Duality of Shadows-Chapter 990: Do You Have The Courage?

After hearing that story, Huuya became deeply thoughtful and silent. Alm and Bruno could only help her in this way: by guiding her to overcome the entire calamity test.

Ruri’s will and her Dao Heart had always been her greatest strengths, something even Alm and Bruno felt a bit lacking in. So, what exactly was the Blade of Devotion looking for in her?

It was examining her inner determination. In the end, Ruri was very attached to the whale. With the connection between them erased, the test was about finding out if she still had a Dao Heart strong enough to fight for herself and seek her own fulfillment.

Deep down, Ruri already had what was necessary to be accepted by the blade; this test was just a way for her to prove it to herself.

As for Bruno, the reason he had gotten so close to her was simple: to show her that there would always be trustworthy people willing to support her.

’So much work… I’d rather have just done the test alone. If the blade didn’t want to accept me, I’d just seal it by force. Neither I nor the queen, end of story,’ Alm murmured.

Four hours passed in silence.

At that moment, everyone on the continent felt the spatial laws transporting them. Huuya and Brunon were moved to a place near where they were before.

The four remaining armies were gathered near the great statue. Since General Innoa was no longer alive, all of his soldiers were disqualified at the end of the first test and sent back to the previous city.

The Elder, along with several others, appeared in the skies above everyone. She spoke dryly: "All your crystals will be counted later; now, let’s go to the second and final test. You are standing before the main statue of the White Guardian God. All the glory of the divinity emanates from here as its center."

"Below the statue, there is a secret world. There, some of the sinners pay for their crimes and are used to benefit the people. Various races have been left in this place. They live isolated, multiplying and forming large groups of sinners."

Upon hearing this, Huuya narrowed her eyes, anticipating something terrifying. The Elder continued:

"Every ten years in the outside world, which corresponds to a hundred thousand years inside this place, generals are sent to exterminate them. Thus, their existences are absorbed by the god and converted into power. The test is simple: wipe out everyone who is alive in this place. There should be millions of them; each sinner counts as points, and the stronger ones are worth more, of course. If you didn’t get many crystals due to bad luck, this is the chance. In this test, there’s no luck, only brute force to purge the sinners."

Everyone clenched their fists, excited. Finding crystals seemed like an unfair task for almost everyone.

"Go!" she concluded, and everyone was immediately transported through a spatial distortion.

In seconds, thousands of cultivators found themselves on a continent the size of a planet. From above, they could see countless cities, each containing a massive amount of people. All races imaginable lived there.

There were also remote and distant areas, with small villages in the middle of forests, inhabited by simple people who only wanted to live in peace.

The two generals roared, commanding their armies. Each one shot off in a different direction with their troops.

Meanwhile, Civae tried to command her disorganized and uncomfortable group. She used her status to threaten them, warning that if they didn’t obey her and she ended up in last place, they would regret it bitterly later. After a few minutes, they headed off in another direction.

In the end, only Huuya and her army remained confused and silent. She hesitated, unsure of how to react. Brunon stood beside her, also silent.

It didn’t even take five minutes before everyone felt a strong Yin of death emanating nearby. Huuya turned and ran toward a forest, and everyone followed her.

It was the direction Civae had moved toward earlier. When they arrived, the sight was as sinister as expected. Screams of despair and lament echoed. Women, children—no one was spared; a massacre was taking place.

These people had almost no cultivation. They were all elves who had chosen to live in peace in the forest, far from the chaos and conflicts of that small world.

The scene made Huuya tremble. It was extremely similar to the events that led to the massacre of her family and village in the past.

Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to say something. Alm and Bruno sighed internally—now everything depended on her.

For Huuya and for everyone, there was only one obvious choice: ignore everything and proceed with the test. Not because they were evil, but because the Elders were watching everything to count the points. Trying to save those people trapped in this place was foolish and impossible.

Huuya had never accepted the blessing of that God, and her greatest wish was to avenge her dead family and destroy the god. Of course, she kept this secret. Acting now would be foolish and meaningless, but...

Like the story she had just heard, she found herself in a dilemma. Follow the path of revenge at all costs, ignoring everything around her, or do what was right, seeking inner fulfillment?

The calamity test was about the Dao Heart. It involved perseverance in the search for knowledge and truth, the willpower to face and overcome any challenge. It was the most important mental aspect for cultivation. A cultivator needed to have the absolute determination to challenge the heavens, the gods, and the demons.

If she ran from what she truly wanted to do, even if it was the most obvious and safe choice, it would affect her will. It would also mean that she didn’t have a pure Dao Heart, capable of fighting for what she believed in.

This was her final test. Alm and Bruno had created this scenario, and the outcome would define everything. They had already given her all the directions and hints possible. Almia died because she did what she desired to protect her, and now, Bruno had told her a story that deeply affected her.

