Chapter 623: Epiphany & Phenomenon

'Perhaps, it has something to do with my connection to the earth.' Leon silently determined.

Of all the elements, oddly enough, he had the closest affinity to the earth. But it had not always been the case.

It happened during the time he nearly lost himself while comprehending the Earth Law in the depths of the underground. That time, he had sunk his consciousness too deeply into the earth, two nearly integrated.

"Mother Gaia is boundless. If one can connect to it, one can wield all the earth it has to offer..." Leon muttered while unwittingly closing his eyes to muse on the Great Way of Earth.

Only by being close to the elements, can one's affinity with them be raised.

While Leon had lapsed into silent contemplation, Jorn glanced at the temporarily stable quarter-dome before stating, "Although the collapse has been temporarily stopped, we should still leave."

"The clan cannot continue staying cooped-up in this rathole. It is simply a breeding ground for diseases."

"You're right, Uncle Jorn. Once we are outside, I want these carcasses burned to ashes before we proceed with the cleanup procedures of the clan." Lilith stated, no longer resisting Jorn's attempt to take her outside. 

"Otherwise, even if the clansmen are treated, they will just get sick again."

"Understood, Little Princess. Prince Leon, how about—"

Jorn was about to ask Leon when Duna's eyes snapped open and interrupted while she was still clinging to Leon's back.

"Don't interrupt him. This is a crucial moment for him." Duna gazed coldly before Jorn backed off awkwardly.

"My apologies for not knowing better, Miss Duna. Well then, we will be leaving first."

"Alright, go."

...

Eventually, Jorn and Lilith reached the outside with the clansmen, leaving Leon and Duna inside the clan alone. 

"Lilith, over here!" Aria called out to Lilith from a distance before asking shortly after, "Where's Leon and Duna?"

"They are still inside. Leon seems to be experiencing some sort of epiphany," Lilith explained after she approached Aria while Uncle Jorn left her side to make arrangements with the clansmen. 

"An epiphany?" Aria repeated. 

Suddenly, the skies began darkening with looming grey clouds being spawned and gathered above the clan. 

"What's happening? Why did the sky suddenly start darkening? Isn't the weather changing too drastically?" 

"I feel like I've seen these kinds of weather changes somewhere before... It seems oddly familiar, but I can't seem to recall..."

The clansmen quickly broke out into discussions with a mixture of fear and curiosity towards the sky. 

"A phenomenon?" Aria muttered with her head raised to look at the sky. She could not be more familiar with the cloud-gathering phenomenon.

"This is a Transcendent Phenomenon. Someone is breaking through to the Transcendent Realm," Aria calmly stated. 

However, she quickly noticed something wrong with what she said and began to frown in thought. 

"Something is not right…"

"A Transcendent Phenomenon, huh? I've heard about this and seen it a few times," Soft Feather stated nearby before adding, "You humans practice the way of nature, learning natural laws of the world to wield powerful elemental abilities."

"That's right. But the question is, whose Transcendent Phenomenon does this belong to? Who is breaking through to the Transcendent Realm?"

"None of the humans in my Desolate Crow Clan practices Awakening Cultivation, so it cannot be anyone among them," Lilith stated with a puzzled look. 

"Besides, if we did have someone close to becoming a Transcendent Awakener, that person would have been known by now." 

"You've only just returned to the clan after being away for a few months." Aria stated before she questioned her, "How can you be sure that there isn't one among your clansmen now?" 

"That's true... I will have to confirm with my clansmen. You. Yes, you over there. Come over here." Lilith called a young black-winged aristocrat male over before asking, "Does the clan have any high-level Awakeners?"

"None, Your Highness. You know what the mainstream cultivation practice of our clan is. We all practice the way of enhancing our bodies," the young black-winged aristocrat male began answering her question.

"Apart from you, I don't think there is anyone else among the clansmen that practice Awakening Cultivation, Your Highness." 

"I see. You may leave now." 

"Yes, Your Highness."

After Lilith permitted the young black-winged aristocrat male to leave, Aria's brows furrowed more deeply, "If not someone from your clan, then it is someone from our group?"

"But that doesn't make sense. Duna doesn't practice Awakening Cultivation, while Leon is already a Transcendent. Darlene is still far from reaching that step, and I am right here."

Of course, Aria thought of another possibility; it was not a Transcendent Phenomenon for the Preliminary Accession stage but The Seeking Insight stage. 

However, that possibility was even more impossible in Aria's mind. Leon had once told her that his breakthrough to Nihility Transcendent did not have any phenomenon. 

'Unless the phenomenon came late? A Transcendent Phenomenon, lagging?' Aria wondered ridiculously. She must be going crazy to think that. 

"Your Highness, do you have any idea what is going on here? Are we being attacked by some mystical being?" Jorn inquired after returning to Lilith's side. 

"No, we are not." Lilith shook her head before she said, "However, we might as well be soon if we do not move from this location." 

"Uncle Jorn, please order the clansmen to retreat from this area immediately," Lilith requested shortly after. 

Jorn blinked for a moment before he patted his chest and nodded, "Understood, Little Princess. Leave it to me." 

Shortly after, Jorn left to bark out orders, and the clansmen began shuffling away from the collapsed mountain of carcasses. 

"If I have to guess, I believe this should be Leon's Transcendent Phenomenon," Darlene spoke quietly on top of Soft Feather after everyone had moved to a safe location. 

Nevertheless, Aria overheard her. She shifted her gaze to Darlene before asking, "Why do you think so?" 

The question seemed simple, but it was Aria's test for Darlene. She wanted to understand this new sister's character and how she viewed her man.

"Leon is so mysterious and seemingly able to do and solve everything. If there's something that cannot be explained, it should be one of Leon's doing," Darlene voiced her honest opinion without realizing anything. 

After a moment, Aria nodded with a smile, "That's right. The Transcendent Phenomenon is most likely Leon's doing."

"As for the specifics, we can only find out after Leon completes his breakthrough."