Chapter 202: The Truth of the World
Chapter 202: The Truth of the World
"This Aura system is rather crude... but there seems to be some potential to explore."
Fang Xing pondered, not stopping his recitation of the Great Sun Buddha Spell.
The benefits gained from the burned 'Deer Head Spirit' were far more than just advancing him by one Aura realm!
As his mastery of the Holy Cross Breathing Technique increased, he soon reached the pinnacle, about to break through to the 'Proficiency' stage.
According to the description of the breathing technique itself, this stage was known as 'Dawn'!
With a thunderous roar, his proficiency soared, and countless ideas about the application of Aura emerged in Fang Xing's mind.
At the same time, he felt his Aura was almost tangible, possessing the formidable power to crush ordinary Spirits! But the most significant changes occurred within his spirit.
Light!
Fang Xing saw a glimmer of light!
Following this ray of radiance, his spirit soared, and in a daze, he saw a pure white figure, a woman lying on the ground.
She had a voluptuous figure, completely naked, with the distinctive curves of a woman, instantly giving off a maternal and nurturing aura.
Unfortunately... this was a corpse!
Not just any corpse, but one that was mutilated, riddled with wounds, and from which countless tiny figures seemed to be entering and exiting, devouring it!
Following the ray of radiance, Fang Xing approached the maternal corpse and saw several figures emitting holy light.
One of them seemed to have a connection with his Holy Cross Breathing Technique.
This person had a head of dazzling golden curls, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a handsome appearance.
At that moment, his mouth seemed to be filled with the blood of the maternal body...
He raised his head and looked at Fang Xing, revealing a warm yet cruel smile.
...
"Damn!"
Vol heard the curse from the tent and tightened his grip on the longsword by his side, "Outsider... what happened?"
"Nothing... I just need to wash my eyes."
Fang Xing rubbed his eyes.
Vol's pupils constricted as he noticed a faint crimson light between Fang Xing's fingers.
'He saw something he shouldn't have...'
Fang Xing casually cleaned himself and massaged his temples, feeling a splitting headache.
A brand new piece of information appeared in his attribute panel:
【Holy Cross Breathing Technique: 93/200 (Proficiency)】
'With the sacrifice of a 'Deer Head Spirit', my breathing technique has reached the Proficiency stage, the realm of Dawn...'
'The third level of the breathing technique seems to resonate with the source of the breathing technique itself?'
'The person I saw devouring the maternal body, could he be Saint Longinus? The creator of the Holy Cross Breathing Technique? He's strong enough... but there's a sense of being a half-breed or even a Demon God's offspring... and he's a bit evil.'
One of the beings sanctified by the Radiant Cathedral turned out to be like this, which made Fang Xing feel extremely uneasy.
And then he remembered that there were others around that Longinus...
"Has the radiance faded?"
Fang Xing muttered, "The paths to transcendence in this world are all not what they seem..."
Even the Aura, which seemed to be based on the Knight's own foundation, required the condensation of Aura seeds influenced by the Demon God's pollution in the void!
"This entire world is polluted... or is it a corpse?"
"Are all humans and Spirits, regardless of their strength or weakness, just parasites?"
"That's why, even the air carries a trace of the Demon God's pollution. Over time, humans living here become half-breeds without even realizing it... It's impossible to survive without being influenced by the pollution."
"When Knights condense their Aura seeds, the key lies not in their own energy, but in absorbing the Demon God's pollution from the outside world to create the initial Aura seed... As the seed grows, it will gradually establish a connection with the 'source'. Could those Saints of the Cathedral be Primordial Spirits?"
Primordial Spirits don't bear the burden; they only require faith. Through specific rituals and methods, their power can be borrowed!
"At the third stage of the Holy Cross Breathing Technique - Dawn, one can achieve this, connecting with the Primordial Spirit."
"What about the fourth stage - Blazing Sun? According to the legend, only Saint Longinus achieved this, and there's definitely something wrong here... Could it be that he cultivated himself into food and willingly offered himself to the Saints?"
"The true 'Blazing Sun' should be the ability to cultivate a Demon God's Primordial Spirit within oneself, becoming a Saint... or a half-breed... a Demon God's offspring?"
After a moment of thought, Fang Xing, with his vast knowledge, quickly confirmed many things.
"As expected... all the paths to transcendence in this world are traps!"
