Chapter 22Paragon Core (Vol. 2 End)

Now that they were both ready to break through to the Paragon Core realm, Lionel called them to his residence. when they arrived, he scanned them to check if they really were ready to break through. He was shocked by what he saw. They both had rock-solid foundations. He understood that Azrael's foundation was this solid because he had been suppressing himself for almost two years but Lily, she just broke through a month ago. The Eternal Embodiment of Soul Embrace was really miraculous. He wondered about its true origins because there was no way that it belonged to such a weak sect.

He told them, "After breaking through the Paragon Core realm you two will leave Aurora Star for training. You two have spent most of your lives inside the Sect and you need to experience the world and make friends and allies. You can even make your own organizations. You will return when you have to break through to the Spirit Awakening realm. if you want to stay after that you can but only for 500 more years and you cannot break through the Spirit Awakening realm under any circumstances. You will go to a mid-grade Mortal world where the highest cultivators are in the Spirit Awakening realm. The only help you will receive will be in the form of some starting funds. Both of you will receive fifty peak-level sixth-grade Essence, Mana, and Mystic stones each. These funds are a loan without interest and you will have to return this amount after you return. You can choose to stay for another 500 years, but then each of you must return 500 peak-level sixth-grade Essence, Mana, and Mystic stones to the Sect. Now, go and break through to the Paragon Core realm."

Azrael and Lily went to Mt.Ascension. Azrael looked at Lily and asked, "What type of organization do you want to establish?" She answered, "An academy. I want to establish an academy where everybody is accepted, no matter their race or affiliation. But I don't think that it would be possible considering our starting funds. Even if we had enough funds, an academy needs a lot more." Azrael looked at her and said, "If it's an academy that you want, then an academy you will get. Let me worry about the funds and other stuff. Consider it an early wedding gift."

Lily suddenly blushed and Azrael asked her, "How do you wanna do this? Should I break through first or do you want to do it first?" Lily looked at him and replied, "Well, I was thinking about how you get struck by 729 bolts of lightning while only 81 bolts strike me. So what if we broke through together?" Azrael was shocked by her boldness. When a cultivator goes through a tribulation others must not interfere because the tribulation then multiplies. But the tougher the test, the better the rewards. And he had done bolder things before so he simply replied, "Let's do it."

Azrael PoV,

We both reached the peak and sat down. I reviewed my information on the Paragon Core realm. I also transmitted it to big sis Lily through the Soulbrand. It was pretty much the same for all paths. One has to destroy their foundation and recondense it in a sphere. Cultivators of the Mana/Essence/Mystic paths are struck by 1 bolt of lightning in every stage of this realm. Paragons on the other hand have a choice.

After passing the tribulation and successfully breaking through, they can choose not to get struck by lightning bolts and simply break through the nine stages. Or they can choose to get struck by lightning bolts but there is a catch. They won't get struck by a single bolt of lightning but 81 bolts, the same amount that struck them during their tribulation. And they must do it for every stage, they can't just quit midway. But why would anyone put their lives in danger for nothing? The Paragons who choose to get struck by lightning, get stronger cores than the ones who don't and as a result, awaken stronger spirits.

The Core realm can be divided into three changes and nine stages. Stages 1-3 are known as Core Condensation, the first change. During these stages, cultivators condense their cores to the limit. Stages 4-6 are known as Core Nurturing, the second change. During these stages, cultivators must cut a piece of their soul and merge it with their core so that a spirit can form inside it. Then they have to carve patterns on their cores. These patterns must be related to their chosen path. For example, if a person has chosen Forging as their Mystic Path, they can carve patterns of forging hammers, anvils, and even patterns of fire. They must also use compatible Natural Treasures to nourish their cores. They can even use the blood essence of compatible bloodlines to do the same. Stages 7-9 are known as Core Fortification, the third and the most dangerous change of them all. During these stages, cultivators have to create cracks in their cores and fortify them. Cultivators don't have to complete the third change to break through to the Spirit Awakening realm. They can break through even after only cultivating till the seventh or eighth stages but they would be weaker than those who completed the nine stages of the Core Realm.

