Chapter 919 - Western Frontier's Situation
After leaving the Desolate Crow Clan, Leon's next destination was the Western Frontier of the Crawford Empire—No, of the entire Human Domain.
After all, It was the linchpin safeguarding the Human Domain from the beasts.
He had to visit the Great Wall and check on the situation before making his way to other destinations in the Human Domain.
Before Leon left, the battle between the Blue Luan Monarch and Three-Legged Golden Crow Monarch had devastated the land.
But after Leon returned with Aria and Darlene, he noticed the land had been restored.
Even so, the Great Wall remained slightly crooked at the center point despite the enormous crater being filled with earth again.
The central part of the Great Wall was no longer as tall as it used to be, but it was still standing tall. Leon could tell that the Western Frontier worked hard to restore the place.
However, it wasn't long before he realized that it wasn't just a simple landfill. The Western Frontier had installed numerous traps underneath.
Thus, even if the central part of the Great Wall weren't as high as it used to be, it still wouldn't be easy for the beasts to breach its defense.
At that moment, there was no one around to welcome Leon, Aria, and Darlene at the Elder Tree.
When they flew over to the Great Wall, they saw an ongoing battle between General Marquis Hendrick's soldiers and the mutant rats.
"Didn't we already exterminate the mutant rats? So how come there are still so many?" Aria uttered with surprise.
Despite what she said, there were only around a million mutant rats, only a tiny fraction of the former mutant rat tide.
"It's impossible to exterminate all of the mutant rats when their nest is hidden deep in the subterranean region. As long as we don't destroy their nest, they will keep breeding like a plague." Leon stated.
However, Leon quickly corrected himself, "No, even if we destroy their nest, they will still reproduce as long as the mutant rats live."
"Then, should we start looking for their nest?" Darlene suggested.
"Hm, this isn't exactly a bad situation," Leon said with a contemplating look and added, "This gives the soldiers on the Western Frontier battle experience. We can look at this as a form of training for them."
"However, rats are known to be carriers of diseases because they eat anything. Wouldn't it be a problem if there's a plague? A plague caused by rats could be extremely deadly if left uncontrolled," Darlene mentioned.
She recalled the incident in the Desolate Crow Clan.
If Leon hadn't been there to promptly treat the Desolate Crow Clan, perhaps the plague would have wiped out the entire Desolate Crow Clan.
"I understand your concern, but it's not something we need to worry about," Leon replied with a smile.
"The Western Frontier is not like the Desolate Crow Clan. An unclean environment has higher chances of giving birth to deadly diseases. However, that won't happen here."
"Why not?" Darlene raised an eyebrow in doubt.
At first, Aria was also puzzled over the same matter. But when she sniffed in the fresh air, a light bulb lit up in her head.
"It's the quality of air. The rich spirit energy from the Elder Tree and World Tree is very preventing this place from being corrupted by foul energy," Aria stated.
After listening to Aria, Darlene quickly discovered Wrathful Demonic Energy was absent in the region.
"That's right," Leon nodded.
"The World Tree has produced abundant spirit energy during the time we were gone. The spirit energy density is already at this level in the Western Frontier. Thus, it's safe to assume that spirit energy from the World Tree has already covered the entire Crawford Empire."
"This spirit energy doesn't just form a protective barrier against the current sun's harmful rays of light and Wrathful Demonic Energy. All the people living within it will also be healthier and enjoy longer lifespans."
Given such a blessed environment, normal diseases would become nonexistent. Furthermore, the risks posed by mutant rats would also be reduced to a minimal.
Nevertheless, the rich spirit energy in the area was the least of his surprise. Knowing the World Tree's capability, the density of spirit energy was well within his expectation.
While Leon, Aria, and Darlene observed the Great Wall's situation from the sky, their presence didn't remain unknown.
A figure quickly flew over from the wall to greet them.
"The General Marquis welcomes your return, Your Highness!" General Marquis Hendrick stated with a fist-palm salute and head lowered respectfully.
"At ease, General Marquis," Leon stated coolly.
At the same time, Leon quickly gave the General Marquis a quick inspection with his divine sense before he nodded with approval.
General Marquis Hendrick reached Mid-rank Preliminary Accession-level Transcendent in his Wind Law and Rank 1 Body Transformation in body cultivation, albeit barely.
Nevertheless, an Early Rank 1 Body Transformation expert in the bone-forging phase possesses the same strength as an Early Rank 2 Transcendent beast.
The General Marquis's improvement was not small, but it wasn't great either, just within the acceptable range.
"I can see that the Blue Luan Tribe have left," Leon mentioned.
There was no further reason for the Blue Luan Tribe to guard the Western Frontier since the Great Wall was restored.
Shortly after, Leon casually added, "I can also see that you have made some improvements in your cultivation. But what about your men? What has happened in the past four weeks?"
"Thanks to the supply of Transcendent Crystals from the Capital, we currently have over 200 Transcendents within our ranks, 100 of which are Earth Transcendents, Your Highness. Thanks to them, we were able to restore the Western Frontier quickly."
"Apart from these 200 Transcendents, we also have over 14,000 soldiers that reached the Transcendent-level in body cultivation. However, only 100 other men successfully reached Rank 1 Body Transformation like me, Your Highness," General Hendrick Marquis reported.
"Oh? So few?" Leon uttered.
Given the benefits derived from the Three-Legged Golden Crows, he didn't expect so few to have reached the bare minimum of Rank 1 Body Transformation.
Chapter 920 - The Tyrant's Physique
It wasn't supposed to be difficult to reach Rank 1 Body Transformation, which only acquired 1-million jin strength.
The true challenge is progressing further from Early Rank 1 Body Transformation.
After all, the peak of Rank 1 Body Transformation is tenfold the strength of Early Rank 1 Body Transformation.
"I'm afraid so, Your Highness," General Marquis Hendrick affirmed.
"While the benefits from eating Three-Legged Golden Crow are excellent, there is only so much meat to be shared with everyone. Furthermore, it wasn't easy to feed the Blue Luan Tribe. Everything disappeared in a matter of ten days."
After Leon heard that, he nodded with understanding.
The Blue Luan Tribe was full of large birds. The food could easily feed the Western Frontier for years, but it wouldn't even last two weeks for the entire Blue Luan Tribe.
Even if Western Frontier wanted the Blue Luan Tribe to stay, they couldn't afford the expenditure.
Nevertheless, since the Blue Luan Tribe left, Leon wondered if they had anything to do with the Desolate Netherbird Tribe's inactivity despite their feud with the Desolate Crow Clan.
In truth, Leon didn't know much about what was happening between the Desolate Crow Clan and the Desolate Netherbird Tribe.
However, that was something for him to worry about another time.
"I'm a bit embarrassed to say this. But although we only have 100 men reaching the Rank 1 Body Transformation realm, we also have one genius who surpassed that level," General Marquis Hendrick mentioned.
"Oh? Wouldn't that make that person even stronger than you? Who is this person?" Leon casually asked with interest.
"Yes, Your Highness," General Marquis Hendrick affirmed with a wry look.
"I think you should know this person, Your Highness. He was one of your classmates back in school, Benjamin Farley. Currently, his overall strength should be at Mid Rank 1 Body Transformation in the five phases."
"Mid Rank 1 Body Transformation, huh?" Leon muttered.
A person at Mid Rank 1 Body Transformation in just the bone-forging phase would have the physical strength of 5-million jin, making the person a Half-step Paragon.
Considering Benjamin Farley was Mid Rank 1 Body Transformation in all five body phases, his actual strength shouldn't be too far from the Paragon level.
Boom!
A sudden loud tremor distracted Leon's thoughts. Everyone's attention immediately focused on the battlefield outside of the Great Wall.
When Leon and the others looked a bit further past the main battlefield, they saw a small crater within the sea of mutant rats, where an obese young man stood alone.
"It seems like Benjamin Farley just entered the fray," General Marquis Hendrick mentioned.
"Fatty Ben, huh? I figured all that improvement in body cultivation would have fixed his body shape, but why does he look even fatter instead?" Leon uttered with surprise.
Shortly after hearing that, General Marquis Hendrick smiled wryly. The crown prince was in for a big surprise.
In the next instance, the round meatball of a person suddenly transformed into a war god after his excess flesh contracted into pure muscle.
Benjamin Farley's final transformation appeared even more impressive than the Battle God Palace's three palace lords.
Aria and Darlene both widened their eyes in shock.
They didn't expect the person they immediately labeled 'fat' at a glance to become the biggest brawn they had seen.
However, what was more startling was the person's strength!
After Benjamin Farley's excess flesh contracted into raw muscle, his physical strength skyrocketed to the peak of Rank 2 Body Transformation.
Boom!
Benjamin Farley swept the sea of mutant rats with his glaive and dominated the battlefield. He laid waste to tens of thousand mutant rats with a single swing.
The mutant rats posed no real threat to the Western Frontier with such a person around.
Nevertheless, Leon was pleased to know that geniuses were appearing in the flourishing Crawford Empire.
"W-what kind of physique does this person have? How can his body change so drastically like that? And that boost in strength is unreal…" Darlene uttered with disbelief.
She explored an entire secret realm and worked hard with Leon's help to reach her present level. But even then, her strength paled in comparison to Benjamin Farley's heaven-defying physique.
General Marquis Hendrick smiled. He was pleased to know that he wasn't the only one who felt how the heavens were unfair.
"It's the Astral Tyrant Physique. It's similar to the Empyrean Void Body you'll acquire if you practice the Empyrean Void Body Law. But, you can also say that it's not similar at all, " Leon mentioned to Darlene.
