The Starfall Summit was about to commence, and streams of representative teams from various oases surged into Starfall Fortress, much like rivers merging into the sea.
At the same time,
In the Great Oasis Quiet Night Court, within the vast ‘Twilight Ruins’ domain, a spacious cultivation chamber, paved with countless high-grade wooden planks etched with profound ritualistic patterns, housed Yun Ji, the ‘former Quiet Night Court princess, now the guardian deity of Quiet Night Court.’ She was clad in a loose white cultivation robe, seated cross-legged.
Her spine was straight, her left and right legs folded one atop the other, soles facing upwards. Her cultivation robe draped in front and behind her.
Her eyes were closed, her chin tucked in, her expression solemn and focused. Though mythic cultivation did not necessitate a specific posture, due to long-held habits, Yun Ji still strictly demanded of herself that maintaining composure in daily life would prevent loss of grace in public.
This might be the last vestige of defiance for the Quiet Night Court.
They were once the crème de la crème among super oases. After their downfall, they were unwilling to abandon their past culture and etiquette. Otherwise, what would differentiate them from those struggling for survival in the mire? Even if maintaining such high-standard etiquette and culture was cumbersome and costly.
Yun Ji had grown accustomed to this lifestyle. Now, as the sole myth of the Quiet Night Court, shouldering the responsibility of restoring the oasis’s glory, she ought to hold herself to even stricter standards.
…
The vast majority of affairs in the Quiet Night Court Great Oasis were still managed by the three elders. Since the end of the disaster and no longer needing to be constantly vigilant, Yun Ji had entered seclusion, embarking on a retreat lasting over two months.
Her foundation was previously very weak; she was a true newly ascended myth. Apart from the intrinsic characteristics of a myth such as divine sense, divinity, divine domain, and a thousand-year lifespan, she possessed nothing else.
She could be considered the epitome of the weakest myth, with a considerable gap separating her from true mythic beings.
She understood, and the elders understood. The Quiet Night Court, after all, had experience as a super oasis. They possessed detailed inherited knowledge about what a newly promoted myth should do, allowing them to avoid many detours compared to wild myths.
Within the place of seclusion, the maiden’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and then, a pair of eyes, like a sapphire lake, slowly opened. Deep within her pupils, a golden glow flashed.
Tendrils of blue rhythm, like her exhalations, ebbed and flowed around the maiden. As she opened her eyes, the majestic aura that emanated from within her, shaking the ritualistic patterns of the entire cultivation chamber into brilliance, was drawn back into her body like a whale’s gulp, disappearing without a trace.
“Divine Factor accumulation has reached 8 points.”
Their Quiet Night Court did not lack divine crystals. Rather than letting these legendary treasures gather dust in warehouses, potentially lost with the oasis’s future calamities, it was better to bite the bullet and be generous in their use.
On this point, the elders had reached a rare consensus. They hoped Yun Ji, as their myth, could grow rapidly to face the persistent external pressures.
After all, the elders had not forgotten that the adjacent ‘Sunset Kingdom,’ a seasoned super oasis power with two myths, still harbored covetous intentions.
But compared to the comprehensive physical and mental enhancements brought about by the accumulation of Divine Factors, Yun Ji knew that her gains in skills and abilities were far greater.
Compared to her former self, it was a world of difference.
“After our ancestral land, ‘Land of Dusk,’ fell, the Quiet Night Court was left with only one legacy site – the Cloud Forest Swordplay Ability Inheritance Altar.”
Yun Ji had a high compatibility with this ability. She learned this special sword technique in just a few months of study.
However, within these mere two and a half months, she had, as if enlightened, rapidly mastered over a dozen skills. Furthermore, the profoundness and difficulty of entry for most of these skills far surpassed that of the Cloud Forest Swordplay.
“Frozen Wind.”
