by KSY
“OK, let’s head out,” Ryan said with a smile. He had decided to leave the Estate to explore the mysterious island that Caius had found, as well as test the evolved version of Nightmare gas. He still had about half a month’s time until the day of his departure for the Heaven Sundering Family Clan for the Divine Trials, but felt he would regret it, if he didn’t go to the island before then.
Ryan informed his grandpas and grandmas before venturing out in the Forest of Darkness. Many of them volunteered to go along with him, but Ryan declined their help and informed them that Caius was going along with him. They didn’t force themselves on Ryan as they knew how powerful Caius was. He was completely different from other Viper’s Touch Plant Spirits as he didn’t possess the weak body, that comprised the typical weakness of Poison Attribute Plant Spirits. Some of them had even exchanged blows with Caius and were alarmed when their most powerful attacks were not able to leave any marks on his body, while the toxins released by Caius were lethal to them.
Once outside the estate, Ryan asked Caius to lead the way to the mysterious island. Caius nodded his head in approval as he created a poison barrier around himself and Ryan before they took off into the sky.
Ch.2
The location of the lake containing the island was not far from the Estate, so Ryan and Caius arrived at its shore after one day of continuous flying. The lake’s water was pitch-black in color due to the Miasma shrouding the island in the lake’s center. Ryan could also see a large number of skeletons of numerous creatures floating on the lake’s surface which gave a very creepy sensation to the place. The lake was circular in shape, about ten or so kilometers in diameter. Ryan found his surroundings too quiet for a forest; he could not even hear the sound of Elemental Beasts or Elemental Insects. Ryan activated his Asura eyes to scan his surroundings, but there was no sign of life around him either in the lake or on the island. Ryan was not alarmed by this fact; on the contrary, his curiosity about the island further increased by a notch. He could already sense the source of the Miasma on the island.
Ryan flew towards the island while Caius sat on his shoulder as he too looked at the surroundings with curiosity. It didn’t take them long to arrive at the Miasma. Ryan didn’t even bother to test the Miasma, but just zoomed into it and after a few seconds, he was above the island shrouded by it. Since Asura Physique gave him immunity towards all kinds of Evil Attributes, he wasn’t bothered by the Miasma as it was of Death Attribute, and it didn’t take him long to find its source. It was a Black Pearl lying in the middle of a crater, quite similar to the ones created by meteorites. It was clear to Ryan that this Black Pearl had arrived on Grandura from Outer space.
Ryan descended to the crater, then slowly and steadily approached the Black Pearl on foot. He had no intention of taking any chances with his life as the object in question had come from Outer space. He had heard from his grandfather that objects from Outer space could be both a life-changing opportunity and a calamity.
His grandfather had told him about two of his Ancestors from the Eternity Family Clan, both of whom had found objects that had come from Outer space. In the case of one Ancestor, the object discovered by him was a Heavenly opportunity. He had discovered a Heavenly Dark Crystal, a Heavenly Treasure of Darkness Attribute coveted by all Darkness Attribute beings. That Heavenly Treasure was capable of unsealing the Innate Abilities of Darkness Attribute Martial Spirits, and increasing the bloodline purity of Darkness Attribute beasts and other kinds of beings.
The other Ancestor was not so lucky. The thing he’d found was an egg of the Netherworld worm. Netherworld worms are one of the strongest types of Death Attribute Elemental Insects and aren’t found on Grandura. At that time, its appearance had caused a great uproar on Grandura, as generally, they are only found on certain Divine Worlds that have a lot of Death Elemental Energy of extremely high purity. The egg had entered the body of Ryan’s Ancestor the moment he’d touched it. He died a dog’s death, as the egg hatched inside his body soon afterwards, and the Netherworld worm that emerged started devouring him alive from the inside. The Head of the Grandura Branch of the Eternity Family Clan had had to execute him to free him from his suffering, as there was no way to extract the Netherworld worm without killing its host. The Netherworld worm had also died as it was still in its nascent stage. If it had been allowed to grow up, then it could easily have become the strongest being on Grandura.
