Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 901

Chapter 901

Chapter 901: Shards of Primordial Spirits

Monarch and the Violet Prince had been destroyed, forever erased from the universe by the power of the Banishing Strategy .

Red light drained out from Lan Jue’s eyes . He had been the one to guide their concentrated power . Now that Monarch was destroyed, at last the threat of alien aggression had passed .

He revealed no pleasure from their victory, no excitement . There were still problems to address – chief among them, how to restrain the Strategy safely . They hadn’t been sure they could even succeed in establishing the attack, and thus had given stopping it not even a passing thought .

Through the power of faith they were ultimately able to overcome the enemy . The Banishing Strategy had been enacted and was stable, endowing them with a caliber of strength that far outstripped their wildest imaginings .  

As the prayers of billions were continuously laid upon them, the swords thirstily drank of their gifts . The Banishing blades used it to complete what the sword bearers couldn’t do on their own .

In a series of flashes Lan Jue and the others appeared, standing at the four corners of the Strategy . However, none of them were holding their weapon .

Lan Qing looked from one to the other, his expression uncertain . “What now?”

Lan Jue smirked at his brother . “How do I know? Wine Master, could I trouble you to report Monarch’s death to Kang Hui? All remaining enemies have been destroyed . That should curtail the faith flowing into it . I’m afraid if we don’t do something to weaken it the Strategy will continue to solidify . ”

The Wine Master interjected, curious . “What’s the problem with that?”

“Well, to start if it keeps getting stronger I’m not sure we’ll have the means to stop it,” he answered . “It would remain here forever, and this whole area would be too dangerous to ever go near again . ”

His old friend nodded . “What do you think is needed to get it to stop?”

Lan Jue pondered out loud . “According to our estimates we would need to be Da Luo-level immortals if we wanted to exert that level of control . If one of us were that could be enough . ” He sounded unconvinced even as he said it .

Lan Qing wryly added his voice . “And it has to be you . You were the one who led the Strategy . ”

The Wine Master sucked in a surprised breath . “So you’re saying that anyone who enters this field will be instantly killed?” If the Strategy would bring down a god, he shuddered to think of what it might do to a normal person .

“Not necessarily,” Lan Jue answered . “If one of us – the sword bearers – guided someone through then they would be fine . After all, we’re part of the Strategy ourselves . But if someone were to enter without us it would probably end as you’d expect . I… don’t recommend you try it . ”

The Wine Master’s brows furrowed in thought . “If it’s simply a matter of closing of a section of space that shouldn’t be too great of an issue . It’s impossible to expect you to reach the highest level of immortality any time within the conceivable future! Are there any other dangers we need to consider?”

Lan Jue explained further . “Right now the Strategy is still under our control, and there is no immediate problem . However, I think it’s fair to expect that the zone will expand once we leave and are no longer maintaining its borders . None of us can know how large it’ll spread, but if I had to guess I’d say it would at least swallow up Europa and everything around it . But before we consider that, it isn’t completely unthinkable for us to reach Da Luo . ”

As he spoke, he swung his eyes toward Europa floating placidly in the distance .

Monarch and the Violet Prince had been vanquished, but the fruits of their evil labors remained . Basking in a pale golden glow the newly crafted immortal realm flooded the area with its aura . Lan Jue and the others, now risen to the Infinite, could feel it clearly from where they stood .

Indeed this was their next problem . What were they to do with the alien’s immortal realm?

“We can deal with that later . Right now there are more pressing matters . ” Li Ke interrupted them . His voice bore a somewhat urgent tone .

Lan Jue turned his attention toward the spirit . “What is it, brother-in-law?”

After absorbing so much faith, Li Ke was almost indistinguishable from any of them . The Pharmacist was even holding his hand, and the smile on her face betrayed her happiness .

Li Ke, however, was not smiling . “You have to gather the spirit shards . Fragments of what remains of the Paragons’ souls . In a way what we call Paragons can be likened to ‘half immortals’, Taoist magicians of the ancient times . After spending so long cultivating, their souls become like primordial spirits . Primordial spirits don’t disappear so easily, just like the ancient gods whose essence remains even though they lost to universal protogenia . Even now, thousands of years later, we can still feel their echoes . If we hurry and gather these shards now, there’s a chance we could bring them back to life!”