I focused on my foundation, a cosmic humanoid that looked like me with a spear in his hands. I was just about to destroy it when it did something very strange. It devoured the spear and a crown with a small vertical spear in the center appeared on its head. I could feel that something about my Spear Intent had changed but I can only know for sure after thoroughly testing it out. I then used my Archon Energy to crush it into a fine powder and recondensed it into a spherical core. Dark clouds had started gathering above our heads. I looked over at Lily and it seemed like she was almost done.

Azrael's PoV End

Lily's PoV, (before she formed her core)

I was really shocked at how detailed the information that Azrael transmitted to me was. I went through it three times to make sure that I had completely understood it. Then I focused on my foundation, a Cosmari Infernal Zaldrīzes coiled around a seven-floored tower. As I was about to destroy it, it suddenly uncoiled itself from the tower and devoured it. Then a black tiara with seven gems embedded in it appeared on its head.

Each gem was differently colored with an animal face carved on it. They were; an Amber with a toad (Avaritia), an Emerald with a snake (Invidia), a Carnelian with a lion (Ira), a Sapphire with a snail (Acedia), a Rhodolite with a pig (Gula), a Ruby with a goat (Luxuria), and an Amethyst with a peacock(Superbia). I could feel that my Intent of the Seven Deadly Sins had fused with my Infernal Intent. I don't know how this change will affect me but I will think about it in the future.

I used the Seven Sins and Cosmic Energy to make two mills that were rotating in different directions. When they gained enough speed, I controlled my foundation to pass through them repeatedly, with the distance between the two mills decreasing every time until they were touching each other. While I was doing this, I sensed that dark clouds had started gathering above our heads. Azrael must have formed his core. This process transformed my foundation into a fine powder that I recondensed into a spherical core. As the Planar Will sensed my core, the dark clouds turned pitch-black.

Lily's Pov End

Mt.Ascension was blanketed with pitch-black clouds. Lionel looked at them and muttered, "What the fuck is that brat planning to do now?" He was sure that his grandson had found a new way to seek death. The thought that it was Lily's idea to do something dangerous didn't even appear in his mind. After all, based on previous incidents, it was always Azrael that wanted to do something crazy. The other members of the Sect also gazed at the clouds but only for a moment and then continued with their work. They had gotten used to clouds surrounding Mt.Ascension due to Azrael's crazy stunts.

Mt.Ascension,

Both Azrael and Lily had formed their core and were waiting for the lightning bolt that would rip their chests in two and expose their core. Azrael tasked some of his processing power to count the number of lightning bolts that would strike them. Just like they had anticipated, one lightning bolt that was purple-gold with a hint of black in color struck their chest and exposed their cores. Lightning bolts started striking the exposed cores and they started spinning. Each time a bolt of lightning struck the cores, they would shrink. The clouds started dissipating after 6561 bolts of lightning had both of them.

Azrael knew that the tribulation would multiply with two people but even he didn't think that it would directly multiply with nine. Their cores had shrunk to the size of a single grain of salt and they were severely injured. They started recuperating, and their cores also started absorbing the surrounding energy and started to slowly grow in size. When they stopped growing, both of them could break through to the second stage.

Azrael scanned himself and found that the embryonic worlds had grown a lot with this breakthrough and he was sure that they would become complete worlds when he broke through the Paragon Spirit Awakening realm. While they were recuperating, Lionel appeared there with an angry expression. He looked at Azrael and said, "Brat, I hope your healing is as extraordinary as you said because when I'm done with you, you're gonna need it. I told you this last time if you wanna do something crazy, tell me first, and you even involved Lily." Azrael felt very wronged and said, "But it..." but before he could say anything he was interrupted by Lionel, "I don't care about your reasons." While Lionel had been scolding Azrael, Lily could barely contain her laughter but by this point, she just started laughing out loud so hard that tears appeared in her eyes. Lionel looked at her and felt that something was wrong.

