Li Yu's hand rested gently on Mo Ling's shoulder, his quiet words, "It is time to go home," a steady anchor in the storm of her mind. The ancestor's final, ethereal blessing rained down upon her, a shower of silver light that seemed to melt into her very soul, solidifying the monumental inheritance she had just received.
With his duty complete, the spirit of the Moon-Shattering Asura faded from existence, and the profound, ancient presence that had governed the trial ground vanished with him.
The effect of his departure was instantaneous and catastrophic.
The infinite, silvery-white expanse, a world held together by the ancestor's will alone, began to die. The ambient, gentle light flickered violently, like a dying star. Great, black cracks spiderwebbed across the featureless void, not in the crystalline floor, but in the very fabric of the space itself. A deep, groaning sound, the death rattle of a pocket dimension, echoed from all around them. The trial ground was collapsing.
The gentle but firm anchor of Li Yu's soul-essence, which he had projected to stabilize her, now acted as an urgent alarm. Mo Ling's eyes snapped open. They were no longer just the fiery eyes of a demonic prodigy; they now held a new, ancient depth, a flicker of the wisdom and sorrow of her ancestor.
She looked at Li Yu, her mind still reeling from the torrent of knowledge, but she understood the situation instantly. The world around them was breaking apart, chunks of the crystalline floor falling away into the black, silent void.
"We have to leave!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet, her body now thrumming with a power she didn't possess moments before.
"This way!" Li Yu commanded, grabbing her arm. He could feel the spatial energy coalescing, the way out forming as the trial ground's last act. A shimmering, unstable archway of silver light had appeared where the ancestor's spirit had faded. It was their only escape.
They ran, the very ground dissolving into nothingness just behind their heels. They reached the archway and leaped through it without a moment's hesitation.
They stumbled out of the portal and back into the cold, solid reality of the ruined Moon Temple, collapsing onto the crystalline floor. Behind them, the glowing, ancestral path flickered violently one last time, and then, with a sound like a sigh, it dissolved into a shower of silver dust, the entrance gone forever.
The remaining Asura Clan disciples, who had been waiting in a state of terrified, anxious vigil, cried out in relief. "Lady Ling! Guest Elder!"
They rushed forward, their faces a mixture of joy and awe. Their eyes were immediately drawn to Mo Ling. Her physical exhaustion was gone, replaced by a deep, vibrant power. Her aura, once at the 6th level, now burned with the steady, potent light of an 8th-stage Foundation Establishment expert. More than that, there was a new authority in her bearing, an ancient wisdom in her eyes that commanded respect.
"Lady Ling… your cultivation…" one of the disciples stammered, his eyes wide.
Mo Ling looked down at her own hands, feeling the new, profound power flowing through her. She then looked at Li Yu, her expression one of deep, unadulterated gratitude. The last vestiges of their rivalry, of her pride, were gone, replaced by an unbreakable bond forged in a dying world. "It is… a gift. From our ancestor."
She then turned to her disciples, her voice ringing with a new, confident authority. "The mission is complete. The trials are over. It is time to go home."
The journey back through the Shattered Moon Realm was a far different affair than their desperate flight had been. With Li Yu's swarm providing a perfect, real-time map of their immediate surroundings, they navigated the treacherous light-bridges and drifting islands with a calm, efficient speed. This time, it was Mo Ling and her disciples who acted as guides, pointing out unique features to Li Yu.
"Guest Elder, look," one disciple said, gesturing to a forest of crystalline trees. "The ancestors called this the Chimewood. When the realm's energy shifts, they ring with a sound that can calm the spirit."
Li Yu listened with genuine curiosity, absorbing the knowledge. He was the expert on beasts, but they were the experts on this land, their land. He was a guest here, and he acted as such, asking questions and learning with the quiet humility that so often disarmed those around him.
Finally, after a long day of travel, the shimmering, milky-white archway of the realm's entrance came into view. A sense of profound relief washed over the Asura disciples. They had survived. They were going home.
They stepped through the portal, leaving the beautiful, broken world behind them, and emerged back into the familiar, dim light of the hidden ravine in the demonic territories.
