Prime Originator

Although Maya's divine crystal heart was dim, Leon did not find it too surprising.

He was well aware that the Divine Book of Life he inherited was far from its peak state. Heck, it was most likely already damaged when his late father obtained it.

Not many relics from the primordial era survive to the present age in perfect conditions; they are usually damaged and incomplete one way or another.

'Here goes nothing,' Leon thought.

Soul Dive!

Leon quickly dived straight into Maya's divine crystal heart with his spiritual avatar.

However, the experience felt nothing like phasing through transparent glasses, as anyone would have assumed based on appearances.

Instead, Maya's divine crystal heart was like a portal.

The moment his spiritual came in contact with Maya's divine crystal heart, it quickly pulled his consciousness into another world, Maya's spiritual world.

However, Maya's spiritual world was unlike any he had seen before.

There were no grassy plains, fresh running rivers, lush green forests, or snowy mountains. Nor were there any white clouds and a bright sun hanging in the sky—or rather, there was simply no land nor sky.

It was just an endless stretch of the void filled with darkness, loneliness, and emptiness.

Maya's spiritual avatar appeared in her supposed spiritual world and gazed at the dark void beside Leon a few moments later.

"So this is how my spiritual world looks? This is rather surprising… But then again, not so much if I give it more thought…" Maya casually commented.

Nevertheless, the scene made Leon frown.

"A person's spiritual world is supposed to be a manifestation of their dreams, ambitions, memories, and even emotions," Leon mentioned with furrowed brows.

"You can even say that everything that makes a person who they are can be found inside of their spiritual world… Well, at the very least, that is what the Archive recorded on the spiritual world… Maya, you…"

Leon glanced at Maya with surprise.

To have an empty spiritual world was no different from having no aspirations and emotions; only a person without a reason to live might have an empty spiritual world like this.

"Don't be so surprised," Maya casually said.

"When you live as long as I have, you'll start to realize the things you hold dear will not be as important as you think. Life will hold no meaning, and the things that can interest you are very few and far between."

"Eternal life isn't a blessing, but a curse. Even mortals live their lives more brilliantly than the True Divinities."

"And yet, they still strive for everlasting life," Leon argued with a smile.

"I may not have lived your lifetime, and I may even sound arrogant to say this, but it's not that life has no meaning; it is us who gives it meaning. So if you find yourself without any meaning in life, it just implies you haven't found it yet. That, or you have lost your purpose in life."

"In that case, you just have to find a new one to keep you going. Everyone needs a purpose to keep moving forward because idleness is terrifying; it gives birth to regret. Everyone wants to live, and no one wants to die."

"However, the reality is cruel. Not everyone gets that chance to live forever. But at the very least, when they depart the world, they would leave with peace of mind, knowing that they have done their best to live a fulfilling life."

"I can see where you are coming from, but I'm not interested in debating on this topic with you. Somethings can't be comprehended unless you experience the vicissitude of time," Maya stated.

"We didn't come here to debate either, did we?" Maya mentioned coolly before urging him, "So let us begin; this spiritual dual cultivation you mentioned."

"Alright," Leon nodded before suddenly adding, "But before that, I strongly request that you change into your adult form."

"Why? Is there a problem with my present form?" Maya asked in her child form.

"Various problems, actually, but primarily due to moral complications that I insist you change out of this form," Leon replied with a forced smile.

"I don't want to develop a guilty conscience because of this."

"Seriously, you are overcomplicating things," Maya furrowed her brows before asking, "Do you realize how old I am? What moral complications can there be?"

"That's not really the point here…"

"Fine, fine. I'll do as you wish."

Maya agreed without much fight, and before long, her spiritual avatar changed into an adult beauty.

Nevertheless, she was very nonchalant.

It was as if the act of performing dual cultivation with Leon was a trivial thing, and it wouldn't affect nor concern her in the slightest.

However, the moment Leon grabbed her wrist and pulled her body closer to himself, her long eyelashes fluttered.

She immediately glanced down at her grabbed wrist with a strange feeling.

The sensation of their contact was foreign and new to her.

"Is something wrong?" Leon asked.

"No, it's nothing," Maya shook her head and said indifferently, "Continue."

"Alright," Leon acknowledged.

He proceeded to undress Maya's white robe and trace his fingers along her fair skin.

While he was at it, he pressed a few acupoints' locations as if they existed, completely treating Maya's body like he would do with another human's body.

"Ahh…" a soft moan involuntarily escaped Maya's mouth.

The waves after waves of foreign sensations assaulted her, making her body quiver with weakness and delight.

It was conflicting, but she didn't hate it.

'This is so strange… What is this feeling? I'm experiencing it for the first time, but this shouldn't be possible. I'm an artifact spirit. My spiritual avatar shouldn't possess any receptors to experience these feelings...'

Maya was confused and lost, even nervous, strangely, but she didn't want Leon to stop.

Leon eventually took the next step and loosened his clothes, which dissipated like mist after separating from his spiritual avatar.

At the same time, some distance away from Leon and Maya, a blue planet slowly manifested and grew with time in the dark void as they became more intimate in the act.