bookcurios Chapter 676: The Core and the Vortex
Chapter 676: The Core and the Vortex
Deep within the eye of the swirling elemental tempest, Ethan’s mind achieved a state of absolute, hyper-focused absolute stillness.
The stolen celestial catalyst hijacked by Crul acted as a cosmic anvil, ruthlessly hammering the volatile, compressed energy inside his Dantian into a perfect, flawless sphere. With a final, silent internal detonation, his newly forged Golden Core completely stabilized. It was not a standard golden orb; it vibrated with a deep, mesmerizing amethyst hue, laced with the dark, spatial distortions of his Primordial Void Body. Every single one of his spiritual pathways instantly widened, hardening into pristine conduits capable of handling ten times the operational pressure of his previous rank. He had successfully crossed the threshold into the Golden Core Realm, and his foundation was unimaginably deep.
Yet, while Ethan silently anchored his new power, the cataclysmic vortex erupting from Heidy’s flesh continued to expand, piercing straight through the pavilion’s reinforced roof and tearing into the sky above the mountain.
Up at the summit pavilion, the Vice Sect Leader abruptly stopped speaking. His ancient, weathered face completely contorted in sheer shock as his divine sense picked up the massive, localized spatial warping. He violently stood up from his jade throne, his piercing gaze locking directly onto the distant silhouette of the Immortal Doctor’s Pavilion.
"Who exactly is executing a supreme ascension into the Spiritual Sea Realm on that peak?!" the Vice Sect Leader roared, his voice carrying a thunderous authority that shook the palace walls. "And why in the absolute hell have the sect’s primary spiritual support arrays not been deployed yet?!"
The local Branch Leader was caught completely by surprise, his face turning deathly pale as he scrambled to his feet. "I... I will initiate the protocol immediately, Vice Leader!"
Within seconds, the entire mountain peak erupted into absolute, frantic chaos. Ancient elders emerged from secluded cultivation caves across every corner of the mountain, their figures transforming into streaks of brilliant light as they raced toward the defensive perimeters.
A breakthrough into the legendary Spiritual Sea Realm was an occasion of maximum, historical celebration for any high-tier institution. Achieving this specific tier meant the birth of a supreme power—a combat asset whose sheer presence wielded the operational capacity to stabilize and secure an entire geographical zone by herself. There could be absolutely zero margins for failure.
The laws of the Central Sect Headquarters regarding this specific event were absolute and merciless: if any outside faction or foreign spy attempted to interfere with the breakthrough, they would be immediately exterminated with maximum violence. Concurrently, if any internal disciple or rival elder attempted to sabotage the ascension out of political jealousy, they would be hunted down to the ends of the continent and subjected to a lifetime of eternal, soul-rending torture. No one was permitted to interfere with the strategic growth of the sect’s peak power.
"To your stations! Move!" shouted the Grand Array Master.
The eighteen senior elders responsible for the peak’s primary defensive grid moved with practiced, military precision, flying toward the Eighteen Cardinal Anchors of the supreme spiritual matrix. Without a single second of hesitation, they threw open the array’s core vaults, systematically dumping millions of High-Rank Spiritual Stones into the activation channels.
The financial cost of this operation was utterly astronomical. A single high-rank spiritual stone possessed a standard market valuation that was only a hundred times greater than a medium-grade stone, yet in the real world, absolutely no sane cultivator would ever sell or trade them for common currency. The energy contained within a high-rank stone was not merely more abundant—it was infinitely more pure, stripped of all earthly dregs and perfectly optimized to act as premium fuel for the most advanced, ancient arrays on the continent.
Hummmmm—!
With a deafening, harmonic vibration, the supreme mountain array roared to life. A incredibly dense, glowing white spiritual mist began to violently ascend from the valley floor, completely blanketing the peaks.
Across the entire sect territory, thousands of outer and inner disciples who were currently meditating in their private courtyards suddenly gasped. The moment the mist touched their skin, they felt as if their consciousness had been abruptly thrown straight into a pristine, pure spiritual ocean, instantly multiplying their local cultivation velocity a hundred-fold.
However, that intoxicating benefit lasted for only a few brief moments.
The howling spatial vortex hovering directly over the Immortal Doctor’s Pavilion violently mutated, expanding into a literal, swirling black hole that began to ruthlessly trample over the local atmospheric laws, greedily swallowing every single drop of the pure, high-rank spiritual energy the array was pumping into the sky before any other living being could even catch a breath.
Across the residential sectors and cultivation courtyards, thousands of inner disciples and core refiners violently opened their eyes, forced out of their meditative states by a sudden, terrifying emptiness in the atmosphere.
They rushed out into the open air to witness the phenomenon, their faces twisted in absolute disbelief. It was completely impossible to cultivate. Trying to draw a single shred of qi from the air right now was like trying to scoop water from a thoroughly dried, baked pond. The entire mountain peak had been completely stripped, entirely desprovisto of even the most microscopic trace of environmental spiritual energy. The black hole swirling above the medical facility had vacuumed the entire region clean.
Driven by an intense, frantic curiosity, a massive wave of cultivators began to rapidly move toward the commercial district, eager to get closer to the source of the cataclysmic vortex.
However, before the crowd could even reach the primary avenue leading to the Immortal Doctor’s Pavilion, they were instantly brought to a dead halt.
Dozens of high-tier Law Enforcement Elders and elite enforcers from the Discipline Hall had completely encircled the entire perimeter of the facility, forming an impenetrable, defensive wall of steel. Their longswords were no longer resting quietly in their leather sheaths; they were held tightly in their bare hands, the cold steel gleaming under the unnatural, darkened sky.
The expressions on the faces of the discipline officers left the absolute reality of the situation completely clear to the multitude. There would be no political warnings, no administrative negotiations, and absolutely no second chances. If any curious cultivator or reckless disciple attempted to breach the defensive perimeter or force their way inside the zone by a single meter, they would be unhesitatingly executed on the spot. The peak power of the sect was actively hatching, and the law enforcement vanguard was prepared to butcher anyone who dared to blink wrong in their direction.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
The Melting Tide / The Tidal Horizon / The Sea Mist Ascension
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.