The Astral Tyrant Physique and Empyrean Void Body were both special physiques.
However, one is innate, and the other is forged through practice. Furthermore, the abilities of the two special physiques were also completely different. One augmented physical capabilities while the other increased control over space.
The only trait the two physiques shared was their ability to have pocket dimensions in the pores to store power, whether it is the power of the stars or the power of space.
Although Darlene was eventually made aware of the difference, she was strangely motivated to practice the Empyrean Void Body Law and acquire her Empyrean Void Body.
Leon smiled at her awakened competitive spirit.
Sometime later, Leon had General Marquis Hendrick fill him in on all the events that happened in the Crawford Empire during his absence.
After he learned there had been contacts between the Crawford Empire and the Geyser Kingdom, Leon transmitted several primordial techniques to General Marquis Hendrick before he went on his way with Aria and Darlene.
They returned to the Teleportation Array installed at the Elder Tree.
Then, Leon set their destination to the new capital in the Grassland Region, or wherever his mother, Queen Elizabeth, installed one of his other Teleportation Arrays.
Nevertheless, General Marquis Hendrick also followed them to the Teleportation Array before bidding them farewell.
"Please send my regards to the king and queen, Your Highness," General Marquis Hendrick said politely.
"I will," Leon acknowledged.
While activating the Teleportation Array, Leon's eyes flickered with anticipation.. He looked forward to seeing the new capital's development.
Chapter 921 - Trouble On The Road
In the Grassland Region, the steam-powered train hooted as it carried tons of raw minerals on the railway tracks from the Old Capital to the New Capital.
The New Capital underwent explosive development in the past four weeks due to the increased number of Transcendent Awakeners.
Even so, only one-third of the inner district's buildings had been completed. Much of the humans and elves still lived in tents and on-site at the construction of their designated homes.
Nevertheless, the completed infrastructures in the inner district were unlike anything built by human hands in the past.
That large deposit of metal imported from the Old Capital has given rise to a number of metallic buildings. Furthermore, they had incorporated elven aesthetics. As a result, the inner district had the final appearance of a metal city covered in vegetation.
It was like a city that had been abandoned for hundreds of years, allowing weeds and plants everywhere; a forest city, in other words. Yet, there was beauty in such a sight.
Nevertheless, unlike useless weed, the growing vegetation on the inner district's infrastructures were all crops. Fruits hung on the vines at every corner.
It was a city that didn't lack food.
…
Inside the New Palace, Heinrich sat in front of his desk in the study room, perusing a pile of reports. However, it wasn't long before the palace maid, Lily, knocked on the door and brought in more reports for Heinrich to read.
"More reports?" Heinrich uttered after a short glance.
Although he was helpless against the workload, there was newfound vigor in his eyes that wasn't apparent a few weeks back. He had become a Metal Transcendent.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lily confirmed.
Shortly after Lily placed the reports on the desk, Heinrich picked up the first report and perused it. His brows furrowed in the next moment.
"Our reserves of Transcendent Crystals are running out so quickly?" Heinrich uttered with surprise.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lily nodded.
"Duke Ignis mentioned there hadn't been any Transcendent Crystals found in the underground mines in the past week."
"I guess Transcendent Crystals aren't limitless. Given the among of Transcendent Crystals we handed out to bolster our forces, we were bound to run out of Transcendent Crystals eventually," Heinrich uttered with a frown.
"Alas, this is necessary to strengthen our national security. There's been some friction with the Geyser Kingdom lately, and honestly, our country's strength cannot compare to the Geyser Kingdom…"
After contemplating for a short moment, Heinrich inquired, "Presently, do we have any more visiting envoys from the Geyser Kingdom touring the city?"
"Not for the time being, no, Your Majesty," Lily shook her head.
"However, we are expecting to receive them tomorrow, Your Majesty. I noticed that the envoys from the Geyser Kingdom have been visiting more frequently in the past two weeks. Furthermore, they have been behaving more blatant with each group, showing complete disregard for etiquette and harassing our people."
"I cannot help but feel like the Geyser Kingdom's envoys are purposely causing trouble to start something with us," Lily voiced her doubts.
"I also have the same doubts," Heinrich nodded.
"They seem to be looking for an excuse to start bigger trouble. But considering the Geyser Kingdom had been elusive to us, it doesn't make sense for them to show attention now. So there must be something they want from us, or there's something going on that we don't know about."
The obvious conclusion would be the World Tree and its endless supply of spirit energy.
However, spirit energy is ever-increasing. If the Geyser Kingdom is patient enough, spirit energy will eventually find its way to their borders.
"We'll continue to endure for now and see what they want. But, we can't risk an all-out war with the Geyser Kingdom," Heinrich stated.
But after a short moment, he suddenly asked, "What is the Greene family's daughter doing now?"
…
…
…
Near the foot of the World Tree, Neron tailed Lina wherever she went, even when she was visiting her parents in the past three weeks. Although she felt uncomfortable, she couldn't scold her senior disciple-brother.
"Junior Sister, how much longer do you intend to stay in the Crawford Empire? We've already stayed in this place for over three weeks. You can't keep delaying your transcendence like this. Master is still waiting for us," Neron persuaded.
However, Lina was unwilling to leave without her parents.
Alas, her parents were also unwilling to leave with her. They had responsibilities tying them down in Crawford Empire. But at the same time, it was also their home.
Nevertheless, Lina understood that she could not delay her transcendence forever. As her senior brother said, their master was waiting for her to return.
Furthermore, it was difficult to suppress her cultivation around the World Tree, which was brimming with wood energy.
"Let me try convincing my parents one more time," Lina sighed.
However, half an hour later, she left her parent's house in disappointment. Her parents were firm in their decision, especially her father, Robert Greene; he was the current minister of agriculture.
"Failed?" Neron uttered.
Lina nodded.
Shortly after, Neron said, "It's actually not a bad idea to leave your parents here. The air is very pure, and the spirit energy is abundant here. With the proper cultivation technique, the opportunities to grow here wouldn't be inferior to the Starlight Archipelago."
"Heck, it might even be better than the Starlight Archipelago," Neron added.
After listening to her senior disciple-brother, Lina found out he spoke a lot of sense. She wouldn't be able to find a better place to live than the current World Tree.
Taking her parents away from the World Tree wouldn't do her parents any good.
"Senior Brother is right. I was thinking too selfishly. Let us head back to the Starlight Archipelago and look for Master, Senior Brother. I've made up my mind," Lina stated.
Neron finally sighed with relief after receiving Lina's answer.
"When we return, we'll probably get a scolding from Master," Neron smiled wryly. It shouldn't have taken them so long to visit and check up on his junior sister's parents.
Nevertheless, it was surprising that their Master had enough patience not to come and look for them himself.
Sometime later, Lina bid farewell to her parents before making her way back to the Geyser Kingdom with her senior brother on his mini airship.
However, halfway through the old Valaran Kingdom and leaving the region covered by spirit energy, Lina frowned at the unpleasant air.
Having stayed by the World Tree for the past three weeks, she had grown accustomed to the pure air in the Crawford Empire's Grassland Region.
At the same time, the foul air of the Cataclysm made her body feel uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Lina felt the airship shake with instability before she immediately glanced towards her senior brother with surprise.
If there's anything wrong with the airship's flight path, there must be a problem with her senior brother, the one controlling the airship.
Lina was immediately startled when she noticed Neron's face, which was pale and full of perspiration. However, the weather wasn't exactly hot.
"What's wrong, Senior Brother?" Lina asked with concern.
"There's something wrong with my Fire Transcendent Crystal. The foul energy in the atmosphere is resonating with it. I feel like the energy in my Fire Transcendent Crystal is about to go berserk…!" Neron replied with difficulty.
It was too difficult to power the airship while suppressing his Fire Transcendent Crystal from going out of control.
Nevertheless, Lina was even more startled after hearing her senior brother's words.
"The foul energy in the atmosphere is resonating with your Fire Transcendent Crystal?" Lina repeated her senior brother's words with shock.
She quickly realized why she was feeling a sense of discomfort ever since they left the domain of spirit energy. The foul energy in the atmosphere was also impacting her wood seed.
However, it was evident that discomfort was all she felt. Her problem wasn't as severe as her senior brother's.
Why does the foul energy affect them differently? What was the difference between them? Their element? Their cultivation level?
"Shall we descent and take shelter from the sun for the time being?" Lina quickly suggested.
Neron nodded.
Shortly after, the airship descended to the ground level in an empty field not far from a small forest. Then, they made their way over the forest and took shelter in its shade.
Only then did Neron's condition improve, albeit not much. His face remained pale, but his perspiration had stopped.
"How are you feeling better, Senior Brother?" Lina inquired while handing over a bottle of freshwater for her senior brother to drink.
"Better, but not exactly in peak shape," Neron smiled to lighten the mood.
"Nevertheless, the shade is helping a fair bit despite the foul energy in the air. It seems like the sun is the main problem. What about you, Junior Sister? Are you feeling alright?"
"Better than you at least, Senior Brother; just a bit of discomfort," Lina replied with knitted brows.. She couldn't understand why this was happening now.
Chapter 922 - Forest Discovery
"Only a bit of discomfort, huh?" Neron muttered bitterly, feeling a bit conflicted.
He felt it was unfair that he was the only one to suffer such a torturous feeling. But on the other hand, he was also glad that his junior sister didn't have to go through the same experience.
Suddenly, Neron's eyes flickered with a sudden thought.
"Junior Sister, don't you find this strange? The Cataclysm erupted for quite some time now, but we were perfectly fine when we left the Geyser Kingdom. However, now that we are returning from the Crawford Kingdom, we immediately experience problems," Neron mentioned.
