Duality of Shadows-Chapter 985: Blooming Lotus Flower

More and more people dressed in white, with a pure and sacred aura, started appearing in the square. Everyone was murmuring a strange prayer. Shortly after, a peculiar atmosphere filled the air. The young ones froze, as if some formless energy surrounded them.

"Great White Guardian God, please grant your glory to these children. Illuminate them on how to progress. From today, they will no longer be lost sheep! You have been kind and forgiven their sins, now they will honor your name forever!"

An old man was kneeling before the statue, also murmuring an exaggerated prayer. All the young ones were confused as they looked at the statue. The ceremony lasted two whole hours, and during that time, no one dared to move.

When the ceremony finally ended, all the young ones were forced to gather, and a Dao was taught to them.

No one could understand it, but they tried their best to memorize. The man only repeated the prayer three times, and if anyone couldn’t memorize it, it meant they didn’t respect the God. Those who disrespected the God would be killed right there.

There were more than a thousand words. After repeating them only three times, he began testing them one by one. If anyone said a wrong word, they would be dragged away. It was said that they would be given to the Beasts as food, and the wailing started to grow.

Soon, it was the turn of the two, and they passed the test without any problems. After that, all the young ones were divided into groups of ten. Fortunately, the two stayed together.

"Now that you have memorized, from today, you will no longer be orphans, but children of the God. Your parents weren’t killed; they died to pay for their sins. However, they contributed greatly to the God, if they hadn’t died, you would never have understood what this world is. This world is ruthless and emotionless, here the weak are prey to the strong, and only the strong are respected..."

He continued talking, a long and repetitive speech, something that Alm and Bruno had already heard millions of times in the cultivation world. The world was for the strong and so on... it was boring and uninteresting.

The two focused on the Dao they received. It was just the basics, but undoubtedly a Divine Dao.

’This transforms the body into pure Yang. The advantages of this... yes, it’s very similar to Rehvka’s Dao, but with the opposite power. Instead of Yin, which focuses on concealment and assassination, it gives the user offensive power and unparalleled mobility,’ thought Bruno.

Alm noticed another peculiar point. ’Cultivating this is like killing yourself quickly. Anyone who starts transforming their body this way enters a countdown. If they don’t fully complete the basics in a few years, they’ll die from the lack of Yin in their body.’

Bruno nodded. The physical body of those born mortal needs both sides. Becoming pure Yang has serious risks. However, this Dao could remedy that, but the person had to manage to cultivate it to a certain point.

’If the person is too young and the body is still not fully developed for cultivation, they get double the years to practice the Dao, until their time runs out. That’s why they capture all these children,’ reflected Alm.

The two understood, it was very difficult for this God to find people capable of using his Dao. Instead of massacring everyone who didn’t follow his religion, he made his followers seek young talents and test them to their limits. If they died, it didn’t matter. But the ones who survived, it was because they had the potential to cultivate the Dao properly and would be extremely useful.

The old man’s voice changed, stopping his tedious speech. This cut the two’s thoughts:

"From today, you will form groups of ten and be sent into the depths of the mountains. You will have to survive alone for two years. But there, wild beasts roam everywhere, and whether you survive or not depends on your own skills. You have received the holy blessing, just pray and practice, and you will have a chance." The old man ordered that they be taken away shortly after speaking.

In the group of the two, there were three girls and seven boys. When they arrived at the location, all the young ones listened to Almia, since she was the oldest... or almost. She had to beat a bit on the boys who thought they were superior. After a good beating, they all became very obedient.

After that, together, they began searching for a water source, food, and building a shelter.

These children, who once enjoyed the love of their parents, now began to learn how to survive on their own. When the ten worked together, each day was better than the last. They started forming bonds between them, like they were a family.

At first, they only dared to gather some wild fruits. When they found a water source, they began building the shelter. They set traps around to protect themselves from wild beast attacks.

After a month, they started hunting pheasants, rabbits, and other prey. Sometimes, they even dared to attack smaller beasts.

Living in such an intense environment, Ruri and the other young ones began to learn to use the Dao they received. Quickly, the Yin from their bodies was expelled, and their vital energy began to be consumed. They either completed the basics on time, or they would die in less than ten years.

