by KSY
Solomon placed his forefinger on Ryan’s forehead, and Ryan soon felt a large chunk of information appear in his mind. Ryan marveled upon analysis of a little bit of the Martial Skill: it was without a doubt priceless.
“Thank you, Grandpa,” Ryan said in a sincere manner as he gave Solomon a gentle bow.
“No need. Just make sure you use this Martial Skill with care,” Solomon said as he patted Ryan.
“Grandpa, can I ask two questions?” Ryan said with an expectant look.
“Ask,” Solomon said. For some reason he was enjoying talking with Ryan.
“Is there any way to turn an Unstable Taboo Martial Artist into a Stable Taboo Martial Artist?” Ryan asked. He was not sure that by eating Nascent Soul Fruits Livius and the other four would become Stable.
“I already know what is in your mind. Nascent Soul Fruits might help them to some extent, but they might still lose control over themselves, if someone hurts their feelings or goes out of their way to piss them off,” Solomon said. A smile appeared on Ryan’s face on hearing this from Solomon, as this was still better than going on a rampage over small issues.
“Grandpa, can you tell me a little more about this Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit, especially its connection with Asuras?” Ryan asked with great expectation. This was a question whose answer even Yama wished to know.
Solomon looked at Ryan for some time as if deciding whether to tell him about the back-story of the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit or not. Solomon just sighed and he said, “I once found a little bit blood of an Asura that had died on Grandura countless years ago. The blood didn’t dry even after countless years.”
“The blood of Asuras has the ability to cause other beings to undergo mutation, so I used that blood on different kinds of beings with the intention of creating a powerful being that had the abilities of an Asura, but I failed in the end. I performed numerous experiments on different kinds of beings with that blood but amongst them, this Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was the only survivor,” Solomon explained.
Ryan was shocked on hearing the Variant Soul Devouring Tree Spirit’s back-story. The reactions of Yama and Dargar were no different from his.
“Didn’t the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit survive?” Ryan asked as he regained his composure.
“It might have undergone a mutation and has become manyfold stronger than a normal Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit, but it didn’t gain any of the abilities of Asuras. It was nothing but a failed experiment, so I threw it in the Treasure Space as it was of no use to me,” Solomon said with a heavy heart as he remembered the time when all of his experiments had failed. Ryan just nodded his head as he could relate to Solomon’s way of thinking.
“Take care. My doppelgänger can’t last any longer,” Solomon said with a smile as his doppelgänger disappeared. Ryan suddenly felt a little sorrow on seeing Solomon leave as he had no idea when he would be able to meet him again.
“I never expected that an Asura had previously died on Grandura,” Yama said with a complicated expression.
“Nothing is impossible,” Ryan said with a sigh as he sat down on a rock nearby, as he patiently waited for the Variant Soul Devouring Tree Spirit to finish the process of gaining Asura Physique.
Yama and Dargar couldn’t help but agree with Ryan.
Ch.27
“Father, why didn’t you ask him the reason behind his being able to gain an extra Soul being?” Heron asked in displeased voice. If Ryan had a secret which could allow others to also have extra Soul beings, then the strength of both Family Clans would go up exponentially. So it was natural that Heron would be interested to know why Ryan was able to form an extra Equal contract.
Heron, Herman and Solomon were shocked when they had seen Ryan form an Equal contract with the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit. Since Ryan was a Triple Martial Spirit holder, he shouldn’t have been able to form an Equal contract with it.
“Everyone has their own secrets, so I didn’t think that it was a good idea to ask him about it,” Solomon said with a grumpy manner, which was enough for Heron to know that he was not supposed to investigate Ryan.
“So, what’s your take on it?” Herman asked as he could understand his father’s thought process.
“It might be due to his Sword-shaped Martial Spirit gaining an ability that allows him to have extra Soul beings,” Solomon said in an unsure manner, but he couldn’t think of any other reason.
“I have never heard of a Weapon-shaped Martial Spirit gaining such a Heaven Defying ability,” Heron said with a look of disbelief.
“I know a few people in Divine Universe whose Weapon-shaped Martial Spirits allow them to have extra Soul beings. Generally, it is very rare for Weapon-shaped Martial Spirits to gain such an ability, as it goes against the Heavenly Laws. Ryan’s Sword-shaped Martial Spirit is also not normal: it resembles the Swords of Asuras, so can you now understand the logic behind my words?” Solomon explained.
Heron and Herman quickly nodded their heads, but they were stunned when they heard the latter part of Solomon’s explanation. The word “Asuras” represented endless might and tyranny. Heron and Herman could help but shudder a little, even though they had never seen a real Asura.
Solomon was able to recognize the origins of Death Sword with a single glance since he’d previously exchanged blows with an Asura that had used swords.
“No wonder his Sword-shaped Martial Spirit was behaving so abnormally. How can anything related to Asuras be so easy to control?” Herman said. Heron couldn’t help but agree with his brother’s words.
