Chapter 780 - White Luminosity Eternal Flame
Sometime later, Saresha and the dark faes cleaned out the support-circuit building's interior, moving everything they could move outside.
'Thank you, Master. It's nice to see this place spotless again,' the Realm Spirit gratefully said.
However, Leon shirked it off with a nonchalant shrug and replied, 'I didn't get the dark faes to do it for you, so don't overthink it.'
'Nevertheless, I still want to thank you,' the Realm Spirit affirmed.
'Well, suit yourself.'
Shortly after giving the interior one last look, Leon headed outside and waited for the dark faes to finish sorting out the piles of corpses, bones, and treasures.
"My lord, everything has been sorted," Saresha reported before inquiring, "Should we proceed with the burial for the corpses and bones?"
"You can start digging the grave but leave the corpses for now."
"Understood, my lord."
Shortly after Saresha went to prepare the grave, Leon went up to study the corpses.
Among the corpses, bones, and even ashes, it was clear that the Impervious Sea Celestial King's family members varied in their cultivation attainments.
The weakest decomposed throughout the long period of time, but the strongest had their bodies preserved well.
In fact, some of their bodies were preserved so well and without any paleness, making it seems like they were still alive and simply just sleeping.
"These two must have been Celestial Warriors or fairly high-level Body Cultivators when they were alive… It's a pity that they died like this," Leon muttered while looking at peerless beauty and handsome man.
If he had to spend his entire life in confinement, he would have gone crazy.
Nevertheless, Leon did not dwell on the topic and decided to sweep the two celestial bodies with his divine sense, searching for their Celestial Sparks.
However, the Celestial Sparks were nowhere to be found in their bodies—not even in the perfectly preserved subspace of their dead mind.
"Not here?" Leon frowns.
'How could the Celestial Sparks in their bodies be missing? Were they not Celestials, or someone else had already taken them? No, it shouldn't be the latter since the barrier was still up…'
However, Leon suddenly paused.
The Celestial Barrier was so weak that it was incomparable to the Impervious Sea Celestial King's power.
'Did another Water Celestial take the Celestial Sparks in the past few hundred years and resealed the entrance with a weaker barrier?'
Leon could not help but think that.
The war between the Celestial Alliance and the demons had ended more than several thousands of years ago; anything could have happened in that time.
"Haiz, never mind," Leon sighed before muttering, "It's disappointing that there are no Celestial Sparks, but it can't be helped; I'll just take a look at the treasures…"
Nevertheless, Leon still thought about the other corpses.
Among the twenty-seven corpses, two were perfectly preserved, nine were in mummified states, and the rest were just skeletal bones.
"I should check these nine corpses just in case," Leon thought to himself.
It didn't want to overlook anything valuable.
Much to his pleasant surprise, Leon finds the two missing Celestial Sparks within two of the nine mummified corpses.
One was a Water Celestial Spark, and the other was an Earth Celestial Spark.
Leon's eyes flickered intensely at his findings, especially the Water Celestial Spark, which can resolve the water shortage in the Infertile Plains.
'With this Water Celestial Spark, the Infertile Plains shouldn't have another water shortage crisis for the next few hundred years… However, the gears of battle for hegemony already turned and cannot be stopped, even if I offer up this Water Celestial Spark.'
Leon thought.
After pocketing the two Celestial Sparks into his Worldspace, he moved on to check out the pile of treasures.
Whether they were interspatial accessories, weapons, equipment, or random tools of unknown usage, Leon did not find a single item below Tier-4, and Tier-7 being the highest quality.
Nevertheless, only a few treasures were at Tier-7; the majority were Tier-6, but even then, he could see that the quality of Tier-6 treasures varied when placed together.
The Tier-6 treasures varied between low, mid, high, and peak Tier-6 quality, but that was not all; two Tier-6 treasures possessed weak but clear divine auras on them.
"This greatsword and oil lamp should be quasi Tier-7 artifacts… but what does this oil lamp do?" Leon wondered for a moment.
He didn't believe the creator would be bored enough to expend precious materials and runic knowledge in producing a quasi Tier-7 artifact—only to use it as a source of lighting.
'Do you know what this oil lamp is used for, Radiant Heaven Realmship?' he turned to the Realm Spirit for answers.
'This is a Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp, Master. It can contain any fire and keep it burning, never extinguishing; it's a fire weapon and an inexhaustible light source,' the Realm Spirit explains.
'Oh? That sounds quite impressive," Leon stared at the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp in his hand with interest. 'I wonder if there's any flame stored inside this Quasi Tier-7…'
Leon gave the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp a rub before it summoned a white flame, so powerful it sharply raised the surrounding temperature.
Even with his True Grandmist Body with high resistance to the elements, he still felt like the white flame could burn him into ashes.
'Be careful, Master. That's the Eternal Flame of White Luminosity! A wisp of it can burn even Celestial Warriors to death!' the Realm Spirit warned.
Leon could sense the Realm Spirit's nervousness as it locked its divine sense on the white flame emitting from the tip of the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp.
At the same time, he could feel a searing pain in his hand while his body heated up and sweated.
Nevertheless, he did not dare to drop the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp for fear that it would light the Radiant Heaven Realmship on fire for days on end.
He quickly rubbed the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp the opposite way before the White Luminosity Eternal Flame retracted into the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp.
Even so, his body did not stop sweating, and the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp appeared in slightly worse shape.
Chapter 781 - Naming The Realm Spirit
"M-my lord! Are you alright?"
Saresha and several other dark faes rushed over with concerned looks, but they stopped a safe distance away before looking at the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp in Leon's hand with dread.
"I'm fine," Leon calmly said.
Despite his calm countenance, his hands had been seared by the heat, even though it didn't make direct contact with the White Luminosity Eternal Flame.
Leon was forced to place the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp down and apply Tier-3 Golden Ointment to his seared flesh.
"What kind of flame was that? How could it be so terrifying?" Saresha asked with a horrified look as she recalled the sight.
For a moment, she thought the whole world was going to burn up in its white flames and erase her existence in a flash, leaving nothing behind.
Several dark faes could not stop trembling as if they just had experienced death.
In front of that white flame, their existences felt so insignificant, like dying candlelights that any wind could snuff out at any time.
The White Luminosity Eternal Flame wasn't a pure fire law; it also contained the essence of the Profound Light Law, making it terrifying power for creatures of darkness.
"The White Luminosity Eternal Flame…" Leon uttered.
He was only expecting a Heavenly Flame, but who would have thought that an Eternal Flame would pop out of the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp instead?
Neither did he expect to come into contact with another Eternal Law so soon.
"The White Luminosity Eternal Flame was so powerful it lowered the durability of the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp. Is this still considered a Quasi Tier-7 Artifact? It ought to be as powerful as any other Tier-7 Divine Artifacts…"
Leon uttered.
'There's no doubt that the White Luminosity Eternal Flame is a mismatch for the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp, Master. Its destructive power isn't something any ordinary Quasi Tier-7 Divine Artifacts can contain,' the Realm Spirit spoke.
Leon could not help but nod in agreement.
The White Luminosity Eternal Flame—or rather, the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp that contains it isn't something he should use lightly.
It should only be used as another one of his trump cards against impossibly strong opponents.
"Alright, the situation calmed down. There's no need to stick around here; go back and continue digging the graves," Leon shooed the dark faes away with a casual wave of his hand.
Shortly after storing the Quasi Tier-7 Fire Lamp and the Quasi Tier-7 Greatsword into his Worldspace, Leon sorts out the Tier-7 Divine Artifacts.
There were three Tier-7 Divine Artifacts.
"There's not much to be said about this Tier-7 Divine Spear; it shall become my main weapon. The Tier-6 Halberd was useful, but it's not a spear at the end of the day. It won't help me master the Overlord Spear Arts."
After pocketing the Tier-7 Divine Spear, Leon moved on to the next item, a Tier-7 Interspatial Ring.
The subspace with the Tier-7 Interspatial Ring was so large that Leon could compare it to the Radiant Heaven Realmship's sub-realm.
In other words, it was large enough to be a sub-realm.
However, the Tier-7 Interspatial Ring's subspace was just a static void of space that lacked all the necessary elements to sustain life in it.
Like any other interspatial artifact, the Tier-7 Interspatial Ring will quickly kill any life placed within it.
"Although I don't know why someone would need such large storage space, I don't have a use for this. Perhaps I can gift it to someone who does…"
Leon mused while wondering who would have the best need for the Tier-7 Interspatial Ring.
Even Divine Kings don't necessarily need such large storage spaces unless they are trying to rob all the riches across the stars.
Once Leon settled the Tier-7 Interspatial Ring, he shifted his eyes to the final Tier-7 Divine Artifact in the treasure pile, a golden grail.
"Another item with an unclear usage," Leon muttered.
He picked up the Tier-7 Golden Grail radiating with a strong divine aura before inspecting it thoroughly.
Both the interior and exterior were riddles with runes, but there was nothing seemingly extraordinary about the Tier-7 Golden Grail apart from its toughness and divine aura.
