An hour before the battle within the sea of consciousness.

Within the central area of the hidden realm.

...

█...Allow me to firstly give you my heartfelt gratitude!█

A slight smile upon the pure white face of the devilish being.

Greetings were exchanged as the tale "within" had started.

But the ones in front of the devil knew nothing regarding that and only felt a chill run down their back at the sight of that smile.

█Huh? Why is everyone so quiet? Ah... You must be wondering the cause of my abrupt gratitude, correct?█

The devil consisting only of white and black continued with one of his hands behind his back and the other holding the sphere with a Taiji manifestation, remained nonchalant while appearing completely unguarded.

"..." On the other hand, Mo Suyin and Xiao Xiang remained on guard prepared to strike at any time, not even having the leeway to respond to the devil's ramblings as they felt absolute fear from its very presence.

█Well, it's quite fair for you to wonder about my "gratitude"... But it's not all that complex actually...█ The devil in white's smile deepened as he spoke with an elated tone, █That fake was quite the persistent bastard after all, the unsalvageable wretch kept holding onto that name like a fool... An absolute mistake created by pure chance, deluded himself to be a true being█

Soon the devil's gaze shifted and fixed itself onto the two girls facing him, █Hmph what a fool he was... That Xin Jianyu.█

The air suddenly shifted as a sharp glint sparked through the eyes of the devil's opponents. Feeling satisfied by the response, he continued, █And thanks to you all, it's truly a joy that he's dead.█

Xiao Xiang flinched at this, although she felt great sorrow, her instincts didn't let her process emotions like grief, as her life was in a rather precarious situation currently.

Mo Suyin, on the other hand, snapped upon hearing this and rushed toward the devil in white while rearing her fist.

After all, unlike Xiao Xiang, for Mo Suyin Jianyu wasn't just a mere infatuation nor was he simply her savior. To her... She was part of her family, someone who even reminded her of her parents.

And so she couldn't contain her rage, and she immediately attacked the white devil.

Her arm soon encased in wooden bark, swelled, transforming into more of a hammer rather than a fist.

*BOOM!

The entirety of the cavernous system reverberated with a thunderous sound as her fist descended upon the white devil who simply reached out towards her fist with his hand upon which the Taiji sphere floated.

What happened next seemingly defied Mo Suyin's concept of reality as her gauntlet of wooden exoskeleton began to loose color and texture turning into calligraphy etched upon a blank reality with an ink of darkness,

"...?!" Mo Suyin's eyes widened in shock seeing her attack fail completely.

"Suyin duck!"

Hearing Xiao Xiang's voice, Mo Suyin snapped out of her stupor springing into action instantaneously.

Raising her body, she raised her body mid-air kicking the devil's arm to propel herself towards the side shedding the wooden gauntlet that had begun to crumble apart like ash.

█Hm~?█

The devil simply let out a bemused sound as he saw the incoming javelin of gold liquid. Not even caring about guarding himself or a counterattack, he took it head on, and as the javelin came in contact with Mo Suyin's shed ashen gauntlet, it exploded into an ashen cloud illuminated by gold.

'Did we get him?' This thought passed Xiao Xiang's mind, unbeknownst to her she had planted a massive flag.

█Huhu... Truly exhilarating! This power...!█

As that voice echoed, Suyin began to prepare for another attack. Ashen clouds began to swirl and condense soon revealing the devil still as unharmed as before with the ashen clouds now forming a ring around the Taiji sphere.

The devil raised his hand, piercing through the Taiji sphere that collapsed into a liquidy gray substance that absorbed the ashen cloud ring solidifying into vines enveloping his hand.

Mo Suyin's instincts began to scream in fear as she witnessed two buds forming upon the devil's hand, prompting her to unleash her attack prematurely.

She used a claw arts towards the devil, mirroring her actions, a wooden claw emerged from the ground shooting towards the devil.

Similarly, Xiao Xiang had also brought out an ornate urn with depictions of a giant azure serpent etched upon it given to her by her teacher. The urn let out torrential water which Xiao Xiang imbued it with her golden qi.

Both of the attacks were a force to be reckoned with. Surely, if they were to reach the devil, even he would not remain unscathed.

However, as if part of a grand plan, just as the attacks were about to reach him, the buds laid upon the devil's hand bloomed with a blinding white light accompanied by torrential waves of spiritual qi.

...

