Ch. 921..930
Chapter 921 921 - Waiting
Three Mage Kings had met their demise.
The first one was the Myriad King, whose remaining lifespan had finally expired.
When Shang had first encountered him, the Myriad King had less than 5,000 years left, and now his time had run out. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent it.
The Myriad King's mana was transferred into an inheritor sphere and stored at a neutral location for the upcoming tournament.
As for the other two Mage Kings, one belonged to the Twilight Dusk Family, an elderly figure who had served for a long time.
The other was a newer Mage King recently acquired by the Lightning Manor, although they still remained at the Initial Mage King Realm, as advancing in the Mage King Realm took considerable time.
One day, the oldest Mage King from the Twilight Dusk Family launched an attack on the new Mage King from the Lightning Manor.
The mana of the Twilight Dusk Family Mage King was dispersed into the world since they were not allowed to keep it.
On the other hand, the mana left behind by the Lightning Manor's new Mage King remained with them.
As their previous Mage King had died due to a violation of the rules, the Lightning Manor had the privilege to select another member to become the new Mage King.
This resulted in the Twilight Dusk Family losing a Mage King while the Lightning Manor did not suffer the same fate.
But what was the purpose behind the Twilight Dusk Family's actions? It was all related to the upcoming tournament for the future Mage Emperor.
With only about 46,000 years remaining until the tournament, the Lightning Manor needed their trump card, capable of challenging King Sanctified Death, to become a Mage King as soon as possible.
However, the trump card already faced a disadvantage of around 30,000 years compared to King Sanctified Death.
If they didn't attain the Mage King status soon, not even a Mage with a sixfold Spirit Sense could bridge such a significant gap.
The Empires had no knowledge of who the Lightning Manor's secret weapon was, so they decided to sacrifice one of their oldest Mage Kings, who would have perished soon anyway, in exchange for the newest Mage King from the Lightning Manor.
Naturally, the Lightning Manor elevated another Mage Lord to the position of Mage King.
This individual had previously been a Thunder and possessed a fourfold Spirit Sense.
However, since they had worked in the secretive Contender Department, they were relatively unknown to the outside world.
The new Mage King was aware of their impending demise, expected to be sacrificed by another Mage King in a couple of thousand years, just to ensure safety.
But the Thunder was accepting of this fate.
Their lifespan would have expired in 3,000 years regardless. Moreover, this path would make them one of the rare few Mage Kings in the world, which was worth the price.
Interestingly, the Lightning Manor had another Mage Lord with a fivefold Spirit Sense, but they decided against elevating them.
Firstly, that particular Mage Lord would likely emerge victorious in the tournament.
Secondly, they would also be slain by a Mage King, essentially wasting a Mage Lord with a fivefold Spirit Sense.
That Mage Lord with a fivefold Spirit Sense required approximately 10,000 more years to accumulate enough power to triumph in the tournament.
These events had significant repercussions in the world.
A thousand Mage Lords perished, and even the mana of a Mage King was scattered throughout the world.I think you should take a look at
The density of mana had nearly doubled, revealing how low the atmospheric mana density had been prior to the war.
With the increased mana, many Mages were able to comprehend Concepts more easily.
After all, the more mana one was surrounded by, the clearer its functioning became.
Additionally, the number of Beast Lords on the islands slightly increased, although it was still insufficient to produce a King.
However, the effects on weaker beasts were substantial. Beasts in the first five realms advanced at a faster rate than before.
The world was undergoing transformation.
Nevertheless, these changes didn't have a significant impact on the ongoing war, and the Judgment Palace remained undecided about what to do with the line.
The Empress of Death still required approximately 500 more years to break the contract, after which this issue would no longer be a concern.
However, until that time, they had to contend with the problem.
Ultimately, they decided to wait until their Empress had terminated the contract.
As they defended the line, they were rapidly losing Mage Lords. Thus, they chose to relinquish it.
This action was not in violation of the rules since it was merely abandoning territories, not transferring them to harm another party.
Moreover, abandoning these territories was a logical decision as they caused more damage than they were worth.
When the Lightning Manor noticed that the Judgment Palace didn't immediately reclaim the territories captured by Shang, they took a significant risk and attacked the entire first layer of the line.
Surprisingly, the Judgment Palace did nothing. Subsequently, the Land and Sky Empire also assaulted the first layer.
Within an hour, the line had shrunk to a width of 400,000 kilometers.
Another hour later, it reduced to 200,000 kilometers.
Eventually, the line disappeared entirely, and the Judgment Palace returned to its original size.
The Lightning Manor acquired a vast territory, one million kilometers long and 300,000 kilometers wide, originally belonging to the Land and Sky Empire.
Consequently, the Land and Sky Empire had to reconquer that piece of their empire, which proved challenging since the defender always had an advantage.
Furthermore, the Lightning Manor didn't exert much effort, knowing they would eventually lose that territory anyway.
They avoided risky battles and only engaged in safe encounters.
Eventually, the Land and Sky Empire managed to reclaim the territory, but they lost approximately 100 Mage Lords in the process, while the Lightning Manor only lost seven due to their cautious approach.
Lastly, due to the broken contract, the Lightning Manor regained its entire Zone in the southeast by utilizing weakened Mage Lords to eliminate the Judgment Palace's Ancestral Mages.
Ultimately, the Judgment Palace found themselves confined to their original position, essentially disappearing from the war.
For the next 500 years, only the other two empires would continue their attacks on the Lightning Manor, but since the Judgment Palace wasn't assisting, they proceeded with caution.
All the empires entered a state of a half ceasefire, awaiting the moment when the Empress of Death would break the contract.
Chapter 922 922 - More Isolation
The war reached a state of tranquility, and Shang was no longer required on the frontlines.
The border areas between the Lightning Manor and the Judgment Palace were designated as High Mage Zones, allowing the Judgment Palace to utilize their full power in defense.
Since the Judgment Palace had already been completely expelled from the Lightning Manor's territories, there was little for Shang to accomplish there.
He spent a few days focusing on reclaiming some territories from the other two Empires, but they didn't put up much resistance.
