Arthur's punches were becoming heavier while his movements were growing faster. At the same time, the snake's poison had lost most of its effectiveness by now. The first few attacks had burned through his flesh and invaded his bloodstream. Now the toxins barely managed to remain active for more than a few seconds before his body neutralized them.
The snake sensed the change and immediately intensified its attacks. Massive clouds of emerald poison spread throughout the battlefield while a corrosive mist flooded the valleys below. Entire forests dissolved into bubbling sludge. Yet Arthur simply flew through the poisonous storm as if it were ordinary fog.
The snake's confidence visibly faltered. Meanwhile, the fox remained the most troublesome opponent. Unlike the bull and snake, it never stayed in one place for long. Spatial tears constantly appeared around Arthur while razor sharp claws emerged from impossible angles.
However, the more the fox used its abilities, the more Arthur was able to predict its movements or interfere with its attacks, making them fail. The beast emerged from a spatial tear behind Arthur and slashed toward his neck, only for Arthur to twist aside before the attack even appeared, resulting in the claw to miss completely.
The fox immediately teleported again, attempting another ambush from Arthur's blind spot. Once more the attack failed, and subsequently every single attack missed. For the first time since the battle began, genuine panic entered the fox's eyes.
It growled and unleashed dozens of spatial blades simultaneously. Invisible cuts erupted throughout the battlefield, slicing mountains apart as though they were made of paper. Arthur responded by activating his own Spatial Manipulation. Space warped around him and the incoming blades bent away from their intended trajectories before dissipating harmlessly into the distance.
The fox felt frustrated, until now it had assumed its mastery over space was superior. Yet Arthur was not only countering its attacks but actively interfering with them. Before the fox could retreat, Arthur suddenly disappeared.
The beast also teleported after sensing Arthur was using the same move. But Arthur appeared where it was about to emerge and when the fox reappeared; he was already waiting there. The situation reversed completely.
Still in desperation it slashed toward Arthur's chest with a claw coated in spatial energy. And Arthur caught the attack with one hand which made the fox's eyes widen. What Arthur did was coat a similar kind of spatial energy the Fox was using on his hand which allowed him to catch the attack without getting his arm severed. Then he punched.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The impact launched the fox across the horizon. Its body crashed through multiple mountains before finally disappearing into the distance. There was an unmistakable crack when his punch landed, making it obvious he had cracked the skill of the beast.
The snake immediately attempted to capitalize on Arthur's distraction and used its strongest attack in hope of taking him down. Its gigantic body erupted from beneath the earth while its jaws opened wide enough to swallow entire buildings. Concentrated venom condensed between its fangs before being released as a beam of poisonous energy.
Arthur raised an eyebrow and instead of dodging, he extended his hand forward. The poison beam struck him directly. The snake hissed triumphantly, seeing the enemy engulfed in its strongest attack. Then its expression changed as it saw a silhouette coming out of the green smoke caused by the attack.
"Thanks for the help," Arthur said with a grin. "That was actually useful." The snake naturally had no idea what he meant. Before it could retreat, Arthur appeared directly above its head. Aether surged through his fist as he punched downward.
The snake's skull smashed into the ground, creating a crater nearly a hundred kilometers wide. The beast released a pained shriek while blood erupted from its mouth. Arthur followed with more punches, each of his strikes drove the creature deeper into the earth. Eventually the snake managed to escape by burrowing underground, Arthur didn't pursue it as the damage was already done. Its aura had weakened significantly.
That's when the bull arrived and looked around in bewilderment after not finding its companions. Arthur turned toward it and their eyes met. It tried to flee but Arthur caught its tail and swung the enormous beast through the air. The bull crashed into the disoriented fox just as the injured beast was trying to get up. Both creatures tumbled across the landscape together.
For several moments silence returned. The three injured monsters slowly regrouped in the distance. Looking at the three beasts, Arthur couldn't help but smile. They had arrived hoping to exploit an exhausted victor. Instead they had unknowingly become his training partners. The realization seemed to dawn on the monsters simultaneously.
Arthur pointed towards them as purple Aether flickered around his body. "Come on," he said while grinning at them. "You wanted the Ape King's territory, didn't you? Don't tell me you're thinking about running already." The three beasts growled angrily, but none rushed forward this time.
…
Just as Arthur was about to resume the battle, every instinct in his body erupted in warning. Before he could even take a single step forward, an unimaginably vast consciousness descended upon the entire forest.
It wasn't killing intent, it was something far more terrifying. It was as though the heavens themselves had suddenly become aware of every living creature beneath them and Arthur froze completely. The three Moon Level beasts that had been growling at him only moments earlier reacted even more violently.
The bull lowered its head and stopped moving altogether. The fox's tails stiffened while its pupils shrank into pinpoints. Even the gigantic snake, which had been preparing to burrow underground once again to flee, became completely motionless. An oppressive silence swallowed the battlefield.
Not a single leaf moved and Arthur felt an overwhelming sensation of death wrapping around his entire body. Every fiber of his being screamed at him not to move. His instincts, his soul, and even the fragment of the Origin Flame within his Sea of Consciousness all seemed to fall eerily quiet. Though the Origin flame mainly did so to avoid getting detected.
Unlike the dangers he had faced before, this wasn't something he could overcome through strength or adaptation. He was certain that if he moved even a single muscle without permission, he would die instantly.
And this time... there would be no revival or miraculous survival, death would truly be the end. Cold sweat streamed down his back as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Who could possibly possess such terrifying power? Even Malphas... even the sleeping monsters he had sensed on this planet... none of them had ever made him feel such complete despair.
Several agonizing moments passed before a calm voice suddenly echoed directly inside his mind. It wasn't loud, yet every word seemed to carry the weight of the world itself. "Hmm... So you are the little ant that invaded my territory."
