Chapter 327
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 327
As they moved towards the location with the most preserved bodies apparently available, Anton noticed that the general amount of destruction was increasing. So they were actually approaching the major points of conflict. Walls were cracked open with flows of lava having poured through and solidified many times until the gaps closed. The structure was filled with many puncture holes, cuts, and impact craters.
The path that Elder Vasu took Anton on went around what he sensed had once been a large section of the complex and now was just nothing but dirt and layers of volcanic rock. Only a small number of former pieces of structure remained, bricks and parts of pillars and the like. Based on how strong he knew everything was, he could imagine what had to have happened. Thoughts of Vandales final battle came to mind, and the final burst of power.
After circumventing around the area, they came to the first bodies. Anton wasnt quite sure what he expected. Partial skeletons, perhaps. Instead, there were two main varieties. Some of the area had clearly been dug out, revealing bodies of cultivators. However, it wasnt really a body at all. It was compressed ash that was the burned remnants of what had once been a body. No material remained to identify an individual. These were common, but ultimately just uncomfortable to be around as the dying positions of so many individuals were revealed. A few remained standing somehow, but most were collapsed against the wall or floor, what remained of them anyway.
Then there were the others, nearly statues encased in obsidian and other volcanic material. But as Antons energy probed them, he found that the bodies inside were intact. How are they like this? he asked Elder Vasu.
The exact details arent clear, but the general idea is that there was some sort of catastrophic eruption that covered all of them. As you can see the walls around here are long gone. The area was dug out, carefully chipped away to reveal individuals. Vasu shrugged, Some of those who did so were the artistic sort, which is where you get the smoother, closer shapes instead of the blocks surrounding them.
Anton continued through the area when something caused him a sudden intake of breath. Natural energy still part of one of the individuals. However, it was simply trapped within the shell of stone around it. The man himself was not alive. But remnants of who they were still remained. I presume thats the Chain Harmony Sects aura? It was strong like steel filled with a core of fire. A sect that lived on a volcano would obviously have some sort of connection to fire, even if it wasnt part of their name.
Thats right, Elder Vasu nodded. They dont appear to have any allies here other than themselves, but weve identified a few enemies. Not all fire type cultivators, either. Elder Vasu brought him further, circumventing traps by way of walking over destroyed terrain. See here.
Another man with a core of natural energy but also a faint trace of ascension energy. Something about that danced at the edge of Antons mind, but he couldnt quite draw the connection. He surveyed more and more before finally coming to a conclusion. ... Some of the invaders were in Essence Collection. Or even Spirit Building.
What do you mean? Elder Vasu asked.
This woman here, Anton gestured. The ratios dont make sense for anything later than Essence Collection, based on what I can handle. They might have faded unevenly, but the remnants of equipment I feel agree with me. The quality of this destroyed armor is too low for a Life Transformation cultivator, let alone an Ascension cultivator. And another factor there are far too many of them. Even if they all matched up with the power of a Life Transformation cultivator, the Chain Harmony Sect couldnt have that many more Life Transformation cultivators than the great sects of our times. Even if they were much greater- say a factor of five, a full hundred Life Transformation cultivators here it doesnt match up with just the bodies we see. And surely there were more invaders that werent perfectly preserved.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
How could it be possible to ascend directly from Essence Collection? Elder Vasu frowned. It breaks the fundamental path of cultivation.
I agree, but only if you make certain assumptions. For example, I have access to ascension energy through a particular technique. But I wouldn't think all of these would practice something similar. But theres one thing I know about ascension that it matches up with. The cultivators no longer exist in this world. Likewise, the invaders had to come here from somewhere. A place with ascension energy.
Ah. I think I understand. Perhaps these individuals were born in such a world. They would naturally learn to access and control ascension energy.
Right, Anton nodded. I dont think anything specifically stops anyone from using it here, either. Its just that there is no access to it. It doesnt appear naturally and can only be snatched through unorthodox means. But that still doesnt explain why they would come here.
The same reason anyone acts similarly, Elder Vasu surmised. Barring some sort of grudge we have long forgotten here, they are after resources.
Everyone spent more or less the same amount of time in the formation before retreating. It wasnt a matter of retaining their energy better, but how far they wanted to push things. Chikere liked to skirt close to the limit, to the point it made Anton uncomfortable.
What do you think happens if you run out of energy? Anton asked while they were all on a rest period, gathering energy nearby.
