by KSY
God Slayer Vol.1
KSY
Table of content
Contents
Ch.1
Ch.2
Ch.3
Ch.4
Ch.5
Ch.6
Ch7
Ch8
Ch.9
Ch.10
Ch.11
Ch12
Ch.13
Ch.14
Ch.15
Ch.16
Ch.17
Ch.18
Ch.19
Ch.20
Ch.21
Ch.22
Ch.23
Ch.24
Ch.25
Ch.26
Ch.1
It was raining quite heavily in the dense forest, however if you looked at its vegetation you could easily tell it was on a foreign world, not on Earth.
The shortest trees in the forest were a few hundred meters in height and the tallest, a few kilometers in height. The forest had an ancient atmosphere and felt as if it had existed for an eternity.
The forest existed in a world called Grandura, which is a higher world, and was named Eternal Forest by the inhabitants of that world.
The different worlds of the universe are graded as lower, middle, higher and Divine based on the concentration and purity of a special kind of energy present in them called Elemental Energy. Our Earth also has it but in an almost negligible concentration which makes Earth a lower world. Since Grandura is a higher world the concentration of Elemental Energy in it is quite high.
The inhabitants of the worlds containing higher concentrations of Elemental Energy, including beasts and different kinds of Humanoid races, practice the Art of Cultivation. A living being gains unfathomable strength and powers by continuously breaking through the limits of its body that way.
In the worlds that have Elemental Energy, personal strength and powers determine everything for a living being, including all matters of life and death.
The limits of a being’s body are known as the Realms of the Martial Path, and the Martial Path is considered endless, as it does not possess a fixed number of Realms. Most living beings start in the Mortal Realm of the Martial Path, this being the lowest Realm of the Martial Path. A Mortal Realm being advances to the Immortal Realm of the Martial Path after breaking through the limits of its body, following which it becomes an Immortal being. It then forever possesses a youthful appearance and can live forever – provided it is not killed by someone.
The Mortal Realm and Immortal Realm both have multiple sub-realms. The sub-realms of the Mortal Realm are the Awakening Realm, the Condensation Realm, the Mortal Elite Realm, the Mortal Lord Realm, the Mortal King Realm, the Mortal Emperor Realm, the Mortal Sage Realm and the Mortal Saint Realm. Each sub-realm is further divided into three stages: early, mid and late. After each breakthrough to the next sub-realm of the Mortal Realm, the being’s strength and powers increase vastly and its lifespan also increases – by a few hundred years in early sub-realms of the Mortal Realm and by a thousand years in the later sub-realms of the Mortal Realm. They remain forever young if they are in the Immortal Realm.
After attaining a breakthrough, a Late Mortal Saint Realm being steps into the Immortal Realm. The multiple sub-realms of the Immortal Realms are the Immortal Elite Realm, the Immortal Lord Realm, the Immortal King Realm, the Immortal Emperor Realm, the Immortal Sage Realm and the Immortal Saint Realm.
On Grandura, a Martial Artist, or any other being, can walk the Martial Path only as far as the Immortal Realm. If a Martial Artist, or any other being, wishes to advance beyond the Immortal Realm, then he or she must ascend to a Divine World, as Grandura lacks the Cultivation resources required for advancing to the higher realms of the Martial Path.
Eternal Forest is one of the most beautiful forests on Grandura, but the beings that lurk in it have turned it into one of Grandura’s Forbidden zones. Since life on this planet has evolved in the presence of Elemental Energy, it is altogether different from life on Earth. On Grandura, even rats and insects are as big as human beings, so the size of other beings can be imagined. This world has every kind of creature a human being on Earth can only imagine: from dragons to Undead creatures.
Every year, millions of people venture into Eternal Forest. The ones who enter the forest are not ordinary people: they all practice the Art of Cultivation. On Grandura such people are known as Martial Artists.
This particular day was no different.