She extended her hand and brushed it forward. A bone-chilling wind swept through. The moisture in the air instantly condensed into water droplets, which, under the blowing of the extremely cold wind, transformed into ice spheres the size of glass beads, tinkling as they fell to the ground.
“Invisible Hand.”
Her outstretched palm changed from a sweep to a grab. Instantly, the air not far away seemed to be grabbed and exploded, collapsing inwards with a deafening roar. Faintly, the outline of a colossal hand could be seen, flickering in and out of existence.
The next moment, this invisible hand outline merged into the gurgling blue water flow, transforming into a deep blue giant hand. The flowing stream water, like the chaotic lines on a giant palm print, appeared profound and mysterious.
“Deep Blue Hand Seal!”
She whispered.
This was a combination skill Yun Ji had formed by merging ‘Invisible Hand’ with her own water manipulation ability. She had also found an ‘application’ in the exchange list that could fully integrate combined skills into a higher-tier skill.
However, the description of such an application seemed to require the mentor’s personal intervention, consuming the mentor’s energy and might. She did not want to disturb her esteemed mentor for such a minor matter.
“There is also Blade Slash, Purify, Healing Stream, Telekinesis, Meditation, Illusory Void Steps, Guardian Field, Gluttony Body Tempering, Void Meditation, and so on.”
“Not only that, but I have not merely learned these few skills superficially; I have cultivated them to a considerable depth of mastery!”
It must be known that even with the vastly superior comprehension of the mythic tier compared to the mortal realm, thoroughly mastering a single skill required considerable time.
Therefore, most myths specialized in only a few skills.
Yun Ji flipped through the admonishments written by the elders and great figures of the Land of Dusk for their descendants. It stated:
“The cultivation of abilities should not be greedy for quantity over quality. Later generations must remember not to learn the second or third ability before fully mastering the first. Doing so will only lead to mutual interference, slowing cultivation progress, which is an unwise choice.”
But all of this was overturned within the Torch organization.
It wasn't that the elders of the Land of Dusk were wrong, but rather that their organization was too incredible to adhere to common sense. Based on her own experience and the records in the elders' notes, she judged that the ‘thorough mastery’ described by the elders was approximately reaching the Master level.
And now, the dozen or so skills she had just learned were roughly at this level of mastery…
Thinking this, a panel bearing her bust appeared in her mind.
“Yun Ji (Half-God of Seven Perceptions)”
“Divinity: …”
“Equipment: …”
“Skills: Frozen Wind (Extraordinary Sage), Blade Slash (Peak Attainment), Vile Tracking (Master), Invisible Hand (Master), Illusory Void Steps…”
This panel felt like a dream.
Although, months ago, her promotion to myth had also felt like a dream.
It was truly wonderful to receive the favor of her mentor!
Yun Ji assessed her condition. Her combat system had initially formed, and her strength had increased by an immeasurable amount compared to when she first ascended to myth. She felt she had reached a satisfactory level and was also concerned about the oasis’s situation… With this thought, Yun Ji lifted the barrier seal of the cultivation arena and stepped out of her seclusion.
“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”
The heavy stone door slowly opened.
As she emerged from this ‘underground cultivation chamber,’ she was greeted by an ancient cobblestone path and dense trees shrouded around it.
Sunlight dappled through the gaps in the leaves, scattering motes of light. Yun Ji raised her hand, tilted her head slightly, and felt the long-lost sunlight. After a moment, she walked out onto this ancient cobblestone path, revealing a spacious platform paved with white stone slabs. Beyond the platform lay a magnificent vista that could encompass half of the Quiet Night Court.
Here, at mid-air, halfway up a giant tree hundreds of meters tall.
Yun Ji walked to the edge of the platform. In the distance, she saw sections of collapsed and broken city walls. Outside the oasis, many ruined buildings were also visible.
But compared to the direst state of the oasis months ago, the situation had undoubtedly improved by several times.
People were like ants, transporting materials and building houses. Their oasis was being mended bit by bit and would only get better.
