The requirements for the Ultimate-Grade Spirit Roots are the existence of high grade Five Elements Yin and Yang Spirit Roots. Only with the harmony of ten elements would it become possible to harness the power of Creation.
All I needed at this point was one last push.
The Core of Origin gave it to me.
I watched as the Five Elements Yin Spirit Root successfully elevated itself to the high grade. The moment it did so, it spurned on a strong resonance to the Five Elements Yang Spirit Roots.
Hum.
The two sets of Spirit Roots fused with each other. They complemented each other, filling in their remaining innate flaws. With the two sides strengthening one another, a new kind of Spirit Root emerged.
Complete Five Elements Spirit Root, also known as...
Creation Spirit Root.
It is the ultimate grade Spirit Root written in the [Toushen Yin-Yang Aperture Manual]. Along with it came numerous enhancements.
The Divine Laws corresponding to the Five Elements, Yin-Yang, Extremity, and Void merged seamlessly into the Dao of All Creation. Ten different colored lights glimmered on my crown.
All of this occurred in an instant.
My gaze landed on IX's remaining influence. It is severely weakened by Kiana's and Seele's strikes. It no longer possessed the overwhelming might it once had.
My fingers gripped the invisible sword in my hand. It has no substance, staying as nothing but a construct of my mind. The Divine Sword could act that way even with the absence of a 'weapon'.
I could barely contain the light emitted by the Core of Origin. Its last bit of power seeped into the sword I held. The power of miracles manifested tangibly.
Its aura grew stronger. A trace of my ultimate grade Spirit Root's power flowed onto it without restraints. Origin carried all the burden in doing so.
When wishes turn into miracles, logic is not needed.
It happens because it happens.
A deus ex machina of sorts, perchance.
I stared in silence as the sword went beyond the seventh level. The Dao of All Creation is a Dao that leads straight to the Dao Integration Realm. Its partial influence allowed me to summon its might in advance.
The power contained inside every fiber of my being is channeled into this sword.
The sword that renders the very nature of worlds, the World Rendering Sword.
A swift stroke decided the outcome of this battle.
Buzz-!
*****
The Imaginary Tree connects all worlds through its branches. Every world has its own "bubble" (i.e., imaginary barrier) that separates it from other worlds. It is for such a reason that a ripple capable of passing through countless worlds earned the universe's attention.
"A never-before-seen Path—"
The first to notice these changes was none other than Erudition.
"The Path of Creation…"
A smile appeared on the witch's face.
"How audacious."
…
"The memories are not mistaken. Something is capable of shaking the oceans inside."
The Memokeeper glanced at the Sky People cluelessly wandering around her before turning her gaze towards the direction of a world.
To her astonishment, its imaginary barrier grew stronger with each passing moment. Seconds was all it took to thoroughly isolate the world from the other worlds. An unprecedented excitement overwhelmed her mind.
The likes of the Fourth Instance could not compare to this 'event'.
"Will this world witness the birth of a new Aeon?"
…
On a planet where there was eternal rain, a woman held her red paper umbrella. She looked above mindlessly. Nobody could see the thoughts in her eyes.
"A familiar feeling. Why were they there..?"
The woman could not help but feel lost.
…
"There is no future."
Brightly-lit characters appeared above a black cat. The elegant and beautiful woman beside it was about to ask something when the characters reformed themselves.
"There is no past. The world is truly in turmoil. This power may pose changes unwritten on the script."
The black cat did not care anymore as it licked its paws and slept. Its words to the woman were akin to a reminder.
For a while, the Stellaron Hunters are destined to be on hiatus.
…
Each faction residing on the vast worlds kept different reactions. The emergence of a new Aeon was no laughing matter. The last time it occurred was fifty thousand years ago.
The Aeon of Destruction, Nanook, grew rapidly. The Antimatter Legion spread Destruction to hundreds, if not thousands of worlds, in the past thousands of years. They made a name for themselves, enough to make everyone wary.
One thing was certain: the "vague" signs of a new Aeon's emergence was enough to spook everyone.
When everyone tried to probe for its origins, they left with no results. It was as if that power never existed in the first place.
Unbeknownst to them, immortal cultivators at the Dao Integration Realm had long severed their karma. Any attempts to pry open their secrets will be met with zero results, or worse, a major backlash.
The power gap between this world and immortal cultivators gave the latter an insane competitive edge.
As for the origin of that power…
"It's done."
"...Thanks."
"Hmph."
He is busy fighting for his life.
"I thought we talked about it before? That you wouldn't risk going alone."
"I have no other excuses for that."
Kiana let out a soft hum on her throat before facing him again. Shi Tian did not bother making any random excuses…
And it worked.
She let out a helpless sigh.
"Whatever you are facing, tell me first, alright?"
"Yeah…"
Kiana took one step. Her body reappeared right in front of him.
"I need your compensation."
"..."
Shi Tian did not say anything else but nodded. He knew he would be under Kiana's mercy after this Although, it remains to be seen who will outlast who.
"Your guess turned out to be the right one. Its embrace feels like a borrowed power."
Kiana went to serious affairs.
For two years, she slept and accepted the Cocoon of Finality's Embrace, thereby becoming the sole Herrscher of Finality. Her cultivator side allowed her to shorten the acceptance phase from a decade to two years.
Unfortunately, the Peak of Golden Core Realm is limited when it comes to helping her better utilize the Cocoon's power.
That was until five minutes ago. Kiana successfully transcended the Nascent Soul Realm. This opened up to "more uses" of the Cocoon's powers. Being able to touch upon dimensions more skillfully was one such perk. She no longer needed anchors in most circumstances—her eyes alone would do.
Most importantly, the Cocoon of Finality itself is a massive cultivation hack. It boosts cultivation speed by a notch above the typical soul tempering. That turned Kiana into Shi Tian's biggest cultivation hack.
"What would happen if I hadn't strengthened the imaginary barrier in time?"
Just then, Kiana asked a sudden question.
"Earth will be exposed to everyone else. We'll have endless troubles by then."
She nodded.
Right before Shi Tian's [World Rendering Sword] dissipated, he used its final burst of power to temporarily isolate the solar system from everyone else. The degree of completeness—strength—of the Dao Integration Realm exceeded most of this world's powers. That was enough to cover for Kiana's ascension to the Nascent Soul Realm. Once she finished, she was more than capable in reinforcing the imaginary barrier to the next level.
Moreover, with the Cocoon's power, Kiana messed with the barrier and added something else: time dilution.
Prior estimates show that Earth's time will move two hundred times faster than the other worlds.
"Now that we bought some time, isn't it time to think about that?"
"What else?"
She did not say anything but smiled.
For a good reason, Shi Tian saw the desires in Kiana's star-like pink irises overflow.
*****
A/N: We didn't reach 500 PS last week (only 470, unfortunately), but since it's Christmas, I'll count it as one. The bonus chapter will be published in the next two days.