'Mhhh, I feel so refreshed. What is this fresh, cool feeling coursing through my body? It's so dense... Qi,' Azrael murmured as he opened his eyes, awe filling his heart. "Is this the same Ebonhold?"
The ground was covered in emerald grass that glimmered softly, and vibrant flowers he had never seen before dotted the landscape. The usual barren, lifeless Ebonhold had transformed into something utterly unrecognizable, brimming with vitality and Qi.
"WAUHHH! STOP CHASING ME!"
Azrael turned his head to see his clansmen laughing and playing together, running after one another like children their age should. The sight was foreign yet heartwarming.
The lush flora and vibrant atmosphere amplified the sense of peace, and seeing the smiles on their faces brought an unfamiliar but welcome smile to his face.
"What is that annoying smile on your face? I haven't seen you smile in years. It's weird," a familiar voice teased.
Azrael turned to see Uriel, who had also just woken up. Instead of responding with their usual banter, he reached out and patted her head with a prideful grin.
"Kyaaaa! You ugly bastard! Stop touching my hair!" Uriel yelled, blushing as she playfully ruffled Azrael's hair in retaliation.
The others continued to enjoy the moment, their bodies fully rested and their minds clearer than ever. The peace was intoxicating, and for once, they could truly be children.
Bzip!
A figure suddenly appeared behind Azrael and Uriel. Both immediately stood up and backed away, reacting instinctively to the surge of danger.
"0.5 seconds to cover 5 meters... not bad, if—"
"Oh, it's you," Uriel cut in, her tone dripping with disdain as she recognized the intruder. "What is this masochist doing here? Is he actually trying to be serious with that ridiculous pose?"
Azazel stood before them, his celestial cultivation attire enhancing his otherworldly aura. He struck a flamboyant pose, his hands raised dramatically toward the sky as though declaring the very light illuminating Ebonhold was fortunate to bask in his presence.
"Tsk, I thought you'd be happy to see me," Azazel sighed theatrically before ascending into the sky until he hovered above the descendants of the Demiurge clan.
"I'm sure many of you have questions," Azazel declared, his voice echoing with grandeur. "Why has this handsome senior, the very embodiment of beauty, graced you unworthy beings with his presence?"
He paused to savor the confused gazes directed at him before snapping his fingers. A massive rift tore open in the sky, releasing countless small, golden, cube-like artifacts that descended near each descendant.
Curiosity piqued, Azrael touched one. Its texture was peculiar, shifting between solid and liquid, and it radiated a faint sense of life.
"Now," Azazel continued, "let me explain everything you've endured up to this moment."
He gestured toward the artifact. "This item is called an Apex Conduit. It is a soul-type artifact that binds with the soul of its user." His explanation was accompanied by a wide smile that made Uriel shudder slightly.
"The Apex Conduit requires countless conditions to bind, but most of these have already been fulfilled through the trials you endured within the Ebonhold. Willpower, desire, bloodlust, the spark of your bloodline—all of these and more have now become a part of you."
Azazel's expression turned serious. "The reason you weren't allowed to cultivate properly was for this moment. The Apex Conduit needed you to forge yourselves through struggle and endurance."
With a flick of his hand, a small needle pricked the thumbs of every descendant. Tiny drops of blood hovered in the air above them.
"To bind with the Apex Conduit, you must give it a drop of your blood and a name—a name that resonates with you, one that is genuine and meaningful," Azazel concluded, sitting cross-legged in the air with a calm gaze.
Azrael stared at the artifact before him, his thoughts swirling.
'A name... It does feel alive. Giving it a name makes sense'
"I give you the name Pure Seraph," Uriel's voice rang out, breaking his thoughts. Azrael turned to see her Apex Conduit absorbing the drop of blood before merging into her chest.
"I name you Judgement Brahmavira," Teng announced next, his Apex Conduit following suit.
One by one, the descendants named their artifacts:
"Calamity."
"Zero Force."
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."
"Emiori."
Azrael watched as joy and relief spread among his clansmen. Finally, he looked down at his own Apex Conduit. A name came to him, unbidden but clear.
"END Requiem."