Dunno. Death, probably, Chikere shrugged. Her cavalier attitude towards death wasnt really not taking it seriously, but instead absolute confidence to avoid losing the last drop of her energy by mismanaging her time and distance. It was like how she fought battles, allowing enemy weapons to get uncomfortably close to causing serious injury just so she could be in the optimal location for her own attacks. Anton understood the theory of not dodging more than was absolutely necessary to conserve energy, but in his opinion she often was on the far side of the safe line. But she hadnt died yet, so whatever her threshold was worked well enough. It wasnt just good luck.
Somehow I dont feel that, Agus responded. The death thing. People can survive without natural energy, and I dont feel any malice from the formation. I havent seen any hidden tricks that would simply kill someone after they ran out either. Perhaps the sect was supposed to fight here with weakened enemies, then finish them off?
Maybe, Anton frowned. But I dont see anything that would indicate some exception for members of the Chain Harmony Sect. It seems to absorb every type of energy. Even- Anton stopped, then gathered a small bead of energy, flicking it into the formation. Yes. Even ascension energy. The formation crackled briefly with the small surge of power. Quite proficiently as well.
Chikere shrugged. It would have to, right? To fight the invaders?
Yes, but it requires an entirely different type of formation and a certain knowledge to affect ascension energy in the same way.
Like the sarcophagus, Vasu commented. Do you think this is meant to destroy bodies? Its rather out in the open.
No. If anything, its the opposite. It would preserve them. Id even bet that it simply drains people of all energy and leaves them otherwise unharmed.
Really? Chikere nodded. That makes sense. Im going to test it.
Wait- Anton called after Chikere, but she had already leapt to a standing position and was in the formation. She was sprinting at a speed that rapidly diminished her half-recovered energy stores. He knew he couldnt stop her, either physically or through words. But he had to try the latter. I was just speculating!
And now Im speculating too! With no restraint in how she was moving, Chikere rapidly burned through her energy as she sprinted down the corridor. Then she suddenly slowed. Her legs continued to pump for a few moments before she stepped out of the hallway on the far side. She turned to shout back. See? It was fine.
Anton had to admit that even the power of the formation near her had died down, no longer receiving anything. He stood up and cautiously stepped into the formation. He wasnt going to attempt the same thing as Chikere just yet, but instead wanted to make sure there wasnt another layer. For example, Everheart had detected his ability to call upon ascension energy. The formation hadnt reacted to him before, and it didnt seem to do any differently after he called upon the energy. He considered trying to summon some while he was inside the formation but dismissed that thought. That could remain an unknown until a formation master said it was reasonable.
Chikere wandered into the room beyond the corridor, and soon enough she wandered back. She could only run at a rate slightly more than a very fit human- her body tempering didnt continue particularly further than the Ninety-Nine Stars did, ending in Spirit Building. Thus, it seemed almost like a slow and trudging walk despite the way she moved.
You guys should come see this. Its pretty neat.
Disciples from the Million Sword Vault immediately followed her, and Elder Vasu did nothing to stop them. In fact, he only hesitated a few moments before following her. Anton looked at Agus and shrugged, before continuing forward himself. If all that would happen was he was exhausted of energy, it would be no worse than a prolonged battle where he received no injuries. In short, a good one. For his side, at least.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 327
As they moved towards the location with the most preserved bodies apparently available, Anton noticed that the general amount of destruction was increasing. So they were actually approaching the major points of conflict. Walls were cracked open with flows of lava having poured through and solidified many times until the gaps closed. The structure was filled with many puncture holes, cuts, and impact craters.
The path that Elder Vasu took Anton on went around what he sensed had once been a large section of the complex and now was just nothing but dirt and layers of volcanic rock. Only a small number of former pieces of structure remained, bricks and parts of pillars and the like. Based on how strong he knew everything was, he could imagine what had to have happened. Thoughts of Vandales final battle came to mind, and the final burst of power.
After circumventing around the area, they came to the first bodies. Anton wasnt quite sure what he expected. Partial skeletons, perhaps. Instead, there were two main varieties. Some of the area had clearly been dug out, revealing bodies of cultivators. However, it wasnt really a body at all. It was compressed ash that was the burned remnants of what had once been a body. No material remained to identify an individual. These were common, but ultimately just uncomfortable to be around as the dying positions of so many individuals were revealed. A few remained standing somehow, but most were collapsed against the wall or floor, what remained of them anyway.
Then there were the others, nearly statues encased in obsidian and other volcanic material. But as Antons energy probed them, he found that the bodies inside were intact. How are they like this? he asked Elder Vasu.
The exact details arent clear, but the general idea is that there was some sort of catastrophic eruption that covered all of them. As you can see the walls around here are long gone. The area was dug out, carefully chipped away to reveal individuals. Vasu shrugged, Some of those who did so were the artistic sort, which is where you get the smoother, closer shapes instead of the blocks surrounding them.
