Dyon didn't stop until he had displayed all over 3000 techniques he mastered to the One with Self realm. By the end of it all, many could only feel numb, while some, like Little Alauna and Esmeralda were prideful beyond belief.
"Freak…" Zaire muttered to himself.
Dyon descended from the skies with a bright smile.
"See Master, I didn't lie to you."
"Good… Good!" Esmeralda said without hiding her excitement. "This is better than I could have ever imagined. Like this… If it's like this than you can really do it!"
Dyon blinked in slight confusion. But before he could ask, Granny Celest came to his side.
"Little Dyon, your actions have truly baffled me." Granny Celest sighed, producing a very familiar orb of rotating lights.
"Granny…" Dyon started.
"Don't try to change my mind." Granny Celest said, shaking her head. "I'm no longer the most qualified to hold this Energy Core. Before, I thought I could help you greatly by using it diligently, but even after more than 20 years with it by my side, I am still a mere 10th stage Dao Formation expert."
Dyon frowned. "But there's no need to compare. You'll be entering the 11th stage soon, I can sense it."
Granny Celest still shook her head. "Right now, it's better if this is in your hands. The Mortal Alliance will go as far as you take it. Though I've made great progress in these 20 years and will break through in just a few days, this speed isn't enough.
"In the end, despite having this treasure, I can make the maximal use of it because my body can't handle it anymore. I fear that if I push too hard, I will only cripple myself."
Dyon felt that Granny Celest was being too hard on herself. For others, taking even a single step in the dao realm took thousands of years, let alone just a few decades. The fact she had cleared almost 9 complete meridians in just 20 years was impressive beyond belief even if the Energy Core was by her side.
Back when Dyon had the Energy Core with him, he too was forced to use it sparingly. At its peak, the Energy Core was able to snatch the energy of an entire universe in a split second. Theoretically, with such speed, one could enter the Higher Existence Realm in one fell swoop.
The issue is the limitation of one's meridians. The body simply couldn't handle such quick qi absorption. This was the crux of the issue.
"Take it." Granny Celest pushed the treasure into Dyon's hands. "You're already as powerful as I am now. If you enter the middle dao realms, your strength will be beyond mine. Use it to strengthen yourself before the Ancient Battlefield descends. We, the Celestial Beasts, will be relying on you…"
Dyon suddenly looked up from his Granny Celest to see that it wasn't just her looking toward him with hope, but all four Clans had gathered on this 18th tier.
"You mean…"
"Yes, we will leave this Mystical World and follow you out. You were already worthy of leading us before, but now it is undeniable!"
Dyon had been racking his brain all this time, trying to figure out how to get the Celestial Beasts to finally come out of their shell. But, in all these years, even as the Mortal Alliance grew, they insisted on remaining here.
He didn't expect that this would be the day they finally came out…
Head Tudo, Head Simia and Head Tigris stepped forward, respectfully bowing.
"We pledge allegiance." They said in one voice.
"Leader Sacharro must be careful." Head Tudo said seriously.
The last time Dyon had seen her, she was nothing but a wrinkled old lady. But now, she was a beauty no lesser than his master. Though she was petite, it didn't change this fact even in the slightest.
"The Ancient Battlefield has many Clans that purposely restrained themselves during that land's first two descents. They silently acc.u.mulated their momentum and waited for the perfect time to strike.
"They know as much as we do how irregular this descent is. The Ancient Battlefield wasn't meant to enter this phase for several more million years… This can only mean that the Heavens have given up on this Era and want to use the strength of previous Eras to reset the evolution of our Mortal Plane back on the right track."
Dyon grew serious at this words, his happiness being washed away in an instant. He knew well that Head Tudo and Head Simia had come from the Ancient Battlefield. In some ways, they knew more about it than he did.
This concept of evolution, he had heard his Grand Teacher speak of it before as well. The purpose of the Ancient Battlefield was to ensure that existence was always trending upward. The greatest goal of the Heavens was to raise the greatest and strongest. This was why it provided this second chance to those who fell, and was also why those of them here were in such a dangerous situation.
As for why the Heavens were like this, Dyon didn't know. Maybe it was just the way the Laws of Existence were written. Even his mortal realm understood the concept of survival of the fittest.
"I understand." Dyon said seriously. The fact his constitution's world was the Ancient Battlefield was a secret only very few knew, he wouldn't casually explain this.
But the truth of the matter was that this reality didn't give him peace of mind. In fact, the memories he shared of the clones he had sent into the battlefield filled him with more anxiousness than calm…
**
Many hours later, Dyon's master pulled him to a secluded place to speak with him.
Esmeralda smiled. "I think you're prepared now to retrieve the inheritance of our Celestial Deer Sect. Though it was created to only allow a Higher Existence successor to retrieve it, the tests will be soul based, and only partially body and energy based, so you're more than worthy.
"The reason I had to toil for so many years to comprehend these techniques was precisely because of our inheritance…
"Many years ago, the Celestial Deer Sect was actually founded only after our Ancestors stumbled upon an ancient ruin. Within this ancient ruin, we found items beyond our wildest imaginations. In fact, the two Treasures of the 33 Heavens our Sect procured, The Seal and the Life Stone, were both found within this Ruin.
"In fact, The Aurora Steps, The Soul Tome and the [Dao of Array Alchemy] were also within that Ruin, but we gave them to the elves as they had found this Ruin along with us… this was how our alliance began, in order to mutually keep this secret…"
Dyon s.u.c.k.e.d in a cold breath. 3 such treasures in a single Ruin? Just who left it behind?
"You've seen the other benefits of this ruin already as well. For example, our Sect actually has thousands of Earth and Heaven Grade techniques for you to learn. Even the outer quadrants wouldn't have this many! In addition to the Origin Crystals, all of these things were found within that Ruin.
"However, even everything I've mentioned until now pale in comparison to that technique."
Dyon's pupils constricted.
"Back then, the Elves took two Treasures of the 33 Heavens, and we took two. The elves took the [Dao of Array Alchemy], and we took this technique… Even through the history of our Celestial Deer Sect, only very few have even touched the first barrier of this technique, but none have even crossed this first barrier. Yet, simply touching it gave them strength beyond belief.
"If it wasn't for this strength, The Entity would have never been sealed! You likely know by now that The Entity allowed itself to be imprisoned, but this is only part of the story…"
Though she said this, Esmeralda didn't explain any further.
"… I have a feeling that if the elves knew what this technique was, even if they had to fight an all-out war with us, their allies, they would have never let it go.
"The more complex the name of a technique, the more likely it is to be superfluous. The more simple its name is, this closer it is to the origin of all things. But even by that standard… The name of this technique is far too simple…
"I know that Origin Techniques are the strongest in all of existence, even on the Immortal Plane… But even with my limited understanding, I feel as though this is somehow even above them…
"It's known by three bland words…
"[One Above All]."
At these words, Dyon's right eye suddenly throbbed violently. The reaction was so severe that blood began to drip from his sockets.
[One Above All]. He had to have it.