Other than that, the bottom of the grail's interior gave off a warm feeling.
As Leon made this discovery, he could not help but think that the creator was a prodigal artificer who just wanted to make the Tier-7 Golden Grail for the sake of warming his drinks.
"If the creator heard my thoughts, he'll probably curse nine generations of my family, right?" Leon smiled wryly.
He knew that the Tier-7 Golden Grail couldn't possibly be as simple as what it seems on the surface.
"Alas, these runes are too complex as I expected. I can't figure out its usage," Leon quickly gave up and sought the Realm Spirit's knowledge.
'Do you know what this golden grail is used for, Radiant Heaven Realmship?' he inquired.
However, he was shortly disappointed as the Realm Spirit failed to live up to his expectation this time around.
'No, Master, I'm afraid I'm just as clueless as you are. Grails are quite uncommon for an artifact design. Also, it would be great if you call me something other than Radiant Heaven Realmship.'
'In other words, you want a name? What do you want me to call you?' Leon asked.
'Since you'll be my official master when you bind me, how about you give me a new name, Master?' the Realm Spirit suggested.
'You want me to name you? Are you sure?' Leon asked for confirmation before adding, 'I'm pretty bad with names, you know?'
'It's fine. I believe Master will give me a good name.'
'I'm flattered,' Leon pondered for a short moment before he suggested a name, 'How about I call you Tak-si from now on?'
'Tak-si? Not bad. Does it have any special meaning behind it, Master?' the Realm Spirit asked curiously.
'Hm…" Leon smiled wryly and said, 'You can say that means an expensive mode of transport.'
'Expensive as in luxurious, right? Great! I like the name. Thank you, Master.'
'Sure, sure… Whatever floats your boat, Tak-si.'
Leon smiled with amusement.
Chapter 782 - Starcore Iron
After settling the Realm Spirit's name, Leon shifted his attention to the Tier-7 Golden Grail again.
Given his present runic attainment and divine artifact knowledge from the Divine Realm, there was no way to understand the Tier-7 Golden Grail's function from a glance.
However, there were other ways to find out.
"According to some folklores and stories in Gaia, the grail is often depicted as a holy object with the miraculous powers to heal all wounds, grant eternal life, and realize one's wishes…" Leon recalled.
Tier-7 Divine Artifacts don't have the capacity to grant eternal life or realize any wish; if they had such powers, they wouldn't be limited to Tier-7 Divine Artifacts but something higher.
"Power to heal all wounds?"
Leon paid particular focus to the most realistic power the holy grail was said to have in the folklores and legends.
After staring at the empty Tier-7 Golden Grail for a moment, he summoned a block of ice into it and watched the ice slowly melt in the grail.
Shortly after, the water brightened as if the Tier-7 Golden Grail infused it with holy powers.
Nevertheless, it only lasted a moment before the holy light died down, ultimately disappearing; the water returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
However, Leon knew that something about the water was different.
In that brief instant, he seemed to have vaguely sensed the power of the Profound Light Law at work.
He scooped a bit of water from the grail and studied it closely, sweeping his divine sense over it before ultimately tasting it personally.
A warm yet soothing energy flow quickly travels throughout his body, making him feel comfortable and relaxing.
'Such a strong recovery ability!' Leon exclaimed in his heart.
Although he had no injury to recover, his years of alchemy allowed him to understand the effectiveness of the healing water.
'This healing water is comparable to Tier-4 recovery pills!' Leon concluded.
He had only placed the block of ice in the Tier-7 Golden Grail for a short while, yet it could quickly produce Tier-4 healing medicine.
'This Tier-7 Golden Grail is extremely valuable and useful to me. However, I wonder if the quality improves with time…'
Leon had that thought before his eyes flickered.
'I should test it!'
After filling up the Tier-7 Golden Grail to the brim, Leon placed it in a secured spot inside his Worldspace.
'I'll check on it later,' Leon decided.
No matter whether the Tier-7 Golden Grail could produce healing water of higher quality with time or not, he did not have to worry about refining more healing medicine for the time being.
"Let's see if there are any pleasant surprises among the Tier-6 treasures," Leon moved on to the rest of the treasures.
He found more weapons, plenty of armor, and miscellaneous tools used for cooking, forging, pill refining, and several other storage rings in the treasure pile.
The weapons did not interest Leon much after he found the Tier-7 White Spear; thus, he threw all the weapons into the Worldspace and moved on.
The Tier-6 pieces of armor, clothing, and miscellaneous tools, were also thrown into the Worldspace one by one shortly after.
"A Tier-6 Pill Cauldron?" Leon suddenly paused on the item.
"This should let me refine pill more smoothly and quickly, but other than that, there isn't much use for a Tier-6 Pill Cauldron until I have better spirit herbs to refine higher-tier pills."
That being said, Leon placed the Tier-6 Pill Cauldron in an easy-to-locate spot in the Worldspace like the Tier-7 Golden Grail, Tier-7 White Spear, and Tier-7 Interspatial Ring.
A short while later, Leon almost finished sorting through the treasure pile, leaving 8 Tier-6 Interspatial Rings and 5 Tier-5 Interspatial Rings last on the list.
"There should be a fair bit of goodies in these storage rings, right?" Leon presumed.
He quickly picked up a tier-6 Interspatial Ring and swept its subspace with his divine sense before revealing his astonishment, albeit for a different reason.
Several more treasures were found in the storage ring, ranging between Tier-4 to Tier-6 in quality, but more importantly, black metal ingots filled half the storage space, which was akin to a city.
Leon took out a black metal ingot before giving it a more in-depth inspection as he studied the engravings on the black metal ingot.
"These engravings don't seem to have any special runic meaning behind it, nor is it empowered by the rune language; it's just a simple engraving… On the other hand, this sturdiness is something else."
The black metal ingot's toughness quickly drew his attention.
"This black metal ingot looks like meteorite iron, but its weight and toughness far exceeds that of regular meteorite iron…" Leon analyzed the rectangular object.
A regular meteorite iron ingot would only weigh around 20 jins, but the black metal ingot in his hand weighs around 2000 jins, a hundredfold increase from the standard meteorite iron ingots!
"This black metal ingot is incredibly dense!" Leon's eyes flickered.
The black metal ingot was comparable to Tier-5 or Tier-6 mineral used for artifact forging, and yet there's even a city's worth of it inside the storage ring!
'In case you are wondering, Master, this black ingot is pure starcore iron, mined from the core region of dying stars. It's a Tier-6 material used for forging Tier-6 and Tier-7 Divine Artifacts, but also commonly used as currency in the Celestial Alliance.'
Tak-si informed him.
'I see. So this thing is black iron from a star's core… In that case, a city's worth of starcore iron isn't much, considering the sheer size of the stars,' Leon thought.
Nevertheless, it's not like the Celestial Alliance could go around destroying stars and mining starcore iron as they please.
'Is a city's worth of starcore iron considered a lot in the Celestial Alliance, Tak-si?'
'Definitely, Master! Even Celestial Kings would not have this much wealth unless they had an extraordinary background!'
'I see. So it's considered a lot,' Leon casually replied, but his eyes glowed.
Considering there are another 7 Tier-6 and 5 Tier-5 Interspatial Rings for him to look through, he might have just obtained unimaginable wealth.
Chapter 783 - Gifting Treasures
As Leon suspected, there were more starcore iron ingots in each storage ring, albeit the quantity varies from storage ring to storage iron.
Nevertheless, the starcore iron ingots still add up to several cities' worth.
"Goddammit, I am f*cking rich, son!" Leon exclaimed with joy before his mood suddenly deflated like a balloon. "But alas, there's nowhere to spend it for the time being…"
It didn't come as a surprise to him that the Impervious Sea Celestial King's family would possess so much wealth.
After all, they were related to the Radiant Sword Celestial Emperor, the Celestial Alliance leader.
Shortly after Leon pocketed all the storage rings into the Worldspace, Saresha approached him and gave him a respectful salute.
"My Lord, the graves have been dug," she reported.
Leon glanced at the big empty pit beside the dark faes in the distance before he nodded and made his way over.
Using his elemental abilities, he made ice coffins for the two Celestial bodies, simple earth coffins for the other corpses and bones, and an earth jar for the ashes.
Then, he placed them all in the empty pit before filling it up with the nearby dirt pile and putting a gravestone on top that says, "Impervious Sea Celestial King's family lies here."
"Alright, everything has been settled; there's nothing else for us to do here. Let us leave," Leon said to the dark faes.
"Yes, my Lord."
Rumble…!
The support-circuit building's door sealed off the entrance after Leon left the floating landmass with the dark faes, making their way back to the Abyssal Wood Forest.
"Are you taking us to the other humans, my Lord?" Saresha quickly asked after noticing their direction.
The dark faes immediately showed concerns and uneasiness in their expressions.
However, Leon assured them, "There's nothing to be worried about. No harm will come to any of you while I am around. Also, humans will not attack you if you do not give them a reason to attack."
