Chapter 590 - 437: A Promise to the "Black King" and an Imminent Breakthrough
Chapter 590: Chapter 437: A Promise to the "Black King" and an Imminent Breakthrough
His gaze was completely captivated by the object Raylo held in his hands.
It was a crystalline object, the size of a human head, that looked as if it had been carved from the finest jade.
Raylo cupped it in his palms, its halo of light pulsing faintly and rhythmically.
Each pulse sent out a visible green ripple of light, brimming with immense Life Force.
That aura was so pure, so dense.
Master Barnaby’s breath caught in his throat.
His eyes, once cloudy and filled with impatience, were now wide and round.
His mouth fell slightly agape.
His entire body froze on the spot, like a statue hit by a Petrification Technique.
"This... This is..."
Master Barnaby couldn’t tear his eyes away.
He lunged forward with a speed unbecoming of an elderly Mage.
He rushed right up to Raylo, only to stop abruptly about half a meter away.
The impatience on his face was replaced by an expression of solemnity, something akin to the reverence of a pilgrim.
He reached out his hands as if to touch it, but stopped mid-air, not daring to profane the divine object before him.
"The Heart of the Ancient Tree..."
He forced out the five words from the depths of his throat.
"And it’s... it’s over ten thousand years old! And the purity of this Life Force... This is definitely... It’s Tier Six! A true Tier Six Wondrous Object!"
He put his monocle back on and carefully observed the Heart of the Ancient Tree.
His gaze was focused and fanatical.
"A perfect structure... an immense Life Origin... and this Power of Nature, so pure it’s almost completely free of impurities..."
He muttered to himself as he examined it, his voice growing more and more agitated.
"My lord, do you know what this means?" he asked.
"The Life Force within it is enough to bring ten—a full ten—Domain Level Powerhouses back from the brink of death in an instant, completely healed, as long as they’re still breathing!"
"No! More than that! If this is used as a core, supplemented with other Magic Materials, it might even be possible to concoct the legendary... Tier Six Holy Medicine! A Holy Medicine that can even grant a new life to a Catastrophe Level existence!"
Raylo was stunned by Barnaby’s words.
Bringing ten Domain Level Powerhouses back from the dead!
The number alone made his mouth go dry.
This meant that Black Stone Territory would gain ten extra lives out of thin air!
The lives of ten Domain Level Powerhouses!
This would be an incredibly important strategic trump card in future wars!
As for a Tier Seven Holy Medicine, he didn’t dare to even imagine it. While Master Barnaby’s skills in Alchemy were superb, he was certain the man didn’t have the ability to create a Tier Six Holy Medicine either.
"My lord."
Master Barnaby straightened up, his voice turning solemn.
"Please, entrust this Heart of the Ancient Tree to me."
He looked at Raylo, his eyes filled with longing.
"I implore you, let me handle it! I swear on my honor as an Alchemist, on all the knowledge I’ve accumulated in my life, that I will find the most perfect way to utilize it!"
"I will concoct a batch of... true Domain Level Life Potions for you, for Black Stone Territory!"
Barnaby’s voice was resolute, clearly confident in his abilities.
Raylo looked at him, and in those eyes, he saw an Alchemist’s dedication and passion for his life’s pursuit.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he slowly handed over the priceless Tier Six Wondrous Object.
"Master, I’ll leave it in your hands."
...
The night was black as ink.
Inside Raylo’s tent, a Magic Lamp powered by a Moonlight Stone cast a soft, tranquil glow.
Raylo sat cross-legged.
He closed his eyes, and in that instant, it was as if the entire world fell silent.
His consciousness sank into his body.
Within his wide, river-like meridians, Fighting Spirit surged like a ceaseless tide.
This Fighting Spirit was more condensed and purer than ever before.
And within this torrent of Fighting Spirit were traces of a more domineering, more ancient energy.
This was the wisp of pure Original Dragon Power that the Flowing Wind Giant Dragon had gifted him at Storm Cape as a token of gratitude.
It was this Giant Dragon Energy that had brought about a heaven-and-earth-shattering change in his cultivation speed.
