Void Beetle Evolution Guide

“Stubborn to the end.” This is the cause sown in the past life, a battle that is destined to be fought and cannot be avoided. Karma sighed and waved away the monk beside her: “Come on, since that’s the case, then vent all the anger and hatred you’ve accumulated. If that will make you feel better.”

"Fine! Then I won't make things difficult for anyone else, I'll just target you!"

Syndra gritted her teeth, forcibly tearing open the invisible scar. Her expression instantly turned ferocious and painful, and dark orbs around her appeared like beads of cold sweat on her forehead.

Their gravity traps the surrounding light, like tiny black holes, darkening the sky.

Hundreds and thousands of dark orbs, carrying all her hatred, disgust, and rage! It was as if she wanted the whole world to feel her pain.

Her problem wasn't a big deal, and there was no need for her to be so obsessive and fixated on it, but she still harbored a persistent anger.

Those were dreams that had been recurring for a century, accumulating negative emotions within her that had never been released and desperately needed an outlet.

Karma had already seen this, so she decided to bear Syndra's wrath alone and guide Syndra back into a state of peace.

A dense mass of dark orbs gathered above the Hall of Eternity, casting a terrifying shadow over everyone.

Syndra's suffering will be relieved and her resentment will be vented once these orbs are hit.

Within a few breaths, the Dark Orb began to tremble violently, pouring down amidst Syndra's painful screams.

They formed a straight line and bombarded Karma, the embodiment of the Soul of Ionia, relentlessly.

Karma chanted mantras rapidly, her hands quickly forming mudras. The surging energy caused her feet to dangle in the air. She crossed one leg over the other in a meditative posture, her robes draped down, and the two dragons behind her spun rapidly, creating a solid emerald shield around her.

She couldn't dodge, nor could she escape. If those orbs struck her, the entire sacred mountain would be razed to the ground by Syndra. She was thankful that Syndra had honestly not scattered the dark orbs; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to preserve the sacred ground's integrity.

The orb crashed down with a heavy pain, followed by a series of annihilating cracking sounds. Syndra's energy far exceeded expectations, and the shield formed by holy fire rapidly thinned under the intense bombardment of the orb.

In the blink of an eye, the emerald shield was already on the verge of collapse. At this moment, Syndra had only vented less than one percent of her negative emotions, and the elders seemed to be horrifiedly envisioning Karma being pierced through by countless orbs, and the subsequent destruction of the temple.

"Never waver!" But the next moment, a brilliant green light shot out from Karma's black pupils, and an echo from her mouth resounded through countless lifetimes. Memories from past lives came back and formed the voices of countless ancient saints, chanting the same mantra in unison.

She alone is no match for Syndra, but what if you add her Thousand Reincarnations? Not to mention the Soul of Ionia, who hasn't even made a move yet.

The emerald shield instantly became solid and thick, remaining unshaken no matter how much the dark orbs bombarded it. Even after Syndra gave her all, Karma remained unscathed, floating calmly in place, her robes spotless.

"Again!" Syndra's pupils widened in shock and disbelief at the fact that her attack had been so easily neutralized; this was not the outcome she had hoped for.

She made a grasping motion with her five fingers, and endless dark energy radiated outwards. Karma also extended her palms, and the two dragons behind her coiled around her arms and flew forward, intertwining with each other to transform into a dazzling soul flame.

The two collided, and Syndra's energy instantly dissipated. The aftershocks of the flames struck the floating island beneath her, and the island she had brought all the way from Philor to Presidium was shattered into pieces in the sudden explosion. Caught completely off guard, she was thrown back and fell from a height of 100 meters.

The shattered mountaintop wailed as it fell into the river, creating huge splashes and disturbing the tranquility of the place. The Wild Hunt summoned its demonic claws and caught Syndra from the rain of rubble. She was still in shock, feeling an itch on her forehead; when she touched it, she found it stained with blood.