"If you say so, my Lord. But what should we do if they try to provoke us?" Saresha inquired carefully.
The dark faes all had similar thoughts.
Are they supposed to endure if the humans provoke and humiliate them? Of course, they had no problem with that since they are used to it.
However, what difference will there be in being on the human's side?
Leon paused for a moment before he said, "You will not take the initiative to provoke others, but if they provoke you first, then feel free to attack them—if you can beat them, that is. Otherwise, report it to me."
"After all, you are my people now and thereby represent me. Therefore, anyone who humiliates you is the same as humiliating me. Keep that in mind."
"Understood, my Lord!"
…
…
…
"You're back, Leon," Aria greeted.
"Un," Leon nodded before glancing at the spatial storm for a brief moment. "How's the situation? Any changes during my absence?"
"No, Darlene's Transcendent Phenomenon hasn't changed in the least, and the others are still recuperating from their injuries."
"Did they not receive recovery pills I handed over to Senior One-Eye?" Leon furrowed his brows and turned to face the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman.
However, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman wasn't sure what kind of answer Leon was seeking, so he replied honestly.
"This old man had indeed given the recovery pills to the injured warriors, but it wasn't enough for the Peak-rank and Extremity-rank Battle Masters to have a full recovery."
"Peak-rank and Extremity-rank Battle Masters, huh?" Leon muttered with an understanding look.
A single Tier-3 All-Purpose Healing Pill is indeed not enough for Peak-rank and Extremity-rank Battle Masters to make a full recovery.
However, he had handed out enough for them to take multiple recovery pills.
Since that didn't happen, it was obvious that the Peak-rank and Extremity-rank Battle Masters only ingested one pill and saved the rest.
"Well, since they want to be stingy with the recovery pills I handed out, forget about them and just let them recuperate at their own pace," Leon shirked off the matter with a nonchalant wave.
"More importantly, I have a gift for you, Senior," he said shortly after.
"Oh? A gift from Young Master Leonhardt? Haha, this old man will never refuse a gift from Young Master Leonhardt."
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman expressed his keen interest.
At the same time, he did not pay any attention to the dark faes, completely ignoring them and treating them like air.
"Senior likes using big swords, right? I have a weapon here that just suits you," Leon stated while taking out the Quasi Tier-7 Greatsword.
When the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman accepted the Quasi Tier-7 Greatsword with pleasant surprise, its weight made his arms drop slightly.
"Oh? It's heavier than I thought, just how I like it!" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman grinned.
He raised the Quasi Tier-7 Greatsword in the air and gave it a few practice swings, causing sharp bursts of wind that threatened to lacerate everything in its path.
A short while later, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman revealed a satisfied look.
"This weapon is amazing! Thank you for the gift, Young Master Leonhardt," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman expressed his sincere gratitude.
In his mind, the Quasi Tier-7 Greatsword was not inferior to the Tier-7 Divine Sword.
"Glad you like it, Senior," Leon nodded.
Aria didn't express any disappointment or opinion when Leon gifted a precious weapon to the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman.
But when Leon turned to her with a smile, her heart suddenly skipped a beat with rising anticipation.
"I have some goodies for you too," he said.
Then, he took out the Tier-7 Interspatial Ring and several white and blue Tier-6 armor such as pauldrons, gauntlets, chest armor, and leg armor.
For Aria, who had yet to begin Body Cultivation, such items will protect her well.
"You don't need to… You've already given me a precious weapon like the Tier-7 Divine Sword… I don't need anything else," Aria replied shyly with an abashed look, feeling embarrassed by the special attention.
She saw the members of the Dark Fae Clan stare at her with envious looks, wondering if they would ever get such treatment.
Chapter 784 - Secret Behind Demon Cultivation
"I see… You don't want it. I guess I'll find another lovely lady to give these to," Leon teased while withdrawing the items.
However, Aria quickly hoarded them back while pouting, "You're bullying me! Hmph, I dare you to find another lady!"
"That's what you said; don't you forget it," Leon grinned without backing down.
"You…! Hmph!" Aria snorted.
Seeing how Leon acted, she no longer felt bad about taking all the Tier-6 and Tier-7 artifacts he offered.
Meanwhile, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman glanced at the Tier-6 artifacts in Aria's arms before he softly muttered with envy, "If this old man can receive this many precious artifacts, this old man wouldn't mind being bullied like this…"
Alas, everyone overheard him before they started giving him weird looks.
Sensing the odd stares, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman glances up at them before he suddenly realizes what he just said.
His words were very ambiguous and easy to give people the wrong idea.
"W-wait, this old man didn't mean it that way…" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman tried to explain, but he struggled to convince everyone.
Alas, he dug this grave himself and jumped into it.
"Ahem, anyway," Leon cleared his throat with a cough before changing the topic.
"Senior One-Eye is a Half-step Battle King now, but you shouldn't stop here. Since there's nothing urgent, Senior One-Eye should take this chance to push all the way to the Battle King Realm."
"Since Young Master Leonhardt said so, this old man will follow your wish," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman nodded.
Shortly after, Leon went to inform the Sky Sword Tribe, Western Blackriver Tribe, Ember Lion Tribe, and Cold Gale Tribe of the Dark Fae Clan and laid down some ground rules to avoid internal conflict.
Then, he had Saresha and the rest of her clansmen stand guard on the central forest's perimeters before he headed over to the mountain of demon corpses.
"Is this all of them?" Leon asks.
"Mm," Aria responded with a nod before adding, "I'm not sure if I missed any, but this was all I can find in the area."
There were at least 300 Greater Demons in the corpse mountain; considering each Greater Demon possesses roughly six different origin blood, that adds up to 1800 origin blood.
There are bound to be quite a few unique types of origin blood Leon had yet to absorb among them.
Furthermore, two Arch Demons are included on top of that, namely, the Two-Headed Cyclops Arch Demon and the Evil Eye Arch Demon.
"This is good; I should be able to advance the Everlasting Blood Mantra a fair bit with this many demon corpses. Thank you, Aria."
Leon held Aria's soft hands and gazed at her before asking, "How's your cultivation going? Any bottlenecks?"
"Not for the time being. This secret realm's environment isn't suitable for comprehending the Ice and Lightning Law, but there's much for me to learn from the Tier-7 Divine Sword's sword aura. I feel that I am close to forming my own Sword Intent."
Aria replied without looking at Leon, still feeling grumpy about the previous matter, but at the same time, she enjoyed the intimate attention she was receiving.
"Oh?" Leon softly exclaimed with astonishment while not minding her little tantrum.
"That's great. Once your Sword Intent is formed, you'll be able to exert even more power with the Tier-7 Divine Sword."
"Mm, I also think so," Aria nodded in agreement.
"Aria, you should also focus on your cultivation while the situation isn't urgent," Leon stated before mentioning, "We might have repelled the demons, but there's no telling when more powerful demons come."
"Mm, I'll listen to you." Aria complied obediently.
Everyone is improving by leaps and bounds, but the demons are improving just as much—if not even greater than humans.
No, the latter was more likely to be true.
Unlike any other place on the Dark Abyss Continent, the secret realm provided the best environment for the demons to grow with its overflowing dark energy.
After Aria found a spot in the ashen trees to cultivate, Leon collected all the demon blood from the mountain of demon corpses before shifting his focus on studying the two Arch Demons' bodies.
"These two Arch Demons had powerful physiques—no, all the Greater Demons also had strong physiques, a clear result of Body Cultivation; yet they also have energy cores like Energy Cultivators…"
Leon furrowed his brows in thought while wondering whether the Arch Demons also had Arch Demon-level demon cores in their bodies.
As he suspected, after opening up the Arch Demons' bodies, he found the Arch Demon-level demon cores.
"The demon's cultivation method, this is something I don't quite understand. How can demons have energy cores when they have strong physiques? They have to be dual cultivating energy and body to have both—No, wait."
While pondering on the matter as he extracts demon cores from the demon corpses, he suddenly discovered the location of the demon cores varied from demon to demon.
"What is this? Most demon cores are located in the demons' glabellas, but there are some located in their stomachs, chests, and hearts?" he muttered with doubt.
After musing for a short while, his eyes suddenly flickers.
'I understand now; these demon core locations are the locations of the Eight Hidden Gates! The demons open their Eight Hidden Gates prematurely, giving them early boosts in physical strength at the cost of their latent potential!'
In the Godfiend Body Forging Method, the Body Tempering and Body Transformation Realm must be complete before opening the Eight Hidden Gates, but the demons did not seem to abide by this rule.
"Humans don't have the same regenerative abilities and study bodies like demons; they need to build up their foundation before they attempt the opening of the Eight Hidden Gates… If they try to adopt the demons' method…"
Death was likely their outcome.
The opening of the Eight Hidden Gates was a dangerous task that humans could not achieve with their fragile bodies.
Their eight hidden gate locations would simply rupture from the tremendous stress of energy flow placed on them.
Chapter 785 - The Gate Of Wisdom
'Opening the eight hidden gates is like creating eight new energy cores… the demand on the elasticity and sturdiness of the energy channels and inner organs is very high…' Leon mused.
