novelraw Chapter 31: Lifespan
Chapter 31: Lifespan
To everyone’s surprise, it was Bella who shouted.
Not to mention the others—even the members of the Heavenly Lightning Sect were stunned, wondering what had offended her.
Bella didn’t just speak.
She leapt onto the gigantic sword, landing only three meters away from Lancelot.
Her spear was already pointed at the boy.
Victor, watching this, revealed a strange expression.
Offended because someone said only a madwoman would want to be with him.
That clarified something.
Lancelot froze for a moment, then let out a chuckle.
"Right, right—you’re that madwoman. I heard you’re unhappy because Victor has two fiancées and want him to discard one of them, yet you yourself don’t want your engagement to be broken."
As soon as those words were spoken, Bella’s ears reddened slightly, making it obvious to everyone what the truth was.
"Boy, you understand nothing," Bella replied.
"What is it that I don’t understand? You must be aroused by Victor—"
Before Lancelot could say more, Bella thrust her spear toward him, aiming straight for his chest.
However, several men behind the boy sent their swords forward to intercept it.
Clang!
A sharp collision rang out as Bella’s spear was stopped in its tracks.
"Miss Thunder, your strength is truly extraordinary. We had no choice but to cooperate—but do not underestimate us. Together, we can defeat anyone in the Sage Realm," one of the men said.
"Trash!" Bella snapped, anger surging within her.
This time, she threw a punch wrapped in lightning.
"Bella, stop." Victor finally spoke.
He had no interest in a pointless conflict.
Bella halted instinctively, glancing back with irritation.
"Don’t interfere," she said.
"This was never your business to begin with," Victor replied. "Of course, I feel honored that you’re offended by being called crazy for being my woman. But if you truly want to be with me, try becoming a more obedient woman."
Bella couldn’t help but blush at his words.
But only for a moment—her expression quickly turned cold again.
"You can’t control me," she said.
"Miss, please listen to the Young Master. We’re here to gain Lifespan, not to fight. If things get out of hand, we might end up with nothing," Bryce added.
He spoke politely to Bella, completely different from how he treated Lukas.
Given Bella’s temperament, it was impossible that she had never offended Bryce, and he must have been irritated by a young disciple who might one day surpass and suppress him.
However, Bella was Victor’s woman.
He couldn’t afford to clash with her, so he always yielded.
This time, Bella softened slightly—not because of Bryce himself, but because his words made sense.
She cast a cold glance at Lancelot.
"Wait until you no longer have protection," she said before leaping back onto her sect’s vessel.
Despite his young age, Lancelot showed no fear. He simply smiled casually and looked back at Victor.
"You already have a beautiful, crazy woman who wants you. Isn’t that enough to satisfy you?" he asked, causing Bella’s expression to darken once more.
"I’m not satisfied," Victor replied indifferently. "And let me tell you this—I won’t give up Alexandra, even if the entire world stands against me. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the Heaven Emperor Academy and sleep in her room."
Unfortunately, those words only made Bella’s already dark expression turn even worse.
"You!" Lancelot’s expression also soured.
"Do you also harbor feelings for your senior sister?" Victor asked.
Lancelot couldn’t hide his shock.
"So it’s true..." Victor smiled. "Unfortunately, that will remain your dream forever."
"Move," Victor ordered the elder controlling their vessel.
The vessel circled around the gigantic sword and descended into an area filled with thick roots.
For powerful factions, there was no need to compete.
People would simply flee from wherever they landed.
The Heavenly Lightning Sect’s vessel descended beside theirs.
The thickest roots were as wide as a cow’s body.
The bald elder descended first and chose the very thickest one.
"Young Master, this one is yours," he said.
Victor stepped forward.
As he began absorbing, the root was drawn into his body, spreading its fibers as it latched onto him.
He could feel dense Life Energy flowing into his body.
[Lifespan: 1,901 Years]
[Lifespan: 1,902 Years]
His lifespan was truly increasing—one year every ten seconds.
There should be around two hours left for absorption.
With that time, he could gain approximately 720 years of lifespan.
That was already a considerable amount for his current realm.
One era lasted about 1,000 years, so this was nearly equivalent to an entire era of life.
For those who had to seal themselves to preserve their lifespan, even 720 years was priceless.
However, Victor felt unsatisfied.
"Emma, one person can only use one root. But what if I want more lifespan?" Victor asked.
Bryce was no longer beside him, as he had to attend to the sect’s disciples—a duty he couldn’t avoid.
"Young Master, that seems impossible," Emma replied, shaking her head.
"No, it’s not impossible."
The bald elder suddenly interjected, surprising Emma.
"Senior, is there really a way?" Emma asked.
She couldn’t claim to know more than someone who had lived far longer.
"Yes. There is a method to merge with multiple roots at once. However, there is still a limit—only up to ten. And even then, only with the smaller roots, which at best provide one year of lifespan per minute. The reason is that a person’s body, while still in the Lower Realm, cannot absorb more Lifespan at the same time," the elder explained.
"How do you do it?" Emma asked.
One year per minute meant 120 years in two hours.
Multiply that by nine, and it would be 1,080 years of lifespan.
"Kill those who are bonded with the roots—destroy their bodies completely and seal their souls. That’s the method.
Once someone merges with a root, the Tree of Life will keep its connection with them. If their body is destroyed, the tree will then seek their soul. And if that soul is sealed, the Tree of Life will mistake the one holding those sealed souls as the original host.
Young Master happens to possess a tool capable of sealing souls—something bestowed by Lady... the Necklace of Hate."