Lan Jue froze when he heard it . If this were true and they could return their friends and loved ones to life, today’s victory would be absolute .

“How do we do that?” He asked urgently .

Li Ke explained . “The four of you have reached the Infinite . If you search your feelings you can sense them . ”

“Excellent!” With such good news, how could Lan Jue ignore it? Even Lan Qing’s steadfast demeanor hid a buzz of excitement . If Li Ke was right they could bring Luo Xianni and the others back from the dead!

Lan Jue shut his eyes and reached out with his perception . He began to search the area for any sign of these spirits .

He was calm now, and no longer burdened by the dangers he’d faced before . His sense of his surroundings was different . Suddenly there was something more, hidden behind a veil .

In theory space was largely empty . Aside from relatively miniscule pockets of matter, space was defined by how much nothing there was . However when someone’s consciousness reached a certain level of understanding, they found this to be untrue . Their perception was more sensitive than even the most advanced instruments, telling them that there was something else .

Even up to now Lan Jue and the others radiated polychromatic light, a residue from the Banishing Strategy . So almighty was the Strategy’s influence that universal protogenia still couldn’t apply its pressures on them .

Safe for the time being, Lan Jue searched his consciousness until he came upon a strange and arresting impression . However it was not human . Far from it, in fact – it was what remained of the three-headed avatar .

The pulses of primordial energy were odd and uncomfortable . They seemed desperate to gather together, as though hoping it could reconstitute itself . It made Lan Jue shiver, for he knew that somewhere within the six souls that had made up that beast was a whisper of Monarch’s consciousness .

Monarch was gone, completely destroyed by the Strategy, leaving these spirits on their own . It was almost pitiful to feel these fragments trying to piece themselves back together, like they had a chance to somehow come back .

Now that he saw them, how could Lan Jue give them even a shadow of hope?

Lan Jue lifted his right hand and summoned an electric blue light from the ether . When they light fell upon the cluster of spiritual energy it released a haze of pale purple which blanketed the area, sparkling with points of illumination . It was Lan Jue’s Boundless Starlight Domain .

As Lan Jue became stronger, both his control over the Domain and its menace had increased exponentially . Heavenly Lightning began to crackle the moment his Domain manifested itself .

The blasts of lightning that tore into the cluster of souls was nothing short of harrowing . But before these evil fragments could feel fear, they were burned from existence . Nothing remained . They would never threaten the worlds of man again .

Lan Jue had called his Domain to prevent these fragments from scattering, but also – more importantly – so that his lightning would not hard the spirit shards he sought to save .

With the last vestiges of his enemy destroyed, Lan Jue breathed easier . When he began to search anew his perception settled on something nearby .

A copper-gold halo surrounded appeared . Near it, a fragment nearly as strong as the ones Lan Jue had wiped out lingered . Though weaker, it was more persistent and slowly drew itself closer to the golden light .

Lan Jue raced over to where the light shimmered and reached out for it .

“Qianlin,” he called . She hurriedly came to his side . Lan Jue’s Boundless Starlight Domain could destroy nearly any enemy that crossed his path, but it was not built to heal or rescue . What was better for this purpose that the Light of the Goddess of Mercy?

The golden light was radiating from Jue Di’s astrum, the Compliance Rod . The spirit that was so desperately trying to stay with it was what remained of Luo Xianni .

Only the simplest desires were left to these broken spirits . It was clear what mattered most to Luo Xianni was finding the Compliance Rod, for within it she could be together with Jue Di .

Luo Xianni pointed with her right hand . She was also now of the Infinite and could sense what Lan Jue saw . With the utmost care she guided Luo Xianni to the rod and the spirit of her lost love .

When a primordial spirit left one’s body it was assailed by the cruel power of universal protogenia . It was torn apart, and ultimately dissipated into the vastness of space to be lost forever .