Duality of Shadows-Chapter 973: Shameless Witch

The whale allowed himself to be pulled into the whirlpool and disappeared. But in the midst of the spatial distortion caused by the ship’s attacks, no one noticed that his body wasn’t destroyed; he had simply taken a step and entered.

Inside that place was a small, isolated space, something naturally formed in the universe. Sometimes, when a star dies due to age or under unusual galactic circumstances, a black hole forms. Just like in the underworld, universes are born within these phenomena; and within universes, black holes can sometimes hide secret spaces.

When the whale stepped in, Meru swallowed hard, stunned. The entire area was filled with a bloody aura—it was the blood of countless people. At the center, there was a sphere of runes pulsating with a purple light, seemingly controlling everything. All the blood and the three vital energies from the sacrifices were deposited there.

"There’s an amount of energy and blood here a thousand times greater than that of the people who just died. So that’s it: this clan used this place and managed to control this area with the purple law to carry out these sacrifices," Bruno explained to Meru with a sigh.

"Almost everyone who buys tickets for the mid and lower levels of the ship ends up being sacrificed here. They probably choose one ship among several trips for this—not all, of course. If any power becomes suspicious, they simply say they were attacked by demons and that deaths happened as a result. With the use of this law, they must be the only ones capable of entering this place and hiding everything from everyone."

Alm scoffed and added, "Everything is being controlled by that purple law. Without a doubt, it’s one of the laws tied to our mission. It was created by an immortal, making it something superior and unique."

"But that’s not the core," Meru observed, analyzing the sphere at the center. The whale nodded, and soon, a smile of understanding appeared on her face.

"Yes, this law must be exclusive to this clan, and the core is with them. There’s not much to think about now," Bruno said, activating the tattoos on his body. Everything in that space, including the law, was absorbed by them.

The whale then calmly explained to Meru. In the universe they were in, people had short lives due to their lack of true cultivation. Likely, every hundred years, the clan collected all this accumulated energy and converted it into resources. This way, they could continue disguising themselves as merchants while creating powerful figures by absorbing that energy.

"They make a lot of money and still manage to create powerful individuals in large numbers. Perfect, isn’t it?" the whale remarked. Meru sighed, "That’s how things are, but... karma always comes back. That’s the heavenly law. And right now... damn, it feels like I’m always being used by Heaven’s Will to enforce these things. Well, whatever."

Meru chuckled softly and gently rested her head against the whale’s.

***

A week later, another ship from that clan, coming from elsewhere, slowly approached the main planet. There was an endless flow of people coming and going from that planet, which served as a massive port. It was the largest trading hub in that universe.

The entire port spanned tens of thousands of miles, dedicated entirely to the clan’s business, attracting people from all over. All the most powerful and wealthiest came there to find what they sought—and they always did. If you had money, you could get what you wanted.

At that moment, tens of thousands of ships were moving through the port. Most were merchant ships carrying resources from distant places, or hunting ships transporting people. This place was like an extremely well-guarded fortress, with massive walls and countless watchful figures scattered everywhere.

In fact, the entire planet was made up of enormous, luxurious buildings. The port itself was an entire continent, built solely for business purposes. The rest of the planet was exclusively for clan members; not even beasts or natural life from that planet lived there anymore.

This clan nearly monopolized all intergalactic transport. While other powers had ships, the special law cultivated by this clan increased its members’ affinity with spatial laws. This allowed them to create inscriptions and build ships at a much lower cost for travel. Tickets they offered cost just one-hundredth of what others charged, making it impossible for rival clans to compete.

Smaller groups could charge slightly less, but boarding with them meant a 90% chance of dying along the way. Traveling through space without Qi and relying only on common laws was incredibly slow, making them easy targets for attacks.

Despite the clan’s hidden activities, one in every ten ships arrived at its destination with all passengers alive. For most, traveling with them was considered extremely safe.

The ship the whale was originally on had arrived several days ago. It had been declared as having faced powerful demons, resulting in immense casualties.

At that moment, another ship, carrying people from a mediocre location, arrived. However, no one disembarked; everything remained silent. Several humans, dressed in the clan’s robes, stepped off the ship one by one, carrying crates.

"Senior, it was a tough journey. Weren’t these people supposed to be sacrificed?" one of the clan members discreetly asked as he greeted the ship’s leader. He seemed surprised to see so many people who didn’t belong to the upper levels, as this ship should’ve been sacrificed.

"These people have good potential; it would be a waste to sacrifice them. Mark them as slaves. The leader said we need more workers to mine and—"

He stopped abruptly, noticing something strange. As he looked up at the planet’s sky, he saw that all sunlight had been blocked.