Only demons and beast could open their hidden gates earlier with their innate gifts, and typically, the Gate of Opening located in their glabella would be their first choice.
There is no actual order to the opening of the Eight Hidden Gates, but the Gate of Opening is also known as the Gate of Wisdom, which grants spiritual intelligence to the lacking demons and beasts.
A true First-Gate Body Cultivator is said to be comparable to Celestial Warriors, but Leon knew that is not the case for the demons who open their hidden gates prematurely.
Weak foundations limit their strength, which also applies to Energy Cultivation.
Energy Condensation Realm Divine Cultivators could indeed enter the Revolving Core Realm early, but their limited energy would only form smaller cores.
'Although the thought of opening my first hidden gate early never crossed my mind, it's still good that I figure its consequences,' Leon thought.
His future opponents are the Peak Divine Kings in Divine Realm.
Limiting his latent potential in Body Cultivation for the sake of short-term benefits is not the mindset of an avenger pursuing the absolute limits of cultivation.
Shortly after Leon finished extracting all the demon cores from the demons, Chief Skyhawk and the other tribe leaders approached him.
"Young Master Leonhardt, do you have any other plans for these demon corpses?" asked Riverstar, the leading warrior of the Western Blackriver Tribe.
Although Leon and Aria killed the Arch Demons and many Greater Demons, the four tribes also made great contributions by killing many Greater Demons and Lesser Demons afterward.
Despite that, they did not say anything when Leon took all the demon cores and a sample of all the demons' blood.
Leon thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I don't have any other use for these demon bodies," he replied.
"Then, do you mind if we take their bodies while they're still fresh, Young Master Leon? Their flesh and blood can be refined into strong recovery medicine," said a different tribe leader from the Ember Lion Tribe, Dustdawn.
"Please, by all means, take them," Leon gestured to the mountain of demon corpses with his hand.
He was already feeling slightly embarrassed for monopolizing the demon cores, but he needed a longer period of observation before he could deem them trustworthy enough to have a share of the demon cores.
He did not want to carelessly grant people opportunities to grow—only for them to backstab him later.
"Thank you, Young Master Leonhardt."
Unaware of his thoughts, Chief Skyhawk and the other tribe leaders expressed their gratitude before dividing the spoils and taking them back to their tribesmen.
Leon was curious about their medicine refinement method, but not enough to delay his cultivation.
After they were gone, he took out the bottles of demon blood essence he collected earlier and commenced his blood refinement.
While he was at it, he kept a portion of his attention on the spatial storm with his second consciousness.
…
…
…
Inside the spatial storm, Darlene was in a deep trance with her consciousness trapped inside the void that exists in her mind.
She was utterly oblivious to the world-changing commotion she created in the outside world.
The Void Space, something unique to people with the Void Soul Constitution, was a profound subspace of unknown depths and deep secrets.
As Darlene's body underwent the baptism of spatial energy, her consciousness was inadvertently drawn into this subspace with extremely powerful Spatial Law.
Leon had once taken a glimpse of it with his divine sense but proceeded no further than the outer rim, fearing it would pull his consciousness deep within and trap it forever.
Nevertheless, as Darlene's consciousness drifted deeper into the void, she drew closer to her soul core that lies hidden deep within the subspace's center.
It was never found; hence, it was called the Void Soul Constitution.
At the same time, the Spatial Law becomes increasingly rich and overflowing in presence, allowing Darlene to sense and comprehend it easily.
She was completely immersed in the feeling as if in a drunken stupor, floating in a boundless sea and drifting wherever the waves took her.
The things she did not understand about the Spatial Law suddenly became crystal clear to her, almost to the point that she felt a certain intimacy and connection to it.
'Something is calling out to me from the very depths of my own soul…' Darlene thought.
Suddenly, the feeling of anxiety and fear sprouted within her.
She was supposed to feel a deeper connection with herself on a spiritual level as she drew closer to her soul, but instead, she felt something else calling out to her.
Subconsciously, she wanted to reject the calling as if she would lose her sense of self if she did not do it.
"No, I can't run away! I want to change! I want to be reliable! I don't want to be forever protected! I want to be one protecting!" Darlene cried in her mind.
She quickly steeled her resolve and pressed onwards.
'The secret of my soul, I have to understand it! And as long as my will is firm, I will not lose myself!' she convinced herself.
Simply by drifting closer to the source of her own soul, her Spatial Law comprehension improves at a remarkable rate.
By the time she reached her soul core, she felt like her comprehension was already beyond the level of a normal Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent.
However, the joy of accomplishment did not overwhelm her.
The appearance of the murky semi-transparent soul core had completely captured her attention—or more specifically, the single spot of brilliant light on her soul core did.
That spot of brilliant light illuminated the dark void of subspace like the sparkling stars in the night sky.
'Why does this spot on my soul core seems so special compared to the rest of it? Is this starlight?' Darlene wondered.
"You've finally come…"
"W-who?!"
The foreign voice startled her.
Chapter 786 - Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment
Inside the dark void of space that is Darlene's sea of consciousness, there was nothing around her other than her soul core.
Darlene searched around for the source of the voice before eventually fixing her attention on the bright spot of her soul core.
"Was it you? Who are you?" she asked.
However, the bright spot did not respond, only flickering ever brightly and illuminating the dark space with its luminescent starlight.
"Was it just my imagination?" Darlene frowned.
The lack of response made her doubt herself, but at the same time, she was also certain that it shouldn't be possible for her to hear anything unless it was through telepathy.
"It shouldn't be…" she muttered before saying, "If you don't plan on responding, then don't bother me again; I need to cultivate."
Shortly after saying that, Darlene paid no further attention to the unknown voice.
She didn't understand much about the soul; thus, there was no point wasting precious time to figure out something she knew little to nothing.
Since she was in the middle of cultivation, she should focus on that.
She allowed herself to drift around her soul core freely as she raised her perception to the zenith and sensed the strong laws of space in her sea of consciousness.
In the past, comprehending the Spatial Law was like sailing through the vast stormy sea without any heading.
But now that she was next to her soul core, brimming with spatial elements, the Spatial Law couldn't be clearer as if it was laid out with step-by-step instructions on how to understand it.
'Was it supposed to be this easy?' Darlene doubted.
Nevertheless, her doubts didn't stop her from studying Spatial Law and trying to comprehend it.
Spatial Law was generally divided into five main levels of comprehension; Distortion, Void Fracture, Teleportation, Gravity Control, and finally, Infinity.
With each higher level of comprehension, one becomes closer to grasping the quintessence of the Spatial Law.
"Distortion… What I have been using was only the surface of it, and yet I am already starting to understand Void Fracture…" Darlene mused.
But even if she understood the next level of law comprehension, it wouldn't immediately raise her cultivation to the Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent, not unless she completely comprehended the first level.
"Once I understand 100% comprehend Distortion, I will immediately step into Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent…"
Nevertheless, the subsequent steps after that would only become more difficult and longer to comprehend.
The third level of Teleportation was the realm of Paragons, and the fourth level of Gravity Control was the realm of Celestials.
By knowing this, Darlene could grasp how difficult the fourth level of Gravity Control truly was.
After all, the Paragon Realm was just a single stage within the Transcendent Realm, yet it is enough to master the third level.
On the other hand, it requires the entire Celestial Realm to master the fourth level of Gravity Control.
And the final level, Infinity, Darlene did not know how long it would take a person to grasp—if it could ever be grasped in the person's lifetime.
"Infinity… Only True Divinities can achieve this level… Mortals can't reach it…" Darlene muttered to herself before doubt filled her heart. "But how do I know all this?"
The knowledge seemed to just appear in her mind when she thought of it.
The discovery baffled her.
'Where is all this knowledge coming from?' she wondered.
She felt uneasiness sprouting in her heart due to something she did not understand.
Nevertheless, Darlene's Spatial Law comprehension grew at a remarkable rate, passing the level of a Mid Preliminary Accession-level Transcendent.
However, her Spatial Law comprehension wasn't the only thing that improved within the dark void of space.
"Huh?"
The increasing luminosity of her soul core's bright spot interrupted her cultivation and drew her attention before she noticed the bright spot had grown bigger on her soul core.
"What is this thing, really? Why is it getting bigger? Is this change a good thing or a bad thing?" Darlene could not help but worry.
Even so, she did not feel any malice or danger from the bright spot—rather, she felt a bit of intimacy to it.
"Hello again," the foreign voice suddenly transmitted its message.
"I-it really was you?!" Darlene stared at the bright spot with alarm. "Why didn't you respond before?"
This time, she was confident that the unknown voice transmitting its thoughts to her was coming from the bright spot on her soul core.
"My apologies, I was exhausted and forced to enter hibernation last time. But now that we have grown a fair bit stronger, we can finally hold a proper conversation," the bright spot explained.
"We? You speak as if our growth and fates are intertwined," Darlene frowned before asking, "Just who are you? No, what are you?"
