It has been a year since he made the final Clone, which meant that for a year now he had accumulated Existence Points. He had over 1 200 000 Existence Points and that was excluding the soil. He currently had around 2500 square meters of high grade soil, which converted was also a couple of million of Existence Points.
Since he didn't really have a use for so much soil, he was planning to upgrade a clone to Rank 4 Potential using 1 million points and giving it a Manual, but he was still hesitating which clone to upgrade, as both the Soul Devour and the Ghoul clone were incredibly close to breaking through, followed by the Lightning clone.
The only thing that he was missing was a Light Herb, as the position of the Lightning Herb was already known. He just had to take it on his way out.
'I probably could have bought some of these Herbs with the connections Elena has, or get them from the palace, but it's better to waste a bit of time and keep all my cards hidden. The less they know about what I'm doing the better.'
Lucien fully controlled what his subordinates and whoever watched knew about his situation. He currently appeared as a battle fanatic prince that didn't care about anything other than fighting, deeply adored by the masses, and even the royals that knew that he had 2 businesses, were only aware of what was going on at the front.
Honest and upright trading to gather resources and an intelligence based organization that went around and beat up dishonorable bandits. It was perfectly fitting with his image. The shady things were only done by slaves that couldn't utter a word about them even if they wanted. Even if they wanted to dig around more, it would risk exposure and the prince deciding to retaliate, it was not worth it.
'I finally have spare points to get the Freedom Path. Create the simulation.'
-Price is still 100 000 Existence Points-
'Take it.'
-Simulation starting-
Lucien got his conspicuousness sucked in the simulation almost immediately. He already knew this would be happening, so he blocked the entrance with a giant rock and created a Darkness Path barrier to erase any presence his body could give off. It didn't look the least bit like a cave existed.
This time he didn't find a sea when he woke up, instead it was a dark room. It looked like a prison situated in the abyss with sculptures of demon head on each wall, looking towards the middle of the chamber, no windows or entrances, which made him wonder would they put a prisoner here in the first place.
The room was incredibly large, the walls were over 2 kilometers high and each of the demon faces was 500 meters. The detail on them showed what a pinnacle master was the person who sculpted them, each and every scale and pore was visible. From the mouths of the demons, a chain that was not very thick extended towards the middle of the room, totaling in four.
The material of the chains was not something that could be seen in the world where he came from.
Finally looking towards the middle of the room, Lucien saw that it resembled the Ancestral Arena. There was a pit all around that had no bottom, there was no bridge or anything of the sort to get to the middle, where a 1x1 meter platform levitated in mid air.
On the platform there was a person, who held his head high even after the four chain impaled his limbs to keep him in place, and one final chain that stretched all the way from the abyss below pierced his neck, to make sure that even if he abandoned his limbs, he would still remain locked.
The person had blue hair and crimson eyes. And even after the untold hardships he went through, only pride and disdain was shown on his devilishly handsome face. Looking at him Lucien even got the impression he was treating this prison as a holiday.
Looking at the simulation, he didn't experience the confusion that came with the Blood Path, he could faintly feel what All Existence was trying to show to him, but couldn't fully grasp it.
Waiting for something to happen, the scene suddenly blurred and Lucien found the room doubled and now two platforms were hanging in mid air. One with the man still chained, and the other one was... shockingly with Lucien on it.
Chains shot forward from the new 4 demon head that appeared once the room expanded and pierced his arms and legs, firmly binding him. Followed by a chain shooting from the deep and piercing his neck like a hook, keeping him from trying anything.
He was facing the man who didn't even spare him a glance at this point of time. He just kept his disdainful look.
Time suddenly sped up and years passed as Lucien was kept chained. In his previous life, before he died Lucien managed to live till almost 120. All the technology of the world was used to prolong his life even a little bit, all the master and grand-masters of eastern and western medicine were gathered to help him. Everything that was possible was tried. He even ventured in mythology and occultism, but even that didn't offer too much.
With this live on top he had memories of a total of 140 years. But right now he was chained and felt truly confined. As the years passed, Lucien was starting to age and his will was starting to weaken. His eyes were slowly going dim and his resistance was slowly chipped away.
By the time a full sixty year cycle passed, he was barely holding on, and the memories of why was he here were starting to disappear. The man finally threw a glance at him, but that was it.
In no time another sixty year cycle passed and Lucien was nothing more than a bag of bones. Even if the chains were not there, he wouldn't be able to move. His will was nonexistent and an unknown drive was keeping him from losing himself, his eyes had lost their crimson shine and were graying out. The other man finally took a long look at this young man that was incredibly resilient.
Year after year passed and Lucien did his best to hold on, even through he didn't even remember what was he doing it for.
Soon time hit the 140th year, even the days and hours were the same as his full lifespan. Lucien was like a candle that had its final flicker of light dying, he didn't have more than a day left.
The figure finally showed a different expression, his disdain disappeared and a profound look took its place.
"You have really surprised me, young one. To be able to show such will as the ant you are is remarkable."
Even as the man spoke, Lucien didn't register anything, he didn't lift his head or respond.
"It seems you are have fallen quite far, I guess for you suffering I can offer you one line of wisdom."
Lucien still kept his body slumped and barely surviving. Normally his lifespan should have been much longer, but All Existence took it and let him experience time.
"You cannot understand something, if you don't lose it first. Thus Freedom cannot be understood without being confined first. Only after no confinement, emotional or physical, can hold you could you be truly free. So don't just lay there taking what life is giving you, laugh back at it and then break all the shackles."
The man proceeded to show what he meant, he simply stood up with all the shackles shattering, his body healed instantly.
"Phew it has been quite a while since I went out for a stretch, I might have gotten rusty from all the sitting around and enjoying the silence."
The eyes that were carved on the heads of the demons started shining trying to seal the man, but he simply glanced at them and everything shattered.
"This is true freedom. Nothing in this world can hold me, and if I don't want something to be in my way, it better not be."
Lucien finally lifted his head and showed his eyes that had an amazing glow, fires and determination burning trying to shatter all that restricted him.
-Freedom Path comprehended-