Chapter 1667 Blood
The difference was that Demons and Titans still mainly followed the body path. While Demonic Royals also placed emphasis on the body, they branched outward to comprehend something Dyon hadn't heard of in a long time: Martial Intents.
[Author's Note: Martial Intents were first mentioned in chapters titled 'Martial Intent'. Haven't been mentioned since. Though, it should be noted that Ri partially touched upon its realm back then.]
That said, Dyon wasn't unfamiliar to with Martial Intents. For example, Faith Seeds were kernels of martial intents. What made Higher Existences who could begin to form them so special was that their intents were so powerful that it could manifest into reality and even be passed on should they transcend.
When techniques decline with the passage of time and the weakening of a clan's Faith, it's precisely because that technique's Martial Intent has weakened. Or, rather, Faith is no longer able to protect it from being forgotten.
This martial intent was related to why Dyon could read a book without ever opening its cover.
The concepts of the seven sins, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Lethargy, Wrath, and Pride, these were the Paths of Martial Intent the Sinful Clans chose that made them Demonic Royals.
Still, Dyon was unaware of all of this for now. What was important was that the roots of the Pride Clan gave birth to the Devil Path. As a result, it was surprising, but not impossible that Orcus' Devil Princess wives would be aware of this place's existence...
Dyon most definitely made a mental note of this as he tore through the traps that hindered his path. This was yet another example of individuals on the outside being aware of the happenings that should be a secret on the battlefield. He knew there had to be more to this... More to the actions of the Mist Clan.
Dyon sprinted through the minefield. Though it seemed he had suffered multiple close calls, his body was complete in tune with his surroundings.
The closer he got, and the more he scaled the obscenely large mountain, the stronger the explosions of energy became. But, his mind remained tranquil.
Dyon tore through the protections. Even when the energy began to fluctuate widely, his divine sense was too locked onto his surroundings.
In this sort of situation, others would have lost their qi control. The atmospheric qi had become too volatile, but Dyon was prepared from the beginning. He used nothing but his wills and his body – just as the pride clan intended. And soon, his method was rewarded with results.
His body flashed and ran into what should have been the strong face of a black mountain, but instead of being crushed, he disappeared.
...
There was only one word apt to describe what Dyon saw the moment he entered: blood.
A sea of crimson and red was painted everywhere. Dyon would have called it a house of horrors, but even that didn't seem appropriate. If one used the insides of a person to paint a picture... This would be the result.
If it was just blood, maybe it would have been fine, but what followed was a swath of corpses stained in black.
They came in various shapes and sizes. Some were the stature of normal men and women, but others were enormous beasts. Dyon even saw one in the shape of a horse standing at over 5 meters tall, but what caught his attention was the spiraling bone of black the shot from its forehead.
All of these corpses had been shed of their flesh, all that remained were their skeletal structures, and all of them soaked in a sea of crimson that spanned several hundred meters.
The blood emitted an oppressive pressure. Dyon's footsteps, which hadn't taken a pause even under a sea of Energy Surges, couldn't help but halt.
'So this is Orcus' corpse army... No, skeleton army...?'
These were corpses that had been slowly refined over several trillion years. Orcus had hoped that in his absence, at least one of his corpses would finally break into the Higher Existence Realm, so he left them in 5 locations he believed might be able to do so.
It was obvious why he left this portion here, maybe this was actually the place he had the most hope in.
This crimson sea wasn't just any red liquid, it was the blood of Pride Clan Ancestors.
The largest difference between regular cultivation realms and the Half-Step Transcendent Realm was precisely the concept of Martial Intent. Higher Existences could manifest their will into reality.
One could see how a corpse would be unable to do such a thing. They had no will of their own, they were dead.
Orcus hoped that the latent Martial Intent of this Pride Clan blood would break down the final barrier, bringing these several dozen Peak Dao Formation corpses to the Higher Existence realm.
And after trillions of years ... He actually succeeded.
Dyon could feel the pressure from here. It wasn't a fluke that that corpse of what he could only assume was a unicorn caught his attention within this sea of corpses... Among the near 40 skeleton corpses here, it alone had succeeded.
Dyon couldn't help but hold his breath.
It stood majestically, a slight red wafting from its blackened bones. Its horn glistened above its head, weighing down a pressure that pushed the other corpses from it. It made Dyon feel as though it was breathing, that it had a mind of its own despite its stillness.
Dyon's foot shakily stepped forward. Even he was shocked by the impact this place was having on him, being hesitant, scared even, wasn't something he was used to.
Dyon had met a Higher Existence before, during his second trial. But he hadn't made Dyon feel this way. What Dyon didn't know was whether that was because he was weaker than this unicorn, or if it was because he was purposely holding back so as not to immediately destroy Planet Moon.
'Get a hold of yourself.' Dyon's mind growled at him.