It seemed they were not particularly determined to retain these territories for the next 500 years, preferring to let the war settle down for now.
Finally, peace settled upon the world.
Over the course of the next 500 years, many generations of mortals would be born and die, their legends recounting the ancient war that had once ravaged the world for thousands of years.
But the war was truly over, and it would never return.
Yet, this period of ceasefire was only a brief respite for the Empires.
Shang withdrew from the frontlines after ten years of collective fighting, during which he had strategically placed thousands of attack flags.
Shang was likely the sole reason why the Lightning Manor had not been pushed into the northwestern quarter of their Empire.
The rules of the war heavily favored Battle-Strength, and one individual possessing extraordinary Battle-Strength could have a tremendous impact.
Retreating from the frontlines, Shang returned to his Isolation Barrier in the north.
His first priority was to reach the Early Sword Lord Realm.
The higher his Realm, the easier it would be for him to comprehend Destinations and Concepts.
Moreover, he no longer needed to remain at a lower level since he couldn't find worthy opponents anymore.
The Affinity Wheel had lost its usefulness, and he had already triumphed over the strongest Beast Lord when he was still in the Void Break Realm.
Additionally, Shang wasn't particularly fond of fighting humans, as there could be potential traitors among them.
If an opponent noticed anything suspicious, they might risk everything to eliminate Shang.
As a result, Shang found himself lacking opponents.
However, he had an idea of where he could find some.
Instead of reaching out to the Lightning Emperor, Shang contacted Amarius this time.
He requested an Isolation Chamber made from Eighth Rank materials, with a size of just one kilometer.I think you should take a look at
Amarius took a moment to calculate the requirements and expressed concerns about the amount of powerful ore needed, as well as the involvement of a Mage King in the creation process.
Shang suggested involving the Heartdevil Queen, who, to his knowledge, was not occupied with any other tasks.
Amarius cautioned Shang against speaking about his colleagues in such a manner, reminding him that the Heartdevil Queen was still a Mage King working for the Lightning Manor.
Shang insisted, and after a brief silence, Amarius acknowledged that Emilia might indeed be the right choice.
However, he mentioned that it would take several years and consume a significant portion of Shang's Contribution Points.
Shang accepted these conditions and informed Amarius that he would contact him again in about a century.
Conversations with Amarius were far easier for Shang than those with the Starlight Queen.
Shang had requested the Isolation Chamber for when he reached the later stages of the Sword Lord Realm.
His intention was to find opponents who could rival him without exposing his secrets, and Abominations were the only remaining option.
Although Shang had fought a few Abominations before, the encounters were never truly serious, as his authority always suppressed them, making it impossible for them to pose a threat.
However, Shang believed he could somehow convince the Abominations to engage him in a genuine fight.
For now, Shang returned to his Isolation Chambers and tested the true strength of the stronger one.
Although he was unsure of the precise level of the materials, Shang relentlessly struck the chamber's wall, gradually increasing his power.
Even using his full strength, the walls remained intact.
Shang then employed Void Break, delivering a more forceful blow that resulted in breaking his own arm.
While the wall vibrated, it dispersed the force through vibrations, like a sword.
Shang attempted the same with his sword, but the wall held firm.
Adding the Blade of Death to his sword and utilizing Void Break to further enhance his power, Shang managed to leave a scratch, although it was barely half a centimeter deep compared to the massive wall.
Shang concluded that the materials were likely of Mid Seventh Rank. Such materials couldn't be destroyed by an Early Seventh Rank Mage Lord, and only a few exceptional geniuses could achieve that feat.
For the time being, Mid Seventh Rank materials would suffice.
As long as Shang didn't unleash his full power against the walls, they would be sufficient even for the Early Sword Lord Realm.
Satisfied with his assessment, Shang summoned an Early Abomination Lord to gauge its power and determine if he could persuade it to engage in a real fight.
Chapter 923 923 - Black Sphere
After Shang successfully summoned an Early Abomination Lord, he attempted to establish communication with it.
Abominations were devoid of thoughts or instincts, simply embodying a force of destruction akin to fire.
However, Shang noticed that the Abomination Lords were more intricate than their weaker counterparts.
Though subtly different, Shang could discern that the Abomination Lords possessed a slightly higher level of complexity.
This led Shang to try to communicate with one of them.
After some time, Shang sensed that this particular Abomination Lord possessed a simple mind, perhaps not much smarter than an insect, but still more intelligent than a mere fire.
Initially, the Abomination Lord refused Shang's command to kill him, as its instincts dictated obedience rather than harm.
However, after some persuasion, Shang managed to convince the Abomination Lord to attack him.
Unfortunately, the attack was feeble, and Shang effortlessly deflected it due to his own superior strength.
Undeterred, the Abomination Lord launched a series of increasingly powerful attacks, but Shang adeptly dealt with each one.
Eventually, Shang persuaded the Abomination Lord to activate its Domain of Entropy, but this had no effect on him.
Recalling a past experience, Shang remembered his immunity to the Domain of Entropy from another Abomination while others were affected.
Shang then decided to attempt an intriguing experiment, trying to transform the Abomination Lord into Neutral Mana.I think you should take a look at
To his surprise, the Abomination's body released Neutral Mana, but instead of vanishing, it underwent a transformation.
Shang carefully isolated and contained the Neutral Mana released by the Abomination, causing its physical form to slowly lose its defining features.
As the transformation concluded, two spheres emerged: one containing a substantial amount of Neutral Mana, and the other an incredibly dark, black sphere even darker than Darkness or Death Mana.
Puzzled, Shang focused on the black sphere, realizing that it felt distinct from regular Mana, in a constant state of change and transformation.
Contemplating the possibility of it being antimatter for Mana, Shang considered the source of the Abominations' immensely powerful explosions.
Intrigued, Shang extended his finger to touch the sphere, finding that it didn't affect his Spirit Sense, a certain usage of Mana.
However, when he touched it with his left arm, it reacted drastically, consuming part of his arm and releasing it back as pure energy.
