The Mask of Sun and Moon trembled as it opened its mouth, swallowing all of the remaining power from the Witch of the Scarlet Snow. With the supreme quality of the Icy Scorpion Bloodline as well as the mystical essence of the Witch's sorcery mastery, Ocelia had broken through the limit and advanced to the middle-stage of the first-ranked sorcery mastery.

However, because her body was too weak, Ocelia could not handle all of the Icy Scorpion Bloodline as well as the true essence of the Witch. Her body had only been at the lower-stage first-ranked sorcery mastery, and it could not support another advancement in sorcery mastery. If the Mask did not do anything, Ocelia would either lose most of her sorcery foundation or sustained permanent damage to her soul, lowering her talent and potential.

Although it was dangerous, the Witch could sense the presence of something extraordinary inside the couple, and she decided to let those things handled the pressure for them. If the worst happened, she would also intervene with her body to stabilize the power and help seal the essence for a later date.

Although nothing was showing on Forus' side, his body was trembling as he bore the pain of assimilating the heart. As the direct gateway between the heart and Ocelia, Forus experienced even more pressure than Ocelia by tens of fold. If not for his grey soul and the body forged from Death Aura, he would crumble even faster than Ocelia would.

Watching as his flesh and bones got ground by the Icy Scorpion Bloodline, Ocelia could not do anything except for trying her best to accelerate the rate of absorption. She knew that her pain was far weaker than his and that he also did not get any benefit for his act. Although she was emotional, she did not waste her time to shed a tear and focused on finishing her advancement as soon as possible.

As time passed, the Witch gradually aged from her tender, exalted appearance into an old, withered maiden. Her power did not change from her peak, but her life force and vitality were diminishing like a flickering candle that could not face the thunderstorm. Although her life was ending, she did not feel any regret nor anger, and instead, her eyes betrayed a sign of relief as well as longing.

"At least I'll be seeing him in the afterlife." Her body turned grey and colourless, dissipating into the void as a gentle wind blew apart her ashes. She had already accomplished her mission and was ready to move on to the afterlife.

As soon as the Witch of the Scarlet Snow passed away, turning into ashes, the cold temperature around the chamber slowly regressed to its previous warming atmosphere. Although the air was somewhat colder than before, it was a breeze of warmness compare to the earlier freezing hell.

Right when the Witch turned returned to dust, her heart also finished merging with Forus, submerging into his body and moving towards his heart, aiming to transfer its remaining power to him.

However, before the heart could do anything, Forus felt a sudden ripple in his realm of consciousness. The small world inside him trembled as the grey soul chaotically twisted, growing many greyish tentacles outward, moving all over the place. The unique scent of the heart had attracted the obscure power inside of Forus' soul.

The tendrils used no time to break the barrier between the realm of consciousness and physical world, arriving before the heart in an instant. As soon as the tendrils touched the surface of the heart, they slowly coiled around it as every part of it gradually turned grey and aged.

Accompanied by pain and suffering, the heart quickly degenerated into a pile of black mess that exuded a rotten scent. The dark skin of the remain did not contain any lingering emotions or power of the Witch, and so, without any foundation, it crumbled into fundamental Elements and remerged with the void.

Ocelia panted as sweats dripped down from her body, feeling weak and tired from excessive absorption of Icy Scorpion Bloodline and sorcery mastery. Although her power had increased, she could not move her body as much as before as she had not stabilized her strength yet.

She could only watch as greyish tentacles grew out from Forus and devoured the heart of the Witch of the Scarlet Snow before retreating into his body, disappearing into his realm of consciousness. She knew that Forus had a unique secret within his soul, helping him and her getting through the Pale World as well as improving his sorcery mastery to the first-ranked.

Although his power was demonic and wicked, Ocelia would not mind as she was not entirely human either. After fusing with the Mask of the Sun and Moon, her body had already stepped across the boundary between the human and Elemental lifeform. If not for the exceptional rewards bestowed to her by the Tower of Succession, she would have turned into an Elemental Spirit.

Even if Forus converted into a monster, her love for him would not decrease just for the change in his appearance or races. If her affection meant only for his body, Ocelia would regard herself as an inferior companion for Forus, not deserving to be with him. It would be like admitting defeat to a mortal girl, Meria, which would be neglecting her duty as a faithful wife.

As String of Fate connected their thoughts, Forus naturally knew about Ocelia's concern and smiled in happiness. Although his body was cracking under the pressure of heart, his mind did not experience any pain as the sea of comfort was washing over his soul, soothing both him and Ocelia.

...

Upon the peak of a vast, nameless mountain, a subtle tremble traversed through its surface, shocking the residents of the imposing structures that sat above clouds. Although the average sorcerer apprentices did not feel anything out of the ordinary, the upper-echelons had fallen into chaos as one of the extinguished lamps abruptly lit into blazing light before slowly dimmed down into oblivion.

Beside the extinguished lamp, many were below it, but only two were equal to it with one existed above it. Although the fluctuation of the lantern had given the upper-echelons some bleak hope, it had also left them in disappointment.

