The whale moved with the group, which continued to grow. They remembered the punishment of Heaven’s Will on the main mission in the Heavenly Realm, for not bringing all their allies to their universe. Initially, they didn’t want too many people, planning to bring only their disciples and Thea. From four, the group expanded to eight... and now they were eleven.
’Things are getting out of hand. If more women show up, it’ll look like we have a real harem,’ Bruno commented softly.
They approached a mountain, and the whale created a cave. At that moment, the two new members became anxious.
"Sir, staying in an enclosed place is very dangerous. If a beast appears, we’ll have nowhere to run," Ambry said worriedly.
"Quiet down, brat. Master said to enter, and there’s no safer place than near him," Ruri retorted sharply, holding the whale’s hand while the two were close.
"I know he’s powerful, but the attack could come from below..." Kisala began to speak but stopped, swallowing hard under Ruri’s gaze.
"Just get inside," the whale impatiently ordered.
Everyone settled into a large circular area. The whale then began to ask them everything they knew about the place. Since they had accepted them into the group, they expected appropriate reciprocity. Information about the sect was prohibited from being shared by members, but within the clans, information about the forest and the beasts was not secret.
The two Feys were well-informed and knew quite a bit. In the forest, all dragon races lived in fixed specific areas, forming ’villages.’ Only the weaker members lived freely, hunting and harvesting jewels. They weren’t native to this planet; these races had made an agreement with the sect billions of years ago to live there.
They lived within the forest and were part of the sect, obligated to fight for it and help them when requested. In return, those from the dragon races up to the Divine Origin Realm could use the forest to seek Yinblood jewels.
It was a fair exchange; the red disciples were trained, and the young beasts as well. Those beasts reaching higher levels were forbidden from interfering in the forest and went to a secret area of the sect to cultivate. This place was a mystery, but the dragon races seemed to benefit explosively from it.
Alm and Bruno understood. This area was probably where the Chaos Dragon distributed its bloodline and where its physical body was sealed. The secret area must be the exact location where it was, similar to the lake where the Behemoth was sealed.
They dug deeper, and the girls answered without hiding anything. In their clans, and in all the other six main Fey clans on the planet, there were secret locations that aided cultivation. The panorama was clear: the sect had the main seal and protected it, while the other six clans protected the smaller parts.
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’We have to infiltrate the six clans and, at the same time, the sect. We won’t have an easy life just breaking three seals like the Behemoth; we have to look for a method to break everything in one go and escape or we’ll be caught. But first, we have to cultivate properly,’ Bruno reflected.
The two knew roughly where the ’villages’ of the beasts were, something that wasn’t on the map they had received. After extracting all they could from them, Alm and Bruno decided on the next steps.
"I’ll divide everyone into three groups," Alm announced to everyone.
The area was surrounded by races with Dragon blood, so Deryu and Runula could detect their presence from a great distance; besides the whale and Kaiyka, this pair was the least vulnerable to surprises. Ruri, with her pets, had a terrifying ability to escape and fight. They would form a group with the three Feys; the two girls would have a "fun" time alongside Ruri.
Kaiyka had high cultivation and could easily detect everything in a vast area. However, if they encountered something good or dangerous and needed to act, she had obvious weaknesses. Her defensive and physical power was fragile, and facing many enemies together would also be dangerous for her. Therefore, Corin, with his physical cultivation, would cover the front line. If they needed to fight many beasts together, the power of the Soul Eater Demons would shine; Calirer and Corin formed a perfect combination with Kaiyka, making up the second group.
The last group would be led by Rehvka, who would take Liume with her, along with Quirio, Zaimo, and Thea. Rehvka and her disciple Quirio were experts in concealment, capable of reconnaissance and easily detecting hidden approaches.
Zaimo had built armor focused on defenses, utilizing his race’s talents in the laws of earth and fire. He did this to cover what was lacking in Thea; she could rebuild her body for defense but it didn’t suit her. Thea preferred to attack from afar, swiftly and explosively, so the dwarf focused on being her support. This group had the greatest attacking power, and with the two assassins, they could take down anything. Meanwhile, Liume was accustomed to traveling with Rehvka and would seek allies in the forest.
The two Feys protested, wanting to stay with the whale, but Ruri finally disciplined them severely. They realized they couldn’t play around with this human and were completely subdued, with no chance of reaction. Ruri’s tactic was simple: first, she needed to establish her position and be respected and listened to. Discipline came next.
