Duality of Shadows-Chapter 958: Absorb All The Gifts

Only Venjio’s eyes returned to reality, while his entire soul was still scarlet, radiating a powerful feeling. It was as if the whale had pulled him by the arm from within the sea until his head emerged, allowing him to breathe.

At that moment, Alm and Bruno had a peculiar idea. What would happen if they brought forth all the memories of his past lives?

Combined with the full power of the Immortal Chaos Fragment he had absorbed, this was a unique chance to find out. They had already done this with Ruri and Maelik. Ruri showed quick results and advanced to a divine soul.

Maelik, after getting married, had his soul observed closely by Alm and Bruno over the past ten years. They noticed it had become more stable, increasingly resembling a true divine soul. Maybe soon, he could truly claim to have a complete divine soul.

In the end, doing this didn’t seem so dangerous—for those close to them, at least. Reflecting on it further, Venjio was the reincarnation of Kaiyka’s husband from long ago. He had been born in the whale’s city, very close to it. Coincidence? Of course not.

The Heaven’s Will didn’t have much power left to create missionaries or alter souls. These days, it could only influence things subtly, like having someone necessary incarnate close to them. Maybe Venjio had been placed in this position because he was already prepared for it.

It wasn’t just a guess. As soon as they thought about it, their connection to the Heaven’s Will seemed to transmit this certainty.

After becoming one with it and receiving its mandate, Alm and Bruno finally understood a bit of the Heaven’s Will’s actions. They were responsible for training and helping these people grow, while the Heaven’s Will selected those ready and placed them nearby.

Since they stopped being villains, Alm and Bruno were never alone; people always ended up by their side. It took them a while to understand the message: they needed others to win this war, and the Heaven’s Will had been working on that all along.

"Sir..." Venjio murmured, staring at him.

The whale snorted. "She’s with the Queen, but she’s fine. Soon, I’ll bring her back. You did well protecting these people and cultivating yourself. Now, your soul has absorbed much of the Immortal Chaos Fragment. I’m considering a possibility..."

Venjio was an ally, not a servant or someone they could use as they pleased. Because of that, they decided to speak directly about their intentions, briefly explaining what they understood.

They didn’t know exactly what was happening in this realm of the dead, but it seemed to be a key to breaking into the immortal realms. If he recovered all his memories and was indeed ready, with everything he’d absorbed, he could break through and become as strong as he desired.

"I want to do it," Venjio said firmly. "If I keep going this slow, I feel like I won’t be able to keep up with her again one day. Or worse..."

The whale nodded, while Ciceya, standing nearby, looked pensive as she listened. The explanation made sense, but did he really intend to awaken this young man’s memories? For an immortal, it wasn’t impossible, but it was labor-intensive and resource-heavy.

Then, the whale simply moved and touched Venjio’s head. The Yin and Yang tattoos pulsed intensely. Quickly, Ciceya’s eyes widened as she felt the Origin law flowing.

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It took only minutes before the whale withdrew his hand.

Venjio’s eyes were trembling and vacant, as though he were digesting a long, dense, and exhausting movie that had just played in his mind.

Suddenly, his entire scarlet soul began to change, losing its hue. Within minutes, his eyes became clear, radiating serenity. Everything grew calmer and softer, gradually. As the minutes passed, his mind settled, and his gaze deepened.

Shortly after, Ciceya nearly jumped in surprise. All the chaotic power within him had transformed, and a strange, powerful fluctuation emanated from his soul.

’His virtues are greater than his internal chaos. He lived and was wounded amid the chaos and conflict of the mortal world. But it’s through those wounds that wisdom and virtues enter people. Maybe that’s the purpose of it all,’ Bruno reflected as he observed.

The whale snorted and said, "This is the elemental state of a divine soul. He’s gained some abilities but hasn’t fully reached it yet; it’s just a matter of time now."

The goddess nodded, surprised. She had never seen anything like this before. Usually, people either broke through to a divine soul or didn’t. Remaining in this state shouldn’t have been possible.

"Return to my universe and reflect on everything. Soon, I’ll rebuild your body, and then we’ll fight to rescue Kaiyka."

