The Dao Embryo was what the Dark Halo Beast was actually nad after: the Dark Halo Dao Embryo. It was said to be able to grant one full control over darkness around them.
For Elyon, this was the perfect thing to comprehend the Darkness Dao from.
Lin Mu observed him once from afar and felt a chill.
The Darkness Dao responded to Elyon with terrifying intimacy.
The Dao Essence Crystal was doing exactly what it was ant to do. Elyon's control over darkness deepened, becoming less about concealnt and more about dominion.
Darkness did not rely hide him anymore.
It obeyed him.
By the third month, even Lin Mu could tell that Elyon's foundation had beco significantly more stable.
Ti flowed strangely within the Spatial Channel.
Days blended together.
Weeks vanished.
And then, one day, Lin Mu opened his eyes during ditation and felt it.
A subtle shift.
The spatial currents ahead had changed.
"We're close," he said, standing.
The others sensed it too.
The pressure of the channel eased slightly, and the void beyond the barrier took on a different hue.
Three months had passed.
Ahead of them, sowhere beyond the flowing tunnel of space, awaited the Fifteen Ryze World.
A minor world.
Quiet.
Unassuming.
And likely unaware of the forces that were about to step onto its soil.
A few minutes later, the spatial turbulence eased with a soft, almost reluctant shudder.
Light folded inward, the flowing currents of the Spatial Channel thinning until they finally collapsed into a single point. For a brief instant, there was a sensation like stepping off a cliff and landing on solid ground at the sa ti. Then the world settled.
Lin Mu opened his eyes.
They were standing inside a teleportation array hall, but the atmosphere was... wrong. Not hostile. Not dangerous. Just quiet. Too quiet.
The teleportation array beneath their feet dimd gradually, its formation lines fading from brilliant silver to a dull, dormant glow. The hum of spatial energy vanished, leaving behind an almost awkward silence.
In front of them stood three people.
All three were staff mbers overseeing the array, judging by their plain robes and the insignias stitched onto their sleeves. And all three were staring at Lin Mu and his companions as if they had just witnessed a ghost walk out of thin
air.
One of them had his mouth slightly open.
Another was halfway through sipping tea and had completely frozen.
The third blinked twice, rubbed his eyes, then blinked again.
"...People?" he muttered under his breath.
Lin Mu exchanged a glance with Daoist Chu.
Cattaleya tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing with mild curiosity rather than concern. ng Bai, anwhile, shifted his spear on his back and looked around the hall. Elyon simply stayed still.
It was clean. Well maintained. But unmistakably underused.
The walls lacked the polish and constant wear seen in more trafficked worlds. Several formation nodes were pristine, their edges not even dulled by repeated activations. Even the floor tiles showed minimal scuffing.
Two seconds passed.
Three.
No one moved.
"...Is sothing wrong?" Lin Mu finally asked, his tone calm but carrying just enough weight to snap people out of their daze.
The staff mber holding the tea nearly dropped his cup.
"Ah! N-no! Nothing's wrong!" he said quickly, setting the cup down with a clatter. "It's just that... we didn't receive any prior notice of arrivals."
"You require notice for arrivals?" Daoist Chu raised an eyebrow. "Did we miss out on asking for permission?" He wondered since so worlds had a different arrival procedure.
"Well," the man hesitated, then scratched the back of his head. "Usually, arrivals are scheduled. rchants. Couriers. Once or twice a year, sotis
less."
Cattaleya let out a short laugh. "So we're special."
The man forced a smile. "In a manner of speaking."
They stood there another mont, waiting.
Nothing happened.
ng Bai looked between the staff and the exit of the hall, then finally spoke
up, his voice tentative but polite.
"Um... do you not do immigration procedures here?"
The words hit the staff like a slap.
The man who had been silent until now suddenly stiffened.
"Immigration-!"
He spun around, nearly tripping over his own feet as he rushed toward a side.
desk. "Right. Yes. Of course. That. We... ah... apologies."
Another staff mber hurried to help, only to freeze again when he reached
the desk.
"...Where's the registration jade slip?"
Silence.
They looked at each other.
One of them checked a drawer.
Empty.
Another opened a cabinet.
Dust puffed into the air.
Daoist Chu watched the scene unfold, his expression gradually turning strange.
"This is impressive," he muttered. "In its own way."
Finally, the youngest looking staff mber jogged toward a back room and
returned holding a jade slip.
It was dusty.
Not lightly dusty.
Properly dusty.
The kind of dust that implied it had not been touched in a very long ti.
ng Bai stared at it. "Wow..."
Daoist Chu sighed softly. "It really does seem like they don't get many visitors."
The staff mber laughed awkwardly. "Please forgive us. The Fifteen Ryze World is... not exactly a popular destination."
Lin Mu accepted the jade slip, scanning the simple registration process. True to expectation, it was barebones. Nas, cultivation realms, origin world, purpose
of visit.
No queues.
No scrutiny.
No layered identity verification arrays.
The entire process took less than five minutes.
"Well," the staff mber said with visible relief once it was done, "welco to
the Fifteen Ryze World."
They stepped out of the Teleportation Hall.
And were imdiately greeted by emptiness.
The plaza outside was small, circular, and paved with worn stone. A few low
statues stood around the periter, their details softened by ti rather than damage. There were no vendors. No guards. No crowds.
Only two cleaners moved slowly across the plaza, sweeping fallen leaves into neat piles. They glanced up briefly at the newcors, nodded politely, then
went back to their work.
ng Bai stopped walking. "...This is it?" he asked quietly.
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