Waiting for them was a scene of silent, immense power. A portly, cheerful-looking man in wealthy merchant robes stood near the portal, his face beaming as he saw Li Yu emerge. But behind him, coiled like a living mountain, was the colossal, terrifying form of Spine, the Gargantuan Spined Sea-Dragon. His great, golden eyes, each one larger than a man, blinked slowly, his presence an absolute, suffocating pressure that made the very air feel heavy.
Mo Ling and her disciples, who had just spent two weeks in a world of wonders and terrors, were once again stunned into silence. Their minds struggled to comprehend the sight. They had seen the guardian of Li Yu before, a person whose cultivation was higher than their leader.
But this… this was different. They could not even begin to guess the cultivation level of this immense beast. It was simply… absolute. They assumed it must be another terrifying creature in the service of the mysterious Golden Shell Guild.
"Wise Host! You have returned!" Kui boomed, his cheerful voice breaking the stunned silence. "A triumphant homecoming! This old turtle knew you would succeed!"
Li Yu smiled, stepping forward. He then turned, gesturing to the newcomers. "Lady Ling, allow me to introduce my business partner and the master of the Golden Shell Guild, Kui. Guild Master Kui, this is Lady Mo Ling, heir to the Asura Demon Clan." The two hadn't officially met yet, their paths just differing back at the clan.
Mo Ling, for all her newfound power and ancestral wisdom, was momentarily flustered. She looked at the immense creature, then back at the cheerful, portly merchant, and quickly composed herself, offering a formal bow. "Guild Master Kui. It is an honor."
"Ah, all in a day's work for the Guild!" Kui said with a magnanimous wave of his hand.
Li Yu then turned to Kui, a different, more personal expression on his face. "And the journey was not without its own rewards. I have a gift for you, an important one. We will speak of it later, in private."
The message, delivered with a quiet weight, was instantly understood. Kui's cheerful smile widened, and he gave Li Yu a deep, meaningful nod, his eyes twinkling with curiosity and anticipation.
With the introductions made and the treasures secured, it was time to leave. The Asura disciples, their minds still reeling from the sight of Spine and the mysteries of their saviors, boarded the great beast. Spine rose into the sky, and with a powerful beat of his fins, he shot towards the Asura Demon Clan's territory, a herald of their triumphant, impossible return.
They all went to rest first, with Mo Ling going to her father to give the full report. Li Yu was told he could go rest in his private quarters from the long journey. They would thank him in full later.
Later that night, back in the quiet seclusion of his private tower in the Asura Clan city, Li Yu finally presented the core to Kui. The moment he took it out of his storage ring, the room was filled with a profound, ancient, and unyielding defensive power.
Kui, who had been beaming with his usual fawning cheer, froze. His eyes, for the first time, lost their merchant's twinkle, and became wide and ancient. He stared at the core, his entire body trembling slightly.
He could feel the profound, pure tortoise-lineage energy radiating from it, a power so ancient and noble it made his own Behemoth Turtle-Snake bloodline sing with a mixture of reverence and longing.
"The ancestor of the Asura Clan called him a friend," Li Yu said, his voice quiet and respectful. "He gave this to me, to honor the legacy of his companion. But it does not belong to me. Its legacy, its power… belongs to you, Kui. It is a gift."
The portly sovereign took the crystalline shell with hands that trembled with a reverence that was almost painful to watch. A wave of profound, instinctual energy washed over him as his bloodline resonated with the ancient power of the core.
He looked up at Li Yu, his eyes shining. "Wise Host," he said, his voice thick with a mixture of gratitude and his own unique brand of fawning humor. "With this treasure, this old turtle's shell will become a true, unbreakable fortress! The next time some arrogant fool launches a suicidal attack at you, I shall be sure to jump in front of it! It will be a perfect test for me, and a fine way to protect my most valuable asset! Hehehe!"
Li Yu simply laughed, placing a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "I know you will, Kui." He could feel the genuine gratitude from Kui. They had recruited him through battle and submission but their relationship has evolved since then. They were still technically master and follower but there was genuine friendship there after all this time. They both enjoyed each other's company.