Lina's eyes flickered upon hearing her senior brother's words.
She immediately noticed his subtle use of 'kingdom' instead of 'empire' when addressing the Crawford Empire. Even so, she didn't plan to enter a debate with her senior brother over it.
"We've stayed in the Crawford Empire—or rather, we stayed by the World Tree for some time. The air in that place is very pure. Thus, I can think of two possibilities for our current condition, Senior Brother," Lina stated.
"Oh? Let's hear it then," Neron said with interest.
He also has some speculations, but he is curious to find out whether their thoughts match or differ from one another.
Nevertheless, Lina nodded.
"The first possibility I thought of was that our bodies have grown accustomed to the pure and thriving land around the World Tree. Thus, our bodies had grown weaker to the sunlight and foul energy," Lina started speaking.
"But upon further thought, this possibility is the least likely. The atmosphere outside the World Tree's domain seems to stir our awakening cultivation's energy and has nothing to do with our bodies."
Neron nodded in agreement upon hearing up to that point. He had also thought of such a possibility before ruling it out.
"And the second possibility?" Neron pressed.
"The second possibility is that the foul energy density and sunlight intensity has reached a higher threshold compared to a few weeks ago. Furthermore, it's a threshold that affects our cultivation," Lina stated.
Neron nodded with a smile.
"I thought the exact thing, Junior Sister. Glad to know we are on the same wavelength," Neron inserted.
Lina replied with a forced smile.
Nevertheless, Neron quickly shifted Lina's attention elsewhere as he pointed to the grass outside the forest.
"Take a look at the tips of the grass in the field. Under the World Tree, the grass is as green as it can be. But here, the tips have all turned purplish red. Furthermore, their shapes are deforming; this is a sign of mutation," Neron mentioned.
Lina took a more careful look up close before she returned and nodded.
"It is as you said, Senior Brother; the grass is mutating under the sunlight," Lina confirmed.
"However, this happened under prolonged exposure to the sunlight. On the other hand, our conditions are triggered almost immediately once we expose ourselves to the current sunlight. The problem lies in our energy."
"Seems like there's a serious problem with the energy we extract from Redstones to cultivate. However, everyone in the Geyser Kingdom cultivates with Redstone. If my condition is already this bad, what's happening to the experts back in the kingdom?" Neron wondered with a serious look.
"When the Cataclysm erupted, numerous giant blackwater domes were erected over every major city along the coast to negate the harmful sunlight," Lina mentioned.
"The issue might not be that serious back in the kingdom. But, we know for sure until we head back and check the situation with our own eyes."
"Let's hasten our journey back, Senior Brother," Lina urged shortly after.
"Alright," Neron nodded.
However, he shortly suggested with a wry look, "But let us head back through this shady forest first, Junior Sister. The feeling of my Fire Transcendent Crystal wanting to go berserk is very unpleasant to bear."
"Alright, Senior Brother," Lina agreed.
The forest wasn't big; it only stretched for several hundred yards at most. It was nothing compared to Extreme Misty Forest, which occupied the north of the Human Domain.
Even so, Neron suddenly paused his steps halfway through the forest. After walking a few steps ahead, Lina glanced back with a puzzled look.
"What's the matter, Senior Brother? Are you feeling unwell?" Lina noticed the frown on her senior brother's face.
"No," Neron shook his head and said, "It's just that I suddenly picked up the scent of blood in this forest."
"The scent of blood?" Lina uttered with surprise. She quickly inspected the surroundings but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
"Give me a moment, Senior Brother."
Shortly after, Lina placed her palm on a nearby tree and connected her senses, feeling every part of it, including the underground roots.
When she didn't pick up anything from one tree, she extended her shared senses to the other trees and increased the range of her search.
It didn't take long before she made a discovery.
Lina's eyes immediately flickered before she alerted Neron, "There are several bodies buried just five yards from your left, Senior Brother."
"Oh?" Neron uttered with narrowed eyes.
Nevertheless, he quickly moved to the designated location and dug out the earth.
The tracks had been well hidden, which showed that the buried bodies were purposely hidden to prevent others from finding out.
"This is…" Neron's pupils shrank when he uncovered the four bodies from the buried pit. After seeing their faces, he quickly concluded, "These people are from the first group of envoys sent by the kingdom two weeks back."
"What? Shouldn't they have long returned to the kingdom? How could they be buried here?" Lina uttered with shock.
"Evidently, someone killed them all and prevented them from returning to the kingdom," Neron's gaze sharpened before he quickly urged, "Junior Sister, check if you can find any more buried bodies in this forest."
Lina followed Neron's instruction without hesitation, sensing the severity of the matter. Before long, she made a few more discoveries.
The bodies of the second, third, and fourth groups of envoys were all buried in the forest.
None of the envoys had made it back to the kingdom!
Chapter 923 - King Lutheran Geyser
After Lina and Neron realized all the envoys had been killed before they could return to the Geyser Kingdom, their first wasn't to investigate the culprit.
"Whoever killed the envoys has a clear motive. They want the relationship between the Crawford Kingdom and the Geyser Kingdom to deteriorate. We are in danger by staying here, Junior Sister. Let us make haste back to the kingdom!" Neron stressed.
"Yes, Senior Brother!" Lina nodded solemnly.
Nevertheless, they did not ignore the corpses of the envoys. They quickly collected all of the corpses into their interspatial storage before they went on their way.
The envoys were all Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendents at the very least, while the strongest envoy among the bodies was even at the Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent.
They weren't just nobodies in the Geyser Kingdom.
While Neron and Lina felt a compelling reason to return the bodies to their families, their wounds could also serve as some form of clues in their investigation.
…
…
…
Geyser Kingdom
In the Capital of Geyser, a giant blackwater dome hung over the large city. Within its bubble, countless buildings thoroughly occupied the coastal line that divides the land and sea.
Nevertheless, the city on land wasn't the only home to the people of Geyser. There was also the sea. In fact, the heart of the Geyser Kingdom lies beyond the eastern coast.
Thousands of floating homes and unique infrastructures stretched across the water surface, all interconnected like one enormous net.
At the same time, they form the bridge that links the eastern land of the Human Domain to the Starlight Archipelago.
If the water city region and the Starlight Archipelago were all included in the Geyser Kingdom's territory, its size would not be inferior to the current Crawford Empire. No, if the Geyser Kingdom successfully reclaimed all thousand islands of the Starlight Archipelago, their territory size would even surpass the Crawford Empire!
Nevertheless, from the water city off the coast of the Geyser Capital to the first forty islands of the Starlight Archipelago, day-to-day life was never peaceful.
Sea monster attacks frequently occur.
Even so, the daily combat experience, resources, and food gained from the sea monsters are what made the Geyser Kingdom the strong country it is today.
The entire population of 50-thousand people living in Water City was all Awakeners, thanks to the widespread Redstones gained from sea monsters. Everyone had the chance to become Awakeners.
Nevertheless, the situation inside the Geyser Kingdom was rather special.
It didn't have one central pillar of power that governed the entirety of the Geyser Kingdom's territories.
Instead, it was divided into three central powers led by three people: King Lutheran, who governs the land, the Sea Emperor, who reclaims the Starlight Archipelago, and the High Priest, who spreads the faith of Sea God.
Although the Geyser Kingdom wasn't united, these three figures do not usually interfere with each others' businesses.
…
At that moment, King Lutheran was holding a meeting with the nobles in the Geyser Palace's great hall, found within the Capital of Geyser's central district.
"Who else is willing to make a trip to the Crawford Kingdom?" King Lutheran Geyser swept the gathered nobles in the great hall with his powerful gaze.
There were Barons, Counts, Earls, and even Marquises in attendance.
The weakest of the gathered nobles, the Barons, was no weaker than Early Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent. On the other hand, the Marquises, the strongest among the group, were all Peak Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents.
Nevertheless, their powers were all overshadowed by King Lutheran Geyser, a true Paragon, and one of the very few Acknowledged Paragon-stage Transcendents in the entire Geyser Kingdom.
After King Lutheran raised his questions, the Barons quickly averted their eyes to avoid meeting his gaze.
The last envoy sent to the Crawford Kingdom was also a Baron at the Early Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent.
However, the person never returned despite the estimated three-day return trip.
"Your Majesty, we can't keep sending envoys to re-establish communications with the Crawford Kingdom like this. We've already sent out four groups in the past few weeks, but none of them had returned so far," said a Count at the Mid Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm.
"Right, Your Majesty," another Count at the Mid Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm agreed.
"It's true that the fault lies with us for allowing Baron Cortez to run amok in the Crawford Kingdom and massacre so many innocent lives. However, we shouldn't keep sending people to apologize if they don't have the will to listen."
"After all, we are a powerful kingdom. We don't have to lower our heads to the Crawford Kingdom," the Count stated.
Many of the Barons and Counts were uneasy and afraid of being chosen as the next envoy.
Considering none of the previous envoys returned from the Crawford Kingdom, being chosen as the next envoy was no different from a death sentence.
Nevertheless, King Lutheran wasn't in a hurry to respond to the Counts' opinions. Instead, he calmly studied the nobles' various expressions before pausing on Marquis Wauter's slight snickering expression.
"Marquis Wauter, you seem to have something to say?" King Lutheran directed the attention to the Peak Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Marquis Wauter answered.
"According to the report from Lord Quinten Saville, who was in charge of the Law-Punishing Force tasked to capture Baron Cortez, King Heinrich and Queen Elizabeth were rather understanding regarding Baron Cortez's incident. Thus, it wouldn't make sense for them to kill our envoys."
