Chapter 711: Chapter 711: Borrowed Blades
Ethan stepped closer to the colossal stone doors of the Sea God’s tomb, his newly enhanced senses picking up the subtle vibrations in the deep air.
"Crul," Ethan said internally. "How do I open this mechanism? There must be a physical breach or a structural gap somewhere. The dead members of the Thunderdragon Sect turned into undead far too rapidly for this vault to be sealed."
[I detect several structural micro-fractures along the foundational base, but they are very deep, I can’t find any cracks in this area.] Crul replied.
"It is true," Ethan muttered, tapping the ancient stone. "But shouldn’t there be more of them roaming the tunnels? I do not that only a single corpse would rise."
[I do not scan any other active biological or necrotic organisms within our immediate perimeter,] Crul stated. [However, that scarcity could accurately explain why the Thunderdragon vanguard ultimately evacuated this entire sector.]
"What do you mean by that calculation, Crul?"
[Think about the operational timeline, Master. This frontier outpost was utterly destroyed by an external force. The local Branch Leader was found sealed deep underground inside a runic defense array—the safest coordinate available, yet a tomb if it cannot be opened from within. If she chose to permanently imprison herself there, what exactly was she so terrified of?]
Ethan’s amethyst eyes narrowed. "Furthermore, when we arrived and inspected the surface camp, the installations looked abandoned and neglected. The Thunderdragon soldiers did not look like they were comfortably entrenched. They looked exactly like a vanguard exploring unknown, hostile territory... just like us."
"I understand," Ethan said, his voice flat. "If the corpses of their fallen comrades began to spontaneously turn into undead and attacked them from behind... they simply lost the war for this cavern?"
Ethan walked back over to the corpse that Heidy had sliced into two pieces. He poked the dried flesh with the toe of his boot. "I thought these entities were immortal or exceptionally difficult to eliminate. How did her blade kill it so effortlessly?"
[They are not strictly immortal, but their physical vessels are highly resilient,] Crul analyzed. [This specific specimen appears to have received an insufficient concentration of death essence, or it simply reanimated very recently. In reality, its baseline structure is highly anomalous.]
"Should we search for the structural leak?" Ethan asked.
[No. Place your physical hand directly onto the center of the stone door.]
Ethan obeyed, pressing his palm flat against the cold, carved surface. Within his mind, Crul’s processing sub-routines began to rapidly scan and map the lock mechanism.
[I have compiled the data,] Crul reported. [There is a mixture of positive and negative strategic metrics.]
"I do not want any more negative metrics today," Ethan countered dryly. "Provide the positive first."
[We possess the capability to open this door.]
"And the negative?"
[We underestimated the sheer scope of this subterranean prison,] Crul stated, his tone neutral. [If I release the runic locks, it is highly probable that our own survival will be placed in immediate jeopardy.]
"Why?"
[My sensors have just detected a massive, dense concentration of undead signatures positioned directly behind this stone barrier. They are slamming against the interior frame, trying to force a breach. The exact millisecond I unlock this seal, a massive horde of undead will violently emerge into this chamber.]
Ethan remained still, his eyes fixed on the roaring giant carved into the stone as he calculated his options. "Are they truly that difficult to engage in open combat?"
[Extremely difficult, Master. Far too difficult for a single practitioner to suppress.]
"And what if we simply release them to thoroughly destroy everything in this sector?" Ethan asked, a dark smile touching his lips.
[What exactly are you scheming, Master?]
"If I open this gate right now, chao
s will consume this frontier zone," Ethan explained, his voice dropping into a chilling, calculating register. "Both the Thunderdragon Sect and the Heavenly Sword Pavilion will be forced to mobilize their entire armies into a massive war to contain the outbreak. We can easily utilize this chaotic situation to weaken both factions simultaneously."
[Using a borrowed knife to execute an assassination... it is a solid strategy,] Crul admitted. [But will this maneuver not severely damage your current infiltration into the pavilion’s high command?]
"The moment Heidy died, my original layout for this sector went straight to hell," Ethan muttered, his jaw tightening. "When the Vice Leader and the generals descend to inspect this chamber, they will find zero marks of a grand martial battle. How exactly can I explain that a high-tier Spirit Sea Elder like Heidy died while a weak doctor like me walked away breathing? Even with her absolute loyalty to my medical hands, if she perished protecting me, how did I manage to successfully escape the threat? Tch...! We were close to a perfect setup, but I cannot formulate a logical lie to cover her corpse—unless I unleash this tomb."
Ethan leaned his head back, his amethyst eyes flashing with malice. "If these necrotic beasts flood the cavern, I can easily escape to the surface and justify my survival. I will simply claim that Heidy heroically held the line to buy me enough operational time to retreat."
[And how will you justify your massive tactical miscalculation regarding the safety of this site to the Sect Master?]
"That easy," Ethan countered smoothly. "I will report that during our descent, we discovered an even greater concentration of ancient alchemical resources. What Annie and the pavilion elders truly desire is the Divine Elixir. I will tell them that beneath this mountain lies a virtually infinite reservoir of the Water of the Dead. We can easily explain the total destruction of the original Thunderdragon outpost that way—they arrived, foolishly breached the outer seal, encountered these primeval monsters, and were entirely annihilated and turned into the undead."
-------------------
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 ??
------
Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.
Comments