Not long after the commotion, the upper-echelons quickly organized a meeting to discuss the phenomenon. Most of the elders came to attend the conference, except for the ones who were safeguarding the strategic points.

"We need to investigate and find the reason for the Life Lantern's fluctuation. As for the location of the signal, we shall trouble Elder Frozen Chain to deduce the answer for us." The figure that commanded the highest authority within the conference spoke with a hint of excitement within his voice.

When one became an Elder of an influential sect, usually when they had advanced to the second-ranked sorcery mastery, they would have to leave an imprint into one of the individual lanterns called the Life Lantern. As long as the owner of the mark did not die or disappear into the void, the light would continue to burn brightly, depending on the state of the owner at that moment.

Of course, the range where the Life Lanterns could detect would vary according to the quality of the materials that made them. With the right types of equipment and skills, a grandmaster could also create a Life Lantern that could reach to all corners of the Sorcerer World.

However, such extensive features were just a waste of time in the eyes of the powerful sorcerers. If they were to gain some excellent materials, they would use all of them to strengthen themselves or create some offensive and defensive treasures to increase their odds of survival. After all, it was better to increase their chance than to know it.

As they had checked, the functionality of that Life Lantern was still excellent, which meant that, through some ways or another, the owner of the Life Lantern emerged from the isolated places, giving off her life force before vanishing into the darkness again. Such speculation had filled the heart of the upper-echelons with excitement and thrill.

"I shall personally lead the team to collect the information regarding any secret ruins or inheritance grounds in the surrounding." An Elder spoke without any hesitation, wishing to make some contribution to the sect. Although other Elders did not want him to take this easy job, snatching it from him would cause them to lose their reputation.

"So, you weren't dead all along, were you?" A sigh came out of the Sect Leader as he recalled his past with the Witch of the Scarlet Snow. He, along with other Grand Elders, including the Witch and his friend, was the three strongest sorcerers of the Icy Scorpion Sect below the Frost Ancestor, the Founder of the sect.

With three of them, the future of the sect would be glorious and colourful, commanding high respect and reputation, alas, his friend had gotten injured in the process of ascending towards the third-ranked, falling in power and would need some time in seclusion to heal. Until now, his condition was worsening and showed no sign of stopping.

As for the Witch of the Scarlet Snow, she went out to find some materials to help heal her friend and to visit the graveyard of her husband, but the nemesis of the sect was vicious, plotting together to overwhelm her. Since that day, she had escaped the encirclement and disappeared from the surface of the Sorcerer World, not even the Life Lantern could detect her.

Almost a thousand years had passed, and the Sect Leader had already convinced himself that she was dead. However, the incident had lit up his hope again.

"As long as you are back, we can still turn the table. Oh, Frost Ancestor, your disciple requests your presence. The Icy Scorpion Sect is in danger." Muttered to himself, the Sect Leader quickly lost in his train of thoughts as he absent-mindedly assigned works for respective Elders.

Although he, his friend, and the Founder were still alive, in reality, he was the only one who could do anything. His friend was recovering in seclusion, remaining between the state of life and death, experiencing a drop in sorcery mastery.

The Frost Ancestor was alive, but he had left the sect for a long time. If not for the Life Lantern the Founder had left behind, the Sect Leader would have thought that he had indeed passed away inside one of the pocket dimensions.

Left alone, the Sect Leader felt an ever-increasing pressure as the nemesis could strike at any moment. If he could not change anything, the Icy Scorpion Sect would fall in his generation.

...

Standing still, Forus silently paid respect to the grey ashes on the floor of the chamber, recalling the Witch's final moment. Although his clothing was in a perfect condition, blood had spilt out from his internal wounds during the assimilation process, making his demeanour looked much more devilish and solemn.

Beside him, a pale, smooth hand had intertwined itself with his as a soft, enchanting curve touched upon his arm. Ocelia was resting on his shoulder as she panted softly, sounding like a youthful song whose rhythm could calm ones' mind. Although the subtle music within the hall was enjoyable and elegant, it paled in comparison with Ocelia's tunes in Forus' ears.

After gaining the essence of the Witch, Ocelia had broken through the middle-stage of the first-ranked sorcery mastery, achieving more power as well as improving her body beauty. Her eyes had a better blend between azure and crimson, splitting into two tones as they merged and separated in a strange motion, entrancing the onlookers with their mysticalness.

Her hair had become a perfect mixture between fiery and frosty, showing her internal state of mind. The calmer she was, the more the bluish shade would take over her hair, and the more passionate she became, the more the reddish hue would manifest. As for now, her emotions were peaceful and still yet excited and longing, having a little moment with her love.

Alas, if only Forus could retain one of his eyes to enjoy her curve and appearance. Thinking about it, Ocelia suddenly felt depressed as she became determined that she would restore Forus' eyes and let him embrace in her beauty, staring deep into her soul and digging all of her secrets.