novelraw Chapter 89: Chaos Erosion
Chapter 89: Chaos Erosion
The end of the Secret Realm Trial also marked the conclusion of the triennial Holy Tree Festival.
On the final night of revelry, the entire Imperial Capital was adorned with lanterns and decorations, resounding with the beat of drums and the roar of cannons. The celebration lasted until the sun rose the next day. After morning worship and prayers, the people of the Imperial Capital returned to their normal lives.
But some things had changed quietly, especially with the Regent King fanning the flames. This Secret Realm Trial, graced by the Divine Ancestor’s favor, was being vigorously promoted.
Thanks to the diligent work of professional technicians, an officially sanctioned documentary of the Secret Realm Trial bombarded the Imperial Capital’s major theaters.
But this documentary, secretly manipulated by the Regent King, was less a record of the Trial’s exciting moments and more a one-sided adulation of Duke Qinghui, Westheid.
He was portrayed as wise, divinely skilled in combat, and possessing both courage and intellect.
His silver tongue could twist the Dragons around his little finger.
With his tachi, he could perform Ascending Dragon to grievously wound and subjugate Scorching Wings, ultimately slaying it with his own hands.
Setting aside his skills in both scholarship and war, his handsomeness was the most undisputed fact. Duke Qinghui’s good looks were already known throughout the Imperial Capital.
This was basically official deification.
The direct consequence was that even the rats in the Imperial Capital’s sewers knew the Qinghui Clan had massively boosted its prestige and was about to take off.
Coupled with the unspoken matter of Reiya, the Qinghui Clan transformed from a down-and-out family stranded in the Imperial Capital into the talk of the town. In the social circles of the Imperial Capital, whoever won the favor of the Royal Family was an undisputed noble of high standing.
And as for Westheid, it went without saying. The Regent King... and the unmentionable Her Highness Reiya both had ambiguous relationships with him. It was time to pull Duke Qinghui into their circle and exchange favors.
Thus, in the days following the Holy Tree Festival, an endless stream of carriages appeared before the Qinghui Clan’s old mansion, all there to pay a visit to Duke Qinghui.
In response, Westheid accepted all the worship, praise, and flattery, but that was all. He had no desire to speak with powerful figures whose names he couldn’t even remember.
He left all these trivial tasks to Yolanda.
Compared to Westheid, the "unceremonious" Patriarch, Yolanda was like a fish in water within noble circles. The platinum-haired girl thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of her family being valued and lauded.
’Our family is really on the rise!’
"Tsk, tsk. Vanity is such a subtle thing."
Westheid stood before the second-floor French windows of the mansion, watching the lively scene in the courtyard below. The visiting Imperial Nobility had all basically brought gifts, not even expecting to see Duke Qinghui, but just to make their faces known.
Compared to the disdainful attitude they once faced, where they were looked down upon just for stepping out the door, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Although he wanted to say that a true powerhouse is unconcerned with the opinions of others, it was a pity that in this extremely idealistic Extraordinary World, powerhouses actually did need the opinions of others.
Vanity wasn’t a flaw; valuing glory was what enabled one to become a powerhouse.
The further one progressed on the Path of Transcendence, the more one needed the push from the collective will of all living beings.
And Westheid’s goal, from the very beginning, had been to become a god of the Supreme Heaven! To ascend as a Celestial God...
An unparalleled Great Enterprise spanning all of history! An Anchored in the Mortal World’s Fanatic Realm! A world-creating, brand-new legacy!
These three elements for godhood were all indispensable.
"But it’s still too early to be thinking about Ascension," Westheid muttered to himself. "First, I’ll just have a simple promotion to Legend. That’s when one truly begins to be a powerhouse."
Westheid swirled the glass in his hand, murmuring to himself in high spirits:
"The Regent King really came through, milking every last drop of clout from the Secret Realm Trial. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing."
