by KSY
“I don’t think so. There is no one within the Main branches of both family clans that has the ability to control demons as far as I know,” Sheldon said as he immediately shot down the idea.
“Let’s inform the Founders about it. Who knows? They might be able to think of a way to solve the mystery,” Brian said while Sheldon sent a Mental-message transmission using the Galactic Mental-message transmission orb to Heron and Herman.
Hague returned to the Grandura branch of Eternity Family Clan shortly afterwards.
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In seven to eight days, quite a few changes had occurred in Grandura’s political situation. The Star Alliance had become extremely aggressive in the past month. They’d increased the pressure on the Heaven Sundering Family Clan and the Eternity Family Clan by a very large margin. All the allies of both clans had completely cut ties with them, based on direct orders from their respective Main branches, as none of them wanted to offend the Silver Oak Sect. Earlier, there’d still been some kind of verbal exchange going on between the higher-ups of the Heaven Sundering and Eternity Family Clans and the higher-ups of the factions that had previously been their allies, but even that wasn’t happening anymore.
The higher-ups of both family clans knew that it was only a matter of time before the Star Alliance declared war on them.
A meeting of all the higher-ups of the Heaven Sundering Family Clan was called by Sheldon, Danr and Brian because of the latest provocative action by the Star Alliance. It was taking place at Heavenly City. A similar meeting was called by Hague and Cenric in the Eternity Family Clan.
“Make sure that none of them are able to enter Heavenly Forest,” Sheldon instructed in a bloodthirsty tone.
“All the entry points into the forest have already been sealed and innumerable traps have been laid by us in Heavenly Forest. They will regret entering the forest. They can only surround the Heavenly Forest and shout their lungs out in the coming days,” Nero said with an evil smile.
“Good. Did you guys find anything about the source of those wraiths and ghosts?” Sheldon said with a peeved expression.
“Nothing. We even contacted a few Divination Masters, but they were unable to Divine anything about the Master of those wraiths and ghosts,” Nero said with a helpless expression.
The Star Alliance had also wanted to know more about the wraiths and ghosts covered in a red-colored vicious aura that had attacked them. The Heaven Sundering Family Clan and the Eternity Family Clan had already informed them that they had no idea who owned them, but the Star Alliance had no intention of believing them. The Star Alliance was adamant about their demand and had increased pressure on both family clans as a result.
“We also consulted Ryan about it. He thinks that the one that attacked them was most likely a Martial Artist with an Asura Dragon Martial Spirit just like him or a real Asura Dragon,” Nero added after a gap of a few seconds.
Naturally, Ryan did not tell them that the deed was his, as that would have been just too shocking. Ever since time immemorial, and even in the Divine Universe, it was completely unheard of that a Mortal Lord Realm Martial Artist could control Immortal Saint Realm Undead creatures. This was the reason that Sheldon, his four companions and the other higher-ups of both the family clans weren’t even the slightest bit suspicious that Ryan was the one who’d been controlling the ghosts and wraiths.
Sheldon and the rest nodded their heads in understanding before forlorn expressions appeared on their faces. Sheldon and Danr were regretting taking advantage of the misunderstanding that the Star Alliance had previously had about the origin of those wraiths and ghosts. They’d had no choice at that time, however, as they’d only wanted to bring Victor and company back home in one piece after they’d exited the Exclusive zone of the Celestial Auction House.
“Keep all Immortal Realm Martial Artists on standby and kill anyone that dares to enter Heavenly Forest,” Sheldon said as his Killing Intent increased dramatically.
“Yes Ancestor,” Nero and the rest of the higher-ups of Heaven Sundering Family Clan said in unison.
“What about supplies? Do we have adequate supplies to fight a hundred-year war?” Danr asked in a concerned manner.
“Yes, Ancestor. We were lucky enough to procure everything before this situation occurred. We have enough supplies to last us more than one hundred years and if we are frugal, they could last us for more than one hundred fifty years,” Nero said with a smile on his face. His words lightened the atmosphere in the Meeting Room.
