A Cunning Pervert in the Cultivation World Chapter 352: The First Calamity (6)
Previously on A Cunning Pervert in the Cultivation World...
Upon hearing these words, Goldie's radiance intensified, its glow becoming more brilliant.
Then, with accelerated grace, its wings unfurled, tearing through the final vestiges of the encroaching darkness.
The vast, inky expanse sensed the approaching interrupter and retaliated with ferocious intensity.
Numerous spectral claws lashed out, raking across Goldie's luminous form, tearing away significant portions of its radiant body.
Fractures of the void spiderwebbed across its chest, arms, and face, causing golden fragments to break free and ascend like expiring embers, still emitting light even as they dissolved into nothingness.
Yet, Goldie pressed onward without faltering.
{...I know it hurts...}
A soft, feminine voice whispered gently into the oppressive void.
{...But he has endured far worse... because of this.}
The colossal core materialized before it, appearing monstrous, sentient, and aware.
Myriad screaming visages bubbled across its surface, their eyes wide with animosity and dread, fixated upon the golden entity.
Mouths contorted in silent agony unleashed fresh torrents of corruption that battered against Goldie's damaged form.
Goldie raised its sole remaining armament.
Half of its radiant visage had already disintegrated, leaving only a single, gentle, childlike eye of pure light gazing intently at the epicenter of all malevolence.
It pressed its fractured palm against the throbbing surface.
The instant contact was established, the abyssal heart recoiled violently.
A blast of dark power erupted, seeking to engulf the intruder entirely.
The sheer magnitude of this force caused Goldie's legs to shatter into oblivion.
Its lower half dissolved into shimmering golden dust, dispersing into the void, leaving only its fractured torso and head suspended before the gargantuan core.
Sharp, unending agony, seemingly emanating from its very source, flooded its fading senses.
But Goldie did not cry out.
Instead, a smile graced its features.
...A small, tender, heart-wrenching smile.
Golden runes began to emerge across the black heart's surface, akin to blossoms of illumination.
Each rune encapsulated a cherished recollection of its existence...
The very first time Li Feng had bestowed upon it the name "Goldie."
The tranquil nights spent standing guard while he slumbered.
His fumbling attempts to mend its broken wooden arm with tape and string.
The initial instance of his praise.
The very first gift it ever received.
The exquisite flowers it came to know.
Every single mundane, ordinary moment that had imbued a simple wooden puppet with the sensation of... being alive.
And then, the runes ignited, transforming into pure, holy, and overwhelmingly bright golden light that burst forth from the core's very essence.
The black heart emitted a piercing shriek.
It thrashed erratically, attempting to dislodge Goldie, but the golden figure clung on with the remnants of its being.
Its final appendage melted away, yet the runes blazed with even greater intensity.
An increasing amount of Goldie's form began to disintegrate.
Its torso cracked open like delicate porcelain.
Its last golden eye gradually dimmed.
But even as its body dissolved into sparkling motes, Goldie channeled its entire existence into the self-annihilation formation.
The colossal heart started to fracture from within.
Massive fragments of corruption detached and were instantly incinerated within the golden inferno as the bonds of abyssal energy snapped, one by one.
The infinite black sea above began to implode, its power source rapidly depleted.
{...You have done wonderfully.}
The voice, now merely a faint thread, faded like the final cadence of a lullaby.
{...Now, with the most troublesome of those "segments" gone, he will... have a better chance... in the war.}
Goldie's final silhouette, now little more than a flickering outline of light, remained pressed against the dying heart as one last gentle whisper resonated through the void...
{...Live well... Li Feng...}
{...This one... will always... watch over you... from the light...}
The last mote of golden radiance flared with incandescent brilliance.
Then—
A silent, absolute detonation occurred.
The golden light completely consumed the black heart, obliterating it from existence in a singular, purifying conflagration.
The void itself quaked.
Every vestige of the black sea... every drop, every tendril, every fragment of corruption was eradicated in an instant.
Above, on the world's surface, the darkness vanished as if it had never been.
The heavens cleared, and the earth began its recovery.
But far below, in the now-vacated abyss, nothing remained of Goldie.
No physical form... and no lingering light.
...Only a fractured core emitting a faint, warm afterglow... slowly dissolving into serene nothingness.
A wooden puppet had elected to reduce its entire soul to cinders... solely so its master could witness another sunrise and forge a path toward a brighter future.
...Even if it would never be present to behold what came thereafter.
And in that ultimate, selfless act of devotion, Goldie discovered its most genuine form—
Not as a mere tool, nor as a vigilant guardian.
...But as permanent family, eternally.
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On the world's surface,
Li Feng sensed the precise moment the connection was severed.
The gentle golden suppression lifted, and the world fell into an eerie silence.
"...Eh?"
He stared, utterly bewildered, at the breathtaking sunrise gracing the secret realm. The heavens had completely cleared, bathing everything in a gentle, golden luminescence. His gaze then settled upon a small core that had emerged from a fissure, now resting on the grass beside him. It was the Gold Source, the very artifact he had first acquired from the Gacha in its pristine form. However, its once radiant golden brilliance was now replaced by a translucent state, marred by a network of fine cracks. Only faint vestiges of golden light flickered within, dimming with each passing second.
Li Feng remained frozen, stunned by the abrupt transformation of his surroundings. His mouth moved, but not a single sound escaped. Unbeknownst to anyone, the final spark of light within the Gold Source drifted silently towards him, releasing waves of ... and ... A final farewell. And so, the Divine Authority of Gold fulfilled its ultimate and last purpose. With that, the last glimmer vanished from the core, much to Li Feng's stunned disbelief.
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[Here an illustration of the Gold Source’s final moment:]
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Meanwhile, far away, in a realm existing between the corporeal and the ethereal...
"..."
Goldie, in its wooden puppet form, surveyed the familiar surroundings with a sense of bewilderment. It clearly recalled the intense pain, the blinding golden light, the ultimate explosion... the moment its entire essence had been consumed in the act of annihilating the black heart. Yet, here it stood, before the comforting, well-known small residence of its master in the outer sect – the very place where Goldie had first awakened.
Before it could fully comprehend its situation, a soft, familiar feminine voice spoke once more, its tone clearer and warmer than ever before, no longer a distant echo. "That was a magnificent display, little one."
Goldie slowly turned its head upwards. There, seated elegantly upon the old rooftop, was a woman. Her long, flowing hair, the color of spun gold, cascaded down like liquid sunlight, adorned with delicate, star-shaped ornaments that pulsed with faint golden motes. She was dressed in an exquisite golden gown that appeared to be woven from pure light itself. Her posture was one of relaxed regality, a single hand resting lightly against her cheek as she regarded the wooden puppet below. Her golden eyes looked down upon Goldie with an expression that seemed distant, almost devoid of emotion, yet a subtle hint of pride flickered within those beautiful depths.
"And to think... he named you Goldie." A faint, tender smile graced her lips. "How uncharacteristic of him..."
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[Here an illustration of that mystery woman:]