novelraw Chapter 238: Growing Under The Cultivation Sects
Chapter 238: Growing Under The Cultivation Sects
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Under the scorching heat, Louis remained deep in thought.
He had been reconsidering many things, especially after everything he had experienced. Using part of his vastly expanded consciousness, thanks to his Qi Cultivation, he analyzed the Immortal Mountains for himself.
After several minutes, he confirmed it was indeed a Fantasy Realm, or a fragment of one. Its total size was roughly that of a large island like Japan, shaped similarly and surrounded by a sea that faded into a nebulous cloud-like substance. Those clouds formed the invisible walls of the realm.
Above all, it brimmed with resources. Everything that grew inside now belonged to him: the Spirit Herbs, the Mythical Beasts roaming freely, the mountains rich with Mystical Ores, the inheritances of the Five Sects, their treasures, and even the untouched riches of the Golden Emperor.
He was also beginning to understand how the realm functioned. It had appeared in his status, becoming a hybrid between a Spirit Being and a Soul Treasure.
As a Familiar, it showed as:
[Immortal Mountain's Five Sects (Rank 5 Spirit/Entity Familiar) (Bond Level 10/10)]
As a Soul Treasure, it appeared as:
[Pocket Fantasy Realm Treasure – Immortal Mountains (Rank 5: 1%)].
He could channel its power the way a Master channeled a Familiar. Louis realized he might enhance his own strength further by absorbing its Cultivation and Qi, or by summoning its inhabitants.
He had already done so earlier and decided to let them rest for now.
Another crucial detail was that, as both treasure and spirit, the realm could grow stronger and expand.
Louis had considered absorbing the other layers, but none possessed the gigantic array set by a boss monster like the Fifth Layer. Unless he reached Tier 1 Spiralwalker status or higher, it would remain impossible for the time being.
He also noticed changes in his Soul. It had been shattered and restored multiple times, each recovery pulling in large quantities of strange energies from Limbo. It had absorbed the Liquid of the River of Time, the Light of the White Void above, and the Darkness and Flames of the Purgatory below.
This had left his soul looking strange and warped, covered in cracks that burned with light or festered with darkness. The distortion granted his soul incredible power and a vast new source of alien yet potent energy.
And there was something else.
Something that had only just landed inside his soul.
FLASH!
"What is this?"
He stopped walking through the desert, sensing a golden crystal resting within his soul, wrapped in radiant gold.
The crystal appeared to be a shard of something far larger, roughly the size of a car despite seeming small. It overflowed with Ancient and Primordial Energy.
Slowly, his soul absorbed the crystal, merging it with his Golden Core. A surge of Primordial Energy rushed through Louis's body.
"W-Wha…?!"
He collapsed onto the sands. His companions panicked as he behaved strangely once again.
"Oh my god, what now?" Timothy sighed, walking toward him. "Lord Louis, can you spend an hour without falling to the ground?"
"Shut up!" Zorba snapped. "Lord Louis! Are you okay? Did you overexert yourself again?"
"No… I'm fine," Louis replied. The pain faded instantly, replaced by a powerful surge of energy.
His Soul grew larger and stronger than ever. This was the Primordial Divine Energy that Oberon—or rather Loki—had wielded against that venerable. It was only a fragment, likely part of his heart, yet it contained enough power to elevate Louis's Cultivation further.
His Soul surged as memories of his entire life condensed into his core, evolving it into a Nascent Soul. His body transformed as well. He grew taller, his horns lengthened threefold, and his skin regained a healthier tone instead of its former pale, candlewax appearance.
Above all, new abilities and affinities awakened within him.
But even more importantly, a "note" remained behind.
"From the moment I was born, I always strived to be special…
Maybe because my brothers Thor, Tyr, and Baldr excelled at everything.
I was a lonely child, wasn't I?
When I saw that light, the red emissary from outside this universe,
I was given a new purpose, one that could finally make me matter.