"Fortunately, from the beginning, I used the pollution of the Great Sun Buddha Spell instead of the original pollution to cultivate my Aura seed... So, even at the third stage, the connection is still weak and not intense, and I won't be influenced by the 'source'..."
"Even if I cultivate to the fourth stage, I'll only become food for the Great Sun Buddha Spell... No, it's too wasteful to cultivate myself into food. It's better to hunt a Spirit outside... The Holy Cross Breathing Technique still has potential, after all, it's a technique that can make one a Saint... So, the true 'Blazing Sun' realm should be to use one's own will to control the original Demon God's pollution, create a new 'source', and cultivate a 'Primordial Spirit'!"
It was hard to deny that Fang Xing was slightly tempted by this idea.
Because the Holy Cross Breathing Technique is highly expedited, after all, it is under the 'Great Sun Buddha Spell' series and can be blessed by the effects of this spell.
Not to mention, cultivating the Demon God's Aura in this world is like adding wings to a tiger.
Not to mention, with the existence of the 'Pale Mother', as long as one devours its flesh and corpse, they can obtain an endless supply of 'energy' and even 'divinity'.
Becoming a descendant of the Demon God in the future will not be a problem at all.
Moreover, the speed will be unbelievably fast.
The descendants of the Demon God are comparable to Martial Saints or even Gods of Martial Arts in strength, yet achieving Aura Sanctification is a simple task.
'I have the Great Sun Buddha Spell, and it's also a path leading to the Demon God... Could it be that I'm destined to be connected to the Demon God from beyond the realm?'
Fang Xing touched the corner of his eye, feeling a bit helpless.
Now, with the Great Sun Relic, he could even gaze directly at the descendants of the Demon God without issue.
But before, he had not only seen a corpse that seemed to be that of a Demon God from beyond the realm, but also witnessed numerous growing descendants of the Demon God and the Upper Echelons of the Clan.
The fact that he wasn't polluted already demonstrated his extremely resilient Martial Will.
"In this world, whether it's Spirits, Great Spirits, or even Primordial Spirits, they all have a single source, and that's the 'Pale Mother'..."
"Then... what can I obtain from this world? The divinity and authority of the Demon God from beyond the realm?"
Fang Xing's eyes gleamed with a mysterious light...
...
The next day.
The carriage continued on its journey.
After more than half a day, a city appeared before everyone's eyes.
It was a majestic and towering metropolis, located beside a massive black mountain range. A great river flowed along the city's edge, reflecting the sunlight in a golden hue.
"Finally, we've arrived... at the Duke of Tulip's city—the Golden City!"
Vol breathed a sigh of relief as he witnessed this scene, finally having safely delivered the Soren family's young lady to her destination.
"The Golden City... the nearby mountain range seems quite famous, known as the 'Gorlon Mountains', right?"
However, Fang Xing was more interested in the mountain range beside the city.
He could sense that this mountain range was like dormant magma, ready to erupt at any moment.
"Yes... This mountain range has many legends about dragons. More than one hunter has claimed to have seen dragon shadows... But you and I both know, there are no dragons in this world!"
Vol spoke with a hint of implication: "...Only Dragon Spirits! A terrifying Evil Spirit of the Great Spirit level slumbers beneath the mountains. It once ravaged the land and was sealed by a Saint of the Radiant Cathedral. But at the time of the sealing, a prophecy was left behind, stating that this Dragon Spirit would one day awaken and burn the entire city with its wrath."
"Oh my..." Sophia covered her mouth, "I remember... When I was little, there were many terrifying legends about evil dragons. Could this be the origin of those stories?"
"A Great Spirit?"
Fang Xing showed a keen interest, glanced at the mountain range once more, and then followed the carriage into the Golden City.
The city gates of the Golden City were tall and arch-shaped like a triumphal arch, and the streets were wide enough to accommodate two carriages side by side.
After traveling a certain distance, one could see a square.
"This is Saint Mary's Square..."
The noble young lady of the Soren family suddenly became excited, "I've played here before... and witnessed several trials presided over by the Radiant Cathedral. They threw 'witches' onto the pyre, burning them alive... using their spirits to sacrifice to the Radiant Lord... Some 'witches' could even wail in the flames for more than two hours..."
Fang Xing couldn't help but smirk.
Two hours is an incredibly long time, and normal people would never be able to survive that long in flames, unless... they were extraordinary beings bearing Spirits!