Shouldn't she be angry that Azrael involved her in his crazy death-seeking plans? Also, why was Azrael making a face that said that he had been wronged? Lily stopped laughing, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said, "Master you don't need to punish him, it wasn't his idea. It was mine. I was the one that suggested taking the tribulation together because if I didn't, only 81 bolts of lightning would strike me unlike Azrael's 729." Lionel was instantly speechless. He had been making plans to properly punish Azrael for his recklessness but never expected that the reckless one this time was his disciple. He looked at Azrael and said, "You're still getting punished for infecting my innocent disciple with your reckless ways. Hmph!" Azrael knew that he was just joking and wouldn't really punish him.

Then he looked at Lionel and said, "We have decided to leave after six months. I just need to collect some funds from my side business but it will take some time." Lionel looked at Azrael with doubt and asked, "What side business?" Azrael was dumbfounded and asked, "You really don't know?" Lionel felt as if he had discovered a big secret and said, "Stop stalling and answer the question you brat. What side business?" Azrael smiled mysteriously and said, "I am the Archaic Eye."

Lionel looked dazed and there was pin-drop silence for a few seconds. Lionel came back to his senses and said, "Brat repeat yourself. I think I misheard you saying that you are the Archaic Eye." Azrael laughed a little while saying, "You didn't mishear anything. I am the Archaic Eye. What, are you impressed? Do you still want to punish me? Do you... Grandpa what are you doing? Why are you coming closer?" and he started running. While running he asked "Why are you chasing me? I didn't even do anything wrong this time." Lionel answered "You are the Archaic Eye and you didn't even think of telling me? Do you know how much the Sect spent trying to buy your stuff in auctions and the black market? Tell me how much wealth have you accumulated in the last 10 years?"

Azrael stopped running and asked in a very solemn tone, "What are you talking about, I gave explicit instructions that the Immortal Battle God Sect doesn't need to pay a single cent for my products and if they want more they can contact me through their suppliers. I made a story that someone from the Sect showed my ancestors great kindness and this was repayment because I didn't want anyone to figure out my true identity." Lionel was gobsmacked and then rage filled him. He said, "It seems that just because I haven't made a move on anyone for a long time, people have forgotten to fear the 'Supreme Wargod'. To think that they have the guts to cheat my Immortal Battle God Sect. They really need to be taught a lesson."

Azrael was even angrier than Lionel because he loved the Sect and his family very much. And these people used him to cheat them. He looked at Lionel and asked "Do you have the receipts of the transactions? I have a record of every time I have received money for my products. We can compare them to find the culprits." Lionel nodded and texted the Elder in charge of the finances of the sect and asked him to send the list.

After three months,

Two news completely shook Aurora Star. One was that the Archaic Eye was selling their products in exchange for low-level techniques instead of money albeit a lot of techniques were needed. And the second, the Sect Master of the Immortal Battle God Sect had gone on a rampage and destroyed many famous chambers of commerce. The people of Aurora Star were confused, why would someone so important suddenly go on a rampage? Their doubts were clear when the Archaic Eye released another message, one that stated how the Immortal Battle God Sect had been cheated using his name.

In these three months, Azrael had collected thousands of low-level cultivation manuals of all three paths. He thoroughly studied them because they would become the foundation of their academy He collected about 500 peak-level sixth-grade Mana, Essence, and Mystic stones each. Even this wouldn't be enough for an academy, but he had an idea for that. Now he could use 5% of his processing power, i.e. about four trillion minds working together. He spent the next three months deducing new and better cultivation manuals. He also used 50% of his total funds to buy 1-6 grade herbs and ores.

Azrael and Lily were ready to leave. They had a family dinner with the rest of the family before leaving because they wouldn't be seeing each other for a really long time. Then they used the teleportation formation to leave Aurora Star.

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