CHAPTER 58
Unawakened: The Stone-Fate Altar
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Two ladies stepped forward, parting the crowd like royalty.
One was dressed in Yellow, the other in Blue. Like Lu Xie, they both wore veils, marking them as fellow Children of Principalities.
Lu Xie's mind quickly pulled up the relevant information on the two interlopers.
They were Dohli the fifth Yogi in Yellow and Bavna the third Yogi in Blue.
According to Alia's memories, they were as evil as they came. They took immense joy in tormenting the introverted Alia and never bothered to hide their disdain. They were classic bullies—loud, insecure, and utterly lacking in creativity.
This made Lu Xie instantly despise them.
"The Heavens may truly be blind," Lu Xie retorted, her voice smooth and carrying across the silent hall. "How else would such brainless wretches be allowed to gallivant about without being struck down by the highest retribution? I couldn't agree with you more. It is a miracle you are both still breathing."
The crowd cooed in excitement at the brewing drama.
Even the Foul-Mouth Necromancer, Anthara, couldn't help but grin, giving Lu Xie a secret thumbs-up from behind her podium. She appreciated a girl with a sharp tongue.
"Well said, Alia! You have really become a different person. The old you would have just let anyone walk all over you. This suits you much better."
A heroic voice cut through the accumulating crowd, possessing enough charisma to make the disciples instinctively clear a path.
A pair of suave figures walked through. One was dressed in Green, the other in Pink asambo, complimented by hat veils that obscured their faces.
Lu Xie's eyes snapped towards the source of the voice. It was all too familiar to forget.
They were none other than the strange twins who had abducted her just the day before.
Lu Xie's eyes flashed with something dangerous. Her gaze squinted, and it took a majority of her mental fortitude to stop herself from cursing out their ten ancestors and ten descendants right there and then.
Bavna and Dohli's faces immediately shifted from arrogance to dignified mortification at being publicly ganged up against. It was usually them who ganged up against others.
This duo was ranked significantly higher. They were Yuge the forth Yogi in Green and Huge the first Yogi in Pink.
Although Huge was ranked First—the strongest of the Children—rumors whispered that he had once lost to his twin, Yuge, in a secret match. The only reason Yuge sat at Rank fourth was simply because he preferred the color green over pink.
Yuge was known to be quiet and mysterious, while his twin, Huge, was the social butterfly who had just spoken in Alia's favor.
At that moment, two more youths dressed in Orange and Purple arrived. Naturally, they represented the sixth and second Children of Principalities.
Now, all Seven Children of Principalities had gathered in one place.
The reason was simple, curiosity. They all wanted to see what the "cursed" Alia's Innate Spirit would be.
However, Lu Xie noticed a pattern. Each of the seven had paired themselves up.
The first and fourth being twins, the third and fifth being bullies and the second and sixth.
Alia was the seventh. She stood alone.
'That poor soul must have been so lonely,' Lu Xie observed. 'Anyways, that is not really my business. After flopping this test, I will naturally be kicked out. Sorry, you all will have to be disappointed.'
Lu Xie didn't have to wait too long before it was her turn.
By now, the space outside the Pagoda was packed full of monitoring eyes following her every move.
Even some secluded Elders, Demonesses, Lords, Priests, and Priestesses had appeared. These upper-echelon officials were naturally allowed to enter the Pagoda along with the six other Yogis, while the common disciples craned their necks from outside.
Lu Xie was stunned by the fanfare.
'To think the introverted Alia was this famous... No! Could it be because she is one of the Yogis? No, that's not right. According to the memories, the other six didn't spark this much attention.'
'The entire Coven is basically present. And suddenly, I am feeling uneasy.'
'This shouldn't be about that Blood Rain phenomenon, right? Forget it. It will soon be over. I will probably get drowned in spit and insults for being a Merefolk, but that is a small price to pay to leave this place.'
Her internal monologue finally came to an end as she reached the Stone-Fate Altar.
"Proceed!" The High Priestess's voice commanded from the void.
Lu Xie took a deep breath. She steeled herself for failure.
She slowly placed both hands on the altar.
BOOM!
The change was immediate.
The Stone-Fate Altar didn't hum—it screamed. It shook violently, instantly dyed an inky black with a sickly green hue.
In the hall, directly above the Altar, a silent rip in space manifested.
A cold, wicked breeze engulfed the Pagoda. An intangible, oppressive force tugged at everyone's soul. The force was merciless; even the light itself wasn't spared.
The skies darkened in a flash. Night descended in the middle of the day. The sun was blotted out until the stars became visible, and soon, even the stars vanished.
All the lights were gone. Darkness wasn't spared either.
All that was left was a Chaotic Grey Void that filled the hall, erasing the concept of direction.
Then, within the maw of chaos, a Green Sun bloomed.
It took the form of a massive Four-Leaf Clover, bathing the grey void in the eerie light of life and radioactivity.
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
Each of the four leaves detached themselves before disintegrating into plasma light. They swirled together, morphing into a silhouette.
A Phantom Green Cat appeared. It had glowing emerald eyes and a strange, golden ring floating around the tip of its tail.
Meow?
The sound wasn't cute; it sounded like distorted static.
The cat dashed about in the chaos like a fish in a river. As it moved, it flickered, morphing into various beasts.
One second it was an Green Axe-Head Serpent.
The next, a Massive Green Snail.
Then, a Green Butterfly.
It was mimicking every Mythical Attribute and Innate Spirit Lu Xie had seen since arriving in this world. It was a spirit of pure chaos—one that had no form, yet possessed all forms.
CRACK!
The Stone-Fate Altar shook more violently than before. Its color shifted from black to gold, then to a bloody crimson.
Hairline fissures spread along the ancient stone. Fine crumbs and dust began to fall off.
The artifact couldn't handle the pressure.
However, this heralded another strange sight.