Chapter 335 The knowledge I've gained is invaluable
Jessica's plan had a certain general's cunning.
She proposed spreading the news of Marcus's entrapment far and wide.
The loss of the Heavenly Path Tear, while unfortunate, was a small price to pay for Marcus's safety.
The Competent Force Psychics wouldn't dare harm him with so many powerful witnesses present.
The revelation of the Heavenly Path Tear's existence alone could ignite a full-blown war.
Under the cover of chaos, they could target the vulnerable disciples of various factions in the outer region, picking them off one by one while remaining hidden, waiting for the opportune moment to seize an even greater prize.
George, on the other hand, had a more... unconventional plan.
He proposed rounding up all the disciples they could get their hands on and holding them hostage, forcing the Parker family to release Marcus in exchange for their safe return.
Once Marcus was secure, they would renege on their promise, eliminating the hostages and making off with their spoils.
Their logic was simple: if they couldn't defeat these Competent Force experts, surely they could overpower their disciples?
However, as always, events unfolded in unpredictable ways.
The Blackwoods dispersed, their hunt for unsuspecting Rising Stars commencing.
Ethan returned to the Sky Palace, his mind awhirl with potential strategies.
But Marcus remained oblivious, his consciousness lost in the depths of the Heavenly Path Tear.
The artifact hovered before him, its essence slowly merging with his own.
[Your descendant, Marcus, is receiving Heavenly Path Venerable's legacy, experiencing the entirety of their predecessor's life.]
[He senses that upon completion, he may be able to withstand the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation!]
[Would you like to expend 1 point of Family Will to join your descendant, Marcus, in exploring Heavenly Path Venerable's two-thousand-year journey?]
"He might actually survive the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation?" Ethan's expression brightened.
If Marcus could achieve such a feat, it would completely change the game.
With the Heavenly Path Tear fully integrated into his being, witnessed by countless individuals, Neil wouldn't dare lay a finger on him.
Without hesitation, Ethan accepted the prompt.
Images flashed before his eyes, a whirlwind tour of Heavenly Path Venerable's life.
He was born into a humble village, blessed with loving parents and a simple life.
Possessing a rare Triple Psychic Constitution, he became only the second Psychic in his village's history, eventually joining a small sect.
Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and power, he devoured the Yellow-grade techniques taught within the sect.
A chance encounter led him to a hidden formation left behind by a long-deceased Developing Skill expert, accelerating his cultivation beyond measure.
By the age of fifty, he had reached the Emerging Ability level, prompting him to seek greater challenges within a more prestigious sect.
His dedication and unwavering focus on cultivation, coupled with his detachment from worldly desires, reminiscent of Wesley Daoist's teachings to Marcus, earned him the recognition of the Developing Skill sect's elders.
He was granted access to their most guarded secrets, receiving their ancient legacy.
However, his pursuit of power led him down a dark path.
He discovered a forbidden technique within the ancient legacy, a gruesome ritual that harnessed the life force of living beings to fuel his cultivation.
For decades, he sacrificed countless lives, fueling his ascent to the Developing Skill level, forming his Super Core.
By the age of three hundred, he had adopted the title 'Heavenly Path Daoist' and joined yet another sect, rising to the rank of elder.
[You have experienced Heavenly Path Venerable's life and gained access to the forbidden ancient formation: 'Living Sacrifice Formation.']
[You have acquired the Yellow-grade technique... and the Earth-grade technique: 'Righteous Heavenly Path Escape.']
He became the most powerful elder within his sect, but his ambition remained insatiable.
Another offer arrived, this time from a legendary sacred ground, one of the most powerful factions within Sunshine Mansion, the very same sect that had produced the 'seventh-rank Azurewood Branch' Marcus had acquired: Crystal Crest, now known as Crystal Crest Sacred Mountain, rumored to house unfathomable power.
Through Heavenly Path Venerable's memories, Ethan glimpsed the true extent of Crystal Crest's influence.
Its disciples, numbering less than a hundred, lived in complete seclusion, their existence a closely guarded secret.
Yet, their reach extended even to the empire itself.
