Chapter 130: Chapter 130
[Okay Sir.]
Alicia’s clear voice echoed softly in the quiet room as a translucent map unfolded before Ethan’s eyes.
The familiar landscape of the Azure Origin Dao Sect and its vicinity spread out, unchanged — except for a single, vivid red dot blinking three hundred miles south of the sect’s heart.
"Sure enough, it stopped." Ethan chuckled softly, eyes tracing that solitary point on the map.
During today’s battle with Bram, Ethan had covertly implanted a spiritual mental imprint within the prince’s body, a silent tracker that transmitted real-time location updates—though with limitations.
The potency of mental imprints, though potent, faded beyond five hundred miles.
Bram’s injured form had not fled hastily back to the safety of the Vernal Dawn Dynasty. Instead, he lingered relatively close, choosing to wait and scheme, his pride unwilling to admit defeat.
"Clearly, he’s dissatisfied and nursing his wounds, plotting revenge. If I step beyond the sect’s borders, that Mahayana master by his side won’t miss their opportunity to kill me."
Ethan’s cool chuckle filled the room. "He’s wasting time—just waiting for the perfect moment."
No hurry yet. Ethan was content to remain within the sect’s boundaries, carefully cultivating his strength while keeping a watchful eye on his foe.
His gaze returned to the map. Much of the world beyond was veiled in the mysterious fog of war.
The familiar fishing spots—besides the tranquil Serene Mirror Lake—could no longer sustain Ethan’s growing power. To grow further, he would need new locations, hidden corners holding greater challenges and rewards.
Discovering new fishing spots was vital; the first time one fished at a fresh site always brought enigmatic gifts—surprises that could tip the scales in battle or cultivation.
"Take your time. No need to rush." Ethan tucked the map away as his mind shifted focus.
With a subtle gesture, a towering puppet materialized in the chamber. Rare and majestic, Mahayana puppets like this were treasures, often the foundation of entire sects’ defense.
Though Ethan had previously erased the mental imprint controlling this puppet, it was far from fully refined. Refinement would have to wait, but first, he needed to neutralize Bram’s final ploy.
Placing his hand upon the puppet’s back — its spiritual core — Ethan revealed a circular lid. Opening it exposed a groove where a spiritual stone was inserted to fuel the puppet’s operation.
The stronger the puppet, the more refined the spiritual stones required to control and drive it. Puppets of the Mahayana realm were no toys; ordinary stones couldn’t sustain their operations.
Nor were spirit stones common. Even a pile as high as a mountain, such as Ethan possessed — rewards accrued over thousands of system-guided fishing missions — was precious.
Spirit crystals, rarer and much more potent than the spirit stones, could animate a puppet for longer durations but at an exorbitant cost.
Ethan’s mental power, honed unnaturally high after entering the divine fire realm, flowed forth. Threads of focus streamed into the puppet, tracing the inside of its body, analyzing its craftsmanship.
Deep within the puppet’s core, a subtle red mark glowed — the true mental imprint Bram secretly installed to control the puppet’s destruction.
Bram’s cunning was unmistakable. No fool would hand over such a powerful tool without backup.
This mental imprint was a self-destruct trigger, capable of detonating the puppet from within, turning it into a destructive explosion equal in force to a Mahayana cultivator’s final reckoning.
Even with Ethan’s abnormal physical body, such a sudden blast at close proximity could cause serious injury.
Wasting no time, Ethan released a mental sweep, erasing the red imprint with precision and care.
To be thorough, he scanned and cleared ten more times, ensuring no danger lurked unseen before beginning refinement.
Quarter of an hour later, the process completed: the puppet was now fully obedient to Ethan’s command.
Taking ten top-tier spiritual crystals, he inserted them into the spiritual stone grooves.
As blue light flickered across the puppet’s eyes, Ethan sent a series of commands. The puppet moved under his control, graceful and powerful.
"Impressive," Ethan murmured, slipping the puppet away.
Such a puppet was a critical trump card—a secret weapon to be deployed only when absolutely necessary.
Next, Ethan turned his attention to the treasure bone in his hands.
Its shape and size unmistakably human, the sternum radiated pure essence and blood energy despite the eons it had endured.
Unbelievable in its purity.
"This must have belonged to an extraordinary physical cultivator in life—at least of Mahayana realm prowess, or perhaps even Supreme realm strength," Ethan speculated.
The potent essence and blood woven within might well provide the foundation for condensing and breaking through the Dharma Body realm.
However, having only just entered the divine fire realm, Ethan possessed no haste.
The paths of physical and spiritual cultivation diverged sharply.
In spiritual cultivation, the Body Integration realm strengthened and tempered the spiritual core organically.
For physical cultivators, spiritual fire needed to be harnessed and refined within the blood pills.
Upon completion, these blood pills acted as the power source for the Dharma Body’s initial condensation and subsequent growth.
Ethan’s blood pill transformation process barely reached one-tenth completion.
Though the ancient essence and blood contained in the treasure bones were extraordinary, he refrained from rushing to absorb them directly.
Instead, his curiosity fixated on the intricate, dense lines carved across the sternum’s surface.
These markings hinted at the legendary bone pattern treasure technique.
Ancient masters etched their knowledge and power, their lives distilled into blood or bone.
In the blood, it manifested as magical prowess; inscribed upon bones, their wisdom became the bone pattern treasure technique.
Despite their differing names, both contained potent forces directly connected to immortal cultivation.
Ethan had never before encountered such treasure techniques.
Whether these carried formidable bone pattern techniques or mere ancient markings remained a mystery only time would reveal.
A/N:
Extra Chapters
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Capsule - 1 Extra Chapters
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