Chapter 662 — Shamelessness

Although Liora was curious, wanting to find what the successful condensation in the River of Time would result in, it seemed that she was destined not to find any time soon.

It wasn’t due to the lack of time.

Rather, it was because the gestation required further materials.

Perhaps more power of non-present time, Liora thought, like the traces of time intertwined with the Heaven Emperor’s soul.

In the end, she could do nothing for the time being but note this down mentally.

Then, her consciousness retreated from the Cosmic Sea.

A moment later, her body in reality opened its eyes.

Her crimson eyes flashed.

Elaouthr’s ordinary face immediately came into view. Or rather, the face of the man whose body he was currently occupying.

Liora fell silent for a brief moment. She made a quick judgment.

Her chase of the Heaven Emperor had only lasted for a couple of minutes from start to finish.

There was still quite some time until Elaouthr was forced to sleep.

Even so, Liora was somewhat curious.

"Will the true will within this body awaken once you fall asleep? Or will your split consciousness take over this body?"

The former part of her words referred to the unknown powerhouse, the person whom all the cultivators worshiped and had sacrificed their lives for.

As for the second, it referred to the Elaouthr she had met in the past.

Not the ancient powerhouse of a long-gone Era, but a relatively naive demon.

Elaouthr shook his head in response.

"My split consciousness is far too weak to suppress the will of that unknown powerhouse. I’ll need to change my body after this."

As he spoke, Elaouthr glanced at Liora, his eyes flashing with resentment.

"I suffered heavily today. I was forced to use the power of my previous life in order to coordinate all that essence. I’m afraid I have already attracted ’that’ being’s attention."

"You have to make things up to me. You have to find me a new body."

"...Preferably, a body that is not surrounded by so many powerhouses the moment of my awakening.", Elaouthr added after a brief moment of thought.

Liora knew who the mysterious being he was referring to was.

It was neither the powerhouses of the current Era, nor the mysterious cultivator.

Rather, it was the Will of the Cosmic Universe.

This was the being that limited ancient beings the most, forcing them to maintain a reasonable level of power or risk being sealed.

Otherwise, beings like Elaouthr would have long run amok among the Cosmic Universe.

Elaouthr’s reminder also gave rise to another idea in Liora’s mind.

"Perhaps my arrival in the ancient city is not an accident. Or rather, the city’s emergence might not necessarily be the cultivators’ doing..."

"The Will of the Cosmic Universe could very well be behind this.", Liora thought secretly.

She suspected the Cosmic Universe wanted her to help it get rid of the cultivators, and perhaps even the Hollow Ancestor’s backup.

Either way, things did not change.

Faced with Elaouthr’s words, she merely nodded her head and didn’t refuse.

She would indeed try to obtain a new body for Elaouthr.

As for when that was, and in how much danger she would be at that time, it would be up to her for interpretation.

Liora was satisfied inwardly, feeling that she had obtained another piece of cannon fodder. When faced with a desperate situation, she would revive this man and let him do her bidding.

"Cough, cough...", Liora suddenly cleared her throat, organizing her thoughts in an attempt to hide them.

She soon shifted her attention toward Elaouthr.

"Now that my matters are over, we should finally investigate the secret realm itself."

"It’s likely that we will find something of value inside."

Though dissatisfied with her, Elaouthr did not refuse her offer.

He was also interested in the cultivation civilization.

After all, he had already offended the powerhouse whose body he was occupying.

They were destined to be enemies in the future.

Even if they weren’t, that being would surely end up being reborn in the present world. Then, they would have to face the current Era together.

Obtaining information about him was a crucial thing that could very well help his future plans.

Without speaking any further, Liora and the ancient Elaouthr reached an agreement.

They didn’t hesitate.

Ascending toward the higher floors of the Heavenly Armor Pavilion, they soon found themselves inside the secret realm.

Compared to when she first entered this level, the fortress was now in a completely different state.

Most of the buildings had shattered.

The earth itself had cracked, leaving behind scars that stretched endlessly along the fortress’s surface, with some leading straight toward the center of the secret realm.

Rubble. Corpses. Ruins.

This was the only thing as far as Liora could see.

Recalling how the fortress had been lively only a few hours ago, with thousands of cultivators living their "ordinary" lives, she subconsciously let out a heavy sigh.

Life was truly complicated.

One moment, you are alive. The next, everything you know might have long been destroyed.

"Aren’t you the person responsible for all of this ruin?"

Just when Liora was starting to feel overly emotional, a discordant voice brought an end to her wandering thoughts.

Its source was Elaouthr.

Staring at the ruins, he was originally prepared not to say anything at all.

But upon seeing the hypocritical expression on Liora’s face, as though she was mourning for the many lost lives, he couldn’t help but speak up.

He had a rough understanding of what had happened.

Most of the cultivators had died at his hands. The rest had perished in Liora’s.

Either way, this woman was indirectly or not related to all the deaths that had occurred within the secret realm.

It would have been accurate to call her the source of all disaster!

Liora’s eyes twitched upon hearing these words.

Elaouthr... was correct.

Fortunately, she had long lost the concept of shame.

Ignoring Elaouthr’s accusatory look, she shook her head.

Her face practically screamed, "It’s not your fault you don’t understand."

Elaouthr turned red. He intended to say something when Liora suddenly interrupted him.

"Alright.", she raised her hand and stopped him from speaking.

"There is no need to waste any time on such unimportant matters. We should investigate the city before you fall into slumber again."

"Quit wasting time."

Upon finishing that sentence, Liora gave him no time to reply.

With a thought, her body transformed into a stream of light and shot towards the secret realm’s central area. More precisely, toward the only remaining standing building—the golden palace.

Elaouthr was left speechless by her swift reaction that very much resembled an escape.

However, he soon put this matter to the back of his mind.

He followed after her, filled with curiosity regarding what great secret they would uncover.