Heavenly Path Venerable's master, an elder within Crystal Crest, was a legendary figure, rumored to have reached the elusive Advanced Mastery level.
As expected, at the age of four hundred, Heavenly Path Venerable's talent caught the eye of Elder Phil, a revered figure within Crystal Crest.
Under his guidance, Heavenly Path Venerable finally broke through the shackles of the Developing Skill level, ascending to the coveted Competent Force realm.
He dedicated the next few centuries to secluded cultivation within Crystal Crest.
[You have experienced Heavenly Path Venerable's life and gained access to the Earth-grade technique: 'Pilgrimage to Dust Crystal Scripture.']
[You have acquired the Earth-grade technique: 'Hundred Glories Celestial Net Technique,' the Mysterious-grade technique... ]
Centuries passed.
Heavenly Path Venerable's cultivation soared, reaching the pinnacle of the Competent Force level.
He stood on the precipice of Basic Mastery, yet the final barrier remained elusive.
With five hundred years of his lifespan remaining, Elder Phil discerned the source of his disciple's stagnation.
The atrocities committed in his youth, the massacre of an entire county, had left an indelible mark on his soul, a karmic debt that threatened to cripple his future.
Elder Phil urged Heavenly Path Venerable to seek atonement, to accept his fate.
But Heavenly Path Venerable refused to yield.
"A Psychic fights against fate, against heaven itself. My name is Heavenly Path! I walk the path of the heavens! I will not be bound by destiny!"
Ethan watched as Heavenly Path Venerable turned his back on Crystal Crest Sacred Mountain, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"Wait, that's it?"
Ethan's eyes snapped open, his mind reeling.
He had witnessed Heavenly Path Venerable's life unfold before him, yet the story felt incomplete.
He knew Heavenly Path Venerable had eventually reached the Basic Mastery level, transcending his physical form.
But the Heavenly Path Tear's memories ended abruptly, the final two hundred years of Heavenly Path Venerable's life shrouded in mystery.
"No matter. The knowledge I've gained is invaluable." Ethan couldn't help but smile.
Marcus emerged from his meditative state, his eyes glowing with newfound power as he assimilated the Heavenly Path Tear's essence.
The entire process had taken a mere fortnight.
Ethan examined the techniques and insights he had gained, his heart swelling with satisfaction.
That single point of Family Will had been a wise investment.
[Living Sacrifice Formation (Seventh Rank)]
[All living beings possess a life force, a spark of mystical energy. This formation harnesses that energy, sacrificing life to fuel the caster's cultivation. ]
[The remnants of their life force and mystical energy empower the caster, allowing them to break through cultivation bottlenecks. However, such a path comes at a steep price. The accumulation of karmic debt hinders future breakthroughs and invites unforeseen calamities.]
...
[Pilgrimage to Dust Crystal Scripture (Earth-grade technique)]
[This technique emphasizes self-cultivation and detachment from worldly desires, leading to a state of transcendence and stability in one's mystical powers. By embracing this scripture, one can blend into the world, becoming one with the dust, evading the tribulations that plague those seeking power. ]
[It allows one to comprehend the profound laws governing existence, even while in a mortal state. Each law comprehended strengthens one's mystical energy threefold. Mastering nine laws leads to the 'Transformation to Dust' state, where mystical energy flows freely through all nine mystical apertures, granting unparalleled might within the Competent Force level. Few can stand against such power.]
[Transforming Essence into Divinity... Nine Transformations of the Crystal Law, forging a world within...]
[Divinity merging with the Void, becoming one with the heavens and earth... Mastery over a realm of existence.]
...
[Hundred Glories Celestial Net Technique]
[An illusionary technique that locks down a specific location, drawing upon its prosperity and fortune to empower the caster. The more prosperous the location, the greater the power. This technique reaches its full potential only within the designated area, retaining thirty percent of its power when cast elsewhere.]
[At the Developing Skill level, it can encompass a small town. At the Competent Force level, an entire county. At the Basic Mastery level, a whole province. And at the Advanced Mastery level, it can even draw upon the fortune of an entire state.]
...
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