Liang Chen watched as the darkness welled out of Tian Shen's orifices, fluttering like smoke but falling like water, spreading across the ground until it seemed to cover everything. But strangely enough, he found it hard to look at the darkness, it felt like it was stinging his eyes, as if he was a mortal trying to look directly at the sun. And then, a part of the smoky darkness rose up, moulding itself into a youth.
Going just by appearances, this youth ranked rather highly amongst the people Liang Chen had met so far. A golden right eye and a pitch-black left eye, black hair mixed with dancing golden swirls. At a glance, the youth gave off a friendly and warm impression, like a child who had grown up down the road from you and played with you as you grew older.
But the more Liang Chen looked at him, the colder he felt. There was something about the look in his eyes, the light that was hidden deep within them. It was just his gut instinct, but he was confident that this youth wasn't as warm and amiable as he first appeared. But perhaps that was to be expected from someone who could talk like that with the Heaven Splitting King, saints rarely got to reach the peak.
"Tch, figures that you snuck in. So? You're not gonna tell me you just so happened to be in the area?"
The Heaven Splitting King clicked his tongue when he saw the youth, the wings that had started to form behind him dissipating, the trembling of the world finally coming to an end. Tian Shen's avatar fell lifelessly to the ground, sinking into the darkness that had welled out from his own body. His last gathering of power had all been for nought, an unseen blade reaping this avatar's life before he even realized it.
"They sent me a message when you ran off, sounded pretty pissed by how sudden it was. I'm only here to drag you back before you waste pointless time, last thing I need is to be dragged into a quarrel between you three, I've got my hands full with my own one."
The youth spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders, distancing himself from whatever troubles would come Yin Long's ways. Liang Chen remembered that Yin Long said he had been a bit busy when he called upon him, and that he would be manhandled when he returned. And now it seemed like that time would come rather quickly, whoever he had been with even sent insurance to make sure he returned posthaste.
"Tch, don't try to stay neutral when you've already taken their side, may as well dirty your hands properly. You even took my bounty from me, I never even got to see what sort of weapon he uses."
Liang Chen wasn't quite sure how to act when he saw these two powerhouses bicker, he had gotten somewhat used to it, but the fact that the grand powerhouses of the multiverse acted just like everyone else still felt somewhat strange. They were practically gods, but at the same time they were nothing more than humans, and he honestly wasn't sure if that made things better or worse.
"Yeah yeah, moan and whine as you please, just get your ass back there before they start hounding Chang Lu and have her come after me."
The youth didn't even bother giving a proper response to Yin Long's remark, waving his hand. His body seemed to dissipate into the darkness and fade, but he popped out from the darkness again just as Liang Chen thought he was gone.
"And oh, bring over Lil Xin the next time you come for a visit, Guang is complaining that he can't even see his own wife."
Yin Long waved his hand dismissively at the youth, only clicking his tongue rather than giving an answer as he shooed him away. The youth faded into the darkness again, casting a look at Liang Chen, the first glance he had given him since he arrived. Contrary to what Liang Chen expected, those somewhat cold eyes actually carried traces of expectation, as well as a very faint glimmer of hope, his voice echoing out within Liang Chen's head.
"Righteousness is not expecting something from those you saved and dedication is not expecting acknowledgement from those you saved. Most of those in the world won't know of your righteousness, won't realize your dedication. But righteousness is still righteousness and dedication is still dedication. The only thing that determines your path is your own choice, but if you do keep moving down that path then I hope that it carries you further than it did us."
The youth vanished completely as his voice echoed around inside Liang Chen's head. He didn't know how or why, but it seemed like he had been observing Liang Chen and the path he had chosen. And he acknowledged it, he validated the path of the prime evil and hoped that he could walk it to the end, or at the very least further than those who set foot on it in the past.
"Ahh, what an annoying end, he wasn't even allowed to go on long enough to show me if my offence is lacking."
The Heaven Splitting King clicked his tongue once more as he looked at the darkness, which was currently scattering into small motes that rose into the air before fading away. All the dignity and grandeur he displayed as he fought was gone, the current him just looked like a normal young master that you could find anywhere, the difference was almost jarring. But Yin Long didn't seem to care for Liang Chen's thoughts on it, turning towards him as the last of the darkness faded.
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"Alright, now that's dealt with. Calling out one of us was a good choice, but I'd recommend you only do it when you encounter Tian Shen or one of his highest generals. We aren't dogs you can summon with a whistle, we've got our own things to do, getting called out all the time is just annoying."