I did everything in my power to destroy them all, since I could never form any real bonds.
I discarded everything for this single purpose that gave my life meaning.
And… I was this close to achieving it…
But he stopped me and showed me that what I wanted to destroy was precious to him and his family…
You, Drake… you said you would make a better world… so show me… through your grandson, wherever you are right now… show me that what you said is true…
Because I have now given up all hope of returning… for your stupid grandson…
Remember, Louis… Oblivion, no matter how friendly he might seem… is not your friend."
As Louis read the note, countless memories from Oberon flooded his mind: his life, his tragedy, his malice, the destruction he had caused, and his death at the hands of Louis's grandfather.
He did not know what to think. In one sense, Oberon had been a malicious entity. In another, he had sacrificed himself so Louis could live.
Could he still hate him after such a noble act?
"I wish we could have spent more time together… it all ended too soon."
Yet Louis knew who his true enemies were.
The Five Seats of Oblivion. Almighty, god-like cosmic entities that served the mysterious Oblivion.
He had glimpsed all five during every regression, but only now could he see their titles clearly.
The Seat of Observation and Judgement: Ancient Celestial Calendar Venerable.
The Seat of Equilibrium and Void: Eternal Balance Immortal Sovereign.
The Seat of Devouring Hunger: Abyss-Devouring Gluttonous Tyrant.
The Seat of Eternal War and Ruin: Blood-Soaked Slaughter Dao Lord.
The Seat of Whispered Lies and Forgotten Truths: Shadow-Veiled Deception Monarch.
These were the five cosmic thrones at the edge of existence itself. Entities so vast and ancient that even the Primordial Gods of forgotten eras knew nothing about them. They were not mere beings but concepts given form and will, enforcers of Oblivion's inscrutable design.
Oblivion itself remained faceless, a presence that permeated the voids between realities, patient and inevitable as entropy. In the game there had been no final bosses like these. Louis was finally beginning to grasp the vast cosmology around him and how his powers had thrust him into the middle of these monstrous entities.
The memories Oberon left were harsh. They showed the Seats in action across countless cycles. The Ancient Celestial Calendar Venerable had once frozen an entire epoch in a single unchanging instant, turning thriving worlds into eternal still-life where time itself begged for release. His task was to immortalize things after they reached maturity and archive them elsewhere with mechanical precision.
The Gluttonous Tyrant had swallowed star systems whole, belching forth black holes as casual afterthoughts. His role was destruction and corrupted creation. The more he devoured, the more he produced, constantly turning matter into a cancerous mass that continued consuming the universe.
The others remained blurred and worse. The message seemed damaged at the end.
"Oberon…"
Louis rose slowly from the sands, no longer trembling. The golden fragment of Loki-Oberon's power had fused completely with him, no longer a foreign intruder but an extension of his distorted soul.
FLUOSH!
His Nascent Soul pulsed with newfound clarity. The cracks in it were no longer mere wounds but channels through which primordial energies flowed freely. Light and darkness danced along the fractures like living lightning and shadow-flame. His soul itself was evolving into a macrocosm.
Louis had never asked for any of this. He had been thrown into countless tragedies against his will, and now he was forced once more into the center of it all.
But he would not falter anymore. He knew what he had to face, and he would prepare himself.
Perhaps to die a thousand more times.
"I will kill them all."
Or he would die fighting.
Because now he knew the rulers of reality, the ones manipulating Fate to bring about his planet's destruction. They were likely the ones triggering the tragedies in his life.
"Lord Louis?" Zorba asked, confused by his silence. "Your aura and your body… you've changed. Are you alright?"
"I'm… more than alright," Louis replied. His voice was deeper, resonant with ancient echoes. He flexed his fingers, and sparks of gold-primordial Qi crackled between them. "I've just received a very old, very bitter inheritance. A responsibility of sorts… no, rather, a curse."
