Shoving the giant castle doors open, Mira into a long hall with pillars of ice running down it. Icy statues of people mid-run littered the floor. As soon as her foot touched the tile, she understood why. A stream of Ice Qi forced its way into her meridians, attempting to freeze her from the inside out.
However, with her affinity, unique meridians, and constitution, it was more like fuel for her than anything else. She could feel her cultivation rising by the second, slowly but surely.
'And to think those guys said it was dangerous.' She shook and walked forward, ignoring everything around her—at least, that's how she would normally be—until she spotted a glimmer around the corpse's fingers.
'Spatial Rings?' Revealing a greedy smile, she yanked off a statue's arm and tossed it into her Storage Space, allowing it to sort everything out.
Seeing the hundreds, if not thousands, of victims in this hall, Mira's smile widened as she practically skipped to each body, looting them dry.
'Loot without work? Am I dreaming?'
As Mira continued her gleeful plundering, the vibrations from the distant explosions grew more intense, hinting at the colossal battle unfolding deeper within the castle. Yet, her focus remained on the treasure trove laid out before her.
"Who would have thought this place would be a goldmine right off the bat?" she mused aloud, her voice echoing slightly in the vast, chilling hall.
A few minutes later, Mira left behind a small army of armless icy corpses, reaching the giant doors to the next room.
Mira pushed open the doors, stepping into a room that seemed to have borne the brunt of a ferocious battle. The remnants of what might have been elaborate traps or intricate puzzles were scattered all over, reduced to rubble and ice shards. It was evident that someone or something had cleared the path with brute force.
"Looks like someone's done all the hard work for me," Mira chuckled to herself, her eyes scanning the room for any overlooked treasures.
Despite the destruction, she spotted a few intact objects amid the debris—a shattered chest with a glowing orb peering out, a half-burnt rug that seemed to shimmer with runes, and a cracked ice sculpture that pulsated with a mysterious energy.
Mira wasted no time. She approached the shattered chest first, plucking the orb from its broken confines. It was warm to the touch, pulsating with a vibrant energy that seemed to resonate with her own Qi. "Not bad for starters," she mused, tucking the orb into her Storage Space.
Next, she turned her attention to the tapestry. Though damaged, the fabric's enchantment was still active, faint runes glowing along its edges. With a careful touch, Mira unraveled the rug, revealing an intricate design on its surface. "This will fetch a pretty price," she thought, folding it carefully to preserve its remaining magic.
The last item, the cracked ice sculpture, intrigued her the most. Its core emitted a soft, pulsating glow, indicating that it was more than just a piece of art. Mira reached out, her fingers brushing against the ice, and felt a surge of cold energy rush into her. The sculpture wasn't just infused with energy; it was a container, a reservoir of condensed Ice Qi.
With a grin, Mira absorbed the energy from the sculpture, feeling her own power swell. "Not that useful to me, but certainly interesting," she muttered.
Satisfied with her loot, Mira advanced to the next set of doors, her steps echoing in the silent, frost-covered chamber. The battle noises from ahead were growing louder, the air vibrating with the intensity of the confrontation.
As she entered the next room, she found it similarly ravaged. The remnants of what might have been deadly ice constructs lay shattered on the ground, their once formidable forms now reduced to mere fragments. It was clear that the intruder ahead of her was not only powerful but also relentless.
Mira navigated through the debris, her eyes sharp for any hidden treasures. Amidst the remains, she discovered a small, unassuming box tucked away in a corner. Its plain exterior belied the potent aura emanating from within.
With a flick of her wrist, Mira opened the box, revealing a set of delicate, ice-encrusted earrings.
Pocketing them, Mira continued her journey, each step taking her closer to the heart of the castle and the epicenter of the battle.
***
Back in the Throne Room of the castle.
The entire room was a mess, albeit not nearly as much as one might think. The walls and floor bore the scars of battle, but that was it. No signs of large-scale destruction. There was hardly any damage, to begin with, merely looking as if a few mortals had scraped the walls accidentally.
Normally, such a thing was impossible. The two of them were strong enough to split mountains, how could a measly castle withstand their battle? Much less when Jinlong unleashed a secret technique worth thousands of years of planning.
'As I thought.' Jinlong slowly nodded. 'The place sealing this monster couldn't be normal. But this is good.'
Things would've gotten out of hand if this castle couldn't withstand their battle.
'I'll be taking this back with me once I take care of this old bastard.' He looked ahead at Kaius, or rather, where he was supposed to be.
The heads along the wall that received his prayer beads were raining down all sorts of elemental attacks onto the throne. Meanwhile, lines began to form between them, completing the array.
"...Is this all you got?" A lazy voice sounded from within the attack. "Seems to me a thousand years has been wasted~"
Jinlong sneered, "Just sit tight, 'Your Majesty'. I'll show you something interesting soon."
"Oh? Well, by all means!"
The lighthearted voice replied, and Jinlong could imagine him sinking into his throne with a contented smile.
Just that thought had him gnashing his teeth in frustration at how disgustingly powerful this man was, but he already knew this. Kaius was rumored to be in the Ascension Realm, after all. If a few attacks from deceased Divine Sea Realm masters could kill him, then he wouldn't be worth so much planning!
'...But this time, your arrogance will be your downfall!' He shouted internally, connecting his mind to the array. The lines creating the formation sped up, with all of them linking up in complex patterns.
Before long, those translucent white lines connected to him, and quickly, he felt his power increase. However, the technique wasn't over!
'Lastly, I have to sacrifice my cultivation!'
Jinlong steeled himself for the final step, the culmination of thousands of years of planning and sacrifice. His hands formed intricate seals, and he began to chant in an ancient dialect.
"As the descendant of the Heavenly Creation Order, I offer my cultivation as the final key!" Jinlong's voice echoed through the throne room, filled with a solemn resolve.
The lines of the array brightened, converging on him, drawing out his cultivation energy and channeling it into the formation. The process was excruciating as if his very soul was being extracted, yet Jinlong remained steadfast, his eyes locked on Kaius, who watched with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
"You're more entertaining than I anticipated, monk," Kaius remarked, his tone light but his eyes sharp.
"ARRGH!"
The crackling of bones and tearing of muscles resounded as Jinlong's body turned into a husk of his former self. However, just as it seemed he was about to die, the prayer-bead heads burst out of the walls and hovered over their rightful spot on the array.
Qi then began to surge around Jinlong's body as he sucked in all the energy in the surrounding area.
His dried and cracked body began to twist, turn, and enlarge, taking in this vast amount of energy. He expanded, going from the height of a normal person to 2 meters… 3 meters…
4 meters…
5 meters…
10 meters…
Until his head almost reached the ceiling at 25 meters, arms sprouted out of this titan, adding another 3 pairs. His head then began to warp as another 7 faces appeared, each one looking oddly similar to the seven strongest heads embedded in the wall. The elements revolved around these new limbs, each one controlling something different.
An Eight Trigrams Array etched itself on the Titan's back before its cultivation shot up. It went straight to the Divine Sea Realm and showed no signs of stopping.
1st Stage
2nd Stage
3rd Stage
…
9th Stage
Half-Step Ascension Realm!
""FOR THE LORD!""
The titan's eight voices thundered, shaking a portion of the Continent. It brought down its massive foot on top of the throne, attempting to squash Kaius like a little bug!
""Face the wrath of thousands of years of resentment, you cur!""
For the first time in… a really long time, Kaius's expression shifted to something other than playful–it became strange. As if he wasn't sure what he was looking at.
'...What kind of technique is this?' He flashed out of his throne right before the giant foot came crashing down, crushing his seat into a million pieces.
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