The next instant, an old man appeared in front of Arthur without any warning whatsoever. There had been no spatial fluctuation, one moment the space before him was empty, and the next an elderly man stood there with his hands clasped behind his back as though he had always been present and Arthur guessed it was pure speed.
He wore simple gray robes that appeared completely ordinary, while a short, neatly trimmed beard rested beneath an expression of mild curiosity. His eyes calmly wandered over Arthur from head to toe, not with hostility but with the detached fascination of a scholar examining a lab specimen.
Arthur remained completely frozen. It wasn't because he wanted to, the invisible domain surrounding the old man had locked down everything within its reach. He couldn't move a finger or circulate Aether, he couldn't even activate Spatial Manipulation to flee. The only thing he retained was his ability to think, and those thoughts were racing wildly.
'Is the old man, the planet's owner…?' The conclusion appeared almost immediately. Nothing else could explain such overwhelming strength. At the same time, Arthur quietly made another decision. Without moving even the slightest muscle, he used his connection to the Sea of Consciousness to transfer a small spacecraft together with several miscellaneous supplies into his Dimensional Storage.
If the old man searched him, Arthur needed something believable to support whatever story he would eventually tell. More importantly, he silently prayed that the old man would be unable to perceive the existence of the Sea of Consciousness itself.
Seconds later, he felt an indescribable force sweep through his entire body. It was as though every secret hidden within him was being peeled apart layer by layer. He suppressed every emotional reaction he could, afraid that even the slightest fluctuation might reveal something.
Eventually the invisible probing stopped and the old man's brows rose ever so slightly. "Huh..." he muttered. "There's nothing on you? Curious... How did you even arrive on this planet?" Genuine surprise flickered across his face before he casually waved one hand. The suffocating pressure pinning Arthur in place instantly lessened.
Arthur could finally breathe again, though he still didn't dare make any sudden movements. The old man calmly looked at him before speaking once more, his voice carrying neither anger nor warmth. "You will answer every question truthfully." Then his expression hardened just slightly. "If you attempt to deceive me..." His next words were spoken almost lazily. "You will experience a fate worse than death."
Arthur's heartbeat quickened, every instinct told him the warning wasn't empty. More frightening still was the certainty growing within him that lying would somehow be exposed immediately. He didn't understand how the old man would accomplish it, but he believed it completely. That left him with only one option, he would have to tell the truth… he would have to maneuver this carefully.
If the old man discovered the existence of the System, the Sea of Consciousness, or his ability to traverse universes freely, the consequences would likely be catastrophic. The old man regarded him quietly before asking his first question. "Tell me... how did you learn about this planet?"
Arthur immediately recognized that the wording left room for maneuvering. He nodded respectfully. "I am a member of the Artifact Refiners Union. I learned this planet's location from the Union."
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, he clearly noticed Arthur's deliberate emphasis on the Artifact Refiners Union. A faint sneer appeared on his lips. "The Artifact Refiners Union?" he said dismissively. "Do you believe mentioning them will protect you? Even if I killed you here, nobody from that organization would dare seek justice from me."
Arthur remained silent and the old man continued. "Now answer my second question. How did you arrive here?"
Arthur replied without hesitation. "I first traveled to Azure Heaven. From there, I used a spacecraft to travel through space until I reached this planet." The old man stared at him for several moments, suspicion gradually appeared within his eyes. "A spacecraft?" he repeated. "Where is it?"
Arthur sighed inwardly, the question had finally arrived, there was no avoiding it anymore. Revealing the Dimensional Storage was dangerous, but far less dangerous than exposing his Sea of Consciousness. "It's... with me," Arthur answered. The old man's brows furrowed. "Strange, I sensed no storage artifact on your body." His gaze sharpened. "Show me."
Arthur slowly extended his remaining hand. Space rippled faintly before a sleek metallic spacecraft nearly one hundred meters long materialized upon the devastated ground between them.
The old man looked genuinely surprised, he slowly circled the unfamiliar object while examining every inch of its construction. "Interesting..." he murmured. "I sense no spirit arrays or refinement marks." He tapped the hull lightly with one finger before looking back toward Arthur. "What exactly is this artifact?"
Arthur answered honestly. "It's a spacecraft." The old man ignored the explanation as he put it inside his storage ring. His attention had shifted elsewhere. "How did you store something this large? There is no storage ring on your body."
Arthur clenched his teeth, deliberately allowing reluctance to appear on his face before finally saying, "I possess... a storage artifact that has been permanently integrated into my body." The old man's eyes immediately brightened with unmistakable greed.
"An integrated storage artifact?" he muttered softly. "Even I couldn't sense it..." His gaze slowly swept across Arthur's body. "Interesting, very interesting." Then he spoke in a tone that left no room for refusal. "Where is it, show it to me"
Arthur shook his head. "I can't, I am unable to remove it from my body." The old man remained silent for several seconds before asking another question. "Then where is it located?" Arthur hesitated deliberately before slowly raising his left arm. "It's... here…"
He didn't even finish saying the sentence as he saw his left arm was on the old man's hand and there was only a stump remaining where his arm was.
Blood sprayed briefly before Arthur instinctively suppressed his regeneration with everything he had. He couldn't allow the old man to witness yet another impossible ability. He simply stared at the place where his arm had once been while forcing himself not to react. The old man glanced up from the severed limb with mild surprise. "You are quite tenacious," he observed. "Most cultivators would have been screaming their lungs out."
Arthur remained silent, the old man then focused on examining the arm for several moments before putting it away. His expression showed obvious disappointment. "Nothing," he muttered. "I still don't sense anything." Then he looked directly into Arthur's eyes once more. "You'll be coming with me." Before Arthur could even consider resisting, darkness swallowed his vision as he lost his consciousness.
***
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