Timothy snorted, crossing his arms. "What the hell are you talking about? Let's keep going already!"
Louis ignored him and gazed at the shimmering boundary of the Immortal Mountains realm. The nebulous walls pulsed faintly, as if aware of the shift within him. The realm itself, his Familiar and Treasure, hummed in resonance. Its Rank inched upward as his power fed back into it, producing even more resources he could use later.
He turned to his companions. "We cannot stay here forever. The layers below are still waiting, and I feel something terrifying awaits us beyond the boss. We must deal with it…"
"Eh?" Timothy asked in disbelief. "What? What are you on about now?"
"Louis…" Mirai trusted him. "I see… this entire dungeon game has devolved into something else. Something sinister. Unseen forces may have taken over this place. Don't you remember? There has been no update for our points, and the cameras filming us disappeared once we reached the fifth layer."
"W-What?!" Agustina gasped. "You're right! The bracelets aren't working… Are we stuck here?! How can we leave?!"
"It's just as I imagined…" Zorba added. "I have felt something strange in the atmosphere since we landed on the fifth layer… Is this dungeon really as controllable as the academy believes? Or perhaps something is happening in the academy as well."
"We had better hurry," Louis said. "The Tenth Layer has a Teleportation Gate, natural to the dungeon itself, that can lead us outside. There is no other option now but to brave the odds and face whatever enemy awaits us. It is too late to turn back."
"No way! So the time limit doesn't even matter anymore?!" Agustina asked.
"Likely not. We may spend days or weeks here," Louis sighed. "We had better rest first. Let's return to my Fantasy Heart. The Immortal Mountains realm will serve as our temporary home. It has everything we need."
"Aw… well, the place is pretty, I guess," Agustina sighed, nodding.
"Hm…" Anastasia looked at the blue sky and vast desert. "So be it… We have faced all kinds of wicked threats anyway…"
"Indeed," Zorba nodded with a smile. "I trust Lord Louis's decision."
"Hah, so we can take a break? Nice!" Timothy said. "Ugh, wait, I think I should be panicking right now, but I am so tired I don't care anymore… Maybe I could train my abilities in this desert and turn it into farmland. What do you think?"
"Stop talking nonsense. We can do that later. Go rest," Louis said. "Girls, let's go."
"Okay…"
"I'm tired…"
Selene and Melisa agreed. Everyone walked back into the Immortal Mountains and reached the Golden Emperor's throne.
The emperor's corpse had been placed in a sealed coffin to prevent it from turning into a zombie or becoming possessed by an evil spirit.
As they arrived at the palace, several disciples greeted Louis warmly. They had been cleaning and preparing everything for their new emperor.
"Oh! Emperor Louis has returned!"
"Welcome back, my lord!"
"It has been three days. How have things fared outside?"
"You seem tired. Why don't you go to the baths? They are working now, and there are many medicinal herbs available."
"I will call Elder Kai and Elder Ming!"
The servants and disciples of the Five Sects were kind and welcoming. They brought clean Chinese-style clothes and began cooking in the large kitchen. The best chefs gathered to prepare a feast for the emperor who had freed them from the eternal curse and allowed them to continue beyond the constant resets.
Because of this, Louis was treated not merely as an emperor, but almost like a god.
"Let's take a bath together? I'll help you relax," Mirai asked with a cute, blushing smile.
"Ah… well… okay," Louis did not feel like declining after such a long day. He walked into the bathroom with her.
They both ended up wearing swimsuits, but it was still an intimate moment. In private, Louis told Mirai everything he had gone through.
"W-What?"
She was shocked, her eyes widening. She had not even realized he had died in that moment. She wondered what might have happened in the previous timeline, but it was too late to know.
Perhaps it was better that she did not.
She feared that with the power of that terrifying Venerable, everyone might have been turned into golden statues and the entire timeline immortalized and archived.
"But why… Why does it archive things? And the other one, why does it devour and then regurgitate what it devours? And the others… what do they even do?"