"The flames, the execution... even the spectators... are all part of the Cathedral's ritual. This is a form of sealing!"
Vol spoke up, "We seal most Evil Spirits with the power of the Radiant Lord..."
"Hmm, there aren't many people in the square."
Fang Xing looked up and saw a flock of white doves descending, foraging freely in the square, and he couldn't help but speak his thoughts.
"Hmm? I remember now... At this time, the citizens should all be at the Colosseum!"
Miss Sophia added, "The Duke of Tulip has built the largest Colosseum in the Duchy... It opens to the public every once in a while, and the citizens flock to it. Watching gladiator performances is the latest trend among the upper class. I haven't been here in a while, so I'm not sure if the current Champion of Gladiators is still Sinbad... He's known as the 'King of Gladiators', a powerful fighter with seven championship titles. He has sent the souls of countless gladiators to be sacrificed to the Radiant Lord..."
Indeed! The establishment of the Colosseum was not only a need for the Lord but also for the Radiant Cathedral.
Lords often threw death row inmates, slaves, and prisoners of war into the Colosseum as fodder for gladiatorial combat.
In theory, as long as they kept winning, they would never face execution.
In reality, surviving a year in the Colosseum was considered a long life for a gladiator.
Furthermore, they would fight to the death, using their own demise to entertain the audience and please the divine spirits!
Fang Xing turned to Vol and noticed that the upright Knight had fallen silent. He sighed inwardly, thinking, "It seems that even in a world like this, the Radiant Cathedral cannot escape its bloody and insane underbelly..."
"A world after the fall of an extradimensional Demon God 'Whale Fall' holds unimaginable value for Demon God researchers from the main universe..."
...
The Duke's Mansion.
The current Duke of Tulip, in his forties, had wine-red hair and a beard, with gentle features.
He stood atop a tall tower, overlooking most of the city.
For instance, the most eye-catching circular Colosseum.
At this moment, cheers could be heard from within.
"Listening to the cheers, Sinbad must have just won his eighth championship in his career. How many gladiators did he execute today? Twenty? Thirty?" The Duke of Tulip spoke with great interest.
Behind him, there were no attendants, only a man dressed in a green robe with a vine collar, looking like a scholar.
This was a 'Scholar', often a position held by the second sons of noble families. Without inheritance rights, they could only pursue knighthood or scholarly studies.
Usually, knighthood was the preferred choice. Those without knightly talent would turn to academia and become learned scholars.
If they gained enough fame, they might be recruited by higher-ranking nobles, securing a stable income.
As for a fiefdom? That was out of the question... Even a promotion to a steward would be quite an achievement.
In comparison, knighthood still offered more potential for advancement.
However, this Scholar was clearly different from the rest.
His features were ordinary, the kind that would blend into a crowd and be hard to distinguish, but his eyes were bright and seemed to exude a hint of emerald green.
"Sinbad has just executed his twenty-seventh opponent... With so many blood sacrifices, I'm sure the Bishop will be satisfied," the Scholar replied, as if he had witnessed everything in the Colosseum.
"The Radiance has faded, but the Cathedral remains... The Satu Sect, the Scholar Guild... My Duchy has but one request: no chaos!" The Duke of Tulip declared.
Just then, a servant rushed up the tower.
After climbing so many steps, his breathing remained even, without a hint of labored breath, indicating he might possess the strength of a full-fledged Knight.
"Your Grace... Miss Soren has arrived and is ready to participate in the Cathedral's Holy Maiden selection," the servant bowed and reported.
"Miss Sophia Soren?" The Duke of Tulip smiled slightly. "She's indeed a beauty, worthy of being the Cathedral's Holy Maiden... If she were twenty years younger, I might have married her myself."
At that moment, the Scholar's eyes turned completely emerald green.
The Scholar's face paled, and he took a few steps back, his forehead drenched in sweat.
The Duke of Tulip noticed this and immediately waved for the servant to withdraw. "My 'Prophet'... What did you see?"
"A dragon... Its wings cast a shadow that blotted out the sun, enveloping the entire Golden City..."
"But within the destruction, hope lies... The one who can truly defeat the Dragon Spirit has arrived!"
The Scholar's eyes glazed over, his body twitching like one afflicted with epilepsy, as he spoke his prophecy.
(End of Chapter)
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