Listen While Reading: The key we've lost

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The Inner Realm was bustling with people, most of them immortals, as we were getting ready for the last battle. Preparations were almost complete, and today, with two more days left for me to remain in this trial, we were going to do it.

The plan was big, and it included several steps. We were going to separate everyone into different squads; each one would be given an important task they would have to pull off, and of course, I would also accompany each squad with my Egos to assure that they'll be okay.

Right now, there was a huge camp set up on both islands, where we stepped in to prepare for the big battle. We weren't just us, but the surviving Immortals of both factions were joining us, alongside three thousand volunteering Mechanoids of the Warrior type, that had been enhanced and upgraded by Zero One and Zero Two.

Of course, there were even more of them whom we had freed, but we didn't want to force them, so only volunteers joined us, the hardiest of the warrior machines. Some of them even being the models with Heaven Fragments within them, and a couple even with small cosmic cores within them.

"As we've discussed earlier these days, the plan to overtake the third and largest tree, find Song and free him, and also battle against the endless army of machines will be composed of several steps," I said. "We've already discussed these things with the other two Venerables, and they had agreed on my plans."

The Immortals nodded attentively, no longer looking down on me due to my appearance or where I came from. After I was crowned as the third Venerable, they only showed respect to me and bowed their head. It was a bit… surprising.

"Excuse me, lady venerable," asked Yin Sheng. "But how many groups will we have to form?"

"Only three," I said. "First and foremost, the most important group, Team 1! It will be composed of various Fishmen Immortals, my Egos, Aquatic-Adapted Machines, some of my Familiars, and a few of my friends. You will travel underwater and find the sunken continent of Pangea, find the Heaven Peaks, and mine ore from there. The Primordial Beasts here will accompany you and will feed on these ores, the crystallization of the essence of heaven and earth that was once banned and protected by the Heavenly Court from being mined."

"To think we're mining the Heaven Peak… Is this for real?"

"After the orthodox bastards always protected this mountain, it seems they've finally allowed us to mine it."

"Yeah, now that the damn world is at stake, of course."

The Demonic Immortals seemed to have their own opinions about the subject, but none seemed bothered about it either.

"The primary goal of this plan is for the Primordial Beasts to feed on this ore; if anybody else tries to sneak some for themselves, you will pay for this later," said the Heavenly Empress. "We have to let the primordial beasts mature as quickly as possible by devouring this very precious ore. Their power will be crucial to not only restore the world but also fight against the Demon King and the Constellations, and perhaps even the Void Ruler behind all of this."

"Makes sense to me…"

"Hey Demons, we will be watching you, so don't try anything sneaky!"

"Thankfully, the majority of us fishmen belong to the Orthodox Faction due to the great alliance that the Underwater Empire had created with the Heavenly Court long ago."

The Fishmen were indeed very crucial; they could survive underwater unaffected by the Sea's Pressure.

And this was a Cultivation World's Sea, so it was infused with Ocean Ki, the deeper you went, the harder it was to move, and also, the more your Ki and other Martial Arts were suppressed because of the immense quantity of Ocean Ki.

Fishmen Immortals are all Ocean Path Cultivators, they harness the Ocean Ki and can even become stronger underwater, so they're perfect for this.

"How much ore do we need to feed to the beasts for them to fully mature?" wondered a Mermaid Immortal.

"Who knows?" said the Heavenly Demon. "Perhaps a couple dozen, or hundreds, maybe thousands. Don't spare any of those ores and feed them all if necessary. Destroy that mountain if you must. For the sake of our world, it is a small sacrifice."

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"The most ancient Immemorial Treasure…" sighed the Heavenly Empress. "It will be a great loss; that mountain has existed for so long, and the villages within it have given birth to so many Immortals across generations… But yes, it is a sacrifice we must make."

The Immortals of both factions nodded; none disagreed with their words.

They were ready to sacrifice their legacy and history, everything, to finally restore their world, even if a little.

"What do we do once they're ready?" asked one fishmen.

"You'll regroup with Team 2," I said. "Team 2 will be composed of most of our army, including all the machines here, Zero One, Zero Two, and the majority of the other Immortals, and my friends as well."

"Your task will be simple: fight," said the Heavenly Empress. "You will go to the frontlines and fight the machines, holding them back while Team 1 is mining for ores. That area of the ocean is greatly guarded, so you'll have to fight the armies coming to fend us off and also lure the guards of that area towards you. Your task will be arduous, but we've prepared a massive army with Anna, her Undead will also join. How many, Anna?"

