Chapter 27: The Tower Spirit’s Revelation

Damn it!

Zhang Luan’s spirit jolted. His Bow of Finality was firmly gripped by a slender hand. He looked up, and a harmless face met his gaze.

Zhang Luan was now filled with deep regret. Why hadn’t he used the Shadowhorn Bow for his attack just now? Even if he lost it, he wouldn’t have felt a pang of sorrow.

But if the Bow of Finality were to be lost in this dark, desolate place, it would break his heart.

The owner of the small hand observed Zhang Luan’s expression, then surprisingly released her grip. She tilted her head, a hint of confusion on her face.

“Why are you afraid? This is my home. According to the books, I should be the one who is afraid.”

A young girl’s voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, reached his ears. Zhang Luan looked down, seeing a small girl, barely reaching his stomach, staring at him with a blank expression, her head still tilted.

She was undeniably an adorably cute little girl, easily scoring a hundred points for charm. Yet, her appearance in this unsettling environment was what truly felt amiss.

He leaped backward, drawing his longbow to its fullest extent and aiming it at the girl’s head. While Zhang Luan felt he couldn’t genuinely threaten her, if possible, he still wished to gather combat information before using the Coin of Choice to flee.

Anyone capable of living in this place could hardly be an ordinary person.

The girl watched Zhang Luan, then poked her own lip with a finger. She picked up a small white bear doll from beside the door, then extended her hand towards Zhang Luan, offering it to him.

“Here, a gift.”

Of course, Zhang Luan didn’t take it. What if the doll concealed a bomb powerful enough to kill him? The Coin of Choice could only be activated when he was on the verge of death, a state signifying his health had dropped below 20%.

Given that the girl’s strength allowed her to easily halt his powerful strike, she must possess immense power.

Seeing Zhang Luan hesitate for a long time without taking her small bear, the girl thought for a moment. She put the bear down, then slowly walked towards Zhang Luan.

There wasn’t a trace of fear in her eyes; perhaps, this girl was devoid of any emotion altogether. She simply drew closer and closer, until she finally pressed against the sharp tip of his arrow.

“Do you wish to kill me?”

The faint voice sent a chill down his spine.

‘Forget it.’

Zhang Luan hesitated for a long time, ultimately deciding not to shoot the arrow. It was clear this girl had no intention of killing him; otherwise, with her strength, she would have long since rushed over and captured him.

Should that happen, he would have no choice but to rely on the Chaos Roulette to gamble his life and the first effect of the Coin of Choice to fight for survival.

The girl picked up the small bear doll from the ground and once again offered it to Zhang Luan.

“Here. My sister said that if there’s someone else present, you should give them a gift.”

Watching this emotionless girl, Zhang Luan’s heartstrings were suddenly plucked. He unconsciously recalled Avanyin’s smile, that astonishingly beautiful face bearing a striking resemblance to the girl before him.

He shook his head. This must be his imagination. Avanyin was an immortal deity; how could she have any similarity to some inexplicable girl in this place?

But perhaps fate was playing a trick on him. The girl seemed to catch a scent, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion.

“Why do you carry my sister’s scent?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Luan instinctively looked at the Coin of Choice clutched in his palm.

‘It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it?’

He hesitantly extended his hand, showing her the coin.

“Hmm, it truly is my sister’s aura. Are you the person my sister has been waiting for?”

The moment she saw the coin, the girl confirmed it. She moved even closer to Zhang Luan, her small body pressing against him, her head tilted back as she gazed into his eyes.

Zhang Luan was at a loss for words. He truly hadn’t expected to meet Avanyin’s sister in a place like this.

‘Is this reasonable? This isn’t reasonable at all!’

‘As an immortal deity, how could Avanyin allow her sister to stay in a place like this?’

‘But what reason would this girl have to lie to him?’

“Are you truly Avanyin’s sister?”

“Yes, I am Aruola, my sister’s younger sibling.”

Zhang Luan was certain. The girl before him truly was Avanyin’s sister. In Avanyin’s story, she had lost a younger sister named Aruola when they were children. It was because of her sister’s disappearance that she was compelled to embark on the path of cultivation, eventually becoming the legendary immortal deity.

‘But wasn’t she lost? Why is she here? And clearly, Aruola’s strength surpasses even my own; this is not something a little girl lost in childhood could achieve.’

Aruola seemed to sense his confusion. She brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and began to tell her story.

Many, many years ago, the two sisters, Avanyin and Aruola, lived in the area that would become Akamana City. At that time, a mage who had retreated from an unknown battlefield resided there.

Initially, the people lived peacefully with him, and sometimes the mage would even help the local residents. However, one day, the mage foresaw his own death at the hands of others. To protect himself, he slaughtered numerous residents, transforming them into a legion of specters to build this mage tower for himself. He also captured a group of children for a blood sacrifice to further secure his safety.

Among those children was Aruola.

Because of that incident, her older sister, Avanyin, embarked on a journey of cultivation to find her. She quickly displayed unparalleled talent, gradually becoming a powerful existence.

Finally, on the day she ascended to godhood, Avanyin followed the threads of destiny and discovered her sister’s whereabouts. Only then did she learn that it was the mage from all those years ago who had killed her sister.

So, she personally descended upon the mage tower, dragging the mage out. The mage watched her in despair, knowing he would surely not survive. At that moment, he also understood that his death was a consequence of his own prophecy.

Thus, before Avanyin could even torment him, the mage began to suffer the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, his inner world crumbling. He perished on a spiritual level.

To save Aruola’s life, Avanyin forcibly used the power of destiny to connect Aruola, who was by then only a wisp of a soul, with the towering structure, making her the Tower Spirit of this mage tower.

But even so, Aruola’s soul remained empty. Avanyin searched for countless methods but couldn’t immediately replenish her soul or allow her to leave the tower. The only way was to preserve her soul for an unknown number of years, slowly absorbing natural energies to recover.

For a long time, Avanyin would visit her, talk with her, and bring her favorite bear dolls.

Until one day, Avanyin never came again, as if she had vanished into thin air.

At first, Aruola was very uneasy, thinking something terrible had happened to her sister. However, later, she would occasionally receive brand-new bear dolls and various other items, all bearing her sister’s aura. It was clear her sister was unable to visit for some reason.

As Zhang Luan heard these words, Avanyin’s regretful gaze from their last parting surfaced in his mind. She hadn’t wanted to leave, but something seemed to be driving her away.

‘What could it be?’

‘What could possibly drive an immortal deity away?’

The answer was: unknown.