Aurora reappeared back on the Mars plane with a simple hum.
The cultivation chamber she had created stood exactly where she had left it â a perfect sphere of condensed harmonies and creation, floating serenely in the heart of the endless red forest.
There were crimson trees with leaves like frozen blood stretched in every direction. There was no wind that stirred, nor any beasts that roamed.
Though it seemed perfect for what they had been doing, it was just a random place Aurora chose.
She landed lightly on the mossy ground a few paces from the chamber. Inside, Isis still floated cross-legged, her aura was rising steadily.
However, in Aurora eyes it was still painfully slow.
"Well, I hope these old things daddy created helps," Aurora murmured, golden eyes narrowing.
She had no idea what any of this stuff truly did. I mean she could easily find out through Elysia.... but she rather not.
If Ash gave it out to his people, then it had to be good.
So, with a shrug she raised both hands.
Hum!
Then a single, pure note left her lips... the note spread outward like invisible ripples, touching every herb, every pill, every piece of materials the soldiers had brought from the Originat Haven.
In the space of a single breath, the physical forms of the resources dissolved.
All of it condensed, purified, and refined by Auroraâs harmonies until nothing remained but a swirling vortex of golden-white essence â denser, cleaner, and infinitely more potent than anything that could be found here.
Aurora smiled then she sang again â a shorter, more focused melody this time.
From the heart of the swirling essence a small artifact took shape: a tiny bird no larger than a dove, formed entirely of shimmering blue light.
Its wings were delicate, almost translucent, and its eyes glowed with the same warm intelligence as Auroraâs own.
The bird fluttered once, then flew straight to the top of the cultivation chamber and perched there like a living crown.
"Little birdie," Aurora whispered to it, "make everything go smoothly and fast for her. Hehe, give my stubborn friend the push she deserves."
The bird trilled a single note in reply.
Its tiny body began to pulse in perfect rhythm with the chamber below.
HUMMMM!!!!!
The moment it sat on the chamber, Isisâs aura inside exploded. Then while she began to accumalate power faster.
Aurora directed all the liquified essence towards the chamber, flowing it directly into Isis body.
HUMMMMMM!!!!!!
Her aura exploded again, and in that moment. What had been a slow, grinding climb from Early Ascendant suddenly became a rapid ascent.
Her scales glowed brighter and brighter, flooding the chamber with brilliance.
The air shimmered with raw power as veins of golden light raced across her body, each rank shattering like fragile glass.
From Early Ascendant, she leapt straight into the Dimensional Overlord rank, and Aurora couldnât hide her delight, smiling from ear to ear.
She couldnât have known that most of the herbs sheâd liquefied were meant specifically for enhancing comprehension.
Not to mention, Ash had evolved them countless times over just for the sake of it. He never needed them, so he always handed them out through the nexus.
Well, it was more like Elysia did.
CRACK!
The chamber finally cracked, as her aura stopped at the Peak of the Dimensional Overlord rank.
In mere minutes â not weeks, not days, but minutes â Isis went from Early Ascendant all the way to the absolute peak of Dimensional Overlord.
And what was even more mind-boggling was that she didnât need to evolve within a cocoon.
Everything unfolded effortlessly, transforming her into a Seventh Dimensional Beingâcapable of journeying through the Heavens of the 70s.
The little bird perched atop the chamber merely tilted its head in quiet satisfaction, releasing one final gentle trill before dissolving into soft light, its purpose complete.
Aurora smiled, warm and a little smug.
"Didnât I tell you?," she said softly. "My way would be countless times faster, than searching nonstop hoping to luck up."
Isis slowly uncrossed her legs, floating down until her boots touched the rocky ground. She looked up at Aurora, her slitted eyes wide, then broke into a fierce, grateful grin.
"...Youâre... Impossible." she said shaking her head. She truly couldnât understand how she got wrapped up with such a being.
But she couldnât lie... she was happy to have her as a friend. Her first true friend.
Aurora only laughed.
"Yea, Yea... letâs go get that heart now."
Then with that, they both began to ascend through the tunnel. There was nothing elaborate about it... Once one had the appropriate level they could just fly upwards.
-----
Not long after they left, Dex Asmodei appeared in the same forest, but this time he wasnât just after Aurora. No, now he wanted her completely, even more than before.
He hadnât seen much prior to their departure, only catching the tail end of eventsâthanks to one of his Talents, which allowed him to remain undetected as long as he stayed at least 50,000 miles away.
Unless someone was actively searching for him, his presence was invisible.
Standing among the trees, he murmured with a grin, "Turns out sheâs far more special than I thought... And that Dragon... why not claim them both?"
Dex was an Infinite Weaver, gifted with the ability to travel all the way to the 81st Heaven.
"Haha, Iâve got it." Laughing at the plan forming in his mind, he summoned a communication token.
"This is Dex Asmodei, Second Prince of the Everlasting Devils... I have a request."
After finishing with his request, Dex smiled wickedly as he began ascending towards the upper heavens, tracking the scent of both Isis and Aurora.
-----
Aurora and Isis didnât pause at any other Heaven.
They kept moving upward, soaring through layer after layer of the Mars Planeâs vertical tunnel until they broke through the thin, shimmering barrier dividing the lower heavens from the 79th.
The instant they emerged, everything was different.
The black-and-red tunnel sky opened into a breathtaking vista of floating islands of polished crimson marble drifted lazily through red clouds, connected by arching bridges.
They landed lightly on the edge of the central floating metropolis: it was a massive city built across dozens of linked sky-islands.
Aurora smoothed the folds of her simple white dress, her white-blue hair glinting in the light.
"Well... this place is definitely prettier than the lower heavens," she remarked.
Isisâs tail flicked once, her slitted eyes sweeping the crowd with practiced caution.
"That doesnât mean itâs safe. Letâs track down information on this Hollow Prince and get moving."
They wandered through the streets, blending effortlessly with the locals thanks to Auroraâs earlier artifact, looking like just another pair of high-ranking cultivators on a casual stroll.
Before long, something caught their attention.
At the central plaza â a hovering disk of pristine white jade encircled by golden fountains â a cluster of elegantly dressed devils gathered around a glowing announcement board.
One of them, a tall woman with sleek obsidian horns, was speaking excitedly to her companion.
"...the auction begins in three hours at the Crimson Spire. I heard theyâre selling the location of the Heart of the Hollow Prince."
Her companionâa male devilâlaughed.
"You know things arenât that simple. The Hollow Prince is practically a legend on the Mars Plane... his heartâs been missing for over 30 cycles."
"Doesnât matter," the woman said with a shrug. "Heâs long dead by now... they say the heart will bring about the Hollowâs successor."
Aurora and Isis shared a glance.
Isisâs eyes narrowed. "Doesnât this all seem... a little too good to be true?"
Auroraâs golden eyes glimmered with quiet amusement. "Heh, maybe itâs just luck?" she said before adding,
"Besides, isnât this better? We only need to win the coordinates instead of killing some prince."
Isis raised a brow at the last part, then asked, "Wait... you have mana stones?"
Aurora tilted her head, her smile turning sly. "My daddyâs rich, you know. And Iâm his most prized lady~."
"Tsk, so youâre a spoiled brat," Isis teased playfully as they walked toward the distant silhouette of the Crimson Spire.
"Well, I wonât deny that," Aurora replied with a shrug. "With parents like mine... itâs inevitable to be spoiled."
"Youâre making me curious about this family of yours... whatâs it called?"
"Hmmm, well, weâre not that famous. Back home, we were known as the Originat Clan... but now wâ"
"WHAT?!"
Isis froze in her tracks upon hearing the name of that Clan.