In that instant, a deathly aura covered everyone present, sending chills down their spines. Soon, a round shadow began descending slowly. Its aura was like that of a terrifying demon, and a nauseating stench of blood filled the air.

The sky, which had been sunny over half the planet, turned completely dark. Everyone was stunned. Clan members, in particular, felt their hair stand on end as the sensation of imminent death washed over them.

Though this port belonged to the clan, over 70% of those present were from other powers. They had come to buy, sell, and trade with the clan, which supposedly thrived on these transactions.

The millions of outside merchants who had been conducting their business as usual were left dumbfounded as they watched the world change colors. When they looked to the horizon, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. It was as if the entire planet had been swallowed by crimson clouds. But where was it coming from?

"It’s him! Clan leader, hurry! Activate the defenses immediately!" shouted a female voice from within the clan’s ranks. Beside her stood an aged-looking man, who nodded and signaled for the defenses to be activated.

"Everyone not associated with this clan must leave this planet immediately. You won’t get another chance to escape. You have one minute. After that, I’ll massacre everyone left behind."

A calm and cold voice echoed from the heavens, resonating across the entire planet. Everyone felt as though they were hearing the voice of a death god, coming to harvest lives for sheer amusement.

However, perched on his shoulder, some noticed a small, cute girl. Her gaze was fixed on a specific spot—exactly where the woman from before had stood.

The danger was palpable, and everyone felt it instinctively. Some doubted those words but knew that chaos was on the brink of erupting; they didn’t dare risk being caught up in it.

Without hesitation, countless people fled to save their lives. They didn’t know who this terrifying figure was, but they didn’t dare stick around to find out. Everyone there had resources at their disposal. Those with their own ships quickly boarded and took off at full speed.

Those who had arrived on the clan’s ships didn’t hesitate to pay whatever was necessary to board someone else’s vessel and flee alongside them. As for those with fewer resources, they didn’t think twice before storming onto the clan’s ships, stealing them outright. With just a minute to spare and the clan members rushing to man the defenses, the ships were left unguarded.

The clan’s slaves were kept off-planet, and those who had just arrived to be turned into slaves were still aboard the ships. When people stole the vessels, they inadvertently took the future slaves along with them.

As for the few poor souls who had come hoping to join the clan, they had already been expelled, enslaved, or killed—nobody got to stay for free. If they were accepted into the clan for their skills, they were forced into its dark practices. If they agreed to stay under those conditions, they deserved no pity.

All those people on the ship earlier, dreaming of being recruited, had essentially walked into their deaths.

Alm and Bruno observed the scene below and confirmed: those who remained behind truly carried dark karma around them.

The clan’s protective inscriptions were activated swiftly, forming multiple layers of defenses. The whale stood in the sky for exactly sixty seconds. Then, he casually waved, and the crimson clouds began to descend, crashing down like waves onto the ground.

"Kill him!"

The clan leader ordered the one responsible for the inscriptions to launch a deadly strike. The minute they had bought was spent gathering the clan’s full power, which was why they hadn’t attacked earlier.

Power formed from countless laws began to flow, shaking the planet. Purple light spread everywhere, but to everyone’s shock, as the runes tried to converge, they couldn’t fuse together. Then, they realized—they couldn’t attack.

"What… what’s happening?!" roared the clan leader, realizing the disruption.

Above, Meru stood with her tattoos active, effortlessly controlling everything around her.

"How is this possible?!"

Panic swept through the clan members. Though they couldn’t attack, their defenses were still in place. But as the crimson clouds descended, the protective light of the great inscriptions began to melt, like snow under a scorching sun.

"You don’t deserve mercy. Feel a fraction of the pain you’ve caused." Meru’s soft voice echoed as she made a simple gesture.

*BOOM!*

In that instant, all the defenses shattered. The energy accumulated from the sacrifices deposited in that place surged into the clan’s buildings. With an explosion that shook the heavens, a scarlet wave quickly spread, corroding everything in its path.

The ships, buildings, inscriptions—everything they had built—crumbled. It was as if everything had aged millions of years in an instant, finally reaching the end of its life span and turning to dust.

Within seconds, the blood mist spread over hundreds of thousands of kilometers and kept expanding.

"NO!"

"AAAH!"

Screams of agony echoed in all directions. It was as if everyone there had been cursed. Their skin turned black. Only those at the very pinnacle of this universe, wielding that purple law, managed to resist, though their faces were pale with terror.

However, the survivors were horrified to see those around them consumed by the curse. Their three vital energies were ripped away without them even realizing it.

In the blink of an eye, this once-glorious land turned into a field of death. The entire planet was affected. The Yin of death infected everything, reducing buildings, ships, and all that existed to black dust.

