Chapter 124 - The Refinement of Ascension

"Arghhhh!!!"

Cale’s scream tore from his throat with such force it seemed to split reality itself. An agony so utterly incomprehensible, that it transcended normal pain and became something closer insanity.

His entire body felt branded by white-hot iron. Everywhere the elixir flowed through his bones, he felt as though he was being roasted alive in burning coals. The sensation penetrated deeper than flesh, deeper than blood — it burned directly through his meridians and into the very essence of his soul.

His face distorted under the overwhelming anguish, his heart rate accelerating to dangerous speeds. Sweat erupted from every pore, initial drops becoming a deluge within moments until his entire body was drenched in perspiration that steamed from the internal heat.

Minutes passed like eternities.

His consciousness fractured under the weight of suffering. He couldn’t endure any longer.

Another scream tore from him — a long wail of pure agony that echoed through the array’s barriers and was audible even to Rexa, Emma, and Fiora as they fled the core region.

His teeth clenched so hard he feared they might shatter. His fists balled so tightly his fingernails drew blood from his palms. Every muscle in his body seized and locked in an attempt to contain the pain.

But the elixir kept flowing and transforming his insides.

The unbearable sensation continued flooding through his body in waves, each one more devastating than the last. His entire physical form began to approach paralysis — muscles locked, nerves screaming, unable to move even a single finger. His vision blurred. Consciousness flickered like a dying candle, threatening to extinguish entirely.

Then, after what felt like an eternity compressed into three agonizing minutes, his Law of Self-Restoration activated.

The healing power that had been suppressed beneath the pain suddenly roared to life, repairing the damage, mending the trauma. Within seconds, the burning sensation faded. The paralysis released its grip.

Cale’s eyes snapped open and he pushed himself upright immediately, breathing heavily but alive.

He checked his body carefully,

His body was now absorbing essence from nature at a rate one hundred times faster than before. His refining speed had increased exponentially.

His reaction speed had multiplied by orders of magnitude.

Combined with the Taiyi All-Encompassing Breathing Technique, his entire body had effectively transformed into a thin, adaptive sponge — capable of absorbing endless amounts of external energy when placed in fertile environments.

His qi and mana recovery speed was now likely the highest in the known world as far as he knew. Perhaps the highest ever recorded.

’Secluded cultivation won’t work anymore. Sitting in one place and meditating is far too slow now. The only way forward is to go outside, take opportunities, claim inheritances, and kill enemies. The only true path to ascension is through conquest and consumption.’

This was why cultivators eventually joined sects, even those who preferred isolation. Individual cultivation had limits. It could only carry you so far before the returns became negligible.

Dual cultivation could help, in his case. But his stamina and endurance were so phenomenal now that none of the women would be able to last more than a few hours. Meanwhile, his own reserves could sustain the act for many consecutive days.

He focused inward and began the meticulous work of refining all the energies he’d absorbed. Soul energy, demonic qi, beast essence, human vitality.

He’d consumed approximately 119,000 souls. Perhaps more, taking in the beasts and cultivators caught up in the harvest. All of that power needed to be harmonized within his being, or it would eventually tear him apart from the inside.

He cultivated peacefully for four hours, his consciousness expanding to touch every cell, every fragment of his being.

Then he checked his updated status:

[Spiritual Root: Chaos Flame (Primordial) | Sword (Primordial) | Lightning (Perfected) | Water (Perfected) | Wood (Perfected) | Earth (Awakened) | Wind (Normal) ]

[Race: Human: 02% (Progenitor) | Elf: 04% (Primordial) | Kunpeng [Divine]: 93% (Perfected) | Dragon [Ancestor]: 89% (Progenitor) | Phoenix [Mythic]: 82% (Progenitor) ]

"Good, good. They’ve increased so much," he nodded, still lying on the ground as energy continued to settle into his body.

The Four-Winged Frost All-Devouring Centipede had also evolved — advancing from its initial form to Level 2, its power multiplying dramatically.

[ORIGIN ESSENCE: LVL.71]

His Intent and Laws hadn’t leveled up. Those would require comprehension and personal revelation rather than these kinds of tricks. They would advance only through understanding, not through harvesting.

Cale stood slowly, his body finally stable, his mind beginning to process.

"Since the world doesn’t favor me and my own people don’t value me,"

"I can only love and value my own priorities more than theirs. I can only rely on myself, even if I have an army working for me. I can only put in more effort and take more lives, taking risks unknown and exerting myself till there’s nothing but a husk remaining."

He walked, step by step, across the array’s interior. His footsteps echoed like a judge’s gavel.

"Only then will I ever get success. A system? So what. This thing seems to have plans of its own too. What if it discards me one day? I’ve seen enough people discarding each other for their own benefit."

His voice grew harder.

"Morals? Hierarchy? Righteousness? Justice??" He laughed, a sound devoid of humor. "Even my father and the emperor himself don’t care about me taking a million people to their graves. You think it matters? At the time of the banquet, it was only problematic because Fiora was the target. Otherwise, if I’d killed a few young masters of other noble families, I would’ve been left with nothing but a slap on my wrist."

The bitterness in his tone deepened.

"My hungry family members were just looking for someone to place tens of blames onto. In such big families, you have to save yourself time and time again. And given that I’m one of the potential heirs, why would they not want to take me out of the game before it even starts?"

He paused,

"Even with women loving me, I’m still only a lone person. A nobody with a big background. So why would I not increase my talent? Hehe."

His eyes gleamed.

"In my past life, I could only look up to these Young Masters and geniuses. Even if I kept increasing my qualifications until I got old, I would achieve little to no success. That’s why I continued serving the Heavenly Demon Cult. If everyone was exploiting each other, why not just exploit from everyone?"

He raised his gaze toward the horizon, toward the distant tomb where Niva and Li Zhan were even now discovering the Bone Fiend Emperor’s inheritance.

"Once I get strong enough, I will explore this world and find many other opportunities. Hopefully, I can become a Great Sage in a year or two."

**

Right now, Cale was hovering above the tomb entrance where Niva and Li Zhan were making their discovery. Invisible to normal perception, shielded by techniques that bent reality around him, he watched with cold interest.