“But won’t it be problematic if other people come to know that he has extra Soul beings?” Heron asked in a concerned manner, and Herman also had a similar thought. The talent and potential of Ryan were already high enough for him to be a core member of both Family Clans, so it was natural that Heron and Herman were concerned about his safety.
“Ryan is quite sharp and sly. If I am not wrong, then he already knew that the people in Sundering Valley were watching his actions via the screens. He only decided to form an Equal contract with that Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit after he was certain that no one was watching him from Sundering Valley anymore, except for us, and he was OK with us knowing his little secret,” Solomon said as he smiled.
He had lived for countless years, so if he was unable to even see through the thought processes of a little kid, then he should just commit suicide. Heron and Herman were alarmed on hearing Solomon’s words.
“Is the Treasure Space unable to stop him from communicating with the outside world?” Heron asked with a look of disbelief. They had never expected something like that to occur when they’d created the Treasure Space with a little help from Solomon.
“He is most likely able to keep in contact with his Soul beings. One of them must be in Sundering Valley and it is giving him updates on a regular basis, if I am not wrong,” Solomon said with a smile on his face.
“How is that possible?” Herman and Heron asked with shocked expressions.
“I don’t know. It’s a good thing that a freak like Ryan was born in our Family Clans,” Solomon said with a big smile on his face.
It had already been a few days and the intensity of the Unholy black light around the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had started to decrease with the passage of time. Ryan knew that the process of the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit gaining one of the Innate Abilities of his Martial Spirits was about to end.
The process ended after another day, following which it stopped emitting Baleful aura. That fact made Ryan giddy as it signified that it had really gained Asura Physique from him, though he’d been expecting that to happen.
The Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was able to control its Baleful aura better after gaining Asura Physique than before, so it was able to stop emitting Baleful aura. The branches of the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit wrapped aroun
d Ryan again as it lifted him in joy, but this didn’t last long as it was shrouded in white light and a Floral pouch materialized near it.
The function of the Floral pouch was quite similar to that of a Beast pouch. The Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was then sent into it forcefully by the Treasure Space following which a few seals appeared that completely sealed the Floral pouch. Ryan could tell that the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had already entered a deep sleep-state. Ryan then tied the Floral pouch at the side of his waist just next to the Beast pouch which contained the Metallic Hell Dragon.
Ryan’s expression changed as he moved away from the spot where the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had taken root previously before it had been sent into his Floral pouch. Soon the entire area caved in, and a bottomless pit was created at the spot where the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had previously stood, but Ryan was fast enough to back off, so he was fine.
“Just how deep did its roots run?” Ryan thought to himself as he looked at the bottomless pit in front of him. Yama and Dargar were also stunned. It seemed that the roots of the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had undergone a growth spurt in comparison to the rest of its body.
Ryan once again took out a hundred or so charms as a smile appeared on his face. He had extinguished the forest fire after arriving at his destination earlier. The Forest of Tears which was slowly inching back to normalcy was not good for his travel, so he threw the charms into the air following which all the charms were ignited by his single thought. The charms then transformed into black and white serpents just like before, spread out in all directions and started igniting one thing after another and within minutes a terrifying forest fire was again started by them. This forest fire was even more widespread than the previous one. Ryan had previously limited the extent of the forest fire as he knew that if he’d burned down everything then he would face a lot of problems later on.
“Roar!”
“Screech!”
“Xiao!”
The Undead creatures and other beings of Forest of Tears made various sounds as the weaker ones fled to safer areas, while the stronger ones tried to combat the forest fire. Ryan started moving towards one of the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits which he had previously located with the help of his Undead creatures while Forest of Tears was burning.
Lachesis had also returned to his side. She’d gone out to play while the Variant Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was gaining Asura Physique from him, but immediately heeded Ryan’s call and came back within the shortest possible time.
It took Ryan roughly an hour to reach his first intended target. That Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was a few kilometers in height and was visible from far away. It had two Nascent Soul Fruits hanging on one of its branches. Ryan had made sure that the forest fire didn’t spread to this area as it might hamper his plan for getting the Nascent Soul Fruits.
The Nascent Soul Fruits looked similar to a human brain, but about twice its size, and had a ghastly atmosphere around them. Ryan felt an urge to vomit when he thought of eating one. He kept a safe distance from the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit while Lachesis was no longer by his side.
The Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit already knew about Ryan, and a number of its branches had already moved in to protect the branch bearing Nascent Soul Fruits. Seeing such a move by the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree made him understand why it was so difficult to procure Nascent Soul Fruits. One would have to fight an endless number of branches to reach the branch that was bearing Nascent Soul Fruits.
A smile appeared on Ryan’s face as he saw Lachesis sitting quietly on the branch bearing the Nascent Soul Fruits. She was currently releasing an aura which was quite similar to that of Undead creatures, and was no longer invisible and undetectable. She was doing all this deliberately as Ryan had asked her to do so. Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirits and Undead creatures have a harmonious relationship, which was why Lachesis was able to get so close to the Nascent Soul Fruits, even though she was no longer undetectable. The Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit didn’t see Lachesis as an enemy, but as a friend.