"I am a fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void, the one who touched upon the Infinity and become everlasting since the primordial age of beginning. But you can also say that I am you, yet at the same time, you are not me—at least not yet."
"Empyrean Infinite Void? An Empyrean God? Why does my soul core have a fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void, someone who existed in the so-called primordial age of beginning? And what do you mean not yet? What will happen to me?"
Darlene's heart was shaken by the bright spot claiming to be a fragment of an Empyrean God.
Even if it was just a fragment, does she even stand a chance at resisting its will?
"The great war between gods and devils during the primordial age of beginning was one of unparalleled destruction; all life was nearly destroyed as a result of it," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment spoke.
"However, True Divinities are beings who have achieved the everlasting. Even if the great war destroyed their bodies, their imperishable soul will never truly die."
"But you're just a fragment?" Darlene frowned with doubt.
"Yes, that is true," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment admitted before saying, "Imperishable souls can be shattered again and again, but they will never truly disappear from existence—so long as Primal Chao persists."
"Thus, you don't need to be surprised about everyone possessing a dormant fragment of gods or devils in them. Also, god souls have shattered into far too many fragments that the gods cannot revive unless someone purposely gathers all their soul fragments."
"Thus, you do not need to worry about accepting my power. In fact, possessing a powerful fragment like me is a good opportunity for you. Do you not desire power?" the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment asked.
"I do, but at what cost does your power come with? And what kind of power can you give?" Darlene questioned the fragment with a strong sense of distrust.
"Since I am a fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void, I possess some of Empyrean Infinite Void's memories and law comprehension. Therefore, if you accept me and allow us to become one entity formally, you will have access to Empyrean Infinite Void's comprehension and memories."
"This will grant you the ability to demonstrate spatial power well beyond your level of cultivation—but of course, there are consequences for this, so you should not attempt it often," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment explained.
However, it seemed to have left out the most crucial information that Darlene was concerned about, causing her to frown.
"What is the price for this power? What will it cost me?" she asked again.
"There is no price. Since we share the same soul source to exist at the moment of your birth, I, the Empyrean Infinite Void's soul fragment, can be considered a type of latent potential that you have yet to awaken," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment stated.
"You should understand that not everyone gets the chance to awaken their god fragment this early. It is only possible because I am the fragment of an Empyrean Goddess, a being who stands even above the likes of True Gods and Heavenly Gods."
"But, well, if I really need to mention a price—it will be your personality. By accepting me, there's a chance that you will succumb to the Empyrean Infinite Void's vast memories, twisting your personality to become like Empyrean Infinite Void herself."
"However, if you have a strong will, then Empyrean Infinite Void's memories will have little-to-no effect on you," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment stated.
After listening to the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment's explanation, Darlene noticed its voice had grown increasingly weak and tired over time as if talking took a toll on it.
Nevertheless, she did not immediately accept the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment but fell into silent contemplation.
It was true that she felt no malice nor danger from the fragment, but there was no telling what it was actually thinking.
How much of its words were true, she wouldn't know.
"How do I accept your power anyway?" Darlene asked out of curiosity.
"Since I have already awakened thanks to your growth, half the step has already been completed. The only thing stopping the Empyrean Infinite Void's law comprehension and memories that I contain from flowing into you—is the feeling of rejection you have within your heart."
"So long as you have this feeling of rejection towards me, I cannot freely share the Empyrean Infinite Void's law comprehension and memories with you," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment patiently stated.
After speaking so much, Darlene began to have a clearer picture of the situation.
In other words, whether she accepts the Empyrean Infinite Void's law comprehension and memories or not was ultimately her choice to make.
The Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment cannot force her; she was in control.
Chapter 787 - Intermediate Second Stage
While the spatial storm continued to hover above the Abyssal Wood Forest, the surface below entered a period of silence.
Half of the four tribes' warriors busied themselves with dismantling demon corpses, refining recovery medicines, or either recuperating while others cultivated.
Nevertheless, some of them could not help but glance over to the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's direction.
"This is…" an Extremity-rank Battle Master uttered.
The overflowing dark energy rippled into the surroundings as the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman drew it out of the Demon King-level demon core for his cultivation.
The four tribes could not guess its grade, but they could tell it was of higher quality than Arch Demon-level demon cores.
"That core in Senior One-Eye's hand is so rich in dark energy. Don't tell me it's the demon core of a Demon Lord?"
"Surely not, right? Was there a Demon Lord-level Tomb around here?"
"There isn't, but there are also rumors that a Demon King-level Tomb lies within this forest—In fact, isn't that the entrance over there?"
The Battle Masters all threw their gazes at the entrance by the central tree before they realized astonished faces.
"Doesn't that mean Senior One-Eye is actually holding the Demon King-level demon core from the tomb? Did he really conquer the Demon King-level Tomb?" a High-rank Battle Master uttered with surprise.
"Fuuu…" another High-rank Battle Master sucked in a deep breath and exhaled before saying, "Whether it's true or not isn't important. That—"
The High-rank Battle Master wanted to say the demon core doesn't belong to any of them, so they can only admire and envy it.
However, he was quickly interrupted before he could finish speaking.
"That's right; it's not important. Whether it's a Demon Lord-level or Demon King-level demon core, they are both priceless treasures that even the Battle God cannot ignore. If the Battle God hears of it, he will definitely try to snatch it."
The Extremity-rank Battle Master from the Cold Gale Tribe spoke.
"If we let the Battle God learn of this demon core, wouldn't we be able to build a relationship with the Battle God Palace?"
A High-rank Battle Master from the Cold Gale Tribe mentioned before getting smacked by an Extremity-rank Battle Master from the Sky Sword Tribe.
"How dare you hit me!" the High-rank Battle Master exploded.
However, the Extremity-rank Battle Master exploded even more furiously, not backing down in the slightest, causing tension between the tribes.
"Are my tribesmen people you can casually hit?" a Cold Gale Tribe's Extremity-rank Battle Master questioned with a threatening tone.
"You better warn your tribesman to watch their tongues!" the Sky Sword Tribe's Battle Master barked. "Do you think Senior One-Eye could have obtained the suspected Demon King-level demon core on his own?"
"Definitely not. Young Master Leonhardt would have played an important role in conquering the Demon King-level Tomb to obtain it, and yet the demon core is in Senior One-Eye's hand. So what does that tell you? Young Master Leonhardt doesn't care about it!"
The Sky Sword Tribe's Battle Master strongly believed the conquered Demon King-level Tomb was all due to Young Master Leonhardt.
He wouldn't have thought so before, but after seeing the person battle two Arch Demons, it was hard not to believe in the person's extreme capabilities.
"The Cold Gale Tribe was in the wrong and should apologize," a Western Blackriver Tribe's Battle Master interjected and said,
"What your tribesman said is unacceptable. Do you want others to think you are planning to backstab Senior One-Eye and Young Master Leonhardt?"
"Of course not," the Cold Gale Tribe's Extremity-rank Battle Master frowned.
"Then apologize—not only to us but also to Senior One-Eye and Young Master Leonhardt," the Western Blackriver Tribe's Battle Master strongly asserted.
The Cold Gale Tribe's Extremity-rank Battle Master was displeased by the person's tone.
"Don't go too far."
"This isn't about going too far; this is about whether your tribe wants forgiveness or not. Do you believe Senior One-Eye will stop at the Battle King Realm? No, he won't. He will definitely become a Battle God in the future," the Western Blackriver Tribe's Battle Master stated.
"Not just any Battle God either," the Sky Sword Tribe's Battle Master adds, "A Demon King-level demon core is something the world has never seen before. If Senior One-Eye has something like that, he has a chance to become something beyond a Battle God."
"And what makes you think Senior One-Eye can achieve that?" the Cold Gale Tribe's Battle Master retorted.
However, his foolish question made others snicker in response.
"Heh. Do you even need to ask something so obvious? If a warrior with a shattered core can cultivate the body again, then anything is possible," the Sky Sword Tribe's Battle Master ridiculed.
"Rather than trying to curry favor with a Battle God you may or may not meet in your entire lifetime, it's better to improve your relationship with a future Battle God that you are already acquainted with."
While the four tribes bickered without their leaders around, neither the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman, Aria, nor Leon was aware of it, simply immersed in their cultivation.
Leon emptied bottles after bottles of demon blood to refine the blood essences and absorbed the origin blood.
Gradually, there was nothing left to absorb.
A few moments later, his eyes snapped open with a flash of crimson light while his body exuded overflowing vigor.
He has accumulated 599 types of origin blood!
"I've made it past the halfway mark in one session, not bad," Leon casually remarked to himself as he reflected on his progress.
He was neither impressed nor disappointed by it.
Of the roughly 1800 origin blood he absorbed, only 414 origin blood were unique in addition to the 185 unique origin blood he accumulated.
Although the amount was higher than his expectation, it was also less than he had hoped.
Nevertheless, it was clear that Greater Demons provided more diversity of origin blood for him to improve and further his blood-refining phase in comparison to Lesser Demons.