"No matter how big the grievance is, it's an unwritten rule that countries do not kill the envoys sent by other countries. So unless the envoys actively courted death, they wouldn't be killed without reason."
"Although I am not close to Baron Saerus, but I know he was a reasonable man. Thus, he shouldn't have done anything during his visit that would offend the Crawford Kingdom," Marquis Wauter stated.
"In other words?" King Lutheran pressed with an intrigued look.
"In other words, I am more inclined to believe the envoys' disappearances had something to do with the Demon Worshippers.. For example, they could be trying to instigate a war between the two countries," Marquis Wauter assumed.
Chapter 924 - Supremacist Faction
After Marquis Wauter pinned the blame on the Demon Worshippers, King Lutheran Geyser could not help but inwardly.
Yes, the Demon Worshippers were the most likely suspects, but they aren't the only possible suspects.
For instance, King Lutheran Geyser was aware that a supremacist faction existed within the kingdom. Members of this faction are all unhappy with the situation on the western side of the Human Domain.
They believe that the Geyser Kingdom should rule over the entire Human Domain instead of being isolated to the eastern side.
Nevertheless, even if this supremacist faction had nothing to do with the envoys' deaths, they would still support the Demon Worshipper's war instigation between the two countries.
Thus, as Marquis Wauter mentioned, it was most likely the Demon Worshipper's work.
Despite being aware of this, King Lutheran Geyser remained silent on the matter without mentioning any of it. Otherwise, the nobles would become suspicious.
Even so, there were already a few nobles that had already grown suspicious of his decision. After all, King Lutheran Geyser's intention wasn't well hidden.
A basket of eggs would always have a few rotten ones.
King Lutheran Geyser wanted to use the Demon Worshipper's hands to get rid of the corrupted nobles in his kingdom. That is why he kept sending envoys despite the first group never making it back.
Furthermore, King Lutheran Geyser could gauge the strength of the Demon Worshippers by slowly feeding them stronger envoys.
It was killing two birds with one stone; why wouldn't King Lutheran Geyser do it?
...
"The Demon Worshippers, huh? Yes, the Demon Worshippers seem to be the most likely suspect behind the envoys' disappearance. Nevertheless, do you understand what this implies?" King Lutheran Geyser finally spoke.
"The Demon Worshippers that hunted the envoys outside the Geyser Kingdom has strength at the Early Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm at the very least," Marquis Wauter answered without hesitation.
"That's right," King Lutheran Geyser nodded.
However, shortly after, King Lutheran Geyser swept the other nobles a glance and asked, "Anyone else have a different answer for me?"
The follow-up question immediately stunned Marquis Wauter. He gave the most answer, but it didn't seem to be the answer the king was looking for.
The nobles contemplated in silence.
After a few moments, Marquis Raygor inserted, "If the Demon Worshippers came from our kingdom, then that means there are nobles in this cult."
"Exactly!" King Lutheran said with a fierce glint.
At the same time, King Lutheran's Paragon-level aura suddenly surged out of his body and suppressed the entire hall. The nobles quickly felt intimidated.
"For nobles to join the ranks of the Demon Worshippers is no different from a slap to my face as the one who conferred nobility unto them! Since no one is interested in taking a trip to the Crawford Empire, I want you all to find out every noble missing within the kingdom! Go!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the several dozen nobles answered and left.
Nevertheless, a few Marquises and Earls remained behind.
"Your Majesty, I feel this matter isn't that simple. Counting all the nobles at the Baron rank and above, including those without fiefs, we are looking at hundreds of nobles here. Furthermore, not all Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents are conferred nobility by you, Your Majesty," Marquis Raygor mentioned.
"Exactly, Your Majesty," Marquis Wauter agreed.
"Especially among the upper noble houses like our Marquis Households and the two Duke Households. We have a few subordinates at the Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm."
"Furthermore, we are only talking about Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents in the kingdom here. We haven't accounted for the core disciples and elders of the Grand Ocean Palace situated in Water City and Starlight Archipelago."
"If we include them, we are looking at a few more hundred Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents. What I'm trying to say is that the Demon Worshippers could be anyone, Your Majesty," Marquis Wauter stated.
"That is correct," King Lutheran acknowledged Marquis Wauter's concern with a calm look.
"There is indeed a large number of Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents if we talk about the entire Geyser Kingdom. However, at the very least, if we find any missing noble in the kingdom, they would all be suspects."
"As long as we can catch one rat out of this list of suspects, it will give us a trail. And if we have this trail, it will lead us to the rest of the Demon Worshippers. I don't believe we can't torture the answers we seek out of these rats," King Lutheran coldly stated.
The Demon Worshippers had been a pain King Lutheran's ass. He detested those who threatened the stability of his country.
Nevertheless, the remaining nobles in the hall glanced at each other with surprise. It appeared that their king had thought a great deal ahead of them.
"I understand, Your Majesty. We will head back and tally the names of everyone we find missing from the kingdom," Marquis Wauter stated. He had nothing left to say.
Shortly after, the meeting in the great hall officially concluded.
The nobles left one by one and went their separate ways. However, not everyone did. Marquis Raygor and a few Earls gathered at a high-class restaurant and booked a private room to dine.
Before long, the group of four nobles took their seats at a round dining table.
"Demon Worshipper this, and Demon Worshipper that. There have been too many concerns over Demon Worshippers that we are not addressing more important issues," Earl Almeric began complaining.
"Exactly," Earl Blavier, another Late Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents, chimed.
"I don't know whether His Majesty is glossing over the matter or His Majesty simply doesn't care. However, no matter what Baron Cortez did in the Crawford Kingdom, he was still a noble of our kingdom."
"Right? What the Crawford Kingdom needs is accountability, not an apology. I don't understand why we need to bow our heads to such a weak country like the Crawford Kingdom," the third Earl added.
"Heh, it was the World Tree that killed Baron Cortez and his people," Marquis Raygor snickered.
"No need to talk in a roundabout way, so let us be honest with what we really want here. The blackwater dome isn't cutting it anymore. The air is foul, and the weather is uncomfortable. But the World Tree's domain isn't like that."
"Everyone's wondering why only the declined kingdom gets to enjoy such a good thing like the World Tree when our mighty Geyser Kingdom is suffering under the Cataclysm, right?" Marquis Raygor mentioned.
The three Earls nodded.
Chapter 925 - Seeking Connections
Marqui Raygor has spoken exactly how everyone felt about the Crawford Kingdom and the World Tree.
The World Tree should be shared and not monopolized by the Crawford Kingdom. It would be even better if the Geyser Kingdom could monopolize the World Tree instead.
"You spoke our minds, Lord Raygor," Earl Blavier said.
"Every day, the air gets worse, and the sunlight becomes more unbearable. I am tired of living under this water dome like some caged animal. I also want to head out, explore the rest of the continent, and slaughter some beasts while I'm at it."
"Hahaha, Lord Blavier sure has a way with words. I completely understand what you mean. I also feel like a caged animal, living under this bubble," Earl Almeric stated.
"I don't want to spend half my lifetime staying cooped up in the Geyser Kingdom. The Geyser Kingdom is great; don't be mistaken. However, what's the point of growing our wings if we don't get to spread them?"
The food was shortly served, and the nobles dined in. None of the waiters were allowed in the private room. They could only enter when the nobles called them.
Nevertheless, the nobles continued the topic over food and drinks.
"The problem is how do we bring these matters to His Majesty's attention without upsetting or offending him? His Majesty is a great king, but sometimes, I feel like His Majesty is lacking ambition and not thinking about what's best for the kingdom," Marquis Raygor sighed.
"That's true," Earl Almeric agreed.
"The Geyser Kingdom made great progress in the reclamation of the Starlight Archipelago's thousand islands over the years. On the other hand, the Crawford Kingdom made no progress in reclaiming the Wildlands back from the beasts."
"Since the Crawford Kingdom is so incompetent and incapable of expanding the western parts of the Human Domain, His Majesty should just lead the kingdom to rule over them," Earl Almeric stated.
"Right," Marquis Raygor nodded.
"Only when His Majesty has the resource of the entire Human Domain will His Majesty be able to lead humans back to its heyday."
"I believe if we can convince one of the two Dukes to speak on our behalf, His Majesty might give it some serious considerations. Furthermore, I am related to Duke Flugerd. Thus, there's a high chance that he will share our ideals," the third Earl mentioned.
Marquis Raygor and the other two Earls were immediately surprised. They quickly shot a look at the third Earl and reevaluated him.
"My, you've hidden your background deeply, Lord Bendro. Who would have known that you are blood-related to Duke Flugerd? Doesn't that you share the same royal blood with His Majesty?" Earl Blavier commented with surprise.
However, Earl Bendro's expression immediately turned awkward.
"You think too highly of me, Earl Blavier. I am not blood-related to Duke Flugerd. My sister's husband's second brother's wife's mother-in-law's second daughter is Duke Flugerd's wife. We've interacted over multiple functions," Earl Bendro explained.
"…"
Marquis Raygor and the two Earls opened their mouth and closed them repeatedly without a word. Earl Bendro's words had made them speechless.
"You have quite a complex family, Lord Bendro," Marquis Raygor remarked wryly. He was already lost after the second brother's wife's part.
"Nevertheless, what I can understand from your words is that you can organize a meeting for us with Duke Flugerd. And there is even a high chance that Duke Flugerd will join us."
"Yes, I believe so," Earl Bendro nodded. But, alas, he did not give a definite answer.
"So Lord Bendro isn't completely certain," Marquis Raygor uttered with a contemplating look. Then, he shook his head and said, "Nevertheless, even a slight chance is better than nothing."