A strong energy fluctuation was released from the black side of Ryan’s Soul World the moment Ryan went near the Black Pearl. Ryan was astonished as its source was Death Sword, and Ryan had not seen any reaction from Death Sword since the last time they’d met. Ryan immediately halted, and sent his consciousness into his Soul World.
Death Sword was shining with an Unholy black light as Ryan’s ethereal figure appeared in the black side of his Soul World. Dargar, Yama, and Earl were already looking at Death Sword with a lot of curiosity, especially Earl as it was the first time he’d seen any reaction from Death Sword, though he had heard about him from Yama and Dargar before.
“It seems there is a new resident in your Soul World, Master,” Death Sword said the moment Ryan’s ethereal figure appeared in the black side of his Soul World. Death Sword didn’t transform into his Humanoid form this time. He was stunned on seeing Earl, as it was never easy to gain a Martial Spirit let alone such a powerful one. Ryan quickly introduced Earl to Death Sword, following which they exchanged pleasantries. Ryan then told him everything about Earl.
“Truly fascinating,” Death Sword couldn’t help but murmur, as he had never heard of something so bizarre in his entire life.
“Is your condition somewhat better than before?” Ryan asked in a concerned manner. Ryan’s Martial Spirits also had the same question in their minds.
“No, it is same as before. The aura of the Black Pearl forced me to wake up,” Death Sword answered, but then he went on.
“Master, can I fuse it with me?” Death Sword asked. Ryan was stunned for a second at hearing this request from Death Sword.
On seeing Ryan’s stunned expression, Death Sword started explaining the entire matter in detail to him. “This Black Pearl is quite similar to Heavenly Death pearl in many ways, but is different at the same time. This is my first time seeing one and I have no information regarding its abilities and uses. If I fuse with this Black Pearl, then there is a chance that all my current abilities will become many times stronger than before, and I might even gain a new ability. There is also a chance that I might partially recover from my current state.”
Death Sword paused for a second as he scanned the faces of Ryan and his Martial Spirits to see if they had any doubts. Then, he continued since none of them raised any, “The Undead Rearing Space was formed inside me after I fused with the Heavenly Death pearl. Prior to that, I’d only had a simple Spatial space meant for storing stuff. If I’d had an Undead Rearing Space instead of that simple Spatial space, then my former Master wouldn’t have died that year. He could have raised a powerful and loyal army of Undead creatures to support him during the battle for the Heavenly Death pearl.”
Death Sword paused again, and after a moment, continued again, “This Black Pearl, if I am not wrong, is a Heavenly Treasure on the same Level as that Heavenly Death pearl, but you won’t be able to use it until you become a God.”
Ryan couldn’t help but nod his head upon hearing what Death Sword had to say. Yama, Dargar, and Earl were no different. They themselves saw the utility of having an Undead Rearing Space, but if it could be upgraded, then that would be very good indeed.
“So, how can I help you in fusing with it?” Ryan asked in an excited manner. If Death Sword’s abilities could be upgraded, then that was the best thing that could happen before his departure to the Heaven Sundering Family Clan, but this would be Ryan’s first attempt at fusing a Heavenly Treasure with his Life Weapon.
All Martial Artists possessing a Life Weapon fuse numerous Heavenly Treasures with it so it can gain new abilities.
The abilities of any Life Weapon depend completely on the Heavenly Treasures that its owner has fused with it. A Life Weapon does not always gain an ability after fusing with a Heavenly Treasure, though; in reality, the chances of that happening are extremely low, but Ryan was OK about that after hearing out Death Sword.
Ryan didn’t mind sacrificing the Black Pearl given there was a slight chance of upgrading Death Sword’s abilities. His other reason was the trouble that he might call upon himself and his family members if the news regarding this Black Pearl were to spread. There would be endless trouble: just the mere thought about the consequences of that made him shiver.