Anton continued through the area when something caused him a sudden intake of breath. Natural energy still part of one of the individuals. However, it was simply trapped within the shell of stone around it. The man himself was not alive. But remnants of who they were still remained. I presume thats the Chain Harmony Sects aura? It was strong like steel filled with a core of fire. A sect that lived on a volcano would obviously have some sort of connection to fire, even if it wasnt part of their name.
Thats right, Elder Vasu nodded. They dont appear to have any allies here other than themselves, but weve identified a few enemies. Not all fire type cultivators, either. Elder Vasu brought him further, circumventing traps by way of walking over destroyed terrain. See here.
Another man with a core of natural energy but also a faint trace of ascension energy. Something about that danced at the edge of Antons mind, but he couldnt quite draw the connection. He surveyed more and more before finally coming to a conclusion. ... Some of the invaders were in Essence Collection. Or even Spirit Building.
What do you mean? Elder Vasu asked.
This woman here, Anton gestured. The ratios dont make sense for anything later than Essence Collection, based on what I can handle. They might have faded unevenly, but the remnants of equipment I feel agree with me. The quality of this destroyed armor is too low for a Life Transformation cultivator, let alone an Ascension cultivator. And another factor there are far too many of them. Even if they all matched up with the power of a Life Transformation cultivator, the Chain Harmony Sect couldnt have that many more Life Transformation cultivators than the great sects of our times. Even if they were much greater- say a factor of five, a full hundred Life Transformation cultivators here it doesnt match up with just the bodies we see. And surely there were more invaders that werent perfectly preserved.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
How could it be possible to ascend directly from Essence Collection? Elder Vasu frowned. It breaks the fundamental path of cultivation.
I agree, but only if you make certain assumptions. For example, I have access to ascension energy through a particular technique. But I wouldn't think all of these would practice something similar. But theres one thing I know about ascension that it matches up with. The cultivators no longer exist in this world. Likewise, the invaders had to come here from somewhere. A place with ascension energy.
Ah. I think I understand. Perhaps these individuals were born in such a world. They would naturally learn to access and control ascension energy.
Right, Anton nodded. I dont think anything specifically stops anyone from using it here, either. Its just that there is no access to it. It doesnt appear naturally and can only be snatched through unorthodox means. But that still doesnt explain why they would come here.
The same reason anyone acts similarly, Elder Vasu surmised. Barring some sort of grudge we have long forgotten here, they are after resources.
Everyone spent more or less the same amount of time in the formation before retreating. It wasnt a matter of retaining their energy better, but how far they wanted to push things. Chikere liked to skirt close to the limit, to the point it made Anton uncomfortable.
What do you think happens if you run out of energy? Anton asked while they were all on a rest period, gathering energy nearby.
Dunno. Death, probably, Chikere shrugged. Her cavalier attitude towards death wasnt really not taking it seriously, but instead absolute confidence to avoid losing the last drop of her energy by mismanaging her time and distance. It was like how she fought battles, allowing enemy weapons to get uncomfortably close to causing serious injury just so she could be in the optimal location for her own attacks. Anton understood the theory of not dodging more than was absolutely necessary to conserve energy, but in his opinion she often was on the far side of the safe line. But she hadnt died yet, so whatever her threshold was worked well enough. It wasnt just good luck.
Somehow I dont feel that, Agus responded. The death thing. People can survive without natural energy, and I dont feel any malice from the formation. I havent seen any hidden tricks that would simply kill someone after they ran out either. Perhaps the sect was supposed to fight here with weakened enemies, then finish them off?
Maybe, Anton frowned. But I dont see anything that would indicate some exception for members of the Chain Harmony Sect. It seems to absorb every type of energy. Even- Anton stopped, then gathered a small bead of energy, flicking it into the formation. Yes. Even ascension energy. The formation crackled briefly with the small surge of power. Quite proficiently as well.
Chikere shrugged. It would have to, right? To fight the invaders?
Yes, but it requires an entirely different type of formation and a certain knowledge to affect ascension energy in the same way.
Like the sarcophagus, Vasu commented. Do you think this is meant to destroy bodies? Its rather out in the open.
No. If anything, its the opposite. It would preserve them. Id even bet that it simply drains people of all energy and leaves them otherwise unharmed.
Really? Chikere nodded. That makes sense. Im going to test it.
