It's been a while, truly a while! Whether it's Shiayar's arms, the exclusive pillow position for his main pet, or the preferential treatment as his own daughter, it really has been a long time since I experienced it. Originally, with Jayee joining, I definitely felt the strong presence of this newbie. There was no choice. Whether it's the Mecha Black Knight or the kinetic orbital weapons and nuclear explosions, they were all a bit too much like cheating. In face-to-face combat, there was simply no room for me to play my part, and I was reduced to an auxiliary on the sidelines. But now it seems, Master is indeed Master. Even though he doesn't express it explicitly on a day-to-day basis, he actually has me in mind whenever there's something good available! I can clearly sense that the grim white skull in front of me is of the same origin as my own Amaterasu's fire seed. So, isn't this coincidental? Just as I was talking about my version being outdated and becoming a relic of the past, an enhancement patch arrives in the blink of an eye. This is what it means to be Shiayar's only designated main pet, the number one daughter, indeed! Childhood friends are truly the eternal meta!
It gazed at that grim white skull, its eyes burning with intensity.
"You see, in a hurry again."
Shiayar also stroked the little white ferret after a long time, placing its fluffy white tail over his shoulder.
Even though Silver had mostly been asleep over the last decade, due to the Soul Pact with Shiayar, as Shiayar's own spiritual power advanced, she also received feedback.
To put it bluntly, it's like progressing in rank while sleeping.
"With Silver's current rank, it's somewhat of a stretch for you to directly accommodate an 8th Order contaminant," Shiayar spoke softly.
"The 7th Order is Legendary. And naturally, the 8th Order is the level of Thrones and Demigods. Of course, an 8th Order contaminant does not mean it possesses the combat power of a demigod; it means that some aspect of its attributes has reached the rank of a demigod."
"That is, after all, the highest Sacred Relic used by the Ashes Cult to contain faith, accumulating the Power of Faith that the Ashes Cult has gathered over a millennium. It holds power sufficient to beckon the Godly Descent of the Lord of Ashes. If not dealt with properly, forcibly containing it could disturb your own soul, turning you into a small fire ferret that knows only how to spout flames."
Shiayar petted Silver's head, calming the restless emotions of the little white ferret.
"WHIMPER, WHIMPER, WHIMPER. 'Understood.'"
"WHIMPER, WHIMPER. 'Master, I really want to progress.'"
Silver wagged her tail and softly settled back into Shiayar's arms.
She had just been asleep for too long and was a bit confused. Now that I'm fully awake, sensing the mystery emitted by the Ashes King's skull, I naturally understand the stakes.
"Don't worry, dealing with this contaminant is not really a difficult task for me now."
Shiayar's gaze was also locked on the skull with traces of dark ashes.
Contaminants of the Evil God were akin to courting death for most Transcendent beings on the Western Continent. But when it came to Shiayar, he had an abundance of experience in dealing with contaminants. He had even once said that perhaps no one in the entire Western Continent understood contaminants better than he did. Likely, no one dared to argue that.
Since obtaining the contaminant of the Ancient God of Twilight from Anlina, Shiayar had come into contact with contaminants of various levels. Compared to when he was weak, when even a mere whiff of an Evil God's aura required his full alertness and any contaminant had to be securely sealed within a mithril box—
Shiayar now, after ten years in the fragments of the Imaginary Zone, had undergone earth-shattering changes.
If the Lord of Ashes descended in his complete form, that would indeed be a different story. But just an 8th Order contaminant—in front of Shiayar now, it really couldn't stir up much of a storm.
Shiayar placed his hand on the grim white skull.
「The next moment.」
Atop the "Immortal Skull of the Nameless King," the somberly pale radiance suddenly dimmed.
Immediately after, thousands of dark ashen spots rapidly spread up along Shiayar's palm, covering his entire body.
Within Shiayar's soul, a myriad of twisted thoughts emerged in an instant.
A series of illusory images slowly rose in his mind.
In an Element Plane of Fire where flames covered the land, the distorted heat incinerating the air to near distortion, with even the sky shrouded by black flames, resembling a hellish inferno.
A small Fire Elemental was born in the lake of lava spewing from a volcano.
It wandered through the magma, growing stronger little by little.
After accumulating enough power, a tribe of Fire Elemental creatures slowly gathered around it.
It began to conquer other tribes within this Element Plane, slaying the leaders of other Fire Elemental tribes and devouring their elemental crystals.
Thousands of years passed. That once-weak Fire Elemental gradually became strong through relentless conquest and devouring, and even its life level underwent transformation.
From a Fire Elemental, to a Fire Elemental Lord, and then to a Hellfire Sovereign...
Until at last, it became the Flaming King of Giants, the sovereign of the entire Element Plane.
Even guided by the laws of the Plane, it condensed divinity with the Power of Faith of the plane's creatures, with burning as its authority, and set foot on the road to godhood.
Later on, It was no longer satisfied with just being the emperor of an Elemental Plane, nor with the mere Power of Faith of an Elemental Plane.