Looking at the direction where the young woman had disappeared, the young man felt a rush of relief flood through his body.
The relief, however, was short-lived, for he knew all too well that despite their shared status as runic cultivators, the gulf between them was like the expanse between heaven and earth.
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"So, you’re not a member of the church!" a voice pierced through the silent forest, its tone icy and emotionless.
The young man heart quickened its pace as his gaze locked onto the figure emerging from behind a screen of lush green trees. The sight of a silver-haired man, clad in a regal black robe that billowed around him, sent shivers down the young man’s spine.
"Who are you?" the young man’s voice trembled, his cautious tone betraying his heightened senses.
He extended his ’Ethereal Will’, in attempt to assess the the silver-haired man cultivation base.
A flicker of surprise danced in the young man’s eyes, a fleeting emotion quickly supplanted by a simmering contempt and disdain.
"So, here I thought you were some powerful expert," the young man sneered, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Turned out that you are just an ant at the Rune Channeling Realm."
Liang, the silver-haired man, merely offered a wry smile in response, the corners of his lips curled with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction.
He knew all too well the limitations imposed by his current cultivation level, hovering as he did at the late stage of the Rune Channeling Realm, despite this he didn’t care for he is an Omnicolor Paragon.
Waving his hand with a flourish, Liang’s fingers moved gracefully, guiding the ethereal energy and shaping it into intricate black runes. As if defying known laws of physics, the runes materialized in the air, forming an interweaving pattern that seemed to dance with otherworldly energy. The speed at which they appeared and encircled the young man left him awestruck and incapable of mustering even a flicker of resistance.
Each rune possessed an enigmatic aura, their twisted lines and curves etched with a dark elegance that conveyed both beauty and malevolence. They glowed with an ominous intensity, their otherworldly luminescence casting eerie shadows on the young man’s face. An unnerving silence settled around them, punctuated only by the boy’s increasingly frantic breaths.
As the realization dawned on him that the runes were beyond his comprehension, an unsettling mixture of fear and confusion twisted his features into an ugly expression of despair. These were unlike any runes he had ever encountered, their origin and purpose shrouded in mystery.
A tremor coursed through the air, and the black runes suddenly emitted a chilling glow. An ethereal darkness enshrouded each symbol, as if it were holding within it a potent, boundless power. One by one, the runes unleashed a wicked ray of light, sharp and penetrating, that struck the young man’s body with precision.
A searing pain lanced through his limbs, rendering him immobile, his body locked in an invisible vice that seemed to bind him to the very essence of the earth itself. The tendrils of energy emanating from the runes coiled around him, cocooning him in an inescapable web of confinement.
Liang’s lips curled into a sadistic smile, his eyes glinting with a malicious glee as he witnessed the young man’s anguish. Struggling against the invisible bindings, the young man mustered every ounce of strength to lift his head and utter a desperate plea.
"What kind of rune is this?" he managed to gasp, his voice thick with desperation and fear.
Liang’s smile widened, revealing a glint of triumph in his eyes. "It’s an oblivion rune," he replied, relishing the hopelessness etched across the young man’s face.
As the young man’s hope dwindled, Liang’s malevolent gaze shifted, revealing another rune pulsating with ghostly gray light. This rune, known as the soul projection rune, seemed to possess an ethereal presence that sent shivers down the young man’s spine. With a chilling whisper of air, the rune positioned itself beside the young man’s exposed forehead, emanating an air of otherworldly intimacy.
The young man’s breath caught, his heart pounding in his chest as he anticipated what was to come. The rune pressed against his forehead, breaching the fragile barriers of his mind with a profound sense of violation. In an instant, his consciousness was laid bare, his memories, thoughts, and innermost secrets exposed to the voracious hunger of the rune.
Time seemed to crawl as the rune delved deeper, enigmatic tendrils snaking their way through the labyrinth of his mind. The young man convulsed, his body wracked with spasms as the rune plundered his very essence. Images danced before his eyes, fragmented memories torn from him with merciless disregard.
Finally, the rune surfaced, its ethereal light dimming as it carried within it the stolen fragments of the young man’s self. It floated back to Liang, merging harmoniously with the network of runes imprinted upon his own forehead.
A few minutes passed as Liang sifted through the newfound information, his eyes gleaming with a mix of amusement and intrigue. Despite the young man’s inferior status as a mere Runic Transmutation expert, the knowledge he possessed held unexpected depth and significance.
Intriguingly enough, the most tantalizing piece of information concerned the young woman who had departed just moments ago.
After moments of contemplation, Liang snapped his fingers, causing the soul projection rune to materialize once more. This time, it split into two separate entities, its ethereal essence dividing itself willingly. One portion obediently hovered near the young man’s forehead, while the other gently rested within the palm of Liang’s awaiting hand.
With a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, the young man’s eyes fluttered open, but their spark of vitality had been extinguished. They now held a vacant emptiness, devoid of the flames of individuality.
"Stay here and complete your mission," Liang’s voice resonated with an unwavering authority, his every word commanding obedience. "But remember, call me before summoning the girl next time."
The young man nodded, his movements submissively deferential.