"I would guess they are all extensions of Oblivion," Louis sighed. "That Calendar guy was his Eyes, but now that they have been heavily damaged or destroyed, he will have a harder time finding me. The other seats were all empty…"
"They were? Then that means…"
"They are somewhere out there, moving… looking for me, maybe," Louis said, slightly paranoid. "But I will not die so easily. Every death, every day, I will make it count. Like Oberon…"
"Louis…" Mirai worried for his sanity. She hugged him as they bathed in the warm waters. "I know you are worried, but let's focus on the present, okay? On us. This warm water, the friends you have made, your family, your mother. Beyond these entities, remember? You want to find a cure for your mother. The Vultarn High Dominion is still our priority, and we must stop the Dimensional Labyrinth from expanding."
"I know…" Louis sighed, hugging her back. "These beings might be the origin of it all… who knows."
"Yeah, who knows? No matter how hard you worry, we cannot learn more until we face them," Mirai said. "We have gone through worse things already, right?"
"Maybe…" Louis nodded silently, looking into her eyes. "I… Mirai, I…"
"Eh?" Mirai blushed as she saw him trying to open his heart. "Louis?"
"I suppose this is not the best place… don't worry," Louis quickly stepped out of the bath. "I'm ready. I'll wait for you at dinner. Elder Kai and Ming will join us as well."
"O-Oh! Okay!" Mirai nodded, blushing and smiling, her heart beating faster. "Wait, Ming?!"
She had grown wary and a little jealous ever since she noticed Elder Ming gazing at Louis with enamored eyes.
"Why did you invite her? Ugh…"
Indeed, like Louis, she could get a little jealous.
After gathering with everyone at the dining table and enjoying a delicious feast of traditional Chinese dishes, Louis spoke.
"Due to the current circumstances, I want all of us to grow stronger," he said. "We will spend three months here. In that time, you will learn Qi Cultivation while improving your skills, abilities, and magic."
"…THREE MONTHS?!"
Aside from Zorba, no one liked the proposal. The Dungeon Game was supposed to last only half a day, yet Louis planned to stay three whole months. It sounded ridiculous.
But he had his reasons.
"We are facing a force capable of isolating us completely from the outside world. We do not know what is happening beyond these walls, but it is likely not good," Louis explained. "Our enemy probably waited for us to delve deep into the dungeon to trap us here and lure us to the deepest layer."
"I guess so, but why so much time?" Timothy argued. "Whatever foe it is, it cannot be that dangerous, right? You handled all those sects easily! If it's the Vultarn High Dominion, we have a good chance if we gang up on them."
"I am glad you are so optimistic, Timothy, but it is not that simple," Louis sighed. "We are facing something capable of warping space and altering an entire dungeon made of ten stacked pocket dimensions. Do you understand how strong that is?"
"A-Ah… Um, no… not really," Timothy muttered.
"I would train for years if you desire, Master Louis," Zorba said. "But do we have the time?"
"This realm works differently. It is a separate dimension, and I have detected a time dilation within it," Louis replied.
He was half-lying. The time dilation existed only because he had become its master. His soul now contained part of the River of Time itself, granting him new time-related powers that manifested here.
"How big is the time dilation?" Anastasia asked curiously.
"We spent around three hours outside, right? Three days have passed here," Louis said. "That means one day outside equals twenty-four days here. We will spend only three days outside while gaining almost three months inside."
"…!" Zorba looked fascinated. "I see! How thrilling!"
"But is it really safe?" Agustina asked worriedly. "I have never dealt with anything like this before…"
"I'm worried too… What about the children? Will they be okay?" Mirai asked.
"They will," Louis replied, watching the children happily eating meat-filled dumplings and asking for more. The disciples rushed to bring extra plates even though they did not understand the language. "And this is not really a question. It is an order as your prince. You have no way to refute it or fight back. You are staying here to grow stronger."