“Master, just touch the Black Pearl with the blade part of my body. I will then absorb it and slowly fuse with it,” Death Sword said in an excited voice. Ryan took Death Sword out from his Soul World and did as Death Sword had told him. The Black Pearl was instantly absorbed into the blade of Death Sword. The runes on Death Sword started to shine with blinding Unholy black light as Death Sword started fusing with the Black Pearl. The sword’s blade was covered in a dense Miasma, which didn’t spread out but swirled around it. A smile crept onto Ryan’s face after seeing this. He tried to talk with Death Sword, but he didn’t reply. Ryan could tell that he must have entered a deep sleep-state, so he sent Death Sword back to the black side of his Soul World. He knew that all he could do was to wait patiently for good news from Death Sword.
Ryan could see that the Miasma around the lake had started to thin with the disappearance of the Black Pearl. He knew that this would definitely attract the attention of all the beings living near this part of the Forest of Darkness, so he quickly left the island along with Caius.
Once Ryan and Caius flew quite a distance from the island, Ryan started searching for something he could test the evolved version of the Nightmare gas on. He didn’t have to wait for long before he came across something. It was a Three-eyed Shadow panther with a Cultivation Level of Late Mortal Lord Realm, a Darkness Attribute Elemental Beast, and an Ancient Elemental Beast.
A Three-eyed Shadow panther looks no different from a regular panther except for being pitch-black in color, and having a third eye in the middle of its forehead. Its third eye can attack the minds and souls of its enemies. The Three-eyed Shadow panther in front of Ryan was around three meters in length and had Mid-grade bloodline purity.
The specialty of this Elemental Beast lies in its Stealth-based Innate Abilities. If not for his Asura eyes, then Ryan would definitely have missed it, as he was unable to sense it with his other powerful senses. Three-eyed Shadow panthers can move around without getting detected by other beings which makes them extremely dangerous predators. They also possess very powerful senses which, when coupled with their Stealth-based Innate Abilities, make them perfect assassins. This Elemental Beast is every assassin’s first preference for a Soul beast, as it makes their work many times easier, but finding one is easier said than done due to their Stealth-based Innate Abilities.
The Three-eyed Shadow panther was currently eating a Darkness Attribute Elemental Beast, but Ryan could not recognize the unlucky Elemental Beast as most of its body had already been devoured. Ryan couldn’t help but commend the Innate Abilities of the Three-eyed Shadow panther as he walked towards it. The Three-eyed Shadow panther was a little alarmed by the appearance of Ryan, as it had not expected a weak human to detect it, nevertheless it didn’t flee which meant that it was not at all scared of Ryan.
“Roar!” The Three-eyed Shadow panther issued an ear-piercing roar at Ryan as it disappeared from its spot and instantaneously appeared next to Ryan. It didn’t waste any time and swiped with its right paw covered in black aura to mercilessly attack Ryan’s neck with its full might. Its sharp claws could cleave any Late Mortal Lord Realm Martial Artist in two with ease. The Three-eyed Shadow panther had no reason to fear Ryan as it sensed a Cultivation Level of Early Mortal Elite Realm from him. In its eyes, Ryan was courting death by coming into its territory. The Three-eyed Shadow panther’s biggest mistake was to underestimate its opponent, because of which it didn’t use its powerful Innate Abilities while attacking Ryan.
Ryan sneered on seeing its actions. If it had used its Innate Abilities, then Ryan would have definitely faced some problems in dealing it, as the Three-eyed Shadow panther is known for its bizarre Innate Abilities, which increase its stealth and agility. Its loss was sealed the moment it underestimated Ryan. With extreme ease, Ryan caught its incoming paw with his right hand. The Three-eyed Shadow panther was alarmed with this sudden change in the situation, as it could immediately tell that Ryan was not a pushover: it could feel the powerful force from Ryan’s grip crushing its right paw.
“Roar!” The Three-eyed Shadow panther roared in anger and pain and its entire body was covered in a black aura. The next moment it tried to bite Ryan. Its white teeth turned black as they were infused with Darkness Attribute Elemental Energy which increased their might manyfold. Ryan’s left hand quickly grasped its neck, in order to stop it from biting him. He could have easily crushed its neck and killed it instantly, but he had no intention of doing that: he had already decided to capture it for Blake. Ryan was certain that Blake would definitely be able to form an Equal contract with it.
