Chapter 99

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Waves rose and fell within the sea of primeval essence. A glance across revealed a pale red expanse—no longer the Rank One bronze sea, but now a sea of crimson iron. The walls of his aperture were lined with a luminous membrane, the hallmark of the Rank Two Initial Stage. The entire sea of crimson iron primeval essence occupied forty-four percent of his aperture. Hovering above the sea, the Spring and Autumn Cicada revealed its form. After nearly a year of recuperation and dormancy, it had begun to improve. Previously, its body had been devoid of luster, rough and dull like decayed firewood, but now it possessed a faint, oily sheen. Its wings, which had once resembled withered leaves falling in an autumn gale with ragged, damaged edges, now showed hints of new green. The edges of the wings were now outlined in black, forming a complete, unbroken arc.