"Y-You don't have to phrase it that way. We get it, Lord Louis…" Agustina sighed. "I wasn't going to argue anymore…"
"I guess we really have no choice. If we are in the clutches of such a dangerous evil, we might as well grow as strong as we can," Anastasia nodded.
"I guess so… Damn it, we'll end up spending even more time at the academy after counting these three months," Timothy complained.
"I shall get ready then," Zorba nodded.
"Are we staying longer?" Melisa asked happily.
"Yaaaay! I hate school!" Selene celebrated. "Can I run and explore all I want here?"
"I see. So that is your decision," Elder Kai said. "We will teach your friends well. Even if I cannot understand them, they can understand us, right?"
"Yeah, they can," Louis confirmed.
"Interesting. I see potential in that blue-skinned girl," Elder Ming added. "She wields a sword well and channels that sword energy you mentioned."
"That is right. Anastasia has great talent. I am leaving her to you, Ming," Louis nodded.
And so, the training began.
House Frostbane spent three months training diligently in Qi Cultivation and developing their new abilities.
Those who had awakened as Spiralwalkers properly learned and adapted to their powers. Everyone reached at least Qi Building Peak Stage, with Melisa and Agustina hitting that level. The rest advanced to Core Formation Realm at a staggering speed, thanks to Louis transferring knowledge and energy from the inhabitants.
The only ones talented enough to reach Nascent Soul were Zorba and Mirai. They attained it almost simultaneously, competing for Louis's attention. Both also mastered Heaven-Splitting Sword Intent.
Meanwhile, Louis did not sit idle. He studied methods from all five sects.
From the Heaven Spear Sect, he learned the Nine Heavens Piercing Dragon Spear Art, which turned every thrust into a coiling dragon of golden lightning capable of tearing spatial rifts and pursuing enemies across vast distances. It merged perfectly with his Holy Dragon Spear Art, evolving into the Nine Celestial Heavens Holy Piercing Dragon Spear Art.
From the Golden Axe Sect came the Mountain-Cleaving Axe Scripture, a brutal style that compressed an entire mountain's mass into a single descending chop. Louis infused its heavy, unyielding power into axe-like strikes at the tip of Gungnir or his heavy blades.
From the Demonic Sword Sect, he acquired the Nine-Headed Serpent Devouring Heaven Blade Intent, a vicious technique born from resentment and hunger. Each swing created illusory serpent heads that could bite, poison, devour qi, and even consume concepts like distance or regeneration. It resonated powerfully with his corrupted demonic blade Gram, evolving alongside it and growing stronger through his ability to harbor despair and pain.
From the Frost Demon Sect, he mastered the Abyssal Winter Heart Sutra, an ice cultivation art so cold it could freeze flesh, blood, time, emotion, and even karma. It resonated deeply with Louis, slowly awakening his dormant Ice Giant Bloodline from his great-grandmother, the same lineage that gave his mother Benladra her blue skin and large size in Dragonoid form.
He did not follow any single inheritance blindly. Instead, he treated them as raw materials to be fused inside the crucible of his warped, primordial Nascent Soul. The result was a new, nameless, almost heretical method that even the ancient elders would have considered taboo. It had no name yet and remained in the conceptual stage, but it melded the legacy of this forgotten, immortalized world.
With this strange method, every breath drew in traces of Oblivion's own essence, the Limbo Energy he had assimilated earlier, and turned it against itself. The golden fragment of Loki-Oberon served as both catalyst and safety valve, preventing the energy from consuming him from within. It was risky, but it was a secret weapon he could deploy at any time.
Three months inside the Immortal Mountains passed in the blink of three and a half days outside. When the time came to leave, the changes were visible even to those without cultivation senses.
Louis now stood nearly 2.1 meters tall. His horns had lengthened into elegant obsidian-black spirals veined with molten gold. His eyes flickered between molten amber and abyssal black depending on the energy he channeled. Faint cracks of light and shadow ran across his skin like living tattoos, pulsing gently with each breath. He had nearly reached the Heavenly Being realm.
