After hearing Willow's explanation, Chase felt this place resembled a game more and more. Well, he was already here, so he might as well play along. The only problem was—where should he go to find monsters?He was just about to ask Willow, his all-knowing companion, when it suddenly occurred to him that this place only resembled a game. It was not actually one. He could simply use his spiritual consciousness to search.Without hesitation, he extended his awareness and soon located a group of monsters."Follow me!" he called out.Even before he finished speaking, his figure had already appeared beneath a small hill to the southeast. There, three gnoll-like monsters were tending to a fire, preparing to roast meat. Next to them, a few rabbit-eared women were bound and trembling in fear.Chase looked at those long, snow-white bunny ears and the innocent, doll-like faces beneath them and paused in thought. Had something gone wrong with this world's logic?The gnolls, being monsters, d
However, the ratio of black to white stones was five to one. Still, it was understandable, since this was the nether realm, after all."Mm." Willow gave a soft reply as she moved to untie the bunny women.To be honest, their soft, fluffy fur was extremely pleasant to the touch. Out of ten people, at least nine would get addicted to the sensation. After helping them, Willow was a little reluctant to let go.The bunny women squirmed slightly under her touch, clearly feeling awkward, but they did not quite know how to refuse either. After all, this pretty human woman had obviously come with the handsome man who had saved them.Walter, on the other hand, looked at the bunny women with disdain. As a high-ranking demon beast on the verge of achieving human form, low-tier monsters like these were not even worth his notice.He immediately urged, "Master, let's find the monsters' lairs and kill their leader so we can move on to the next level."Chase thought that sounded reasonable.Foll
The monsters on the first level were weak, and the Dark and Light Emeralds they dropped were nearly useless for cultivation once one reached stage six of martial god.When the bunny women saw Chase's image projected in the air, they were momentarily stunned.They exchanged glances, and once again, the more mature bunny woman stepped forward. Pointing in the opposite direction from where Chase had gone, she said, "He went that way."Dominic and the others did not question her. They prepared to fly in the direction she indicated.Nonetheless, Barnabas paused and spoke up. "Wait a moment."Ricky and Dominic frowned with visible displeasure."What's the matter with you, Barnabas?" Ricky asked coldly."I have a few more questions for this young lady," Barnabas said, biting his lip slightly.Though he had the lowest cultivation among the elders of the Nefarious Deity Sect, he was by far the shrewdest."Are you certain only one person went that way?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at t
The gnoll guards raised their blades and axes, preparing to swarm Chase and his group. Unfortunately for them, an invisible barrier immediately blocked them from getting any closer."Tell your leader to come out," Chase called out.Although he did not raise his voice, the command carried clearly into the ears of every gnoll present thanks to his vital energy. There seemed to be something compelling in his tone as the gnolls all froze mid-charge, putting down their weapons and turning obedient.Their leader came stumbling out from his lavish central house in a panic, practically crawling with fear."O-Oh, great master… I mean, honored guests… How can I be of service to you?" He bowed respectfully, nothing like the domineering figure he usually was in front of his subordinates.As a peak-level low-tier monster, he understood one thing clearly—anyone who could appear silently in the middle of his stronghold was not someone he could afford to offend.As a bandit lord, he knew how to
A fierce and imposing group appeared exactly where Chase and his companions had just been. What was more, their presence was even more overpowering.The surrounding gnolls were immediately overwhelmed by the sheer pressure they emitted and did not dare move a muscle.What the hell was going on today? The gnoll chief gaped, his mind swirling like a stormy sea. One powerhouse after another showing up?Still, he was not a clueless rookie.He quickly adjusted his attitude and tone, adopting the same humble demeanor he had used earlier when speaking to Chase."Esteemed guests, may I ask what brings you to our humble stronghold?"Barnabas, once again taking the role of interrogator, projected an image of Chase and asked coldly, "Have you seen this person?"The gnoll leader's heart instantly leaped with joy. His chance for revenge had come.'This damn brat! He humiliated me in front of my men and talked about ascending to the upper realm. So, he's actually being hunted? You're dead no
Once the gnoll leader calmed down, his speech became more coherent and to the point. He even preemptively answered questions the others had not yet asked."Right here?"The experts from the Evil Shadow Sect and the Nefarious Deity Sect swept their consciousness over the sky above. Doubt clouded their faces.There were only faint traces of martial god-level auras lingering in the air—nothing remotely like the signs of realm-breaking ascension.They also realized that if three people had truly broken through to ascend, it would have caused an overwhelming phenomenon visible from miles away. There would have been a gathering of spiritual energy, celestial visions, divine blessings, or resonance…Even though none of them had ever seen such a thing firsthand, they could easily imagine it.It would not have been quieter than their own breakthroughs, and such events usually lasted for at least half an hour. However, the residual vital spirit above had barely lasted a quarter of that.C