Lachesis was fast as lightning and detached the Nascent Soul Fruits from the branch within a second with her sharp sickle-like front legs. She was so fast that the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was not even able to react in time.
A smile appeared on Ryan’s face as he charged towards the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit at his top speed. The Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was so enraged by Lachesis’s actions that all its branches attacked her giving no mind to the approaching human. This was the main reason why Ryan had asked Lachesis to make herself detectable as all the attention of the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit would be on her instead of him, after she’d detached the Nascent Soul Fruit from its branches.
Since the Nascent Soul Fruits had been detached from its branch they were of no use to the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit. The seeds inside the fruits had died the moment the fruit was detached from its branches, because of which the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit focused all its attention on Lachesis instead of on the falling Nascent Soul Fruits.
If the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had not been able to detect Lachesis, then it would have destroyed the Nascent Soul Fruits the moment they’d been detached from its branches. That was the reason Ryan had asked her to make herself visible and detectable.
Lachesis was struck by the branches hundreds of times within a minute or two, but she was not at all injured by the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit’s attacks. Ryan, on the other hand, had caught the falling Nascent Soul Fruits and was already retreating.
Lachesis knew that it was now time for her to escape. The only reason she’d allowed the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit to hit her was to allow Ryan to escape with the Nascent Soul Fruits.
“Screech!” Lachesis issued an ear-piercing screech as her solid body morphed into a body that was entirely made of Hell’s Fire flames, and the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit’s attacks passed right through her without meeting any kind of resistance. The Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit was stunned.
Lachesis then flew straight out of the range of the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit without any trouble, and descended onto Ryan’s head soon after. Ryan, on the other hand, had already stored the Nascent Soul Fruits in his Spatial pouch.
“Lachesis, nice work!” Ryan couldn’t help but praise her, and she just hopped on his head on hearing his praise.
“Let’s head towards our next target,” Ryan said as a smile appeared on his face. The Divine Trials were to end in one month. Ryan knew he had limited time in his hands, so he’d have to quickly collect Nascent Soul Fruits otherwise he would have no time left for the exchange.
Boom!!
Boom!!
Ryan could hear explosive sounds from behind him. It was clear to Ryan that the Soul Devouring Immortal Tree Spirit had gone berserk and was attacking everything that was within his range.
Soon everything around the it was flattened.
Ryan used the forest fire that he had started previously as cover for his move to his next intended target.
In the Outer region of Forest of Tears, everyone in Yate’s group and the other groups that had joined hands with his group wore twisted expressions, as there was still no sign of the participant that had acquired Dark Star Ore, plus there was a big problem.
A lot of surviving groups and participants that were interested in Dark Star ore had also started to arrive at the Outer region of Forest of Tears. Yate’s group had almost vomited blood when they came to know about the numerous messages that Ryan had left in Metallic Sheen Mountain Range. They had initially thought that they would be the only ones that would arrive for the exchange.
All the groups were patiently waiting for Ryan’s arrival, as only twenty-five days remained in the Divine Trials, which fact made everyone a little anxious. If Ryan didn’t
come on time, then it would mean that they’d wasted a lot of their precious time by just coming there, which was something no one wished for.
Ryan, on the other hand, was moving towards the cave in a jolly mood. He had collected thirty-six Nascent Soul Fruits. He hadn’t plucked any more than the required number as eating more than one Nascent Soul Fruit was useless, as more than one didn’t further strengthen the soul. He had also found thirty-three medallions in the past few days which took his total tally to two hundred twenty-three. Ryan was certain that with this many medallions he would definitely be in the top seventy, which was a good rank for someone of his age and Cultivation Level.
Raban and company had been patiently waiting for Ryan. They hadn’t stepped out of the cave even once since had Ryan left, because of which they didn’t know anything regarding the forest fire Ryan had started. They regularly checked his location with the help of the rune on their palms, which gave them a sense of relief. This particular day, their expressions lightened as they noticed that Ryan was moving towards the cave.
“What do you think the chances are that he was able to get Nascent Soul Fruits?” one of the group-members asked. Raban and the rest of the group glared at him which made him lower his head in shame. Ryan had already given them something as precious as Dark Star Ore without blinking an eye, and expecting anything else from him was indecent.
“It’s OK even if he has been unable to acquire Nascent Soul Fruits,” Livius said softly. He was already more than happy to have met someone like Ryan and the Four Devils and to become friends with them.
He was not sure about Raban and the others: he could tell that they were good people, but they were scared of him. He couldn’t become friends with someone, if that person feared him.
Ryan marched into the cave after half an hour with a triumphant smile. His smile made everyone somewhat dazed, as they couldn’t help but think of a certain possibility.