Quite a few people had entered the Eternal Forest even though it was still raining. A middle-aged man and a teenager were amongst them. They walked at a steady pace as they moved deeper into the forest. They were completely dry even though it was raining quite heavily, as the raindrops changed direction under some mysterious force the moment they neared their bodies. If raindrops did that on Earth, then people would have given the middle-aged man and teenager the status of Gods, but on Grandura anyone can do that as long as they practice the Art of Cultivation.
“Grandfather, what will the Cultivation Level of the Elemental Beasts be that I must kill?” the teenager asked with enthusiasm, as he walked just a few steps behind the middle-aged man. His name was Ryan, and he’d come to Eternal Forest for the first time to hunt Elemental Beasts. All beasts that are able to practice the Art of Cultivation are known as Elemental Beasts. Similarly, there are Elemental Insects and Elemental Birds.
Every teenager on Grandura goes to a forest with a family elder when they step into the Mortal Elite Realm, so they can hunt Elemental Beasts. This is an important day for them, as it marks the start of their lives as Martial Artists. So, Ryan’s enthusiasm can be understood.
“Same as yours,” Ryan’s grandfather said in an emotionless voice, as he scanned the surrounding area with his Soul-sense for any anomalies. His name was Oscar. Soul-sense is a basic ability possessed by all kinds of beings from Mortal Lord Realm onwards. It works like radar and allows them to have a better understanding of their surroundings. It also helps them in detecting anomalies within a certain range around them. A being can avoid Sneak attacks if its Soul-sense is active, so its significance can be understood.
“OK,” Ryan said as he followed his grandfather. His eyes were filled with fighting spirit but the fighting spirit soon disappeared from his eyes, as he looked at the different marvels of nature around him. As that was his first time in Eternal Forest its beauty was bound to captivate him. Oscar didn’t mind and just smiled from time to time as he watched his grandson’s astonished expressions change every time he saw something new.
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Members of the many Humanoid races in the worlds that have an ample amount of Elemental Energy are born with Martial Spirits. These Humanoid races are known as Spirit Humanoid races and its members are known as Spirit Humanoids. The Human race is also a Spirit Humanoid race.
So, what are Martial Spirits? Well, no one knows the answer exactly, but it is something that every Spirit Humanoid has, and but for it, Spirit Humanoids would never have been able to practice the Art of Cultivation. A Martial Spirit acts like a medium between the Spirit Humanoid and the Elemental Energy in its surroundings. Martial Spirits can assume the shape of anything that exists in the Universe. Some resemble Elemental Beasts, while some are in the shape of weapons.
All Martial Spirits possess an attribute, or multiple attributes in some cases. Their attributes can be fire, water, earth, wind, thunder, light, darkness and so on. A Martial Spirit can act as a medium only between the Martial Artist and the Elemental Energy of the same attribute as itself. Just like Martial Spirits, Elemental Energy also has various attributes. Thus, a Martial Artist of the Spirit Humanoid race can only absorb Elemental Energy of the same attribute as its Martial Spirit.
Spirit Humanoids have a special place in their soul where their Martial Spirit resides. This place is known as their ‘Soul World’. There’s another important thing inside their Soul World too and that is a crystalline core at the center of the Soul World, that is known as the Soul Core. The Soul Core is formed by a Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist in the Condensation Realm of the Mortal Realm, the second most important realm after the Awakening Realm.
In the Awakening Realm, a young child of the Spirit Humanoid race awakens the slumbering Martial Spirit in his or her Soul World. This is the first step for all Spirit Humanoids that wish to become Martial Artists. Most Spirit Humanoids are able to awaken their Martial Spirit without any problem, but some are unable to do so throughout their lifetime. The shape and the attribute of the child’s Martial Spirit can only be known after the child awakens it.
A child of the Spirit Humanoid race steps into the Condensation Realm after successfully awakening its Martial Spirit, and then it can start forming a Soul Core inside its Soul World. The child advances to the Mortal Elite Realm once its Soul Core is fully formed inside its Soul World.