Wait- Anton called after Chikere, but she had already leapt to a standing position and was in the formation. She was sprinting at a speed that rapidly diminished her half-recovered energy stores. He knew he couldnt stop her, either physically or through words. But he had to try the latter. I was just speculating!
And now Im speculating too! With no restraint in how she was moving, Chikere rapidly burned through her energy as she sprinted down the corridor. Then she suddenly slowed. Her legs continued to pump for a few moments before she stepped out of the hallway on the far side. She turned to shout back. See? It was fine.
Anton had to admit that even the power of the formation near her had died down, no longer receiving anything. He stood up and cautiously stepped into the formation. He wasnt going to attempt the same thing as Chikere just yet, but instead wanted to make sure there wasnt another layer. For example, Everheart had detected his ability to call upon ascension energy. The formation hadnt reacted to him before, and it didnt seem to do any differently after he called upon the energy. He considered trying to summon some while he was inside the formation but dismissed that thought. That could remain an unknown until a formation master said it was reasonable.
Chikere wandered into the room beyond the corridor, and soon enough she wandered back. She could only run at a rate slightly more than a very fit human- her body tempering didnt continue particularly further than the Ninety-Nine Stars did, ending in Spirit Building. Thus, it seemed almost like a slow and trudging walk despite the way she moved.
You guys should come see this. Its pretty neat.
Disciples from the Million Sword Vault immediately followed her, and Elder Vasu did nothing to stop them. In fact, he only hesitated a few moments before following her. Anton looked at Agus and shrugged, before continuing forward himself. If all that would happen was he was exhausted of energy, it would be no worse than a prolonged battle where he received no injuries. In short, a good one. For his side, at least.
Chapter 327As they moved towards the location with the most preserved bodies apparently available, Anton noticed that the general amount of destruction was increasing. So they were actually approaching the major points of conflict. Walls were cracked open with flows of lava having poured through and solidified many times until the gaps closed. The structure was filled with many puncture holes, cuts, and impact craters. The path that Elder Vasu took Anton on went around what he sensed had once been a large section of the complex and now was just nothing but dirt and layers of volcanic rock. Only a small number of former pieces of structure remained, bricks and parts of pillars and the like. Based on how strong he knew everything was, he could imagine what had to have happened. Thoughts of Vandales final battle came to mind, and the final burst of power.After circumventing around the area, they came to the first bodies. Anton wasnt quite sure what he expected. Partial skeletons, perhaps. Instead, there were two main varieties. Some of the area had clearly been dug out, revealing bodies of cultivators. However, it wasnt really a body at all. It was compressed ash that was the burned remnants of what had once been a body. No material remained to identify an individual. These were common, but ultimately just uncomfortable to be around as the dying positions of so many individuals were revealed. A few remained standing somehow, but most were collapsed against the wall or floor, what remained of them anyway.Then there were the others, nearly statues encased in obsidian and other volcanic material. But as Antons energy probed them, he found that the bodies inside were intact. How are they like this? he asked Elder Vasu.The exact details arent clear, but the general idea is that there was some sort of catastrophic eruption that covered all of them. As you can see the walls around here are long gone. The area was dug out, carefully chipped away to reveal individuals. Vasu shrugged, Some of those who did so were the artistic sort, which is where you get the smoother, closer shapes instead of the blocks surrounding them.Anton continued through the area when something caused him a sudden intake of breath. Natural energy still part of one of the individuals. However, it was simply trapped within the shell of stone around it. The man himself was not alive. But remnants of who they were still remained. I presume thats the Chain Harmony Sects aura? It was strong like steel filled with a core of fire. A sect that lived on a volcano would obviously have some sort of connection to fire, even if it wasnt part of their name.Thats right, Elder Vasu nodded. They dont appear to have any allies here other than themselves, but weve identified a few enemies. Not all fire type cultivators, either. Elder Vasu brought him further, circumventing traps by way of walking over destroyed terrain. See here.Another man with a core of natural energy but also a faint trace of ascension energy. Something about that danced at the edge of Antons mind, but he couldnt quite draw the connection. He surveyed more and more before finally coming to a conclusion. ... Some of the invaders were in Essence Collection. Or even Spirit Building.What do you mean? Elder Vasu asked.This woman here, Anton gestured. The ratios dont make sense for anything later than Essence Collection, based on what I can handle. They might have faded unevenly, but the remnants of equipment I feel agree with me. The quality of this destroyed armor is too low for a Life Transformation cultivator, let alone an Ascension cultivator. And another factor there are far too many of them. Even if they all matched up with the power of a Life Transformation cultivator, the Chain Harmony Sect couldnt have that many more Life Transformation cultivators than the great sects of our times. Even if they were much greater- say a factor of five, a full hundred Life Transformation cultivators here it doesnt match up with just the bodies we see. And surely there were more invaders that werent perfectly preserved.