Devour.
It was an innate ability, unique to Sam alone, a power that set him apart from all others.
With this extraordinary gift, Sam could Devour any living or organic being and assimilate their abilities, spiritual energy, and even divine powers into himself.
As Helena, Lorraine, Sophia, and Amelia watched in stunned amazement, the thousands of diverse spiritual beast corpses disappeared into the vortex that had manifested.
Among these lifeless creatures, the weakest was at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm, while the mightiest ones hailed from the peak stage of the Paradise Realm.
Remarkably, a couple of lower-stage Battle Monarch Realm beasts were also among the vanishing corpses.
Consider the sheer magnitude of spiritual energy contained within those lifeless forms.
Now contemplate the strides Sam could make in his cultivation with this vast reservoir of spiritual energy.
Sensing the spiritual energy surging within him, Sam immediately assumed a lotus position and activated his cultivation technique, the Nine Celestial Revolutions Sutra, to refine the newfound spiritual energy within his body.
As he closed his eyes, he could feel his body greedily absorbing the spiritual energy at an accelerated pace compared to before.
[Physique: Mystic Voidheart Harmonic Physique (Assimilation: 99.99%)]
A tremor ran through Sam's body as the intricate dao patterns surrounding him intensified. The halted process of physique assimilation reignited, devouring the energies it could detect within Sam's body with an insatiable hunger.
Simultaneously, his cultivation level advanced to the next stage. He had now constructed a total of six levels of Dao Foundations. To attain the Supreme Daoist Foundation Establishment Realm, he needed to complete three more levels.
His body emitted waves of energy, with dao rhythms swirling around him like a tempest, with Sam at the epicenter.
[Physique: Mystic Voidheart Harmonic Physique (Assimilation: 100.00%)]
As the assimilation reached its culmination, an immense ray of light burst forth from Sam's body, soaring skyward as if attempting to pierce the very heavens themselves.
The luminous beam struck the sky with unparalleled force, shattering the clouds and unveiling a vast expanse of brilliant blue and white. Sam's presence had transformed the atmosphere around him, with his body continuously emanating radiant patterns of light, repeatedly striking the heavens.
The entire vicinity around Sam teemed with a mesmerizing array of Dao rhythms and patterns, representing an abundance of diverse Daos.
Soon, the brilliant light expanded to envelop the entire sky, resembling an ocean of radiance. And with this transformation came a series of extraordinary phenomena that began to unfold across the skies of the Azure Dragon Continent.
Every living being on the continent beheld these mysterious occurrences in the heavens. A multitude of Dao manifestations materialized in the sky, captivating the attention of various factions throughout the Azure Dragon Continent, both virtuous and malevolent alike.
Various manifestations graced the skies, each representing a distinct Dao. Brilliant swords of varying sizes and shapes levitated in the heavens, a manifestation of the Dao of Sword.
A golden-white Buddha statue appeared, an embodiment of the Dao of Buddhism.
Suddenly, a surge of intense energy emanated from the point where the initial ray of light had pierced the sky.
Another manifestation materialized, revealing a grim scene of men locked in combat against one another. There were cries, bloodshed, and death—a vivid depiction brought about by the Dao of War.
Helena and Lorraine watched in astonishment, their eyes fixed on these awe-inspiring manifestations. "Is that...?" Helena began to inquire, recognizing a particular manifestation they were intimately familiar with.
This particular manifestation depicted the image of an empress adorned with a majestic crown. She stood alone, her countenance bewitching, her gaze serene and indifferent. Suddenly, a colossal wave of energy surged forth from her, freezing all living and non-living entities in its path. The empress stood proudly, her crown gleaming high—a manifestation of the Dao of Frozen Soul.
As time passed, an increasing number of manifestations representing a myriad of Daos began to grace the sky, adorning it with their majestic presence.
...
The entirety of the Azure Dragon Continent bore witness to the mesmerizing and enigmatic phenomena unfolding in the skies.
"What's happening?"
"Have the gods finally descended upon us?"
"What kind of being could be responsible for such remarkable occurrences?"
Ordinary cultivators gazed upwards as if the very deities they prayed to had manifested before their eyes. They exchanged a flurry of thoughts and speculations, trying to comprehend the spectacle unfolding above them.
Meanwhile, more seasoned cultivators, well-versed in the workings of the Heavenly Dao of the universe, recognized that this was not the work of gods but rather that of a mortal.
"Hehe, it appears change is imminent."
"The Heavenly Dao will never forsake us. The resurgence of cultivators is nigh."
"We shall patiently await the moment when the one behind these manifestations reveals themselves to us."
...
Within the Hailstorm Clan Territory, Takashi's eyes were fixed on the daoist manifestations in the sky. "This... this is..."
'Could this be the young master's doing? What did he undergo to evoke such phenomena? What kind of awakening could have caused these manifestations?' Takashi mumbled aloud, his astonishment getting the better of him.
His words did not go unnoticed by the Matriarch, who stood beside him, nor by the members of the Hailstorm Clan, all of whom were watching the unfolding wonders with a myriad of expressions.
"The Mystic Voidheart Harmonic Physique," the Matriarch whispered under her breath, but her words reached the ears of everyone present, leaving them utterly astounded.
"Takashi, tell me, where is he?" The Matriarch gasped for breath. "Where is my grandson? Did he cause this?"
"G-Grandson?" Everyone present was left utterly bewildered.
'Did the Matriarch just say 'my grandson'?' they murmured amongst themselves in confusion. To their knowledge, the Matriarch had only one descendant, her granddaughter, Sophia Hailstorm.
Despite their puzzlement, none dared to question her, for they harbored a deep-seated fear of incurring her wrath.
"Respected Matriarch," Takashi spoke up, "I believe the young master is the one responsible for these manifestations." He wasn't entirely certain, but witnessing the myriad of Dao patterns and hymns emanating from his young master's body had led him to believe Sam might be the catalyst behind these occurrences.
The Matriarch gazed in the direction where a brilliant light pierced the sky. "My grandson?" Without another word, she propelled herself forward, flying toward the source of the manifestations.
The Patriarch of the Hailstorm Clan watched his wife's departure and swiftly followed suit. He, too, sensed that the origin of these manifestations lay ahead.
In fact, numerous forces across the Azure Dragon continent were converging on the same location, drawn by the remarkable occurrences in the sky.
...
[A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider supporting it with a few Power Stones. And if you absolutely loved it, you can even contribute a Golden Ticket. Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much! - Arigato! 🙏]