His companions had transformed as well.
Zorba's demonic aura now carried an oppressive chill, with black frost drifting from his shoulders like smoke. He had reached Early Nascent Soul and could manifest nine illusory frost-serpent heads. He also applied demonic necromancy methods to his undead, evolving them into stronger "Rakshasas."
Mirai's Heaven-Splitting Sword Intent had become gentler yet infinitely sharper, capable of dividing yin from yang or illusion from reality in a single cut. She too stood at Early Nascent Soul and had grown far more lethal by combining it with her Chaos and Demonic Elements.
Anastasia had become terrifyingly proficient with the sword under Elder Ming's guidance. Her movements carried the weight of inevitability. She mastered her own Sword Frost Domain and evolved the Heaven-Splitting method into the Heaven-Splitting Frozen Blade Heart Method, awakening her bloodline abilities in the process.
Timothy had taken to axe cultivation as if born for it. Though he had not quite reached Core Formation Peak, his raw physical strength had multiplied. He could summon illusory golden axes that exploded on impact, combining them with his Spiralwalker abilities, shovel, and nature-energy scythe. He had become a far better warrior. His brothers from the Golden Axe Sect had cried when he left, having enjoyed bullying and training him to near death.
Agustina and Melisa stabilized at Qi Building Peak with exceptionally solid foundations thanks to spirit herbs, primordial qi, and Louis's energy transfers. They began developing their own methods: Agustina created the "Spiritual Furnace Heart Sutra" and "Blazing Volcano Hammer Art," while Melisa developed the "Heaven-Sundering Angelic Wing Scripture."
Selene had mostly played, eaten enormous amounts of food, explored every corner, and befriended half the mythical beasts. She somehow ended up with a tiny frost-wyrm hatchling following her like a puppy. Thanks to spirit herbs, pills, and energy transfers, she reached Early Core Formation. She developed two unique methods Louis named for her: "Beast Princess Authority" and "Berserk Beast Art." Her Spiral made her an exceptional tamer, and she now traveled with several mythical beasts.
The group gathered once more at the Golden Emperor's palace.
The disciples and elders bowed deeply.
"Emperor," Elder Kai said solemnly. "The realm will await your return. Should you fall, we will preserve your throne and fight to our last breath to keep this place from enemy hands."
Louis placed a hand on the old man's shoulder.
"If I fall… this place falls with me, Master. Because I am taking it with me."
He raised his palm.
The entire Immortal Mountains realm trembled.
Then it began to fold inward like origami made of starlight and mist, shrinking until it became a fist-sized orb of rippling golden clouds floating above his hand.
He pressed it against his chest.
The orb sank inside without resistance.
[Pocket Fantasy Realm Treasure – Immortal Mountains (Rank 5: 47%) → (Rank 6: 2%)]
[Immortal Mountain's Five Sects (Rank 6 Spirit/Entity Familiar) (Bond Level 10/10)]
A satisfied breath escaped him.
After fully compressing the realm back into his Fantasy Heart, Louis turned to his companions.
"Now," he said, "let's go see what is waiting for us at the bottom of this dungeon."
Landing on the desert once more in completely new clothes, equipment, and soul treasures, feeling refreshed and stronger than ever, House Frostbane walked into the unknown.
Soon they would learn how crucial their training had been. The challenges ahead would far surpass even their greatest trials.
As they flew across the desert atop Gungnir, with his friends following, two malevolent presences stared from beneath the abyss, impatient.
"He disappeared for three whole days. Where could little Louis have gone?"
"Who cares? Now that he is back, he will be here soon… And then the fun can finally begin."
"Fufu, you are right… I cannot wait~ I want to chew on them and spit out the bones."
"We will feast on their Spirals and never allow these fakers to touch what is ours again."
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