█Hoh~The power of the abyss... It is as potent as expected, truly magnificent! But...█ 

As the visibility returned, the devil's voice, bemused and joyous, continued as he proudly examined the ashen garden of countless flowers surrounding him... His domain.

█You, yourself are quite the exceptional ones as well!█  The devil spoke as he looked at Xiao Xiang and Mo Suyin, who despite having been in close proximity to his domain, not only resisted his domain but also ended up forming their own incomplete domains!

Domains weren't simply a manifestation of one's talent, but a symbol of one's connection with the world as well as their will that defied the world. This very connection with the world was why domains were only available to Unity realm cultivators...

And while the devil... "Zhou Tiandi" had expected that the great Dao Sage's filth might be able to do something like that, however, Mo Suyin's talent and will truly astonished him.

The words of praise tinged with a slight sarcasm and deception left a bitter taste in Xiao Xiang's mouth, █Honestly, quite a waste to let such a talented disciple rot away like this... How about I, Zhou Tiandi, let you go?█

The devil mentioned such a thing so casually that one might just think that he had not attempted to kill the two just a moment ago, █Of course, I can't let that one go... That filth will die here today.█

His next words were more so like a decree than a fleeting comment like his prior words. His distaste for Xiao Xiang was as apparent as his inhumane existence.

Hearing this, Xiao Xiang felt anxious... and questioned herself why the being before her hated her.

"Miss Xiao, support me."

Hearing Mo Suyin's voice, Xiao Xiang felt extremely touched. She had always known that Mo Suyin was someone who cared about others a lot. Often treating those close to her as her family. But for her to care for her even in such a situation truly touched Xiao Xiang...

At least until she looked at Mo Suyin, her aura was filled with rage, a killing intent forming within her heart and most importantly, her eyes... Her eyes never contained Xiao Xiang. They only held rage.

"Yes." With her brief response, Xiao Xiang weaved a spell by dipping the tip of her finger into the urn, bringing out a string of liquid gold and forming multiple hand seals. With each seal, the golden liquid changed forms. However, the devil... Zhou Tiandi simply stared at them with a smile.

"Tears of the Azure Serpent!"

A faint cry resonated from her technique as she imbued the string of golden liquid into Mo Suyin.

Mo Suyin's entire being seemed to transform. Golden ethereal scales enveloped her body, which contorted and changed to form wooden scales lined with a golden glow, forming a majestic armor.

Her eyes glowed with the power of the Azure Serpent, the ancestor of the Yin family, as she assumed a stance, ready to face Zhou Tiandi.

Zhou Tiandi, still surrounded by his ashen domain... his garden, observed Mo Suyin's transformation with widened eyes. His devilish form remained unchanged, yet his heart was filled with a strange, uncomfortable sense of familiarity as he stared at that technique.

Not knowing anything regarding this, Xiao Xiang, standing beside Mo Suyin, continued to channel her energy into the ongoing transformation. The golden liquid surged around Mo Suyin, creating a shimmering barrier that protected her from the oppressive atmosphere of the devil's domain.

The devil's smile widened as he witnessed the display of Mo Suyin's now enhanced opposition of his domain, █So you'll be refusing my kindness now? Well, it does make sense for only fools to gather by a fool's side. In a way, you're quite the match for that dead foolish bastard!█

In an instance, Mo Suyin lunged forward with incredible speed. Her movements were fluid and precise, resembling the flow of a river. She struck with a combination of her martial art and spells that enveloped her hand in a wooden gauntlet lined by a golden glow.

The devil, however, was not one to be underestimated. With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned dark tendrils from the ashen ground, attempting to ensnare Mo Suyin. Yet, she effortlessly dodged and weaved through the shadows, her scales shimmering with a golden glow, with each graceful movement as fluid as a stream of water.

Xiao Xiang, taking advantage of the distraction, continued her incantations. She summoned a torrential rain of golden droplets that merged with the Tears of the Azure Serpent, enhancing Mo Suyin's power even further and finding any faults in Zhou Tiandi's domain.

Zhou Tiandi, feeling amused, decided to escalate the confrontation. He raised his hand, and the ashen flowers in his domain began to bloom, releasing a cloud of spiritual qi. The air itself seemed to darken as the flowers manifested a sinister beauty.

Mo Suyin, undeterred, unleashed a powerful roar, unknowingly channeling the strength of the Azure Serpent. The golden scales on her body glowed even brighter as she burnt through the encroaching darkness with her radiant aura.