"The world continues to change under the effects of the Cataclysm. At this point, it is pretty much impossible for High Seeking Insight-stage Transcendents to wander outside of the water dome's protection without risking cultivation collapse and mutation."
"Please organize the meeting with Duke Flugerd for us, Lord Bendro. We need to gather like-minded people for the interest of the Geyser Kingdom," Marquis Raygor requested.
If they can have a Half-step Paragon like Duke Flugerd, who is also the king's blood brother, on their side, their chance of convincing the king would be much higher.
Claiming the World Tree wasn't just about the interests of the Geyser Kingdom, but for their survival.
"Understood, Lord Raygor," Earl Bendro nodded.
"Since Lord Raygor mentioned gathering like-minded people, I will also reach out for people with my connections," Earl Almeric said shortly after.
"Oh? Does Lord Almeric have any powerful connections to bring to the table?" Marquis Raygor turned to Earl Almeric with interest and asked.
"I am acquainted with Venerable Pill Master's second disciple, Sir Weine. No, you can even say that we are good friends. It was I who introduced him to Venerable Pill Master when he still had nothing to his name," Earl Almeric stated proudly.
Once Earl Almeric revealed this piece of information, Marquis Raygor and the two other Earls widened their eyes with pleasant surprises.
"In order words, Sir Weine is indebted to Lord Almeric. This is great!" Earl Blavier exclaimed. But excited as he was, he refrained from speaking everything on his mind.
Earl Blavier didn't want to offend Earl Bendro in his excitement.
Duke Flugerd has a lot of prestige, but he still pales in comparison to the Venerable Pill Master, who was also a Half-step Paragon.
The Venerable Pill Master was a master of alchemy. His prestige was built on the high-quality pills he refined and supplied to all the experts in the entire Geyser Kingdom.
Even King Lutheran, Sea Emperor Kaiser, and the High Priest all owe their Paragon-level achievement to the pills refined by the Venerable Pill Master.
Furthermore, the Venerable Pill Master's Heavenly Flame could purify the impurities in Redstones and the foul energy in the atmosphere.
As such, their success in persuading the king would be guaranteed if they could bring such a person to their side.
Chapter 926 - High Spirit Energy Density
Crawford Empire, Grassland Region
Leon, Aria, and Darlene stepped out from the Teleportation Array's spatial rift before they found themselves within an enclosed room of a building located on World Tree's crown.
Swish~!
A sudden breeze made its way inside the room and softly brushed against Leon. It was the World Tree's spirit sending him a greeting.
'Have you been well?' Leon communicated with his divine will.
World Tree's spirit responded to Leon's question by making the wind dance around his body with joy.
'I see. That's good,' Leon smiled.
After a short chat with the World Tree's spirit, Leon left the building with Aria and Darlene. The moment they made it outside, they immediately felt the abundance of spirit energy.
"Wow!" Darlene and Aria gasped with surprise and amazement.
"I've never smelled such a refreshing and invigorating air before!" Darlene breathed in the fresh air and exclaimed, "This place is practically Heaven!"
"Leon, this is incredible! I expected the spirit energy density to be high, but this density level has completely exceeded my expectation!" Aria mentioned shortly after.
"You're right, Aria," Leon nodded with mild astonishment.
"The spirit energy density around the World Tree is comparable to some of the lesser spirit-rich areas in the Divine Realm. Even spirit stones have started forming around the World Tree's crown."
Aria and Darlene glanced around before spotting multiple grain-size green pebbles lying around. Then, Aria quickly went over to pick one up and study its quality.
"Amazing, this purity is on par with supreme-grade spirit stones. However, it's too small. At most, this spirit stone will be treated as a mid-grade spirit stone in the Divine Realm," Aria remarked
Shortly after, Aria furrowed her brows with confusion.
"It's a bit strange, though. Of course, world Trees are miraculous existences. But this spirit energy output is a bit too impressive, don't you think so, Leon? I expected it would take a full year for spirit stones to form. However, it only took a month or two," Aria mentioned.
After all, it was still a newborn World Tree. Yet, its spirit energy output is comparable to million-year-old World Trees.
"This is a bit strange," Leon wore a contemplating look before adding, "But if we think about it a bit more, it shouldn't be too surprising."
"How so?" Aria wondered curiously.
"World Trees don't just produce spirit energy from nothing; it feeds on sunlight to grow," Leon began to explain.
"However, plants require a specific range of sunlight intensity to grow on any planet, to begin with. Usually, it's also the same range for ordinary human habitat as well. But the World Tree has transcended from being an ordinary plant."
"Thus, most plants have to undergo mutation to adapt to the current cataclysmic sunlight intensity. On the other hand, the World Tree absorbs it all to produce more spirit energy without an issue." Leon stated.
"In other words, the present situation of the sun allows the World Tree to function at its full potential while most World Trees don't get this opportunity," Aria summarized her understanding.
"Exactly," Leon nodded.
Shortly after, he shot a glance towards a certain direction. Then, a few guards finally approached them before they saluted, "We welcome you back, Your Highness!"
"At ease," Leon calmly gestured.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" the guards replied.
Nevertheless, Leon could not help but evaluate the guards' strengths. The three guards standing before him were all Metal Transcendents.
The New Capital didn't just undergo rapid developments. Even the strength of the people improved by leaps and bounds.
It was to be expected, given the spirit energy density of the region.
Even so, Leon was surprised that the number of Transcendent Awakeners in the empire had risen by a lot. His parents didn't sparingly save the Transcendent Crystals the empire obtained from the underground mines.
Leon quickly felt something amiss.
Given normal circumstances, everyone should have improved their body and energy cultivation. After all, Leon did hand over several cultivation methods to his father before he left the Human Domain.
However, the people improved their awakening cultivation instead.
"Had there been any significant events in the past four weeks?" Leon inquired.
"Yes, Your Highness!" one of the Transcendent-level guards nodded and said, "A few weeks ago, the empire was attacked by a berserk group of Transcendents from the Geyser Kingdom."
"They slaughter innocent lives from the empire's borders all the way to the World Tree. It could have turned ugly, but fortunately, they angered the World Tree and killed themselves. Even so, we realize just how lacking we were in comparison to the Geyser Kingdom after that incident."
"Thus, since then, His Majesty had been handing out Transcendent Crystals to everyone regardless of our contributions to increase our strength," the Transcendent-level guard explained.
Afterward, the guard slowly recounted the subsequent events that followed after the incident, including the Geyser Kingdom's Law-Punishing Force, the envoys, and as well as their strengths.
The guard mentioned everything without leaving out the details. After Leon heard everything, he clenched his fist tightly.
He couldn't imagine how devastated he would feel if Baron Cortez and his men had killed his family and loved ones during his absence.
Furthermore, he learned that this Baron Cortez was related to the last two Transcendents from the Geyser Kingdom that he killed.
The guilt might have crushed his heart if his actions had caused everyone's death.
Now that Leon had returned to the Crawford Empire, he did not intend to leave until he strengthened the empire to a level that would ease his worries.
"Where are my father and mother now?" Leon inquired.
"His Majesty has settled in his new palace in New Capital. It shouldn't be difficult for you to find out where that is, Your Highness. The New Palace stands out quite a bit from the other buildings in New Capital," another guard answered.
"I see," Leon calmly nodded before inquiring further, "And my mother?"
"Her Majesty left to look for Lady Lynne in Extreme Misty Forest two weeks ago and hasn't returned since, Your Highness," the guard informed.
"What?" Leon's brows knitted into a frown.
Chapter 927 - Divine Ice Phoenix Empress
The news of Leon's mother not returning after entering Extreme Misty Forest to look for Lynne, who disappeared since the start of the Cataclysm, immediately filled him with worry.
It seems that even after returning to the Crawford Empire, he would not get a moment of rest.
"Leon!" Faelyn's sudden cry sounded.
Shortly after, the elven princess rushed over before leaping into Leon's arms. Faelyn came as soon as she caught the news of Leon's return.
Leon caressed her head wordlessly.
Nevertheless, Faelyn felt something amiss in their reunion. It didn't feel as emotional and touching as she expected.
It didn't take long before she realized she may have interrupted an important talk between Leon and the guards.
Thus, she pulled herself away from Leon and stood to the side sensibly while suppressing her emotions.
Leon appreciated her understanding. Then, he turned to the guards with a solemn look and ordered, "Tell me everything you know."
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guard answered.
"Everything started with the first outbreak of artificial spirit energy that seeped out from under the World Tree shortly after the Cataclysm erupted. That was when Lady Lynne's character seemingly changed."
"I don't exactly understand the details, but something about the artificial spirit energy triggered Lady Lynne's change. She became colder and more vengeful, but more importantly, much more powerful."
"Even now, the artificial spirit energy below the World Tree remains in a permafrost state, and its tracks split into numerous pathways. Most lead to dead ends, where we found frozen towers, but one path leads all the way to Extreme Misty Forest."
As the guard recounted the details, Leon listened carefully.
…
…
…
Meanwhile, deep within the inner region of Extreme Misty Forest, a giant ice spike emerged from the ground, splitting the earth apart. Then, the giant ice spike retracted back into the ground, leaving behind a tunnel entrance to the underground space.
Shortly after, a young lady in blue dress stepped out from the darkness of the tunnel entrance with her bare feet along with a few escaping wisps of artificial spirit energy.
However, the wisps of artificial spirit energy didn't escape very far before a chilling breeze blew past and froze them, increased their weight, and dropped them to the ground.
The frozen wisps of artificial spirit energy shattered into countless shards afterward.