As soon as Azrael muttered the drop of his blood began to bind with his Apex Conduit and as soon as it finished it entered his chest.
"It feels dor-"
"Dormant, yes, yes. The last reward for your endurance," added Azazel as he raised his hand. With a deliberate motion, he pointed his finger, and countless streaks of light shot forth, weaving through the air with radiant precision.
The lights entered the glabella of each descendant, their luminous energy gently sinking into their sea of consciousness, settling there like a quiet ember, dormant yet brimming with untapped potential.
The descendants instinctively touched their foreheads, sensing the faint warmth left behind. Azazel's smirk widened as he watched their reactions, satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
'It is...a cultivation technique, [Celestial Ascension Codex] what an overbearing name it tempers the body while refining the internal Qi simultaneously making it suitable for body cultivation and internal cultivation ' Azrael concluded with awe as he analysed the technique
The Celestial Ascension Codex is a standard but high-grade cultivation technique that simultaneously refines the body and internal being.
Unlike more extraordinary techniques, such as those that accelerate one's intake of Qi and more, the Celestial Ascension Codex focuses on cultivating the practitioner's physical form and mental state.
The technique allows the practitioner to absorb Qi from the environment, tempering both the body and mind in parallel. Though it does not offer extraordinary abilities at first, it provides a steady, noticeable improvement in strength and clarity.
"What are you waiting for? Start cultivating!" urged Azazel, noticing the confused gazes of the descendants.
Azrael, taking a deep breath, thought ' Okay, 1, 2, 3... whooosh' He began to breathe in Qi and channel his technique.
Spiritual Qi flooded into his body, coursing through his meridians like a dense wave. As the Qi neared his Dantian, it not only filled it but also concentrated, tempering his body through his technique.
Though he was lost in the trance of cultivation, Azrael could sense the changes in his Dantian. The Qi continued to fill and refine him, and with each passing moment, he felt himself progressing.
In just a few seconds, he entered the third stage of body tempering. But the cultivation didn't stop there.
The more Qi he absorbed, the higher his cultivation climbed. The process was relentless. As time passed, seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, and hours to days.
Days eventually stretched into months, each one bringing Azrael closer to a new level of strength.
"How greedy can you be "
"What the hell"
Many of the descendants of the Demiurge clan, including Teng, stopped cultivating—not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't.
Azrael and Uriel, due to the exceptional grade of their spiritual roots, absorbed Qi at an incredibly fast rate.
This created a vortex of spiritual Qi around them, pulling in energy at a pace that far outstripped those with lower-grade roots.
As a result, the Qi in the vicinity was quickly consumed by Azrael and Uriel, leaving little to nothing for the other descendants.
"Senior, how are we supposed to cultivate if they don't even leave a single drop of Qi for us?" the frustrated descendants cried, turning to Azazel for a solution. He, however, simply ignored them, his focus solely on Azrael and Uriel.
Peak 6th stage of the body tempering realm.
Initial 7th stage of the body tempering realm.
Their cultivation bases rose steadily, moving in perfect synchronization. The Qi flowing through them was so perfectly harmonized that their growth seemed inevitable. And then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
They reached the initial 1st stage of Qi refinement realm
"What happened to all the Qi? Why do I sense killing intent from you guys?" Azrael and Uriel asked simultaneously, their eyes snapping open as they noticed the angry expressions of their fellow clansmen.
"Uhhh, brother, I think we're the ones who took all the Qi. Look at our cultivation bases, and then look at theirs," Uriel whispered to Azrael, her tone awkward.
"NO WAY!!! THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, AM I REALLY THAT TALENTED?" Azrael roared, scanning the cultivation bases of his clansmen.
While Teng had reached the initial 7th stage of the body tempering realm, many were at the 6th, some at the 5th, and one was at the 3rd. The one at the 3rd stage had the most intense killing intent.
"It is what it is," Azazel sighed, his voice nonchalant. He snapped his fingers, and shadows twisted into a portal, opening a path that allowed them to leave the Ebonhold.
...
[A/N: Basics of the Apex Conduit have been posted in the Auxiliary chapters, they will be properly developed as the story continues]