Syndra, clutching her bleeding forehead, looked utterly incredulous. Her opponent had actually managed to hurt her? The power of that attack had been unexpected; if it weren't for the Wild Hunt protecting her, she might have suffered far more than just a bruise. Where are Mei, Lin Yongkong, Lin Zaizai…?

"Ionia will not tolerate this forever. If you insist on fighting, it won't just be a mountain that will be shattered to pieces."

Are you threatening me?

Karma's lecturing tone made Syndra even more annoyed. She wiped the blood from her forehead and flicked her hand. The blood droplet suddenly boiled violently, roaring and splitting into five jet-black tentacles. In the blink of an eye, it dyed the entire sky black, changing the color of heaven and earth.

Chapter 471 The Law of Heaven and Earth, The Incarnation of a Witch

Materialized magic tainted the heavens, shrouding the sacred mountain in darkness, and a violent storm arose with the wrath of Syndra.

Black mist swirled around her, tearing at Karma's robes. She could see nothing, but she remained calm and began casting spells on the spot.

Her spellcasting movements were as graceful as a dance, perhaps inspired by the Zan family's war dance, which Irelia belonged to.

Syndra's vision was also unable to penetrate the actual darkness, but with the blindfold on, she could use her mental powers to track Karma's every move in her mind; the Wild Hunt's special training for her was coming in handy at this moment.

Darkness coalesced into a drill, piercing towards Karma's chest. She hastily shifted her stance, crossing her arms in front of her to create a barrier. (The remaining text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated.)

The drill was blocked by the barrier, and she floated back lightly, dissipating the remaining impact. Then, she formed hand seals, and her body emitted a pulsating green light, dispelling the surrounding darkness.

The dim light could only illuminate Karma's body, unable to reveal Syndra hiding in the darkness. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly, and the pair of jade dragons that circled behind her head disappeared into the darkness.

Darkness descended once more, and spikes shot out from beneath her. Karma raised her shield to block, but fell into Syndra's trap, imprisoned in place by the intersecting spikes.

Syndra seemed to unleash a divine power, her enormous, bewitching avatar gazing down at Karma from the clouds, her eyes radiating terrifying black light like pillars, inspiring both fear and fascination.

She raised her mountain-like hand, intending to strike directly down, but remembering her agreement with Karma not to harm the innocent, she clenched her fist and instead pointed a finger in mid-air, her long, sharp nails striking the jade barrier heavily.

The immense power concentrated at one point, and the shockwave spread outwards, causing the waterfall to momentarily stop flowing. The trees all over the mountain were shaken, and even the thinnest branches were snapped on the spot.

The green light surrounding Karma was as insignificant as a drop in the ocean at her fingertips. She could only exert all her strength, and the scene of a thousand generations chanting together was recreated, filling the world with melodious chants.

"Nonsense!" The chanting tormented Syndra's ears. She flicked her finger, and the shield shattered instantly. Karma was sent flying as if hit by a battering ram.

She tumbled outwards, only stopping when she crashed into the shrine in front of the main hall. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the hair ornaments by her ears came undone from the impact, her black hair sticking messily to her face.

Seeing that Karma was no longer calm and collected, Syndra let out a smug sneer. The things Wild Hunt had taught her were really useful, allowing her to break through the previously impenetrable shell in one fell swoop.

Transforming magic into spells is far more powerful than directly using magic to suppress people. Although she only tried it slightly and it was far inferior to real spells, its effect was already evident.

Syndra was about to continue pressing down when she suddenly heard a dragon's roar that was very close by. She was bewildered, as she could only hear the sound but not see the dragon. The next second, she felt something pass through her body, and a burning pain shot through the depths of her soul.

She let out a painful scream, but still couldn't see what was attacking her. Her soul felt as if it were engulfed in flames, constantly burning with pain.

"In the spiritual realm!" the Wild Hunt warned.

Upon hearing this, Syndra endured the excruciating pain and forced herself to focus her mind. Sure enough, she tracked the figures of the two dragons in her spiritual realm. They each bit her arms, tearing at her soul and spewing flames that scorched it.

"They actually launched an attack from another dimension; it's truly impossible to defend against."

