Exploiting Deus's sneak aggression, Kurmanus abruptly extended his neck again with the clear intent of chopping the enemy's head. However, a blurry red figure snatched the prey from his mouth before he could even reach it.
"Damned bastard!!"
Angry by the umpteenth intrusion of a new gnat, Kurmanus shifted his gaze rapidly toward the side following the intruder, but what he saw made him even more furious because two of the enemies were gradually fading toward the distance, leaving behind only a dazzling and hot trail.
Two of the Desert Horned Cerastir were gone. Instead, the only one left was still bewildered by the sudden event. And its anger was even greater than Kurmanus's because those two were its family members. Driven almost to madness, the creature was only one step from venting its rage on the old turtle. Yet, its mind was still clear, thanks to the many years he had lived in that hellish place, and it held him back from committing such foolishness.
With the small sanity still left, the survivor acted rapidly and dived toward the depths of the earth.
Kurmanus's reaction was even faster. Unfortunately, the layers of rocks and minerals between them gave the fugitive a huge helping hand.
Kurmanus raged and unleashed his monstrous aura in all directions, caving the ground deeper and deeper in a futile attempt.
Only half an hour had passed between the start and the end of the battle, and seeing such a ridiculous ending left the young man and Deus speechless.
No one had expected the appearance of so many foes, one after the other, especially for the last one, who stood on the side till the end and stalked its food with maniacal attention.
Atlas' group saw a blurry figure with a golden-red body and a fiery aura that could burn everything in this world.
Noticing the missing smaller sun above their head, it was evident who that shameless fellow was.
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It took him the remaining time of the trip to calm the raging fire in his heart. In fact, Kurmanus' curses became especially fierce when the missing sun rose from the East one and a half days later.
"Damned bird... I will screw your eighteen generations. Don't let me catch you, otherwise..."
Alas, no one replied, his curses angering him even more.
While the sun and the deadly daggers from the old turtle's muzzle clashed, Atlas's attention was entirely fixed on his soul.
In these almost three weeks under the sun's rays, his soul improved by leaps and bounds. In fact, using Solar Detection was no longer a burden, and he was granted a wide range of detection capabilities.
With the increase of Soul Power, the soul technique at his disposal increased, giving him offensive and defensive abilities against powerful cultivators.
One of the two new abilities was Solar Wind, which released a powerful wave of solar energy. It helped interrupt other detection attempts and damage the target.
As for the other one, he got the Solar Ray, a deadly ethereal weapon made from the purest soul energy and tempered by the Sun Flame. Its real power depended on the quantity of soul energy poured into it and the level of Sun Flame.
More techniques were hidden in the Eternal Sun Soul Art but were way beyond his reach at his current level.
Thanks to Deus's help, testing his combat capabilities turned out relatively easy, and the usage of those new weapons sharpened daily until the border of the Endless Primordial Desert was finally only a few steps away.
"We made it out..." Atlas murmured, looking at the vast forest covered by a thick veil of amassed Chaos Energy.
The border was like an invisible portal where only one step could bring a person from one side to another.
Below his feet, a long row of rocks divided the two worlds, one green filled with life and the other dark red devoid of anything.
All that was needed was a simple step, yet there was still a thing left to do before trespassing on the Eden.
Turning his head toward the giant, Atlas deeply bowed, expressing his sincere gratitude: "Thank you for everything. I will bring you the Golden Durian fruits when I get them."
"Hehehe... good boy. I trust you, but think about your safety first."
"Mmm..." He nodded.
As for Deus, he merely looked around since he had already made the necessary preparations with his old friend.
It was finally time to separate, but before that, Atlas spoke out what was lingering on his mind over the past three weeks: "Kurmanus, can you help me with one last matter?"
"Sure... What do you need?"
"A bit of your power for this little thing..."
This was one of his most important secrets, but given Deus and Kurmanus' relationship, Atlas didn't hold back anymore.
Suddenly, the Aetherium Heart appeared in front of them. Atlas' intention became immediately apparent to Deus. He had wanted to propose the same thing but didn't dare to meddle too much since this was related to Atlas' precious secrets.
Soon, the Illusory Eos Seeds descended from the globe like a precious drop of nectar and pierced the soil until they were satisfied.
Turning his head once again toward Kurmanus, Atlas responded to his confused expression with words: "If you give him enough energy, the seed will blossom in a precious flower and connect me and this location directly."
His explanation was pretty simple. However, such a revelation was so absurd that Kurmanus reacted a while later.
"What are you talking about?"
Seeing his old friend in difficulty, Deus gave him an even simpler explanation: "It is a teleportation portal available only to this little fellow."
"What!?" he shouted even more weirdly.
"Ohi... stop wasting time and pour your energy inside. Everything will be clear after that."
Still a bit bewildered, Kurmanus followed Deus's suggestion. Absurdly, it took him almost the same time as the one planted on Falgnis' island. Such discovery made Atlas think about many things. Still, he hid the shock in his heart and looked back at the old turtle with gratitude.
"Thank you again..."
"Enough with all those pleasantries and show me its abilities..."
Kurmanus couldn't believe such a treasure was reality, so he hastily requested a demonstration.
Right under his nose, Atlas disappeared, leaving behind a tiny dragon with a wide smug on his muzzle.
"Incredible, right?"
Kurmanus ignored him and instead searched for Atlas or the flower's presence. Still, to his surprise, there was nothing before him. He truly wanted to slam one of his paws where Atlas had disappeared, yet after some thought, he held back and sighed: "What is that witchcraft?"
"It seems that your ancestor memories had no records about it." Deus commented calmly: "Have you ever heard about the Nihility Dimension?"
"Nihility Dimension? No, never! What is that?"
"It's an isolated realm where that little boy can enter. It's a wonderful place."
For some strange reason, Deus didn't keep its existence a secret and spilled the bean. And Atlas, who had just returned from the other side, couldn't help but look at his companion strangely.
The young man wasn't worried anymore but still a bit confused.
"Hey... old turtle, if you follow this little boy, he will permit you to enter that place. Are you interested?"
Sure enough, Deus always had an ulterior motive. Still, the only thought of bringing such a behemoth with them was simply too tempting even for him.
The brief silence that followed alimented Atlas' hope exponentially. Unfortunately, as soon as Kurmanus responded, those wild thoughts evaporated into a puff of smoke.
"No thanks... I'm not a nanny like you. Ask me again when you've become at least an expert at the peak of the Sage Realm."
"Well... At least, I tried..." Deus shrugged, not even the slightest bit perturbed by his refusal. And then continued: "Such being the case, it's time for us to separate. What are your plans from now on?"
"Hmm... if nothing strange happens over the desert, you can find me here. Feel free to come."
His words were directed principally at Atlas since he was still a weak human cultivator in his eyes.
"Mmm, that's good to hear..." Deus commented, rather satisfied by his plan, and then looked back at the young man: "Let's move... The Land of Eden Rising is waiting for us!"
Finally, after almost three long weeks filled with incredible tension, a safer and fresher trip started for the duo. As for their destination, only the little dragon knew.