The whale quickly expelled everyone, indicating that the mountain would be their base. They could communicate and sense everyone through the array easily. The goal was to cultivate themselves, search for treasures or Yinblood jewels, and make contact with the beasts to gather information, no matter how. If they managed to obtain the jewels, they could even trade them for information if needed.
Quirio and Zaimo would benefit the most as they were at the Elemental Condensation Realm elemental level. Just breathing in this divine world would rapidly raise their cultivation. Fighting day and night in the forest, they would quickly ascend to the same level as everyone else.
Apart from Rehvka, Kaiyka, and the Feys, the others were at the ninth level of the Body Destruction Realm but far from breaking into the divine realms. This threshold depended on more than just Qi; an understanding of divine aspects was necessary. They were all born and lived in an ascending world and had never had real contact with divine aspects. For them, understanding was difficult, and there was no direct way to teach them; they would have to figure it out on their own. Alm and Bruno divided them so that, fighting without their protection, they would reach it faster.
Thus, everyone could elevate themselves rapidly and gather the information they desired. Meanwhile, the whale remained alone... not on the mountain but digging and entering the earth. Using its bloodline, they carefully analyzed to avoid attracting attention, seeking answers.
A week passed... two... two months... until finally, the whale opened its eyes and a sinister glow emanated.
’It’s not random, excellent,’ said Alm with a villainous smile. ’The Chaos Dragon is using a minimal amount of its bloodline alongside primal power. Everything converges at the planet’s core, where power is burned, forming Yinblood jewels.’
’Unfortunately, the primal power is lost, but this way, it can subtly distribute its power and sometimes even place a bit of its soul in the jewels. Following the flow in the planet’s core, we can gather a large quantity of jewels quickly,’ Bruno spoke excitedly.
They sensed that a large batch of jewels was being formed and would emerge a few kilometers away in a few days. At that moment, they noticed people from their group returning to the mountain. The whale dug back into the mountain and saw Kaiyka’s group waiting for him.
"Master, Calirer found something you described," Corin said excitedly, handing over a ring to the whale.
They looked inside the ring, and their hearts raced with excitement. It was a minimal amount, but definitely something rare and desired: Mana Fiber.
This nearly ethereal substance was rarely found and emerged in areas with high concentrations of natural Qi. Flexible and light, Mana Fiber could be used as fabric or fused into metals, serving as a conduit and perfect linkage between laws and energies. It was exactly the material needed for embedding multiple runic seals into a single item.
"While Kaiyka and I were investigating elsewhere, Calirer found a powerful Hydra that had this," explained Corin, and Calirer stepped forward, handing over another ring.
The whale looked inside and saw the massive black body of the Hydra, with several heads. Immediately, he noticed the dense bloodline of the Hydra; its physique was very powerful, making it exceptionally defensive. However, with Calirer’s soul techniques, she managed to defeat it alone.
"Good job... did you manage to find the jewels?" asked the whale. Kaiyka handed over another ring containing a hundred small spherical black jewels.
"Great. Head to the commercial building and exchange all the jewels for something for Calirer. Are you having trouble finding your new correct fighting style?" asked the whale, looking at her calmly.
Calirer nodded. "Yes... before, my physique was strong and powerful, so I fought head-on. But after I merged with the demon blood you gave me, everything changed. My body stretched out, and I lost a lot of my physical capability. My talents and bloodline seem to be leading me down another path..."
Alm and Bruno nodded. Calirer was originally Langrum’s master, and the frontal fighting style was learned from her. When they first met her, she physically resembled Langrum very closely. However, after absorbing the demon blood from the Behemoth’s avatar, her body underwent a metamorphosis.
Calirer gained a demonic horn, grew nearly twenty centimeters to the same height as the current whale, and her muscular physique changed. Her once well-defined muscles did not keep up with this growth, giving the impression that she was much less dense and yet more slender. She became more lean and slim. She became much more feminine, and with her revealing attire, she became an attractive and eye-catching demoness.
"You were never much before, even Langrum passed you quite quickly. But now, with spiritual cultivation combined with the power of your demonic bloodline, you’ve awakened your true talent. You can still surprise if forced into close combat, but your primary strength lies in attacking from afar," the whale said softly. "Seek techniques with soul-manipulated weapons. Perhaps a simple formation using multiple weapons would suit you."
