Within the center of the void, where nine types of energy were emerging, five mysterious beings sat surrounded by the swirling forces, seemingly absorbing them in a trance. Beneath them, various realms came into view, including the God Realm and many others.
While they were immersed in meditative enlightenment, their eyes suddenly opened, as if all had sensed something unusual.
"Hmm... Strange. Something is forcefully entering the River of Time."
The black-robed man spoke, his entire being shrouded in obscurity. The same was true for the other four beings absorbing the energy alongside him. Their bodies seemed both present and nonexistent at once.
After hearing his words, the others appeared to agree, each sensing it too. However, one of them responded irritably.
"Hmph. I'm sure this has something to do with your disgusting descendants again. You little pipsqueak, make sure to restrain your people from invading the God Realm, or I will wipe out every single one of them."
Her feminine voice, filled with restrained fury, shook the surrounding void with mere words. The other beings looked at her in silence, unwilling to interfere. Her existence could not be clearly perceived, and none dared to provoke her.
The black-robed man flinched slightly but then shook his head, denying her accusation.
"Impossible. I sensed no demonic aura in the River of Time. There was no cause or effect present. Do not slander me, Mother of Gods."
An awkward and oppressive atmosphere filled the void. The three beings fell silent, choosing not to get involved. The one addressed by the black-robed man finally responded.
"Make sure that is truly the case, pipsqueak. If my true body awakens and I discover it myself, do not blame me for being impolite. You all already know my obsession, so stay in your place."
Her warning was clear. The weight of her words pierced through the other three as well. They understood exactly what she meant.
The black-robe man muttered to himself with frustration.
"This lunatic is way too overprotective. I better inform those fools before I get dragged into it too."
With that thought, he closed his eyes and continued absorbing energy. At the same time, he sent out several projections to relay his message. It was all he could do for now. He had no intention of causing trouble, especially in his current weakened state.
Meanwhile, within the divine space, Olivia appeared tiny before the colossal throne. She still sat cross-legged after silencing the black rat, which remained frozen in fear, unable to move. Her demeanor shifted in the blink of an eye as she became calm and stared blankly into the air. Then, as if clarifying something to herself, she spoke.
"Is it the present? Hmm, it should be. I want to see Eri, but I don't have much time for that. For now, I will do my best to strengthen myself."
She began meditating as if comprehending something profound. The system suddenly rang out multiple times, alarming Ella. She also noticed the system prompts and was shocked as she observed the notifications unfolding before her.
DING!
➤ Your twin sister Olivia has comprehended the Law of Time. [ Her connection to the Dao of Time has deepened. ]
DING!
➤ Your twin sister Olivia has comprehended the Law of Life. [ Her connection to the Dao of Life has deepened. ]
DING!
➤ Your twin sister Olivia has comprehended the Law of Death. [ Her connection to the Dao of Death has deepened. ]
DING!
➤ Your twin sister Olivia has comprehended the Law of Space. [ Her connection to the Dao of Space has deepened. ]
DING!
➤ Your twin sister Olivia has fused the Law of Life and the Law of Death. [ She has comprehended the Advanced Law of Life and Death, greatly enhancing her connection to its Dao. ]
Ella stared in shock and couldn't help but mutter, "What law? What the hell is that?" She cursed, unable to comprehend what was happening, and nearly woke Tia from her sleep. Still curious, Ella asked the system, and it immediately responded to her question.
DING!
➤ Laws are primordial forces that existed before the birth of all creation.
➤ The Dao is an obscured power that transcends all reality, guiding the essence of existence itself.
Hearing the explanation, Ella nodded and couldn't help but feel amazed by Olivia's achievement. She had to admit that Olivia's current power had already surpassed her own, especially since Olivia had comprehended law.
This was a frightening realization.
Ella had experienced the pressure of law back in the Human Realm, where she had been completely suppressed and unable to move.
The system had even mentioned that Olivia was only using an inferior version of the law at the time, merely borrowing its power. Now that Olivia had comprehended various laws on her own, Ella understood that she could not even touch her unless she, too, grasped the laws. That was clearly impossible at her current level.
"Ugh, just how did Vivi comprehend it? I want to know."
