Chương 1075

Each body double begins to blur and vibrate chaotically for a fraction of a second before the spears pointed at us are quickly retracted. There is a collective thud, as every one of them drops to a knee and bows their heads. The entire Purple Zone quivers, and the fast travel functions pause in place. All of the arrays and main power functions added to the zone cease their automated movements, and a veil of green light shades the entire zone. Only one small fluctuation can be seen by Maria and myself.

There are no entities aware enough to watch this being descend from the highest leaf atop the Primordial Tree. It comes from a domain hidden and closed off from the public eye, and a pathway that hasn't been activated in over a century carries a single human down to the ground level of the zone. Another thud sounds as Abby lands in front of her squad of Advanced Primordial Aura manifestations. Her gaze appears aged, and her physical form appears to have matured and grown slightly taller too.

Despite being centuries old, she still appears to be a young woman. The familiar yet unfamiliar figure of these Dryads has now made themselves clear. Yet, their faces were not copies of this one I know so well. She too bends her knee to kneel, yet the moment she touches the ground, I let out a wisp of immortal silver threads to surround the three of us. Then, pull us upward back to the position in the domain she came from. It feels as easy as void stepping through the membrane outside.

No time at all passed, as the space between the two points was ignored.

"The Esteemed Immortal Emperor and Empress have made their return," echoes through the air while I pull the strands of silver threads back into this drop of essence manifesting my consciousness. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Then, Maria raises her hand to let out a stream of mirror-like threads of light. They wrap around Abby's body and pull her up to a standing position, raising her head.

"Your formalities are appreciated, but you do not need to address me this way now that we're alone." Abby's eyes open in shock, looking around to see we're standing in the core of her fortified cultivation chamber atop the Upper Realm. There are thousands of defensive arrays to shield the outside from the immense purple thread-induced gravity, particles of flawless-grade ethereal glyphs, and Advanced Primordial Aura. Yet, in the instant she blinked, she did not even feel herself move through space.

Tremors vibrate through her soul, filling her with even more reverence and fear. Yet, the violent pool of uncertainty falls tranquil once Maria runs forward and hugs her tight like old friends. Her eyes grow moist, then tears she hardly remembered she was holding back begin to flow. She hugs Maria back, and an enormous explosion of her raw Advanced Primordial Aura comes flowing out.

It starts shattering the shielding arrays put in place within this domain, so I encircle the waves of aura with a faint silver net to channel this energy back into the arrays to strengthen them for later use rather than destroy the ones left. Outside, the dozens of Enforcement Team's guards have their connections severed, and the automated body doubles dissipate back into the atmosphere. The energy-gathering arrays in the glaze allow this essence to remerge with the Primordial Tree.

Many Lords that were ready to watch a spectacle unfold are left with too many questions.

"Where'd they go? Those two humans just disappeared."

"Maybe they were killed instantly. Not all humans are as powerful as our Primordial Tree's Great Protector."

"That must have been it. The Enforcement Team dealt with them too fast for us to see."

"Then what was that lag in the fast travel orbs? I swear my vision went entirely green for a moment."

"It must have been the Great Protector's warning. Even though she hasn't shown herself to the public for over one hundred years, she is still watching."

"That must be it..." The interaction in the plaza was so quick that not a single Lord noticed the truth. Yet, the fluctuations deep within Abby's soul have made some aware of her current mental state. The first to notice is an ancient being jolted awake from his nap. The eyes of an enormous Blue Wyvern slowly open inside a tower within the center of the Cyan and Blue Zone.