As the clash between Mo Suyin and Zhou Tiandi intensified, the cave trembled with the force of their conflicting energies. Each movement became a dance of power, a struggle between the forces of light and darkness.

Finally, she found an opening and struck the devil, rearing her clawed gauntlet mid-air as she dashed towards her target using Xiao Xiang's water serpent spell as a platform to propel herself further.

█Hmph! You underestimate me, kid!█ 

With a single action of forming a hand seal, Zhou Tiandi summoned pitch-black threads that lunged towards Mo Suyin, an aura of death sending a chill down Mo Suyin's spine enveloped the threads.

"Roaring River!" Just then, the serpent made of water flowed towards the dark threads, its golden maw snapping the threads; however, soon its golden glow dimmed till it dissipated away.

However, that much was enough for Mo Suyin to reach her target.

In a hurry, Zhou Tiandi quickly attacked with his hand intending to send Mo Suyin flying away. However, he couldn't move her, as he looked towards her, he saw a verdant mountain's shadow behind her.

And it was when he acknowledged its existence that the weight upon him increased by countless multitudes. █Do not underestimate me, you brat!█

With gritted teeth, Zhou Tiandi pushed back the massive mountain by using a grand quantity of dark abyssal qi concentrated by his hand.

*BOOM!!

The whole hidden realm shook as the thunderous explosion resounded accompanied by a blinding white light!

...

As the light receded, Mo Suyin who had been smashed into the cave's wall tried to get back onto her feet. Her arm and body filled with injuries and bloodied yet, there were no major injuries.

"Suyin!" Xiao Xiang quickly rushed towards Mo Suyin, tending to her injuries, however, Mo Suyin's gaze never left the dust cloud gathered at the place where Zhou Tiandi was supposed to be.

She knew this was not the end... And as the dust cloud settled, he  was there, not unscathed as his arm alongside a part of the shoulder were gone, bleeding ink instead of blood.

█  You...█  Looking at Mo Suyin ferociously, he began, █ ...shall be crushed!█  Irregular growth spouted out of the inky wound as three pitch-black arms grew out. Each being irregularly sized and monstrous in comparison to his other arm.

Without giving him any time to prepare a new trick, Xiao Xiang threw a golden trident towards Zhou Tiandi. Unlike her previous attacks, this one had far more strength within it... even with her vast Spiritual Qi reserve, this took more than 20 percent of it and that alongside the expenditure during the battle left her quite exhausted.

As the trident reached him, Zhou Tiandi only reached out for it with his still humane hand, █Yang to...█   And flipped his hand, █Yin!█

The Trident lost its shape and radiance turning into a shadow swirling around Zhou Tiandi, till it gathered upon his palm.

█Your father... That bastard was someone I knew quite well...█   A touch of reminiscence and a blatant sense of distaste echoed through his voice, █So such tricks are trivial█

Clenching his fist, he crushed the dark shadow and sent a palm strike flying towards the two.

The dark palm grew larger as it traveled further away from Zhou Tiandi. Xiao Xiang hurriedly made multiple hand seals and formed a barrier while Mo Suyin prepared for impact using countless vines and roots to create a shield.

"Urghhh!!" Both of them suffered from the palm strike, but were able to avoid any great injuries. But, their opponent had already begun to formulate his next move...

Yet, at that moment... █ARGHH!█   

He clenched his head and his form grew chaotic, taking this opportunity Xiao Xiang decided to use all of her qi to make one last effort. Her eyes blazed a golden flame and ripples of golden water formed around her... Cracks appeared on her urn as a horned serpent unlike any spell before this, manifested from it.

while it was lined with the golden glow the serpent held an inherent aura of darkness and shot towards Zhou Tiandi, and as the serpent dissipated into water, Zhou Tiandi was reduced to a slimy pitch-black blob with a faint multicolored glow within it.

As the ashen domain receded, cracks filled the hidden realm and Mo Suyin's senses spread out to an even greater extent, far greater than ever before.

And she could tell what the faint light within the pitch-black thing was... She rushed towards it desperately but, before she could do anything the spatial boundaries shifted and a hand pulled her away.

Soon after the same happened to Xiao Xiang, but, she saw it as she left... The dying creature expanding greedily, and the distant hymns that seemed to guide one's mind to the truth...

...

As the Hymns continued, the pitch-black thing expanded ravenously devouring everything Xiao Dong's body, his soul hidden away, heavenly intent, the creatures within the hidden realm, their souls... and the hidden realm itself...