A figure in a black robe turned to smoldering ash from the flames around it. A broken scythe laid behind as the ash was being swept away by a slight breeze.
"It took longer than I thought." Said Na'er as she dismisses her Silver Dragon Spear and merely glances at the slight cuts on her arms.
"Well, he is the fiend of the fifth floor, from what that sign said."Said Gu Yue as she promptly dismisses her elemental staff.
The Devil Rider, in a nutshell, was a fiend that aim for instant death against his enemies. Na'er and Gu Yue had been wary of most of the riders attack because of how much the aura of death surrounded it.
Combine with his ability to covered the whole room with darkness and utilize the element of space to move around, made him an almost impossible enemy to overcome. Too bad he met Gu Yue and Na'er who were able to perfectly counter his skills.
Yet he didn't make it any easy, as he forced both of the girls to work for their win in the fight. Even almost dragging them to death with him.
"You think we will be the first?" Questioned Na'er and Gu Yue only shrug her shoulder.
"Even if we are the first, without Yuanen telling us where the seed was. It wouldn't really matter."Said Gu Yue.
"I guess. I wonder how everyone is doing."Mutter Na'er as she trailed behind Gu Yue.
#
"Big Sis! Are you ok?"Questioned Xu Lizhi eagerly as he ran toward Ye Xinglan who was standing over the corpse of a fading demon.
The demon's top half was that of a red humanoid with a decorative robe with two horns protruding through its head. While its lower half was that of a blue scaled monster with nine serpentine heads.
"I'm fine and seeing as how you have time to worry about me, they all must be dead?" Questioned Ye Xinglan to Xu Lizhi who only chuckle while scratching his head.
"Yea, they weren't really much compared to you." Said Xu Lizhi as he glances at the bodies of the red humanoid demons.
The fiend of this room that both Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan walk into kept on summoning red humanoids. That would attack Ye Xinglan from afar, as she fought the fiend.
So Xu Lizhi decided to focus on slaughtering them, while he kept up the support on his big sis.
"Don't be an idiot fatty. If you didn't kill those demons, I would have a harder time."Said Ye Xinglan.
She meant it as fighting this demon was pretty tricky considering how the top half of the demon would rain down arrays of elements on her. It wasn't just only one, two, or three elements but six-element which was something she only ever saw Gu Yue do.
Then the bottom half would rush in toward her and try to rip her apart with some of its serpentine head. While the other heads that weren't trying to rip her apart would spew fire to keep her away or try to catch her while she was off guard.
Yet that didn't stop her from defeating them.
"Anyway let's go fatty." Said Ye Xinglan with Xu Lizhi nodding his head.
#
"Could it really be on the extra floor?" Question Xie Xie with a face full of worry.
He was worried that the fourth floor, which was the floor that they didn't get to go and passed by may have had the seed. Xie Xie didn't think there was a way back up from the previous floors that have been clear other than going straight back to the start.
That was something that they wish to avoid at all costs.
"Yuanen?" Questioned Xie Xie as he didn't hear a reply from her. He glances towards her and saw her eyes were more focus on the path ahead.
As he was about to say something else, she surprisingly dashed forward and leaving only after-images behind causing his eyes to widen.
"Hold up!"
Xie Xie dashes after Yuanen Yehui and was able to catch up with her. He didn't say anything as he knew she must have located the seed. After a while, they made it to the same drop area that was from the previous room.
"Down here?"
"Yes." Said Yuanen Yehui as she jumps down with Xie Xie following.
In the times it took to taking five breaths, they were able to reach the bottom. After they had landed, Xie Xie and Yuanen began glancing around to see they were in a large area with the land being flat.
"Over there."Mutter Yuanen Yehui as she began moving towards the center of the area. Xie Xie only sighed but followed behind her.
'I wonder if there really is an extra reward down here.' Thought Xie Xie as he kept glancing around trying to find anything that was out of place or that could be considered a treasure.
At first, he was skeptical that there was an extra floor in this dungeon and felt someone spread the rumor to get more people to compete. But considering he was here on the extra floor with Yuanen, then the other parts of the rumor must be true.
That there was a reward that surpasses all of the other treasure of the other floors. And yet, he hasn't seen anything, even with him spreading his spiritual sense outward he couldn't locate anything.
'We should be at least be awarded for making it down here.' Thought Xie Xie.
Although he did gain some fortune on the first two floors from some of the room he entered. With one of the rooms containing some images and writing about the law of Space-time. Xie Xie was able to gain some valuable insights into the law, but he didn't make any key breakthrough.
It wasn't until he was dragged into a strange state, where he was watching an ancient battle. He saw beings who he believed could easily wipe out all of Douluo Planet. If he didn't know any better, he would think they were as gods, from the way some of them used the element of time and space.
Just by watching these mighty figures, he could feel his understanding and the problems he was facing, clearing up.
'There are some moves I want to try out later.' Thought Xie Xie after he felt his comprehension of the element of space and time has gotten.
"We're here Xie Xie." Said Yuanen Yehui causing Xie Xie to be drag out from his thoughts. He spread out his sense and then gasp in shock as he felt a spark of energy damaging his spiritual sea.
"That is!"
"Yes, right now the seed is sending off energy because I'm so close to it." Said Yuanen Yehui softly.
From what Gu Yue mention and how Yuanen was feeling right now, the seeds must be reacting to her. Since if Yuanen wasn't here, then it would have stayed dormant and no one would have known it was here.
"Alright, let's destroy it." Said Xie Xie as he summoned his Dragon Space-Time dagger and charged up his spatial slash.
