Yin & Yang Pleasures of Cultivation

"Chaotic Energy, you say? Yea….yea! This power is far more than I could ever expect in my wildest dreams! The growth of our soul power is just immeasurable! Hell, with a bit of strategy and timing, we can probably beat even a half-step, Grand Sage, together!

Masami's bright blue eyes were sparkling as fervent excitement course in her veins. 

Darcel and Aniela, though, were only smiling as if Masami just didn't make such a substantial bold claim.

Truthfully, such an idle boast of claiming to beat even a half-step Grand Sage is nothing to scoff at all. 

Although it merely appears as only a step away after the peak level of the Heavenly Transformation realm. Becoming a half-step Grand Sage is actually the equivalent to entering a whole new world of cultivation. 

The Heavenly Sage realm, where one is referred to as Grand Sage, is the realm where one's talent and comprehension truly shines.

On the Savage Sunset continent, even for the most talented and strongest of geniuses, none of them would dare to ever say they could contend against a half-step Grand Sage.

Even if said genius was also a tenth level Heavenly King, just a fine line away from half step Grand Sage, they would still undoubtedly lose to any half step Grand Sage.

Darcel and Aniela weren't aware of this information. 

They only know that the Heavenly Sage realm is the grand dividing realm that shows who is a real powerhouse in terms of strength.

Yet, neither Darcel nor Aniela felt like Masami was overhyping themselves. 

They heard time and time again that each next realm is massively superior to the last. And the higher realm always holds the absolute advantage in combat compared to the lower ones.

But, what Darcel and Aniela realized is that most cultivators, at least on this continent, have a fatal weakness. 

Their souls! 

Time and time again, they all were able to perform tremendous feats all because of everyone's weak soul defenses.

It's true that the soul grows more powerful alongside the cultivator naturally, evolving and changing throughout various realms. 

But for the people that Darcel and Aniela fought, none of them had unique cultivation manuals, inheritance, or bloodlines to enhance their souls.

Something of which Darcel, Aniela, and Masami possess and was immensely enhanced after the hell trials. 

And while Darcel and Aniela know all of this could change at higher realms and stronger Provinces. They also know their strength will explosively grow with each passing realm. 

Plus, they also have the mystical Chaotic Energy and the green diamond shards that are infused into their souls' cores.

"Now, now, Masami. I wouldn't want us to go brazenly test our luck against an actual Grand Sage without any practice. But, I do believe we can face a peak, Heavenly King."

Darcel said his most fair assessment about their prowess. 

And Aniela perks up, saying, "Right, right! Remember, little fox, we're probably only scratching the bare surface of Chaotic Energy and our souls. Speaking of which, I can't believe we didn't ask this before. But, little fox, are there any soul cultivation manuals or techniques?"

Through Darcel and Aniela's words, Masami did begin to calm her excitement. 

She put a hand to her chin, briefly thinking about Aniela's question. After a moment, she told them, 

"None that I know of in our province. But, supposedly, I heard of the First rank Province containing soul techniques. Though for sure, the Demigod Kingdoms have them."

"Hmm….a plan for the future then." Darcel spoke and turned his attention down the road. "For now, let's carry on. I feel like we're almost at the home stretch now."

Aniela and Masami dutifully nodded. Though before they started walking, the trio was finding it a bit odd that their Spirit Sense isn't picking up on anything after that colossal battle.

Even while they were just standing around and talking, nothing was close to approaching them. 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt some caution about the lack of threats and proceeded on carefully.

Instead of blasting through the cave, like before, the trio opted to tentatively walk. It was a strange and sudden tonal shift, seeing as just before, numerous Spirit Monsters were roaming this cave.

But when making it so far in the cave, for some reason, fewer beasts appeared. 

It was highly suspicious, and the trio didn't treat this as just mere practice anymore. They were hyper-aware of anything that could jump out at them or step on a trap.

The trio traveled in silence, and after several minutes of walking, still, nothing tried to kill them. 

However, while there weren't any threats, the scenery was slowly becoming more eerie and chilling.

Continuing down the path, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami began to notice bits and pieces of broken parts of bones. These bones were very few at first. But as they went deeper, bigger, and more defined shape bones started to pop up like crazy, littering the ground.

"These are….ah? Human remains?" Aniela called out while squinting her eyes at one passing bone 

This time instead of just being a nearly shattered bone, the bone actually resembled a human hand!

"Yea, no doubt about it. These are, or well, were humans. Just look at that skull." Masami gained both Darcel and Aniela's attention, pointing at a strange human skull near the walls.

The human skull looks grossly decayed, and there was even speks of little blue frost on the broken human skull. 

"Seems like some unlucky explorers managed to get down here. Let's keep moving." Darcel was at the front helm of the girls, keeping his eyes rapidly alert while walking. 

The chilling human skeleton's bones littering on the ground didn't faze the trio much. Hell, they have even seen worse anyways. 

These remains did serve to tell them that something heavy was about to come up. Though their Spirit Senses still haven't picked anything up yet.

Walking further along the road, the scenery began to slightly change up again. The walls and ground started to gain a new color—everything mixed to a more silverish blue color which admittedly looked unique.

And at this part of the cave, instead of just human skeletons parts being randomly littered on the ground. Now there are groups of piles of human skeletons parts and patches of very dried blood.

"The more we walk, the more everything starts to feel like some sort of old horror tale. I mean, there's even literal groups of corpses now." 

Masami sounded calm when commenting, but she did feel a slight bit of tension.

