The Great Primordial Labyrinth, 99th Floor
In a garden filled with vibrant flowers and towering trees, the heavenly sound of a zither resonates endlessly. Its enchanting melody brings the grass and flowers to life, swaying and dancing in harmony. The source of this ethereal sound is a girl dressed in white, her flowing hair matching her attire, exuding an otherworldly aura untouched by the world. As the music fades, she opens her striking red eyes, capable of captivating anyone's soul with just a glance.
"This truly calms the mind, which often feels unstable due to rapid cultivation and a shaky foundation, while also erasing inner demons. It's an effective method, but it doesn't apply to me; I will never have an inner demon or an unstable foundation. However, it serves as a powerful attack method. By using sound attacks combined with soul sense and primordial energy, I can directly obliterate my enemies' souls," Anna mused, gazing at her handmade zither.
"I'm really enjoying this hobby of playing music. Perhaps I loved music in my previous life. I can't be sure since I don't remember anything, but playing the zither refreshes my mood." She recalled her experience on the 85th floor of the dungeon, where infusing her will into the zither was a challenging task that ultimately helped her discover her passion. While tea-making, calligraphy, and painting on other floors were enjoyable, none compared to the zither, which evoked a unique feeling within her.
Now, on the 99th floor, Anna had just defeated a demonic cultivator who wielded various techniques capable of contaminating the soul. Yet, in the face of her dark element and curse, they were nothing. Still, the encounter was irritating, prompting her to play the zither to soothe her mind.
The type of cultivation that intrigued Anna the most was talisman cultivation, a subject she knew little about, and there was no inheritance available in the dungeon. While defeating talisman cultivators wasn't particularly challenging, the gaps in her knowledge and the fascinating effects of talismans piqued her interest. She believed the absence of talisman inheritance in the dungeon was a way for her to seek knowledge outside, reminding her that she didn't know everything and that the world was vast, requiring her to remain vigilant.
Next were the dharma cultivators, akin to magicians who attacked using spiritual energies but possessed weak bodies. In contrast, body cultivators focused on physical strength but struggled with spiritual energy usage. Music cultivators directly targeted the soul, but if one's divine sense surpassed theirs, they could only attack using sound made of spiritual energy.
Alchemy cultivators, on the other hand, cultivated entirely by using piles of pills and were less effective in combat, competing instead in alchemical prowess. Beast tamer cultivators commanded contracted beasts to fight for them, but what could a mere beast do against a primordial dragon? Sword cultivators, who lived and breathed their swords, were the most formidable in battle, as their blades could cut through anything. However, reaching that level required them to attain the peak realm.
There were also poison cultivators who utilized toxins as a means of attack, but primordial blood could obliterate anything, rendering their poisons ineffective. Similarly, gu cultivators employed insects to infiltrate their opponents' bodies, controlling or destroying them from within, but once again, they couldn't penetrate Anna's skin. Many others existed, but they were not interesting enough and were weak.
After twenty long years, Anna felt ready to assimilate with the dungeon core and venture into the outside world. She had dispatched ten more dolls as a precaution, but it proved unnecessary, as there were few Mahayana realm cultivators directly outside the dungeon. The new dolls were sent under the leadership of Grandpa Steelclaw to various continents. Due to the time difference—one year inside the dungeon equating to ten years outside—the elders had managed to accomplish everything they had planned over the course of 200 years in the mortal realm. Yet, Anna instructed them not to share any information, wishing to preserve the thrill of exploration for herself. She knew her clan had spread throughout the mortal world, from the highest to the lowest continent, with their headquarters hidden in one of the most secretive locations.
After taking a final look around the dungeon, Anna approached the last floor and gazed at the core in the center of the room. The core resembled a sphere made of cosmic energy, radiating an otherworldly beauty. Drawn to it, she walked closer, feeling an irresistible pull. Just as she reached it, the core surged toward her, merging with her soul core's inner world. Anna froze as the assimilation unfolded within her, while the dungeon around her began to dissolve into particles, absorbed directly into her soul core.
As all the floors vanished, the temple reappeared, but she could only watch as it too was absorbed into her soul core. Once the process was complete, she regained her ability to move, but this time she was no longer in the dungeon; she was outside of it. Without any hesitation or delay, Anna hurriedly entered her inner world. Her cultivation aura was unsuppressed, and the leaked primordial energy caused the Heavenly Dao to treat her as a newly born primordial, heralding heavenly visions.
Taking a look around what she saw astonished her: the entire realm was a breathtaking tapestry of nature, featuring rivers, trees, oceans, and everything from the dungeon floors. Even the medicinal herb gardens and primordial energy rivers had expanded. It was a stunning world, and although no life forms inhabited it yet, she planned to introduce any interesting creatures she encountered.
Deciding to take a good rest, Anna transformed into her dragon form, which was the most comfortable for her. In this state, she discovered that she could control this vast world, larger than Earth, with just her thoughts after assimilating the dungeon core. She liked this feeling of having everything at her fingertips. Looking at the bamboo house gifted by her grandmother, she commanded, "Arise," and with her will, a castle large enough to accommodate her dragon form rose majestically from the ground.
Anna entered her castle and settled in, anticipating sweet dreams about her upcoming adventures.
Meanwhile, outside, the entire continent was thrown into chaos as cultivators frantically searched for the source of the immense energy radiation. Anna thought that the little energy would do nothing if she hurriedly entered her inner world, but she had forgotten that this was a low-level continent. Her cultivation was so high that even a single stomp of her feet could destroy the entire continent. Although no physical damage occurred, nearly every cultivator sensed the energy emanating from her and believed a great treasure had been born.
However, this had nothing to do with Anna, who was sleeping soundly, blissfully unaware of the commotion she had caused.