Tower of Heaven

Atlas continued to walk down the blinding white hallway without any other goals in mind. He hardly even paid attention to his steps, allowing his body to move instinctually as he thought over a myriad of things.

His future plans; he couldn't just plan for what to do when he exited the Mysterious Tomb, he also needed to gain an understanding of how to move forward with his cultivation from this point forth.

After getting used to the strange vine in his dantian, Atlas realized that his flame control had become far more robust. In his mind, slight sparks of insight on the different concepts of the Dao of Fire would occasionally appear, begging him to comprehend them.

The Dao of Fire had 8 concepts one could comprehend: Combustion, Ignition, Superheat, Materialization, Emberforging, Ethereal Alchemy, Nirvana, and Annihilation.

In his past life, Atlas learned the Concept of Superheat, the Concept of Combustion, and the Concept of Materialization, but he had always dreamed of Annihilation. Still, his immense comprehension of superheat alone was able to put him at the peak of the world.

As for the Concept of Annihilation, this was a boundary Atlas never touched. Perhaps if he was able to continue living in his past life…

'There is no point pondering about it. I do not even understand how I died, so how can I wish to continue that life?'

Atlas wasn't an idiot. He understood from the beginning that there were some mysteries behind his death. Only, he had no way of unveiling them.

Part of the reason he entered the Tower was to do just that. Because the Tower was a place where the answers to all questions were contained.

'Regardless of my past life's fate, it remains true that I received another chance. Is it not too mediocre to follow my past path and stay content with those comprehensions?'

Atlas remembered clearly the power his Dao comprehension granted him in his past life. If, in this life, he could surpass that boundary…

Then he would become an unparalleled existence.

'Not to mention, the Heavenly Unification Law begets that I comprehend a concept from each of the five elements before I reach the World Core Realm. Comprehending the elements isn't a simple task, and before I gain a proper opportunity to do so, I will be forced to focus on the Dao of Fire.'

In that case, wouldn't it be better for him to be ambitious? It was impossible to tell how long it'd be before he encountered the opportunity to comprehend a new element, after all.

And even if the opportunity came by, he would only take it if it was the best course of action possible.

He didn't want to be satisfied with easy comprehensions and more grounded concepts. The Heavenly Unification Law and the unnamed treasure that provided it to him were both immense boons, strokes of fortune. With these resources at hand, it would only be disappointing if he took the easy route.

'Aside from that, there is also Body Cultivation…I must find body-tempering resources as soon as possible so I can match my Energy and Body cultivation progress. Only this way can I build a perfect foundation.'

This task was considerably easier than the first. Even though Atlas hadn't made any progress in Body Cultivation, he could already feel the wisp of Astral Energy residing in his body.

Through the various tempering of the unnamed treasure, this wisp of Astral Energy grew past what an ordinary cultivator without any Body Cultivation should have. As long as Atlas could attain a few core materials, cultivating his body would be a walk in the park.

Nevertheless, he didn't have to rush. He first needed to acquire the Fallen Emperor's legacy and escape the eyes of the 5 Great Societies. Only after finding respite from the current situation could he even divert focus to training.

'Though, if there is truly a Beast Soul in this tomb, the following escape should be much easier.'

As Atlas remained submerged in thought, the hallway around him went through subtle changes. The blinding glow of the white walls subsided to an extent, revealing the vague vestiges of etchings lining the walls.

These etchings showcased scenes of war, scenes of famine, and even scenes of family. It was a varied mural displaying life in all of its facets, continuing onward until the walls curved out into the entrance of a chamber.

Atlas mindlessly walked into the chamber, only snapping back to his senses when he sensed something odd about his surroundings.

'Hm? This is…'

The blinding white light disappeared completely, giving way to a chamber seemingly part of a grand royal palace. The walls were ornately lined with decorations, and the floors were formed from beautiful golden metal. Rows of chairs lined the two sides of the chamber, only parting in the middle for a walkway that led further into its depth.

However, at the end of the walkway wasn't a throne as one would expect.

Instead, a structure akin to a massive birdcage stood there. Its height reached the room's ceiling almost 100 meters high. Its width covered the entire raised platform on which the cage stood.

This cage…

'It is big enough to fit a Behemoth…'

A sudden sinking feeling filled Atlas' body.

He didn't know what it signified, but he knew it originated from that cage.

With bated breaths, he walked down the red carpet leading to the platform.

His steps were slow. With every step he took, it felt like the gravity pushing down on his body doubled.

But this was merely a placebo.

He eventually reached the cage. Standing in front of it made him extremely aware of how small his existence was.

Until…

ROAR!

The rabid roar of a beast woke him from his stupor. A thick bloodlust and pressure emanated from the cage, pressing down on Atlas.

"Khh…!" He heavily exhaled as he withstood the pressure.

His knees buckled and his eyes were forced to the ground. He tried to raise his head, but the force on his body didn't allow it.

"Enough!" He roared. Spiritual energy raged within his dantian. The Flame Vine within pulsed around chaotically, empowering the energy being sent through Atlas' meridians.

As the warm current of qi filled his body, the pressure from the beast's aura and bloodlust subsided somewhat, allowing Atlas to raise his head and straighten his body.

But he almost wished he hadn't done so. All the momentum he built up to resist the beast's pressure dissipated in an instant.

The beast he saw had no physical form. It was a golden projection materialized into the physical plane; a Beast Soul.

It had the strong and robust body of an ape, standing at nearly the same height as the cage. Protruding from the spot above its rear was a draconian tail, matching the dragon head atop its body.

The beast that looked like a hybrid dragon-ape was rabid. Its pupils were missing, only pure red light residing in its eye sockets.

But even then, Atlas recognized it instantly. There was no way he wouldn't.

His heart dropped.

He crumpled to his knees.

From the moment he saw the tomb, Atlas felt a foreboding premonition. He tried to consider it nervousness due to the scale of this fortuitous encounter, he tried to call it a coincidence and ignore it, but in the end, that was impossible.

The Behemoth in front of him didn't allow him to do so.

His mouth opened.

A broken voice left his lips.

"Im…impossible…"

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