Chapter 994: Soul hunting? Soul eating?
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Xia Fei was very curious about the changes happening to himself, and asked a series of questions.
Hosu answered, “First you must understand your heritage. Aside from the half-Earthling bloodline flowing through your veins, as well as one-quarter Skywing Clan, the final quarter is from the Aurora Clan, who come from beyond the Cosmic Gate. That is also the home of Radix and I, and the owner of the Ark.”
Xia Fei clenched his teeth. Heritage. This was not exactly an issue that bothered him, but it was something that he was strongly curious about. That was because he had already come to the decision that he should just do what he wanted in his life, and he would ignore everything else.
Now that Hosu had suddenly mentioned the secret one-fourth of his genetics, Xia Fei could not help but feel his heart shudder, yet he p.r.i.c.ked his ears up and listened.
“Your grandfather was called Wistful Valley, and was the direct descendent of the Aurora Clan. Back then, with Radix as the foundation of the Soul s.h.i.+p and me as the bodyguard, a mysterious Cosmic Gate opened up right before our very eyes. It was a Gate that was long sealed by a powerful force. That was why your grandfather Wistful Valley decided to give it his all just to open the Gate and travel through it. I was the one in charge of sealing it behind us, so we would be able to recuperate here, before heading back to the star region the Aurora Clan resided in after we recovered.
“Your grandfather possessed great power, given that he was a direct descendent of the clan. He really managed to open the Cosmic Gate that had been sealed for countless years! Though this pretty much cost Wistful Valley all the energy he had in his life, he nevertheless really succeeded in doing just that! Do you understand!?
“Your grandfather was a kind person, and never once showed a bad temper to anyone else. It was at that moment that I realized that the reason he did not exchange blows with others wasn’t because of his lack of cultivation, but the exact opposite! His cultivation was so great that he could bring ruin and devastation to the universe! Even with me and Radix put together, we’d not even be a match for one percent of his power!”
Hosu was buzzing with energy after he reached this point. His eyes shone brightly, almost as if he was witnessing the scene of Wistful Valley opening up the Cosmic Gate with all his might before his eyes once again.
“Unfortunately, the Inverse still managed to find us before we entered the Cosmic Gate, and the Ark was wrecked. Because your grandfather Wistful Valley had used up all his strength, he lost his ability to protect himself and thus ended up dying in s.p.a.ce.”
“Even more tragically, I had also used up all my strength when I attempted to seal the Cosmic Gate, but the effect was far from ideal. With how the Inverse are able to sneak through the cracks of the sealed Cosmic Gate from time to time, my seal seems to have lost its effect after all these years, and the Inverse could very well completely break the seal and invade at any time.”
Radix lowered his head slowly. The seal over the Cosmic Gate had been powerful, yet Xia Fei’s grandfather had been able to open it, while Hosu was still unable to seal the Cosmic Gate up completely despite having sacrificed his life for it. This was the difference in strength. Perhaps Radix felt that he was not strong enough after failing to protect Xia Fei’s grandfather properly, which was why he was blaming himself.
Xia Fei frowned and asked curiously, “I remember that the Cosmic Gate has been opened once before, right? It is why the Law Realm is in its current state, being suppressed by the Inverse.”
Hosu shook his head, “You can’t really call that a true opening of the Gate; they only managed to open a small crack, and a portion of them managed to slip in, but just with their strength alone, the Founders were cowed and ended up coming to a compromise.”
“The Seal I made in exchange for my life all those years back is a lot weaker. If the Inverse were to attempt to open it again and proceed to invade on a larger scale than before, even if the entire universe were to unite against them, we might not have the ability to resist them.”
Hosu then said several more things pertaining to the Aurora Clan, as well as matters related to what was beyond the Cosmic Gate, which left Xia Fei feeling even more uneasy after hearing them.
According to Radix and Hosu, the Aurora Clan was very respected beyond the Cosmic Gate, not because they were powerful combatants, but because of their graciousness!
In Xia Fei’s eyes, graciousness was nothing that was of any use, something that he could not even eat. Anyone that provoked him or his people would have their entire family slain! Xia Fei’s way of thinking was more in line with repaying grievances with enmity, and he had never once considered teaching the people through grace and humility.
Apparently, the Aurora Clan took a very dim view of the concept of wealth, yet Xia Fei had been plundering and looting his whole life, not letting go of anything once he set his eyes on it.
It was said that the Auroreans rarely killed, and when struck by others, they would at most flash a smile at the a.s.sailant, and unless they were at death’s door, they would not ever retaliate, nor feud with them.
Xia Fei was even more nonplussed after hearing that; if anyone dared send a glare his way, they would die! That was the style he followed.
In any case, the Aurora Clan that Hosu and Radix described left Xia Fei rather speechless. They were essentially just a bunch of good people, living a life without antagonism in some hidden location beyond the Cosmic Gate, spending their days cultivating!
Looking at himself, then thinking about what the people of the Aurora Clan that his grandfather had belonged to were like, Xia Fei sighed, “Are you positive that I’m of your clan, a descendant of the Auroreans?”