His artificial arm, given by the Lightning Emperor, remained unaffected, leading Shang to realize the selective nature of the black sphere's interaction.
Attempting to control it, Shang found his will to be ineffective, and he reasoned that the black sphere seemed to burn away the tiny markers of his will, akin to antennas for Mana instructions.
Attempting further experimentation, Shang touched the sphere with his right arm, which resulted in the vanishing of his sleeves but no harm due to the lower Mana density in his clothing.
Despite his usual control over natural forces, Shang's will had minimal impact on the black sphere, only slightly increasing the surrounding temperatures.
As he moved the sphere towards the Isolation Chamber's wall...
Chapter 924 924 - Black Energy
Nothing.
Nothing happened.
The walls of the Isolation Chamber showed the same effect as Shang's hand.
That was when Shang got an idea and activated his Domain of Entropy.
The next moment, he willed the wall of his Isolation Chamber to turn into Neutral Mana.
The wall of the Isolation Chamber shook, but that was about it.
No Mana left the Isolation Chamber.
However, Shang's Domain of Entropy obviously had an effect. After all, if it wouldn't, there would have been no feedback from the wall.
On top of that, there was something else.
Shang walked away from the black sphere and summoned an ore piece he owned for the King Realm.
Then, Shang willed the ore to turn into Neutral Mana.
The ore didn't seem to change at first glance, but a huge amount of Natural Mana actually shot out of it.
It was just that the density of Mana inside the ore was very high.
Shang very quickly stopped and absorbed the Neutral Mana to refill his Mana storage. After all, he didn't want the Neutral Mana to touch the black sphere.
Shang had already noticed a couple of peculiarities, but before he could even think about them, he noticed something else.
'Did the black sphere just move?' Shang thought.
Shang focused on the black sphere, and sure enough, it was slowly moving towards Shang.
Shang was certain that this hadn't happened before.
Then, Shang noticed the piece of ore in his hand.
DINGG!
Shang threw the piece of ore at one of the walls of the Isolation Chamber and started looking at the black sphere.
As he had expected, the black sphere changed its direction and started moving towards the piece of ore.
Shang's mind fell into deep thought.
'I can extract Mana from any object, even if that object is more than an entire Realm higher than me. I can even extract Mana from Emperor Rank materials.'
'Yet, I can't extract Mana from Entropy ore.
There definitely is Mana in there, but the Mana can't be torn out.'
Then, Shang looked at his smaller and weaker Isolation Chamber.
That one had only been created with Sixth Rank ore.
Shang summoned his Domain of Entropy again and willed the wall of the weaker Isolation Chamber to turn into Neutral Mana.
The walls shook, and a moment later, a piece of the wall broke off.
Shang could see a tiny ball of Neutral Mana and several far bigger balls of this weird black energy.
The ball of Mana quickly touched one of the other balls, and the temperature in the Isolation Chamber increased tremendously as all the black balls were shot in random directions.I think you should take a look at
Shang acted quickly and put the big sphere of Neutral Mana and the piece of ore into his inner world.
The balls of black energy bounced around the Isolation Chamber, but there was no more Mana inside.
'Interesting, Shang thought as the black balls floated around the Isolation Chamber.
'This black energy is also in Entropy Ore, but just like the Abominations, as soon as the Mana inside it disconnects, the ore turns into these black spheres.'
Shang gathered the smaller black balls and pushed them together, creating a slightly bigger one, but it wasn't nearly as dense or big as the one that came from the Abomination Lord.
Shang compared the smaller and bigger balls with each other.
Except for the difference in density and volume, they were identical.
Eventually, Shang pushed the smaller ball into the bigger one, and they combined without issues.
'This energy is extremely unstable and explodes as soon as it touches anything that isn't itself.'
'The Abominations and Entropy Ore turned into the same things.'
'However, there was one difference.'
'I think the Mana might be different.'
'While the black energy is the same, the Mana felt a bit different.'
'This probably means that the Mana dictates the form the black energy takes. It can become an Abomination, but if it changes a bit, it can become Entropy Ore.'
'Tearing the Mana out of the Abomination Lord was easy, but tearing it out from the Entropy ore was far harder.'
'I guess that means that the combination of this specific kind of Mana and the black energy is vastly more stable and more difficult to split.'
'If I could change the Mana inside Abominations, I could turn them into Entropy Ore.'
'Wait, was that what Lucius wanted to do?' Shang suddenly thought.
'If I were to reach the Tenth Realm, how big would my Spirit Sense be? Mage Emperors already have a base range of a million kilometers, and with a sixfold Spirit Sense, it would be a radius of six million kilometers.'
'I could imagine the God having a sixfold Spirit Sense at the Tenth Realm, and that is very likely big enough to encompass the entire world, including the Eternal Ocean!
'If Lucius actually succeeded, he could have probably willed all the Abominations to turn into cubes of Entropy Ore as soon as they appear.'
'That would actually take care of the Abomination problem. The lowest part of the world is millions of kilometers deep, enough space to bury these cubes for a long time. Also, even if trillions or quadrillions of years pass, there's probably also a way to just shove the cubes out of the silver wall at the edge of the world.'
'It actually might not even need someone at the Tenth Realm to pull something like this off. As long as someone knows how to do it, they could probably create some kind of global Magic Circle that could do this automatically.
'It should work. After all, this black energy is just another force, and we know how Mana works. It wouldn't matter what kind of form it would take on. The same rules should still apply.'
And then, Shang actually had a thought.
He looked at the floating balls and the walls of the Isolation Chamber.
Then, Shang looked at his right hand.
That was when he remembered all the Abominations he had absorbed.
Where had the black energy gone?
'Am I actually made of Mana?'
Chapter 925 925 - Mana, Entropy, Destruction
Was Shang actually composed of Mana?
The answer seemed evident. After all, every living being was made of Mana.
Yet, the black energy treated his body in the same manner as it did with Abominations and Entropy Ore.
Furthermore, all the black energy that made up the Abominations had also been absorbed by Shang.
Lastly, Shang remembered the Bloodline Infusion.
Shang's body had been replaced with the body of an Abomination that had been shaped to resemble his old body.
