The Dawn Of The New World

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The Old Witch whistled and her two-legged hut ran over from somewhere within the forest. It stopped in front of her and slowly laid down, blending with the environment in such a way that it appeared to have always been there.

The front door opened by itself and Old Witch looked over her shoulder to call them in, "There isn't much time, they will be here soon."

Hao Xuan helped Claudia to her feet and made his way over with both her and Grey in tow. Once they went inside the door closed by itself and the forest began to slowly creep in, completely hiding the hut and its surroundings within a span of a few minutes.

The inside was a little different than what Hao Xuan remembered from his last visit, or perhaps he was now strong enough to see things more clearly. It was much, MUCH bigger from the inside to the point that he couldn't even see where it ended.

There were rows of bookshelves, cabinets, and tables full of various items going on for miles. These items and artifacts ranged from simple scrolls to still-moving beast parts, strange creatures locked in small cages, and all manner of spiritual herbs.

There were a few that even Hao Xuan recognized at first glance but chose not to comment on them.

A few meters away from the front door was the fireplace with a giant cauldron next to it. The Old Witch plopped down on a creaky old chair next to it and looked at Hao Xuan with a complex expression.

[Just say what is on your mind, do not waste what little time we have left]

"I know," the Old Witch muttered under her breath, "I know which you will choose but still I must present them both."

She tapped lightly with her crooked cane to bring the fireplace to life with a yellow flame. It gave them some much-needed light and warmth, especially for Claudia who could barely stand upright.

Hao Xuan led her to the only other chair and pushed her down, [Rest and recover]

"Yes..my lord."

The Old Witch fished something out of her clothes and threw it in the fireplace. It made a strange noise before evaporating into a cloud of white smoke before Hao Xuan could see what it was.

"Breath in the smoke girlie, it will help," the Old Witch mumbled before looking at Grey, "Bring out that thing. Be careful not to make too much noise."

Grey neighed and sprinted towards the nearest wall, disappearing in a cloud of black mist right before coming into contact with it.

From their soul bond Hao Xuan could clearly feel that whatever Grey was sent to bring was very important to the next step in their journey.

The witch finally turned to Hao Xuan with a grave expression.

"The items that you collected, how many are in your possession?"

[The feather, the flame, and the seed. I- The Emperor made sure they were in my possession by the end]

"Hmm, then he was even better than I gave him credit for. Still, that is only half of it. You are missing the water from the river Styx but that will be the most difficult one."

But to Hao Xuan's knowledge, it would have been the easiest one of them all.

[Why? The river runs through every single plane of existence. Even I know of several ways to reach it]

The Old Witch shook her head, "Fool, you do not simply require 'some' water, it MUST be from the deepest part of the river. And...you will need to go down there yourself to collect it."

[Go down into the depths of River of the Damned? Are you telling me to kill myself? Because that is the only way that will be possible]

"Not my problem," she shrugged casually, "I am but a guide, it is up to you however you wish to accomplish the task. Go down yourself or send some poor soul on your behalf, I care not. But since your cultivation is already destroyed you are halfway there."

"All I know is that you must go down to the deepest part of the river and take out the seed of the World Tree there. That is the only way to make it grow, remember that."

She could already feel Hao Xuan's mind racing with countless thoughts, trying to come up with an appropriate solution which gave her some hope for the future.

"Before you can get the spark it is vital that you absorb each of the four pieces. They are not only keys that unlock your true potential but also further strengthen the power of the spark to new heights."

"Only by combining all of them in perfect harmony will you be able to create a suitable form that can utilize the full power of the Chaos stored within the spark. Even I know very little of this since this has not been attempted before but...if anyone can do it then I believe it has to be you, this was what that human wanted all along."