Chapter 274: Immortal Soul Sect

Kael floated above the writhing mass of lightning rats. His eyes scanned the hundreds of sparking bodies below.

Time to thin the herd.

"LIGHTNING BARRAGE STRIKES."

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Lightning orbs detonated across the forest floor. The Foundation Establishment rats died instantly—pop-pop-pop—their small bodies vaporizing under the electrical assault. Scorched fur and static-filled smoke filled the air.

Sssss...

But the Mana Heart rats survived.

ZZZT-ZZZT!

Their bodies crackled with resistant energy—lightning affinities of their own absorbing the strikes. Dozens of them launched upward, climbing the air itself with electrically charged leaps.

KREEE!

They closed the distance in seconds with lightning speed. Dozens of sparking bodies converging from every direction.

Kael activated Lightning Body.

CRACKLE!

His form dissolved into white lightning. ZIP. He vanished, reappearing ten meters to the left. Three rats passed through his afterimage—fzzzt—and crashed into each other.

If lightning won’t work, then—

A massive gravity field descended.

WHUUUUM!

The air compressed. The weaker rats—Rank 1 and 2—were crushed instantly. SPLAT. Their bodies flattened into paste against the forest floor. Bones cracked. Crack-crack. Blood and electricity spread across the dirt in a messy halo.

Squish...

The Rank 3 through 5 rats survived. Their mana-reinforced bodies resisted the pressure—muscles straining, sparks flying.

Kael clapped his hands together.

CLAP.

A giant orb of darkness formed between his palms—vvvrrrr—dense, pulsing, swallowing the ambient light. The orb expanded to three meters in diameter.

He launched it.

WHOOOOM!

The darkness orb detonated among the cluster of rats. BOOM. Devouring Darkness consumed their mana signatures—eating through their electric barriers, dissolving their fur, crushing their bodies.

CRACK-POP-SPLAT!

Kael landed on the ground. His feet touched dirt—pat—and he drew both Shadow Slayer blades in a single motion.

Shing-shing.

"DARK SLASH."

SLASH-SLASH-SLASH!

Arcs of condensed darkness shot forward—whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—slicing through the remaining rats. Each slash cut clean through mana barriers and flesh alike.

Splurt. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Bodies hit the ground.

Kreee... kreee...

Silence.

Kael sheathed his blades. Click. Click.

He looked around at the carnage as he smirked.

"Not bad for a warmup."

Kael bent down and pressed his palm flat against the ground.

Pat.

His soul sense extended downward—through the soil and through layers of compressed earth and ancient sediment.

There.

Something massive. An underground structure. All intact, buried beneath centuries of accumulated earth. The mana signature was faint but distinct as he only sensed it when the rats came out of the ground.

Kael grinned.

"Lucky me."

He pulled back his fist. Mana condensed around his knuckles—gravity reinforcing the blow tenfold.

WHUUUM—PUNCH!

CRACK-BOOM!

The ground shattered. A crater formed—crumble-crumble—and a hole opened beneath his feet. Kael jumped.

Whoosh.

He fell through the gap.

He descended downward.

Ten meters. Twenty. Thirty.

Thud.

He landed in darkness.

His Spirit Eyes activated—flicker—and the space illuminated in his perception.

Before him stood the massive structure. A stone entrance carved from black marble, flanked by two pillars covered in runic inscriptions. The architecture was ancient—built with a precision that modern construction couldn’t match.

On the front, carved in letters that pulsed with faint soul energy:

IMMORTAL SOUL SECT

Kael stared at the inscription.

"Immortal Soul Sect," he murmured in thoughts. "Never heard of them."

He studied the structure. The entrance was sealed by a massive stone door—intact despite the centuries of burial. Whatever had sunk this structure underground had been gradual. The sect itself showed no signs of combat damage.

It seemed to have sunk slowly, over centuries.

Kael pushed the door.

GRRRRR...

The door resisted. Kael applied gravity manipulation, reducing its weight.

Click-whirrr.

The door swung open.

Hsssss...

A chilling aura hit him immediately. Kael’s soul core trembled slightly.

He activated Soul Shield instinctively.

Vvvmm.

A translucent barrier formed around his consciousness—protecting his soul from the invasive cold.

Kael peered inside. A corridor stretched forward, the walls lined with faded murals depicting robed figures cultivating soul energy. The murals were damaged but still visible.

He stepped inside.