“The reinforcements from the Eternity Family Clan have arrived,” an Administrative Department Elder said as he entered the Meeting Room. The situation at the Eternity Family Clan was still normal unlike at the Heaven Sundering Family Clan. It was natural therefore that the Eternity Family Clan would send reinforcements to them.
“Good. Quickly provide them with accommodation according to their strength and status,” Sheldon said with a warm smile. The meeting continued and a lot of important matters were discussed.
“I will try to talk about things with them before we make any move,” Sheldon suggested at the end of the meeting, which none of the people in the room had any problem about. Sheldon, Brian and Danr had previously received instructions from Heron and Herman to avoid war with the Star Alliance until they could support the Grandura branches. They had also received information from them some time back about the Grandura branch of Calamity Sect being backed by the Silver Oak Sect after the annihilation of their Main branch. This news had shaken them up, so it was very natural that they wanted to avoid a war with the Star Alliance.
Seeing that no one was disagreeing to his suggestion, Sheldon concluded the meeting. Nero and the rest of the higher-ups of the Grandura branch of Heaven Sundering Family Clan quickly left to perform their duties while Sheldon, Danr and Brian left for the Outer region of the Heavenly Forest. They could sense the presence of two Martial Artists with Cultivation Levels beyond Immortal Realm there. This would be the first time that they’d try to talk with the surviving members of the Main branch of Calamity Sect. Earlier, everything had been managed by Nero and Rudolf.
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Ryan, on the other hand, was busy refining his skin. He was just a step away from achieving High Mortal skin. Ryan’s skin had hardened to an unprecedented level due to the constant tempering under the effect of his Spirit Power which in turn increased the sturdiness of his body dramatically.
Boom!
Boom!
Two small explosions occurred inside Ryan’s body. He had achieved High Mortal Skin because of which both his Death Fire Dual Attribute Soul Cores had advanced to Mid Mortal King Realm! The purity of the Liquid Spirit in both his Soul Cores increased dramatically. A delighted expression appeared on Ryan’s face as he sensed the changes occurring in his body. The newly formed high-purity Liquid Spirit Power coursed through his body strengthening it in turn.
Ryan could feel explosive power in all parts of his body. He was certain that now he could easily deal with Mid Mortal Emperor Realm Martial Artists with extreme ease and even contend with Late Mortal Emperor Realm beings, if he used Spirit Power. His bodily toughness had increased to a whole new level. Even Mid Mortal Sage Realm Martial Artists would be unable to injure him and Late Mortal Sage Realm Martial Artists would have a hard time harming him. The strength of his soul had also increased, so now it was equivalent to that of Mid Mortal Sage Realm Martial Artists. His Soul attacks might even threaten the lives of Mid Mortal Sage Realm beings. The range of his Soul-sense had once again increased, so it had a range of one hundred eighty meters, which was almost double the range of any Mid Mortal King Realm Martial Artist.
His Hell’s Fire flame and Devil’s flame were also strengthened. He could now use them to burn Mid-Mortal King Realm beings to nothingness without them being able to defend themselves at all.
It had taken Ryan a full ten days to achieve High M
ortal Skin as this was the first time he’d tempered his skin. The successive stages of skin refinement wouldn’t take that long, given that Ryan was now proficient in refining his skin. Once things stabilized inside his body, he took the lamp containing the Undead flame out from his Spatial pouch. Finally, he could absorb the Undead flame.
“Earl are you ready?!” Ryan asked expectantly.
“Yes,” Earl said, following which Ryan opened the lid of the lamp. A dark blue flame erupted out of the lamp and was quickly absorbed by Ryan. The absorbed flame appeared in the white side of Ryan’s Soul World. Earl franticly started devouring the Undead flame and within no time all of it was devoured. He then entered a deep sleep-state.
“Yama, what are the chances of Earl giving birth to a new Martial Spirit?” Ryan asked eagerly.