At the second level of the Dark and Light Mineral Ore, Chase looked around at the stone walls and the straw-covered floor.Then, he shifted his gaze at the ragged, fierce-looking crowd watching them and thought, "What the hell is this place?"Walter and Willow were also glancing around curiously. Now that Chase had become their backbone, they did not act on their own; everything was up to his decision.A burly man with a thick beard shouted in a deep, gruff voice, "You damn dark sorcerers! There's no fresh blood here for your rituals. Get lost!"Tough words, but his fear—along with the rest of the crowd's—was obvious, even without using consciousness. The cage-like enclosure confirmed one thing—this was a prison.The room they were in held five people. Besides the loud, bearded man, there was a filthy, disheveled old man and three younger thugs.Even so... 'Dark sorcerers?'Could this place be modeled after medieval Orion?It seemed unlikely that people from the nether realm kn
It was probably just that these bumpkins had never seen a true powerhouse cast spells. Any display slightly above average became exaggerated into "world-ending" destruction in their eyes. Still, in a low-power world like this, having such abilities really did allow one to act like a tyrant.Once they figured it out, they could not help but laugh.After hearing everything, Chase blasted a massive hole in the prison wall and walked out. The air outside was indeed much fresher than the stench inside.Beyond the wall was a small plaza, surrounded by towering barriers. Hearing the deafening boom, the prison guards turned around to see Chase and his companions stepping through the hole in the wall.They were stunned.The quicker ones snapped out of it and immediately raised the alarm. "Emergency! Emergency! Someone broke out of prison!"One of them sounded the prison bell."We're jailbreakers now," Chase said with a grin. Then, along with Willow and Walter, he took to the skies, glanc
Tania once attended celebratory events held by other sects, only to encounter top-tier demonic beasts on the road. A brutal battle left her covered in wounds, and she missed the celebration entirely, offending the host.At that time, her master's resentment had already reached its peak.That thousand-year-old wolf demon became the last straw that broke the camel's back.Her master unleashed Emerald Lake Holy Land's most powerful technique—Radiance of Emerald, Eternal Slumber.Heaven and earth changed color the moment it was unleashed. The thousand-year wolf demon gathered all of its cultivation but still could not withstand the strike. It was reduced to ashes in an instant.Tania once thought that the gap between her and her master was not too wide and that she would rightfully inherit the mantle of leadership over Emerald Lake Holy Land within a century.Yet after witnessing that attack, she realized how wrong she had been. From then on, she started training harder and more dilig
Chase, who was standing directly in front of that sword strike, was equally stunned.Zacharias had been right!From that sword, he sensed the same divine intent as the one he had felt earlier in the clouds from that figure that resembled the Nine-Sea Giant Squid. It was evil, filled with pain and oppression, spreading boundlessly.Clive was indeed a projection—or a fragment—of Klondike!Chase's rage simmered down, replaced by a cold gleam in his eyes. This was the one who wanted to kill him?He was ready to strike back with full force. He summoned Greedy Wolf from the void, and his killing intent surged across the arena. The moment the blade appeared, it once again drew gasps from the audience.The overwhelming sword intent Clive had released earlier was instantly compressed and forced back by half as if it were afraid of Chase's blade. Then came the killing aura of Greedy Wolf. It was nearly tangible, sweeping across the hearts of every spectator.Earlier, Clive's sword aura had
Clive finally seemed to snap out of his daze."You brat, did you drug me?" he barked angrily, vaguely aware that something felt off. It was as if he had just taken a nap in the arena. His first thought was that Chase must have slipped him some kind of drug."If I had drugged you, would you still be standing there?" Chase scoffed at such a ridiculous accusation.That was true. If Chase truly had drugged him, Clive would probably already be lying unconscious in the rest area.Clive reluctantly accepted Chase's explanation for now."Let's settle this once and for all!" he shouted, raising his Heaven and Earth Sword as a boundless sword aura swept across the arena.Huh? His strength felt even greater than before. Clive grew smug with pride.Chase appeared completely unaware of his incoming strike.Rookie move, he thought. Chase must have been stunned by his sword intent and was now completely frozen.Clive was imagining it all in his head.Then, he shouted, "Boundless Heaven and E
