"Profound mysteries of the laws?" Beiya, who was sitting beside Milia, heard Luo Ya's question and explained in the simplest way possible.
She gently moved her delicate, fair hand. Dark Element gathered, forming a black snake that coiled around her arm and let out a hissing sound, looking just like the real thing.
"Profundity of Dark Element." Luo Ya nodded slightly at the sight. Though the elemental snake she had created wasn't very large, its movements were remarkably lifelike.
In terms of her mastery of the Profundity of Dark Element alone, this elf lady might even surpass him.
"And this." Seeing Luo Ya nod, Beiya suddenly closed her eyes, then opened them again.
"Shhk—"
In that brief instant, strange black tentacles emerged from the surface of her body. In a flash, the elf lady looked like an octopus, with eight long, icy tentacles around her, wreathed in black mist. The sight was exceedingly bizarre.
Luo Ya was startled, and Milia froze as well.
Clearly, Milia hadn't known that Beiya could use this move.
"This is the Profundity of Evil!" Luo Ya's pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at the eight icy tentacles that had appeared in the reception room. He even released his spiritual power to examine them closely.
"Profundity of Evil? That certainly sounds a little 'evil.'" Milia instinctively shifted away from her newly acquainted elf sister.
How could the profound mystery of the laws this seemingly easygoing elf lady had comprehended be so bizarre?
"Is this profound mystery called the Profundity of Evil? I comprehended it from the 'Ice Tentacles' dark magic spell. Whether I use it to attack or defend, it seems quite a bit stronger than the Profundity of Dark Element." Perhaps she had heard something important, because the elf lady spoke at unusual length.
"Of course. The Profundity of Dark Element is the most basic and simplest profound mystery of the Laws of Darkness. It's only a low-level profound mystery. Your Profundity of Evil is at least a mid-level profound mystery, so naturally it's much more powerful." As he explained, Luo Ya continued studying the eight icy tentacles Beiya had created.
Noticing Luo Ya's interest, the elf lady didn't rush to dismiss the tentacles. Maintaining them required very little Heart Force.
Still, their appearance was unsettling. So unless she was fighting a formidable foe, Beiya rarely showed off this move.
"A mid-level profound mystery?" Beiya nodded slightly. Apparently, whether she had learned it from Milia or from the elves, she knew that profound mysteries were divided into three levels: low, mid, and high. The higher the level, the more powerful the profound mystery.
The Profundity of Devour, which Luo Ya mainly cultivated, was a high-level profound mystery of the Laws of Darkness. The power it ultimately displayed was naturally on a completely different level from that of ordinary profound mysteries.
"I've comprehended two profound mysteries of the Laws of Darkness. The first is the same as Miss Beiya's, the Profundity of Dark Element. The second is the Profundity of Devour."
After observing for a while, Luo Ya realized that he wouldn't be able to comprehend a new profound mystery just by watching. He gestured for the elf lady to withdraw her Ice Tentacles, then prepared to demonstrate one himself.
"The Profundity of Devour—this move must be the Gate of Hell, right?" Milia had once had the good fortune to spar with Luo Ya, so she was familiar with the move's impressive power.
When they had sparred last time, however, Luo Ya's comprehension of the Profundity of Devour hadn't been as deep as it was now.
"Gate of Hell is just an exaggerated way of putting it." Luo Ya shook his head, then held out his right hand. A vortex appeared above it, voraciously devouring everything around it—even the sunlight streaming in through the window. As time passed, the dark region grew larger and larger.
"So this is the Profundity of Devour?" The elf lady's gray-violet eyes shone as she watched the scene intently.
"How powerful!" Luo Ya was only giving a simple demonstration, showing just a fraction of its true capabilities, but Beiya could still sense its immense, domineering force.
The Profundity of Devour was definitely even stronger than the Profundity of Evil she had comprehended!
"Besides that profound mystery, I've also fought the Phantom Sword Saint, Harvey, and witnessed his ultimate move. It could be called the Profundity of Shadow Clone Technique. It's an exceedingly bizarre and powerful profound mystery, and a fairly versatile one, too."
For now, though, Luo Ya couldn't demonstrate that move himself. He could only describe it.
In Coiling Dragon, the two laws explained most clearly were the Laws of Wind and the Laws of Earth. The profound mysteries of the Laws of Darkness were mentioned only briefly, with just four of them described.
Those four were the Profundity of Dark Element, the Profundity of Shadow Clone Technique, the Profundity of Devour, and the Profundity of Evil. Luo Ya was fortunate enough to have encountered all of them while still in the Saint Realm.
"The Profundity of Shadow Clone Technique? That move is quite interesting. I cultivate the Laws of Wind, but I feel like I should be able to do something similar." After hearing Luo Ya's "analysis" of how the move worked, Milia, who hadn't seemed particularly interested until then, suddenly brightened. She looked thoughtful.
"First, split off a 'shadow,' then switch places with one of these 'shadows,' and you can create another version of yourself..." The more Milia thought about it, the faster her ideas spread. In an instant, countless inspirations welled up within her.
"Sorry, excuse me!" Excited, Milia flashed out of the reception room. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
"Milia seems to have gotten even faster." Luo Ya had fought Harvey before. Harvey was fast, but he was nowhere near as quick as Milia had been when they last met.
And this time, it was clear that Luo Ya wasn't the only one who had made great progress. Milia had improved just as much.
"The profound mysteries of the laws Milia has comprehended are the Wind Element and the Wind Movement Technique. From the looks of it, her Wind Movement Technique is nearly complete." Although leaving her host's reception room without warning might have seemed impolite, neither Luo Ya nor Beiya minded.
At their level of power and status, the trivial courtesies of the mundane world meant very little.
By comparison, gaining a new insight into a profound mystery of the laws was far more important. They might have reacted just as excitedly as Milia had.
"Milia probably went to the back mountain. Come on, let's go see what new insight she's had." Luo Ya didn't cultivate the Laws of Wind himself, but he knew all nine of their profound mysteries and had a general understanding of each one.
Considering that Milia had been inspired by the underlying principles of the Profundity of Shadow Clone Technique, he had a rough idea which aspect of the Laws of Wind she had gained insight into.
Still, he would have to see it with his own eyes to know if he was right.
"Okay." The elf lady Beiya readily followed Luo Ya as they flew toward the back mountain.
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