"After all, Vritra is an will nurtured by the planet. What you destroyed was merely its manifested avatar; its true core lies underground."
Chang Wei spoke to Arora.
"I understand, Teacher!"
Without another word, energy surged through Arora's entire body. Like a brilliant star streaking across the universe in a dazzling trail, she instantly pierced through the thick crust at faster-than-light speed and crashed into the heart of the Earth like a meteorite impact.
Beneath the crust lay an unknown realm where darkness and scorching heat intertwined. This was the most primordial and mysterious place on Earth.
As Arora descended deeper, the surrounding temperature gradually rose. The rocks softened like mud beneath the extreme heat, yet she seemed wholly unaffected as she continued downward until she reached an unprecedentedly vast space.
This was where Earth's true core lay. Golden energy filled the surroundings, spreading outward in threads like living things and tightly wrapping around the entire planet. It was like an invisible net that sustained this planet's life and balance.
At the center of this space floated a golden sphere. It radiated a gentle yet powerful light, forming a sharp contrast with its surroundings.
This was Vritra's true body, the physical manifestation of the Will of the Planet.
Sensing Arora's arrival, the golden sphere slowly changed. In the end, it became a figure identical to Arora, except its eyes shone with a light that did not belong to her—a light ancient and profound, as if it could see through all things in the world.
"What is this?"
Arora stared at herself before her in astonishment, an indescribably complicated feeling rising within her.
She had never imagined that Vritra could imitate such a lifelike form, even recreating every subtle expression and movement of hers.
Vritra had no fixed form, yet it