“It’s just my assumption, but there is a very high chance that only the strength of Devil’s flame will go up once Earl wakes up. We can only wait until he wakes up to see,” Yama said with a little bit of hesitation. Yama had previously suggested letting Earl devour the Undead flame as Heavenly Fire Elementals give birth to a Heavenly Fire Elemental after devouring an Evil flame or a Heavenly flame and their flames also strengthen in the process. Since Earl was a Heavenly Fire Elemental Martial Spirit there was a chance that something similar might happen to him.
“We will still gain a lot if only the Devil’s flame strengthens, so there is nothing to lose,” Ryan said, as he got up from his spot and walked out of the cave with an upbeat expression.
“I am thinking of visiting all the factions that are part of the Star Alliance,” Ryan said with an evil smile. He already knew about the trouble that his factions were undergoing these days. The wraiths from the bead necklace had already informed Ryan about the trouble brewing just outside Heavenly Forest. They’d come to know about it after they’d heard Emilia and her family discussing it and had immediately informed Ryan about it. So, he prepared to visit the Dark Moon Family Clan and some other factions that were part of the Star Alliance and start Red Calamity in their territories.
“There is no need to visit each and every one of them. Just go to the Dark Moon Family Clan and order the Fire fiends to visit the rest,” Yama said. Ryan just nodded his head.
“Isa are your free?” Ryan asked via Mental-message transmission. Isa was the only one amongst his Soul beings that knew how to open a Teleportation portal so it was natural that Ryan would ask him for help.
“Yes Master,” Isa said via Mental-message transmission.
“I need to …” and Ryan quickly explained his plan via Mental-message transmission. Isa readily agreed to tag along with him. Ryan’s entire body was covered in runes, a Spatial rift opened above him and Isa flew out of it with a big smile on his face.
“Master,” Isa said as he gave a gentle bow to Ryan.
“Is the task that I gave you previously progressing smoothly?” Ryan asked in an easy-going manner. There were still over three months left until the Ancient Legacy Land opened. So, he wasn’t frantic. He knew that was enough time for Isa to collect Demonic Treasures and Devil Treasures.
“Don’t worry Master. I am already done collecting Demonic Treasures and will soon start collecting Devil Treasures,” Isa said in a respectful tone
“Awesome!” Ryan said as a big smile appeared on his face. A smile also appeared on Isa’s face. Isa then opened a portal to the eastern region of Dragon Head Continent as that was the region where the Dark Moon Family Clan had established itself.
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A Teleportation portal opened outside Heavenly Forest which immediately startled the Martial Artists of the Star Alliance. Soon Sheldon, Danr and Brian flew out of it. Their ancient auras immediately induced fear in the Martial Artists who immediately retreated far from the periphery of the outer region of Heavenly Forest.
Soon two streaks of light flew towards Sheldon, Danr and Brian and transformed into two humans. One of them was a middle-aged man, the other a middle-aged woman. They were both existences beyond Immortal Realm and belonged to Calamity Sect.
“We want to talk about a truce and also tell you that we had nothing to do with those wraiths and ghosts,” Sheldon calmly.
“A truce will be automatically in place if you tell us more about those wraiths and ghosts,” the middle-aged man from Calamity Sect said aggressively.
“We don’t know anything about them. At that time, we wanted to escape from you guys, so we decided to take advantage of your misunderstanding, but we can tell you one thing: it was most likely done by an Asura Dragon or a Martial Artist with an Asura Dragon Martial Spirit,” Sheldon said in a placid manner, as he wanted to defuse the situation if possible.
“What do you mean?” the middle-aged man asked with a perplexed expression.
“Asura Dragons have an Innate Ability that allows them to control Undead creatures. The Undead creatures under their control have a red vicious aura and their fight prowess also goes up. That something I have personally witnessed,” Sheldon explained. He had no intention of dragging Ryan into this matter.
“Do you think we’ll believe you!? Information about Asura Dragons is extremely scarce even in the Divine Universe. There is no way that we can verify your claims and even if we did try to verify them it would take a very long time,” the middle-aged woman said with a cold laugh.
