Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The Chip’s notification continued going off in his mind.

  [Detecting assimilation of high-purity life essence. Estimated to improve host’s Spirit slightly.

  [Detecting assimilation of high-purity life essence. Estimated to improve host’s Spirit slightly.

  [……]

  Due to the constant notifications, Greem ignored them and treated them like background music. He focused all his attention on the three-dimensional human model projected in his mind.

  As the planar feedback continued to surge into his body, all his bodily attributes improved slightly. Even the red bar that represented his fire affinity and talent was experiencing an unusual change. The sliver of gold at the top of the bar was slowly extending downward, as if mixing in with the rest of the bar.

  Greem had forcefully converted his bloodline, changing from an elementium adept’s development path to a dual path of elementium and bloodline. This shift in his development had left some subtle wounds in his soul.

  Now, nurtured by the purest life energy, these wounds hidden in his soul were slowly mending. The devouring-fish bloodline he had just assimilated was also growing quickly and merrily.

  It was now that Greem thoroughly understood why so many adepts were willing to ‘exact justice’ in the name of the planar consciousness, even at the cost of damaging their own clan’s might.

  To think that the planar consciousness’ feedback could deliver such tremendous benefits to an individual!

  Chapter 1390 - The Death God’s Trap

  Chapter 1390 The Death God’s Trap

  While you were weak, you would probably constantly dream of growing stronger.

  When Greem finally attained power, he realized that the powerful had their own problems to deal with.

  At this moment, he did not dare make any rash actions!

  The modification of his principle body had only just begun; it was far from complete. However, he had lost the ability to do whatever he desired from now on.

  The closer he was tied to the principles, the more clearly he could sense the planar principle system’s existence and the planar consciousness’s attention on him. At present, it was almost as if Greem had been placed in a room full of delicate ceramic and glassware. Even the slightest commotion could result in devastating destruction.

  After all, his battle against the abyssal demon had been in the name of repelling a foreign invasion. Even if incredible damage had been inflicted on the planar space around the mega-rift, all the blame had been assigned to the pit fiend. Thus, all he had to do was enjoy the planar feedback.

  Now that there were no enemies, his every action drew immense attention from the planar consciousness.

  The planar worlds weren’t as fragile as people thought they were. However, Greem was an individual who had grasped a world principle and who could project his consciousness onto the principle level to affect the entire world on a grander scale. The planar consciousness was keeping him on a tight leash, monitoring him as if he were a criminal.

  Greem was still in his honeymoon phase with the planar consciousness. He had just repelled the abyssal invasion, and the planar consciousness did not hesitate with its generosity. It provided Greem with tremendous planar feedback.

  This feedback could be seen as both a reward to him as well as an expression of the planar consciousness’s affection. While he still had some of the feedback left over, he would be favored by the planar consciousness.

  If he were to take any actions that harmed the World of Adepts, this affection would be the first thing to be consumed. The planar consciousness would tolerate his existence and his behavior so long as the affection was not exhausted. However, the moment the appreciation was exhausted, the planar consciousness was likely to turn against him, taking every means possible to banish him from the World of Adepts.

  The functioning of a planar world required the support of the principle system. A giant rat who could interfere with the principle powers like Greem was an eyesore. Naturally, they would incite the displeasure of the planar consciousness.

  If this giant rat had some self-awareness and knew how to hold back, the planar consciousness might be able to tolerate its existence. However, should the giant rat recklessly start interfering with the plane’s functions, then the planar consciousness would be determined to banish the rat at any cost.

  It was as simple as that!

  The numerous ultra-grade adepts since ancient times had all been banished to the realms beyond for this reason. They were forced to find new places to call home beyond the World of Adepts.

  Now that Greem had truly grasped control over the Undying Flames fire principle, he was facing the same trouble.

  His existence was too powerful for this world now!

  “It seems like I must learn to hold back with all of my actions from now on,” Greem couldn’t help but sigh. He then went back to work to seal off the mega-rift.

  As he chanted loudly, giant fire runes appeared out of thin air and merged with the mega-rift. Provoked and constrained by the fire runes, the rift grew smaller and smaller until it was no more than a radiant portal a hundred meters in diameter.

  Greem wasn’t an expert sealing master, after all. The fact that he could constrain a massive mega-rift to a hundred meters length was already outstanding. A portal this small could hardly allow any higher magical creatures of Fourth Grade and above to pass through.

  If the only ones that entered the World of Adepts through the rift were rats below Fourth Grade, a few Third Grade adepts and the adept tower would be enough to deal with them.

  With a mighty individual like Greem here, the adepts of the Ahlden Clan felt much safer. They became more active.

  They rode flying beasts and circled around the rift, measuring all sorts of things. Meanwhile, more adepts gathered under the portal to construct war towers and other amenities.

  They couldn’t help but stare up at this mighty, thousand-meter-tall adept as they worked. Such power was probably at the limit of what the plane could contain!

  Second and Third Grade intermediate adepts like them were as frail as ants before such a powerful adept. They wouldn’t even survive a single slap. Moreover, the closer they came to Greem, the more they could sense the massive gulf in their power.