Yun Ji believed this, and a happy smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Suddenly, she turned her head and looked to the side, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. “In that direction, that aura…”
That area was still outside the oasis, hidden within the gray mist. Even with her divine sense merged into her gaze, she could not see clearly. However, the mythic power emanating from afar, almost undisguised, was difficult for her to ignore!
It was like a ball of fire, no, like a sun, carrying a scorching heat that could burn one’s eyes.
“Your Highness!”
An old man hurried over. Seeing Yun Ji standing at the edge of the platform, his wrinkled old face broke into a smile. “You are out of seclusion?”
“Yes. Did something happen to our oasis?”
Upon saying this, the elder’s face showed anger. He thought for a moment and decided to summarize the current situation first. “The tide of malevolence has completely ended. The oasis has not encountered much intrusion from malevolence in the past two months. The city walls and outer settlements are currently being repaired, and these issues are not major. It’s just the Sunset Kingdom…”
…
…
In a luxurious building within the Quiet Night Court, used to entertain distinguished guests, many people stared with barely concealed anger at a noble-looking man with a smile, standing not far away.
This distinguished guest, who, from a commoner’s perspective, appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with the demeanor of a mature man, was the protagonist of this visit – one of the Sunset Kingdom’s myths, the ‘Hand of Twilight,’ the ‘Sun Halo Apostle’ Duruk!
Although he was an outsider, accompanied by only a dozen attendants, he acted as if he were the host. Every movement exuded an air of superiority, elegance, and composure. Even facing over a hundred unfriendly gazes, the Hand of Twilight maintained his smile, unperturbed.
“I have come with sincerity. If I and your esteemed princess are wed, a Son of God will be born in the future, born with the favor of heaven and earth, a divine child inherently possessing divinity. Thus, with our two families united, we will undoubtedly be able to contend for higher echelons. You should understand this.”
Duruk believed he had offered a substantial stake.
He wasn’t entirely bluffing. He had previously intended to gradually annex the Quiet Night Court through a marriage alliance. But now, with the emergence of a genius myth in the Quiet Night Court, their status had changed, and his approach naturally followed suit. He genuinely wished to ally with them, as long as his Sunset Kingdom maintained the dominant position.
Because the offspring of a male myth and a female myth would naturally possess divine essence, their starting point would be far higher than that of so-called genius prodigies. Ascending to myth would not be difficult, and contending for demigod or even higher echelons was not impossible.
The difficulty lay in the fact that it was extremely difficult for mythic beings to conceive offspring.
What was even more difficult was that in an era where myths were scarce, finding a suitable pair of male and female myths was incredibly challenging.
This was a rare opportunity.
They were both ‘young myths,’ and there could not be a more suitable match.
Soon, the target of the Hand of Twilight, Duruk, Myth Yun Ji, arrived.
She was not wearing the princess attire of the Land of Dusk, but a sky-blue battle armor and skirt, with two swords at her waist – one a legendary divine sword and the other an epic treasure sword.
Her gaze was sharp, projecting sword intent.
The Hand of Twilight, Duruk, remained unoffended. He began with elegant noble etiquette, reiterating what he had just said. Then, he added, “Princess Yun Ji, we are both noble and great myths. We should understand the difficulty of taking the next step. But now, you and I have the opportunity to advance further and cultivate a great demigod.”
He looked around at the group of indignant Quiet Night Court powerhouses and shook his head slightly.
“Mortals may not understand, but you should. The physical form is secondary; glimpsing higher realms is the most beautiful pursuit in this world.”
“Come, join hands with me, and let us create a mythic legend.”
“I refuse.”
A cold word was spoken by the elegant, dignified, beautiful, and heroic princess before him. She maintained her composure, but her smile was icy, and her gaze was sharp.
Seeing this, the Hand of Twilight, Myth Duruk, was somewhat disappointed.
