The hours passed slowly, and soon, three full days followed. Both clans were settled, eager for the next orders from their new leaders, but everyone really knew that there was only one figure orchestrating everything.
After things calmed down, all the thousands of cultivators from both clans had time to digest all those rapid changes. Soon, even those who witnessed the battle in the area felt strange. All those newly arrived humans had a lower cultivation than them, and despite all the anomalies, there should be some explanation for all of it.
But soon, everyone simply forcibly accepted that new reality. There were no great hopes for the two clans beyond staying at the bottom forever. And irrationally, everyone felt that figure was the only way to turn things around.
In the deepest underground of the clan, next to the demonic diagram, the whale was alone. They touched that strange rune for everyone, but for them, it was something very similar and familiar.
’Are you sure you managed to affect the minds of everyone you infused with the power of faith before?’ Alm asked seriously. ’If they betray us after we’ve lost so much time and resources, I’ll refine their lives, and you won’t stop me.’
’This power of faith is still an unknown, but in this, I’m sure. I feel like I’m in a game, and I’ve converted them to my religion.’ Bruno sighed, responding, then continued.
’This power is invisible to almost everyone, so it was easy to invade their minds. After doing incomprehensible and out-of-their-reality things, thanks to the power, everyone’s mind seems inclined to accept us. Of course, this is like giving them a very positive initial impression, giving them hope for something intangible.’
Bruno then paused, contemplating something. ’Over time, rational thinking will surely kick in; we have to work to solidify that. If we do the impossible again, we’ll mark them deeply, and they will contribute to increasing our power as devoted followers.’
Alm scoffed dryly, and the space in front of them warped. Soon, Calirer appeared, bringing Ruri and Runula, who were very close, holding hands. The whale looked directly into Runula’s eyes and nodded in satisfaction. Now, there was a dormant, hidden power in her; the core was fully assimilated. And her talent and pure power were multiplied several times.
As for Ruri, she wasn’t with Deryu; she was using the basic beast tamer technique they bought from the evil cultivators some time ago. With this technique, a small space inside a spatial ring was connected to Ruri, like a small world. It was a small and cramped place, but her pet could settle in there and receive Ruri’s Qi to stay healthy.
Deryu just ate anything he found and slept all day. The entire gigantic body of the former leader of the Serpent Wings clan was almost entirely devoured by him. But Ruri made sure to make Runula eat a little alongside her pet. She was making an effort to make them get along.
"Sir, I brought the diagram of my clan," Runula spoke extremely nervously, waving as she did. Then, a second rune floated near him.
"Great, come here," Bruno said, waving for her to approach.
Runula’s face turned pale, and she glanced subtly at Ruri by her side, nervous. This was already playing with death. But, contrary to her impression, Ruri gently let go of her hand and gave her a pat on the shoulder, encouraging her.
Runula then took trembling steps forward. The whale only watched expressionlessly, and Ruri smiled awkwardly. Ruri then felt how excessive she had been before and now regretted it a bit. Runula took two steps from the whale in extreme fear.
Thud!
Her short and clumsy legs somehow collided with each other. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but the whale took a step and caught her in his arms. Runula then grabbed the large, soft belly.
At that moment, the whale’s eyebrows twisted, and he stood Runula up, releasing her immediately. In the background, only Ruri’s twisted smile remained cold. If there was regret in her, it was another matter now.
The whale snorted and closed his eyes, ignoring it. He touched the demon diagram of the Serpent Wings clan with one hand and, with the other, touched the top of Runua’s head. Immediately, the Yin and Yang tattoos lit up, and Runula felt something being transferred to her.
But in the same second, Runula felt an increasingly bloodthirsty gaze on her back. A cold sweat ran down her spine, along with a tremor.
"...master, it seems I can’t afford any lapses..." Ruri muttered tensely. She knew it wasn’t that. But it seemed the whale was patting the head of another girl.
Tense minutes passed, then the whale withdrew his hand and opened his eyes, saying, "With this, I have connected you more deeply to everyone in your clan. Later, I will use you..." Bruno stopped when he felt Ruri gripping her katana and gave her a stern look. "...I will help you use this rune better. First, gather all the strongest and prepare for the hellish training they will undergo, getting to know their individual powers."
Runula nodded firmly and quickly headed to Calirer’s side with all the speed she could muster. Amidst despair, her legs did not falter; the instinct for survival acted like a miracle. Calirer simply opened the formation behind her, allowing Runula to depart immediately. Even Calirer found it prudent to keep her away for now.
The whale sighed and waved to the sulking Ruri. She simply jumped on them and grabbed their arm. Then, they turned to Calirer, who looked at them strangely.