Having found the cause, Syndra used magic to tear the two dragons from her body in the spiritual realm. Before she could even catch her breath, a beam of light pierced the darkness, wrapping around her waist and linking them together.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the two dragons launched a fierce counterattack, continuing to tear at the imprisoned Syndra. At the same time, the light chains were also draining her life essence, but fortunately, the skin armor intercepted the flow.

Enraged, Syndra decided to play along, transferring her own dark energy to Syndra. The green light chains instantly turned black, and Karma on the other end changed her expression, quickly dispelling the light chains and no longer daring to plot against Syndra's power.

The two dragons vanished into the other realm, disappearing without a trace. Then, the sound of dragon roars echoed. Syndra focused all her attention on searching for their whereabouts when a beam of light pierced through the darkness and descended upon the mountaintop.

Syndra ripped off her blindfold and looked up, a pair of enormous claws tearing through the veil of darkness. The clouds churned, and a white dragon emerged from the clouds, relentlessly tearing at the black curtain.

More and more sunlight shone on the sacred mountain, creating a sense of the sun breaking through the clouds. The white dragon's enormous and winding body appeared and disappeared in the clouds, its angular head trailing two flowing whiskers.

"Azure Dragon?"

Syndra didn't know why the sacred beast was here. There were quite a few of these sacred beasts in Ionia, such as the Thousand-tailed Cynan that Ahri had seen.

Leaving aside the fact that it's a once-in-a-century event, many people might see it a few times in their lifetime. Take Syndra herself, for example; she once encountered the Sacred Bird of the West during her training and resolved a conflict by taking away its weapon.

Regardless of whether the Azure Dragon before her was there to resolve the conflict, as long as it hindered her, even if it was a sacred beast, it was still her enemy!

Syndra made a grasping motion with her five fingers, and the witch's giant avatar immediately followed suit, grabbing at the azure dragon in the clouds.

This creature is called a sacred beast rather than a divine dragon because it only has two front claws and the claws are very small, unlike the legendary divine dragon, but it is the creature that is closest to the divine dragon.

Sacred beasts often possess unique abilities. It is said that clouds follow dragons and winds follow tigers, and the Azure Dragon's ability is to control the wind and clouds.

The Azure Dragon nimbly slipped through the giant's closed claws like an eel, its massive form vanishing without a trace. It didn't simply disappear into the spiritual realm; it vanished completely.

It transformed into a wisp of wind, dodging Syndra's attack and appearing at a higher place beyond her reach. Then, it darted away, stirring up a violent storm that resembled a tornado connecting heaven and earth. For a moment, sand and stones flew everywhere, and even the wind seemed to howl.

Syndra controlled her witch avatar to clap her hands together and shatter the newly formed tornado, but her hands were also bruised and battered by the gale.

At the same time, she noticed that all the monks who had been repelled by Karma had rushed up, but for some reason their figures were somewhat dim.

Soon, their appearance changed, like watercolor paintings that had been rained on, their faces and bodies melting and becoming blurry and indistinct.

Gradually, their outlines became clearer: these "people" were tall and robust, all dressed in brightly colored clothes of styles never seen before, some of which even shimmered like scales.

Not only were their clothes strange, but upon closer inspection, Syndra realized they were clearly different from ordinary people—some had feathers all over their backs, some only had three fingers on each hand, and some had skin that appeared to be green…

"This is... Vastaya Shari?!"

Chapter 472 Understanding Cause and Effect, A Triumphant Feeling

The Wild Hunt's warning revealed the identities of these reinforcements: Karma had not only summoned the sacred beast Azure Dragon, but also the legendary Vastaya Shari, the common ancestor of the Vastaya.

These beings living in the spiritual realm have the ability to transform at will. One of them, an old woman, stepped forward, clasped her hands together, raised them above her head, and then slammed them down heavily.

The moment it struck the ground, the entire valley trembled violently. A crack appeared beneath Syndra's avatar, trapping the giant within it.

