Chapter 846: The Amethyst Nightmare

Chapter 846: Chapter 846: The Amethyst Nightmare

The vortex in the firmament roared as electric dragons writhed amidst the dark clouds, poised to unleash heaven’s wrath. Yet beneath the celestial storm, Ethan’s trance reached its tipping point.

The shadow of the Void nightmare surging from his back began to shatter into fragments, but rather than dissipating, the abyssal silhouette contracted, collapsing inward and fusing into Ethan’s physical frame.

The shattering of his bottleneck concluded with a snap that echoed through the fabric of the universe. Ethan instantly ascended to the Spiritual Transcendence Realm.

A surge of abyssal energy began circulating through his meridians, cleansing his soul and expanding the capacity of his spiritual sea to inconceivable bounds. Ethan’s flesh, torn apart by the generals’ kamikaze techniques, regenerated at speed.

His body underwent a transfiguration.

Plates and gems of amethyst sprouted from his skin, embedding along his shoulders, forearms, chest, and cheekbones. The violet crystals were no ornaments; they pulsed with an abyssal glow that drank in the ambient light around them. The contrast between his pale countenance, the red glare of his eyes, and the crystalline armor of living amethysts made him appear like a fallen abyssal deity: horrifying, yet endowed with beauty.

The Void nightmare within him had evolved.

Ethan exhaled a breath of violet mist. The spiritual pressure emanating from his form was so dense that the laws of the world seemed to bow, freezing the descent of the celestial lightning in mid-air.

The three generals, exhausted and dying after burning their cores and life essences for an attack that was devoured without a trace, stared at Ethan with unhinged eyes and sweat drenching their faces.

"He is... a perfect monster...", the fan-wielding general managed to whisper, falling to his knees in the void as his remaining strength withered away completely. "No... this is no monster... it is a nightmare."

After a time, Ethan opened his eyes slowly.

"So this is Spiritual Transcendence?" whispered Ethan.

His eyes had transformed: they now appeared as two amethyst abysses with dark sparks swirling within.

"Life is more beautiful...", he murmured.

What he could previously perceive was now clear with absolute sharpness. The threads of fate, once subtle and blurred, revealed themselves with clarity before his divine vision. Looking down at his body, he noticed several glowing threads traveling far beyond the horizon. Focusing his gaze along them, he saw they belonged to his women and his trusted generals; every member of ROYAL.

He could see them in this moment: they appeared to be locked inside a prison, bearing serious wounds, but at least they were alive.

"Now I can use my eyes better...", Ethan said, tightening his grip on the Black Chaos Sword.

[Yes, Master], answered Crul in his mind. [Though still not enough. Try to use them only when strictly necessary. You must advance at least two more realms to keep them permanently active.]

"I know the next realm is the True Spirit Physique Realm... but what comes after that one?" asked Ethan.

[The Divine Origin Realm], explained Crul. [It is the first divine level. That is where the Golden Dragon Emperor sits at this moment, though he cannot unleash its full power.]

"Why?" questioned Ethan.

[Remember the barrier I told you the First Tyrant created with his sacrifice? Well, that is the law: no one above that realm may descend into this plane, but it also sealed this plane so no one can ever ascend past that level.]

BOOOOOOM!

A colossal lightning bolt rumbled through the vault of the sky, shaking the mountains and reality itself.

Ethan raised his gaze toward the purple clouds and asked:

"What is that?"

[A copy of the Dao], answered Crul in a cold tone. [You can call it the spirit of the barrier. It imitates the true Dao by judging mortals, but it possesses none of its genuine power. Nevertheless, here it is, trying to cause trouble.]

"What should I do?" inquired Ethan, watching the electric dragons writhe with fury.

[Well, that thing is strong, but not overly so], concluded Crul. [I believe it will make a fine tonic for you.]

"If that is not the Dao...", Ethan murmured, keeping his gaze locked on the lightning vortex roaring above his head, "can the true Dao find me? You always tell me to be careful with karma and the Dao. Are they really that strong?"

[So you can understand a bit better, Master, the Dao is everything], explained Crul with solemnity in its synthetic tone. [This barrier cannot stop it, nor can it delay it. If the Dao detects something wrong, it will come without hesitation. In fact, the Dao has already come for you once.]

Ethan froze mid-air for a moment, frowning upon hearing the revelation.

"What? Seriously?" asked Ethan.

[Indeed], confirmed Crul as the amethyst gems embedded in Ethan’s skin pulsed faintly. [The Dao detected the birth of your bloodline and sought to exterminate you immediately. However, Lord Amethyst used part of his remaining power to protect you and conceal your presence.]

"That strong...", whispered Ethan, feeling the weight of history settle upon his shoulders.

[You have no idea, Master], continued Crul. [To reach where he once reached, you must ascend to the heavens, but trying to ascend to the heavens means going directly against the Dao. Only those who kneel before the Dao shall live within it... but those who fight against the Dao shall survive it.]

Ethan tightened his grip on the Black Chaos Sword until his knuckles turned pale. He repeated Crul’s words under his breath, letting them sink deep into his soul:

"Shall survive it..."

He stared directly into the lightning vortex roaring in the firmament. The violet glare in his amethyst eyes ignited with resolve.

"If these lightning bolts are not the true Dao and I cannot even face them...", declared Ethan, raising his voice until its echo rebounded across the mountain range, "...then I do not deserve to go any further! COME AT ME!!"

Behind his frame, the gigantic shadow of the Void nightmare manifested once more. This time the creature did not remain static; it seemed to swim fluidly within the void at his back, writhing like an abyssal serpent. Inside its gaping maw, an amethyst black hole began to spin upon itself, warping the surrounding light and space.

The heavens seemed to take notice of the mortal’s defiance. The clouds turned a violent electric violet, and the lightning dragons danced with fury, roaring with cosmic rage as they condensed into a single focal point, poised to strike down and ash him to nothingness.