'Should I let the demons grow a bit before I hunt?' Leon thought to himself before shaking his head in the next moment.
Whatever unique origin blood the creatures inside the Radiant Heaven Realmship had to offer, he could collect them himself once he binds the Radiant Heaven Realmship.
Chapter 788 - Leon's Brilliant Idea
There was no need to give demons opportunities to grow and make things difficult for other humans.
Only those who follow him can have such opportunities.
'Although I've absorbed a lot of unique origin blood from the Greater Demons, I doubt I will gain as many new types of origin blood the next time around…' Leon mused.
He would be dreaming if he expects every Greater Demon to have refined beast blood different from others.
That was clearly not the case.
Having refined thousands of demon blood essences, he already noticed a specific pattern in the types of origin blood they contained.
The demons were selective with the blood essence they absorbed from other beasts and creatures.
For instance, the most repeated origin blood he found within the demon blood essences belonged to lizard-type beasts.
'Is it because Lizard-type beasts have higher innate regenerative ability compared to all other types of beasts?' Leon silently pondered.
It would explain why he felt his regenerative ability was higher than his actual mastery in the Everlasting Blood Mantra.
It was almost comparable to Tier-3 recovery medicine, something he was only meant to possess after mastering the Second Stage of Rejuvenation.
And although it was called the Rejuvenation Stage, it doesn't mean that his regenerative abilities will cap at Tier-3.
No, it was far beyond that.
His regenerative abilities will continue to grow alongside his advancement in the Everlasting Blood Mantra.
Reaching high stages simply unlocks new blood abilities; it does stop the improvement of old ones.
After dispelling excess blood energy to stabilize his cultivation, Leon begins to ponder his next target.
'Since hunting any more of the Greater Demons might not be rewarding while Arch Demons are too few and troublesome to defeat… Should I set my eyes on the sea monsters?' Leon mused.
'Yo, Tak-si. Since you are the realm spirit of this entire space, you should have a clear overview of all the creatures and their strengths in this subspace, right?'
'That is correct, Master.' Tak-si admitted.
'How many demons are still alive since entering the secret realm? How many are Arch Demons among them?' Leon inquired.
'I'm sorry, Master. I wasn't awake at that time; thus, I do not know how many demons entered this realm,' Tak-si said apologetically.
'However, there are currently 7244 demons in the realm, and 71 Arch Demons among them-oh, it's 72 Arch Demons now.'
'Another one just broke through, huh?' Leon knitted brows.
The number of Arch Demons was much higher than he anticipated; it was the equivalent of 72 Paragons.
If the collective human forces face the demons in a head-on battle, without a doubt, the demons will decimate them.
After inquiring about the human side, Leon found out that not a single person had broken through to the Battle King Realm.
However, 27 other warriors have become Half-step Battle Kings.
'Only 27 Half-step Battle Kings, huh? Humans truly can't compare to the demons when it comes to improvement in this realm…'
Leon smiled wryly at the thought before his eyes flickered with a sudden idea.
There was no need for a confrontation with the demons.
'Do you have the power to eject all the demons out of the Radiant Heaven Realmship, Tak-si?'
'If I was in my prime state, it can be easily done with a single thought. However, I lost most of my abilities due to the damage my core has sustained, and the demons have used a Teleportation Artifact that's not a part of me; thus, I cannot eject them.'
'I see…' Leon uttered.
'However, my core doesn't require full repair for me to recover some of my spatial abilities. I'd say only about 20% repairment is needed to regain the function for some short-distance jumps and to remove the demons from the realm at a whim.'
Shortly after the realm spirit said that, Leon expressed his interest.
'Interesting… And how much True Grandmist Energy would you need for a 20% repair?' Leon queried.
'About two-hundredfold the previous amount you've given me will be enough to repair 20% of my core, Master.'
"Two-hundredfold? That's quite a lot of True Grandmist Energy; I don't have that much." Leon uttered while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But while I don't have that much, I can make more."
His words immediately gave the realm spirit a terrible feeling.
'Err… Master? Please don't tear down any more of my subspace's dimension. The spatial tear from the last instance had yet to be fully patched up, and seawater is even pouring inside. If Master tears any more spatial rift in the dimension, this entire realm will be flooded sooner or later.'
Tak-si expressed a bit of anxiousness as it informed him.
"Seawater is pouring into the realm?" Leon furrowed his brows.
After sweeping his divine sense over to the spatial tear he had created previously, he could indeed see the seawater pouring into the realm.
"I had some other use for this True Grandmist Energy, but never mind. You've been very obedient and answered all my inquiries; here, take it. You deserve it."
Leon summoned the orb of True Grandmist Energy he collected and flicked it into the sky with a straight face despite seeming like an overbearing tyrant.
He created the problem, yet he is rewarding the realm spirit to fix the problem.
It was not much different from punching a man in the gut and snatching his wallet, only to return it later after forcing the man to serve him.
Alas, that was not important.
Tak-si happily caught the orb of True Grandmist Energy with its divine spirit before patching up the spatial tear without thinking deeply into the matter.
Once Tak-si completed its task, its divine spirit disappeared back into the background.
"Anyway, you don't need to worry about the realm's dimension getting torn down again. I won't use my power on the dimension, but I'll definitely use it on something else."
'What will you use your power on, Master?' Tak-si asked warily.
"Don't you have an excess amount of land, trees, grass—well, basically an excess of everything due to the Eternal Night Demon Empress's inner world? I'll help you remove them," Leon grinned.
Doing so should fetch him quite a large amount of True Grandmist Energy.
Chapter 789 - Battle King One-Eye
After the realm spirit heard Leon's words, it felt rather relieved.
Although the Radiant Heaven Realmship has been immersed in the Eternal Night Demon Empress's dark power for so long that it had adapted to it, the realm spirit still leaned towards the light.
After all, it was made by an extremist of the Light Faction.
'If Master can do that, I will be grateful,' Tak-si replied.
'You'll be grateful, huh? Good to know we're on the same page,' Leon nodded, seeing that realm spirit wasn't against the idea.
Nevertheless, some questions remain regarding the events of the war that occurred within the Radiant Heaven Realmship.
There was no doubt that the aftermath of the war should have left behind many corpses, yet there were little to no discoveries of them.
'Were they taken away in the previous openings, or are they still buried under many layers of the earth? Also, who built the Teleportation Array?'
These were all questions on Leon's mind.
Rumble…!
Suddenly, he felt an explosive surge of vigor coming from the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's direction before he heard the old man's joyous laughter in the next moment.
"Buhahaha! Battle King at last! To think I will finally have a day like this!" the One-Eye Venerable Shaman celebrated jubilantly.
He already knew that his ascension to the Battle King Realm was just a matter of time when he successfully refined the Arch Demon-level demon core.
However, knowing it was one thing and actually becoming one is another.
The feeling was not the same.
"So this is what it feels like to become a Battle King… My strength has directly increased twofold from the Half-step Battle King Realm…"
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman clenched his fists and studied his strength as he adjusted to his newfound power.
The new core supplied energy throughout his body, reinforcing his bones and muscles, allowing him to exert the physical might of 5-mil jins.
"I believe some congratulations are required," Leon flew over before cupping his hands with a smile and saying, "Congratulations on becoming a Battle King, Senior."
"It's all thanks to you, Young Master Leonhardt. This wouldn't have been possible without your help," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman replied humbly.
He did not forget to whom he owed his achievement.
"Given the secret realm has opportunities hidden everywhere, I'm sure Senior One-Eye would have found a way to become a Battle King sooner or later; I only helped you reach it sooner, nothing worth mentioning."
"You're too humble, Young Master Leonhardt," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman shook his head wryly.
If it were so easy for shattered-core warriors to resume their body cultivation, Battle Kings would have filled the Infertile Plains already.
"I'm a bit curious about the Battle King Realm," Leon shortly stated before asking, "Would Senior mind if I inspect your body for a moment?"
"Of course. Please, by all means, Young Master Leonhardt. Why would this old man mind?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman permitted before adding with a chuckle, "Perhaps, Young Master Leonhardt can find some hidden ailments plaguing this old man in the process."
There was no reason for the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman to doubt that Leon might harm him; he had no reason to.
On the other hand, Leon's request was no different from a free medical diagnosis.
Nevertheless, after receiving the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's permission, Leon swept the person with his divine sense.
He immediately understood everything happening within the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's body a short moment later.
The Arch Demon-level demon core acts as a furnace, constantly supplying dark energy to the rest of the body.
Because most human bodies do not have an affinity to dark energy, the consistent supply of dark energy harms the body and empowers it at the same time.
Warriors rely on recovery medicine refined from the blood and flesh of demons and beasts to counteract the harmful effects of the dark energy and thereby turn it into a tempering process to enhance their bodies.
'Is this why Body Cultivators in the Infertile Plains enjoy great strength at the cost of shorter lifespans?' Leon mused.
In theory, one can also attain everlasting life purely through Body Cultivation, just like any other cultivation path.
