Reaper of the Martial World

Book 8: Chapter 213: Devour (3)

Was it easy to reach the One with Self realm of a divine grade technique? Of course not. Let alone a divine grade technique, even doing so for a common grade technique was impossible for many.

Dyon had spent more than 100 years reflecting upon [Devour]. Though, if others heard of such a thing, they would bang their heads against a wall. Divine grade techniques were meant to be used by dao experts, meaning you should have hundreds of thousands of years to reflect upon the technique. Pretending as though 100 years was a long time was laughable.

To make matters worse, Dyon clearly ignored the technique for much of that time. Rather than consciously, it was more accurate to say that his subconscious reached the One with Self realm. But, regardless, the power was his own now.

Still… After their rage subsided… One wouldn’t be able to help their curiosity… Just what did it mean for a divine grade technique to reach such a realm? Just what changed? How powerful was it now?

[Devour] was a technique that originally served two main functions. The first was soul qi absorption. This could be used to either replenish stamina or quickly increase one’s soul cultivation. The second was memory absorption. Together, these functions became excellent auxiliary abilities, albeit dangerous to use.

During the first act, of which there were three stages, one would only be able to use this technique against those with weaker souls than them. Come the second act, it was possible to use [Devour] against those with equivalent soul strengths to yourself. Finally, the highest act allowed to use [Devour] against those even above your soul stage.

In addition to this, the acts provided various changes mainly toward the speed in which the technique could be implemented. The greater the act, the faster one could absorb soul qi and memories.

However, the One with Self realm was on a completely different level.

The first major change was in range. Before, Dyon could only use [Devour] if he touched an individual or applied the technique to something he shot out from himself. For example, he was able to coat his Tree of Life and Death manifestation with [Devour] because it was a part of his soul.

But now, Dyon could use [Devour] as though he was manipulating atmospheric qi. As long as one was within the range of his divine sense, they could very well be devoured…

This wasn’t the most fear inducing part. As if the possibility of having your body drained of everything from 500 000 km away wasn’t enough, Dyon no longer had to put his soul in harm’s way. He could use his divine sense as a proxy, ridding [Devour] of its worst weakness… Unless you were capable of shattering Dyon’s divine sense with your Presence or a divine sense of your own… You were as good as dead.

Suddenly, the power of the Sovereign Flame and the reason so many lusted after it was becoming more and more clear. With Dyon’s Presence perfectly fused into his Divine Sense… How many could shatter it? Did such a person even exist? The best they could do was shroud and protect themselves.

Even with all of this said, the second major change was still the most shocking of all. historical

Whether it was soul qi, conventional qi, devil qi, type qi, even the vital qi of the body, Dyon could devour it all. There was no longer a limiter on the kind of qi Dyon could devour!

… Even if what Dyon wanted to devour was Mental Energy.

Suddenly, a completely new door opened.

Was this the potential soul path techniques had? If Dyon reached the One with Self realm, would they be able to cross over and influence other paths as well?

If there was a God overseeing Dyon’s growth, his frustration would be beyond imagining. Every time this God seemed close to stamping down Dyon’s arrogance, a massive uprising would occur.

For Dyon’s arrogance to give birth to such a devastating technique… Wasn’t it simply feeding into the wrong path? If Dyon was rewarded for his persistent egotism with results of this caliber, what was the point of it all? It was as though the Heavens themselves were against Dyon ever laying his arrogance down, as though his arrogance was a part of the very fabric of reality itself.

Within the Ancient Battlefield, Dyon sensed this change in his main body. Or, rather, he felt the change in himself. After all, they were one in the same.

Despite the constant victories he experienced on the battlefield, Dyon had been growing more and more frustrated by the day. All of the things his main body felt, he too felt.

‘Is changing even the right path to take.’ Dyon looked up into the red skies of the Ancient Battlefield.

His hand stretched out, touching the trunk of a tree to his side.

Suddenly, an ancient tree that had likely stood for several ten thousand years began to wilt. It collapsed from its several dozen meter height, blackening under Dyon’s touch.

‘This technique… is almost too power. Is Orcus’ technique even useful to me anymore? And just when I had reached 500 000 000 jin too…’

Dyon’s veins pumped with vitality. He could feel the years the tree had lived sinking into his body. In an instant, he gained over 10 000 jin of weight. It was hard to doubt a path that provided such results.

Dyon sighed, a bittersweet feeling leaving an awful taste in his mouth.

As his main body raged within Calming Lake, there was a part of himself standing in a dense forested world, painted with red, wondering just what the path forward was.

On one side, there was the arrogance he had known all his life, a side that had never failed him and still giving him results he couldn’t deny. Then there was the other side. A side of an idealized man Dyon believed he had to be.

What Dyon didn’t know that the former represented a man who had never lost. As for the second side, it was the result of a man who was forced to hide with his tail between his legs for several hundred years as he bided his time.

However, the former had yet to accomplish much of anything. As for the latter? He became the Emperor that united the whole of the Mortal Plane.

Dyon was lost.