The next moment Ryan’s entire body was covered in a green-colored aura which soon transformed into a green serpent about three meters in length with a body as thick as the thigh of an adult human. This was none other than Dargar, whose size had increased manyfold since Ryan had advanced his Poison Attribute Soul Core to Early Mortal Lord Realm.
Dargar didn’t waste time and spat out a colorless and odorless gas, the Nightmare gas, which was like a ghost - completely undetectable. The Three-eyed Shadow panther was not able to detect it even though Three-eyed Shadow panthers are known for their powerful senses. The gas quickly invaded its body without its awareness, and the next moment Ryan felt the Three-eyed Shadow panther’s resistance decrease drastically, and reduce to exactly half of what it had been before. A smile crept onto Ryan’s face, as this clearly showed that the Nightmare gas had evolved successfully and gained a new function: it now had the ability to partially seal the Soul Cores and Elemental Cores of its victims, which in turn reduces their strength by half. Ryan was more than satisfied with this result. From the start he’d had a lesser expectation that Dargar’s poison would gain some Tears of Angel properties, and would have been very happy if Dargar’s toxicity had just increased by a large margin.
“Roar!” The Three-eyed Shadow panther issued a roar as it tried to flee from Ryan’s clutches, and looked at Ryan with a fearful expression. Ryan could tell that the Nightmare gas’s actual ability had kicked in, and the Three-eyed Shadow panther was hallucinating. In its eyes, Ryan’s figure was no different from a terrifying demon.
Ryan signaled Dargar to dispel the Nightmare gas from its body. Dargar knew of Ryan’s intentions, so he dispelled it immediately, as prolonged exposure to the Nightmare gas would not be good for the mind or the soul of the Three-eyed Shadow panther. It fell lifelessly to the ground soon after. Ryan quickly checked its condition and sighed with relief when he found that it had only fainted.
Caius who had been quietly watching the entire episode while hiding within Ryan’s hair also came out to check out the fainted Three-eyed Shadow panther. Ryan could tell from Caius’s actions that this was the first time he’d seen one. Ryan put the Three-eyed Shadow panther in a Beast pouch, following which he decided to return to the Estate. Ryan and Caius flew towards the Estate at their top speed.
Ryan just hoped that Blake and Cris were already out of their Closed-door Cultivation session.
Ch.3
Ryan arrived at the Estate after another a day of continuous flying, and immediately went to the Living room to inform his grandmas and grandpas that he’d returned. He could hear laughter and giggles as he approached it. The Living room was a big hall, with the capacity to hold hundreds of people at any given time. It was simple in design and structure, and not decora
ted with priceless furniture or other decorative items. It only contained tables and chairs made of stones. The settings of the tables and chairs were quite similar to the layout of a country bar, so on seeing it for the first, someone could definitely mistake it for a bar.
Ryan became the center of attention for the grandpas and grandmas sitting in the Living room when he entered, and quickly enquired about his small outing. Ryan told them about everything except for the Black Pearl and his experiment on the Three-eyed Shadow panther.
They were stunned for a second when Ryan told them that he had captured a Three-eyed Shadow panther, as it was such a rare creature. It was not at all easy to find one, and many of Ryan’s grandpas and grandmas had never seen one except in books. Seeing their curiosity, Ryan released the Three-eyed Shadow panther from his Beast pouch.
“Roar!” The Three-eyed Shadow panther let out an angry roar as it appeared in the Living room. Ryan could immediately tell that something was not right with it, as it was looking at him with Murderous intent and releasing a lot of bloodlust. Generally, a Mortal Lord Realm Elemental Beast would be scared stiff in the presence of so many powerful beings, but this one was completely different. It was thinking of attacking him without a care for its life.
“Ryan, this beast has gone berserk,” one of Ryan’s grandmas said in an alarmed manner. If the Three-eyed Shadow panther remained in this state for enough time, then it would lose its mind forever and turn into a bloodthirsty fiend. Ryan slowly nodded its head: it seemed that the effect of the Nightmare gas hadn’t disappeared completely, even though Dargar had dispelled it completely from its body.
“Roar!” The Three-eyed Shadow panther issued a powerful roar as it charged at Ryan.