The most powerful members of the clan, busy with their tasks, were dumbstruck. They watched as their colossal clan, which had survived for countless generations, vanished before their eyes. Countless lives were lost in mere seconds. It felt like they were trapped in a nightmare.

"How dare you?! Die!"

Seeing the rounded figure land softly on the devastated ground, appearing to have no more power, the clan leader thought he had used everything he had. Mad with rage, he roared frantically, ordering everyone to attack.

"Be careful!" The woman was shocked and shouted hurriedly. But it was too late.

The next moment, a cutting light flashed, and one of the hundreds of peak figures in the clan was sliced in half by a short sword. Before their body even fully split, the fierce blade moved swiftly, cutting through dozens of nearby figures immediately.

Body parts fell to the ground. Several powerful figures were killed with ease, as though they were melons being chopped. The attacker? A little girl.

Meru wore a cold expression as she gripped her short sword, trembling. It was the first time she had seen so much blood and acted alone.

During the Queen and the heroes’ attack on the Gloom planet, Meru had hidden underground with her bloodline activated and her tattoos at full power for protection. She didn’t witness anything during that battle; she only emerged when silence reigned.

Alm and Bruno watched closely and remembered the first time Ruri had to see and act to kill. It was in a rural town, where evil cultivators carried out a massacre, shortly after they left the Divinestone clan. (Chapter 55)

Feeling her father’s gaze, Meru took a deep breath and turned to them: "I’m fine, Daddy... If they don’t die, they’ll attack again, causing more deaths and pain; they don’t deserve forgiveness in this life. They need to suffer for what they’ve done and, afterward, pay for their karma according to the laws."

Alm and Bruno nodded. They had already had this conversation with her, just like they did with Ruri in the past. But still, it was evident the little girl was shaken. Which was natural; if she were completely fine, that would be concerning.

"Let’s finish this." The whale spoke, and Meru nodded, determined.

Even after killing those figures, her anger didn’t subside. She leapt into the air, her tattoos glowing like stars, pouring energy through her small body. Her target was that hateful woman.

In her mind, the moments spent on the boat with all those people who had died came back like a nightmare. She also thought about those brothers, who fortunately could still have their souls recovered by her father. Those two, with good hearts, had died only because of greed, and Meru now fully understood what being weak and naïve could lead to.

However, she and her father had the strength to act, and she couldn’t hesitate to destroy evil; otherwise, similar tragedies would happen over and over again. They needed to act as brutally as possible, to instill fear among the wicked.

Unfortunately, life in a world where power existed was always brutal and merciless. Even more so, her father told her he lived a life in a place without any Qi or power... still, things weren’t peaceful. Perhaps this wild world was something inevitable for all. Everyone had to learn to protect themselves, even without power; they had to be strong in other ways.

"You shameless witch, come!" Meru’s voice echoed, attacking the woman like a fierce lightning strike.

A dozen people tried to block her, but with a single blow, she split them all in two and advanced through the blood.

Everyone was shocked; how could such a small girl be so strong? It was like a little demon... Suddenly, upon looking at the whale’s wicked face, they realized who her father was.

"Attack together!"

The clan leader roared, but he was already blocked by the whale, who appeared in front of him like a ghost. Fearing for his life, the leader pulled out a small sphere covered in strange purple marks.

The others, realizing the importance of the leader, rushed to protect him, leaving the woman alone. This battle would be between Meru and the woman alone.

On the other side, the whale was surrounded by hundreds, all attacking simultaneously, their laws erupting together. The world trembled slightly as a result.

"PURPLE CHAOS!" They all screamed as they attacked.

Even against them all at once, with no way to escape due to the purple power surrounding him, the whale didn’t back down. He simply cut with any saber he could find nearby.

*BOOM!*

The earth was torn apart, terrifying ripples spread throughout the world, and space was shattered.

Everyone coughed up blood and was thrown far away, severely wounded. Only because of the combined force of their purple law were they able to block the attack and, surprisingly, survive.

’This law is quite peculiar... It connects with space, the mind, and can distort any power, absorbing it for defense,’ Alm analyzed. It was their purple law that allowed such a miracle.

They were testing the capabilities of the law, as it was an essential part of mastering another primordial chaos item.

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The whale attacked again like lightning, reaching the group in the blink of an eye. With a single move, another dozen of them disappeared.

"NO!" One figure screamed in desperation. Everyone realized they were now unable to concentrate their powers. There was no way to block the whale.

"CALM DOWN! HE CAN’T BEAT US!" The leader shouted, having managed to activate the sphere he held to its maximum.