  There wouldn’t even be a battle. Greem only had to unleash his restraints over the fire energy in his body, and everything within a kilometer would turn to ashes. First and Second Grade adepts would instantly die under such horrifyingly hot flames. Third Grade adepts would struggle for a little longer, but they would not escape from the radiation’s radius alive.

  Moreover, Greem’s Burning Domain also contained fearsome fire principles. Even if the adepts had magical techniques that allowed them to be reborn elsewhere or transfer their souls away, they could not escape the burning of the fire principles.

  The only way to survive was to change the fluctuations of their very souls or to flee to another world and use the world barriers to cut off the pursuit of Greem’s fire principles. Otherwise, no techniqueswould be effective against the principle powers. They were fated to death.

  The only thing that could deal with a principle power was another principle power!

  Greem left the rest of the work to the ant-like adepts after finishing his seal on the mega-rift. He stood silently on the spot, modifying his body with the fire principles in his Heart of Principles.

  The days passed by quickly.

  Soon, the war towers were erected once more, and what remained of the mega-rift was once again under comprehensive surveillance. However, the principle modification to Greem’s body was only 26% completed!

  Today, just as he completed his daily meditation and wondered what to do next, a strange mental flux came within range of his senses.

  [Beep. Receiving long-ranged communication request from Lich Kanganas. Requesting instructions from Host. Authorize request?]

  Kanganas?

  Greem frowned and authorized the
request.

  The next moment, a chilling mental consciousness connected with his own.

  “Sir Greem, that was a vicious trap you led us into!”

  Kanganas started complaining furiously the moment the connection went through.

  “Despite the fair terms of the trade, you concealed the truth of the Death God’s tomb, causing our side to incur severe losses. In the name of the Alliance of Liches, I give you the most severe warning and remonstrance. You…hm? Why is your mental state so strange?”

  “Hold up,” Greem interrupted Lich Kanganas unamusedly and said coldly, “Kanganas; when we went forward with the trade, I was very clear about what I was giving to you. Those were just a set of spatial coordinates belonging to a Death God’s tomb. Even I didn’t know much about the actual situation there. Now, let me ask you- did you manage to find your destination according to the coordinates I gave you?”

  “We did, but—”

  “Was the destination a Death God’s tomb?” Greem interrupted him again.

  “It was, but—” Kanganas had clearly run into some terrible trouble. He was full of resentment and wanted to let it out somehow.

  “There is no ‘but’ in this situation. The terms of our agreement were that you would fight for me once, and I would give you the coordinates to a Death God’s tomb. That was all! As for whether you would find anything there, or whether there would be traps, was not within the terms of our trade. It’s a bit unreasonable for you to come and question me over this, isn’t it?”

  “Er……”

  Kanganas immediately fell silent.

  As a proper lich, he yearned for a Death God’s tomb with all his being.

  If he could successfully excavate a Death God’s tomb, just the corpse of the Death God and its divinity brand alone would be enough to make him incredibly wealthy. Not to mention all the divine power crystals to be found.

  In fact, the liches could even take control of the Death God’s corpse through particular abilities and take over their remaining followers and faith power.

  However, exploring a Death God’s tomb was undoubtedly a hazardous job!

  The more vicious Death Gods would even make a fake tomb and place their clone in it to bait tomb raiders to their deaths. Sometimes, a Death God might not have exhausted their faith power and died. They might only be in a deep slumber.

  If that were the case, the Death God’s tomb would become a Death God’s trap. Anyone who walked in would be in for trouble. Not only would they fail to raid the tomb for treasures, but they would also die in there.

  That was why Kanganas knew he alone would not have the ability to take down an entire Death God’s tomb. After obtaining the coordinates from Greem, he had gathered a few volunteers from the Alliance of Liches for an exploration mission.

  These five Fourth-Grade liches and the endless undead army they commanded were an overwhelming force in any planar world.

  Unfortunately, such a powerful force had fallen apart at the Death God’s tomb!

  Kanganas was tight-lipped about the specifics of what happened. He refused to divulge anything. However, anyone could deduce the terror of their ordeals just based on the outcome.

  Of the five Fourth Grade liches that entered the Death God’s tomb, only three escaped alive.

  The other two’s bodies had been destroyed. One was fortunate enough to flee with their soul and returned to their phylactery to be reborn. The most unfortunate one had their soul harvested by the Death God, used as nutrition to replenish the Death God’s divine power.

  Such a terrifying event naturally sent a wave of commotion throughout the Alliance of Liches.

  The most ancient and powerful liches appeared and swore to hunt down this despicable Death God. Naturally, the liches also criticized the young adept who provided Kanganas with the ‘incorrect’ information.

  After the dust had settled, Kanganas had hurried over impatiently to find trouble with Greem!

  Chapter 1391 - The Demi-god Lich

  “You…what’s your situation right now?”

