Ye Ling sat cross-legged in a void, his face occasionally breaking into wild laughter, then turning serious. He appeared utterly possessed, his internal state evidently at its most critical.
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire, held captive by the black claw, watched Ye Ling’s condition with deep concern, murmuring, “This kid’s body is filled with dark energy. Is he going to be alright…”
At this moment, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire could no longer sense any rune power or soul-镇魂之力 from Ye Ling, only an endless expanse of dark energy.
If the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire didn't know Ye Ling, and someone told it that Ye Ling was a creature of darkness, it wouldn't have the slightest doubt.
Rumble…
And precisely at the crucial moment when Ye Ling was battling his second personality within his body, the entire space began to vibrate violently. That resonant, deep voice spoke again: “You have done well. You have successfully passed the final trial and are qualified to receive my inheritance.”
As the voice faded, the space above Ye Ling slowly split open, and a bead shrouded in black mist flew out.
However, the instant the bead emerged, the black claw that had been holding the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire suddenly released it. It transformed into a black streak of light, charging towards the black bead above Ye Ling.
Seeing the black claw suddenly release him, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire was stunned for a moment. Then, as if realizing something, it quickly shouted at Ye Ling, “Kid, that claw wants to snatch the Upper Realm Lord’s inheritance! Stop it quickly!!!”
However, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire’s warning came a step too late. As soon as it cried out, the black claw grasped the bead and then merged with it!
Witnessing the black claw merge with the bead, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire’s expression turned extremely grim. It cursed, “Damn it! This dog thing was hiding so deeply! What in the world is that?”
Previously, it had thought the black claw was part of the trial, never expecting it to be an external entity that had been coveting the Upper Realm Lord’s inheritance all along!
“Hehehe… This Upper Realm Bead, I finally have it! It was worth lurking in this cursed place for so many years!”
A sharp, piercing voice emanated from the bead. Subsequently, the bead released a vast amount of black mist, gradually transforming into a monstrous creature with a dragon’s head, human body, six wings on its back, and a scythe in its hand!
Seeing the monster’s appearance, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire’s pupils constricted sharply, and it exclaimed in shock, “The… Upper Realm Shadow?”
The Upper Realm Shadow looked at the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire and chuckled, “Oh? To think that even in this era, there’s someone who recognizes me?”
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire stared intently at the Upper Realm Shadow, incredulously asking, “Weren’t you killed by the Upper Realm Lord? Why are you here?”
The Upper Realm Shadow laughed, “That old fellow tricked me with a sneak attack, intending to obliterate me completely. Fortunately, I was cunning. Before my death, I detached a sliver of my consciousness and attached it to the parasites on that old fellow’s body, surviving through those insects.
“Originally, I was just barely clinging to existence, not far from death. I never expected that old fellow’s ambition would swell, thinking of invading the origin lower realms guarded by two supreme beings. As a result, his own strength was insufficient, leading to his own sealing. Truly laughable!
“I seized that opportunity, escaped from that old fellow, concealed myself in this place, and waited for some unlucky soul to enter and help me activate the inheritance.
Speaking of which, the Upper Realm Shadow stretched lazily and continued, “Although my current strength is less than a ten-thousandth of what it once was, now that I have revived and will recuperate… that old fellow will surely pay the price!”
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire stared fixedly at the Upper Realm Shadow. While its outward appearance was calm, its heart was in utter turmoil.
Because the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire was a consciousness directly split from the Upper Realm Lord’s origin, it inherited a minuscule portion of the Upper Realm Lord’s memories.
And within that minuscule portion of memories was the existence of the Upper Realm Shadow.
In a vastly distant era, the Upper Realm Lord and the Upper Realm Shadow were brothers. However, because the Upper Realm Shadow’s strength grew too rapidly, the Upper Realm Lord felt threatened. Thus, the Upper Realm Lord took action, slaying the Upper Realm Shadow and completely obliterating him.
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire never imagined that it would encounter this figure, who should have long since vanished into the river of history, today!
Even though the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire had now broken free from the Upper Realm Lord’s control and possessed no trace of the Upper Realm Lord’s power within its body, it still felt an immense pressure from the Upper Realm Shadow, its entire form trembling involuntarily.
One must understand that in ancient times, this Upper Realm Shadow was an existence on par with supreme powerhouses like Goodness, Evil, and the Upper Realm Lord!
The Upper Realm Shadow looked at the incessantly trembling World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire, reached out a hand, and drew it into its grasp. It chuckled, “You little fellow performed quite well. In my presence, you didn’t even faint from fear… You must have been quite a figure under that old fellow, right?”
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire forced a smile onto its face and said to the Upper Realm Shadow, “B-Brother… grievances have their heads, debts have their owners. I have already betrayed the Upper Realm Lord. Now, I have no connection with the Upper Realm Lord whatsoever. Let’s mind our own business, and you can let me go…”
“You have already betrayed that old thing?”
A flicker of surprise flashed in the Upper Realm Shadow’s eyes. It scanned the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire intently, paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter, “Haha! Interesting, very interesting! After staying in this cursed place for so many years, how many interesting things have I missed?”
Hearing the Upper Realm Lord’s laughter, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire’s fur stood on end. However, it maintained its composure outwardly and said to the Upper Realm Shadow, “Brother… the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since our mortal enemy is the Upper Realm Lord, why don’t we become friends, alright?”
“You want to be friends with me? Did I hear that correctly?”
The Upper Realm Shadow acted as if it had heard the funniest joke in the world, staring at the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire and saying, “Are you perhaps not awake, little fellow? I, the dignified Upper Realm Shadow, need to cooperate with trash like you?”
As the Upper Realm Shadow finished speaking, it tightened its grip, beginning to squeeze the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire.
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire showed a pained expression and weakly said, “Brother, g-gently, I’m about to explode!”
The Upper Realm Shadow sneered, “Yes… just like that, groan in pain… Torturing weak creatures like you is the greatest meaning of my existence!”
Hearing the Upper Realm Shadow’s words, the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire realized that being humble was useless. It immediately changed its demeanor and cursed, “Are you sick? I have no enmity with you, why do you insist on killing me? A lunatic like you deserves to be played to death by the Upper Realm Lord! You’re a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong!”
The World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire’s sudden outburst caused the smile on the Upper Realm Shadow’s face to freeze instantly, its lips twitching.
A surge of nameless rage rushed into its chest!
“No one has ever dared to speak to me like this!” The Upper Realm Shadow’s face turned extremely grim, glaring at the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire through gritted teeth, its eyes overflowing with anger!
“I will kill you!!!”
The Upper Realm Shadow roared, tightening its grip again. It seemed as if it were about to completely crush the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire!
At this moment, a cold voice echoed, “Hey… you thing that’s neither human nor ghost over there, let go of my World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire.”