None of them had cultivation yet. But the Dao was simple and didn’t require the use of external or internal Qi, it only manipulated the internal and natural energies of the body.

Their shelter was attacked several times. Once, a fierce black bear attacked and broke their traps. Under Almia’s guidance, everyone worked together to defeat it.

The days passed one by one. They began to feel that these were the happiest moments of their lives, considering everything they had lived through before. But happy days always passed faster.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Ruri was already thirteen years old. She had grown a lot in this environment. She had almost forgotten the pain of her past.

Alm and Bruno, day by day, were getting more and more uncomfortable. Their bodies now had well-defined twin mounds that made movement difficult. Not to mention, the sensation in everyday life felt really strange. This illusory world was more realistic than it should have been. Using a female body had turned into a torment for them.

But that day, the young ones’ nightmare returned. People appeared to take them back. They tried to run, but they were all captured.

They were brought back to the original location. Then, they were subjected to an evaluation to measure the progress of the Dao in their bodies.

The evaluation involved Yin pills, which they were forced to swallow to see if their bodies would fully reject them or not. Regardless of the result, the pain was intense, to the point of wishing for death. In that place, they felt like animals, forced to follow other people’s orders. They wanted to rebel, but they didn’t have enough power.

Three days later, they were taken to a room. A man entered and called eight names. Almia and Huuya were the only ones from their group who weren’t called. After those selected ones left, they never returned.

Ruri and Almia decided to look for them, and they found them in a nearby valley. But they were already dead, and there were hundreds of other bodies with them.

"They didn’t reach a good enough level. At their pace, they would’ve died anyway from the Dao itself. Don’t cry, it’s better to end the suffering now," Almia said, seeing Ruri with her fists clenched and eyes trembling with rage.

A deep hatred began to rise within her again. They had been companions for two years, and seeing how they were killed mercilessly made Ruri fill up with a desire for revenge and blood.

"Get out of the way!" At that exact moment, a shout was heard. A man in white appeared and threw two more bodies onto the pile.

The two had nothing they could do, so after Ruri calmed down, they returned to their wooden cage. The next day, they were taken back to the square with many other young ones. They were all from the same group as two years ago, but now less than a tenth of them remained.

Two years had made them grow immensely. They had become stronger, but the only thing their eyes reflected was endless hatred. They had undoubtedly gone through the same suffering as Ruri, witnessing their companions being massacred mercilessly.

It was still the same elder who had conducted the ceremony back then. He smiled slightly at everyone and spoke coldly:

"Now you understand how important power is, don’t you? Want revenge for your companions? Want to kill those who were so cruel to you?"

"Everyone is a follower of the White Guardian God, and the God is always just. He will give each of you the chance to fulfill your desires. This is not a crime, but something allowed by him. The key is whether you can do it or not."

"From today, all of you have the right to cultivate. As long as you become strong enough, you can kill anyone. The world belongs to the strong, everything is possible for those with faith and who are blessed by the God. Let the divine ceremony begin!"

The statue of the God began to tremble slightly, and a light began to fall from the sky. The young ones started shaking as the light hit them. The blood in their bodies began circulating rapidly, as if their bodies were overflowing with energy.

Prayers sounded, followed by loud shouts, as if the God truly had heard them. The rain of light slowly condensed more and more upon them.

The young ones, seeing what was happening, followed the example. Shouts of loyalty echoed in the air. Their voices became hoarse, but they kept shouting, realizing that the more they shouted, the more light accumulated upon their bodies and the more power overflowed from them.

"First, throw them into the abyss and despair, then give them the sweet," Alm commented, watching the manipulation happening. These young ones were completely manipulated and converted.

Ruri watched the others around her shouting with increasing fervor. When the light settled on her body, a feeling of disgust overtook her, making her reject the power. She didn’t want to absorb it, no matter what.

When the divine ceremony ended, they were informed that they were candidates to become generals of the White Guardian God. If they survived until the end and mastered the sacred Dao, they would live gloriously, receiving the blessings of this God.

They began cultivating and training together. The Elders passed down cultivation techniques and knowledge to them all.