It was like the most efficient of catalysts, constantly helping Raylo refine the Fighting Spirit in his body and strengthen his meridians and physical form.
Raylo could clearly feel his body growing stronger with every passing second.
The density of his muscles was increasing, the hardness of his bones was improving, and the functions of his internal organs were continuously being optimized and remolded under the nourishment of that gentle yet domineering Giant Dragon Energy.
His body was slowly but surely evolving in a direction beyond human.
BOOM!
He guided the surging Fighting Spirit within him, beginning the Circulation of the Celestial Qi.
With each cycle, a trace of the residual Giant Dragon Energy in his body would be activated and merge into the torrent of Fighting Spirit.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Raylo felt the Fighting Spirit in his body swell to an unprecedented level, to the very point of overflowing.
He could clearly "see" an invisible, intangible, yet incredibly tenacious barrier existing above his Dantian Qi Sea.
That was the bottleneck.
The bottleneck to breaking through from a Tier Four Sky Knight to a Tier Five Domain Knight!
Domain Level.
It was another leap in the hierarchy of life.
Once broken through, a Knight would no longer fight using only Fighting Spirit and their physical body.
They would be able to leverage the Power of Law between heaven and earth, condensing their very own "Domain."
’Within my Domain, I am a god!’
Kado’s "Gravity Domain" and Sun’s "Sun Furnace Domain" were both examples of this.
Raylo’s mind was a vast, clear emptiness.
He did not rush to charge the barrier.
He knew the time was not yet right.
His current accumulation was still insufficient.
Forcing it would only result in a backlash of Fighting Spirit and damaged meridians.
He just calmly circulated his Fighting Spirit over and over, continuously polishing and compressing it, making it more solid, more pure.
Each Circulation of the Celestial Qi was like a wave crashing against the shore.
Though it couldn’t break the dam, each crash wore away at its foundation, accumulating power for that final, earth-shattering moment.
The residual Giant Dragon Energy in his body continued to work its magic.
Like a tireless craftsman, it was carving this piece of uncut jade that was Raylo with the most exquisite skill.
Raylo felt his control over his Power becoming more and more refined.
Raylo’s mind was completely immersed in this state of enlightenment about his Power.
He could feel that unbreakable bottleneck loosening, bit by bit.
’Soon.’
An understanding bloomed in Raylo’s mind.
’Two weeks at most.’
’I’ll be able to start attempting the breakthrough!’
At this thought, even with Raylo’s current state of mind, a flicker of fiery anticipation couldn’t help but ignite within him.
He slowly withdrew his focus and ended his cultivation session.
When he opened his eyes again, the first light of dawn was already streaking across the sky outside.
An entire night had passed just like that.
Raylo lifted the tent flap and stepped outside.
The morning air was cool and fragrant with the scent of grass.
The morning sun was slowly rising from the eastern horizon, bathing the entire Black Stone Territory in its golden light.
In the distant plaza, two enormous Energy Cocoons still stood silently.
Coal Ball and Lightning’s absorption of the Divine Wood Fruit’s energy was still ongoing.
Meanwhile, on a high ground to the side, Moonlight and Sun were also coiled up, digesting the immense energy from the Divine Wood Fruit.
The entire Black Stone Territory was enveloped in an atmosphere that was both quiet and full of vitality.
Everything was developing in a better direction.
「Three days later.」
The two massive Energy Light Cocoons formed by Coal Ball and Lightning still stood silently.
The grayish-white Spatial Energy and the azure Thunderbolt Power were clearly distinct.
Over the past few days, the entire Black Stone Territory had been shrouded in a peculiar atmosphere.
During the day, everyone went about their duties. The Knights sweated on the training grounds, the artisans worked overtime in the camp, and the common folk toiled in the fields.
But everyone’s gaze would, intentionally or not, drift toward the direction where the Giant Dragons were gathered.
Their eyes were filled with reverence and anticipation.
Their guardian deities were undergoing a great metamorphosis.
Raylo sat cross-legged, continuing his own cultivation while standing guard over the breaking-through Coal Ball and Lightning, never leaving their side.