Chapter 220: Evolution

“What the hell is this?! I have been wandering around this endless labyrinth for a century now, and I can’t even locate this human’s core soul! But I don’t care anymore! I want to go back—please, let me leave this place! I will never cross paths with this human again… No, I swear I will never cross paths with any human ever again, please!!”

The disembodied eyes shrieked in absolute terror, staring blindly at the dead-end corridor blocking its path. The next microsecond, a heavy, iron-bound door abruptly clicked open in the right-hand wall.

The frantic eyes dashed toward the open threshold, but instead of rushing through, they flattened against the doorframe, sobbing uncontrollably and pleading to the empty air:

”Please!! Whoever you are ruling this domain, I will never return here again! I am begging you on my nonexistent knees! I shouldn’t have bragged to him, I shouldn’t have raised my voice! Please, if you just grant me mercy and let me go, I won’t even mind volunteering to become his pet’s food! Please, just spare me!!”

The eyes wept openly, red tears streaming across their spectral forms. They had spent what felt like a hundred agonizing years sprinting through those twisting, featureless hallways without encountering a single living thing or finding an exit. At this point, if those terrifying weapon spirits were to materialize in front of them right now, the eyes would have wept tears of pure gratitude just for some company.

”Come here.”

A single, chilling voice echoed from inside the open room. The two eyes snapped toward the threshold, freezing dead in their tracks.

’What the hell… Just those two words made my entire spiritual foundation tremble to its core.’ The entity thought in a blind panic, even as its momentum carried it inexorably across the threshold.

”Please! I don’t wish to experience a second death, I am willing to submit to anything—I was merely searching for a vessel to carry my legacy, nothing more, nothing less!!”

It babbled its apologies nonstop as it drifted through the gate, tumbling out into a vast, awe-inspiring grand hall.

The eyes blinked frantically, instantly recognizing the weapon spirits they had crossed paths with a century ago standing neatly below a towering elevated platform. And sitting upon the throne at the apex, arms crossed lazily behind his back, was a figure wreathed in absolute authority.

”Mortal! Please, I was blind to your supreme greatness—wait.”

The two eyes stalled mid-flight, staring up at the man standing before them on the dais: “You… You aren’t that human boy. You are something entirely different! You… You are at the God Rank!”

”A mere God Rank? You insult me by casting such a petty, diminutive label in my direction.”

An unholy, suffocating pressure instantly descended from the vaulted ceiling, slamming the red eyes violently downward until they crushed flat against the stone floor:

”I possessed the authority to obliterate you the exact second you dared trespass into my Master’s soul domain, but your energy still serves a functional purpose. If you cooperate fully, you will be granted a suitable successor to inherit your title; if you resist or hesitate, I will erase you from existence this very second.”

”I will cooperate unconditionally, Great One!! Please, spare my life!!” The entity shrieked, the crushing spiritual weight driving its form even deeper into the unyielding stone.

”Good. Now get lost and complete your designated task.” The projection of Asher standing upon the stage flickered, waving a dismissive hand. A violent, formless shockwave struck the eyes, hurling them backward through space.

___

[Inside the Dimensional Cultivation Ground — A second didn’t even pass.]

”Ahhhh!!”

The two glowing red eyes shot violently out of Asher’s forehead, crashing heavily onto the emerald grass of the meadow with a dull thud.

”Please, Great One!! Do not slaughter me! I will gladly volunteer to become your beloved pet’s daily rations!!” The eyes babbled frantically, scrambling backward in sheer panic.

Asher blinked down at them in total bewilderment; weren’t these exact eyes acting with unbridled arrogance and condescension mere moments ago? Why had they degenerated into a pathetic, whimpering mess?

{The intruder has been successfully neutralized, Master.}

The System’s voice chimed smoothly inside his consciousness.

’Ah, so the System stepped in… It seems you were thoroughly determined to force this inheritance upon me whether I consented or not,’ Asher mused internally, looking down at the quivering red orbs.

He extended his right hand deliberately toward the entity. The next instant, his palm split open down the center, and the God’s Eye manifested, instantly projecting a powerful suction force that vacuumed up all the lingering red smoke hanging in the atmosphere, restoring the meadow’s air to pristine clarity.

”Return inside the essence this instant,” He commanded.

”Yes, Great One!”

The terrified eyes scrambled head over heels, diving back into the floating red spheres and sealing themselves inside without daring to make another sound.

Asher let out a long, grounding exhale, turning his head to check on his three wives. They were still seated peacefully in deep meditation, entirely oblivious to the silent, apocalyptic mental war that had just been fought and won within his soul.

”I suppose it’s time to handle our next priority. Tempest, come out.”

BOOOOM!!

A magnificent pillar of golden light crashed down from the artificial sky, striking the turf with a thunderous impact that instantly drew the eyes of all three women.

Kelly, Sara, and Juliana watched in sheer astonishment as a massive, breathtaking Harpy Eagle adorned in shimmering gold and white feathers burst through the radiance, powerful wings snapping outward to kick up a rolling tempest of dust and blades of grass before landing gracefully right in front of Asher.

”Husband!! You never mentioned you owned a magnificent flying mount!” Juliana cried out excitedly, instantly springing to her feet and completely abandoning her Divine-Tier skill books scattered on the grass.

”Kelly, Sara, Julia—this is Tempest. I summoned him out specifically so he can undergo his breakthrough,” Asher introduced warmly, reaching out to scratch the giant eagle behind its crest before gesturing toward the floating red essence hovering nearby.

”Consume every last piece of it, Tempest.” He instructed.

Juliana stepped a bit closer, her eyes wide with wonder as the proud bird opened its razor-sharp beak and began swallowing the glowing red spheres one by one in a single fluid motion.

”Those tiny little orbs are actually sufficient to trigger an evolution?” she asked in unmasked awe.

”Indeed. Though I can’t guess how terrifyingly powerful he’ll become once the transformation finishes stabilizing.” Asher replied, watching as Tempest snapped up the final red orb and swallowed it down completely.

SCREECH!!

Tempest threw his massive head back, unleashing a piercing, thunderous shriek that reverberated across the dimensional space. The next microsecond, his entire feathered body ignited in a blinding wave of golden luminescence:

BOOOOM!!!

A ferocious shockwave of golden spiritual energy exploded outward in all directions, forcing Asher to slide back ten paces to maintain his footing. The four of them watched as intricate, glowing golden webs shot up from the soil beneath Tempest’s talons, rapidly wrapping around his towering frame until he was completely sealed inside an impenetrable crystalline cocoon.

”….?!”

{System Note: Tempest has initiated an advanced evolutionary metamorphosis.}

{Projected Duration: Exactly Seven Standard Days (Can’t be shortened with the cultivation tower).}

{Critical Alert, Master: The strict temporal deadline you established to fully cure all three wives is rapidly approaching—currently under fifteen days.}

{Total Time Remaining Until Fulfillment Deadline: Two Weeks.}

”….?!”

Asher stood frozen on the grass, the chilling weight of the countdown settling heavily over his shoulders.