Tales Of Demons, Gods, And Libraries

Once I cross over the perimeter wall of Glory City, I exit Void-Form and don my armor. I've been wearing the grade 3 artifact shirt the entire time, but it provides a small comfort wearing additional armor.

I set a quick pace heading towards the Endless Desert. To break up the monotony of travel, I practice placing different parts of my body in Void-Form. It was more difficult than I thought it would be, but by the time the sun is setting, I'm having partial success. I'm able to merge large portions of my body into Void-Form, but it's not nearly as fast as allowing my entire body to phase out.

My goal is to have full control of Void-Form. To be able to select which area of my body enters Void-Form and still having that part visible is my current aim. Similar to Obito Uchiha's Kamui.

Setting up camp on the first night of travel revealed a minor setback. I didn't replenish my food and water before leaving Glory City. I still have several days worth in my interspatial ring, but not enough to last the expected two weeks of travel.

I have another full day of travel through the St. Ancestral Mountain Range before I reach the Endless Desert. I'll just have to spend some time tomorrow hunting down a few demon beasts for meat and find a stream to refill my water skins.

Not taking any chances, I set up several defensive arrays around my campsite. Once I'm done eating, I put out my campfire and collect all my belongings. I don't want to leave anything behind if I have to flee in the middle of the night.

Leaping up into a large tree surrounded by my defense arrays, I make myself comfortable on a tree branch as thick as my torso. Not wanting to waste this time being idle, I take a Soul Concentrating Pill and begin to cultivate.

As the sun begins to rise, my soul force bursts out wildly. It only takes me a few moments to regain control of my power, but the damage has already been done. I sense a large life force quickly approaching my position.

Judging by the amount of soul force the beast has, it is around 3-Star Black-Gold rank. It's making no attempt to use stealth. I must have set up my camp in the demon beast's territory.

Well, this saves me from having to go hunting. Withdrawing Solarion, I enter Void-Form and make my way towards the approaching demon beast. I quickly spot a huge black-haired Abyss Bear charging towards my campsite.

Even on all fours, the back of the Abyss Bear still reached three and a half meters in height. As it crosses my defensive array, the array activates with a tremendous explosion. The Abyss Bear is launched into the air in a massive fireball.

The ground trembles again when the hulking demon beast impacts the ground from its short flight. I'm unsure if I'm more surprised the Abyss Bear is still fully intact, or the fact that it's still alive.

Exiting Void-Form, I coat Solarion with my soul force and thrust her blade deep into the neck of the Abyss Bear. I watch as the eyes of the Abyss Bear lose all traces of life.

Entering Void-Form again, I leap into a tree and patiently watch for further danger. After thirty minutes without sensing another life form or any danger, I drop back down to the ground. Exiting Void-Form and storing Solarion, I begin to harvest my catch.

It doesn't take me long to decide this bear is a treasure trove of materials. Its fur and bones are absurdly strong. Its blood contains enough soul force to power peak level Black-Gold inscriptions. Its teeth and claws are sharper than most common metals I've seen.

This thing has to weigh at least 7,000 kilograms and is too large to fit in either of my interspatial rings even if they were empty. Climbing up on the back of the Abyss Bear, I find myself a comfortable place to sit.

Withdrawing six rings from the Ancient Orchid City Ruins, I begin to use the Library of Heaven's Path to find a suitable interspatial inscription. After combining all the inscription knowledge I've acquired to create a suitable inscription for each ring, I settle on the black zirconium ring. With only nine flaws, it has the least amount of flaws from any of the rings from my set.

The interspatial ring I was given by the Alchemy Association only had fourteen flaws, but one of the flaws is from an improper inscription for the type of metal. That ring still has a space of a small bedroom. I'm curious how a properly matched metal will turn out.

Storing the other rings back in my interspatial ring, I bring out my inscription kit. I take my time etching each line on the inside of the band. There are already enough flaws, and I don't need to add any more by rushing.

After forty minutes of steady and continuous work, I finish my first interspatial ring. Using the Library of Heaven's Path, I inspect the results of my new ring.

[An interspatial ring made of...]

[...a storage volume of 150 square kilometers...]

[Total of 9 Flaws. Flaw #1...]

Holy shit!!!

This ring has a storage area larger than the Central District of Glory City!

It takes several minutes before I'm able to calm down and focus on the present. With a clear head, I begin transferring all the items from my other two rings into my new one. It takes much longer than I expected, but I eventually complete the transfer.

Hopping off the back of the Abyss Bear, I store the entire Abyss Bear into my interspatial ring. Curious, I draw back out a set of Gold-rank bracers. Storing both the bracers and my new ring in my soul realm, I attempt to send the bracers into the interspatial ring. The bracers are smoothly stored without issue.

