Merk-Shennameh, known as the "Astral Devourer" and the "Multi-Verse Cleaner," dragged its colossal body forward, paying no heed whatsoever to the two followers trailing behind it.
After devouring a shattered planar fragment, the enormous Merk-Shennameh let out a roar like that of a tiger, and the surrounding space began to ripple faintly.
"An Astral wormhole!"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents gazed at the spatial passage ahead with visible excitement. "I can smell the distinct scent of the Spine of the World on the other side. Using it would save us nine Astral days of travel…"
"That's quite fortunate indeed. After all, the wormholes Merk-Shennameh opens lead to random destinations. To stumble upon one that's actually useful — the luck is truly remarkable… it almost seems to be heralding good fortune…"
Lei Lin echoed from the side.
"When it comes to spatial technology within the Astral, the
The Mother of Myriad Serpents flicked her delicate, fair fingers. The vivid red lacquer on her nails gleamed as though it might drip.
"Within the Astral, the only means suitable for beings like us would be the transport channels of the World Spring's tributaries, Merk-Shennameh's Astral wormholes, and transit through the Dream World… Unfortunately, the Dream World's Origin Force is currently in a period of decline…"
When she mentioned the last option, the Mother of Myriad Serpents fixed Lei Lin with her bewitching gaze, her meaning rather pointed.
"Is that so? Your knowledge is truly expansive, Your Excellency — it puts me to shame…"
Lei Lin's skin had thickened considerably by this point, and he simply adopted an expression of humble eagerness to learn.
"Once I've brought the Shadow World under my control, I would very much like to spend some time with Your Excellency Lei Lin. There are still many ancient secrets worth sharing by then…"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents let out a string of laughter like a young girl's silver bells, yet it brimmed with the seductive charm of a mature woman — enough to drive any male creature to madness.
Lei Lin rubbed his nose. Without another word, he stepped directly into the Astral wormhole.
…
After passing through the Astral wormhole and traversing the magnificent Spine of the World, Lei Lin and the Mother of Myriad Serpents finally arrived near the border of a vast world.
"I… have returned! This time, no one will drive me away!"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents gazed at the dark world not far away, where shadow force surged and roiled across its surface. In her eyes shone a light of determination and longing.
"My adversary is exceptionally skilled at concealment, and therefore has an equally keen perception of those who lurk in the shadows… Come with me…"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents took Lei Lin's hand and plunged into a strange set of coordinates.
It was a void space, even smaller than a demiplane. It seemed rooted in a single point beyond the Shadow World, yet had been eerily isolated from it.
Without the Mother of Myriad Serpents personally leading the way, even Lei Lin would have expended tremendous effort to locate this place.
Lei Lin withdrew his hand, lingering briefly on the memory of its soft, supple warmth and the sensation of bloodline connection, before shifting his attention elsewhere.
Within this hidden space, several beings were already waiting.
To the left floated an enormous vertical eye, radiating the power of judgment and verdict — the Eye of Judgment. An old acquaintance of Lei Lin's.
Beyond that were two other Law-level existences. One was an old man clad in an ornate black imperial robe, and the other was a wisp of smoke.
"Allow me to make introductions! This is Lei Lin, from the Wizard World!"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents stepped to the center of the space and introduced Lei Lin with warm enthusiasm. "You've certainly already met the Eye of Judgment. This is Conqueror
She gestured toward the emperor-like old man, then looked toward the wisp of smoke. "Forgive me… Miss Masha is a bit shy… she doesn't like meeting strangers…"
"A Law-level existence like this? How can there be such an oddball among them?"
Lei Lin thought to himself, but his face betrayed no expression whatsoever. After all, the formidable strength of these two was no illusion.
"A seventh-tier warlock? That's barely sufficient to serve as my ally. But Mother of Myriad Serpents — by now you should finally be willing to tell us the full story? I have no desire to fight an unknown enemy…"
Old man Yuri swept a critical gaze over Lei Lin, then addressed the Mother of Myriad Serpents directly.
"Regarding this matter, I had already intended to speak of it now…"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents looked around at everyone, a bitter smile on her face. "My adversary… is not a native of the Shadow World, but an outsider!"
"An outsider!!!"
Lei Lin exclaimed in shock. This was far beyond his imagination — no wonder the Mother of Myriad Serpents had found it so difficult to bring up.
The world's primal force actually favored an outsider more than a rule entity it had nurtured itself — this was simply inconceivable!
And since it was an outsider, records of the other party were naturally extremely sparse, especially if the other party had grasped a rule related to Concealment.
