"You'd better believe what you're saying."
Alazan snorted lightly. He and Ronan were two halves of the same entity, bound by the "Master-Servant Contract." If Ronan died, he would also cease to exist.
Ronan didn't want to argue with Alazan over this meaningless issue and quickly changed the subject. "Have you found the exit?"
He instinctively glanced at the obediently curled-up Dodor III in his arms.
"I think I've found the direction."
Ronan raised his head, only to hear Alazan continue, "But to reach the exit, you'll have to deal with the Storm Spirit that's entrenched at the center. There's no way around it."
"I never planned to go around it."
Ronan set Dodor III down, stood up, and spoke calmly.
He took two steps toward the cave entrance, ready to blast open the wall and leave after finishing his preparations.
The crystalized walls could only mask their presence for a short time. Soon, the elemental creatures would catch their scent and come again. This was something Ronan had learned during his time in the Storm Realm.
"Wait!"
Alazan called out to him, his tone serious.
"Shouldn't you at least show me what you're planning to use against that ancient Storm Spirit? A Storm Lord on the verge of reaching the seventh level is no joke... It could tear you apart easier than shredding a snowflake. With just a glance, you'd melt on the spot."
Ronan paused, then after a moment of silence, he opened his palm, revealing a pale, ancient finger bone.
There should have been three segments, but the tip was missing. It was the mysterious finger bone Evaque had given him.
A golden beetle gently landed on the bone, crawling up and down for a moment before Alazan's voice sighed softly in Ronan's mind.
"So it's Nash's finger bone... With this, you should indeed have no problem."
Ronan's expression shifted slightly. "You know the owner of this bone?"
"Yes."
Alazan spoke in a reminiscent tone, "The leader of the Shadow Leech Academy, who spent his life pursuing peace and tranquility, yet was never far from conflict. Even after death, his bones were dug up and forged into a Magical Artifact... In the end, he was a pitiful man."
"The Shadow Leech Academy... Nash..."
Ronan's gaze shifted as he looked at the finger bone in his hand, wanting to learn more, but Alazan refused to say anything further.
Ronan didn't have time to listen to Alazan's stories of the past. He stored the finger bone, punched through the crystalized wall in front of him, and strode out of the cave.
As soon as Ronan appeared, the nearby storm elemental creatures, like fish drawn to blood, immediately surged toward him.
A black aura erupted from Ronan's body, spreading outward like a massive millstone. With a slight turn, the elemental creatures within a hundred meters of him were instantly crushed, dissipating into chaotic currents and electric sparks.
More wind and lightning elemental creatures surged towards Ronan. The dispersed aura quickly retracted, clinging to Ronan's body surface and solidifying into crystalline armor, as if forged from obsidian. It fit Ronan perfectly, with sharp spikes and blades adorning the shoulders and joints. This was the "Aura Armor" Ronan had refined through countless battles over the past few months, tailored to his combat habits and style.
Compared to a few months ago, Ronan's proficiency in [Ascetic Body Forging] and his mastery over the black aura had significantly improved.
Ronan had even constructed his own [Double Spiral Palace] within his body, leading to a leap in his combat power.
Clad in this peculiar armor, wielding dual swords, with his black hair dancing in the wind, Ronan's chest bore black patterns resembling vines and flames. Combined with the [Ancient Mara Body], he exuded a primitive, fierce, and wild aura.
He charged headlong into the dense swarm of elemental creatures, like an ancient, unstoppable blade, plunging deep into their midst.
One after another, storm elementals exploded as Ronan cut through them like a black lightning bolt, tearing through layers of wind and electric curtains.
Below him, Dodor III moved even more agilely, his speed surpassing Ronan's.
Over the past few months, the two had developed a high level of tacit understanding.
As Ronan had previously told Alazan, he seemed immersed in battle, but his mind was calmer than ever. He consciously avoided elementals above the third tier, and when unavoidable, he aimed to resolve or disengage from the fight as quickly as possible, never putting himself in danger.
He didn't know how far he had ventured into the Storm Realm, but if Dodor III and Alazan's directions were correct, he should be steadily approaching its center.
Ronan pierced through several waves of elemental attacks, gradually slowing down.
Within the combat zone he had drawn, more and more third-tier and above elementals appeared, making it increasingly difficult to avoid them.
"Huff—"
Ronan paused on a crystallized peak, downing a few healing potions for a brief rest.
Looking up, he saw one elemental after another, each dozens or even over a hundred meters tall, surrounded by raging winds and thunder. The aura emanating from each one sent a slight shiver through him.
Yet, what truly captured Ronan's attention wasn't these third-tier elementals. At this moment, his entire focus was seized by a sight in the distance—
What a magnificent and grand creation it was.
A ten-thousand-meter colossus forged entirely from hurricanes and lightning, beneath a dense black curtain of clouds. Its head was crowned with endless purple auroras, and countless streams of thunder and electric waterfalls cascaded down its body. Twelve sky-reaching tornadoes formed its majestic spine, its ankles submerged in the ever-erupting magma flows from the earth's crust.
Ronan couldn't see its full form; thick cumulonimbus clouds obscured most of its body. He could only make out four pairs of terrifying wings, sharp as blades of vacuum, and a tail of electromagnetic storms stretching endlessly behind it.
The heavens and earth trembled faintly.
It was the sound of its heavy breathing.
