Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

Chapter 3342 The Final Year

With a little under a year remaining, Alex was done taking in all but the main island into his Soul Space. Exactly 82 islands floated around the Demon Realm in his Soul Space, each one in its own spatial pocket.

And now, the final one remained. For this one, he planned on waiting for a while.

There were two things he needed to spend his time on here while he still could.

The Sun Fire, and the Void.

He had been spending a lot of time with the Sun Fire, but he hadn’t had the time to do the same with the Void. Part of the reason he wanted to go back to the Void was not just to absorb its aura, but also to learn as much of the Dao of Spatial Release as he could.

So, that was all he spent his time on for the next few months.

Shumi was also with him this time, having eaten two of the fruits. It was quite clear that she could go for three if she wanted to, but she gave up on the idea for two reasons.

First, she didn’t need it. She could eat the last one when she went to Hell and met the Tree of Life herself. Secondly, she believed Alex would need more than just eight fruits to feed his family.

She knew their time was coming to a close as well, so she wanted to spend as much time as she could with him.

“When do you think we’ll meet next?” Shumi asked him one day.

Alex remained silent for a while. “It will be a while,” he said after considering everything he still had to do. His family, his sects, the tombs. There was so much that would take his time.

“I don’t think I can ever come to the human realms,” Shumi said. “Not when things are so tense between our people. My master wouldn’t

even let me if I tried.”

Alex nodded. “I will come to you then. But that will take a long time too. At least a millennium, if not more. Likely more.”

He felt downtrodden thinking that. They had only been together for a decade and were likely going to be separated for hundreds of times that amount. Even in that small time they had shared together, he had come to fall for her and love her. It had been the same for her as well. So the thought of being separated very soon stung both of them.

Shumi let silence reign for a few minutes before saying her piece. “I have a duty to fulfill. To my people, to the Moon Goddess. I made a promise that I would help everyone to the best of my ability. If I were to do anything to jeopardize my promises, I don’t think I will be able to trust myself in the future. So, until my duties are complete, we cannot find the peaceful life between us we hope to share. I hope you can understand that.”

“I understand,” Alex said. “I have my own share of duties and promises to keep. Even without that, I would still not ask you to forgo your own duties.”

Shumi smiled.

“But of course,” Alex continued, “that does not mean we cannot be together. Just because we want to share a peaceful life doesn’t mean we don’t have to share the days leading up to that life. We can fight together, struggle together. Your prophecy claims that I will be with you when the time comes, doesn’t it? Then I shall be with you as it says.”

Shumi stared at him for a long moment. “I thought you hated prophecies.”

Alex shrugged, feeling his next words coming to him naturally. “I love you more than I hate prophecies.”

Shumi couldn’t help but let out the widest smile. She held onto Alex’s arm, leaning onto his shoulder as she stared into the realm of silver

and purple. Finally, she felt confident enough to say her next words without feeling bashful or embarrassed.

“I love you too.”

They remained together for some time as Alex continued absorbing from the Void before him. He made it so he spent an especially long time with the Void for this session so he didn’t have to break up his time with Shumi.

At the same time, he also learned as much of the Dao of Spatial Release as he could. He even ate the various pills to help improve his understanding of the Dao.

As time passed, the day of their departure came closer and closer. And then, before they even knew it, it was here.

Alex had learned of the Sun Fire and the Void to the extent that was possible for him. He still hadn’t fully learned them or completed filling the Origin, but he was close on both fronts.

He had also gained a lot of knowledge regarding the Dao without actually learning it, so it was time for him to employ it with his Intent and see what he could do with it.

Alex’s first test subjects were two barren lands. Even if something were to happen to them, he wouldn’t mind, so he had to start there.

He separated two small spatial pockets from the other 80 and pulled them to a different section of his Soul Space.

He made the two pockets come into contact as much as it was possible for two separate spaces to contact without interfering with

the other and destroying it.

Then, he used his Intent to employ an aura of Spatial Release on the point of contact, releasing the two spaces into each other. Like two soap bubbles pushed into one, becoming a larger soap bubble, the two points in space tore instantly and at the same time fused together as the two spaces combined to form a bigger space.

Nothing changed on the outside, but on the inside, the two islands came crashing onto one another and would’ve destroyed each other had Alex not interfered in time.

“Phew!” he let out a sigh of relief. “That works as well as I could’ve expected. Time to merge the other ones as well.”