"Ah! And not only human corpses it seems. Look guys!' Aniela pointed to the side of them, just a bit off the main path. "These skeleton parts clearly belong to some sort of giant Spirit Monster."

What the trio saw were enormously large skeleton bones, all in odd shapes and structures. Clearly, they weren't human, but the trio also couldn't tell just what kind of beasts they were before.

"Now I'm getting more assured that we're close to the grand finale. Be ready, girls." Darcel cautiously warned. 

Though, even as the trio passed the skeletons' sights, they didn't stop walking.

Silence befalls the three of them as each of their Spirit Senses expanded ahead of them. For even the smallest of oddity, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami would be aware.

Eventually, the trio suddenly stopped walking. 

After walking by pieces of skeleton corpses for a few minutes now, they were expecting for the parts to ramp up as they near the end.

But where they suddenly stopped, there weren't any pieces of skeletons beyond this point. Just thirty meters ahead of them was a large black hole that appeared to be an entrance to a huge room!

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami squinted their eyes, attempting to see beyond the darkness. They tried for only a few seconds before shaking their heads and giving up on it.

Even for their incredible eyesight, that darkness appeared to be unique in a way. None of them could see beyond the darkness. 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami looked back at each other, taking a second to gather their bearing. After a moment, they nodded to each other and tread forth to the darkness. 

They quietly walked, and slight tension began to fill their bodies. Nothing was happening, yet the trio felt like something huge was coming up.

Under the tense silence, the trio finally made it within several feet of the supposed large entrance. And still, despite being so close to the darkness, neither Darcel, Aniela, or Masami's eyes could see beyond it.

Right when the trio was about to take another step, they abruptly stopped again. 

Finally, after all this time, their Spirit Sense frantically went off in a chaotic storm! The sense of death permitted in Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's minds!

Their heads quickly snapped towards their roof, sensing that's where the death senses were coming from. As their eyes gazed at the blue silverish ceiling, it immediately started to crack.

Numerous spider web cracks split the roof, and then, 

'Chi!!' 

The roof was torn open by a gigantic figure! The whole area began to rumble as the enormous figure crashed onto the ground.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami narrowed their eyes at what appeared before them. It was a grotesque, giant scorpion, similar looking to the ones they killed just a while back.

Although, this scorpion was far more giant than the last ones and had a more defined purple boney armor. 

But its appearance wasn't what was so striking about it.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami sensed it and felt it. This scorpion had a power that far surpassed any Heavenly Kings! An immeasurable amount of power that none of them could ever hope to match with just their bloodline powers.

Everything just seemed to stop around the large scorpion. Its immense aura stormed the area causing the air to be warped by it. 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt as if the air became incredibly poisonous all at once.

This Spirit Monster was at the one and only Heavenly Sage realm! 

The realm that can make even the strongest of peak level Heavenly King geniuses tremble to their very knees.

But not only that, just a single Heavenly Sage can cause an entire city in any weaker provinces to kneel before them! Face to face with a genuine Grand Sage, anybody weaker would've felt a rational fear.

Yet, neither Darcel, Aniela, or Masami backed down. 

They stood tall and firm even under the immeasurable might of a Heavenly Sage. Unknown to the trio, inside their Martial veins, a mixture of a green hue and a gray haze spewed out of there.

For the trio, it didn't matter to them at all that they were currently bearing the invincible might of a Heavenly Sage aura. None of them could feel any suppression of power in the slightest.

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami for sure could sense they were far weaker even at their full power. 

But they still had total control of their bodies. 

And before the scorpion could attempt anything, Darcel immediately surged forth Chaotic Energy from his dantian to his hand!

Since he was already familiar with doing it, Darcel had instantaneously summoned the gray energy to cover his hand. 

A crazed smile plastered on Darcel's face as he said, "Girls! We have a perfect subject for our Chaotic Energy!" 

Aniela and Masami followed in Darcel's lead, raising their hands and instantaneously surging forth Chaotic Energy from their dantian to their hands!

"Let's do it!!" Both Aniela and Masami simultaneously spoke, spouting a crazed smile similar to Darcel. 

And throughout these brief interactions, the Grand Sage scorpion strangely didn't move at all.

When the Grand Sage scorpion first landed before the trio, it truly believed they were all immediately suppressed by its Heavenly Sage aura. After all, not even in their full power bloodline state could the trio pose a slight threat to the scorpion.

But when Darcel abruptly raised his hand and summoned strange gray energy, the scorpion instinctively froze. 

From Darcel's hand, the beast felt it. It couldn't believe it was feeling it, but a tremendous sense of death drilled into its mind, body, and soul!

All from that sheer gray energy! 

And when the two girls summoned the same gray energy, that sense of death only explosively increased! Before anything else could happen, the scorpion quickly surged all of its Sage power!

"SKAA!!" 

The scorpion beast shrieked at the trio while its long tail glowed in a ghastly purple hue. The poisonous stench in the air became even fouler, and Heavenly Sage power crazily spewed out from the beast!

'Rumble~!!'

All around them, the cave began to split and crack under the immense power of a Grand Sage. More of the roof started to fall apart, and tremors split open the ground.

However, Darcel, Aniela, and Masami's smiles only turned broader. 

With Chaotic Energy in their hands, not even the full power of a first-level Grand Sage could affect them much!

The area around them wasn't affected at all, and they were safe from the breaking environment.

Only a second pass and the trio knows they have six seconds to end this fight. But Darcel, Aniela, and Masami felt as if they only needed three seconds for this!