Shang's body was composed of Abominations, and Abominations were made of this black energy with a trace of Mana.
So, Shang was also made of this black energy with a trace of Mana.
Shang was fundamentally distinct from all other living beings in Aterium.
And then, Shang had another thought.
'Could the Life Concepts even work on me?' he pondered.
Shang looked at his left arm.
His left arm wasn't truly his own. It was created with Mana and was essentially like another person's arm, fused with Shang's body.
In fact, Shang couldn't even sacrifice his left arm to Entropy since it wasn't a part of him.
It was essentially just a prosthetic.
If someone knew the level five Concept of Life, could they even regrow Shang's eyes and left arm?
Shang's eyes and his old left arm had been composed of Mana and black energy, and the person with the Life Concepts couldn't possibly control this black energy.
So, they wouldn't be able to assist Shang with his missing eyes or left arm.
Shang wasn't certain about his soul, but he assumed that his soul was probably also different from normal souls.
'Did Lucius have the ability to absorb Abominations? Could he use the power of Entropy?'
'The Lightning Emperor didn't see any evidence, but perhaps Lucius simply managed to regrow his body with his Life Concepts. After all, he probably wasn't made of this black energy!'
'Wait, if Lucius wasn't made of this black energy, would he even have the ability of Entropy?'
'What is Entropy even? I used to think that Entropy meant equalizing everything and turning everything into nothingness.'
'Yet, some things are different. I didn't know about the existence of this black energy before, and it explains many things.'
'If I'm not mistaken, the force of Entropy might actually not be the concept of entropy people from Earth know. This might be something completely different.'
'As far as I see, Entropy represents antimatter more than actual entropy!'
'I suppose that's what I will call this black energy!'
'Entropy Energy.'
'Or just Entropy.'
Shang manipulated the black energy in his hand.
The only person who knew of the existence of Entropy was probably Lucius, but Shang didn't know what name Lucius had given it.
'This is Entropy,' Shang thought as he manipulated the black energy.
'When Entropy comes into contact with Mana, all the energy stored in the Mana and Entropy gets converted into a destructive force that annihilates more Entropy and Mana.'
'Abominations can absorb a bit of Mana from the surroundings and store it. When they need to explode, the Mana touches an unstable part of their Entropy.'I think you should take a look at
Shang recalled the moment when the sphere of Entropy had moved toward the piece of ore.
'Entropy seems to be attracted to Mana, and if the piece of ore had been much lighter, maybe it would have also moved towards Entropy.'
'Like two opposing magnets, Entropy and Mana are drawn towards each other.'
'So, when the Abomination combines the bit of Mana it absorbed with some of its Entropy, its entire existence explodes, scattering its Entropy across the surroundings, and since the world is filled with Mana everywhere, the Entropy immediately explodes.'
'The Mana and Entropy used to fuel the explosion will be forever gone, and whatever the explosion touches will also be forever gone.'
'It appears that Mana and Entropy are converted to pure destructive energy, which then gets used up as it destroys more Mana and Entropy.'
'Wait, do Mana and Entropy actually cancel each other out? What if they don't both vanish but actually combine into something new, which then cancels itself out with everything around it?'
Shang contemplated many different ideas.
'I think it might be possible. Entropy and Mana combine into an extremely destructive energy, which then destroys everything around it.'
'Mana remains Mana as long as it doesn't touch Entropy.'
'Entropy remains Entropy as long as it doesn't touch Mana.'
'This third force can't persist because it vanishes as soon as it touches anything.'
'This force can't exist naturally anywhere, and it can't be stored.'
'Based on Entropy ore and Abominations, I can tell that Entropy can be used to create something, even though it still needs Mana.'
'I'm very certain that this third force can't be used to create anything.'
'It's the purest form of destruction.'
'I think that's what I'll call it.'
'Destruction.'
Mana, the white sphere, touches Entropy, the black sphere, and they transform into Destruction, a grey force of pure annihilation.
'But then, what is my Affinity?' Shang thought.
'Is my Affinity the control of Entropy or the creation of Destruction?'
'I don't think it makes any difference. As long as I can control Entropy, Destruction will automatically follow since I am always surrounded by Mana.'
After many years, Shang finally managed to somewhat understand his Affinity.
Shang had seen many details of his Affinity, but only when he had already comprehended the level five Concept of his Affinity did he finally see the entire picture.
Shang's Affinity was the control over a force that represented the opposite of Mana.
Like two magnets, the two forces were drawn towards each other, and when they collided, they would create Destruction.
'Is this why Abominations exist?' Shang thought.
'Abominations are beings of Entropy, and Entropy is drawn towards Mana.'
'Compared to beings of Mana, Abominations have nearly no consciousness at all.'
'Is that why they appear in Aterium?'
'Maybe, there is no real reason for why they are invading.'
'Maybe, they are just here because Mana pulls them here.'
Chapter 926 926 - Early Sword Lord
Eventually, Shang ceased contemplating Entropy.
Though Shang had a strong desire to invest substantial time in understanding Entropy, as he believed he was making progress, he realized it wasn't the most efficient approach at the moment.
Before anything else, Shang needed to strengthen his Realm. Immersing himself in comprehending Concepts now would be a waste of time, as Concepts wouldn't evade him.
First, he needed to increase his power.
Next, he planned to comprehend a few non-essential Destinations.
Only after that would he decide on his next focus. At that point, Entropy could be a potential direction.
Shang drew the black sphere of Entropy toward himself and absorbed it. This process wasn't any different for Shang than absorbing pure Mana.
Immediately after, Shang summoned another Abomination Lord and attempted to provoke it into fighting him.
Within minutes, the Abomination Lord halfheartedly launched an attack against Shang.
The Abomination Lord demonstrated considerable speed, comparable to that of a Late Beast Lord. Its physical strength also matched that of a Late Beast Lord.
It's worth noting that Shang had summoned an Early Abomination Lord.
Even disregarding its Domain of Entropy, the Early Abomination Lord had the potential to challenge an Early Mage Lord.