"I can manipulate some of these diagrams and activate some of their capabilities. For the half-wyverns, who are already powerful, just raising their cultivation and disciplining them is sufficient. But the half-demons of your clan are really weak. If it weren’t for the fact that the half-wyverns have limited intelligence, the difference between you would be like heaven and earth."
Calirer smiled bitterly; that was well known to her. In terms of physical power, attack power, and speed, everything in the half-wyverns was greater. Her clan was comparable only because of the technique and intelligence. The half-wyverns didn’t know how to use their overwhelming power effectively. And when comparing their technique to that of other clans, without the pure lineage, it was well below average.
The whale sat down, sighing, and crossed its legs. Meanwhile, Ruri hugged its belly, and stroking her head, they continued.
"That technique I taught you before. You felt the resemblance to your clan’s technique, right?"
Calirer nodded, and they continued.
"I created it based on the elementary level of your clan’s technique and added other concepts from other powerful demon races I encountered."
Calirer’s eyes became serious. He created it? She thought, startled. The technique he taught her was the most deadly and powerful thing she had ever seen. Not even the techniques of the most powerful clans were at that level.
"Now that I have the complete Life Devouring Manifestation, I realized that the technique I created is very close to the Manifestation of Will. So, I merged the techniques and enhanced it." The whale said calmly, but in that second, the sound of Calirer’s heartbeat was so strong that even Ruri let go of the whale and looked at her smiling.
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"Anyway, that’s not all. I used the same principle and added other concepts to all the manifestations." The whale continued expressionlessly. "Since I don’t have your bloodline, I made them not require as much soul power. In theory, everyone should be able to use my version, but it’s not complete yet. That’s why I called you; you’ll be the guinea pig."
Calirer was incredulous and didn’t know what to think, so the whale motioned for her to come closer. Soon, it transferred the first manifestation directly into her mind. When Calirer opened her eyes, she almost fell backward.
"Try to learn and use it; we have time. I’ll shape it and decrease the difficulty, using you as a base." The whale spoke gently, and Calirer nodded, unable to say a word.
So, four days were slowly passing by. The new technique of the Soul Eater clan was finally refined to the extreme with Calirer’s help.
The first manifestation, the ’Instinct Manifestation,’ initially used infernal laws to enhance physical capabilities. Alm and Bruno didn’t add a demonic principle but rather the first step of physical cultivation: Strength Training.
When Calirer finally understood and used it, her entire body seemed to emanate a power many times greater. Of course, the amount of infernal laws used was staggering, and she could only keep it active for a short time. But when compared to the previous Instinct Manifestation, this new one seemed to be hundreds of times more powerful.
The second manifestation, the ’Will Manifestation,’ used Yin to attack. It was basically the principle of the technique Alm and Bruno created, and Calirer used it to kill the Serpent Wings clan leader. So, they simply adapted it to be closer to the original. This slightly increased its efficiency and made it easier for others to learn. Now, it was a slashing strike that should be used with a weapon, and its raw power was something abnormal.
The third manifestation, the ’Greed Manifestation,’ combined soul power with Yin and infernal laws to attract and refine the other’s soul. Alm wanted to enhance the technique’s refining ability, extending it to the bodies, but Bruno refused.
In the end, they improved it using the principle of the Yin collecting rune. The technique could now refine Yin for the body, aiding in cultivation. In a fight, this could increase the amount of usable QI. Within the abyss, filled with Yin, this ability should dramatically boost usable QI for everyone.
The fourth manifestation, the ’Inner Manifestation,’ was the most complex. It could create clones using soul power as the main source. But the lack of a demonic bloodline, which provided soul power, was an insurmountable barrier.
In the end, Alm had a different idea. What if they used the principles of techniques from demonic beasts? After all, everyone was hybrids, and the overwhelming majority had beastly blood in their veins. Instead of using only the soul, Yin, and infernal laws, they added the power of the bloodline.
They tested it themselves, and with just a brief attempt, they felt that something frightening was manifesting from their veins. But, to their dismay, no matter what they did, Calirer couldn’t use it. She was half-human and half-demon. There was no beastly bloodline to use, and a significant percentage of the clan members were the same.
On the last day, a bold idea came with words from Ruri, who was observing everything. "If she can’t use it alone, just join forces with another to help her. Master and I do that and fight together using that golden power."
Thus, Runula returned, and the whale, still skeptical, adapted the technique. Calirer needed to connect her soul directly with Runula, leaving her completely vulnerable, requiring an extraordinary trust between the two.
Shortly after, on the surface, the entire clan felt a frenetic tremor in their souls. For a brief moment, a draconic bloodline emerged in the world as if a god descended to earth. The new technique was a success.