Time Passed.
Days turned into one, two, three, and eventually a week, yet Sima Kong and Kim Yoon remained at their post, still finding no sign of Aron.
At the same time, several high-level martial artists began to appear one by one, and their numbers were steadily increasing.
The roaring walls of fire showed no signs of extinguishing. Given that the flames could reduce anything to ashes, some powerful individuals began to speculate that the fire might never die out.
Their suspicions were confirmed. After two weeks and then three weeks, the flames showed no signs of weakening whatsoever.
By the time a month had passed, people began to refer to the place as the Eternal Fire that Burns Everything. Of course, Aron had not appeared at all during that month.
At this point, the last flicker of hope in Sima Kong's face began to fade. He suspected that Aron might have perished within, but he refused to believe it and continued to wait among the dwindling number of martial artists.
As for Kim Yoon, he had resigned himself and left after a full month of waiting. Regardless of his guilt, there were still matters he needed to attend to.
About a month and a half later, the number of people visiting the site had dwindled significantly, to the point where it could be said that they were rare. After all, these individuals could only watch from a distance without being able to touch or enter further. So, what could one do in a place like that?
After two months, only one person remained at the site. It was Sima Kong, who now appeared thinner, with graying hair and a weary face filled with bitterness and despair.
During these two months, although Sima Kong had never strayed far from his spot, he had seen no signs of Aron being alive. Even if he wasn't entirely sure, the hope that Aron was still alive had vanished from his heart.
Moreover, since two months ago, it was estimated that more than ten martial artists had been burned to ashes after accidentally or intentionally touching the flames. With such incidents, aside from innate-level martial artists, no one was allowed to approach within ten meters of the Eternal Fire.
Since news of such events had been released a month and a half ago, Sima Kong's last hope had completely crumbled.
Just think about it: if innate-level martial artists who could fly dared to approach only within ten meters, how could Aron, a mere human, have survived inside for months?
Shouldn't he have turned to ashes by now?
No!
Even an innate-level martial artist would turn to ashes; if it were Aron, he might as well be a dry leaf added to the flames.
Yet, with his stubbornness, Sima Kong continued to wait for these two months. However, realizing that there was no longer any point in waiting, he began to accept Aron's death with a bitter heart.
"Hey..." He sighed bitterly, feeling helpless, and began to stand, preparing to return to the city.
But just as Sima Kong stood up, the ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled. More precisely, an earthquake erupted from within the Eternal Fire.
Moments later, an explosion accompanied by black smoke erupted, shooting a black pillar high into the sky.
With a loud "boom," the black smoke in the sky suddenly spread in all directions, forming a perfect round canopy with a diameter of about ten kilometers. It enveloped the entire world in darkness, and a chilling aura that seemed capable of freezing every bone made the world fall silent.
"This... This..." Sima Kong, standing about a hundred meters from the Eternal Fire and now under the shadow of the dark canopy, had turned pale, his entire body trembling violently.
He was terrified, his heart racing. Gazing up at the canopy above him, he felt choked and could hardly breathe normally.
Especially when a voice, cold, cruel, and arrogant, suddenly echoed, "Refine the body, essence, and soul. Seize the power to destroy everything."
"There is no good or bad in the world..."
"Everything has essence, whether living beings or inanimate objects; utilize their life essence to refine yourself."
The cold and majestic voice emanating from the darkness began to spread in all directions.
All living beings on earth could hear it, whether human or monster; they could hear it clearly, and fear and horror quickly filled their hearts and souls.
Powerful, colossal creatures that had never appeared before began to awaken one by one from their slumber.
The seas began to churn, and a massive tsunami crashed onto the land, followed by strange monsters. Mountains shook, and anomalies began to emerge in places like the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, the Bermuda Triangle, Kunlun Mountain, and even a mysterious island suddenly rose from the Pacific Ocean.
The world seemed to be descending into chaos for the third time.
At the same time, at the highest peak of the world, atop Mount Everest.
A place that was covered in snow year-round actually housed a garden filled with flowers and a refreshing atmosphere, resembling a paradise on earth. A mysterious figure, indistinguishable as male or female, suddenly awakened from its meditation.
Worshipped by humanity, this mysterious figure frowned and gazed far toward Cloud City.
As if their gaze could pierce through space and time, they seemed to see what was happening in the distance and suddenly smiled faintly. With that smile, all the flowers, plants, and the beauty of life seemed to reach their peak, moving joyfully and cheering.
Even the chaos that had previously occurred appeared to calm down and regain control.
"Have you finally come?" A voice, tinged with excitement, sadness, joy, embarrassment, and a myriad of other emotions, suddenly echoed before the figure vanished into thin air.
On the other side.
Only moments later, the black smoke above Sima Kong's head suddenly dissipated, and everything returned to normal as it had been before.
At the same time, he vaguely heard a scream coming from within the Eternal Fire before a small black dot shot toward him at the speed of a ballistic missile.
With a loud "explosion," the object or figure fell precisely within ten meters of where he stood.
"Boom!"
The ground trembled slightly, and ash began to scatter, obscuring Sima Kong's line of sight.
Due to the events he had experienced that day, the middle-aged man stood frozen, unsure of how to react. However, his eyes suddenly widened as a human silhouette emerged from the thinning dust.
"No way..." With a mix of shock, fear, and hope, Sima Kong rushed toward the figure before him.
Just as he truly saw the figure in front of him, his expression became utterly extraordinary.