Outside the Realm of Sea, hundreds of the most powerful demons from the major abyssal clans surrounded that dome with tense looks. No one could find an explanation for how the human, along with two demonic clans, managed to enter the realm, even though it was closed.
The emperor himself, upon receiving the news, roared, claiming it to be impossible, and personally investigated the place. Everyone there felt a large group of hybrids enter the dome before their arrival, coupled with the intense fluctuations of the nearby laws, there was no doubt.
Then, suddenly, an immeasurable and indescribable divine power surged into the world. Thousands of weaker demons died without any chance of defense; if the demon emperor were not present, everyone would have died. Soon, as quickly as it came, that presence disappeared.
Leaving everything more abnormal and impossible; the dense blue and the few water laws leaking from the realm vanished completely...
It was amid this tension and doubt that everyone felt the shake coming from the skies and turned upwards, a little surprised; it was a celestial tribulation.
The cultivator could be below the earth, beneath the sea, in a world separated by spatial laws... but none of that mattered. If there was Qi or life, celestial lightning would pierce through all barriers and strike its target; if anyone tried to interfere or even stood too close to the primary target, they would be marked and suffer celestial retaliation. This was a law that all cultivators knew.
Inside the Realm of Sea, Alm cursed mentally, and Bruno awakened with a strange and slightly surprised look.
’Well... while reading that demonic technique, I saw many similarities with the infernal wings and with the symbol of the evil god that we received. The founder of the sect and creator of this technique also received the same symbol as us and based on it to create the technique.’ Bruno said awkwardly. ’So, I made some adaptations, and... I really didn’t expect to succeed on the first try...’
’You impulsive bastard!’ Alm grumbled. ’Luckily, we were alone here, and no one was affected. Let’s finish this quickly!’
Bruno nodded, and the whale leaped into the sky swiftly. The initially gray and cloudless abyssal skies were now covered with dark clouds. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed.
Everyone inside the realm saw the whale rise to the skies, and upon seeing those clouds, they were alarmed. That was a tribulation larger than most experienced when crossing the Elemental Condensation Realm!
The divine being was just a cultivator in the Core Formation Realm, why were the heavens marking him? Everyone thought in shock...
But, in the next second, they nodded in agreement. Even the heavens feel threatened by that divine presence! Everyone thought in synchrony.
Quickly, everyone felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them, and they became even more frightened. The dominion of the tribulation was expanding rapidly... if this continued, everyone would be affected for being too close.
’Fuck, can’t wait. Our karma is immense, and this will be dangerous for everyone in this enclosed place.’ Bruno said quickly.
Alm didn’t hesitate and activated the infernal rune. The entire body of the whale was covered in a scarlet aura, then a punch rose and split the clouds. This time, contrary to expectations, the skies immediately collapsed in all directions, as if they didn’t want to give the whale any chance of defense.
BOOM!
The lightning struck the whale, and when that furious power penetrated its body, Bruno activated the Yang tattoo. However, Alm felt the still active infernal rune vibrate. So, sensing the strangeness of it, he activated his tattoo but commanded the rune in unison.
The whale coughed up blood as they plummeted from the sky. The earth cracked upon the impact of their bodies along with the furious power. Then, everything faded away, as if it had never happened.
In a few seconds, the whale rose from within the earth. Its body was charred, and it could even smell the roasting of its own fatty flesh. But its eyes gleamed with excitement.
Bruno said lightly, ’In the end, now we have two runes...’
’Not just that,’ Alm interjected, laughing sinisterly. ’My Yin tattoo didn’t convert the tribulation energy. Everything was absorbed directly into another place.’
The heart of the whale pounded violently with Bruno controlling it; then he focused on the core of the body. Inside, he saw two runes: one celestial blue... and the other next to it, scarlet, pulsating with a terrifying density.
Alm then added, ’Yes, it seems like the collector technique has reached another level now. Not only do we have multiple runes, but we can use the tattoos to absorb celestial power, refine it again, and upgrade them.’