She nodded eagerly, and Corin smiled beside her. "Now this Hydra... hmmm," murmured the whale, looking closely at Calirer. "You wear so little clothing that I think I can do something similar to what you casually wear; the leather and scales of this Hydra are perfect."
Excitedly, she dashed off with her group. The amount of Mana Fiber was small, barely enough for a weapon, but making ’armor’ from leather for someone who wore very little was possible. Moreover, it was perfect for them to learn to use this material correctly.
Soon, they began considering the types of available runic seals, and another screen appeared.
[Available Seal Types: 7]
[Sharpening]
[Storage]
[Parasitic]
[Repulsion]
[Prudent Elegance]
[Enchantment]
[Range]
Five of the seals were obtained at levels one and two of the Forge God Dao. The Range and Repulsion seals came from weapons found or created by other disciples. They could only choose two types of seals, so they would carefully reflect on Calirer’s needs.
She would now fight from a distance, and although her attack power was formidable, she needed escape options or she would be an easy target. The demon blood she absorbed came from the Behemoth’s avatar, and even without studying the laws of the earth, it gave her a natural affinity with the element. The Storage seal with earth laws for emergencies was a perfect choice. In addition to defense, her affinity would provide superior efficiency in manipulation.
The second chosen seal was Repulsion. This effect was ideal for launching equipment at enemies, close to the laws of space and wind. It could also be used on armor for a quick, explosive escape, though it was single-use and took time to reuse.
With these two seals, Calirer would have an extreme defensive combination. She could escape once from a certain death situation with Repulsion and subsequently defend herself in emergencies with earth laws.
The whale worked on manipulating the black leather. They weren’t skilled in aesthetics or fine details, but Calirer preferred dressing minimally and simply. The main piece was a black leather top that covered her bust with strategic cutouts, exposing the upper abdomen. Next came a leather skirt cut at bold angles, revealing her legs almost completely.
To add a bit more ’functionality’, they made leather armguards that covered her arms to the wrists and a legging up to the knee, strategically revealing parts of the leg and adding an even more striking appearance.
The final result turned out surprisingly good, facilitated by their knowledge of her perfect measurements, after having helped enhance her physique before.
Next, they focused on using the Mana Fiber. It was their first time, so they had to be careful. They stored everything in the inventory to reconstruct it with refined chaos, in case things went wrong.
Fortunately, they got it right on the first try and learned to manipulate Mana Fiber perfectly. Knowing of this substance’s existence on the planet, they would seek more.
When Calirer returned, she received her new clothes and put them on with a smile. Corin was shocked; she had more clothing than before, but looked much more eye-catching. Bruno smiled inwardly; sometimes, hiding a little was more effective than showing everything.
Afterward, she showed what she had bought: the "Formation of the 666 Flying Swords".
’666? What a cheap demon reference. But it uses the soul to control the swords, it’s really perfect and high-level,’ Bruno said, immediately asking her to wait a moment.
They had many stored materials; it wasn’t a big deal in the divine world, but it would serve as a starting point for her. They spent four days working hard.
They forged 200 flying swords with enchantment seals using soul power; these would be for penetrating physical defenses. Another 200 with sharpening seals, made to be the opposite, piercing and destroying physical defenses. 200 with repulsion runic seals, when activated they would hit the target at a shocking speed, almost impossible to dodge.
To conclude, 66 flying swords with thorn seals were made. These would be single-use secret weapons. Calirer could strategically use them; after penetrating the enemy, the seal would activate and the weapon would fuse with the opponent’s body. It would be a horrible death, but the weapon would be lost in exchange.
"Now you have a perfect combination of attack and defense. If you practice well, you won’t lag behind anyone in the group. And if anyone underestimates you, thinking they can corner you by attacking head-on, your combat techniques, combined with demonic techniques, will surprise them," the whale said softly.
Calirer clenched one fist tightly, while Corin held her other hand. Unlike Langrum, this demoness had always desired to follow them and be great. After the whale entered her life and she met Corin, her desire for cultivation blossomed completely. Now, she had finally established her position and was fully dedicated to it.
The group now departed with renewed spirits. When the third month was completed, news reached the whale’s ears. It was a surprising discovery, something that shocked Alm and Bruno and abruptly changed their plans.