With this, as long as the item is small enough to be placed into my soul realm, I can place it in my interspatial ring. I'm not sure how easy it will be to remove something from the ring and then remove it from my soul realm. It still seems possible, as long as it's not too large for my soul realm. Nie Li did the same with the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting and Deity Roots.

Speaking of that painting. I'm struck with a thought about the ritual tablets I found in Ancient Orchid City Ruins and interspatial rings. I wonder if that painting is a doorway to a realm that already existed or if the painting created that entire realm? It's supposed to be nearly the size of Earth and filled with densely packed Heavenly Energy. I can't even imagine the amount of power needed to create a realm.

Putting those thoughts aside for a time when I'm more powerful, I start traveling towards the Desert Palace at a steady pace. I resume my Void-Form practice as I'm searching for water.

Today starts my fourth day in the Endless Desert. I'm beyond tired of wandering through a sea of sand dunes. The yellow sand is light and loosely packed, causing my feet to disappear below the sand with every step. When the wind blows, it creates golden clouds that pelt at your eyes and find it's way into every crack. And I do mean every crack.

Even though it's unpleasant, traveling through a desert isn't as bad as I thought it would be. There is little to navigate by during the day, and while the stars at night would allow for easy navigation, that's when the demon beasts are most active. If not for the Library of Heaven's Path, I'm not sure how long I would have to wander around before finding the Desert Palace.

My strong constitution makes the heat manageable, even in armor, and all the demon beasts I've seen have been ambush types. With my new strength, I'm able to stretch my senses to detect weaker life forms up to 100 meters away. Not sure if it's luck, but I've not encountered anything over 3-Star Silver rank. Regardless of how weak a demon beast was, Solarion still claimed it's life.

I've only been able to cultivate a couple of hours each night, so I've not reached 2-Star Black-Gold yet. The shifting sands prevent me from being able to set up defensive arrays around my campsite, and I don't want to chance being caught unaware. My ability to sense life forms severely decreases while I'm cultivating.

Something unexpected was all the various kinds of plants I stumble upon. Plantlife is few and far between, but every single one has properties useful for alchemy ingredients. I have no alchemy recipes for any of them, but I still collect each one I find.

According to the Library of Heaven's Path, I'm only a couple hours away from the Desert Palace. I'm equally as excited as I am nervous. I hope to find the Temporal Demon Spirit Book, but I fear to find the palace in ruin.

Focusing all my attention on finishing my journey, I set off at a steady pace.

The sun has yet to reach it's peak when I crest the top of a tall dune. My stomach suddenly drops as I take in the sight below. In an area of several hundred meters, is the ruins of the Desert Palace.

Large sections of walls seem to be reaching out of the sands of the desert. Huge worn statues are scattered throughout the ruins, the details worn down by centuries of abuse.

My anger builds as I make my way to the center of the ruins. I knew this was a possibility, but to be denied my objective after days of walking through a desert is unacceptable.

Releasing a focused blast of soul force, huge waves of sand are forced away from me. Dropping down several feet, I land on an ancient stone floor. Standing before me is a wide stone pedestal. Any details have long been scoured off.

Inspecting the pedestal only elevates my anger. There is no trace of any books or arrays. There is nothing but a worn piece of stone.

Unsure of what I'm doing, I remove the remnant page from the Temporal Demon Spirit Book. Holding the page firmly in both my hands, I begin to gather every bit of my soul force.

With the sole thought of gaining the Temporal Demon Spirit Book, I unleash the full brunt of my soul force into the remnant page. Instantly, the page takes on a blinding golden glow. I focus my attention on the pedestal as the golden light begins rapidly expanding.

Fearing to fail, I desperately roar at the pedestal as I force every bit of my soul force into the page in my hands. A golden aura bursts forth, enveloping everything in a l.u.s.trous golden hue.

My eyes slam shut from the searing pain of the light. My head becomes light, and my strength evaporates from my body. Forcing my eyes open, I endure the pain as I take in the blurred sight of a majestic palace hall. Lining the enormous room is powerful statues of human nobles. From the statue of a noble knight to an innocent maiden, all have their eyes cast down upon me.

Weakly turning my head back to the pedestal, I'm met with the sight of a grand display. The once worn pedestal is now whole and covered in intricate carvings. As I sluggishly stumble towards the pedestal, my eyes fall on a breathtaking sight.

Radiating a potent aura of its own is what I can only hope to be the Temporal Demon Spirit Book. Laying on top of the pedestal, as if it's awaiting my arrival. All other thoughts are forgotten. I can only think of claiming the treasure before me.

Darkness is quickly creeping in from the corners of my eyes. My body is moving on willpower alone. Reaching out to grasp the book feels like I'm trying to move through sand.

I witness my fingers touching the cover of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book before darkness claims me.