"The main thing is that he shared the Withered Glory Sun and the Dragon Soul Furnace. This is so much faster than I expected. My promotion speed is already taking off. After this, I can go to the Country of Yonglan and the Thousand Laws Royal Court to snag the blessings of the Yonglan Riding God and Emperor Qianlu, then go grind some experience on the border battlefields. I should be able to reach Legend in three or four years."
Secret Realm Trials weren’t exclusive to the Radiant Holy Tree. The Celestial Gods of the Realm of Order, with the exception of the Venerable Master of the Azure Heaven, were all quite enthusiastic about hosting similar events and opening them to allied nations.
That was how Rafati and the other Yonglan Knights had come here.
The "merit" provided by farming these "dungeons" was enough to support one up to the Hero Tier. Anything higher required genuine, hard-earned achievements.
But it was more than enough. For a Hero holding dual Tier T0 Talents, promotion to the Legendary Celestial Rank was a natural progression. It would just take a bit more time to grind out battle merits.
The Mortal World may lack many things, but it would never be short on epics and war songs.
Westheid had a clear and bright plan for his advancement. If he followed it step by step, becoming the fastest Legend in history wouldn’t be a problem!
He took a sip of his drink and raised his head to face the bright, warm morning sun with a smile.
’What a bright future lies ahead.’
Just as Westheid was marveling at how his life felt as if he had activated Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, a sharp, twisting pain suddenly struck his heart. His vision went black, and he bent over coughing.
"PFFT—COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH!"
Each cough felt like it was tearing him apart from the inside, down to his very bones. Duke Qinghui couldn’t support himself and collapsed to the floor, convulsing.
The twisting pain spreading from his heart throughout his body wasn’t actually the worst part. What was more deadly was the feeling of weakness that followed, making it difficult to even move a finger.
"Hah, huff... COUGH COUGH COUGH..."
When the spasming pain subsided a little, Westheid, dripping with cold sweat, pushed himself up. Before him was a large pool of filthy black blood that he had just coughed up.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Westheid’s brows furrowed. His physical condition had always been perfectly healthy.
Especially now that he had the Withered Glory Sun; terminal illnesses, hidden injuries, and chronic diseases shouldn’t have been able to harm him in the slightest.
’Could it be...?’
Westheid immediately opened his character panel to check.
[Westheid Qinghui]
[Tier: Exemplar (Tier Four)]
[Human (Purity Forest Bloodline)]
[Status: Undergoing Chaos Erosion (1%)]
Huh?
’What does "Undergoing Chaos Erosion" mean?!’
Westheid was dumbfounded. It took him a long moment of staring to understand what was happening.
He had entered a state of Chaos Erosion. It was an effect stemming from his bloodline and oaths, one that not even the Withered Glory Sun could grant him immunity from.
In other words, the Pure Holy Spirit far away in the Qinghui Territory was gradually falling, being violently overrun by Chaos. For every bit the Pure Holy Spirit was corrupted, Westheid, as a True Blood of Qinghui, would have his own corruption progress in sync.
But Westheid clearly remembered from the "Glowing Blade" Yolanda’s questline in *Poem of Destiny* that the Pure Holy Spirit wasn’t completely overcome by Chaos Corruption until five years later. Based on the rate of Chaos Erosion, the Holy Spirit’s defenses should have held for at least another two years!
’You unworthy ancestor, what the hell have you been stirring up?!’
’I just barely gained an advantage over here, and you start sending a "constant stream of victories," is that it?’
Westheid ground his teeth in frustration and angrily slammed his fist on the floor.
According to his original plan, in two or three years, Westheid would have been on the cusp of reaching the Legendary Celestial Rank. An erosion like this would have been a mere inconvenience.
But if the Chaos Erosion was starting now, his hopes of reaching Legend before being completely corrupted were slim to none.
’Becoming a Chaos Egg or something... I don’t want that!’
A huge wave of panic washed over him, making him dizzy.
He stood up, steadying himself on the corner of a table. He took several deep breaths, needing a moment to accept this cruel reality before snarling through gritted teeth:
"Fine, fine, fine. So that’s how we’re playing it, is it?"