SLAM!

The door crashed shut behind him.

BOOM!

Kael spun. The stone door had sealed itself—click—runic inscriptions blazing along its surface before dimming.

He turned back to the corridor.

Hsssss...

The temperature dropped further. The soul-chilling intensity increased.

Suddenly, from the walls came out ominous phantom figures.

Soul wraiths.

SHRIIIEEK!

Their forms flickering between visibility and nothingness. Their eyes were hollow. Their mouths were open in silent screams.

Dozens of them

Kael fired immediately.

"LIGHTNING FANGS!"

ZZZT-ZZZT-ZZZT!

Twelve lightning fangs shot outward in all directions—crackle-crackle—striking the nearest wraiths.

WHOOSH.

The fangs passed through them. Fzzzt. The wraiths flickered but reformed. Barely affected by the attacks.

What—

One wraith lunged. Kael dodged—ZIP—but another came from his blind spot.

SLASH.

Claws raked his shoulder.

"Agh—!"

Pain. The claws bypassed his body cultivation entirely.

The wraith emanated only Mana Heart Rank 1 aura. But it had damaged him.

They bypass body cultivation. They attack the soul directly.

More wraiths converged. SHRIIIEEK! Kael barely dodged as three more scratches appeared on his arms.

Since they’re souls—

Kael stopped dodging. He planted his feet.

"SOUL SPIKE BARRAGE!"

WHUUUM!

Dozens of concentrated soul spikes launched outward, invisible to normal perception but devastating on the soul plane.

The wraiths shrieked.

SHRIIIEEK!

The spikes hit. The weaker wraiths—Rank 1 through 3—dissipated instantly. Pfft. Their forms fragmented like smoke in wind. Gone.

Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.

One by one, they vanished.

Until one remained.

Its form was more defined with rank 4 aura. It rushed Kael with terrifying speed.

WHOOSH!

Kael raised his hand.

"SOUL SEVERING BLADE."

SLASH!

A blade of concentrated soul energy swept forward. It struck the wraith directly.

SHRIIIEEK—

The wraith split in half. Its form unraveled with soul energy dispersing into nothing.

Kael exhaled.

"Phew." He looked at his shoulder where the first wraith had scratched him. The wound was already healing. "I guess soul attacks work."

He then held a mechanical voice.

[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE FIRST TRIAL OF THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION INTO THE IMMORTAL SOUL SECT.]

Kael raised an eyebrow.

Entrance examination. So this was their version of a test for prospective disciples.

"Hey, System," Kael said. "Do you know anything about this place?"

[This is likely the ruins of the Immortal Soul Sect. They were a powerful soul-path sect during the Primordial Era, specializing in soul cultivation techniques and spiritual weapon forging. They were considered the foremost authority on soul path cultivation in the Verenthian Void Realm.]

Primordial Era.

"It’s surprising to see that such a powerful sect fall with the Void Realm," Kael said.

[The fall of the Verenthian Void Realm consumed all civilizations within it. The Immortal Soul Sect, despite their considerable power, was not spared.]

"What do you know about the Void Realm itself?"

[Only a limited information is available. The Verenthian Void Realm was known to have produced cultivators who reached the known peak of cultivation during the Primordial Era. The most notable figure was the Heaven-Severing Sovereign Sky Emperor, Aetthos Verenthos.]

Kael’s eyebrows rose. Heaven-Severing Sovereign.

[He ruled the Verenthian Void Realm during the Primordial Era, approximately 5,000 years ago. His cultivation base was reported to exceed the Celestial Ascension Realm—the highest confirmed cultivation tier in their recorded history. Under his rule, the Void Realm flourished. Multiple sects, clans, and academies thrived.]

[The problem is: who or what was powerful enough to destroy such a powerful realm?]

Kael stood still for a moment.

"That’s a lot of talking for you," Kael said. "Surprising to see you this chatty."

[Host finds my assistance surprising? How rude.]

Pfft.

Kael snorted. Then he looked at the sealed door behind him.

"I’m guessing I can’t get out that way."

[Correct. The door is constructed from Soul-Forged Obsidian—a material that absorbs all physical and mana-based attacks below the Origin realm. It cannot be broken by Host’s current abilities. The only exit is through completing the trial sequence.]

Kael clapped his hands together.

Clap.

"Then what are we waiting for?" He turned toward the dark corridor ahead.

"Let’s clear this trial."