Chapter 710: Chapter 710: The Cost of Resolution
"I cannot permit this layout to unfold according to your calculations," Heidy whispered, her broken voice suddenly hardening into a freezing, razor-sharp tone. "I highly prefer an immediate death over living as your absolute puppet."
In a fraction of a single second, before Ethan could even process the micro-movement of her muscles, Heidy violently forced her fingers onto her sword hilt. Her martial resolve was so terrifyingly absolute that she intended to drag Ethan straight to the grave with her.
She managed to slide the heavy blade out by a single millimeter.
"No!" Ethan shouted, his amethyst eyes widening.
But he could not stop the mechanism. The space seal inside her spiritual sea had already detected the treasonous intent. The dormant curse detonated instantly, tearing through her neural pathways and stopping her heart a millisecond before her steel could clear the scabbard.
Heidy’s eyes went completely blank. Her physical vessel went limp, collapsing heavily onto the cold stone floor of the cavern.
"Mierda...!" Ethan cursed, slamming his fist against the rock wall.
He quickly stepped forward, kneeling beside her lifeless body to check her vital baseline. There was zero biological activity. Her high-level resolution had killed her before she could even scratch him.
[Devour her vessel immediately before her residual Spirit Sea energy completely dissipates,] Crul’s gravelly voice echoed inside his mind.
"No," Ethan retorted sharply, his hands pressing against her cold chest. "If I devour her right now, absolutely nothing will remain of her physical form. I need to carry her corpse back to the surface high command to minimize the political damages. If she vanishes without a trace, the Vice Leader will launch a total investigation."
[It is a profound shame to waste such a high-tier cultivation feast,] Crul murmured, a dark chuckle rippling through their shared consciousness. [But it also represents an exceptionally brilliant opportunity for our evolution.]
Ethan paused, his amethyst eyes narrowing in the darkness. "What exactly do you mean by that, Crul?"
[If she had survived,] Crul explained. [you would have been forced to waste time explaining your methods and searching for a way to purge the miasma for the pavilion. But now that she is dead, you can simply devour the death energy yourself. Have you not noticed how your Void Blood is practically screaming with hunger?]
Ethan remained silent, his hand still resting on Heidy’s cold shoulder.
He had felt that exact sensation the moment they entered this territory, but his focus had been fully occupied. He had been far too pressured by constructing the perfect political strategy to get the maximum benefits from Annie and the generals to pay attention to his own physical impulses.
But Crul was completely correct.
The black miasma filling the imperial cavern was a massive concentration of pure Yin energy. However, this was not the gentle, pristine, emotionally soft Yin harvested from a living female practitioner. This was a dark, turbid, incredibly heavy Yin matrix, heavily loaded with the ancient resentment and agony of the dead.
Yet, at its bloodline, it was still pure Yin. It was an energy his Void body could devour to fuel his own evolution.
Ethan opened his mouth, and the black hole manifested once more. The heavy miasma, which could only be felt rather than seen, was instantly drawn toward the immense suction force. A massive vortex formed inside the cavern chamber devouring the dark, malicious Yin energy.
Up on the surface, the Vice Sect Leader immediately noticed the shift in the atmospheric pressure. He turned his head toward General Boros, his brow furrowing. "Something has altered in the environment. Can you feel it?"
"Yes, it is strange," General Boros replied, his scholarly smile vanishing as he scanned the mountain fissure. "Before that coldness disappeared, I could not precisely track its presence. But now that it is entirely gone, the air feels noticeably warmer. It is highly unusual."
Inside the cavern, the vortex slowly dissipated as Ethan closed his mouth. A violent wave of spiritual energy erupted from his core, circulating through his meridians with a burning velocity. The breakthrough was immediate and unyielding, pushing his cultivation baseline straight into the mid-grade of the Golden Core realm.
Ethan looked down at his hands, genuinely surprised by the sheer speed of his advancement.
[The death essence pooling inside this tomb is exceptionally useful for your development, Master,] Crul remarked, his tone deeply satisfied. [Your unique Void Constitution allows you to process it flawlessly. The ancient Lord Amethyst could never utilize this kind of yin because his original physical body lacked the capability to absorb it directly without rotting.]
Ethan adjusted his robes, his amethyst eyes flashing in the newly cleared darkness. "What makes our absorption methods so different?"
[It is a matter of origin,] Crul explained. [The Yin energy harvested from a female practitioner is natural. It is a living, pristine essence tied to the natural order of life and creation, making it biologically smooth and gentle to integrate. Conversely, the Yin energy synthesized by the dead is entirely antinatural. It is a stagnant, heavy decay matrix born from corruption, hatred, and unfulfilled desires. It rejects life entirely. A normal cultivator trying to absorb it would destroy their own soul, but your Void consumes everything.]
Ethan looked toward the gargantuan stone doors of the Sea God’s tomb, a dark, completely satisfied smile finally spreading across his lips.
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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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