A child of the Spirit Humanoid race can call itself a real Martial Artist only after stepping into the Mortal Elite Realm. The Awakening Realm and Condensation Realm are known as the Foundation Realms, and if a child is unable to master these two realms, then he or she can never become a Martial Artist.
Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists require a special energy to use the strength and power that they gain by practicing the Art of Cultivation. This energy is known as Spirit Power and it is produced by their Soul Cores. Soul Cores convert the Elemental Energy absorbed by Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists into Spirit Power. Soul Cores also act like generators as well as reservoirs of Spirit Power, so their importance can be imagined for Spirit Humanoids.
Cultivation of a Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist is concentrated inside its Soul Core. So, the Cultivation Level of a Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist is really the Cultivation Level of its Soul Core. It is not the Martial Artist that advances to a higher realm of the Martial Path but his or her Soul Core. The capacity of the Soul Core to hold Spirit Power increases exponentially every time it advances to a higher realm. Advancement of the Soul Core also leads to an increase in the bodily toughness of the Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist as well as allowing him or her to gain more strength and powers. The quality of the Spirit Power produced undergoes a qualitative change too: it becomes manyfold purer than before, which increases the combat prowess of the Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist.
A Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist has to gain insight into the Elemental Laws of the attribute or attributes of its Martial Spirit and understand them to a certain level before he or she can breakthrough to the next sub-realm or realm of the Martial Path. The speed of breakthroughs to higher sub-realms or realms of the Martial Path directly depends on the insight and understanding of the Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist in the Elemental Laws. A Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist with greater insights and understanding of the Elemental Laws advances to higher sub-realms or realms of the Martial Path at a much faster pace, than one with fewer insights and lesser understanding of the Elemental Laws.
Their combat prowess also varies for the same reason. Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists with greater understanding and insight into the Elemental Laws have greater combat prowess, compared to those with lesser understanding and insight into the Elemental Laws. Martial Spirits are also capable of gaining insights and understanding of the Elemental Laws. The insight and understanding of the Elemental Laws gained by a Martial Spirit are automatically gained by the Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist – thus, increasing the overall speed at which a Martial Artist can gain insight and understanding in the Elemental Laws.
Martial Spirits are of various shapes, each shape having its advantages. A Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist whose Martial Spirit resembles an Elemental Beast or Elemental Bird can gain the Innate Abilities of that Elemental Beast or Elemental Bird. Innate Abilities are not that easy to gain though.
All the Innate Abilities possessed by a Martial Spirit are sealed by Heavenly Law. Martial Artists can only gain those Innate Abilities by breaking the seals placed on their Martial Spirits.
One of the easiest ways to gain Innate Abilities is by possessing more understanding of the Elemental Laws than the required threshold, while attaining a breakthrough to the next sub-realm or realm of the Martial Path. In such a situation, one of the many seals placed on the Martial Spirit sealing its Innate Abilities automatically breaks and the Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist gains an Innate Ability. The Innate Ability gained by the Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist is random – it can be a powerful Innate Ability or a useless one. It all depends on the Martial Artist’s luck.
This method is not that popular as not everyone is so good at gaining insight and understanding in the Elemental Laws. Other methods require the Martial Artist to forcibly break the seals placed on their Martial Spirit by absorbing Heavenly Treasures, pills or anything else which, when consumed or absorbed, breaks the seals placed on a Martial Spirit.
A Spirit Humanoid Martial Artist possessing a Martial Spirit in the shape of a weapon can wield it like a weapon. He or she can also fuse the Martial Spirit with normal weapons that look similar to their Martial Spirit. That normal weapon then turns into a Life Weapon on fusion with a weapon-shaped Martial Spirit. The strength and power of the Life Weapon grows alongside the Martial Artist. Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists who have a weapon-shaped Martial Spirit have a very high talent in wielding the weapon their Martial Spirit resembles, because of which they are able to comprehend weapon intent extremely easily compared to other Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists. Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists who can comprehend weapon intent are many times more terrifying than those who are unable to do so. If Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists fuse the weapon intent they’ve comprehended with their attack, their attack power rises exponentially.