"That was the last of it, wasn't it, Master?" Lynne asked coolly, seemingly talking to herself. There was no else in the vicinity besides her.
However, Lynne shortly received a reply in her head.
'Including the 108 artificial spirit energy conversion towers we destroyed over the past several weeks, that should have been the last trace of it in this region,' said a mature and womanly voice.
"Shall we head back then, Master?" Lynne suggested, her blue eyes flickered with a hint of anticipation.
'No, our work is not done. We might have destroyed every trace of artificial spirit energy in the vicinity of the Crawford Empire, but there are bound to be more artificial spirit energy outside of it,' Lynne's Master replied.
"Oh…" Lynne uttered with disappointment.
The so-called Master she was conversing with was none other than the True Divinity Soul Fragment she awakened. The soul fragment belonged to the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress, a True God of her time.
Nevertheless, Lynne learned from the Ice Empress that not all True Divinity Soul Fragments could converse to their host like it did—especially among the True Gods.
But unlike other True Divinities, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress's soul fragment was much fewer. Thus, Lynne had inherited a more complete portion of the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress's soul.
'Don't feel disappointed. I know you miss home, but you don't have the luxury to waste your time on anything besides cultivation. Remember, you only have roughly five years left, Lynne,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress kindly reminded.
Nevertheless, it was partly the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress's fault that Lynne had fewer years to live.
The Divine Ice Phoenix Empress's soul placed too much burden on Lynne's soul after the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress awakened. This further shortened Lynne's lifespan despite Lynne receiving a lifespan extension after reaching the Transcendent Realm.
"I understand what I have to do, Master," Lynne replied. But then, she asked, "However, wouldn't it work out better for you if I died, Master? You'll be able to take over my body. Why did you take me in as your disciple instead?"
When the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress's soul awakened, Lynne had lost complete control of her body for a period of time. At that time, her body was forcefully seized by the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress.
However, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress eventually returned control of her body to her.
'Foolish child, I am also doing this for my own benefit. Besides, since we can co-exist, why must I insist on taking your life away from you? Only devils will take without giving,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress stated.
As the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress mentioned the devils, she also revealed her deep grudge for them.
'Furthermore, each time I take over control of your body, it shortens your lifespan further. I have already taken much of your life away from you by simply existing with you,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress sighed.
The age of gods and devils had ended long ago.
There was no point in trying to revive herself. As long Divine Ice Phoenix Empress can raise multiple successors to continue her life's mission, that was enough for her.
After all, she was eternal either way.
"Then what should we do now, Master? It seems like we are in Extreme Misty Forest right now. This is a dangerous land full of vengeful spirits. I don't think we will find anything good here," Lynne mentioned.
However, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress argued otherwise.
'On the contrary, I sense something very beneficial for you further deeper.. If you can obtain and refine that item, it will improve your cultivation greatly,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress stated.
Chapter 928 - True Permafrost Divine Art
"What kind of item is it, Master?" Lynne grew curious after the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress mentioned it.
However, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress didn't divulge everything to her disciple. Or rather, she didn't understand what it was either.
The Divine Ice Phoenix Empress only knew there was a great power slumbering deep within the Extreme Misty Forest. Furthermore, it was a power that matched their elements.
But apart from that, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress had no other information.
'You'll understand once you find it. All I can say is that this item will greatly increase your cultivation and lifespan,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress stated.
"Oh… I understand, Master," Lynne replied.
Since her master had already said as such, it means that her master wouldn't divulge further information to her.
Her Master seemingly knows everything but, at the same time, never explains everything to her. It might be her Master's way of training her critical thinking. Nevertheless, she had grown accustomed to it.
"Even Transcendents have been wary of Extreme Misty Forest in the past several hundred years. How should I deal with the vengeful spirits if I run into a powerful one, Master?" Lynne inquired.
'You should understand the nature of the True Permafrost Divine Art by now. This skill doesn't just have absolute defense; its offensive is equally fearsome—especially against spiritual beings," the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress mentioned.
'Furthermore, you're already at the peak of Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent Realm. It wouldn't be a problem for you to defeat Early Rank 2 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits with the True Permafrost Divine Art.'
'And even if you can't defeat Mid Rank 2 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits, you can still seal their movements with it,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress added.
'What if we run into something even stronger than that, Master?' Lynne inquired further. She did not feel reassured at all.
She was rather weak-minded against things like ghosts. The distant howls of Extreme Misty Forest were already giving her goosebumps.
'If we run into a situation that you cannot overcome on your own, I will take over and deal with it. However, this comes at the cost of reducing your lifespan even further. Thus, unless the situation requires it, we will only use this as a last resort," said the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress.
'Don't depend on your master, child. Instead, pretend I don't exist and learn to resolve everyone on your own. That is the only way you can grow strong in both mind and body. I have seen geniuses rise and fall. They all had high cultivation, but their hearts were weak.'
'Don't be like them,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress lectured seriously.
Lynne was not her first disciple, and she wouldn't be her last either. But regardless of how many disciples she had, she had continuously poured all her effects into nurturing them.
Unfortunately, they could never overcome their short lifespans.
'I understand, Master,' Lynne engraved the divine Ice Phoenix Empress's word in her heart. She could feel her Master's sincerity in teaching her.
After stabilizing her mental state, Lynne decisively ventured deeper into the misty forest. She followed the direction pointed out by her master.
Yiiii—!
Shortly after Lynne only advanced a few dozen yards, shrill cries echoed, and dead leaves rustled throughout the forest as if they were coming to life.
Lynne immediately knew the vengeful spirits had already discovered her presence.
However, she could not tell how close or far away they were. She couldn't even tell how many she had attracted nor their strengths.
The extreme mist in the forest gave her poor visibility.
Nevertheless, Lynne quickly recalled her Master's teachings and released her ice power, scattering countless chilling ice particles into the area and forming an ice domain.
This allowed her to sense the number of her enemies that enter her domain and slow them down at the same time.
The True Permafrost Divine Art was a versatile skill that could not only attack and defend, but also sense enemies and mask her presence. There was also a movement skill included as well.
Although Lynne was a bit slow on the idea, she eventually covered herself in ice power and masked her presence.
Yiii—!
The vengeful spirits immediately made piercing screams, sounding much closer than before. They were furious when Lynne's signs of life disappeared from their senses.
Nevertheless, they had already discovered her general location earlier.
Eventually, several Transcendent-level vengeful spirits entered Lynne's domain. The moment she sensed their numbers were also the moment her domain attacked them.
The numerous ice particles contacted the vengeful spirits' seemingly intangible bodies before they erupted with terrifying coldness.
Yiiiiiiii—!
The vengeful spirits howled painfully. The level of pain inflicted on them didn't just startle them; it caused them fear.
They retreated, but unfortunately, the vengeful spirits had advanced too quickly. Thus, they were already deep within Lynne's domain, which was no different from a field of floating landmines that covered both ground and air.
The ice power of the True Permafrost Divine Art didn't just freeze the surface of their spiritual bodies; it transformed their spiritual bodies into ice!
As such, the vengeful spirits didn't just feel ordinary pain. No, they felt pain that reached the very core of their beings!
Afterward, the vengeful spirits' weightless bodies gained mass due to the ice and dropped to the ground. Those that tried to resist their own increased weight had their frozen parts broken away from their bodies.
Yiii—! Yiii—!
The vengeful spirits issued multiple shorter piercing howls. Even though Lynne didn't know what they were saying, she understood that they felt fear and desperation.
Lynne continued her advancement and spotted the frozen vengeful spirits by her feet.
"Only Early Rank 1 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits, huh? They are so much weaker than I anticipated, Master," Lynne commented.
Her blue pupils flickered, and the frozen vengeful spirits fragmented into countless smaller ice shards in the next moment.
They were died without being able to resist.
'I already mentioned that you can battle vengeful spirits above your level.. Did you think vengeful spirits below your level will stand a single chance?' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress remarked.
Chapter 929 - A Twig Building In The Forest
Of course, Lynne knew she would overpower Early Rank 1 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits. However, she didn't know it would be such an insurmountable difference.
She didn't even need to do anything at all.
Just by summoning her ice domain and making her presence known, the vengeful spirits would be lured into an inescapable death trap.
After slaying her first batch of vengeful spirits, the misgiving and fear she once had towards vengeful spirits disappeared without a trace.
Why should she fear something weaker than herself?
'Don't just leave the shattered ice souls. Instead, collect them all into your interspatial ring. Then, you can use the ice power of the True Permafrost Divine Art to refine their soul energy later,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress instructed.
"Yes, Master!" Lynne complied.
Shortly after, she collected all the shattered ice souls. Then, she continued to venture deeper into the misty forest. At the same time, she attracted more Early Rank 1 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits.
Nevertheless, they all fell victim to her ice domain.
Even so, Lynne didn't expect there would be so many Transcendent-level vengeful spirits in Extreme Misty Forest. But then again, it was her first time venturing into the inner region.
However, Extreme Misty Forest was enormous; it was equivalent to the size of two kingdoms. Even if she was in its inner region, she was still far from the heart of the forest.
Who knows many more Transcendent-level vengeful spirits there are.
"Master, after collecting these shattered ice souls and refining them, you want me to cultivate according to the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul Art with them, right?" Lynne inquired.
'That's right, child,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress replied.
'The Ice Phoenix Divine Soul Art will strengthen your soul and increase your lifespan. Nevertheless, we can't make up quality with quantity. This is only a temporary fix on your soul. You'll still need to increase your cultivation.'