Factoring in its Domain of Entropy, the Early Abomination Lord might even pose a threat to Peak Mage Lords and Mid Mage Lord Clouds.
An Abomination Lord could leap a level when facing a Cloud.
This fact was astonishing and was akin to someone possessing a fivefold Spirit Sense.
Each Abomination Lord had the battle strength of a fivefold Spirit Sense individual.
This made engaging an Abomination Lord at one's level tantamount to suicide.
The Abominations fought instinctively, charging headlong with teeth and claws to kill their enemies.
Despite their simple approach, they possessed immense power.
Shang wondered how much more potent an Abomination could become with intelligence and combat experience.
When this thought occurred to him, he glanced at his right arm with his Spirit Sense.
The body of an Abomination Lord was as sturdy as Shang's own body at that level, and they also had access to the Domain of Entropy.
Reluctantly, Shang admitted that an Abomination Lord could potentially match his power if it attained human-level intelligence.
This realization brought one thing into focus: Abominations were not on the same level as other beings.
Humans and beasts were on par with each other.
A Beast Lord could become as powerful as a Mage Lord with adequate training, as evidenced by the Thunder King.
Abominations, however, possessed physical strength two levels above that of a beast and wielded an immensely powerful domain.I think you should take a look at
Even more remarkable, every single Abomination was that formidable.
This wasn't an exceptional case of a talented Abomination; the average Abomination was this powerful.
The more Shang fought against them, the clearer it became that Abominations were not native to this world.
Everything about them was distinct, and their power surpassed that of ordinary beings.
While the world seemed to maintain a balance, allowing every Path to reach the same level of power, Abominations stood apart.
They were unequivocally superior.
This raised questions about their origin: Were they truly from this world, within Aterium, or had they come from outside?
Could the God truly stop them?
Shang couldn't be entirely certain about his conjectures, but he felt confident that Abominations were not naturally existing in Aterium.
He firmly believed that Abominations originated from outside Aterium and invaded the realm, possibly drawn by the abundant Mana.
In his battles against the Abomination, Shang experienced no difficulties, as its most potent weapon, the Domain of Entropy, had no effect on him, turning them into stronger but less intelligent beasts.
After absorbing the Early Abomination Lord, Shang summoned a Late Abomination Lord and engaged it in combat.
The Late Abomination Lord possessed a body as robust as an Initial Beast King, an entire Realm above Shang's level.
Although the Abomination still fought like an animal, the sheer difference in speed and power exerted immense pressure on Shang's body.
For the next couple of years, this became Shang's routine-absorbing Abominations to elevate his level while also honing his swordsmanship.
Though he hadn't explored the non-essential Destinations for Warrior Kings, Shang believed that refining his sword skills would benefit him in the future.
Over the next 500 years, Shang didn't acquire any new knowledge, as that wasn't his primary goal. However, he managed to reach the Early Sword Lord Realm.
If allowed to utilize his Domain of Entropy, Shang could potentially triumph over Late Mage Lord Clouds and might even have a slim chance against a Thunder.
Undoubtedly, Shang had surpassed the majority of Bolts and all existing Beast Lords.
His strength slowly elevated him to the top of the world, reaching the top 5,000 beings in Aterium.
Only a few thousand entities in the entire realm were stronger than him.
During his second trial, Shang had battled the progeny of the Ice King, but back then, he couldn't have comprehended the true power of the Ice King.
The Ice King had ranked within the top thousand of the world, a position Shang was now close to achieving.
Having attained the Early Sword Lord Realm, Shang left his Isolation Barrier and contacted Amarius, aware that the Empress of Death had likely broken the contract by now.
With the next round of war commencing, the Lightning Manor required his presence.
Chapter 927 927 - Developing War
When Shang emerged from his Isolation Barrier, the Empress of Death had already terminated her contract with the three enemy Empires a couple of years ago.
As expected, the situation had become troublesome.
With all contracts broken, the three enemy Empires formed a true alliance.
Mages transferred between Empires to launch attacks from their borders, allowing individual members to move freely across all Empires without being attacked.
When Shang learned about the frontline, he realized the gravity of the situation.
The Lightning Manor had converted their southeastern Zone into a stronghold for Mage Lords, anticipating a collective attack from the three Empires.
Although Ancestral Mages weakened by Shang would have been the logical choice to defend the Zone, they opted for Mage Lords, primarily due to Shang's presence in the Seventh Realm.
The Lightning Manor had started preparing for this plan 500 years ago, guiding Mid Mage Lords to reach the Late Mage Lord Realm, Early Mage Lords to fall into the Initial Mage Lord Realm, and asking Initial Mage Lords not to break through for a while.
As a result, there were less than 200 Early and Mid Mage Lords in the Lightning Manor, but over a thousand Initial Mage Lords.
Shang's power was potent enough to defeat any Early and Mid Mage Lord, making it unnecessary for the Lightning Manor to deploy many forces at that
Realm.
Shang returned to find the enemy rapidly advancing with Mid Mage Lords, but he swiftly dispatched several of them.
Consequently, the enemy Mage Kings realized that they could no longer rely on Early or Mid Mage Lords and had to switch to the other three levels.
The abundance of Initial Mage Lords in the Lightning Manor posed a challenge for the enemy.
The Peak Mage Lord Realm, where the Thunders resided, was risky due to its formidable force and potential consequences of attacking them.
Killing a Bolt was akin to killing a soldier, but killing a Thunder was like eliminating a commander.
The three Empires were reluctant to sacrifice their valuable Peak Mage Lords with fourfold Spirit Senses and preferred to pressure the Lightning Manor with Late Mage Lords.
Shang refrained from attacking Late Mage Lords with fourfold Spirit Senses to avoid revealing his true power accidentally.
Although Shang could still kill these Mage Lords, doing so would make the enemy aware of his hidden strength, and they might go to extreme lengths to eliminate him.I think you should take a look at
Shang's death would result in the demise of the Lightning Emperor, leaving no opponent for King Sanctified Death, who would become a Mage Emperor and seek revenge for his father's death.
