Chapter 708: Chapter 708: The Tomb of the Sea God
They continued down the winding tunnels until they reached a gargantuan stone door blocking the entire cavern path. Carved into its surface was the image of a massive giant roaring toward a sun, its hands raised high to the heavens and stone flames licking at its feet.
Ethan stepped closer, his amethyst eyes tracking more details etched into the rock: a crescent moon, a curved sword, a centipede coiled tightly over an altar, and a vast ocean with a colossal, gaping mouth directly beneath the waves.
Scanning the baseline of the frame, Ethan located a row of glyphs written in a dead language. He read the text aloud.
"The Tomb of the Sea God. From the deepest abyss of the oceans, the King arose. Emperor Theodicles IV defeated him, dragging his carcass to the empire only to invoke the Sea God, who, in his fury..."
The rest of the historical text was erased, shattered by the primitive blasting methods of the Thunderdragon Sect. Ethan searched the surrounding columns for more data, but the stone was entirely destroyed.
Heidy listened intently. "The Tomb of the Sea God?"
"That would accurately explain the density of this death essence," Ethan said, his voice flat. "If the physical vessel of a self-proclaimed god is rotting beneath this ridge, our operation just became significantly more complex."
Ethan inspected the perimeter of the excavation. The enemy vanguard had successfully exposed the main gates, but the structural integrity of the chamber was incredibly weak. Any minor secondary explosion would trigger a total collapse, burying the entire sector in thousands of tons of stone.
"What is your command, Master?" Heidy asked. "How do we proceed?"
"We must breach this tomb," Ethan stated. "But before we crack the seal, we need to thoroughly purge the toxic miasma from this chamber so the pavilion soldiers can safely enter and reinforce these unstable rock walls."
The exact millisecond the words left his mouth, a sudden, lethal instinct flared in Ethan’s mind. Without a single thought, he instantly activated his Void Power, executing a space-flicker that caused his body to vanish, reappearing ten meters forward.
Swish!
A rusted iron blade flashed through the exact empty space where his neck had been positioned a second prior.
Reacting with perfect martial instincts, Heidy drew her blade and lunged at the hidden assailant. "Ascending Crane Strike!"
Her sword released a sharp line of white energy, cutting cleanly through the shadow and instantly splitting the attacker into two distinct pieces. The severed parts slammed against the stone floor, revealing a dried, hollow corpse clad in tattered Thunderdragon robes—a newly awakened undead.
Heidy lowered her weapon, but her eyes locked squarely onto Ethan in shock. For a brief moment, her master had violently unleashed the raw spiritual pressure of a practitioner firmly entrenched in the Golden Core realm.
Ethan didn’t care about her shock. His head had been inches away from a lethal decapitation; there had been zero time to hesitate or play the role of a weak doctor. To execute the void-step, he had shattered the internal runic seals he used to obscure his true cultivation.
Heidy stared at him, her chest heaving as the amethyst light slowly faded from Ethan’s form. She revered him as a god, but her operational loyalty to the Heavenly Sword Pavilion was a baseline that dictated her entire life.
Heidy’s hand remained on her hilt, her knuckles whitening as she stared at him through the dark haze. "Master... why did you just release such a terrifying spiritual pressure?"
Ethan immediately realized his secret was entirely exposed. His mind raced, calculating the clinical outcomes of the situation. He debated whether he should eliminate her right here to protect his mission, or find another way to handle her internal loyalty.
"So, you saw it," Ethan said, his gravelly voice dropping into a cold, flat tone. "This is my true cultivation baseline. I have been systematically concealing it since the day I arrived."
The exact millisecond he admitted it, Heidy shifted her stance, her eyes locking onto his with intensity.
"Come now," Ethan said, remaining still. "I am still the exact same person who saved your life."
"Master... why were you hiding your true strength?" Heidy asked, her voice trembling slightly but remaining firm. "Do you harbor malicious intentions against the Heavenly Sword Pavilion?"
She began to slowly, deliberately draw her heavy blade from its scabbard, the cold steel clicking against the metal guard.
"There is no operational need to do this, Heidy," Ethan countered smoothly. "Permit me to explain the medical and personal reasons behind this seal."
"Master, please place your hands where I can clearly see them," Heidy commanded, her blade now halfway out. "I will escort you back to the surface ship and report this metric directly to the Sect Master. I am confident you can speak with her and resolve this matter easily. Please... I beg you to cooperate with me."
Ethan let out a low, slow sigh, his amethyst eyes growing entirely flat as he looked at her drawn blade. "Do we truly have to reach this outcome, Heidy?"
"Please, Master, cooperate with me," Heidy pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion as tears welling in her eyes, though her blade never wavered. "Do not make this operational situation more complicated for me. I beg of you."
"Heidy... do you really think that you possess the capability to subdue me?" Ethan asked, his gravelly voice chillingly calm.
In response, Heidy violently unleashed the maximum boundary of her Spirit Sea cultivation. A localized tempest of sharp, white martial energy erupted from her core, tearing through the narrow cavern and causing stone debris to rain down around them.
"Ethan Brightsword!" Heidy shouted, her voice echoing like a crack of thunder against the ancient walls. "You are officially detained under suspicion of intentional sect infiltration! In strict accordance with your monumental medical contributions, you will be granted appropriate administrative treatment. But if you attempt to resist this arrest... I will execute you on this exact spot!"
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
The Melting Tide / The Tidal Horizon / The Sea Mist Ascension
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.
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