The whale spoke lightly, looking into Venjio’s eyes. Within them, there was a calmness and ease born of age and experience. He would never be the same again. At the same time, Alm and Bruno were certain that their close allies also needed to be ready for this same breakthrough.

’The only problem is this: getting enough Immortal Chaos Fragments. Aside from helping them break into the immortal realms, it’s the power we need to advance,’ Alm said coldly. ’But luckily, the Chaos Tree has already proven capable of creating it. We just need to advance far enough to make it flow more quickly.’

The path was becoming clearer and clearer for the two of them. In the end, everything revolved around cultivating faster.

Venjio entered the internal universe. Soon, the whale turned to Ciceya. She nodded in understanding but snorted, and the entire world shook. Everything started to crumble slowly, with openings appearing everywhere.

"Now, it’ll take about a year..."

The whale cut her off: "That’s way too long. My daughter’s waiting for me. Bring everything down in three days."

"What are you planning?" Ciceya couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s simple: I’m going to destroy the invaders and absorb all the gifts they brought me. In the chaotic state of mind they must be in, they’ll see plenty of openings and charge in all at once, en masse," the whale replied casually before motioning for her. "You too, get in. Caipora’s waiting for you."

Ciceya was even more confused but obeyed, stepping into what seemed to be a temporary pocket space. For an average immortal, creating a pocket dimension that could sustain life temporarily wasn’t anything extraordinary. But the moment she entered that space… "shocked" didn’t even begin to describe what she felt.

Meanwhile, Alm and Bruno were focused at the center of that crumbling place.

It didn’t take more than five minutes. An infinite sea of scarlet souls, much like Venjio’s former state, appeared. They watched the figures carefully.

Unlike Venjio, who carried anger at himself and frustration, these souls radiated nothing but malice, fury, and an insatiable hunger for power.

They were exactly what most cultivators became in the end… but not just cultivators. On Earth, it wasn’t hard to find people with similar characteristics. The difference was that while alive, they could hide those feelings inside. Now, that was all they were—no space left for anything else to grow.

Alm and Bruno didn’t hesitate. While powerful, their strength was effective against non-cultivators. These souls, however, were far beyond the divine level.

*RUMBLE!*

With a single thought, millions of souls exploded at once, turning into soul particles… and a massive cluster of Immortal Chaos Fragment.

Did they feel pity? No. These souls didn’t hesitate to kill and destroy others who lived in that place. If given the chance, they’d do the exact same thing again. So, they received the same fate.

It didn’t take long for an even larger wave to emerge. The invaders just kept coming, caring for nothing but the goal of dominating the place and then trying to stabilize it.

After that, they’d figure out a way to escape. Inside that domain, there was a chance, but in the river or the world below it, they were completely trapped by the heavenly laws. That’s why everyone who knew about the place rushed in the moment they sensed it was about to collapse.

The whale absorbed all the Immortal Chaos Fragment in his inventory. Every invader died without realizing they had no chance. Others arrived and saw the void but didn’t even consider retreating.

Soon, Alm and Bruno stopped focusing on them altogether, dedicating themselves to carefully analyzing the Immortal Chaos Fragment. When they accumulated enough, they obliterated everything all at once.

It didn’t take long for them to channel the energy into their meridians, discovering how to use it to nourish their bodies. Two days later, a supreme aura radiated from the whale’s entire being.

’Star of Chaotic Virtues complete.’ Bruno said, excited. Finally, after so much time and hardship, they had perfected the known physical cultivation path. They were eager to discover the maximum potential of this physique.

[Congratulations, optional mission completed]

But this wasn’t the time to celebrate. The whale grinned as a new sea of scarlet souls appeared. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the last wave. Outside, practically no new invaders were arriving. And there was less than a day left before everything collapsed.

"Come on!"

After destroying everything, they began to absorb it slowly, now converting the energy into Qi directly in their standard meridians. Soon, muffled sounds echoed within their bodies.

Six hours later…

"Ninth level of the Divine King Realm," Alm murmured, thrilled.

[Side Quest Available]

[Save all your allies and relatives from the queen]

[Reward: New Celestial Miracles]

"What?!"