The Mage Emperors did not wish to kill the Lightning Emperor as he was a friend and had been Lucius' second-in-command, but his use of the Archivist as a threat strained their goodwill.
The war soon entered a stalemate as Shang conquered territories, and no enemy dared to attack him.
The three Empires' plan was to keep the Lightning Manor occupied on other fronts and then press forward with full force from the southeastern front to eventually consume the entire Empire.
However, advancing proved to be challenging, and though they killed many Mage Lords, they struggled to gain significant territory.
The Lightning Manor would eventually face a shortage of Mage Lords, and at that point, they could trap Shang with four Defender Flags, as they wouldn't have enough manpower to free him.
The war, despite fewer territory changes, continued to progress rapidly, with a shift in objectives.
The three Empires used their Defender Flags for Late Mage Lords without hesitation.
The Judgment Palace and Land and Sky Empire deployed their Peak Mage Lord Defender Flags and sent in their strongest Mage Lords to ensure the flags' effectiveness.
Both Empires had a Peak Mage Lord with a fivefold Spirit Sense at different stages of development.
One of them had comprehended four level five Concepts and was on the verge of understanding a level six Concept, positioning them to join the grand tournament and become a Mage King.
The other Peak Mage Lord had already comprehended a level six Concept and could potentially become a Mage King in the next tournament.
However, with around 4,000 years of longevity remaining, the second Peak Mage Lord had the option to skip some tournaments.
It was evident that these two Defender Flags were immovable and the Lightning Manor didn't even attempt to destroy them.
The Lightning Manor had a Peak Mage Lord with a fivefold Spirit Sense who had comprehended three level five Concepts.
Although this Mage Lord might be able to defeat the weaker of the two enemy Mage Lords, the risks were substantial, and losing such a powerful asset would be akin to losing a Mage King.
At this point, no one was willing to take such a significant risk.
Chapter 928 928 - Trap
"Young Master Shang, an Early Mage Lord Defender Flag has appeared," the Starlight Queen transmitted to Shang.
Shang realized that this was a trap.
They knew that Shang was here and that Shang was able to kill basically anyone in the Early Mage Lord Realm.
And yet, the enemy had still used their Defender Flag.
It was more than obvious that they wanted to lure Shang into attacking.
"From which Empire?" Shang asked.
"The Land and Sky Empire," the Starlight Queen answered.
Shang scratched his chin as he weighed his options.
The enemy Mage Kings had lost so much money at Shang's hands, and they had been familiar with him for thousands of years.
They put his power on the same level as an exceptionally strong Mage Lord with a fivefold Spirit Sense.
Shang was truly dangerous, and they knew it.
Even when Shang had attacked an Initial Mage Lord with a fourfold Spirit Sense while they had been armed to the teeth, he had still won.
But now, they were so confident that they were willing to let Shang fight someone at the same level as him?
What was their plan?
"What about their Mage Lords with fivefold Spirit Senses?" Shang asked.
"The Land and Sky Empire has one, and she is still inside their Peak Mage Lord Defender Flag."
"The Twilight Dusk Family also has one, but he is not on the frontline. According to our intel, he has only just comprehended his second level five Concept, which barely makes him as powerful as a weak Thunder. He is training to enhance his power."
"The Judgment Palace has two. One of them knows four level five Concepts, and she is also inside their Defender Flag. The other one is relatively new. I think he only reached the Mage Lord Realm in the last 4,000 years."
"That's all Mage Lords with a fivefold Spirit Sense that we know of. There might be more, but I am not sure," the Starlight Queen said. Shang continued scratching his chin.
"The two Mage Lords in the Defender Flags are definitely those two? There are no tricks? No disguises?" Shang asked. Flag."
"The Twilight Dusk Family also has one, but he is not on the frontline. According to our intel, he has only just comprehended his second level five Concept, which barely makes him as powerful as a weak Thunder. He is training to enhance his power."
"The Judgment Palace has two. One of them knows four level five Concepts, and she is also inside their Defender Flag. The other one is relatively new. I think he only reached the Mage Lord Realm in the last 4,000 years."
"That's all Mage Lords with a fivefold Spirit Sense that we know of. There might be more, but I am not sure," the Starlight Queen said.
Shang continued scratching his chin.
"The two Mage Lords in the Defender Flags are definitely those two? There are no tricks? No disguises?" Shang asked.
"I'm certain," the Starlight Queen said. "We've gained that intel by sacrificing two Thunders."
Shang nodded. "So, it can only be the other two. Either the new guy or the old one."
"Do you think it's possible that the one from the Twilight Dusk Family is waiting for me?"
"No," the Starlight Queen said. "There is a much simpler explanation."
"While the size of a Spirit Sense shows someone's talent and the power they will be able to achieve in a given Realm, it isn't necessarily a good representation of someone's current power. Especially when there are so many talented people in the Mage Lord Realm."
"I think it's much more likely that their equivalent of a Thunder has dropped down three levels to fight you. It's possible that your enemy has already comprehended three or four level five Concepts."
"In a way, this would be like fighting someone with a fivefold Spirit Sense that is a level above you. On top of that, they would have given their Mage Lord plenty of powerful weapons to deal with you."
Shang thought about this possibility for a while.
"If I were to kill someone like that, would there be a chance that my true power would get unveiled?" Shang asked.I think you should take a look at
"Very unlikely," the Starlight Queen said. "In the known history of humanity, there have only been two people with a sixfold Spirit Sense. King Sanctified Death and the Mage God. Seeing another Mage with a sixfold Spirit Sense would already be very hard to believe, but a warrior? That's simply impossible."
"The more reasonable explanation would be that we have some kind of secret weapon that increases our warriors' power by much more than what we can do to a Mage."
"For example, we are already using plenty of enchantments that increase the power, speed, defense, reaction time, and so on of our warriors of all Realms. These enchantments are not useful for Mages," the Starlight Queen said.
Shang frowned. "That's the first I've heard of these enchantments being used in the war."
"I genuinely don't intend to be disrespectful, Young Master Shang," the Starlight Queen said, "but you are not part of the command center of the war, don't join the war very often, and lastly, you never needed these enchantments."
