Chapter 2841: Chapter 2841: The Growing Dark Region

As Zen and Dorothy cautiously approached the stronghold, they noticed it wasn't as guarded as the temples.

Even by the entrance, there wasn't a guard in sight. Zen and Dorothy exchanged uncertain glances, but proceeded anyway. There, they were greeted by a lone figure.

“Dorothy, so glad to meet you,” the figure bowed to Dorothy. Then, turning to Zen, he cupped his hands courteously. “Nice to meet you as well, Zen.”

Dorothy and Jermain had arranged to meet by the entrance beforehand. He had been waiting for them there expectantly.

Immediately recognizing the man's voice, Zen smiled. “Nice to meet you, too, Jermain.”

Back in the Seven Mountains Meeting, Jermain had also performed well and eventually led the Origin Mountain in winning second place.

Zen secretly thought Jermain's talent was slightly inferior to that of Elvinia and Milo.

Nevertheless, even he agreed that Jermain must have something extraordinary about him; after all, he was a leader of the disciples of the Origin Mountain.

Zen squinted. He could sense that Jermain had a unique Soul of Light, which was also an Indigo Soul, thus his aura glowed a deep purple. However, what piqued Zen's curiosity was the three palm-sized souls that hovered behind Jermain. Upon a closer look, Zen noticed that the three little souls looked exactly like Jermain.

Meanwhile, Jermain felt Zen's curious stare. Then, the three souls approached Zen, flitting about him almost playfully.

“Zen, are you curious about us?” one palm-sized soul asked.

“We are separate fractal souls,” another explained.

“Each of us is a separate individual,” the third continued.

The three souls circled Zen as they explained. Each one sounded exactly like Jermain, which made Zen feel somewhat unsettled.

“Jermain,” Dorothy giggled, “your separate souls are so funny!”

She had known prior that Jermain had separated three souls from his main soul, but this was the first time she had met them.

“Why did you split your soul?” Zen asked curiously.

Before Jermain could even open his mouth to respond, Dorothy answered for him. “Because his Other Shore Token is 'four in one', and belongs to the descending type.”

The Other Shore Token Dorothy was talking about was Jermain's four clay figurines. Each one could transform into any shape in the Source World. But he needed a soul to control each piece, which was why he split his.

“I see,” Zen nodded.

He understood. Some Other Shore Tokens were so outstanding and worth splitting one's soul.

“Anyway,” Jermain finally said. “Let's go! Let me introduce this region to you first.”

He had patiently waited for Dorothy so that he could serve as a guide for them. Stage Thirteen, being the last stage of the Lust World, was very different from other stages.

Jermain proceeded to lead them away from the simple stronghold. “Stage Thirteen is completely different from Stage Twelve and the rest.”

As he spoke, the little souls flew to Zen and Dorothy. Then, they banded together to transform into a round cake.

“The first twelve stages are round-shaped with star rings distributed randomly. Only Stage Eleven is an exception as it is controlled by the Separate Abyss race. You must have known that,” Jermain said bluntly.

Dorothy and Zen both nodded. They had guessed the Separate Abyss race was still in chaos.

“But Stage Thirteen is long and narrow.” Jermain slightly wagged his finger, and suddenly, the round cake was sliced on both sides, leaving a long, thin strip of its middle. “The star rings of all races in the Source World are gathered at one end, and the way to the Desire World is on the other end.” ꭆ𝐀ƝꝊᛒЕŞ

Dorothy gasped softly. She and Zen understood immediately. Exchanging pleased looks subtly, they were impressed by Jermain's visually-aided explanation.

“Why is Stage Thirteen like this?” Zen asked, eyebrow raised.

Jermain smiled. “Actually, Stage Thirteen was once round, too. But now, like the two parts of cake I sliced off, those regions are covered by the darkness.” His expression darkened. “If one entered the Dark Region rashly, they would fall into the dark void. Even now, the Dark Region continues to expand, albeit slowly. Perhaps one day, the two Dark Regions will merge into one, completely covering the path. The road to the Desire World would be impassable.”

At the mention of the Dark Region, Zen's heart skipped a beat.

He recalled that time he obtained certain candles from the bottom of the Sea of Truth. While Zen couldn't feel the Other Shore Power in the candles, No. 9527 had asked him to keep them carefully, as he would need them if he were to enter the Dark Region.

No. 9527 said Zen probably wouldn't need them in the near future, so Zen had just tucked them away into a corner of his space ring.

“Just like I said,” a voice within him whispered. “You need the candles to enter the Dark Region.”

“Is there truly a Dark Region in Stage Thirteen?” Zen asked the voice.

“This is the first I've heard of it,” No. 9527 replied. “In the past, the Dark Region only crept along the highest stages; but it's possible it has reached Stage Thirteen in recent years.”

“All who enter Stage Thirteen have two motives,” Jermain continued. “One, to obtain better Other Shore Tokens. Two, to go to the Desire World.” Turning to the two, he suddenly asked, “Are you going to the Desire World directly or wanting to obtain an Other Shore Token here first?”

Jermain had figured both Zen and Dorothy would have had brilliant Other Shore Tokens already, as they were the famed talents of the Oneness Sky Palace. This meant they were probably here to enter the Desire World.

But to his surprise, Zen answered, “I need an Other Shore Token that is suitable for the Truth of Cultivation Nature.”

Jermain hesitated momentarily. He wasn't expecting this answer. After all, he had witnessed Zen's incredible strength at the Seven Mountains Meeting: Zen lifted a boulder by himself, so he must have an Other shore Token of the strengthening type. Then, it dawned on him. “So you cultivate two Truths of Godly Ways...”

That was a great surprise to him. In his common sense, people rarely cultivated two Truths of Godly Ways when they were in the Lust Word. Only after reaching the Chaotic Source Realm would they choose to cultivate the second Truth of Godly Way for greater power.

Zen smiled. He didn't tell Jermain that he was cultivating three ways, not two only.

“You can try exploring the temples,” Jermain suggested. “Or, buy one in the rats' auction.”

“The rats' auction?” Zen asked. “Are you referring to the Ear Mouse race?”

“Yes,” Jermain replied.

The Ear Mice were notoriously greedy. Even though they already held great power and dominated the trade on the Other Shore, other races still despised them as rats.

Zen had heard before that the Ear Mouse race monopolized trade on the Other Shore. But he had yet to come across them, since he had chosen to explore only temples in the previous stages.

Jermain's words piqued his interest.

Zen reflected on his assets. He had obtained 100 finger-size chunks of soul crystal that were worth a hundred million soul pills from the Separate Abyss race. Additionally, he had a considerable amount of loot from the Bearing race.

If the Ear Mouse race auctioned some extremely precious Other Shore Tokens, then he'd definitely opt to just buy one, rather than waste time and energy exploring.

“Please take us to the auction,” Dorothy spoke his thoughts.

Jermain sighed at Dorothy's enthusiasm for Zen. She was, after all, considered a brilliant talent in the Oneness Sky Palace-- many disciples of the Origin Mountain sought her attention. Anyone who saw how devoted she was to Zen would feel heartbroken.