"Right." Said Yuanen Yehui as she summoned a sphere of black, purple and blue energy.
Both Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui launch both of their attacks at the same time towards the seed that was still underground. They didn't dig it out in fear of what would happen if both Yuanen and the seed were to make contact.
Especially considering how much the demon seed was trying to pull her towards it. They feared it may cause the seed to awaken prematurely and send out a beacon to all demons in the world.
The Spatial slash was able to move through space and make contact with the seed, while the sphere was destroying the ground above. A small crack appeared on the demon seed once Xie Xie slash was able to make contact with it and then it reacted.
Before the sphere of energy was able to get close toward the demon seed, a demonic light exploded out and caused an explosion. It was as if a volcano had erupted, bursting into the sky and causing the ground to quake.
"Crap!" Shouted Xie Xie as he went on guard with Yuanen Yehui trying to move away.
It was too late as the demon seed that was levitating in mid-air, shot a line of energy towards Yuanen Yehui. Xie Xie tried to intercept it but it was able to make contact with her before he could get in front of her.
"Yuanen!" Shouted Xie Xie.
Yuanen Yehui whole surrounding begins to turn to darkness.
'My Fallen...'
'My Fallen...'
#
Yuanen Yehui blinks her eyes, as she found herself in a deep-abyss like a realm. She glances down and found she was standing on a purple bridge that was sparkling.
'Where am I?' Thought Yuanen Yehui.
"Where else but your soul." A gentle voice rang out causing Yuanen Yehui to look ahead and gasp.
In front of her was her mother but she was far different than what Yuanen remembered. Her mother's eyes were deep purple with a huge pair of wings, and her forehead was drilled two long, curved horns.
"My daughter, you are so close to awakening. All you must do his sleep."Said her mother in a soothing voice that causing her to feel tempted.
"Wait, no." Said Yuanen Yehui as she started shaking her head. She began clenching her head as cold and dangerous ideas began to form in her mind.
Her emotion was being filled with negative thoughts as she started gaining the desire to kill and wreak havoc upon the world. She was trying her hardest to resist and ignore those negative thoughts while trying to make sense of what was going on.
"My sweet daughter, why do you resist?" Questioned her mother as she notices Yuanen Yehui was fighting back against the temptation.
"Shut up, you're not my mother."Shouted Yuanen Yehui as she was gritting her teeth while her eyes were clenched.
The pain that was pulsing through her mind and her spiritual sea was far greater than anything she ever went through.
"Are you scared of the way I am now? You don't have to be scared. You of all people should know I would never hurt you."Replied her Mother softly but Yuanen only gritted her teeth even more and began backing away from her mother.
"I'm sure you have missed me, just like I missed you."Said her mother who was now leisurely walking towards her.
"I-I don-."
"Are you sure? Are you really hundred percent sure that you don't miss me?"Questioned her mother causing Yuanen Yehui to flinch but then she began to shake her head.
"I miss my real mother! Not you."
"How are you sure I'm not your real mother? Because I look different? Because I'm showing up in front of you?"Question her mother softly causing Yuanen Yehui to stop moving back.
"You know our bond isn't that weak."Said her mother softly as she approaches her daughter. Yuanen Yehui didn't know what was right anymore as it was becoming harder and harder to think with the pain through her mind.
Couple with the fact that she has always been desperate for her mother after her death. The only thing that was stopping her from running straight into her mother embrace was the rational thought in the back of her mind.
But that thought was slowly fading away with each word her mother kept saying and the continuous pain she was feeling. It wasn't until she felt two cold hands on her face that she realized her mother had finally gotten close to her.
"Yuanen." Said her mother softly.
"M-Mom." Said Yuanen Yehui as she slowly opens her eyes to look at her mother deep purple eyes.
"Let's go home."Said her mother.
"I-."
But before Yuanen Yehui could answer a symbol appeared on her forehead and began to surge out with tyrannical power. Her mother eyes widen but before she could react, she got blasted away from Yuanen.
"W-What the."Said Yuanen Yehui as she saw her mother being blasted away and the pain that was surging through her mind was going away.
"Yuanen." Said the symbol on her forehead causing her to blink her eyes.
"Wulin? You're here?"
"No, I'm not. I only left a little bit of my aura inside of you, just in case something like this happened."Said the symbol with Wulin voice.
"Can you get me out?" Questioned Yuanen Yehui but she only received a no.
"You're going to have to break your own self out. You should be able to do it with your own strength which is a good thing. "Said the symbol on her head.
"B-But."
"Don't be scared, you aren't so weak that you lose to your own demons."Said the symbol causing Yuanen to widen her eyes.
"Besides, aren't you tired of someone having control over you and being able to control you?" Said the symbol causing Yuanen Yehui eyes to flash.
"I won't say anything more as this will be the last time I will help you. From now on you are on your own. Whether you are able to regain your mind is all up to you."Said the symbol on her forehead.
"No, this is more than enough." Said Yuanen Yehui as she stared at her mother. The symbol on her forehead began fading away.
"My sweet daug-."
"Shut up." Said Yuanen Yehui with steel in her voice.
"Yuan-."
But she couldn't finish her words, as a black sword was latched into her forehead. Yuanen Mother eyes were wide open as blood began to trail down from her forehead.
"I said be quiet you abomination." Said Yuanen Yehui as she looked at her mother in disgust as a light flash through her eyes and as she summoned another black sword.
'Aren't you tired of someone having control over you and being able to control you?'
She recalled Wulin previous words and knew he was right.