Then she meticulously searched and observed her surroundings. Before long, she discovered a third-step giant and swiftly teleported to its location. Without giving it a chance to react, she swiftly applied an enslavement mark, and this time, it successfully took hold. The giant began to speak.
"We are invading this world under the orders of 'The Great Tall.' He is our ancestor and the first of our race."
Curious, she inquired, "Whom are you invading?"
"Of course, those traitorous fat giants. They betrayed us tall giants and turned against 'The Great Tall.' They must be destroyed," the giant responded.
"Why did the fat giants turn?" she further questioned.
"They were bewitched by an evil god known as 'The Great Fat Tall.'"
Hao Gongming nodded in understanding. "It seems that the realm after reaching the root is filled with chaos and instability. Only a few mysteries remain: how to break through to the root realm and then reach the level of existence like 'The Great'? It appears that after reaching that level, a split in personality occurs, and the entities fight to reunite as one."
"I don't know what happens once they succeed in becoming one again, and I am unsure if 'The Great' has split into two or if their practice is so perfect that they never split at all."
She pondered for a moment and then said, "Let's modify a skill."
She proceeded to modify the enslavement skill to better suit her needs:
Slave Master: The host can enslave up to one fourth-step individual for one hour (-78 reality points).
"Excellent, now let's enslave a fourth-step giant!"
She located one and teleported, swiftly applying the mark before the giant could react. It immediately became obedient and began revealing its secrets.
"Our lord, 'The Great Tall,' seeks to reclaim what was once his. 'The Great Fat Tall' is a part of our lord who escaped his control."
"What do you mean by 'escaped his control'?" she inquired further.
"Our lord, 'The Great Tall,' killed and devoured a portion of the 'Blood Stone Lord' to ascend to a realm beyond the root. Now, that piece is rebelling, and we must retrieve it for our lord to fully integrate that fragment of the 'Blood Stone Lord'."
"What is the Blood Stone Lord?" Hao Gongming inquired.
"Nobody knows for sure. It's the name we've given it. It's an unimaginably enormous entity that is said to have perished long ago. Now, its whereabouts are known by many high-level existences. We go there to collect bloodstones because they greatly aid in our cultivation," the giant explained.
Hao Gongming proceeded to ask the next crucial question, "Then, how does one break through the root realm?"
In almost every different world she traveled to, the root realm remained constant, while the realm beneath it varied. The root was almost always present.
"Of course, to become a root, you must consume a root, and to surpass the root, you must emerge from the soil," the giant replied.
She asked, "How does one find a root to consume?"
The giant said, "I don't know. It's a secret only known by our lord, 'The Great Tall.'"
She then asked, "What is the soil?"
"Here, everything you see is the soil. It encompasses everything. Only by becoming a root and ascending from the soil can you enter the truth," the giant explained.
"What is the truth?" she pressed on.
The giant struggled to find the words but eventually replied, "The real world."
Hao Gongming sighed, realizing that this was not the real world. All these disparate bubbles and different worlds were mere illusions and dreams.
"The real world should not be a multiverse like this. It should be a singular existence that encompasses all kinds of power simultaneously and is truly boundless. The worlds here are finite and small for high-level existences," she concluded.
She released the enslaved fourth-step giant and proceeded to modify the slavery skill once again. This time, she rewrote it as follows:
Temporary Slavery: The host can temporarily enslave a fifth-step being for 10 minutes. The host cannot request anything that harms the target or is overly burdensome. This ability can be used once a month (-596 reality points).
Hao Gongming smiled and teleported to the location of a fifth-step giant, the whereabouts of which she obtained from her previous fourth-step slave.
The fifth-step giant stood tall, resembling a galaxy in size. Its majestic appearance was beyond comprehension. Before the giant could react, the enslavement mark fell upon it, and Hao Gongming successfully enslaved it. This time, with limited time at hand, Hao Gongming began firing questions rapidly.
"What is the root realm?" she asked.
The giant responded in a complex language that fortunately Hao Gongming could comprehend.
"The root realm is the preparation for entering reality," the giant explained.
"How does one find a root to consume?" she asked.
"Some worlds are special and contain fragments of the root. By discovering these worlds and reaching their cores, one can consume the root and become a root themselves. However, these worlds are exceedingly rare and well-concealed. To even have a chance, one must be at the peak of the 5th step, as the power of the root would otherwise prove fatal. The best hope for acquiring a fragment is to gain the favor of 'The Great Tall,' who bestows roots upon loyal Giants."
She nodded and continued asking, "Then, what is this place we are in?"
"It is the breeding ground for talented individuals," the giant revealed.
Seeking more information, she asked, "Who is responsible for the breeding?"
"Everyone. The breeding ground is favored by all factions, so there is a collective agreement. Giants who become root and break through the soil go to the Giant Camp, while humans who do the same go to the Human Camp. In reality, there is only one world that is endless and accommodates all forms of magic. There is no suppression whatsoever; that is the real world, and all else is fake," the giant explained.
Eager to understand the dynamics, she asked, "Who is the chief in that world?"
"There is no chief. There is no single strongest individual. Progression in realms must be achieved collectively, so one person cannot rule everything," the giant replied.