Liang Chen didn't think that Yin Long was trying to threaten him, it was nothing more than a reminder, a warning meant to help him keep his life. He solemnly nodded his head to show that he understood how significant an act it was to call them out, he also wasn't too fond of having to call out someone else to protect him. Yin Long didn't linger on the same topic when he saw that Liang Chen understood how to act, circling back to something he told Liang Chen earlier.
"Well, I told you to pay close attention to the fight and take in everything you could, but things ended a bit too abruptly so you only got to see the swordsman parts of it. And you're not a spearman so you probably couldn't understand a damn thing, Yin Yu was much the same. Those last two things, those were what you should pay the closest attention to, it's fine if you disregard everything else."
His words weren't really wrong, Liang Chen had failed to understand most of the things that Yin Long had done, the emotions and power that swirled in his blade. But if he were to focus on just the last two moves of the Heaven Splitting King then there was certainly something he could take from them.
The first move was the three swords he had created around him, the way they brought the world to its knees until they and their wielder was all that remained. And the second move was those wings that took swords as their feathers. Their presence shook the world, the earth trembled and the sky cried, Liang Chen held no doubts that all of Purgatory's Cradle might crumble if both wings got to appear and show their power, it was a power that the world couldn't bear, a power it wouldn't accept. Yin Long evidently realized what Liang Chen was thinking, nodding his head and affirming his thoughts.
"Correct. That is what is required of a trump card if you want to look at our level. A power to force the world to its knees, to break its legs until it can't even stand in front of you. And if you want to do more than just look at our level then you need more than that, a power that the world rejects, a power the world can't bear, a power that can break the world. If you can create a trump card like that then you'll be able to stand on our level. You've got Void so it should be quite easy for you, but relying on it too much will make it nothing more than a crutch, take everything you have, only like that will you truly create a trump card that the world can't bear."
What did you need to stand atop the world? What did you have to wield to stand at the very peak of existence? Simple, something that the world couldn't accept, but also something that the world couldn't resist. Yin Long had shown that in his wings, their mere presence broke down the world and his tri-sword formation brought the world to its knees. But what did Liang Chen have? His void domain had brought out the will of the Sphere, but was that really something that could be counted?
If you asked him, then the answer would be no. And it was for an exceedingly simple reason, it was something that likely every Voidborn Ruler was capable of. And what exactly happened to the previous Voidborn Ruler? Had he not been slain, the void that birthed him left in ruins? He could be killed so he wasn't on the level that the Heaven Splitting King spoke of, that was a fact that Liang Chen was instinctually certain of.
"Think about it, but there's no need to rush it. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, that is how you walk down your path. Just look ahead and keep walking, your life will eventually show you the foundation you can build upon."
Yin Long shrugged his shoulders when he saw Liang Chen sink into his ponderings. It wasn't easy to create a trump card like the ones he spoke of, the world was a hardy thing after all. But it was a necessary thing to reach the very peak, a wall all cultivators who aimed for the end of their road would have to face eventually.
"I'm a man of my word, they're all still alive in here. But this was a place that Tian Shen used as a base so you can't blame me for taking it with me so that we can inspect it properly. But I promise you, I won't harm a hair on the heads of those who didn't collude with Tian Shen."
Yin Long waved the sword, the blade that used to be a hidden realm, as he spoke, the various lands of the hidden realm flashing along the side of the blade. Liang Chen had nothing to say about him bringing it with him, Tian Shen had started a war with their entire Sphere of Existence so it was inevitable that the main players in the war would want to inspect the places he had been. And it wasn't like he could fight Yin Long to take it from him, the difference in strength was so great that it was practically laughable.
"Alright, time to get manhandled by them. Keep your eyes forward, Liang Chen, hold your head high and walk your path with pride, sometimes that's all we can do."
Yin Long gave Liang Chen one last look, placing his fist against his chest while nodding strongly. The light in his eyes was one of acknowledgement, an understanding between two people who walked different paths but still focused on walking them to the end. One had gotten so far he may as well be at the end while the other was still stumbling around, but both were walking, both held their heads high and had their chests puffed out.
Space around Yin Long started to shimmer and flicker, what looked like cracks appearing on his body. The cracks slid apart and Yin Long's body followed with them, disappearing and taking the effects of Huafen with him. In the end, only Liang Chen and Yumao remained on the damp plains of Purgatory's Cradle, both of them having caught a glimpse of the peak and how long their path still was. But Liang Chen kept his head high, his gaze sweeping the surroundings as he picked where to go. One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, that was how you reached the end of the path.