"I've prepared five thousand strong," I said. "All machines and martial beasts I've gathered, their corpses will be used to create these Undead with large boosts to their stats and unique abilities. Don't worry and use them as meat… or metal shields if necessary."

The machines looked at one another, talking about this; none seemed bothered about the undead machines, as I've already asked them, and it seemed they didn't mind.

Machines see the dead differently than other people, and they seemed happy if the junk they became could be repurposed into new, undead machines to fight with them.

"Wouldn't it be better for me to join Team 3?" asked Zero One.

"Team 2 has several tasks; aside from fighting the machines, you will also remain with Team 3 for a bit," said the Heavenly Demon. "We will charge together, break through the machines, and then reach the tree, where we'll destroy the gate and allow you and your sister to hack it. Also, Anna will help you as well, as she said she can do the same with a new skill she acquired. But once that happens, we will go our separate ways, hence why you belong to Team 2 and not 3."

"I see…" nodded Zero One. "So this time… I'll finally meet Mother again… I've changed so much since I was born. I-I don't know how she will react… Is she an enemy? Is she an ally…? I…"

"Those are things we can only find out once we confront her," I said. "But no matter what, we are with you, Zero One."

"Yeah," Zero Two nodded. "I guess not our twin sisters, though, but I guess they really didn't want to help…"

There hasn't been a single notice about Zero Three and her twin sister, or the second tree, since we defeated them.

It seemed they wanted to remain neutral and not join any faction, which seemed fine with me; I don't want to force them to fight.

"Once we break through," said the Heavenly Empress. "Team 2 and Team 3 will separate. Team 3, composed of all three of us Venerables, my son, and Fang Shuan, will move to unseal the Demon King and battle him. In there, we'll confront him and separate my son's original soul from it, fusing it with the one here, the embodiment of his Records, to finally save him. The Demon King might remain alive even after that though, so the battle will be fierce. The Constellations and their Avatars will most likely intervene, so it'll be up to us, the strongest, to stop them and reduce casualties the most."

"Once we finish our task, can we join you in that fight?" wondered Wai Tian. "I've been training this entire time, and I don't really want to…!"

"Yes, of course," I nodded. "Once the enemy army is neutralized or reduced, if you find the opportunity, join us. We'll need as much power as possible."

"I see… understood then," nodded Yin Sheng. "I will do my best."

"I also wanted to join you, so I'll make sure to destroy all those unruly machines and support you, Anna," Sara said.

"Thank you, everyone," I smiled, feeling relieved I had so many strong people with me.

"I never expected I would be included as well…" said Fang Shuan. "Why me?"

"Are you seriously acting like that?" I asked. "You're very strong, Fang Shuan; your recent evolution has also made you even mightier. And your abilities will synchronize the best with mine. You're important to this battle."

"…I see," he nodded, feeling a bit joyous. "I will gladly save this Murim… Even when I couldn't do the same with mine."

"Alright then!" I nodded. "We're done, one last thing. Zero One, Zero Two, and Fang Shuan, come with me."

They quickly followed me as the rest of the army continued their preparations, the sisters wondering what I was planning.

"Anna? Where are we going?" Zero One, he asked.

I led them into the nearby forest until we reached a place without any onlookers.

"Open."

FLUOSH!

A portal opened before me as I called them to follow me without saying anything else.

Once inside, we found ourselves within a large hall, the heat of a furnace rapidly spreading through the cold atmosphere.

"This place is.. a forge?" wondered Zero One.

"Why are we here?" Zero Two asked.

"I would ask the same question… if I hadn't guessed a bit myself," Fang Shuan smiled.

"Welcome to Samariel's Ancient Forge of Sins and Virtues," I said. "In here, you'll receive your last… Um, "upgrade" as it could be said. Samariel! Are you there?"

"We, master. I am glad to see you again. It has been a while," he appeared from the furnace, resembling a man made of white and black flames.

"Samariel, do you think it's possible to infuse Demonic Stigmas and Celestial Marks into their metallic bodies?" I asked him.

"Hmmm… they aren't quite weapons or equipment…" he said. "But they're metal nonetheless, living, sentient metal! Like golems, but more advanced… I think it's possible, or worth giving it a try, master."

"Excellent," I nodded. "Let's get to it then. Do you guys think you can handle a bit of pain, though?"

"We generally don't feel any pain…" said Zero One. "Usually!"

"We can, but we can turn it off," said Zero Two.

"I usually don't feel much pain unless my soul is attacked," said Fang Shuan.

"Excellent, then Fang Shuan goes first," I said.

"Please, walk inside my flames," Samariel smiled.

This was the last thing I wanted to try…

Now let's hope it works!

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