Chapter 170: Ember’s Breakthrough to Tier 2
Moon jumped and stood atop Felix’s head. She was meditating with closing eyes, helping Felix stabilized his Aura while observing their surroundings.
Her perception were superior than her master, so she was the best lookout for her master.
She was not negligent, even a tiny movement could be caught by her senses and perception.
Felix guided Ember into meditation.
He recalled Guide’s explanation of the resources normally required for Ember’s growth.
Under ordinary circumstances, a Sunfeather Firebird advanced by gradually refining its bloodline. A breakthrough to the next tier required another Solar Essence Crystal and prolonged exposure to sunlight, allowing its internal flame core to absorb enough solar energy to mature naturally.
However, this foreign world obeyed different laws.
The abundant Aura and extraordinarily dense abyssal energy offered another path.
Instead of patiently accumulating solar essence, Ember could directly refine the immense energy surrounding her, compressing it into her flame core and forcefully pushing it toward its next stage of growth.
It was an inefficient and dangerous method by the standards of their own world, but within this realm, it became possible.
Following Felix’s guidance, Ember slowly entered a meditative state.
Time quietly passed.
The tiny crimson firebird resting upon Felix’s crossed legs remained perfectly still.
At first, nothing seemed to happen.
Then a single ember drifted from between her feathers.
Another followed.
Soon, countless golden sparks floated around her like miniature stars. Rather than dispersing into the air, they circled her body before gradually sinking back into her feathers.
The refined energy within the surroundings surged toward Ember in gentle waves.
Although this world lacked the nurturing warmth of true sunlight, the overwhelming density of refined energy more than compensated for its absence.
The energy continuously poured into her body before being drawn toward the flame core nestled within her chest.
Unlike her first awakening, no dormant bloodline was being unlocked.
Instead, the energy repeatedly compressed against the already-formed flame core, tempering it like steel beneath an endless forge.
A faint cracking sound echoed from within her body.
It was not the sound of something breaking.
It was the shell surrounding her flame core expanding under increasing pressure.
Fine golden lines spread across its surface before slowly dissolving into brilliant streams of light.
Moments later—
Golden-red flames blossomed around Ember.
The flames carried no smoke.
They burned with remarkable purity, illuminating the surroundings with a gentle radiance that stood in sharp contrast to the cold and oppressive atmosphere of the foreign world.
Ember’s small body gradually lifted into the air.
Her feathers did not burn away as they had during her original evolution.
Instead, each feather absorbed the surrounding flames, becoming smoother, denser, and more lustrous.
The crimson along her wings deepened into a richer scarlet, while the golden edges became brighter, resembling molten sunlight flowing along every feather.
The elegant flight feathers extending from her wings lengthened slightly, their structure becoming more refined and symmetrical. Whenever they moved, delicate streams of golden fire trailed behind them before fading into harmless motes of light.
The three plumes of her tail became fuller and more vibrant.
Each plume swayed like flowing ribbons of living flame, leaving graceful arcs of light with even the slightest movement.
Her beak darkened from orange to polished crimson, while her tiny talons developed a subtle black-gold sheen that hinted at newfound strength despite her youthful appearance.
Most striking were her eyes.
The brilliant golden irises grew clearer and more radiant.
The tiny crimson ring revolving around each pupil became sharper and more defined, resembling a miniature sun slowly turning within her gaze.
The warmth radiating from her body also changed.
It was no longer merely comforting.
It possessed quiet vitality, like the first rays of dawn breathing life into a frozen world.
The surrounding refined energy gradually settled as Ember completed her breakthrough.
She slowly unfolded her wings.
The halo of golden flame behind her expanded, becoming brighter and more stable than before.
With a clear, melodious cry, Ember soared gracefully into the sky.
Her body had not changed into a new form.
She remained a Sunfeather Firebird.
Yet every feather, every flame, and every beat of her wings revealed that she had stepped into a higher tier of her bloodline, her solar flames burning brighter than ever before.
Far from the cliff, a tall humanoid body draped beneath flowing robes woven from living shadows watched the scene unfolding before her eyes.
Her skin was smooth and pale gray, marked by countless closed eyes embedded across her neck, shoulders, and arms.
Every eye opened simultaneously, revealing crimson irises that seem to gaze in different directions at once.
Her eyes opened because she felt threatened by the flame.
