Chapter 714: Chapter 714: The Divine Altar
Ethan looked down at the kneeling Lich, calculating the immense value of the asset sitting before him.
"Crul," Ethan said internally. "How do I communicate with him?"
[Speak normally, Master] Crul replied. [I will modify your voice so you would speak in the Ancient Dark Tongue.]
Ethan cleared his throat, his amethyst eyes locking onto the hooded skull. "Vel´Kha´Lems... are you the Sea God?"
The Lich tilted its head, its glowing eye sockets flaring with confusion. "Sea God? I do not know that name. The sovereign of the oceans is my emperor. Why do you use that title?"
"On the gargantuan stone doors sealing this place, it says it is the Tomb of the Sea God," Ethan stated.
"The Sea God...?" Vel´Kha´Lems hissed, a low rattle escaping his jaw. "Grrr... perhaps those despicable humans named me that to inflate their victory."
"What is this place?" Ethan asked. "Why are you here?"
"As you said, it is my tomb," Vel´Kha´Lems replied, gesturing toward the massive cavern. "More time ago than I can remember, I was defeated by those annoying humans. They could not kill me, so they sealed me here with my phylactery for eternity. When I was about to die, I used a forbidden ritual so they could not destroy my phylactery. That is why they sealed it under that altar."
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. "Can you go out of this place?"
"I cannot, Master," the Lich admitted. "This place keeps my phylactery. If I move too far, I will weaken. Without it, I cannot break the barriers confining this place. I sent the armies I managed to gather outside. If I get enough cultivator blood, I can destroy the seals and free myself."
Ethan turned his gaze toward the monumental altar rising into the darkness. He walked forward and stopped directly before the base. "So this is what binds you."
He extended his hand toward the stone. The moment his fingers neared it, a violent surge of mental energy slammed into his mind.
The cavern vanished. A pair of colossal eyes that seemed to cover the sky materialized, staring down at his soul.
"Do not free this monster!" an ancient voice roared in his mind. "If you release him, there will be calamities you cannot endure!"
Suddenly, Crul appeared on Ethan’s shoulder in his fairy form. He extended his hand, destroying the mental fragment completely. Ethan blinked, his vision returning to the dark cavern.
"Shit..." Ethan muttered, shaking his head.
[That was a very strong remnant fragment] Crul analyzed, returning to Ethan’s mind. [For a remnant to leave such power, the creator must have been at the peak of the Transcendence Realm. Perhaps in the upper realm.]
"What is that upper realm?" Ethan asked.
[It is too early for you to know, but you will find out when you must.]
Ethan looked back at the altar. "What do I do then?"
[Nothing. You cannot break this seal] Crul stated. [It requires too much energy. If you wanted to break it, we would need to pile mountains of high-level spiritual stones, or you must reach the Transcendence Realm to endure the backlash. Otherwise, the backlash will kill you.]
Ethan turned back to the Lich. "Your only plan is to destroy everything around you to free yourself, but there are powerful cultivators outside who will stop you. How do you intend to achieve this?"
"I know," Vel´Kha´Lems replied, his hollow voice dark. "But I have no choice. In this state, I am too weak to do anything else. I accumulated all the death aura I could, and I found a fissure at the base where I managed to corrupt this area. Little by little, I killed every living thing that came to visit this place. I wanted to exploit the opening of this tomb to accelerate the process."
Ethan looked at the marching horde, speaking internally. "Crul, if I command them, I could accelerate the destruction of this entire region and fulfill my objective of burying the Crimson Sect."
[If anyone discovers you have control over the undead, the strongest factions of this world will hunt you down regardless of the cost,] Crul warned.
"The risk is worth it," Ethan countered, his eyes narrowing. "But I need to ensure he is not faking this submission. I need to know if I can truly control him."
[I do not calculate that you can directly control his mind,] Crul analyzed. [However, I detect that his intentions toward you are genuine. I would suggest using your Amethyst Eyes to analyze his soul, but his power is far too superior to yours. If you try, he might suspect you. He is not loyal to you as an individual; he simply recognizes your Void lineage as if you were a supreme noble.]
"Then how can I command his legions and leave here in my human form?" Ethan asked internally. "If they detect me as human, they might rebel against me."
[You could gamble on your bloodline,] Crul replied. [Even in human form, you still carry the Void lineage. He might not attack.]
"Shit...! Do you think I can escape if he tries something?"
[No. You are a dead man in that instant.]
Ethan sneered. "Should you not be more worried about me? If I die, you die too."
[My mission is to take you to the top,] Crul countered with a mechanical chuckle. [And Lord Amethyst was no coward, or he wouldn’t have bedded the women of the most powerful men in the universe just to get stronger.]
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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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