Yearning for further clarification, Hao Gongming pressed on, "Please explain in more detail."
The giant struggled but eventually responded, "In the real world, there are unbreakable rules. One of those rules dictates that for a higher realm to be unlocked, all races that meet the conditions must cultivate an individual to the peak of the previous realm. Only then will the new realm open up."
Curious about the origin of these rules, she asked, "Who established these rules?"
The giant struggled to provide an answer, indicating that he did not know. He simply replied, "That's the unanswered question for eternity. Everyone wants to know the answer. That's why they train talented individuals from all races—to unlock higher realms."
Sensing her time running out, Hao Gongming posed her final question, "How many cultivation steps have been unlocked thus far?"
The giant replied, "I have heard of eleven, but I'm not entirely sure."
With her allotted time coming to an end, Hao Gongming promptly teleported away. Now that she was far away, she began testing a loophole.
In her previous skill, she had included a restriction of once a month use to reduce the cost. However, she realized she could delete the skill and recreate it. And so she did.
She deleted the Temporary Slavery skill and recreated it.
"It really works!" she exclaimed, filled with extreme happiness. The waiting period disappeared, and if she desired, she could enslave the giant again for another 10 minutes. "The system is truly powerful," she thought to herself.
Then, a crazy idea crossed her mind...
...
In this world, the sky was always cloudy, but it never rained.
The ground was rocky, and only a few species could survive in such harsh conditions. There were rock dwarves, gnomes, and even rock dragons, among many others.
However, regardless of the species, they were all slaves to their lord, Gray.
He was the absolute master of this cave world and would often spend his free time here.
Located at the center of this vast cave world, which was larger than many legitimate worlds combined, stood a grand castle. It was known as the Gray Castle by everyone who laid eyes upon it.
Constructed from gray rock, it held great renown. Within its walls, Gray conducted his important projects.
At that moment, in one of the castle's crucial rooms, Gray was studying a peculiar-looking rock.
The rock appeared ancient, with a distinct mark engraved upon it.
"This rock is an actual drop of blood from the creature," he murmured.
The creature referred to the world that possessed the bloodstones—it was one and the same. All bloodstones were comprised of cells from that creature and contained fragments of its power.
However, this particular rock was a true drop of its blood, surpassing the decayed cells in potency by far.
"If I consume this, I will be affected by it and become tainted," Gray contemplated.
"I might end up like 'The Grand,' immensely powerful but practically resembling a robot, or perhaps like the Lord of Bones with multiple personalities. It's too risky."
"The true path lies in purity," Gray determined.
"I cannot contaminate myself with the creature's blood. I must be patient and allow the purification process to occur gradually."
He had a grand plan, a scheme of immense proportions.
The energy emanating from this creature was not only potent for cultivators but also for entire worlds. His plan entailed channeling this polluted source energy into various worlds, allowing them to absorb the chaos while he would extract the true essence without contamination.
Being a root level powerhouse with pure origin, he believed that acquiring sufficient pure origin power would enable him to emerge from the soil and enter the true world.
"Let me ponder... This drop of blood is simply too potent. If I were to allow the world core of the Wizard World to absorb it, the entire world would descend into madness, disrupting its laws. So, let us bestow it upon the Abyss! The world core there is already partially tainted and can purify the energy of this drop far more effectively."
He lamented the missed opportunity presented by that woman. With her powers, he could have directly opened portals to the core of the Abyss and many other worlds. What a pity.
Regarding how that woman acquired her powers, he was certain.
"Those who reside outside the soil must have granted them to her! It is not unprecedented in history to encounter individuals who are blessed in such ways. Perhaps she has gained favor from a powerful being beyond the 10th step or for some other unfathomable reason."
The laws within the real world were utterly inflexible.
Anyone desiring to reach the 10th step had to commence their journey from the soil.
For this reason, many resorted to taking their own lives, willingly diving into the soil in search of a chance at the 10th step. Gray himself was no exception.
Originally born in the real world, he had progressed to the 9th step. However, after countless years, he had been unable to breach the threshold of the 10th step.
Thus, he resolved to embark on this path. Without reaching the 10th step, one remained a mere chess piece, but beyond the 10th step, one became the chess player.
Such was the allure that many in the 9th step didn't hesitate to make the sacrifice.
Once within the soil, one could not bring anything along, including past memories and techniques, except for the most fundamental recollections such as the fact that they were born in the real world and chose to reincarnate.
Only individuals at the 10th step and above had the opportunity to assist one member in each cycle. Unfortunately, Gray didn't have anyone at the 10th step who was willing to help him.
Death within the soil was real, far removed from any game.
However, Gray found himself trapped at the 6th step, unable to progress due to the scarcity of resources within the soil.
"Alright, let us set our plan in motion. I intend to launch a direct invasion of the Abyss and eliminate the original sin!"
Despite both being at the 6th step, Gray was significantly older and stronger than the original sin, giving him confidence in his ability to eliminate her with his special skills.
However, just as he was preparing to stow away the blood drop and proceed to the Abyss world, a slavery mark, cast by a certain woman, suddenly fell upon him.