Radix and Hosu nodded their heads vigorously, with Radix solemnly stating, “There’s no doubt about it. Though you are only genetically a quarter-Aurorean, it is also that fourth that gives you an advantage over the Inverse. That day you slew the Inverse in one strike while hundreds of Guardians were helpless before it wasn’t just because of Nirvana, but also your genetics.”
Xia Fei did not wish to probe any further regarding the Aurora Clan. To think he would actually have a heritage with that clan left him speechless, he was really at a loss for words. In his view, the Skywing Clan was what suited him best, and happily spending his days with those crazy individuals would be far better than being personable.
Even if there was a day in the future where he could really pa.s.s through the Cosmic Gate and take a trip to the place his grandfather had resided in the Aurora Clan, he would very likely be viewed as a freak, completely out of place. After all, the personality differences between Xia Fei and the Auroreans were too great, almost to the point where they shared no common ground.
Changing the topic, Xia Fei then asked, “Alright then. Let’s talk about the seventh brain region, as well as the Soul Mark. Why has everything changed after that golden mark appeared?”
Hosu chuckled, “Little young master, the fact that you possess a Soul Mark at this stage is an extremely thrilling thing!”
“Back then, when the Cosmic Gate could still be considered Sealed, all the sapient lifeforms in this universe did not have their seventh brain region opened. This only came to about due to a series of genetic mutations that happened after the Ark arrived.”
Xia Fei was curious, “Not a single lifeform here in this universe had a seventh brain region before this? Just how powerful was the Ark?!”
Hosu nodded, “It’s true, because the Ark is a Soul s.h.i.+p! It was a type of super-sized a.s.sault soul weapon that is capable of independent thought! It was the ultimate representation of the power the Aurora Clan wielded! If the Ark wasn’t powerful enough, then it would not have needed an expert like Radix to give up his physical body and become the commanding soul of the s.h.i.+p.”
Upon mentioning this, Radix raised his head proudly, almost as if it had been his honor to have been chosen as the soul of the Ark, because he had been a lot stronger once before.
Xia Fei looked at Radix for a while, a cold war igniting inside him. Xia Fei already knew that Radix had recovered his memory some time ago, it was just that Radix had kept him in the dark until now.
“The manufacturing of the Ark was a closely guarded secret of the Aurora Clan. After the Soul s.h.i.+p was destroyed, its energy scattered across the universe, and the various sapient lifeforms here began to gradually develop. The thirteen Founders were the first batch of intelligent lifeforms who benefited from the Ark’s explosion.”
“They possess decent talent, and as their seventh brain region opened up, these people gradually grasped control over their own bodies, and broke the limits of their own physical forms over long periods of time, becoming Founder-tier experts.”
Upon reaching this point, it seemed like Radix and Hosu both had something on their minds, constantly glancing at the time, like they were waiting for something to happen.
Xia Fei asked again, “Are Founders really that precious? Why is it that across the vastness of the universe, there are many Law G.o.ds, but there are only a paltry handful of fourteen Founders? Even if we include those that have died, that’s still merely 31 Founders!”
Hosu answered, “We’ll have to talk about the source of their strength. The strength of sapient lifeforms originate from the limits of their bodies, but that’s just a part of it. Aside from their bodies, sapient lifeforms also possess a soul, and there is great power inside their souls.
“After cultivating and training one’s body to the limit, they would reach Peak Law G.o.d, and be able to control the universe through their physical selves! However, Soul power is also very strong, but it is hidden, a great power that attempts to control the universe through one’s soul.
“The Founder tier means a warrior has developed their body to its very limit, and has broken through that very limitation, beginning to make their way to the stage of Soul Power. It is extremely difficult to cross from physical strength to Soul Power, given how the body exists and can be seen and touched, while the soul is a kind of spirituality wielded with concentration. Most have a hard time discovering the existence of a soul, not to mention the energy needed to utilize it.
“You have seen for yourself how the grand ancestor of your Skywing Clan, Xia Gucheng, had to risk his very life before he developed Soul Power and became a Founder. As such, it could be seen just how difficult it is for anyone looking to cross over the double barrier between body and soul.”
Xia Fei nodded, “I completely understand what you mean. No matter what I cultivated before, be it my special ability or Laws, I’d have to expend all the strength in my body. But the Founders touching Soul Power is a type of method to progress across tiers, which was why this was a very difficult threshold for most warriors out there.
“However, I have only just achieved Level Five Law Sage, and I’m still a ways off Peak Law G.o.d. How could I have this Soul Mark?”
Radix laughed, “That is because your blood decided you’d be suitable for using Soul Power from the very start. More importantly, it’s because you’re not too old, but have already experienced numerous life and death moments. That indomitable spirit of yours helped propel you.
“Soul is the acc.u.mulation of someone’s mental fort.i.tude, and that is one aspect of you that is really strong. Sometimes, it can even terrify people!”
Xia Fei nodded again. He still had a lot of questions he wished to ask, but he suddenly felt his body begin to burn up, almost as if he had been tossed into boiling water.
“Here it comes! The chain reaction after activating your Soul Mark is finally about to happen!” Hosu excitedly shouted. “This is a chance! Before this, you need to make a very important choice!”
“Do you wish to hunt souls, or to eat souls?!”