A low hum filled the cultivation chamber as the runes on the cauldron flared to life, bathing the chamber in pulsing black light, and an archaic aura filled the air.
At this moment, the air trembled as violent Qi waves surged, causing cracks to spread across the chamber!
Ace was now one with the dark liquid, but he could feel everything, and currently, he was feeling pressure threatening to crush his mind. Despite that, his blood seemed to release a strange chill as it resonated with the dark liquid.
But the pain was still unbearable.
It felt as though countless needles were piercing every cell of his body, shredding his flesh and bones before reforging them. The molten darkness sought to devour him, but Ace endured with his willpower as he felt the Universal Ascension Black Physique technique circulating faster and faster.
At this moment, a sudden change occurred; the molten liquid surged and started to compress while taking the shape of a body. It glowed faintly as the liquid darkness. merged into the very foundation. His muscles convulsed, his bones cracked, but his will refused to break.
Suddenly, outside the Everlasting Endearment Palace began to tremble violently. A dense, suffocating pressure was released. The sky above turned ominously black as if night had fallen prematurely.
Zaria and Leah, who were still within the palace, felt this pressure and trembled with fear originating from their very being. Zaria even felt her heart racing as an inexplicable dread weighed down on them.
"What in the world is happening?" She muttered as she looked towards the depth of the palace.
At this moment, Ace was at the center of a Universal Cauldron within the chamber. The molten darkness twisted into chaotic streams, surging into him while his body. glowed faintly with an ethereal, black radiance. The runes on the cauldron blazed brighter, feeding the Spirit Qi directly into Ace's form.
His screams echoed, but he endured.
As the process neared completion, Ace felt some of the shackles weighing down on him, and it was causing him even more pain and his fury surge.
Ace roared as the next moment, something seemed to have cracked deep within his body, and the liquid darkness vanished, absorbed entirely into his body at his moment. His body finally revealed, far more magnificent than before; his pale white skin gleamed with a faint metallic sheen, and his aura surged, exuding an oppressive darkness that seemed to devour the light.
Furthermore, the dark pattern filled with mystical glyphs was visible on his back, forming an eerie image of a swirling black hole before they began to fade away.
Then, with a deafening boom, the phenomenon ceased.
Ace sat within a now-empty cauldron, his chest heaving. His body felt different- denser, stronger, and brimming with an unholy vitality. His eyes sprang open as a dark current swirled in them before he clenched his fists, feeling the raw power coursing through him.
All the pain and fatigue seemed to have vanished completely, but he couldn't forget the agony he had endured.
At this moment, a system prompt appeared before him;
[Refinement successful!]
[Universal Ascension Black Physique (Ascension Grade-1) achieved!]
[The path to true Martial Cultivation has been opened!]
[Force: Darkness has been awakened!]
[Martial Ability: Black Vitality has been awakened!]
[Order of Darkness has been strengthened!]
[Prime Law: Darkness has become completed!]
[Congratulations, you have awoken the Second Rule of the Darkness Order!]
[Second Rule of Darkness Order: Despair]
-Despair (Rule): Despair comes with Darkness, and Darkness comes with Despair!
There is no hope in Despair, and Hope exists only in Darkness!
[Your control over the Lawless Darkness has been refined, and Qi consumption will be less upon activating it!]
[Host Status has been updated!]
[Status Panel (Cultivation Section)]
-Soul Path: Law Heart Spirit Integration (99%) / Ascension Warrior (10-Star)
-Primordial Qi: Ascension Spirit Qi
-Martial Path: Ascension Grade Physique (Grade-1)
-Darkness Force Unit(s): 9
-First Order of Darkness (B.E.D): Lawless Darkness
-Lawless Darkness: The authority to break any restriction, laws, rules, mandates, or orders!
[Prime Law: Darkness (19.99% Comprehended)]
-Rule(s) of Darkness Order Acquired: 2
Desolation: 9.99% Authority
-1. Desolation (Rule): Desolate represents the emptiness and destruction within
Darkness! There is no place for Light or Life within!
-2. Despair (Rule): Despair comes within Darkness, and Darkness comes with Despair! There is no hope in Despair, and Hope exists only in Darkness!
Ace was a little surprised when he saw not only had he awakened another rule of Darkness Order, but he had also climbed to the peak of Ascension Warrior, and he could even feel that he could break through any time he wanted!
"What is this Black Vitality?" Ace asked the system since it was his first time getting a martial ability. Still, when he thought about the excruciating pain and the difficulty of the Universal Ascension Physique, he knew he had earned it!
"[Black Vitality can heal any and all kinds of injuries and wounds, while it also grants host immunity to curses, poisons, mind suppressions, and such negative status just like a weapon.
"[But to use this ability, Host needed Darkness Force, and the higher and more dangerous the adverse effect, the more Darkness Force will be consumed.]
"[On the other hand, the Darkness Force is different from Qi because it represents the Physical/Power aspect of Martial Path, while the latter is the Mystic/Magical aspect of Soul Path.]
"[So, anything related to Qi, whether it's techniques or spells, can not be used through force. Force has specific techniques that impose on using the body as a weapon while causing terrible destruction, even capable of destroying heaven and earth.] "[System would recommend first getting used to your new body and force because your force has an aspect of Darkness because of your Fantastic Physique, which means your force will have the characteristic of darkness' order without any external or comprehension.]
"[With your current state, you can even harm anyone around you if you have no control over your body!]"
Ace was astounded before he was startled when he heard the last part, and his eyes narrowed as he tried to move, but to his shock, the moment he jumped out of the Universal Cauldron, he caused the entire cultivation chamber to shake!
Still bewildered by his flashy body prowess, he threw a casual punch and caused a small shockwave before creating a booming sound.
'I'm not even using the force right now!' Ace was shocked by his current body prowess, and he knew his body wasn't just any weapon but the most terrifying and perfect weapon, the Primordial Weapon!
Taking a deep breath to calm his wildly beating heart, "This... is just the beginning. Now I need to master this strength!" he muttered, his voice filled with newfound determination!