well, before we left, Ling told me that the Outer Islands were much more dangerous than the Inner Islands, and the smaller the Island, the worse it gets. With Green Mountain being an intermediate Outer Island, it's not really surprising that there are so many petty crimes... Honestly, I'm surprised there aren't more..."
As she was about to say more, the oldest redhead was suddenly interrupted by a commotion happening in a secluded alley on the Eastern side.
Seeing the question in her daughter's eyes, Liya shook her head slightly before replying.
"Just a disgusting rat. Nothing interesting."
A few hundred kilometers away, on the city's fringes, a woman was violently pinned down by a fierce-looking man while another man was lying on the ground unconscious with a bleeding wound on the back of his head.
Although the woman was screaming for help, trying her best to push the fierce man from her body, no one in earshot came to her rescue, either because they did not care or because they feared that fierce man.
As for risking their own lives to help that poor couple?
For most, it was not worth it, as who would help them in return?
As that fierce man was about to rip her upper clothes off, his body suddenly stopped before a soul-wrenching pain took over his mind, with the vitality inside every cell in his body disappearing extremely quickly until the man was no more than an empty husk.
Since the man was not moving anymore, the woman, who was still struggling, hit the man's torso, straddling her chest, her hand piercing through his upper body as if it were rotten wood.
Immediately, the hit seemed to trigger a domino effect, enlarging the injury until every piece of flesh turned into flying dust, quickly followed by every bone in his body.
In the end, the Foundation Building cultivator turned into a cloud of ash, leaving the young woman frozen in shock.
As she looked at her shaking hands, she tried to understand how she could have killed a man whose cultivation was one Rank above her, especially in such a bizarre manner, though she found no answer to her question.
However, her attention was quickly attracted to a groan of pain coming from her husband, prompting her to reflexively turn her head toward him.
However, what surprised and delighted her more was that the ugly gash on the back of his head had completely disappeared, and if it were not for the dirty clothes and his face's paleness, no one could have guessed that he had previously been on the brink of death.
Jumping on her disoriented husband, the young woman started weeping heavily, the shock of having escaped a terrible fate finally settling in her mind.
Finally understanding that a mysterious cultivator had saved them, she kept muttering under her breath, 'thank you' again and again, in the hope that that person could hear her.
Hundreds of kilometers away, a smile appeared on Liya's face as she added.
"I've taken care of the rat. Let's keep investigating."
After that event, both women found a few similar incidents, each time acting from afar without showing themselves.
After all, with their cultivation, a simple thought could extinguish a Core Formation cultivator's life, let alone those acting, who were usually Tier 2 or even Tier 1 cultivators.
Still, it was a bit disheartening for them to find so many 'evildoers' in what should have been the safest city on this Island.
After a day of fruitless investigation, Bryn commented.
"Although no one from the Governor Hall seems to work for Demons or that evil conglomerate, the level of corruption is still too high for my liking."
Only a few of them were similar to the fierce man Liya had previously taken care of, but when it came to bullying, taking bribes, and embezzling funds, that number skyrocketed.
At that point, it was beyond singular, instead turning systemic.
Letting out a light sigh, Liya replied.
"Let's just send our findings to the Extinguishing Hall, and they'll take care of it. After all, even if we kill all of them, it wouldn't help much."
After letting out a long breath, Bryn loosened her tightened fist and said.
"If every island is like that, I honestly wonder how the Federation can still operate normally... And it's supposed to be one of the most law-abiding Forces around... If that's the case, then the other Forces should be like Hell..."
The last sentence was whispered under her breath, though Liya's powerful senses could still easily catch her words.
The older woman replied gently.
"To know what's in a man's heart, give him power. Most people are disgusting inside, and it's only because they are weaker than the one in power that they behave somewhat. It was true in the Origin Islands, and it's still true here. The only difference is that the individual power difference allows for many of those disgusting people to let out their inner filth."
With a slight nod, Bryn commented.
"I know I should be used to it after having seen so many things back there, but it still revolts me."
Letting out a sigh, she then added.
"Forget it. If I see it, I'll do something about it; and if not, I'll just ignore the thought. I'm not a god, and even if I was, I'm not responsible for other people's well-being."
Letting out a 'hum' of agreement, Liya then resumed their investigation alongside Bryn, though none of them expected to find much aside from some random crimes from time to time.
Like that, two days went by with the two women splitting their attention between investigating the city and studying their respective bloodline techniques, something they had to master if they wanted to maximize their own strengths as quickly as possible.
At one point, their Soul Sense picked up a few powerful, but somewhat hidden fluctuations coming from outside the city and coming in their direction.
From the familiar auras, the two Mikahilovs immediately realized who they were, bringing a smile to their faces.
Turning their head toward the group of three Void Seed cultivators, Liya then sent them a Voice Transmission before waiting for them to come.
Being able to traverse the Void, the group only took a second to arrive before the two redheads, allowing the latter to see the newcomers' faces clearly.
Indeed, the three were more than familiar, being Feng Ling, Sergei and Wang Ling, Bright Star Island's Extinguishing Hall's Hall master.
Seeing the trio, Liya remarked playfully.
"It's been a while, hasn't it? How have you all been?"
As she was about to reply, Ling's Soul Sense caught the hint of Aura that the mother and daughter duo leaked on purpose, making her smile freeze instantly, a reaction shared by the other two.
It was only a few moments later that Ling was able to calm herself enough to exclaim.
"Your cultivation! How did you reach the Void Seed Rank in just a few months?!"