During this period, they had plenty of food, good accommodations, and practically everything they needed. In just one month, everyone had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

This was the most frightening thing about the God’s blessing. These young ones didn’t necessarily have talent, but after facing countless life and death trials, all their potential was awakened.

Alm and Bruno noticed that this dream was frighteningly realistic. Even the cultivation was exactly like what they knew. They found no problems and advanced quickly, impressively. Ruri also managed to keep pace with everyone.

A year later, all the disciples were gathered again. They were no longer young, but cultivators. Though still immature, the pain and suffering in their childhood had caused them to mature prematurely... in a twisted and chaotic way, of course. Their eyes were cold and sharp.

Now, they also had their own weapons, as well as any technique they wanted to cultivate. Compared to what they were a year ago, they seemed like completely different people.

They were divided into groups of five hundred and continued cultivating together. They were given missions to hunt Beasts, and with Almia leading with strength, they never faced danger.

Half a year later, everything changed again. That entire group of disciples was about to go through an elimination competition. Two people would fight, the winner would survive, while the loser would die.

When they heard this, everyone was stunned. The opponent would be someone from the same group of five hundred, with whom they had spent a lot of time recently.

It wasn’t a surprise. The worshipers of this God were the cruelest possible. They forced the young ones to connect with each other, only to later make them kill each other.

The elder was clear in his warning: if the two disciples couldn’t determine a winner within a certain time, he would cut off both of their heads without hesitation.

Two disciples immediately fought. They roared and began a fierce battle. They could only fight with all their strength, and every one of their attacks was ruthless, a true fight to the death.

In just ten moves, one of them killed the other, ending the battle.

Ruri felt extremely lucky. The five hundred names were listed on a chart so everyone knew who their opponents would be. She wasn’t in the same section as Almia, but on the opposite end.

’Lucky?’ Bruno read Ruri’s thoughts. All along, Ruri’s will had been influencing the events a little. Since everything was different from their memories, the test was shaping itself around her.

When it was Ruri’s turn to fight, surprisingly to the elders, she easily killed her opponent.

After the first round, the battles didn’t happen frequently. Sometimes, there would be half a year between them; other times, two in a single month. No one knew when their turn to face the opponent listed on the chart would come. This kept them constantly pressured to cultivate to the fullest every second.

Quickly, more than five hundred young ones were cut down to a third. Time passed slowly. The battles between them became more and more intense, and the young ones grew more and more cruel.

This year, Ruri turned 15 and had already reached the Elemental Condensation Realm. Her beauty was also becoming more evident. Several younger disciples secretly had an interest in her, but they only dared to think about it and never acted on it.

That was because they feared a certain person: Almia. If anyone dared to do anything, there were enough examples to show she would hunt them down mercilessly, even to the ends of the earth.

However, when they reached the end of the Elemental Condensation Realm, everyone’s cultivation slowed down. From that point on, resources needed to be focused on the absolute geniuses.

At that moment, Ruri had killed her last opponent. But she didn’t feel the slightest excitement. Instead, her expression was extremely grave. Of the original group of more than five hundred young ones, the only ones left were her and Almia.

According to the rules, the two of them now had to fight. In other words, only one of them would survive. It was a terribly cruel reality.

All this time, after winning their battles, the two of them returned to the mountains to rest and talk. Almia had also become a beautiful woman, like a lotus flower blooming on the surface. Anyone who looked at her would feel a sense of pleasure... but would quickly look away because her bloodthirsty eyes would stare back, sending chills down their spine.

Meanwhile, Bruno couldn’t stop laughing at Alm’s pathetic situation. Only Alm controlled the female body, and it was his turn to help Ruri, something he had chosen for himself.

Obviously, he hadn’t expected to be stuck using it for so long. Four years had already passed in this illusory world, but probably not even a second had passed in the real world.

Two months went by, until finally, the elder announced that the battle between them would take place. The two met behind the mountain, and Ruri had an indescribable expression of despair.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"Older sister, tomorrow we’ll have to..." Her voice was a bit hoarse.

Almia sighed and gently stroked Ruri’s hair, with a tender expression on her face.