"This stele has been here for at least hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of years. Crimson Heavenstone is one of the hardest substances under heaven; for someone to carve words into it, their strength must have at least broken through to the God-level Realm. It's truly unimaginable. As for breaking the restriction, you'll probably have to probe it with your spiritual sense—I can't help you there. Give it a try!" Luna said.
"God-level? What kind of realm is that? So after the Saint Martial Realm, is it God-level?" Evan Chu asked, confused. It was the first time he'd heard of such a power tier, and he couldn't help but ask.
"Even if I explained, you wouldn't really understand. In our world, your current strength would only count as someone who's just broken through to the Xuanwu Realm. As for Earth Martial Realm and Heaven Martial Realm, those don't even register. The outside world is nothing like what you imagine." Luna said.
Once again, Evan Chu was stunned by Luna's words. Right now, he could be considered one of the top experts in the Azure Tide Ruins, but in Luna's eyes, he was just a newly advanced Xuanwu Realm cultivator. It was impossible to imagine how strong the powerhouses in their world truly were.
Evan Chu slowly calmed his thoughts and steadied his mood. Once his mind entered a state of clarity, he began probing the restriction on the crimson stele with his spiritual sense.
The moment his spiritual sense touched the stele, it was instantly bounced back, though he wasn't harmed. It seemed the stele's owner had set up a defensive restriction, not an offensive one. Realizing this, Evan Chu felt much more at ease.
He tried again and again to probe it, not knowing how much time had passed. Then, a deep, ancient voice echoed in his mind, startling Evan Chu.
"Don't be afraid, young man. I won't harm you. I never expected someone at the Nascent Soul Stage to appear in this world—what a surprise. Maybe you really are the one I've been waiting for. In tens of thousands of years, you're the first to discover the Crimson Heavenstone, which means you and I are fated." the ancient voice said.
Evan Chu knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Though his heart raced with excitement, he forced himself to stay calm and immediately asked, "Senior, may I ask who you are? Why do you say I'm the one you've been waiting for? What's really going on here?"
"Kid, there's another soul inside you, isn't there? That little girl had some serious power—she actually reached the Ninth-Heaven Arch-Immortal level. For her to end up here, she must also be connected to your fate. My physical body has already been destroyed; all that's left now is a remnant strand of divine sense."
"After waiting tens of thousands of years, this strand of my divine sense is about to fade away. I never thought I'd have to wait this long for you to appear—maybe it's truly fate." the ancient voice said.
Evan Chu seemed to understand something and said, "So you made the lake water turn red just to let people discover the existence of the Crimson Jade Heaven Stele? But no one ever really came down to check it out. Even if they did, nobody could last underwater as long as I can, let alone find the Crimson Heavenstone buried in the silt."
"That's right. Every half-month, I make the lake's surface turn red—that's the effect of the Crimson Heavenstone. I found it years ago in a deserted domain, and inscribed on it is the cultivation art I'm most proud of. Once you obtain it, you can study it well; it'll be of great help to your future." the ancient voice continued.
"Senior, who are you really? Why did the Crimson Jade Heaven Stele end up here? I know you're not from this world. What happened back then that destroyed your physical body and left only this strand of divine sense?" Evan Chu asked.
"Who am I? After tens of thousands of years, I seem to have forgotten. I vaguely remember others calling me the Heavenly Shade God-King. Back then, I acquired an ancient secret scripture and was hunted down by a few old monsters. They besieged me together, forcing me to self-detonate and preserve only a strand of divine sense. As for the Crimson Heavenstone, at the very last moment, I broke open the void and brought it, along with my divine sense, to this place.
The contents inscribed on the Crimson Jade Heaven Stele are that ancient secret scripture I obtained—it's called the Ninefold Golden Body Art. At full mastery, you can cultivate nine avatars. I only had a short time with it, so I managed to form three avatars. If I'd completed all nine, I wouldn't have been forced to self-detonate by those old monsters." the ancient voice said.
"Ninefold Golden Body Art? Another 'Ninefold'? Senior, have you ever heard of Ninefold Stellar Transformation? Are the two related?" Evan Chu asked, unsure what realm a God-King truly was, but certain it wasn't low.
"Ninefold Stellar Transformation? You know about Ninefold Stellar Transformation? Did that little girl inside you tell you? That's an incredibly powerful art—it's ranked among the top three ancient scriptures in the God Realm. If you complete all nine transformations, you could become a true powerhouse, though the chance is slim. As far as I know, even the Ninefold Divine Sovereign only reached the eighth transformation and attained his sovereign rank. If you ever get the chance, that's an unimaginable fortune." the Heavenly Shade God-King said.
Evan Chu felt a bit frustrated. He'd already cultivated up to the fifth transformation, but he was nowhere near becoming a so-called peerless expert. Maybe it was because the other four Spirit Pearls were so hard to obtain.
"Senior, can the Ninefold Golden Body Art really let you cultivate nine avatars? How strong is each avatar?" Evan Chu asked.
"Each avatar from the Ninefold Golden Body Art is different. There are five element avatars, wind and thunder avatars, and light and darkness avatars. Cultivating these avatars is extremely difficult—you have to master each elemental attribute to do so. I hope you can carry the Ninefold Golden Body Art forward." the Heavenly Shade God-King said.
At this moment, Evan Chu's shock was like a giant whirlwind stirring up waves on a calm lake. The Ninefold Golden Body Art seemed tailor-made for him—no one was more suited to cultivate it than he was.
"But with your current cultivation, you still can't practice it. Wait until you truly break through to a certain realm—otherwise, you'll suffer severe backlash. My time is almost up. I hope you can do one thing for me. If you agree, the restriction on the Crimson Heavenstone will automatically unlock, and you'll truly obtain it.
If you can't agree, I won't force you. After all, this task is extremely difficult—without thousands or even tens of thousands of years, you won't have the strength to accomplish it. Think it over carefully!" the Heavenly Shade God-King said.
"Lin Feng, hurry up and accept! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If you get the Ninefold Golden Body Art, your strength could reach an unimaginable level!" Luna urged anxiously, her tone clearly impatient. (More coming tonight, might be a bit late!)