Chapter 470: Chapter 470 The Tower Demands A Price
The unexpected upheaval left the Grandmasters on guard duty completely stunned.
"What...what are you doing!" someone shouted.
I smirked, "Nothing special, just putting you down."
Before my words had even faded, I was already upon them.
With a sweep of my hand, I activated the Heaven Swallowing Skill, instantly transforming multiple Grandmasters into withered husks.
Sadly, their deaths brought me little gain, as the benefit was practically nonexistent.
"Maybe eliminating a Peak Form Grandmaster would produce some results," I mused internally.
"If only I could eliminate a Martial Marquis," I contemplated.
A Martial Marquis matched the Golden Core Stage in the cultivation realm.
Once someone reached the Golden Core Stage, they would form a golden core inside their body.
At that point, absorbing a Martial Marquis’ golden core would bring incredible benefits.
Naturally, all of this felt impossibly distant for me at the moment.
Shortly after, I forced open the Hydrating Tower’s doors and climbed the stairs.
On the fifth level, Franklin Duarte sat in meditation, drawing in the energy flowing from the Hydrating Tower.
His power was gradually growing. Though the Hydrating Tower’s benefits resembled those of Enlightenment Tea, one’s advancement still depended on their innate abilities.
Thus, Franklin Duarte’s progress wasn’t as rapid as expected.
While he was deep in concentration, a powerful hand seized his collar and hurled him to the side.
Franklin Duarte’s eyes flew open, fixing a cold stare on me. He spoke icily, "Who are you, and do you have a death wish?"
I sneered, "Just scram and don’t come back."
Franklin Duarte’s expression darkened as he huffed, "Are you addressing me? Do you realize who I am? I belong to the Great Saint Sect!"
"Oh right, you’re with the Great Saint Sect," I acted as though something had just clicked.
Believing that I was intimidated by his Great Saint Sect connection, Franklin Duarte mocked, "Scared now? Leave immediately, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy!"
"No, no, you’ve got it wrong," I grinned.
"I was planning to let you live, but since you’re with the Great Saint Sect, I can’t allow you to survive," I sneered.
Franklin Duarte’s face shifted as he gasped in shock, "What...what do you mean?"
I sneered, "If I let you carry this information back to the Great Saint Sect, my days would be numbered."
As I spoke, I advanced toward Franklin Duarte, killing intent radiating from me.
Sensing my crushing presence, Franklin Duarte asked in terror, "Who...who are you exactly?"
I didn’t answer but responded with a golden strike.
Franklin Duarte’s face went white, with no escape route, he could only try to block the attack desperately.
The impact sent his body flying backward, shattering the bones in his hand.
"Golden light...you...you have to be Mason Raymond!" Franklin Duarte cried out in horror.
"Correct guess, but sadly, no prize," I smiled.
Franklin Duarte realized he was in serious danger and tried to run, but I wouldn’t give him the chance.
A streak of golden light flashed past, and a mighty golden palm struck Franklin Duarte’s body.
The hit destroyed half his frame, leaving him unable to stand or resist.
"Don’t...don’t kill me!" Franklin Duarte pleaded in terror.
I had grown weary of such desperate appeals long ago.
I paid him no mind and activated the Heaven Swallowing Skill again.
After finishing with Franklin Duarte, I couldn’t waste another moment.
I grabbed Franklin Duarte’s phone and examined the call history.
The top entry showed Elder Adrianne from the Great Saint Sect.
"Looks like he already contacted the Great Saint Sect elders," I thought, my brow creasing.
The trip from the Great Saint Sect to Summers would take six hours at most.
"I need to discover the Hydrating Tower’s mysteries within these six hours," I tossed the phone aside.
I extended my divine sense and started exploring the Hydrating Tower.
Hours flew by as I combed through all five levels without discovering anything.
After two complete hours, I found nothing.
The Hydrating Tower seemed empty, yet wherever I went, I could sense my cultivation slowly advancing.
The impact remained fairly uniform, with the only variation being the denser energy on the fifth floor.
"Strange," I frowned.
"Could the tower itself actually be the source of these effects?" I wondered internally.
"I can’t exactly carry off the entire tower, can I?" I muttered.
With this thought, I launched myself into the air and soared out of the Hydrating Tower.
Gazing at the massive structure, I felt deeply frustrated.
Time continued passing, and before I knew it, four hours had elapsed.
"I don’t have much time remaining," I grew worried.
I had discovered nothing during those four hours.
"There’s no alternative," I considered abandoning the search.
Settling inside the Hydrating Tower, I shut my eyes, appearing deep in contemplation.
Minutes later, my eyes suddenly burst open!
"If I can’t remove the Hydrating Tower, then I must find a method to secure it here!" I declared coldly.
I had no other option but to turn to a contingency plan.
The only way to protect the Hydrating Tower was by using formations!
My inherited knowledge contained endless formations, including many mountain guardian formations!
If I could establish a Divine Rank killing formation, there would be nothing to fear!
Even if I founded a sect in Summers someday, it would guarantee my sect’s protection!
With this idea, I quickly located an appropriate formation.
The formation was named "Nine Netherworld Killing Formation" which could harness heaven and earth’s power to repel enemies.
Stories told of how during ancient conflicts, a formation master once deployed this array and held off hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers!
"This will work," I decided.
However, creating the Nine Netherworld Killing Formation was incredibly complex. Even with my expertise, it would require at least three days.
Just then, I detected an approaching presence from afar.
One, two, three... Six people in total!
"Hmm? There’s only one half-step Martial Marquis?" I sharply perceived their auras!
"With just one half-step Martial Marquis, I have little to worry about," I smiled coldly as I jumped from the Hydrating Tower.
Positioning myself at the entrance, I calmly waited for the Great Saint Sect members to arrive.
Right then, my phone started ringing.
I looked at the caller ID and saw Jasper Thompson’s name.
"Why would Jasper Thompson suddenly contact me?" I frowned.
I grabbed my phone and took the call.
Right away, I heard Jasper Thompson’s voice, "Mason Raymond, I just got reliable intel that the Michelle Sect people have crossed into our territory."