It was different than the flames she observed from different humans when they were fighting the flood of demonic creatures.
As long strands of silver-white hair drift continuously around her despite the absence of wind, she restrained her killing intent, watching the bird’s flame slowly settled as she kept circling her master.
She gritted her teeth and tried her best to conceal her presence.
The aura comparable to their Demon Lord was locking into her. If she made a move, she would definitely be captured.
The main reason she was not captured yet was because of her ability to escape.
She appeared through her ability to manipulate the void.
In other words, she could create distortions in space that allowed her to connect one place to another.
It was precisely why she the Chief Strategist and the Second Commander of the Demon Lord.
Staring at the firebird, she glared at it when she was taken aback by the cat near the firebird.
The cat was indifferently staring straight at her, as if her eyes could traverse through thousands of miles.
She was taken aback.
Staring at the insignificant creatures in her eyes, only have two pair of eyes, dared to stare at her with such coldness made her infuriated.
She was about to explode in anger, when she realized that a terrifying presence was keeping watch on her.
When she finally calmed down, every of her eyes began to close.
A tall, impossibly thin humanoid wrapped in flowing black skin that resembled liquid shadows stood behind her.
Its limbs were unnaturally long, ending in razor-like fingers.
No facial features were visible except two glowing silver eyes suspended within complete darkness.
He asked in a polite tone, "Lady Sylthara, what do you wish me to do?"
Lady Sylthara, who was also known as the Thousand Eyes, replied without turning around, "Continue observing them for me."
She did not warn him as she disappeared.
The Shadow Stalker stood up when she vanished and observed the humans from afar.
He observed the battle earlier. The humans who entered the unstable space rift were indeed terrifying, especially when a human breakthrough and exuded an aura comparable to their Demon Lord.
However, if they were to instigate a war with them, these humans wouldn’t stand a chance.
The Shadow Stalker recalled the prophecy circulating the Hollow Citadel.
That the Demon God would stabilize the space rifts and allowed them to leave the Hollow Abyss to conquer the other worlds.
If the humans managed to enter, that means the space rifts were getting stabilized.
Now, we only have to wait for the Demon Lord to wake up from his slumber.
He was only a lesser demon, so he did not know if the rumors of their Demon Lord, waking up from his slumber, would mean he attained a new higher realm.
The Archdemon rank.
If he indeed succeed, then their Demon Lord could conquer the whole Hollow Abyss and to another.
Just thinking about it thrilled him.
While he was lost in thought, he finally snapped to reality after perceiving an chilling aura that had a breakthrough similar to the firebird.
He narrowed his vision and noticed a graceful young hound with a lean yet athletic frame built for endurance rather than brute strength had just have a breakthrough alongside the firebird.
He frowned. One after another, beasts creatures began having breakthrough.
If it was not because their number were less, they would surely become a threat to them.
Just as he fell into deep thought, the hound’s eyes like twin stars shifted and faced towards him.
The Shadow Stalker was taken aback. He was completely blended into the surroundings and from a distance, it was difficult to spot him.
Am I spotted? His heart skipped a beat.
He fell into panic.
But suddenly, the eyes of the young hound shifted as though it did not notice him.
The Shadow Stalker heaved a sigh of relief.
How could I be spotted? He closed his eyes and shook his head.
He was confident that he could not be spotted. Not only he concealed his appearance in the shadow, his very being was hidden.
When he opened his eyes, he was shocked that he perceived he was flying.
His world was turning upside down.
To his horror, as his vision shifted rapidly without his control, he saw his own headless body moving as exactly as he intended.
He was beheaded!
He could only control his body for split-seconds before he lost his sensation.
His head continued to roll to the obsidian rocks, some jagged, some flat.
Just when he felt like his head settled down and desperate searched for the culprit, he perceived a tug behind his head, causing his head to roll.
When his head settled down again, he saw a white paw with sharp claws hitting his forehead, causing his head to roll.
Damn it! Did I become a beast’s plaything? Those were his last thoughts as he inevitably lost consciousness.
He was dead. His headless body fell to the floor with a thud.
The perpetrator was none other than Moon, who was playing with the head.
Suddenly, her master called for her, causing her to feel disheartened that she could not continue playing.
She extended her claws and sliced through the head in many pieces.
She casually returned to her master...
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