The others also displayed their unique abilities. Some danced gracefully, while others sat cross-legged. Suddenly, the valley above, which had been clear and sunny, was filled with wind and clouds, rumbling thunder, flashes of light, and the ability to summon wind and rain, and even thunder to split the mountain. It was truly terrifying.

With the dance of an elder, a wall of vines appeared in the crack. Huge green vines burst from the ground, intertwined and wrapped together, binding the legs of the giant who was trying to climb out of the crack, making it impossible for him to extricate himself.

The remaining Vastaya Shauri were not to be outdone. Some of them crouched down and transformed into beasts, like rabbits fleeing their nests; others raised their heads to the sky and became birds of prey, like arrows released from a bow. Rather than an attacking army, they resembled a pack of beasts pouncing on their prey.

The colossal form fought back fiercely, each strike carrying unstoppable violence. The birds that launched the initial attack were shot down in droves, but they still used their wings to create gusts of wind as sharp as blades, cutting wounds into the giant.

The ground assault was equally powerful, with the Scaled Devourer leading the charge and crashing into the giant's knee. Wokongda and the Gray Wolf leaped into the air, tearing at the giant's wrist and forearm with their claws and fangs.

What rose from the ground was no longer just vines, but large trees like sharpened stakes, their branches and leaves constantly whipping and lashing. What rolled in the clouds was no longer just lightning, but thunderbolts like divine punishment, crashing down and creating craters in the ground.

Syndra's witch incarnation was indeed powerful, but under the onslaught of this divine power that created the world and shaped the entire nascent land, she finally collapsed with a mournful cry, dissipating into pure magic.

"You're just popular." Syndra frowned. The sudden influx of so many people made her feel uneasy.

"I didn't want to get involved, but since they've called for backup, it wouldn't be right for me not to do something." Wild Hunt couldn't stand Karma's behavior of saying she wouldn't harm innocent people, but calling for backup just to avoid losing to Syndra.

The help he offered Syndra was a sword, the Ruined King's Blade, which came crashing down from the sky. This Deathly Hallow, capable of controlling the undead, was quite fitting for her sinister aura.

"What a treasure!" Syndra's eyes lit up. With a flick of her sword finger, she unleashed a surge of dark magic that propelled the greatsword forward, easily shattering the barrier between the physical and mental realms.

Black mist, carrying vengeful spirits that devour life, surged forth, sweeping across the land, its churning tentacles coldly assaulting everything in their path. Everywhere, a hazy, deathly green glow swirled—the eerie light of the Curse of Ruin.

Upon discovering that the undead were endless and fearless, the Vastaya Shari retreated in terror. They were also intelligent beings and feared being dragged into a state of half-life and half-death by the undead, cursed, and forever separated from their loved ones.

"Vastaya Shari, nothing special."

Seeing them scatter in panic, Syndra laughed heartily, while Karma, on the other hand, was practically sputtering away, desperately trying to suppress the suddenly appearing undead army.

"Syndra, that's enough! Don't let things escalate!" Karma was gradually losing control of the growing number of undead. Seeing them attack in droves and drag Vastaya Xari into the black mist, she shouted urgently.

"How dare you! You were the one who called first!" Syndra was furious. Karma, as the spiritual leader of Ionia and the head of the righteous faction, actually dared to accuse the villain first.

“I didn’t summon them; they came to my aid on their own,” Kalmar explained.

"What's there to explain about collusion! Even if you didn't intend to gather them, you tacitly approved of their actions."

"I beg you to let them go, they're all coming at me." There was no point in arguing any further, so Karma had to bear it all alone.

"Fine, you asked for it!"

Syndra snorted coldly, raising one hand and forming a claw with her fingers. The vast expanse of dark magic gathered above her head, like a ripped-down curtain of darkness forming a rapidly spinning, luminous sphere. The highly concentrated energy core emitted a powerful gravitational pull, capturing the surrounding light and distorting space as if shrinking the earth to an inch, plunging the world into darkness once more.