He shook his head slightly.
“You don’t understand? Very well, perhaps because you have only recently broken through, your mentality is still at the mortal stage, with backward and shortsighted mortal views.”
“Or perhaps, you have yet to truly grasp the mighty power of a myth.”
The Hand of Twilight still wore a smile, but it began to turn cold.
The vast indoor space also began to emanate a chilling cold, like a mountain-like pressure, manifesting. It was only then that the Quiet Night Court powerhouses realized that their earlier defiance was merely because the myth did not care. If he had truly cared, they… would not have been able to lift their gaze! Just as they were now! Their gazes became heavy as a thousand pounds, forcing them to stare at the floor, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
At this moment, another mythic aura surged forth, blocking the overwhelming mountain-like pressure.
Their gazes could be raised slightly, and with a glance, they saw a figure in brilliant blue armor standing before them, walking forward step by step.
“It’s Princess Yun Ji!”
Many Quiet Night Court powerhouses were invigorated. However, the elders, who knew more of the internal situation, could not help but worry.
Why? Yun Ji had only recently ascended to myth, while opposite her stood Duruk, the Hand of Twilight, a veteran myth who had entered the mythic realm over a hundred years ago.
Even among myths, there were gaps!
They, the high-ranking elders, were well aware of the immeasurable gap between the two!
But even with this knowledge, they were powerless. Beneath mythic beings, all were ants. The hope of the entire oasis rested on Yun Ji. Perhaps this Hand of Twilight would not dare to act too recklessly.
…
Duruk indeed dared not engage in an open conflict.
He merely intended to use his own might to make the innocent and naive Princess Yun Ji understand the disparity between myths, and thus comprehend the grandeur of his plan.
The surrounding light instantly dimmed, as if dusk had fallen, carrying a breath of decay.
This decay surged forward like a grasping hand, as if to choke Princess Yun Ji’s throat.
At this moment, Duruk maintained his noble demeanor, elegant and composed, without moving an inch. He merely smiled, gazing at the young goddess opposite him.
Then, he saw icy coldness approaching.
The dim, yellow environment was suddenly tinged with frost-white. The air became humid, and from this humidity, an ice-coldness that penetrated to the bone surged forth.
Duruk was somewhat astonished.
This strength, this talent… he liked it even more!
His smile deepened. He remained standing, hands behind his back, but golden rays flashed in his pupils, and the pressure emanating from him intensified severalfold in an instant.
While maintaining his noble demeanor, he unleashed his full power.
And opposite him, Princess Yun Ji, besides her icy smile, displayed an elegance that did not falter in the slightest compared to him.
At this moment,
The Hand of Twilight stared intently, increasingly pleased.
One minute later,
The Hand of Twilight stared with a grave expression, his smile becoming difficult to maintain.
Two minutes later,
The dampness surged forward, and the bone-chilling cold seeped in. The Hand of Twilight, struggling to stare at the elegant figure in the distance, his smile trembling slightly.
He couldn’t help but take half a step back. To mask his失态 (loss of composure), the myth directly turned and, with a low hum, strode towards the door.
Standing at the doorway, the Hand of Twilight paused for a moment, then spoke without looking back:
“Your Excellency Yun Ji, you are more outstanding than I imagined, but this king will not give up.”
“Consider it carefully. If you and I join forces, we can save ourselves several centuries of detours.”
“Let’s go.”
Watching the airship depart from the oasis and disappear into the gray mist, Yun Ji retracted her gaze, a hint of regret seemingly in her eyes. She sighed, and the power she had gathered within her body slowly dispersed.
At the same time, inside the airship, Duruk walked alone into a quiet chamber, no longer able to maintain his composure and began to tremble. He looked back in the direction of the Quiet Night Court, his surprise undeniable.
“How can this Myth Yun Ji be so strong!”
“Her power as a newly ascended myth… it is actually above mine!”
“This is not a myth!”