Both of them were immensely excited, focused on the two runes in their core as their bodies regenerated visibly, thanks to their physical cultivation.
At that moment, Ruri shot like lightning with a new set of clothes in hand... and neither of them even noticed that she was dressing them quickly.
Only one thing was on their minds: they already had a terrifying karma to deal with; now, using the heavens directly, this was an unabashed affront. The next time they were marked... tribulation? They would be happy to just receive a celestial punishment.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
***
A day later, everyone from both clans gathered, and the sacred and round being approached everyone with a smiling girl holding its arm intimately. All watched the two with expectations, and then Bruno’s words echoed.
"From today on..." Bruno began a random speech he wouldn’t remember. Everyone listened attentively, clenching their fists firmly; no matter what they spoke at the moment, the results spoke for themselves, and everyone simply took it as a divine decree.
In the end, Ruri closed her eyes, and a dazzling golden power covered the realm. They floated upward, and Almin looked at it extremely confused.
’I didn’t learn this... is it some secret use of this power?’ He asked through the array.
’No, just a waste of energies...’ Alm replied, and was cut off by Bruno. ’I mean, it’s a great use to boost morale and relieve tension!’
’If we’re doing the same as a bard, you might as well just play an instrument; it’ll cost us less.’ Alm responded just between them.
Almin became even more confused; but at that moment, the whale waved, and countless runes of faith appeared and multiplied. In a second, they turned into hundreds of runes and advanced, sticking to the foreheads of everyone from both clans, disappearing without a trace.
Then, the whale snorted.
Crack!!
In a very distant place, at the same time, the demon emperor felt his soul tremble, and the sound of something breaking came from his body. In the same second, he spat out a massive amount of black blood.
’This... impossible!’ He murmured in astonishment.
Back in the realm, after snorting, the whale spoke lightly. "Now I’ve removed the nefarious chains from the demon emperor. You can cultivate beyond the limits he imposed."
"But not only that, now my blessing is within all of you, and you are officially my followers!" The whale spoke thunderously, and everyone trembled with their eyes shining.
"With this rune, you can connect with all followers and share many things. One of them is a part of your powers, which will aid in your journeys. Over time, depending on your faiths, you will discover other uses. For now, take the time to study and enhance this gift." It concluded and turned away, leaving everyone stunned with their hearts pounding uncontrollably.
Landing on a distant tree in the middle of a small forest that had grown around, everything faded away.
’Perfect, I can feel them all lightly now, and everyone is partially connected. It was an excellent idea, blending the principles of the array and the faith technique from that evil sect.’ Alm said satisfied, and Bruno chuckled lightly.
’I need a cool name...’ Bruno thought, and smelled the fragrance and softness of Ruri, who had exhaustedly collapsed, clinging to them. He was controlling the whale and affectionately stroked her hair; then saw a faint smile bloom on those rosy lips.
’She’s part of this too, and her power was essential. Rurian Faithlink!’
***
Another week passed, with only fifteen days left until the opening of the Realm of Sea. Outside, there were now only hundreds of demons casually monitoring the place. All four clans left only a few members to observe and returned to their lands.
The target hadn’t come out so far, and they had no way to enter, so they decided to wait for the realm to open. They focused on making the most of the time they had; the Realm of Ashes was close, and that was the most important place in the entire abyss for them.
There were no hierarchies to enter that realm; everyone was equal, and only the ability and talent of each demon were assessed, not their cultivation. If all members were not fully prepared, even the number one clan could fall in position in the abyss; it had happened a few times before. Therefore, due to the intense competition fueled sadistically by the demon emperor, only a small watch was left in front of the Realm of Sea temporarily.
On that day, Calirer and Runula gathered together the whale’s group with tense and worried expressions.
"We’ll be back before you miss us," the whale said lightly to the two. "We need resources, and I have karma to settle."
Then, the entire whale’s group took steps approaching the limits of that realm. They were all going to leave together.