With that decision, Ella quietly left Tia's room. Since Tia was in deep sleep, she did not want to disturb her. She immediately used teleportation and appeared in front of the colossal throne in an instant.
After that, she stared at Olivia, who was in a trance as if comprehending something, and softly said, "Vivi."
Olivia immediately opened her eyes, which were now profoundly calm.
However, when she heard her twin's voice, her brow twitched. She looked at Ella with slightly trembling hands but quickly suppressed the reaction and muttered to herself, "It seems my time is already up. I need to leave, or the river of time will completely erase me. But before that, I need to discard a certain technique."
With a single thought, she erased her memories of that technique. Then, she smiled one last time at Ella before closing her eyes.
The mysterious mist surrounding her faded away. When she opened her eyes again, her expression had changed. Her usual lazy demeanor returned, her eyes filled with sleepiness as she yawned uncontrollably.
"Haaah... I'm still sleepy. Hmm? Eri? You're awake?" she asked as if she had just woken up.
Ella furrowed her brows. She felt that something was strange but couldn't pinpoint what it was.
She dismissed the feeling as a side effect of comprehending laws and decided to congratulate Olivia.
"Congratulations, Vivi. I didn't expect you to comprehend that many laws. Now you're definitely stronger than me."
Olivia looked confused by the compliment.
"What law? I didn't comprehend anything, Eri. I was just asleep. By the way, Eri, I'm hungry. Do you know any delicious pizza flavors?"
She asked with a childish tone, showing no concern for laws as if she truly didn't understand them.
Ella stared at her with envy. "Tsk. Geniuses are really built different. Comprehending laws by sleeping—how does that make sense?"
Still confused, she asked the system. But the system replied the same way. It had no idea how Olivia had done it, which only made Ella more certain of her conclusion.
"Damn, even the system can't figure it out. Vivi really is a genius."
She admitted it to herself, feeling both jealous and proud. While she envied Olivia's rapid growth, she also felt relieved. If Olivia had the talent to survive even the most dangerous situations, then Ella would not have to worry as much. As long as they continued to grow together while keeping their bond and strength intact, they would have a real chance of surviving in this era where even gods could be killed instantly without anyone noticing.
With that thought, she immediately urged Olivia to hurry up.
"Okay, Vivi, eat first. After that, we need to break through and return to the God Realm to see what has changed. Right now, there aren't many powerhouses who can see through our true cultivation realm. That's because the system rewarded us with a technique called Void-Returning Shadow Concealment Art. It is a concealment technique that can hide your cultivation from experts who are three realms higher than you."
"If we raise our realm now, it will still be completely safe. After reaching the Horizon Realm, even our Mom, who is a powerhouse, will have trouble sensing our true cultivation. This technique is incredibly safe because it hides our aura, breath, and karmic resonance. It also erases all traces of cause and effect, avoids fate deduction, and blocks origin tracing. It is truly a powerful technique," Ella said to herself in amazement.
The system had given them a generous reward—one that was not only useful but could help them stay unnoticed.
"With this, we will seem just like mortals. As we move, we won't make a sound. Our movements will become formless, like shadows, almost like the void itself. So, Vivi, finish eating quickly. We will break through right after."
Olivia nodded while munching on her food, though she wasn't really listening to Ella. Instead, she focused entirely on eating, forgetting everything around her and immersing herself in her own little world. For some strange reason, her hunger was overwhelming. Without hesitation, she created more food, filling the entire throne room with dishes of all kinds.
Ella was speechless at the sight but chose not to comment. Instead, she patiently waited for Olivia to finish, using the time to review her own cultivation realms and inspect her body for any flaws or inconsistencies.
Meanwhile, the black rat beneath them had finally regained enough strength to move. The aroma of Olivia's feast drifted down to where it hid, stirring a powerful craving. It trembled with the urge to leap up and devour everything, but fear kept it rooted in place. Memories of being ruthlessly beaten surfaced, making it shiver. All it could do was wait in silent frustration, overwhelmed by a hunger so primal it made it curse and squeak helplessly, a hunger only a mortal could understand.
Five hours passed. The throne room grew quiet. The twins had finally finished their preparations. Sitting cross-legged, they entered a deep meditative state.
A breakthrough was coming.