However, from what he had seen, the Body Cultivators in the Infertile Plains only enjoy a short few hundred years of life while Transcendents could potentially live up to thousands of years.
'This is…'
After studying the Arch Demon-level demon core inside the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's glabella more carefully, he noticed it was less like an energy core and more like a…
'I see how it is…' Leon's eyes flickered with understanding.
Because the Arch Demon-level demon core was formed from opening the Gate of Wisdom, it was also used as a gate when the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman refined it in his Gate of Wisdom location.
This allowed the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman to enjoy the benefits of having an opened hidden gate without needing to run the same risk as others when they open their hidden gates.
But as a result, the power he could derive from this replacement hidden gate is even less than the demons who prematurely open their hidden gates.
'This explains why there's a severe mismatch of strength between Battle Kings and other Arch Demons…' Leon thought to himself.
'However, it's impossible for all Battle Kings to have acquired a replacement hidden gate the same way, yet their strength is roughly the same-enough for there to be a standard measure of strength for Battle Kings…'
After pondering the reason why that is the case, he only came up with one answer; the warriors do not consolidate their viscera.
As such, they cannot exert the full potential of their hidden gates.
"You… What are you two doing?"
Aria's sudden voice entered Leon's ears and disrupted his train of thought before he turned to look.
"I was just inspecting Senior One-Eye's condition," Leon smiled before asking, "Why have you stopped cultivating your Sword Intent?"
"I also came to congratulate Senior One-Eye's breakthrough," Aria replied.
But in truth, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's boisterous laughter had interrupted her cultivation, which is why she decided to stop.
After Aria came, warriors from the other four tribes also came forward to congratulate the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman.
Chapter 790 - Darlene's Cultivation Level
"Ah, but you don't have to worry about me, Leon. I feel that I am very close to forming my Sword Intent; it's just that I am lacking an impetus for the final push," Aria explained after Leon inquired further into her progress.
"I see. If you say so, Aria." Leon eventually nodded and did not pry further.
The lacking impetus she mentioned most likely referred to a life and death battle; more often than not, some insights can only be obtained by battling one's life on the line.
"How long did it take you to complete your Transcendence when you were breaking through to the Preliminary Accession stage, Aria?" Leon suddenly asked while glancing at the spatial storm.
"I'm not sure exactly; my perception of time flowed differently during my Transcendence," Aria furrowed her brows to recall the event before saying, "But I think it took at least a whole day."
"A whole day, huh?" Leon muttered.
'It had been quite some time since Darlene disappeared into the spatial storm… So if I take Aria's case as precedent, Darlene should be finishing, right?'
…
…
…
"So you have made your choice…" the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment uttered with a bit of disappointment in its tone.
"Yes," Darlene calmly replied.
She could not easily believe the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragments and chose to continue rejecting it in her heart.
She was not ready to accept something she knew so little.
"I understand your worries, but, well, no matter. When the time comes when you are ready to accept me, I will always be right here, waiting," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment stated.
"This space… can I come here again?" Darlene asked.
Even if she refused the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment's law comprehension and memories, the rich spatial element in the special space surrounding her soul core was a great place to cultivate at her own pace.
"Since you already came once, any subsequent visit will only be easier for you. After all, this is your sea of consciousness; there is no reason why you cannot reach this place," the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment patiently answered.
"I see. That's good to know," Darlene nodded.
Shortly after, her spiritual consciousness left the sea of consciousness, returning her perception to the outside world as her eyes slowly opened.
The dark void filled her immediate surroundings, causing a frown to appear on her face.
In the next instant, her eyes flickered like glimmers of starlight escaping from two black holes in the boundless void.
Then, the rich and chaotic spatial storm around her quickly deformed as her eyes pulled and swallowed everything into her Void Soul Space, bolstering her cultivation.
Swoosh—!
After Darlene had utterly cleared the spatial storm in the sky above the Abyssal Wood Forest, Leon and Aria flew over with looks of surprise and astonishment.
"How are you feeling, Darlene?" Leon inspected her to see if her Transcendence proceeded as smoothly as it seemed.
However, instead of replying, Darlene smiled and dived into Leon's chest to celebrate her success.
"I think I'm pretty strong now; at the very least, I should be capable of using the Tier-6 Dagger properly now," Darlene said.
At the same time, Aria glanced at Darlene with a bit of doubt in her eyes, seemingly sensed Darlene's movements to have stirred the spatial elements in the air accordingly.
Furthermore, the vibe Darlene emanated did not seem to belong to that of a newly transcended Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent.
"Sister Darlene, you… you're not in the Early-stage of Preliminary Accession, are you?" Aria voiced her doubt.
As a Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent, she could roughly gauge those below her cultivation level, and Darlene, who just transcended, was definitely not at the Early-stage.
Once Leon heard Aria's words, he also paid attention to Darlene's aura before his eyes slowly widened with a startling surprise.
"You're at the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession already?" he uttered.
"Hehe, surprise?" Darlene grinned cheekily with a smug look before saying, "I almost caught up to Sister Aria in one go."
If she had stayed inside the Void Soul Space and continued cultivating in there, reaching the Early-stage of Seeking Insight was definitely possible—though she cannot estimate the exact time it would take.
"It's the first time I've heard of someone advancing all the way to the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession during their Transcendence…" Leon commented before suddenly wryly adding, "But then again, I haven't seen many Transcendents."
"Even if it is possible, it still shows that Sister Darlene's cultivation talent is extremely high," Aria praised without a shred of envy.
Nevertheless, she suddenly thought of something before asking, "Right, did you experience any out of the ordinary during your Transcendence, Sister Darlene?"
"Something out of the ordinary, you say?" Darlene slowly repeated.
She understood what Aria was trying to ask, but she wondered whether she should mention it to Aria and Leon or not.
It had been quite an incredulous experience for her; she wasn't sure if they would believe her words or not.
'Hey, yeah, there's a fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void inside of me… Yeah, no, that sounds too nonsensical for anyone to believe…' Darlene thought to herself.
Leon was about to say something when he suddenly heard the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's voice not far away while the old man was making his way over.
The old man also overheard everything they talked about.
"What's this about Late-stage of Preliminary Accession? Is it really amazing?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked with eyes brimming curiosity.
Topics related to Awakening Cultivation intrigued him.
"While the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession isn't all that amazing in and of itself, but if someone shoots to that level during their Transcendence, then yes, it is a very amazing feat," Leon thought for a moment before saying.
"Think about it this way; Senior One-Eye spent a day to become an Early-rank Battle King. If another Extremity-rank Battle Master ascended to Extremity-rank Battle King Realm within the same timeframe, do you think it's amazing?"
"That… that is indeed amazing," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman replied with mild astonishment before casting a glance at Darlene.
He didn't expect this lass to become someone amazing suddenly.
It seems that all the talented people will gather to Young Master Leonhardt's side…
Or is it that people who gathered to Young Master Leonhardt's side become amazingly talented?
Chapter 791 - Caution Is The Parent Of Safety
After satisfying the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's curiosity, Leon shifted his attention back to Darlene.
He could see that she was struggling with a decision.
That in and of itself was enough evidence that she had indeed experienced something strange during her Transcendence.
"Did you awaken a god and devil soul fragment, Darlene?" he asked.
He felt it was the only plausible explanation for her cultivation reaching the Late-stage of Preliminary Accession during her Transcendence.
When Darlene heard his question, her eyes widened with surprise.
"How did you know about that?" she asked, silently admitting that was indeed the case.
Leon rubbed her head with a smile before saying, "You're underestimating me too much, Darlene. I can't say I know everything, but I definitely know a lot of things."
Given he could visit the two seniors in Gaia's Core, it wasn't strange at all for him to have already learned about the god and devil soul fragments.
And he could also seek other information from the two seniors, given Saint Voidflame and Celestial Earthshaker had lived a long life.
They definitely knew many other things he had yet to learn.
Nevertheless, Darlene immediately felt relief that Leon knew about the god and devil soul fragments.
As such, she no longer had any misgivings about recounting her experience.
"It's as Sister Aria suspected; I had a strange experience during my Transcendence," Darlene began to speak.
"While I was cultivating in my sea of consciousness, I encountered a bright spot on my soul core. It called itself a fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void, an Empyrean God, and said I could possess the Empyrean Infinite Void's law comprehension and memories if I accept it."
"Empyrean Infinite Void?" Leon repeated with a thoughtful look.
'An Empyrean God, huh? Empyrean… the highest of heaven, the heaven among heavens… Does that mean an Empyrean God is even higher than Senior Voidflame's soul fragment, who belonged to a God-Emperor?' he wondered.
Unfortunately, the two seniors from Gaia's Core only explained the realms of Celestial to him and nothing about the realms of True Divinity.
However, he also found that strange.
If the seniors, who awakened the soul fragments of gods and possessed some of their memories, how was it possible for them to not know the realms of True Divinity?
Leon was inclined to believe that the Senior Voidflame and Celestial Earthshaker simply didn't want to tell him.