So much gloomy energy gathered in one place that everything lost its color. Karma's eyes were filled with terror as she struggled against the gravitational pull of the sphere and the terrifying storm that followed, engulfing everything in the annihilation core.

Syndra's anger wasn't as intense as it had been at the beginning. The magical duel with Karma had effectively dispelled her inner turmoil. As the gloomy energy continued to be released, Syndra's anger gradually subsided, replaced by a profound coldness. (The last line appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

She soared above heaven and earth, holding aloft an enormous black sun. Her thick white high ponytail danced wildly in the wind, and the pose of one hand raised high and her legs intertwined perfectly showcased her slender and beautiful figure, like a deity of destruction.

With a flick of her wrist, the dark orb, as black as the sun, crashed down. Before it even touched Karma's emerald interaction, the powerful vortex had already ruthlessly torn apart her defenses.

Her power was so great that even with the voices of thousands of her past incarnations added, Karma was no match for her.

However, Karma felt the boundless destructive potential buried within her soul expanding continuously, and a unique voice overwhelmed her mind—the Soul of Ionia had made its move.

"Boom!"

A violent tremor ran beneath my feet, the earth cracked open, and countless sacred tree roots, gleaming with emerald green light, sprouted from them. They grew wildly against the madly spinning Dark Orb, and were destroyed by its terrifying centrifugal force, but with each destruction they became more resilient, and actually managed to withstand this immense energy.

Syndra unleashed dark energy from her hands, forcefully pressing the orb downwards, but it was gradually pushed back by more and more tree roots. These roots formed an envelope, slowly inserting their tips into the orb, continuously dissipating its power until the terrifying black sun vanished completely.

The sky returned to normal, but traces of the great battle still lingered in the air. The Azure Dragon circled and danced in the clear sky, because the surrounding clouds had been completely devoured by Syndra's Dark Orb. She had carved a circular valley into the sacred mountain, and the exposed earth was covered with spiraling scars, from which divine trees grew in a spectacular, upward-circling manner.

As the river of the spiritual realm flowed through this place, wild magic quickly filled the barren land. Lush flowers and grasses grew on the bare rocks, and leaves bloomed one after another on the sacred trees, forming a giant canopy of yellow maple in the blink of an eye.

"Syndra, are you satisfied now?" Karma held her arms, her long sleeves torn and tattered, with only a few scraps of cloth remaining on her shoulders, looking quite strained.

The clash between the two appears evenly matched, but Syndra far surpasses Karma in terms of mana reserves. Unless Karma can continuously utilize the power of the Ionian Soul, she has no chance of winning.

Syndra didn't answer her, her eyes flickering. She felt something was missing; Karma didn't seem entirely convinced, and she hadn't quite gotten the satisfaction of being defeated.

She reached forward and lifted Karma into the air, simultaneously gripping her throat to prevent her from chanting the incantation. The tentacles of black mist surged wildly towards the ancient saint, her millennia of memories making her even more susceptible to their influence.

As a cacophony of mournful cries echoed wildly in her mind, Karma's composure crumbled in an instant. The deathly green of the Curse of Ruin appeared in her eyes, a suspended crown materialized above her head, and black tears streamed from her eyes.

Syndra found Karma's ghostly appearance much more pleasing to the eye. Even the avatar of the Soul of Ionia was now under her control, and the pent-up resentment in her heart could finally be released.

"I could have killed you. Since the Soul of Ionia didn't take my life back then, I'll repay you with mine now. Karma, our feud ends here. If you meddle again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Syndra flicked her wrist, sending Karma flying back to the ground, shattering her crown and signifying that she had relinquished control over the latter.

Then, Syndra flew away from Presidium without looking back. She felt more cheerful than ever before, and even the scenery along the way seemed much brighter.

"Holy Master!"

"Holy Master! How are you? Are you alright?"

After Syndra flew away, the monks rushed over to help Karma up, showering her with concern and care.

"It's alright." She raised a hand, looked at the black dots on the horizon, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Past karma brings present consequences. Sometimes one must offer oneself to a tiger to settle the karmic debts here."