'Life Chains.'
The second Elena returned to her physical body, she attacked.
Without any specific target in mind, she wildly flung chains of life mana through the surroundings, blasting the air apart and destroying the rock below.
[SKREEEE!]
[AHHHHHH!]
[HUMAN, STOP!]
Ethereal shrieks rang out. There was no physical presence, nor did Elena feel any impact when she struck these entities, but their screams were enough to alert her to their presence.
'Explode.'
She slammed her foot on the ground, shooting a pulse of mana into the earth and allowing it to spread thinly before exploding outward.
The rocky ground broke apart, waves of Life Mana flowing out of it and filling the entire space with a thick vital aura that, to these demonic spirits, was a curse.
"Hmph. You disgusting things. You actually dare attempt to steal my body?!" Elena roared.
She could feel the demonic aura in her veins, a clear sign that they tried to corrupt her into one of them while her mind was gone. If she hadn't come back in time, her body would've truly become their possession.
At that point, the worst possible scenario she could think of would likely be only one of the terrible things they did with their newly acquired physical presence.
On the other hand, since she was able to come out in time, these demonic spirits served as the perfect targets to test her new offensive strength!
'This is great! My base attack power is almost twice as strong as it used to be, and my Law Concepts are all now backed by the ferocity of Transcended Death. My mana has moved a step further in being the bane of dark energies.'
Elena's sharp gaze cut through the dark space, locating the hundreds of demonic spirits that swirled around her cautiously, no longer daring to approach after seeing their brethren slaughtered like chickens.
"Hmph."
Elena harrumphed, not bothering with them any longer. She paid her final respects to the Transcended Death Shrine and walked to the end of the dark space, punching a hole in the wall and entering a new corridor within the depths of the pyramid.
'I couldn't see it at all before. Could it be that only those who can comprehend the shrine can use this path?'
Elena realized quickly that she was nowhere near the original route she was taking before she fell into the dark space.
She was at least several hundred meters deeper into the earth, and the structure of the pyramid around her was far more decrepit and unkempt, with various small creatures skittering through the corridors and nondescript overgrown flora infecting the walls.
'I don't think we were supposed to come down here.' Elena thought wryly,
As far as the temple hieroglyphs told, the greatest treasures of the Tomb of Ayakashi resided at its very peak, so all those other geniuses were ascending with all their strength to this very moment.
Who would've thought the pyramid was actually hiding such a large portion of its body underneath the earth?
Even if those geniuses knew of this, they wouldn't be able to reach this place unless they had a similar experience to her.
Which meant…
'Let's see what kind of treasures the Angel Race was chasing in the original Mystic Realm.'
Elena moved with purpose, killing demonic spirits and avoiding the tomb's traps with as much efficiency as she could produce.
And slowly but surely, she made her way to the very central point of the tomb.
The true burial site of the demonic spirits.
***
A starship docked at the entrance of Luxurion.
The experts who were focused on the geniuses in the Holy Light Realm didn't notice it immediately, but as soon as one caught sight of the crest on its side, all the rest turned their attention as well.
This phenomenon became especially pronounced when Luciel personally went out to greet the incoming guests.
A portion of the starship's body turned holographic, revealing those inside.
The first to step out was a beautifully handsome man with striking red eyes, the king of demons, Lucifer.
He was followed by Parsiel, his angelic counterpart, and the Royal Demon Clan's elders and geniuses.
"Lucifer, Parsiel, it has been a while. Have you been well?" Luciel said with a smile, welcoming the duo.
"Clan Head," Parsiel said as he bowed in respect.
Meanwhile, Lucifer returned Luciel's smile and shook the man's hand.
"It has indeed been a while. Have you been ruling your clan properly, dear brother?"
Luciel's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I would prefer if you didn't say anything that could cause misunderstandings."
"Hm? Misunderstandings? But there is nothing but truth in my words."
"You—"
Luciel's words suddenly halted as his attention was drawn back to the starship.
Suddenly, the air stilled as a thick and viscous aura filled it.
It wasn't an exerted aura, but the natural aura of strength that existed around a strong Demigod.
An old man stepped out of the ship. His appearance was that of a wise sage, but his eyes held the domineering light of a war emperor.
Flanking him were five elders, including three more Demigods, as well as five younger geniuses, three women, one man, and…a little girl roughly 10 years old.
And among them, there wasn't a single unfamiliar face.
"They are…?" Luciel asked curiously, turning to Lucifer, who shrugged.
"Don't ask me. They're your subordinate's guests."
"Parsiel?"
"Yes, Clan Head. As you know, I left years ago to contact forces I believed would aid us in the coming battles. These are—"
"Parsiel, there is no need for you to introduce us. We are more than capable of speaking for ourselves," the old man at the head of the group interrupted.
He walked up to Luciel, facing the Angel directly without a hint of disturbance in his eyes or aura.
"I am Tian Yang, the Void Old Immortal. We from the Human Domain appreciate your invitation to this grand event."
His words were sincere, but the undertone behind them was slightly taunting, just barely laced with mockery that normal people couldn't sense.
"Hmm…." Luciel hummed, glancing over the group.
"The forces of the Human Domain indeed should not be neglected. The achievements of your ancestors are worthy of respect."
"Hmph, haven't you heard that the new generation always surpasses the old? I'd advise you not to look down on us."
The one who spoke was the female among the two Demigods, Tang Lingzi.
She and the Drunken Old Immortal stepped up, silently supporting Tian Yang with their presence.
Luciel showed no change of expression as he guided the group into the main hall, however, the same couldn't be said about the experts watching the interaction from afar.
The Human Domain.
It was widely looked down upon and regarded as the weakest of Grand Heavens Boundary's remaining sectors. Nobody present believed the Human Domain would show its face at this assembly…
…and they surely didn't expect them to show it so fiercely.
To make their first introduction by flaunting three powerful Demigods wasn't a courtesy, but a taunt.
They were practically screaming in the ears of these experts:
"You think the Human Domain is trash? Then come test our fists and prove it!"