'Even so, the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul Art should help you improve your awakening cultivation at a quicker rate. It's unfortunate that there isn't any ice phoenix blood to complete the other half of the Ice Phoenix Divine Soul Art.'
'You would have been able to cultivate a Divine Ice Phoenix Soul. This will grant you the ability to undergo rebirth once in your lifetime when you die. But, alas, I don't have much hope for you to reach True Divinity. Otherwise, you can increase this rebirth limit.'
'Furthermore, each time you achieve nirvana, you'll become stronger than your former self,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress explained with a sigh.
A True Phoenix's nirvana was the closest thing to a true soul cultivation method. But, unfortunately, a True Phoenix's rebirth wasn't limitless.
Lynne was intrigued by the topic as she traveled. She continued to slay vengeful spirits and collected their shattered ice souls as she encountered them.
After covering twenty miles in her journey, Lynne accumulated two hundred vengeful spirits' worth of shattered ice souls. Furthermore, half of it belonged to Mid Rank 1 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits.
In fact, she had encountered much more than two hundred vengeful spirits. However, she already hit the limit of her Tier-3 Interspatial Ring's storage space.
'It's a waste to continue like this. Don't let these shattered ice souls go to waste, child. Find a safe spot to stop and refine the shatter ice soul,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress instructed.
The Divine Ice Phoenix Empress couldn't keep watching Lynne leave so many shattered ice souls in silence.
Although this level of cultivation resource is nothing compared to what the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress had in her heyday, she no longer has those high-level cultivation resources to offer Lynne.
'It's not good to waste cultivation resources, child,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress added.
"I understand, Master."
Shortly after Lynne started looking for a place to construct an ice chamber to take shelter in, she suddenly stumbled upon a large hut in the forest.
Or rather, it looked like a miniature palace—ignoring the fact that it was made entirely out of twigs and dead branches. The design and construction were amateurish, but it was still impressive in its own way.
"There's a building here, Master. Someone lives here," Lynne uttered with surprise.
'I can see, child,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress replied. She shared Lynne's senses—or rather, Lynne shares them with her.
Lynne didn't believe the vengeful spirits could build such a place, given the low intelligence of vengeful spirits in the Extreme Misty Forest. Even if there were a vengeful spirit with high intelligence, it still wouldn't do such a thing.
The building owner had to be someone or something other than a vengeful spirit.
After Lynne circled the twig building several times, she deemed no one home. When she inspected the interior, it also looked abandoned.
At the very least, it didn't seem like a place for a normal living person to live. It lacked the daily necessities inside.
"It's so strange. Why would there be such a grand twig building this deep in Extreme Misty Forest? Who would build such a thing in this place?" Lynne wondered.
'Regardless of its origins, it doesn't look like anyone lives here anymore. You can use this place, child. If you noticed, there are low-level runes installed to ward off vengeful spirits. You won't be interrupted in this place,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress said.
Nevertheless, Lynne was a bit skeptical about the twig building.
"Would it be fine? This twig building doesn't look all that sturdy," Lynne lightly patted the twig building to test its durability.
However, the light pat was all it took for the whole place to come crumbling down.
Very shortly, Lynne heard a second series of twigs dropping to the ground not far from the twig building ruins.
She immediately turned her gaze to the source before discovering a beautiful yet homeless-looking woman with black and red hair. The woman stared at the twig building ruins with a stunned and devastated look.
"W-was this your home? Sorry… I didn't mean to…" Lynne quickly apologized to the person. She felt guilty after seeing the person's expression.
It was as if the twig building's collapse had crushed the person's heart.
"It's fine… I'm used to it," Arana said.
Chapter 930 - Compensation
"It's fine… I'm used to it," Arana said.
When Lynne heard that line, she felt even greater guilt for accidentally destroying the person's home
Just by looking at the person's expression, it was clear that the beautiful woman was NOT fine. Or rather, she was used to being devastated by the destruction of her home.
But just how many times had her home been destroyed for her to utter such words?
Before Lynne could speak a few words of comfort, she suddenly made a startling discovery upon a closer look at the beautiful woman. The person had black eyes and red pupils, something a normal human should not have.
But to begin with, there shouldn't be any normal human living this deep within Extreme Misty Forest.
'Be careful, child! This person is dangerous. She's a Paragon!' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress warned.
Initially, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress intended to let Lynne deal with everything on her own and only intervene when necessary. However, the person before them was far too dangerous.
She might not even get the chance to intervene if Lynne was careless.
Nevertheless, after Lynne heard her master's warning, her eyes widened with shock, and her guilt was quickly replaced with nervous tension.
She just destroyed the home of a Paragon. So the person should be angry, right?
"No need to be afraid. I won't kill you. It's been a while since I came across another person I can talk to in this forest," Arana coolly said.
Shortly after, Arana crouched by the twig building ruins and started collecting the twigs for reconstruction.
At the same time, Lynne watched the person silently.
Although the person said she wouldn't kill her, the person didn't say she could leave either. Even so, the person didn't seem unreasonable.
Nevertheless, Lynne's guilt resurfaced after watching the person for a while.
"If you don't mind the cold, I can construct a new building of ice as compensation for destroying your home," Lynne offered.
Arana immediately paused her work and glanced at Lynne with scrutiny. She understood that Lynne was genuinely apologetic and wanted to compensate her.
"It's even better if it is cold," Arana said after a brief silence.
"Great!" Lynne's eyes lit up. The sooner she compensated the person, the sooner she could get rid of her guilt and move on. "Do you have any preference in the design? I will do my best to construct the new building accordingly."
'Don't get too close to that Paragon. She might have awakened a Devil Soul,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress warned.
'I understand, Master,' Lynne nodded.
Nevertheless, Arana didn't have complex instructions for the building design after Lynne raised the question.
Arana simply said, "A big palace, grand and pretty."
"A big palace, grand and pretty, huh?" Lynne muttered. She didn't know any palaces beside the one she had seen in the capital.
However, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress shortly shared her memories with Lynne, allowing her to see several grand palaces.
Shortly after Lynne picked the prettiest palace, she accessed the surroundings.
"I have a design in mind, but the palace will be quite big and requires space. However, there are some trees in the way. So I will need to—"
Before Lynne could finish speaking, Arana waved her hand. In that instance, sharp thread-like webs shot out of her hand and lacerated the surrounding trees into pieces.
The area was cleared of all obstacles shortly after.
"Is this enough space?" Arana coolly asked.
Lynne nodded with a gulp.
As expected of a Paragon, her strength was unfathomable.
Nevertheless, Lynne proceeded with her promised and constructed a grand and pretty palace using the ice power of her True Permafrost Divine Art.
Thanks to the rich water vapor in the forest, Lynne received a constant supply of energy and did not exhaust herself.
Even so, it still took three days to construct the ice palace.
"It's done. With my ice ability, this ice palace will not melt under normal circumstances. I hope you like it," Lynne informed. Then, she sought the person's opinion, "What do you think?"
Arana glanced at the magnificent ice palace. Not much emotion could be seen from her expression, but she was clearly impressed.
Although she had seen the progress over the past three days, the feeling was different when she finally looked at the final product.
"Your name," Arana uttered.
"Hm?" Lynne tilted her head with confusion.
"What is your name?" Arana questioned.
"Ah, Lynne. My name is Lynne," she answered.
"Lynne, is it? I will remember you. And you can call me Arana," Arana said coolly. Shortly after, Arana entered the ice palace to explore it.
It wasn't just the outside that had details. Even the interior had its details. For example, the rooms all had functioning ice doors.
Arana felt like she was walking through a work of art.
Although the ice palace was sturdy to the point that it could resist her level of strength, the ice palace was certainly sturdier than all the buildings she had come across.
Arana exited the palace several minutes later and glanced at Lynne with approval.
"I am pleased with this ice palace. Take this as a sign of my appreciation for what you have done," Arana tossed a white dress over. Lynne quickly accepted it.
Even so, Lynne could help but glance at the white dress in her hand and ask curiously, "What is this?"
"A dress, made from my spider silk. It won't protect you from shock damage, but it is at least resistant to tier-4 sharp weapons. May it be of some use to you if you intend to venture deeper into the forest,' Arana coolly stated.
Lynne gasped with surprise.
She quickly understood from Arana's words that Arana was not human. Instead, Arana was of arachnid origins.
"Thank you…" Lynne said shortly after. However, she quickly furrowed her brows and added, "But you didn't have to do this… I was compensating you. If you give this to me, it won't make us even."
Arana stared at Lynne silently for some time. Then, she broke the silence by saying, "You can visit my ice palace any time. You will be welcomed."
"Ah? Oh, thank you…"
Lynne couldn't guess Arana's train of thought, but she felt like they had become friends or something.
Chapter 931 - The Vengeful Spirits' Origins
After Arana permitted Lynne's stay at the ice palace, Lynne borrowed a room to refine the shattered ice souls she collected.
During that time, Arana did not disturb her—or rather, Arana never took the initiative to approach her for anything. And before long, Arana entered her secluded cultivation in the inner chambers.
Inside one of the many guest rooms, Lynne refined with shatters ice souls with her ice power.
At the same time, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress watched over Lynne's refinement with her powerful divine consciousness.
Nevertheless, the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress's mind dwelled on Arana's matter.
She didn't expect a humanoid arachnid could get along with humans so well. Not only did Arana not attack Lynne for destroying her twig home, she even gifted Lynne a spider silk dress.
Arana was an irregular being for not being hostile, but the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress didn't believe Arana was good.
"Master, don't you think Sister Arana is rather nice?" Lynne suddenly mentioned.
She was already wearing the white spider silk dress. Not only did it feel comfortable, but it also had good defense.