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.How could it be possible to ascend directly from Essence Collection? Elder Vasu frowned. It breaks the fundamental path of cultivation.I agree, but only if you make certain assumptions. For example, I have access to ascension energy through a particular technique. But I wouldn't think all of these would practice something similar. But theres one thing I know about ascension that it matches up with. The cultivators no longer exist in this world. Likewise, the invaders had to come here from somewhere. A place with ascension energy.Ah. I think I understand. Perhaps these individuals were born in such a world. They would naturally learn to access and control ascension energy.Right, Anton nodded. I dont think anything specifically stops anyone from using it here, either. Its just that there is no access to it. It doesnt appear naturally and can only be snatched through unorthodox means. But that still doesnt explain why they would come here.The same reason anyone acts similarly, Elder Vasu surmised. Barring some sort of grudge we have long forgotten here, they are after resources.Everyone spent more or less the same amount of time in the formation before retreating. It wasnt a matter of retaining their energy better, but how far they wanted to push things. Chikere liked to skirt close to the limit, to the point it made Anton uncomfortable.What do you think happens if you run out of energy? Anton asked while they were all on a rest period, gathering energy nearby.Dunno. Death, probably, Chikere shrugged. Her cavalier attitude towards death wasnt really not taking it seriously, but instead absolute confidence to avoid losing the last drop of her energy by mismanaging her time and distance. It was like how she fought battles, allowing enemy weapons to get uncomfortably close to causing serious injury just so she could be in the optimal location for her own attacks. Anton understood the theory of not dodging more than was absolutely necessary to conserve energy, but in his opinion she often was on the far side of the safe line. But she hadnt died yet, so whatever her threshold was worked well enough. It wasnt just good luck.Somehow I dont feel that, Agus responded. The death thing. People can survive without natural energy, and I dont feel any malice from the formation. I havent seen any hidden tricks that would simply kill someone after they ran out either. Perhaps the sect was supposed to fight here with weakened enemies, then finish them off?Maybe, Anton frowned. But I dont see anything that would indicate some exception for members of the Chain Harmony Sect. It seems to absorb every type of energy. Even- Anton stopped, then gathered a small bead of energy, flicking it into the formation. Yes. Even ascension energy. The formation crackled briefly with the small surge of power. Quite proficiently as well.Chikere shrugged. It would have to, right? To fight the invaders?Yes, but it requires an entirely different type of formation and a certain knowledge to affect ascension energy in the same way.Like the sarcophagus, Vasu commented. Do you think this is meant to destroy bodies? Its rather out in the open.No. If anything, its the opposite. It would preserve them. Id even bet that it simply drains people of all energy and leaves them otherwise unharmed.Really? Chikere nodded. That makes sense. Im going to test it.Wait- Anton called after Chikere, but she had already leapt to a standing position and was in the formation. She was sprinting at a speed that rapidly diminished her half-recovered energy stores. He knew he couldnt stop her, either physically or through words. But he had to try the latter. I was just speculating!And now Im speculating too! With no restraint in how she was moving, Chikere rapidly burned through her energy as she sprinted down the corridor. Then she suddenly slowed. Her legs continued to pump for a few moments before she stepped out of the hallway on the far side. She turned to shout back. See? It was fine.Anton had to admit that even the power of the formation near her had died down, no longer receiving anything. He stood up and cautiously stepped into the formation. He wasnt going to attempt the same thing as Chikere just yet, but instead wanted to make sure there wasnt another layer. For example, Everheart had detected his ability to call upon ascension energy. The formation hadnt reacted to him before, and it didnt seem to do any differently after he called upon the energy. He considered trying to summon some while he was inside the formation but dismissed that thought. That could remain an unknown until a formation master said it was reasonable. Chikere wandered into the room beyond the corridor, and soon enough she wandered back. She could only run at a rate slightly more than a very fit human- her body tempering didnt continue particularly further than the Ninety-Nine Stars did, ending in Spirit Building. Thus, it seemed almost like a slow and trudging walk despite the way she moved.You guys should come see this. Its pretty neat.Disciples from the Million Sword Vault immediately followed her, and Elder Vasu did nothing to stop them. In fact, he only hesitated a few moments before following her. Anton looked at Agus and shrugged, before continuing forward himself. If all that would happen was he was exhausted of energy, it would be no worse than a prolonged battle where he received no injuries. In short, a good one. For his side, at least.