As soon as Zacharias spoke of Klondike, Chase's sea of consciousness suddenly darkened.Chase was startled. He sensed a presence—some sort of power—watching him. He released his spiritual consciousness and swept the area but found nothing."That's Klondike's power. Just mentioning him will make you a target and draw his gaze," Zacharias warned. "I no longer have anything to lose, but you must be careful. If his true body takes notice, there's only one outcome—death.""It's too late. My master already has his eyes on you. Kid, did you not see what happened to Zacharias? I suggest you learn from it and—"Before Gideon could finish his sentence, an invisible chain shot out, binding his soul and sealing his mouth, leaving him completely unable to speak."You'd better behave. This is my sea of consciousness," Chase said coldly.The last time he struck Gideon with a bolt of lightning, it obliterated his soul, but Gideon had reformed using a portion of Zacharias' spirit. If Chase destroy
Chase had been wondering why it took Zacharias so long to wake up. Now that he was finally awake, why was he still so weak? More importantly, why did he immediately turn against his old acquaintance?What exactly had happened in between?"He's a fraud. The Nine-Sea Giant Squid and the Nine Sea Holy Sword are all projections or incarnations of that evil deity. All that nonsense about being fated with me was a setup—just a ploy to steal my divine foresight," Zacharias said as his spiritual form twisted like wisps of smoke, looking unstable and on the verge of dispersing completely."Evil deity? Projection? Are you talking about Klondike?" Chase asked, recalling the Nine-Sea Giant Squid he encountered on the fourth level among the Worthingtons as well as the so-called expert they summoned. He remembered they had mentioned someone named Klondike.Upon hearing Chase speak that name, Gideon visibly flinched in shock."So, you actually know?" he asked with a dark expression."My soul has
Fallon was a little speechless when he heard Ford's words.He had made up the whole "spiritual consciousness duel" thing on a whim, yet this kid delivered his commentary with such confidence and flair. It looked like he was a seasoned show-off too!Truly, the younger generation was not to be underestimated. Fallon could not help but let out a snort of laughter.Carla, standing beside him, transmitted a quiet message via spiritual consciousness, "Ford… isn't wrong.""What?" Fallon was stunned.In terms of soul and spiritual consciousness, Carla was undoubtedly one of the top experts in the nether realm. As someone who focused on physical cultivation, Fallon had always respected her spiritual skills.However, this so-called "spiritual consciousness duel" had just been something he made up.Even Carla had believed it was a lie earlier. Yet now, she was suddenly vouching for Ford, saying he was telling the truth?It really gave Fallon a scare."I made this up on the spot. Are you s
"Could they be rigging the match?""The reward for the Holy Path is at the martial god level. Would they fake a match for that?""It's exactly because it's a martial god-level reward that they'd rig the match, got it?""No way. I object. City Lord, these two are definitely up to something!"As Clive and Chase remained motionless for longer and longer, Fallon and Carla also noticed something was wrong.However, after scanning the arena with their spiritual consciousness, they did detect a clashing of energy between the two.After a brief moment of thought, Fallon spoke up. "Everyone, please calm down. These two prodigies are currently engaged in a rather novel type of battle—a spiritual consciousness duel. The fight between them is currently in a deadlock. A single misstep could mean complete annihilation of their souls."Only those whose spiritual consciousness is highly refined can perceive what's going on. So please, be patient and wait for the match to conclude."The crowd im
"Kid, if I hadn't deliberately transmitted my voice to you, do you think you could hear me?"Chase flinched. That voice had clearly echoed within his sea of consciousness. Could it be that Zacharias Crane had awakened?He quickly recalled the Seer of Whitepeak—the former elder of the Shadowless Sect whom he had subdued—and hurriedly searched within his sea of consciousness.Zacharias' soul still lay dormant."Heh, just as I thought. That old fellow is suffering too, hiding out inside you." The voice sounded pleased.Chase was completely stunned."Let me be honest with you. I'm the Nine Sea Holy Sword, Gideon. That Zacharias kid always bragged about being a peerless divine seer. But it turns out that even he couldn't escape his fate."As he spoke, a translucent figure materialized within Chase's sea of consciousness. He wore a gray robe and carried nine long swords on his back."Sir, and you are…"Chase was shocked. This man had entered his sea of consciousness silently. If he m
"That's no surprise. They're human too and have emotions. It's normal.""Aren't cultivators supposed to develop noble hearts as part of their cultivation? How can they allow such raw emotions to control them?""Well, not everything looks like it seems. The way they vent their emotions is different from us common folk."Chase looked exasperated while listening to the discussion below. He did not want to listen in on them. However, there was something about Clive.When Chase tried to sense Clive with his consciousness, he could sense an ordinary cultivator and an unfathomable cultivator who was as mysterious as a deep, black hole. It got him curious. Could this man have a split personality? Or was he possessed?Chase released his consciousness completely to be safe. This way, he could watch over every move Clive made.This move had also caused him to hear every unnecessary voice below the ring.Clive had no idea what Chase had done. All he knew was that a pair of mysterious eyes s