Nevertheless, Divine Ice Phoenix Empress turned serious after hearing Lynne's question.
'You're already referring to that Paragon as Sister Arana? Didn't I warn you not to become close to that person? She is dangerous. No matter how nice she is, she belongs to the monster race. They are even more dangerous than the beast race.'
'At the very least, members of the beast race still have sentiments and emotions. As long as you can overcome the obstacle of differences, you can get along with the beast race very well. But, on the other hand, the monster race only follows their instincts.'
'Thus, they are generally aggressive to all races most of the time. In a sense, they can be even more terrifying than demons. Just because they haven't killed you; doesn't mean that they wouldn't kill you.'
'Demons would toy with their prey before killing them, but at the very least, their prey would already know the demons would eventually kill them. However, monster races are different. You can get along well with them, and they would still suddenly decide to kill you one day on a whim.'
The Divine Ice Phoenix Empress never thought she would talk good about the detested demons to compare them to the monster race.
However, she had to let her disciple understand the dangers of getting close to a member of the monster race.
"But Sister Arana wasn't aggressive at all despite my mistake? She even gifted me a tier-4 spider silk dress for protection. How do you explain this?" Lynne argued.
'That is something Master is still trying to figure out. However, Master just wants you to be aware that just because one monster is different from the rest of the monster race, it doesn't mean that you should ignore the dangers, child,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress stated.
'My best guess is that the Paragon is using the Yin energy to suppress the instinct of her monster race,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress added shortly after. 'But never mind that; focus on your cultivation, child.'
"I understand, Master…" Lynne complied.
Half a day later, Lynne completely refined all the shattered ice souls. Then, she spent another day cultivating Ice Phoenix Divine Soul Art with her.
'Good. Your soul cultivation has swiftly risen to Peak Rank 2 Transcendent Realm in this past day. You are ready to advance your awakening cultivation to Seeking Insight-stage Transcendent Realm without hurting your foundations,'
'It's time to continue your journey. You can advance on the way,' the Divine Ice Phoenix Empress stated.
"Yes, Master," Lynne nodded.
…
…
…
In another part of vast Extremely Misty Forest's inner region, Leon traveled through the thick mists with Aria, Darlene, and Faelyn.
Initially, Leon didn't bring anyone with him.
However, the three ladies all insisted on following him—especially, Faelyn, who had not seen him for over three weeks.
Furthermore, Faelyn's reasoning was very convincing that Leon had no choice but to bring her along.
As a Wood Transcendent, she could connect to the trees in Extreme Misty Forest and expand her senses. This ability would allow her to understand the forest's topography and have a great search range.
In other words, Faelyn's wood ability was useful in navigating through the misty forest.
Before leaving for Extreme Misty Forest, Leon had paid his father a short visit. However, they did not have any time to catch up.
When Leon transmitted several dozen primordial cultivation techniques and battle skills to his father and stated his intention to look for his mother, Heinrich had locked himself in his study room to create hard copies.
…
Scree—!
A Mid Rank 1 Transcendent-level vengeful spirit screamed before it was exterminated by Aria's lightning power.
Lightning was the bane of all spirits.
Thus, the group had a relatively easy time traveling through the inner regions. After spending five days in this region, they had slain over 400 Transcendent-level vengeful spirits.
At the same time, they had all collected the purified soul cores the vengeful spirits left behind.
"Are these things really Transcendent-level vengeful spirits? They are nothing like Duna at all. They don't have a shred of intelligence, and they only react to their instincts," Darlene mentioned with a frown.
"If Duna knew you compared her in the same breath as these mindless vengeful spirits, I don't think she would be happy," Leon smiled with amusement.
Darlene's expression immediately turned awkward.
"Ugh… Please don't tell her," Darlene pleaded wryly.
"Hahaha," Leon laughed.
"These vengeful spirits are most likely remnants of the Nova civilization that ended ten thousand years ago during the Cataclysm. They all relied on artificial spirit energy for cultivation and paid the ultimate price for it during the Cataclysm's eruption."
"Thus, they had most likely already lost their minds when they died. And that is why we have such a large number of mindless vengeful spirits at the Transcendent level, probably," Leon assumed.
"That's probably it," Aria agreed.
"Dealing with these vengeful spirits isn't a problem, but how do we expect to find Sister Lynne and Mother-in-law in such a huge forest?" she mentioned shortly after.
Chapter 932 - Emptiness Sutra
"That's a good question," Leon replied after the Aria's raised the question.
"Even though we have a large search radius, it's nowhere near enough to scour the Extreme Misty Forest. That's why we have to understand Lynne's purpose for coming to this place."
Since his mother went to look for Lynne, there's a high chance Leon would find her if he focused on looking for Lynne.
"And what purpose would Lynne have for coming to this place?" Faelyn asked.
"That's the question. Nevertheless, I have a hunch that it has something to do with the special environment within Extreme Misty Forest. Perhaps, Lynne is looking for the source of the cold yin energy in this forest," Leon speculated.
Shortly after that was said, Aria's eyes flickered before she asked, "Is that why we've been heading straight throughout the trip without taking detours?"
"Yeah," Leon replied calmly.
He had always been curious about exploring the depths of the four Perilous Lands and studying the origins of their special environments. Even so, he didn't expect that he would be exploring one under such circumstances.
"Nevertheless, we've been traveling nonstop these past several days. I think it's about time to stop for a break and adjust ourselves to peak conditions before we continue any further," Leon suggested.
"Mm," Aria was quick to agree.
"The deeper we venture, the more frequent we encounter stronger vengeful spirits. Therefore, staying in our peak shape is the best way to prepare ourselves in cases of unexpected situations and dangers."
Leon nodded. Aria understood him well.
Nevertheless, after Darlene and Faelyn agreed, they created a camp to rest. Faelyn manipulated the trees to build the wooden shelter, and Aria masked their camp's presence in ice.
Even beds and blankets were taken out to enhance comfort during their rest.
"What should we do with these soul cores?" Aria asked after reviewing their spoils during the journey.
Leon glanced at the soul cores in Aria's hands before he paused in contemplation.
The soul cores of vengeful spirits most likely contained impure and corrupted energy. Although much of the impure soul energy had been purified by lightning, it still wouldn't be safe for cultivation.
After all, besides the impure soul energy, the soul cores were also contaminated by artificial spirit energy and wrathful demonic energy. Thus, they had to undergo a second round of purification before being used for cultivation.
'Do you have any good refining techniques for these soul cores, Maya?' Leon sought out his artifact spirit's opinion, disturbing her leisure reading time.
He had finally made good on his promise and collected a bunch of random novels from the bookstore in New Capital for her to read.
'Why are you asking me? Can't you just look it up yourself in the Archive? I'm busy here,' Maya replied grumpily while lazing on a small pile of books in the Worldspace.
Although she seemed livelier, she had also become lazy like a person with a food coma after enjoying a great feast.
This was the result of consuming too much spirit energy at once.
The World Tree was full of spirit energy. Naturally, Leon didn't forget to collect a substantial amount of it to aid Maya's recovery before he left.
'Can't I talk to you? Besides, if you read everything at once, you won't have anything to read later,' Leon replied wryly.
Maya couldn't be too unreasonable with Leon after receiving the stories and spirit energy. Thus, she rolled her eyes and said grudgingly, 'I recommend you use Primal Soul Refining Art to refine soul energy. It has the highest purity.'
'If you want to start soul cultivation with these soul cores, the Mahayana Divine Soul Art would be the most suitable for humans. However, I don't recommend you start soul cultivation just yet.'
'After all, no matter how high the purity of soul energy you refine from these soul cores, there will still be a bit of impurity. Since you found a clue to the Astral Soul Realm, you wouldn't want to risk ruining whatever qualifications you have to re-enter that place, right?'
'Yeah, it wouldn't be worth it,' Leon admitted before saying, 'But if we don't use these soul cores for cultivation, they don't have much use, do they?'
'There are plenty of uses for everything. Why don't you figure that out on your own? You'll surely find another use for them,' Maya stated.
'Nevertheless, on the topic of Astral Soul Realm, I recommend you check out the Emptiness Sutra in the Archive. Perhaps, you'll find it helpful,' Maya added shortly after.
'The Emptiness Sutra? What kind of cultivation technique is this?' Leon wondered.
'It's not a cultivation technique. It won't improve your cultivation or anything. It's just a mental technique for meditating. You'll have to read it to understand the details,' Maya explained.
'I see. I'll check it out,' Leon replied.
Shortly after, Leon said to Aria, "We'll put aside the soul cores for now. Although we don't have a good use for them, it doesn't hurt to continue collecting them."
"Alright," Aria nodded.
Shortly after, Aria, Darlene, and Faelyn found their spots in the wooden shelter to meditate and adjust their mental states.
Leon took that chance to send his consciousness into the Archive and check out the Emptiness Sutra. Before long, Leon memorized all its information.
As Maya mentioned, the Emptiness Sutra was not a cultivation technique. No, it couldn't even be considered a mental technique either. More accurately, it was a mental exercise.
However, that is where Leon's interest in the Emptiness Sutra grew.
The Emptiness Sutra was created by Buddhist Monks from an ordinary mortal realm. It didn't have a grand origin. But despite being ordinary, it was found among the primordial heritages.
It was an ordinary mental exercise for meditation with extraordinary effects.
According to the Emptiness Sutra, once he mastered the mental exercise, he could freely adjust his state of mind and enter the state of emptiness. It was a state of having no thoughts and desires, just emptiness.
'Maya wasn't wrong.. This could be extremely useful to me,' Leon thought.