"I..." Huuya tried to murmur something but stopped halfway. Her inner conflict was obvious.

Brunon lightly snorted. He spoke directly into her mind: ’Are you willing to raise your blade against a god? Do you have the courage for that? Or will you take the easy path and become just like him in every way?’

She stared at him with wide eyes. ’But... we can’t win.’

’So what? Even an ant should have the courage to fight. You have your blade, so you must move forward, no matter what... but the decision is yours. I only guarantee that I’ll die by your side, if necessary.’

He said, looking directly into her eyes. Huuya trembled and clenched her fists. Was it worth ignoring everything?

"Fuck it." She spat, drawing her sword and turning to her army. "Listen up, everyone: I’m going to kill that bitch and anyone who tries to stop me. If you want to leave and not get involved, you’re free to go. I won’t hold a grudge."

As soon as she spoke, everyone was shocked. Was she crazy? All the Elders were watching. They wouldn’t interfere; after all, internal fights were normal, and if Civae died, it would be because she was weak. But after that, Huuya would be hunted, and it wouldn’t take long for her to be killed in retaliation.

At that very moment, she snorted, and a colorful light shone in her eyes. She was enchanted; this feeling was very similar to what she felt when Almia died.

Her sword pulsed, and an ethereal glow enveloped her. Then she turned downward.

In the middle of that massacre, Civae felt a chill down her spine and turned to a point on the horizon. Her eyes met Huuya’s... who smiled coldly.

A slash shot out, cutting through space violently toward Civae. She snorted dryly and activated all her power. An intense Yang light merged with the laws of wind, creating a unique variation.

"Die."

Suddenly, Huuya was right in front of her with her sword, and Civae didn’t even have time to think about dodging. She just activated all her power to defend herself...

*SLASH!*

There was no impact, just the sound of a cut, followed by a rain of blood. Nothing could stop that attack.

All the soldiers of Civae’s army stopped massacring the elves and were horrified by the scene.

Huuya turned to them, staring coldly. They all felt death surrounding them. Those colorful eyes were beautiful, but to them, they became the essence of a cruel and bloodthirsty demon.

They barely had time to think about fleeing when she attacked mercilessly. "I will avenge them all!"

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She moved, piercing the space at extreme speed. The soldiers were scattered and tried to run in different directions, but she was too fast, eliminating everyone in an area within seconds.

A group managed to get far, but soon they were stopped. Huuya’s army, which had initially just been watching, blocked their way. She had chosen her allies well: they were all definitely loyal. If she decided to do something, they would support her.

Of course, that was an illusion. And Huuya fully believed that they were like that, judging only by what she felt toward them. The calamity had shaped reality so everyone followed her will.

In just a few minutes, without their general, Civae’s entire army was eradicated. Many elves died, but two-thirds of them were saved.

Huuya returned to her army and thanked them for their help.

Then a young man spoke for everyone: "Leader, don’t worry. Maybe, if we kill the other armies, we’ll gain the points they’ve earned. Let’s hunt them down, if that’s what you want."

She sighed and waved, looking at all of them. "This place is too big... break into smaller groups and scatter. That idiot only attacked with all her soldiers because she found this village too close. The people here are very weak. To be more efficient, the other generals must have divided their troops to exterminate as many as possible."

Everyone nodded and formed a dozen groups, shooting off in all directions. Their goal had changed, and no one knew what the Elders would think in the end. But they accepted the mission to save as many people from this place as they could.

Huuya was left alone with Brunon. She approached him, looking at him with some distrust.

"Now that you’ve made your decision, let’s get to the point," Brunon spoke calmly with a smile, making her stop in front of him, confused. "Do you have the courage needed to kill that god?"

She narrowed her eyes and gripped the hilt of her sword, still surrounded by the ethereal aura. Her eyes shone even brighter, like stars.

"I’m going to kill him. Nothing can stop my blade. I just need the opportunity..."

"Great. I’ll give you that opportunity now. Come," Brunon quickly replied, turning and soaring into the skies.

She watched his back in silence, but followed without hesitation. Above, the elders were watching everything, including Huuya’s cold words. To them, it was ridiculous and senseless. As soon as the test was over, she would be imprisoned and used as an example for saying such things; her fate was already sealed.

As for the power she displayed... they found it peculiar, but they couldn’t discern its true essence.

The two moved toward a point on the horizon, until Brunon stopped. Both Huuya and the elders were confused.

He then turned to her and spoke in her mind: ’Attack directly above. There’s a direct connection between this space and the statue of him. If you pierce and destroy it, you’ll hit the place where the god’s soul is.’

Her eyes widened. For a common cultivator, dividing their soul was extremely dangerous. First, they could only extract a small part, which would gravely injure them; without major resources, they’d never heal. Second, if that fragment was destroyed, it would affect the soul in the main body, causing even more severe damage.