"Hm," Shang muttered.
She was right.
"So, they won't suspect me of hiding my power when I kill that guy?" Shang asked.
"Most likely not," the Starlight Queen confirmed again, "but just to make sure, I want to bestow several enchantments on you before you enter. It has to be believable."
Shang just nodded.
A second later, a portal opened behind Shang, and the Starlight Queen stepped out.
Under the gaze of all the enemy Mage Kings, she put several extremely powerful enchantments on Shang.
Yet, even though all the Mage Kings could see it, the Defender Flag didn't move.
It seemed like the enemy was confident.
"What if a Mage King gets involved?" Shang asked.
"The Ancestor is no longer busy with the contract," the Starlight Queen said. "He is watching over the war now."
Shang nodded.
When the Starlight Queen was finished putting all the enchantments on Shang, he flew towards the Defender Flag.
Since the enemy was willing to fight Shang, he didn't need to hurry.
After some seconds, Shang arrived in front of the barrier and stopped.
Sure enough, the two-star Defender Flag was still there.
They were that confident, huh?
All of Shang's aspects had been doubled in power by the enchantments, making him even more ridiculously powerful than usual.
With so much power, Shang's World Connection could probably destroy over 50% of his opponent's Mana.
The enemy wouldn't even be able to see Shang before they died.
Then, Shang entered the barrier.
The barrier turned cloudy, and the inside was now isolated from the world outside.
Shang and his opponent were now the only two people inside the Defender Flag.
That was when Shang's heart nearly stopped.
His bandage told him that an extremely powerful person could still see him.
Yet, Shang couldn't see his opponent.
His opponent was too far away.
This meant that Shang's opponent had a bigger Spirit Sense than him!
Chapter 929 929 - Goodbye
Several thoughts immediately shot through Shang's mind.
Had the enemy hidden themselves very well from Shang's senses, and they were actually closer?
No, the Starlight Queen would have informed Shang of that. Defenders nearly always stayed in the middle of the barrier, and if that weren't the case, the Starlight Queen would have told him.
Were there some contraptions that enlarged the enemy's Spirit Sense?
No, very unlikely. A Mage Lord couldn't attack from so far away. Seeing an opponent wouldn't make a difference.
Lastly, the sheer intensity of the feeling that the bandages were transmitting to Shang was enormous.
Yet, not even Emperors could look into the barriers. They were specifically designed to isolate all kinds of Spirit Senses.
How intense was the feeling of the bandages?
Very intense.
It felt about as intense as when the Starlight Queen looked at Shang.
Just based on the feeling, Shang knew that this was not someone he could fight against.
This was someone as powerful as a Mage King!
Was this what the enemy had planned?
They had sent a Mage King to kill Shang? But how?!
The barriers would immediately feel the presence of a Mage King and alert the outside while deactivating!
Yet, somehow, the three Empires managed to get a Mage King into this Defender Flag to fight Shang without alerting the Defender Flag.
"You've caused quite a lot of trouble," Shang heard in his mind.
The voice sounded like an old man.
Shang quickly took the pin from the Lightning Emperor and tried to reach him.
But it was impossible.
The Defender Flag was simply too good at isolating the surroundings.
Even more, every Defender and Attack Flag was jointly created by several Mage Kings, giving them enough power to even withstand one or two attacks from a Mage King.
Breaking out of the flag was impossible.
"Surprised?" the old voice asked. "I don't know how you did it, but I could see the moment you realized that this won't just be one of your normal fights."
Shang didn't answer.
"We now have an entire week just for us," the old voice transmitted. "Honestly, if our Empires hadn't agreed to take no risks, I would have probably taken that time to torture you."
"Sadly, there's nothing else I can do. Guess I have to end your life quickly."
Shang was still trying to contact the Lightning Emperor with the pin. He even tried to check if the pin had some kind of hidden functionality.
Sadly, there was nothing Shang could do.
He was stuck in the barrier with a Mage King, and based on the power the Mage King was emanating, this wasn't a new one.
This was probably a Mage King whose life would soon end due to old age.
Someone like that knew several level six Concepts.
Shang didn't even know a single one.
"How?" Shang asked.
"You mean the Defender Flag?" the old voice asked. "Well, this Defender Flag just so happened to be made by our three Empires."I think you should take a look at
"You should know that Defender Flags are made by three Mage Kings from different Empires at once, who have been chosen at random. And for this one, it just so happened that our three Empires were chosen."
"I didn't personally create it, but one of my friends did. He told me that he made this Defender Flag in case we need to kill the Lightning Emperor's secret weapon."
"Naturally, it can't be too different from the other ones, or the Mage Kings and Mage Emperors would notice that this is a different flag."
"So, we only changed two things."
"One, it checks the Mana density of someone's Aura instead of someone's body and mind. Like this, as long as I don't use Mana denser than what an Early Mage Lord can use, it won't see my true Realm."
"But don't get your hopes up," the old voice said with some amusement. "You probably think that you only need to force me to use more Mana to defend myself. Sadly, that's not true."
"You see, we've had enough of gambling. No, this time, I will attack with my full power, just to be sure."
"I've already accepted my death."
"And the other thing we've changed is that it will alert the others outside but not deactivate. So, even if the Lightning Emperor immediately notices it, he can't use too much power to destroy it. Otherwise, he might hit you."
"That means I get around two seconds of uninterrupted time with you. Isn't that great?" the old voice asked.
Obviously, the Mage King wasn't in a hurry. which was understandable.
After all, as soon as the Mage King attacked, he would die two to three seconds later.
Even though the Mage King acted like none of this was an issue, it was impossible for him not to be affected.
Shang wasn't sure how many more years the Mage King had left, but it was probably over a thousand.
"Any last words?" the Mage King asked.
Shang still couldn't see the Mage King.
Naturally, Shang knew that he wouldn't even be able to defend himself from his enemy.
His enemy was a Peak Mage King, after all.
That was someone with a fivefold Spirit Sense that was eight levels above him.
That only left one last possibility for Shang. He had to use Entropy.
"I want to see you when you kill me," Shang said coldly.
