Tower of Heaven

Atlas soon realized his mistake. He wasn't in a place where he was covertly making his every move anymore. There were hundreds of cultivators all around this place, and they would naturally showcase the curiosity that all cultivators had.

Most of those present in the forest saw what he did in some capacity. For most, it was as much as spreading their spiritual sense in that direction when they sensed the major disturbance. Not many were actually able to witness it with their eyes.

It was also for this reason that Atlas realized what he'd done. Feeling those spiritual senses being withdrawn hurriedly as he approached the forest, he would have been an idiot if he didn't understand it.

'Well, it isn't much of a problem.'

If someone connected the technique he used to Alaric, it would be a bit troublesome, but that was it. At the end of the day, the current Atlas was chasing fame rather than running from it.

The journey through the forest was a swift one. All of the beasts Atlas had encountered so far were equivalent to Earth or Sky Sage Realm cultivators. For the most part, they could be avoided. When he had to kill them, he did, but even those battles never lasted more than a few seconds.

Atlas really downplayed [Lightning Shadow Steps] since it was a technique he was used to, but it was really one of the best movement techniques in terms of versatility. This status was maintained even into the current era.

It had the dexterity to make precise changes, the flexibility to create larger and more sweeping motions, and the speed to get one from their starting point to their ending point in the shortest possible period of time.

The forest was wide, but it was a strip of land that spread out from the east to the west. Atlas was traveling north, so it only took a period of several hours for him to cross from one side to the other.

There, he found himself in front of a lake of pitch-black water. On the other side, there were rolling hills that connected to the mountainous area he had to scale in order to reach the cliff's end manor.

'I should be able to cross this lake in a single jump, and if I cannot, then it isn't much effort to go around it. However, this may be a good place to take a break.'

Using the materials present in the surrounding environment, Atlas created a makeshift campsite for himself. There, he sat down in a meditative position and closed his eyes.

'We have been in this realm for six hours now. In the beginning, the feeling was so minuscule that it didn't need to be mentioned. Now…'

Now, there was a pressure pressing down on his shoulders that couldn't be ignored.

In his seated position, he slowly started to circulate his qi. A very calm and gentle pull prompted the qi in the surrounding area to enter the knowledge sea hidden behind Atlas' glabella.

This was a process that took place every time Atlas cultivated, but it felt different this time. This time, he could consciously feel the black hole he created all those years ago. It ground the qi he absorbed into small pieces and restructured it into the purest energy. That energy was then released into his body to be absorbed and stored in his dantian.

'Usually, the grinding of qi in the black hole is something I can hardly qi. In any normal environment, Spiritual Energy is mostly free of impurities. They are only present in small portions that become dangerous when constantly absorbed for many years.'

The realm of death, however, was filled with exclusively death qi. It was an obvious fact with less obvious consequences. Unless one had a physique that was suited for death qi, the energy of this realm was like poison.

The more qi one used, the more qi one would be forced to absorb to replenish it. The more qi one absorbed, the more "death" encroached upon one's internal body.

Really, it was the same mechanism as the death energy absorbed from the beasts of this realm, but it was also different.

'After all, you can easily control the amount of energy you absorb through killing beasts. The utilization of qi in general is a bit different.'

Atlas sighed to himself.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

'Luckily, I do not have to worry about it. The Heavenly Unification Law's black hole crushes the death energy within the qi and returns it to me as pure energy. For everyone else, it is a more serious problem.'

As he circulated his energy, Atlas felt the burden on his shoulders lessening. The death energy that had invaded his system was being replaced by a stream of pure and unblemished qi.

Once there was no death energy remaining in his body other than what he absorbed from the beasts he killed, he finally opened his eyes. Experience tales with empire

And his gaze shot to the left.

"How long are you planning to wait for? Come out."

Rustle!

A nearby group of bushes rustled as a group of people hiding within them jumped in fear. After a few moments of silence, the bush rustled once more and they piled out.

There were six of them, four men and two women. They all scratched their heads sheepishly as if they were being controlled by the same puppeteer.

"Ah, sorry about that. We finally found you after searching for so long, but you were clearly busy cultivating, so we decided to guard the surroundings until you finished."

The man who stood in front of the rest was the one who spoke. He had a large set of plate armor on that made him look a bit comedic. Cultivators were usually a people who deplored using armor, so it was definitely something that made Atlas smile.

In truth, he sensed this group several minutes ago, but there was no hostility in their presence. Of course, Atlas readied himself for battle at any moment, but since they did not approach him, he continued purifying his body without minding them.

Since they'd been so kind as to wait until he was finished before intentionally revealing their presence, Atlas decided to begin their interaction somewhat mercifully.

"So? You were searching for me?" he asked, prompting them to speak.

"Yes, ah, that's right?" the armored man responded, fiercely nodding his head.

"We saw you killing those beasts in the plain. You looked so strong that it was hard to imagine that you were around our age, but when we finally found you, we realized it was true! Then…"

The man was about to start rambling about nonsense, but one of the women behind him promptly elbowed him in the side.

"Ow! Hey– ah, right. So, you see…"

He finally got to the point. His face became serious.

"We found a treasure nearby, but it's being blocked by a powerful guardian. We couldn't take care of it alone, so we came back to the forest to look for some help. Before we could tell anyone about it, we saw you, and…"

"...you thought it would be better to recruit one strong person rather than a group of average people."

"Right, because we would have to split the rewards more if we look for a group."

The man admitted his intentions without hesitation. It was an action that earned him a favorable impression in Atlas' eyes.

"What was the treasure?" he asked.

The man shook his head.

"We don't know, but the guardian is super strong. There is no doubt that the treasure is a good one."

"And if I want the whole thing?"

"That…we cannot allow."

The man gritted his teeth and raised his sword. The five behind him also displayed their hostility.

'Now that I know about it, if I can't follow their terms, then I either need to scram or they'll kill me, huh?'

Simply put, he knew information they wanted to keep hidden. They weren't really in a position for him to disagree or demand more than they were willing to give, but they raised their blades anyway.

Atlas smiled and shook his head wryly.

"If you keep acting this recklessly, then you're bound to end up dead one day."

With that sentence, he stood up. The group of six went on alert as if he was the most dangerous person they'd ever laid eyes on.

But, in response to their fear, he only shrugged.

"I don't really care about the treasure you're chasing, but I want the guardian beast's corpse. Is that good enough for you?"

"Eh…?"

The armored man's expression crumpled into confusion for a moment before rapidly morphing into happiness. He bobbed his head like he was reaching for a breath in water.

"Yes! Those terms are more than agreeable for us!"

It was a bit of a side mission, but Atlas didn't mind. These six were not strong, but they also weren't weak. A guardian beast they couldn't kill had to be an alchemical treasure in its own right, so he wasn't losing out on anything by following them.

Also…

'The clouds around the manor have been getting thicker by the day. If I'm not wrong, the manor's main event will only begin when it is completely enveloped by them.'

He still had some time before that moment came. Using it, he was going to find some treasures for himself.

After all, even if Atlas was a bit different from others, he was still a cultivator.

Just like everyone else, his greed overflowed like a raging tsunami.