In exceptionally rare cases, a Martial Artist can have a Martial Spirit in the shape of a Humanoid being. Those Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists are able to gain insight into the Elemental Laws at an exceptionally high speed compared to other Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists. Certain types of Humanoid Martial Spirits are able to increase the weapon-wielding capabilities of a Martial Artist, just like a weapon-shaped Martial Spirit does. Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists who possess such a Humanoid Martial Spirit are also able to comprehend weapon intent easily, just like those Spirit Humanoid Martial Artists who possess a weapon-shaped Martial Spirit.
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Oscar had detected numerous Elemental Beasts with his Soul-sense as they were heading deeper into Eternal Forest, but none of them were suitable opponents for Ryan. They were either many times stronger than Ryan, or just too weak. Such Elemental Beasts were of no use to them. Oscar and Ryan had to move around extensively in the Eternal Forest to find a suitable Elemental Beast for Ryan.
The rain had also stopped in the meantime.
Oscar footsteps suddenly stopped, as he pointed towards a particular bush and said, “Ryan there is a Horned viper resting under that bush. Its Cultivation Level is similar to yours, and even its attribute is similar to your Martial Spirit. Do you wish to fight it?”
“Yes indeed!” Ryan agreed readily, as he was pumped with fighting spirit.
Horned vipers are Normal Elemental Beasts which look no different from the vipers on Earth except for a few differences. They have black scales covering their bodies, and a sharp horn in the middle of their forehead. They are generally two to three meters in length and as thick as the calf of an adult human. Horned vipers are Poison Attribute Elemental Beasts. Even Mortal Lord Realm Martial Artist have a hard time detoxifying their bodies after getting poisoned by one. The horn on its forehead is as toxic as the fangs in its mouth, and they use it for headbutting enemies during fights.
Elemental Beasts are of three types: Normal Elemental Beasts, Ancient
Elemental Beasts, and Divine Elemental Beasts. Ancient Elemental Beasts and Divine Elemental Beasts are many times more powerful than Normal Elemental Beasts and can rip one of them apart with great ease.
All three types contain individuals with varying degrees of bloodline purity. The Horned viper found by Oscar had mid-grade bloodline purity. An Elemental Beast’s talent and potential are determined by the purity of its bloodline. An Elemental Beast with a greater bloodline purity has more talent, as well as a higher number of Innate Abilities than an Elemental Beast of the same species with a lower bloodline purity.
Bloodline purity is graded as low, mid, high and original. An Elemental Beast can increase its bloodline purity by cultivating to higher realms and with each breakthrough, its bloodline purity increases a little. It can also increase its bloodline purity by devouring Heavenly Treasures. If an Elemental Beast has original-grade bloodline-purity, that means it is a pure-blooded individual of its species, and it possesses all the Innate Abilities of its species, as well as very high potential and talent. If an Elemental Beast is able to increase its bloodline purity to original-grade, then its talent and potential multiply immensely, and it also gains all the Innate Abilities of its species, that it lacked previously.
Normal Elemental Beasts can also possess the bloodline of Ancient Elemental Beasts or Divine Elemental Beasts in low concentrations in their bodies. Those Elemental Beasts are not considered real descendants of Ancient Elemental Beasts or Divine Elemental Beasts though, as their bloodline is in miniscule concentrations. If a Normal Elemental Beast is able to increase the Ancient Elemental Beast or Divine Elemental Beast bloodline concentration, then it evolves into the corresponding Ancient Elemental Beast or Divine Elemental Beast with low-grade bloodline purity.
A smile appeared on Oscar face on hearing Ryan’s confident reply. He flicked his hand, after which a large energy barrier was erected around the bush to make sure that the Horned viper had no chance of escaping during its fight with Ryan. He wanted to use this Horned viper to temper Ryan. He was OK about Ryan losing, as that would teach him the importance of strength. Oscar signaled to Ryan to get going. On seeing his grandfather’s signal, Ryan entered the barrier and approached the bush in a carefree manner.