If he wanted to use Entropy, he had to see his opponent. Otherwise, he would most likely miss him.
"You want to see me?" the Mage Lord asked with a laugh.
Silence.
Shang's expression didn't change.
"You seem like you've got something planned," the Mage King transmitted. "I'm not sure what you could possibly do in your situation, but I think I won't do it."
Shang's expression didn't change, but he immediately used several Mana Steps to shoot forward.
In an instant, Shang reached the center of the barrier after nearly using up all of his Mana, but he couldn't see the Mage King anywhere.
Naturally, a Mage King was many times faster than Shang, and if he wanted to stay outside of Shang's Spirit Sense, it wouldn't be difficult.
"Oh wow, that seemed quite important to you," the Mage King transmitted. "You missed me by just a tiny bit."
"Anyway, time for you to leave."
The next moment, a black and white beam of intense Light and Darkness Mana shot at Shang.
It was just too fast.
Shang hadn't been able to react at all.
Chapter 930 930 - Two Seconds
DING!
In a sudden burst, a lightning explosion emanated from the pin on Shang's chest, instantly neutralizing the attack.
"I knew it!" transmitted the Mage King, yet he sounded completely composed and unworried.
"By the way, that's why we made a second alteration to the Defender Flag. I can unleash about 50 Spells in two seconds. Let's see how resilient that shield is."
Voice transmissions happened instantaneously, so despite the Mage King speaking several words, hardly a millisecond had elapsed.
At that moment, Shang felt like time was moving in slow motion.
He had intended to use Entropy, but he couldn't locate his opponent, and the attack struck him before he could react.
Even as Shang realized that a lightning shield had blocked the attack, the second and third Spells were already on their way.
Before Shang could process that his shield had been hit twice more, the next two spells struck.
The barrage was so rapid that Shang couldn't keep up with what was happening before the next onslaught began.
The speed was overwhelming!
In less than a second, Shang had been hit by over 20 Spells.
By now, the hue of the barrier had turned pinkish, gradually shifting to red.
However, hardly anyone would notice it.
Perhaps one of the Mage Kings might have observed the change in color, but they would still wait for the Defender Flag to deactivate, as that was how it worked.
Shang could barely manage to glance at the pin on his chest.
Its brightness had already dimmed by over 80%, and he could sense that the shield was perilously thin.
In about 0.2 seconds, the shield would be obliterated.
And then, the next Spell would spell Shang's complete destruction.
Shang's mind raced faster than ever before.
Numerous ideas rushed through his head, only to be dismissed immediately.
Most of them centered around using Entropy.
The power disparity between them was simply too vast.
Shang's initial instinct was to use Entropy against the Mage King.
However, the Mage King was attacking Shang from various directions outside his Spirit Sense!
Even if Shang had the speed to react to a Spell, the Mage King would probably have moved on from that spot!
Hitting him was impossible!
The next thought was to attack the barrier, but that presented two other problems.
Firstly, the barrier was immensely powerful, and Shang's Entropy might not be enough to destroy it.
Secondly, it wouldn't solve the issue of the Lightning Emperor not knowing Shang's location inside the barrier.
If the Lightning Emperor could pinpoint Shang's position, he could release a focused Spell directly at him, creating a hole in the barrier in the process.
But as it stood, the Lightning Emperor had to punch a small hole in the barrier, check inside, and then use another Spell to deal with the situation.
It was an impossible task.
0.1 seconds passed, and the lightning shield was on the verge of collapse.
Shang estimated that the shield could only endure four more Spells, and he knew that his mind was two Spells behind reality, meaning the next two Spells would shatter the shield.
He had to act now!
Shang disliked all of his options, but he had to choose one.
In the next moment, Shang's Domain of Entropy activated.
His clothes turned into black dust, and a black fire glowed through the bandages.
Simultaneously, Shang's artificial left arm crumbled into black dust, revealing a black silhouette of an arm.
Lastly, his legs disintegrated into black dust.
As Shang's body turned into black dust, his Domain of Entropy grew stronger and larger.
BANG!I think you should take a look at
The lightning shield shattered, and the next two Spells hurtled toward Shang.
WHOOOM! WHOOOM!
The black and white beams entered the Domain of Entropy, creating a huge indentation.
The old man firing Spells at Shang narrowed his eyes and launched more Spells.
Shang's Domain of Entropy expanded but struggled to keep up with the rapid barrage of Spells pushing from one side.
Moments later, the surrounding parts of the Domain of Entropy flooded towards the dented side like water.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Mage King kept attacking!
Within the Domain of Entropy, Shang stared at the sky, his mouth open in a silent scream.
The sensation of nothingness.
The feeling of impending death.
He was fading away.
His feet and shins had already completely disappeared.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The Mage King relentlessly assaulted Shang with clenched teeth.
He attacked with all his might, but the peculiar black sphere only barely kept up with his destructive efforts!
If he had just one more level six Concept!
Maybe then, it would be enough!
He was so close!
There was barely a two-meter gap between where his Spells hit and Shang's body!
SHING!
The Mage King employed Mana Step and materialized ten meters away from Shang.
The Mage King had black, white, and grey hair, with several wrinkles on his face, and wore the black and white robes of the Twilight Dusk Family.
In the next instant, six black and white orbs appeared around him.
And then, they all launched simultaneously.
B00000000000M!
It was as if a massive laser bore through Shang's Domain of Entropy.
He was so close!
One meter!
Half a meter!
Just a little more!
And then, everything below Shang's waist disintegrated into Entropy at once.
WHOOOOOOOOM!
The Domain of Entropy, which had just barely withstood the attack, expanded at uncontrollable speeds.
The Mage King's eyes widened in shock and terror as the Domain of Entropy engulfed him.
He attempted to use Mana Step, but the Spell had no effect!
He tried a hundred Mana Steps and several other Spells, but none of them made any difference!
His Mana Shield shattered, and under the Mage King's horrified expression, his body began to turn into black smoke.
And he perished.
BANG!
In that moment, a mighty lightning bolt pierced through the barrier.
And the barrier shattered into pieces.