"Yes… The other party was like the embodiment of shadow, favored by the entire world…"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents spoke slowly.
In her description, she herself had originally possessed the soul advantage of a native, making it easier for the will of the world to accept her. She had already reached the eighth tier, just waiting to comprehend her own path, then use the power of shadow to refine and advance to the peak of Tier 8!
At that point, she might have chosen to merge with the entire will of the world, becoming the avatar of the Shadow World itself, eternal from then on with the world.
Unfortunately, all of that changed after the other party arrived.
"When I first discovered the other party, I sensed that their aura was very strange. Although shrouded in dense darkness, there was still a hint of frailty leaking through…"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents' beautiful eyes grew somewhat unfocused, as if she had sunk into reminiscence.
"But the moment that person entered the Shadow World, the entire world's primal force erupted in jubilation, as if it had finally found its true master… That level of elation — only someone who witnessed it firsthand could possibly comprehend it. I never knew that a world's will could dote on a single being so thoroughly…"
"After receiving the infusion of the world's primal force, the other party quickly recovered from their frailty and even advanced to Tier 8 at an inconceivable speed… I began to panic, so I chose to contest control of the Shadow World, and the results — you've all seen them…"
Although he couldn't see the other party's face, Lei Lin could feel the Mother of Myriad Serpents' soul aura fluctuating violently, filled with unwillingness and bitter resentment.
"According to what the Mother of Myriad Serpents is saying, the favor this person enjoys in the Shadow World might be close to that of the Nightmare King, who possesses the Nightmare Energy-Devouring Constitution… So that means the will of the world acknowledges this person and believes their path is the most suitable for the Shadow World?"
Lei Lin thought to himself, unconsciously letting out a long breath. Things were becoming extremely troublesome.
Even if the other party had no other rule entities to assist them, having the will of the world itself playing favorites was a terrifying prospect.
Fighting the Chosen of the Plane in a world that was hostile toward him? Lei Lin would never do something so foolish — that unlucky Disaster Lord, Ceruleus, was the perfect example.
In another world, Lei Lin would probably have no choice but to flee upon encountering such a person. But in the Dream World, he had managed to utterly crush his opponent thanks to the world's will handing out absurd advantages left and right!
That kind of treatment when dealing with enemies was exhilarating, but having the enemy treated the same way against you was absolutely lethal.
"Mother of Myriad Serpents! Based on what you're saying, when the other party fights us, they may receive the full blessing of the entire Shadow World? And even knowing this, you still choose to oppose them within the Shadow World?"
A pleasant-sounding woman's voice drifted out from the mist — it was the lady known as Miss Martha who spoke.
"Even allies who have signed a contract have the right to choose to abandon it in a moment of danger!"
It was clear that the will of a great world was something even the Eye of Judgment found somewhat intimidating.
Every one of those present was a law-level existence. If it were merely the will of a small plane, they would have had nothing to fear — any one of them could have crushed it directly.
A small world's will would be rather exhausting to deal with, and against a medium world's will, a single law-level existence would not have been confident, though two or three together could still manage.
But a large world's will would require at least peak eighth-level strength to contend with!
Unfortunately, none of the law-level existences present possessed such power. Or rather, if the Mother of Myriad Serpents had ever had allies of that caliber, she would not have been driven out so disgracefully in the first place.
"You can rest easy on that point. After all, I am a native of the Shadow World — my very soul was born with its recognition. The opponent is an outsider; her law-soul imprint is already fixed and cannot be altered. On top of that, after hundreds of thousands of years of cultivating influence, I still retain a degree of initiative within the Shadow World..."
The Mother of Myriad Serpents stepped forward at this point to reassure Lei Lin and the others; otherwise, these companions would have turned around and left on the spot.
"I cannot make the Shadow World's will directly abandon her, but I do have a certain confidence in keeping the other native law-level existences neutral and ensuring the Shadow World does not specifically target us... Back then, I only lost narrowly because I was too impatient!"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents gritted her teeth.
"Mm! That does make sense. By the way — what exactly is your enemy called? What does she look like?"
Lei Lin rubbed his chin and asked immediately.
"She likes to hide in shadows and darkness. No one has ever seen her true face. She only ever appears in the form of an eccentric young girl and calls herself — the Lady of Night!"
The Mother of Myriad Serpents spoke in a deep voice.
"The favored daughter of shadow? The Lady of Night?"
Yet the moment Lei Lin heard these descriptions, a jolt ran through him, and he suddenly thought of the
"I remember clearly — before the Twilight of the