With each breath, a vacuum zone that continuously collapsed and erupted formed within the dense clouds of the sky.
Countless storm elementals of varying sizes surrounded it, like countless subjects guarding their king. "The Weaver."
Ronan stared fixedly at the indescribably ancient and terrifying entity, murmuring to himself.
His soul trembled incessantly, yet every cell in his body seemed to crave and yearn for something.
The last time he had felt this way was when he saw the ancient silver giant eel while leaving the southern seas for the eastern coast.
The shock and impact Ronan experienced this time surpassed even that previous encounter.
Several storm elementals, each over tens of meters in size, noticed Ronan's presence and let out angry roars, charging toward him. Ronan slowly snapped out of his daze, stowed away Duoduo the Third, and then stomped his foot, his figure transforming into a black streak of light as he dashed forward.
As if crossing an invisible boundary, the elemental spirits along Ronan's path were "enraged." They roared and howled, transforming into waves of thunder and hurricanes, intent on tearing Ronan, the intruder who dared to challenge their king's majesty, into dust.
Alazan's urgent voice rang in Ronan's ears, constantly urging him.
"It's time to use the finger bone!"
"Hurry! You'd better not let it notice your presence."
Ronan took out the pale finger bone from his space ring, gripping it tightly in his hand, yet he hesitated to crush it.
His body continued to ascend, enduring waves of unprecedented numbness and tearing pain, doing his best to evade the siege of the elemental spirits below.
Yet his gaze remained fixed on the storm lord towering over ten thousand meters in the distance, as if waiting for something.
An audacious ant dared to glimpse the true visage of a dragon. The dragon lifted its eyelids, casting a cold, scrutinizing gaze.
Alazan's urging grew increasingly frantic, the golden ladybug fluttering anxiously before the solid curtain of wind and lightning, almost landing on Ronan's nose several times.
But Ronan seemed deaf to it all.
Finally.
"Boom!"
The sound of the heavens collapsing. High above, within the endless purple auroras and dense cumulonimbus clouds, a "sun" bloomed—it was the eye of the Storm Weaver.
An immensely majestic and vast will descended, accompanied by thunderbolts that fell like ancient serpents.
"Don't forget! The finger bone of Nash can only shield you from its detection, not protect you from the damage!"
Alazan's urging turned into a low growl, clearly his anxiety and frustration had reached a peak.
"Crack—"
Ronan's fingers moved slightly, and a segment of the finger bone in his palm quietly crumbled into powder. A mysterious fluctuation emanated, forming an invisible black cloak in the void, which slowly draped over Ronan, completely enveloping him.
In an instant, the roars and howls of countless storm elemental spirits below abruptly ceased. They suddenly lost their sense of the "intruder," believing he had turned to dust, and everything quickly calmed down.
Only the terrifying thunder that followed the Weaver's gaze still existed, like an ancient Taboo array leaking, unleashing waves of destructive power.
Ronan stood in a void, the "sun" that had bloomed in the rain clouds above his head now extinguished. He stood quietly, not taking the opportunity to flee swiftly, but instead remaining as calm as an observer.
"What are you after?"
Alazan's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a tone of reproach for the first time.
"You're playing with fire using your own life—no, both of our lives—do you understand?"
Ronan ignored Alazan's reproach, his eyes fixed on the terrifying thunder that tore through the sky and the earth.
Suddenly, as if he had found his target, his gaze locked onto the "smallest" storm thunderbolt, and he swiftly dashed toward it.
"You—"
Alazan's startled exclamation was cut off by Ronan.
"What am I after?"
"This is what I'm after."
"I'm not like you, Alazan."
"I can't miss any opportunity to improve myself."
"Only by crossing life and death again and again."
"Can I have the slightest chance... to grasp what I truly desire."
In the whispers scattered by the fierce wind, Ronan approached the thunderbolt intertwined with the storm.
His expression was calm, his eyes shimmering with a captivating light. He spread his arms and, like a moth to a flame, actively lunged toward the thunderbolt.
In an instant, Ronan's body was pierced simultaneously by the storm and the thunderbolt.
His eyes quickly reflected the growth of complex runes resembling hurricanes and lightning, and his entire being was engulfed in an endless sea of light like an insignificant speck of dust.
Within the consciousness space, Alazan, transformed into a golden ladybug, stared blankly at all this, silent for a long time.
Central Continent.
In a dim, damp swamp, faint blue phosphorescence floated silently, illuminating the rotting leaves on the water's surface and the twisted, withered trees.
From time to time, large bubbles burst, releasing waves of foul, nauseating odors.
"Tap—tap—"
A figure hurriedly stepped into this area with urgent footsteps.
It was a petite, delicate girl with fair skin, wearing a tight emerald-green leather armor.
She bit her lip tightly, her face smeared with mud, her hair roots damp with sweat, but she paid no mind, only running forward, occasionally looking back as if being chased by something.
"Crackle—"
Suddenly, a blinding flash of lightning lit up a part of the dim swamp.
The girl was visibly startled, her steps halting. When she extended her mental energy, cautiously probing toward the direction of the lightning, her face soon showed a mix of surprise, joy, and hope.
The girl took off a silver ring hanging around her neck, gripping it tightly in her hand. Her eyes flickered a few times, as if she had made a firm decision, and she resolutely ran toward the spot where the lightning had struck.
(End of Chapter)