“You guys won’t get anything from attacking our Grandura branches. Unlike your Main branch, ours are still there and will quickly regain their former glories, so we will have someone to avenge the annihilation of our Grandura branches unlike you. There is a limit to how much the Silver Oak Sect will support you guys, so don’t be rampant. It is best we call for a truce between our factions,” Sheldon said, as he looked at the middle-aged man and middle-aged woman with a piercing glare, which forced them to take a step back before flying away.
“What do you think the chances are that they will take our words to heart?” Danr asked with a skeptical expression.
“Let’s hope for the best,” Sheldon said somberly. Danr then opened a Teleportation portal and disappeared into it with Sheldon and Brian.
Ch.17
A Teleportation portal opened in sky of the exterior region of Wailing Ravines in the eastern region of Dragon Head Continent. Wailing Ravines is wholly covered in an extremely thick forest. Isa and Ryan flew out of the portal with evil smiles on their faces. They were so extremely distant from the Dark Moon Family Clan that Ryan and Isa were certain that no one from it would sense their arrival.
“Master, what should the Cultivation Level be of the being that you wish to infect?” Isa asked.
“The Fire-fiend Energy currently produced by me is very weak, so it can’t affect beings with a higher Cultivation Level than me. I will need to infect a lot of beings with Cultivation Levels of Mid Mortal King Realm or lower. The Fire-fiend Energy produced by them after transforming into Fire fiends will be far stronger than mine. The beings infected by me personally will be the First-generation of Fire fiends. They will then go on to infect another batch of creatures with their Fire-fiend Energy, which will transform into Fire fiends and their Fire-fiend Energy will be far stronger – that will be the Second-generation of Fire fiends,” Ryan explained.
“This cycle will continue and with each generation the Fire-fiend Energy produced by the Fire fiends will be far stronger than in the previous one. I am sure that after a few generations the Fire fiends will produce Fire-fiend Energy strong enough to even infect Immortal Saint Realm beings and transform them into Fire fiends,” Ryan continued, with an evil smile below his half mask.
“Master, it means that in future you will have Fire fiends capable of even infecting Celestial Realm and God Realm beings and transforming them into Fire fiends?” Isa couldn’t help but query. If that was possible, then Ryan would be an unstoppable force in the future.
“Yes, but the Fire fiends also need to be equally powerful to infect such powerful beings with Fire
-fiend Energy, otherwise the strong Fire-fiend Energy produced by them will be more or less useless,” Ryan said as he could already understand what was going on in Isa’s mind.
Isa was somewhat terrified on hearing Ryan’s answer. He finally understood the terror of Heretical Fire Devils.
A Heretical Fire Devil hasn’t been sighted on Grandura for about a hundred thousand years, so naturally most beings have forgotten about their terror. A Heretical Fire Devil isn’t born naturally like other species of devils. The appearance of one is closely linked to the birthing of Heretical Fiery Liquid in the Fire Attribute Treasure Lands of Grandura. The last time a Heretical Fire Devil was seen, its appearance lead to a war between human factions and devils, as large numbers of living beings were being transformed into Fire fiends by it. The human factions were in the end able to kill the Heretical Fire Devil, which also lead to the deaths of all the Fire fiends as well as the Fire-fiend Lords, that had appeared resulting from the deaths of large numbers of Fire fiends. The chances of another one appearing was extremely low unless Heretical Fiery Liquid was again birthed by a Fire Attribute Treasure Land on Grandura.
“Master, there is a Ghost bee hive around ten kilometers from here. It is still in the nascent stage, so all the Ghost bees in it are in the Early Mortal King Realm while its queen is in Mid Mortal King Realm. They are in great numbers, around a hundred thousand, I think. If you infect the entire beehive, your work will be done. That beehive is capable of infecting a great many creatures with Fire-fiend Energy and Master will have an army of Fire fiends within no time,” Isa suggested with an evil smile and a similar smile appeared on Ryan’s face.
Ghost bees are Elemental Insects of Death Attribute that live together in large numbers. The strength of Ghost bees continues to rise, if they have sufficient resources to devour just like most Elemental Insects. They are generally reared by many factions of Grandura for their honey, which can instantly heal injuries, but the factions make sure that the strength of their Ghost bees doesn’t go above a certain level.