  Kanganas had been busy trying to accuse Greem earlier. However, his sharp senses as a high-grade lich allowed him to detect the unusual nature of Greem’s soul fluctuation instantly.

  “Why do I smell principle powers on you? Could you have managed to push your fire laws to the level of the principles?”

  Kanganas’ mental fluctuation seemed high-pitched and excited, unlike its usual cold and sinister tones. Obviously, he was shocked by his finding.

  It had only been a little while since he last saw Greem; it had been no more than a year. It was barely enough time for a nap or a stroll for individuals at their level. How could he have undergone such a tremendous change in such little time!?

  Greem’s horrifying advancement speed had completely upended Kanganas’ understanding of everyday reality!

  He could actually smell a thick scent of principles on Greem. Kanganas knew full well what that meant for a Fourth Grade adept.

  That was why he asked his question so impatiently. He wanted to hear that terrifying ‘answer’ as soon as possible!

  “How should I put it? My current situation is very complicated!” Greem said calmly, “More accurately, I should be considered half-advanced!”

  “Half-advanced?” The Fourth Grade lich was confused by what Greem had just said. He could hardly understand what ‘half-advanced’ was. Advancement was advancement. What was ‘half-advanced’?

  “The meaning is simple. I have already mastered one fire principle. However, my Spirit hasn’t reached the required threshold yet, so my path to advancement is stuck.”

  “Mastered a fire principle…Spirit below the threshold,” Lich Kanganas couldn’t help but mumble to himself.

  He repeated these words to himself over and over. The more he thought about it, the more surprised he was.

  How did such a strange thing happen?

  His Spirit didn’t reach the threshold, which meant it had not reached the 50 point threshold yet. By what means had Greem compressed and combined the fire principles? How had he refined them and raised them to the level of the fire principles?

  Could that be the credit of the Orb of the Fire God? Could owning high-grade divine equipment that was perfectly compatible with your soul origin actually allow you to refine the law powers and rise to the level of the principles?

  At the thought of that, Kanganas’ heart that had been cold and silent for several thousand years wanted to start beating again. He also had high-grade divine equipment compatible with his soul origin.

  The Ancient Reliquary of Winter possessed the principle powers of both death and cold. If he could completely merge the reliquary with his soul, then it would definitely be able to unleash more power than the fire adept’s Orb of the Fire God.

  It was important to note that Kanganas had also become an ultra-powerhouse after obtaining the reliquary. If he could obtain the means to refine and uplift the law powers from Greem, he might be able to advance into a Fifth Grade Great Lich instantly.

  When that happened, he would become one of the most powerful individuals in the Alliance of Liches with the reliquary. He could command many other liches.

  The titles for liches at the various grades differed from adepts.

  Third and Fourth Grade liches were known as Liches. Meanwhile, peak Fourth Grade liches were known as Demigod Liches, Fifth Grade liches were known as Great Liches or God Liches, Sixth Grade liches as Lich Elders, and liches above Seventh Grade were known as Lich Kings.

  The most powerful lich in the multiverse right now was a Seventh Grade lich king. Liches of higher grades had not appeared yet!

  “Where are you right now? I’ll come over and meet you now,” At the thought of all this, Demigod Lich Kanganas couldn’t help but turn restless. As for their earlier disagreements because of the Death God’s tomb? That was all water under the bridge when it came to a matter as important as advancement.

  “Coordinates 09123,18237,” Gr
eem casually sent over the coordinates of the mega-rift.

  A short moment later, the portal that had been compressed to only a hundred meters in width rippled. A crystalline skeleton dressed in intricate magical robes emerged and arrived in the World of Adepts.

  “Enemy attack!”

  “Prepare to attack!”

  “Be careful, it seems to be a lich.”

  The Ahlden Clan adepts circling the portal on flying beasts put up elementium barriers and took out their wands. They were prepared for a fight.

  “You can stand down. He’s my guest!” Greem’s gentle but booming voice rang out in the skies above.

  Upon hearing this, all the adepts hastily dispelled their spells. They stopped their chants and left the vicinity.

  Meanwhile, Kanganas, who had hurried over in a hurry, lifted his head and looked at the thousand-meter-tall Greem.

  He opened his mouth wide, and the short staff in his hand almost fell out of his grasp.

  He looked Greem over and over. Finally, he carefully flew up before Greem. He exclaimed in surprise, “No wonder you said your situation is complicated…this is surprising!”

  “Apologies for making you see me in such an awkward state!” Greem chuckled, “I ran into some trouble earlier and can only remain in this gigantified state. Fortunately, there’s no loss to my combat power!”

  “Can you let me see what fire principles you have mastered?” Kanganas rubbed his palms impatiently.

  He was a demigod lich; There was no reason for him to thirst after Greem’s fire principles. As such, Greem did not intend to hide anything. He lifted his giant right hand and extended his index finger.

  A small golden flame appeared above it.

  The unique magic and abilities of high-grade adepts were always their secret weapons. They would never show them to others so easily. Only ‘friends’ like themselves, who had no direct conflict of interest, would be so generous as to show each other their abilities.