'I'll need to return and ask the seniors about this…' he decided.
Suddenly, he recalled something before glancing at Darlene.
"Did you just say that the soul fragment called itself the fragment of Empyrean Infinite Void? So you didn't learn of Empyrean Infinite Void's name through the Empyrean God's memories?" he asked.
"Yes, that's right," Darlene nodded with a confused look.
"It said that it was awakened but couldn't transfer the Empyrean Infinite Void's law comprehension and memories because of the rejection in my heart; I couldn't bring myself to trust its words at face value."
"…Was it not meant to tell me anything?" she asked shortly after.
"I have yet to experience the soul fragment awakening myself, but according to what I know, the law comprehension and memory should be absorbed spontaneously upon awakening," Leon mentioned with a big frown.
"The soul fragment shouldn't be capable of conversing with you," he stated shortly after before adding, "You made the right choice not to accept it immediately; for things we don't understand, he shouldn't proceed with it carelessly."
"Mm," Darlene nodded.
After receiving Leon's acknowledgment and approval for the choice she made, she felt happy inside her heart.
Anyone would be apprehensive if they found another intelligent being inside their own sea of consciousness, let alone an intelligent fragment of a god who caused the end of the primordial era alongside other gods and devils.
Leon was glad that Darlene followed her natural instincts and not be swept by the Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment's words.
"For now, don't accept the fragment; wait for me to learn more about it, Darlene. We don't know what hidden dangers we could be facing here," Leon continued before saying, "Nevertheless, I'm happy you possess the soul fragment of such a strong god."
"Mm."
Leon ruffled Darlene's head intimately while she enjoyed the attention and care.
Nevertheless, Leon could not help but think back on what the two seniors from Gaia's Core had told him.
They said that the higher one's soul quality, the easier it was to awaken their god or devil soul fragment.
However, it was apparent that it was equally true if one possesses the soul fragment of a stronger god or devil—such that it could even be considered an innate talent.
"Since Sister Darlene has finished her Transcendence, we ought to keep moving, right?" Aria mentioned.
"Un," Leon nodded and said, "That was the plan, originally."
"Was? Originally?" Aria tilted her head to the side with a questioning look.
"Since Darlene brought up the matters of the intelligent Empyrean Infinite Void Fragment, I need to look into it right away; I won't feel assured until I find out if there's an issue with it," Leon said.
"As such, we will have to stay in the forest for a bit look longer. I'll need to rely on all of you to guard my body while I send my consciousness off to converse with the seniors in Gaia's Core."
"Send your consciousness off to converse with seniors in Gaia's Core, you say?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was taken aback by Leon's words. "Is that even possible?"
"It is exactly as I said," Leon confirmed with a nod before saying, "I'm not sure about the others, but it's possible for me—though, I didn't think it was possible back then either."
Shortly after, the group descended to the surface before Leon took out several Tier-6 defensive artifacts and gifted them to Darlene.
"I believe your successful Transcendence is worth congratulating. You won't refuse my gifts like Aria, will you?" he asked. "These defensive artifacts should be able to protect you well."
However, Darlene immediately jumped at Leon and gave him affectionate pecks on the cheeks.
"Of course, I won't refuse anything you give me! Muah! I love you to death!" she said before feeling embarrassed afterward.
Chapter 792 - Beyond True Divinity
The Tier-6 defensive artifacts given to Darlene were not much different from what Aria received; they were also blue and white.
In fact, most of the defensive artifacts obtained from the floating landmass were either blue, white, or gold.
Darlene equipped the defensive artifacts while humming a joyful tune.
Although they didn't fit perfectly at first, some strange mechanism activated and startled her before the defensive artifacts fitted nicely onto her body, surprising her shortly after.
"Wow!" she exclaimed.
While Darlene was preoccupied with adapting to her new defensive artifacts, Leon found a spot to meditate with Aria guarding nearby before calling for the realm spirit.
'Do you know anything about god or devil fragments that can talk back to the host, Tak-si?' Leon asked.
However, he couldn't get the response he had hoped from the realm spirit.
'No, Master. It's quite common for Celestials to awaken their god soul fragments and demons to awaken their devil soul fragments, but even for me, it's the first time hearing about a soul fragment that can talk,' Tak-si answered.
'I see…' Leon rubbed his chin before continuing to ask, 'What about Empyrean Infinite Void? How much do you know about her and the Empyrean Gods?'
After those words left his mouth, Leon suddenly paused.
Right, why did he need to ask the seniors about the True Divinity Realm? Even if they truly don't know about it, wouldn't the realm spirit know about it at least?
'Do you know how the cultivation level for True Divinity is divided, Tak-si?' Leon added.
'Empyrean Infinite Void… Unfortunately, I don't know much about Empyrean Infinite Void except that Empyrean Infinite Void is one of the seven only Empyrean Gods—commonly referred to as the Seven Great Gods alongside the Seven Great Devils,' Tak-si answered.
'Even among the Empyrean Gods, Empyrean Infinite Void was the most reclusive and least active, always hidden in her own world and away from worldly affairs; no one ever knew what Empyrean Infinite Void was always up to.'
'Seven Great Gods… Doesn't that mean Empyrean Infinite Void also comprehended the Creation Law in addition to the Spatial Law?' Leon asked.
'Yes, Master. And because of that, none of the gods had ever seen the world created by Empyrean Infinite Void as it was always hidden within a vortex of spatial storms and rifts that no god could enter without getting lost in its infinite void.'
Leon furrowed his brows.
'From what you are saying, this Empyrean Infinite Void was very secretive as if she was hiding something and didn't want the other gods to see. I wonder what it could have been…' Leon wondered.
'I'm not very sure, Master. As I said, no one knew, including the Empyrean Gods themselves.'
'I see… Let's just leave it at that,' Leon ended the topic there.
If even the other Empyrean Gods couldn't figure it out, it was less likely that he would be able to, given his limited information.
'Anyway, continue with the True Divinity Realm's division of cultivation levels; surely, you know about it, right?' Leon asked with a confident tone.
'Yes, Master, but what good would it do you even if you know? Master has yet to reach the Celestial Realm. The True Divinity Realm is too far of a goal for Master to worry about it,' Tak-si said.
'Too far of a goal to worry about it, huh? The seniors were probably didn't mention it because they were worried it would make me hasty and distracted,' Leon replied with narrowed eyes.
'I've heard these seniors-giving-to-their-junior excuses before, and I think it's all bullsh*t,' he asserted his opinion before saying, 'You don't need to worry about that, and just tell me.'
'I understand, Master.' Tak-si complied.
'True Divinity is divided into three main realms; the realm of True God, Heavenly God, and Empyrean God. These main realms are then further divided into ten stages each.'
'True God, Heavenly God, and Empyrean God… I see,' Leon uttered before he furrowed his brows and asked, 'What about a God-Emperor? Why wasn't it mentioned?'
'Only Heavenly Gods who have reached the tenth stage are crowned God-Emperors, Master. Tenth-stage True Gods are also crowned God-Kings in their respective worlds,' Tak-si answered.
'Interesting, and tenth-stage Empyrean Gods are called Great Gods?' Leon wondered before quickly adding with a frown, 'Hm… Their titles seem lackluster in comparison to God-Emperors and God-Kings…'
'…' Tak-si fell silent for a moment.
'The Empyreans are not called Great Gods because they are tenth-stage Empyrean Gods, Master; they are called Great Gods simply because they are Empyrean Gods.'
Tak-si corrected Leon's misunderstanding.
'During the primordial era of gods and devils, the Empyreans were the pioneers of the True Divinity Realm; they were not its zenith. Perhaps if the primordial era of gods and devils flourished instead of ending back then, the Empyreans could be exploring the realm beyond it by now.'
'A realm beyond True Divinity? Does it even exist?' Leon wondered.
Reasons told him that it was a possibility.
Still, it was far beyond his imagination, considering Empyreans already wielded the power of creation to give birth to new worlds and stars.
'I am unable to confirm nor deny, Master. However, the Empyreans believed that it exists, and when they strongly believe in it, it is possible to turn it into a reality. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that it was an unexplored realm; thus, they simply called it Beyond True Divinity.'
"Beyond True Divinity, huh?' Leon uttered.
Shortly after, he summoned a wisp of True Grandmist Energy and flicked it up for the realm spirit to catch it.
'Master?' Tak-si questioned with surprise.
'Your reward for answering my questions,' Leon casually said before adding, 'Although I sated my curiosity, I still need to visit the seniors. As such, I won't be replying anymore for a while.'
'I understand, Master,' Tak-si replied.
Although it wasn't sure what Leon intended to do, it felt a bit dispirited that Leon did not have any more questions for it.
If it could get True Grandmist Energy by answering a few simple questions every time, it would gladly do so without fail.
Leon paid no further attention to the realm spirit and drifted into deep meditation before reaching his consciousness out to the earth below him.
'I might be inside of the Radiant Heaven Realmship, but I should still be able to reach Gaia's Core, right?' Leon thought to himself.