’Everyone will turn against you immediately. Surely, the bastard god himself will come to capture you and find out how you gained such power. This is your best chance: wound him severely and maybe even kill him, since he’ll underestimate you. Can your blade defeat him? Do you have the courage?’

She just took a deep breath and moved her blade: ’There?’

She asked coldly, and he nodded. Without hesitation or much reflection, she simply swung.

**BOOM!!**

The entire world shook violently. On the outside, a crack appeared in the statue and spread like spider webs.

The elders’ eyes widened. Then, a fissure in space opened, and Huuya and Brunon emerged from it, appearing beside the statue outside that world.

"Disappear!" Huuya roared, cutting again.

*BANG!*

The statue was completely destroyed, and only then did the elders snap out of their stupor. At the same time, the skies darkened.

Thousands of spatial channels appeared, and from them, countless figures with grim expressions emerged. They wore white robes and shining silver armor, but a cold, bloody aura flowed from each of them.

They were the most powerful elders, all gathered at once. In the center, an even greater distortion opened. From it, an endless white light radiated.

A male silhouette slowly emerged, like a god descending from the heavens to judge mortals.

"Die!" But he was met by a furious blade, rushing toward him.

"You bitch!" All the elders roared, rushing to block it at once.

*BOOM!*

A rain of blood and severed bodies fell from the sky. Nothing could stop that blade, whether before against those old men or now.

Alm and Bruno watched that woman alone, roaring and swinging her sword against millions of elders. Her white clothes were completely stained with red. Her whole body was covered in blood, but she kept cutting and cutting, slowly rising toward the god above.

Everyone stood against her, using everything they had, but she was the protagonist of this illusion. The Blade of Devotion was the most powerful thing there. With every second, her will solidified even more, and her power grew.

In just a few minutes, her entire body was enveloped by the ethereal aura; it wasn’t just her sword. She had become the Blade of Devotion itself, and infinite power flowed through her.

Until finally, she was just a few meters from the White Guardian God. His silhouette trembled, revealing his figure... Alm and Bruno saw that and almost laughed.

It was another figure from Ruri’s memories. He was the patriarch of the Divinestone clan, the same one who put the slave seal on little Ruri, marking her negatively to the max. Now, his image was used to personify absolute evil in this illusion of hers.

Obviously, that wasn’t real, especially not him. But the Dao of the god was real; Alm and Bruno were sure of it, especially since only the first stage was available within this illusion.

"Pathetic insect."

The god murmured dryly, staring at the young woman covered in blood, approaching with a frantic look. She roared and slashed at him.

**RUMBLE!**

The horizon was filled with cracks, and everything trembled. But he actually blocked her.

That was the final boss she had to defeat to pass the test. To win, she needed to extract all the power from the blade and be approved, showing her determination.

*BANG! BANG! BANG!*

They clashed in the skies, in direct and overwhelming confrontations. Meanwhile, Alm and Bruno watched the scene in silence.

Still, they felt all the changes in the environment. This illusion was incredibly realistic...

’This isn’t just an illusionary world created in her mind,’ Alm stated, and only now did they realize this clearly.

The laws being used were real. It was as if this world was a small reality, using the laws and characteristics of the real world within itself.

’Could this be used in the real world and influence reality?’ Bruno murmured mentally, deep in thought.

All of this was being created by the power of calamity. However, they noticed a very strong influence of the Heaven’s Will present in all the items. They carried the mandate of the Heaven’s Will; their bodies were also the pillar of the Heaven’s Will. If it wasn’t directly the power of the law, it could certainly replicate some of it.

The two were still learning about their new abilities. But after absorbing the oracle, they gained the power to see the past and future. They already had the cauldron and the mirror, but the system didn’t want them to absorb the part of the Heaven’s Will within them.

The two reflected on everything. This could mean they didn’t need those parts because they weren’t relevant, or maybe because they already had part of their power, only missing the knowledge about it. After all, they had already learned that the system couldn’t give them things so directly; they needed to discover and know something about them first.

They observed and felt everything very carefully, using their celestial souls to memorize every variation. Only they could do this, as they weren’t affected.

Time passed and the fierce battle unfolded.

Until Huuya grew stronger and stronger, her body shining, until her form changed. "I won’t give up. No matter what you do, you will fall!"

Alm and Bruno felt her unshakable Dao Heart solidifying. They sighed. It was the end.

*Slash!*

The white figure in the sky was cut in half, with its eyes wide open, and it vanished. At that moment, the entire illusionary world was replaced by a pale white.

Huuya turned around in shock, looking around until she saw that one figure standing, staring at her, which made her feel so relieved.

"Good job, Ruri." He moved his lips slightly, speaking, before disappearing.

Huuya’s eyes widened, but soon her mind faded. The next second, Ruri’s eyes opened, returning to reality.