Chapter [5] - Changes

[A few minutes before falling, within the mountain range's heavenly tribulation]

Liang Long was meditating inside the tremendous storm, completely unaware of what was going on above the clouds.

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*Fwoosh*

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The sky was becoming increasingly disturbed. Under his watch, space collapsed. The earth underneath caused large fractures that linked to an underground cave, causing parts of the mountains to fall and fill the gaping holes, while the wind screamed violently all throughout the region. The boulders that flew up began to drift around the clouds, forming a massive debris hurricane.

Despite this, Liang Long maintained a calm expression on his face. He was sensing changes deep inside himself. Comparable to how the water stream flows down the river in a natural and harmonic manner.

The iridescent light reappeared, but this time it diminished the colors displayed. There were only three tones visible: blue, green, and red.

All three colors were pouring together, producing a vivid show of gorgeous light all around the clouds, dimming the hue of the crimson sky.

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*Huuu*

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A seven-colored light flashed down on Liang Long.

"#@%&#@* is eternal and ever-changing, and the potential is as limitless as one's own power!" His eyes became fuzzy as he slowly said the words that came to him.

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*Rumble!*

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A clap of thunder rang out. It was the most audible of the bunch. It was also the one with the brighter crimson glow.

Liang Long instinctively knew it was the final tribulation thunderbolt he had to face, but the danger it represented was considerably greater than the prior ones.

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*BOOOM!*

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It struck the meditative figure of Liang Long. He was subjected to unimaginable pain, yet he remained unafraid.

The dark clouds began to disperse, casting a seven-colored glow around the now-bright sky while Liang Long proceeded to fall.

He was still conscious, and as he looked up, he noticed something he hadn't seen in a long time.

'It's the blue cube! I tried to refine that thing but I was unable to retrieve it from the depths of my knowledge sea.'

'Wait a minute, what is that red crystal?'

He didn't have time to think about it since he was getting closer to the ground. While at it, Liang Long reflected on his current breakthrough in comparison to previous ones.

His time inside the vortex was not unproductive. As his soul cultivation increased, he was able to open up and develop his mindscape directly into a knowledge sea. During these years, he was also able to develop and consolidate some kinesis that he had not explored much in the past.

Liang Long would occasionally break through numerous levels of power and even a few major realms. But, for some reason, he didn't have any heavenly tribulations on the journey.

As a result, Liang Long devised a theory to explain why his tribulations at this time were so chaotic.

During his stay within the vortex, he'd largely avoided them.

Which probably made him accumulate way too much karmic power. And all of this agitated the heavens, who were enraged at him for defying them. He believed that was most likely the case, but he couldn't proceed to think as of right now.

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(A/N: I'm not sure whether karmic power exists in Martial Peak. I suppose it was karmic luck, but I'm not sure whether it was the same thing. Regardless, it's a nice concept, so I'll include it. It also especially helps in explaining our MC's power.)

Because Liang Long could no longer hold on. As he fell to the ground, he began to lose consciousness.

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*Huum*

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The red crystal and blue cube generated a dazzling red and blue light at the same time, and they shot toward Liang Long's falling figure. He was already unconscious, though, as the two odd objects materialized in front of him and began to integrate with his soul.

It is still unknown why they went straight to Liang Long and where they went within his astral body.

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[In the vicinity of the mountain range]

"What exactly happened to this place? This isn't right!" Luo Lan spoke with surprise and was in disbelief.

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*Woooo*

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To describe this as "utter destruction" was an understatement. Everything the three of them saw was crimson-colored forests and mountains. The scent of burning dead animals filled their nostrils, and there were dry plants and trees everywhere.

The rocks and boulders were not spared, as they melted and converted into lava, illustrating the high heat that the red lightning was capable of producing.

For some inexplicable reason, the spot where they planned to teleport directly to Liang Long's location was inaccessible. They had no option but to fly, keeping a safe distance from the red landscape.

They didn't know what kind of power it was, so naturally, they wouldn't mess with it carelessly. What if touching or going near it would cause the same to happen to them? Although they were powerful, there's nothing wrong with being extra careful.

They initially believed that the world had separated the area where Liang Long was, but they soon understood that the space principles were nearly totally shattered.

It made sense; such a groundbreaking breakthrough would undoubtedly leave the world scarred. Even though these occurrences are rare, space being ripped apart by heavenly tribulation is nothing new to them.

"There is literally nothing left but death. This region will most likely no longer be prosperous." Long Tian said, his voice tinged with pity. He was also familiar with this mountain range. It is a very secluded spot.

He had previously visited this location in search of cultivation materials for his daughter. He discovered a lot of good stuff, and the beasts here were all tough and fairly powerful, making them ideal for nutrition after a hard day of work.

"I'm more worried about that boy's power. It appears to be an eroding force capable of destroying everything. But I suspect there's more to it." Luo Lan spoke things solemnly. She had seen its power firsthand when Liang Long first arrived in this world. The collision with the red meteor had turned the grass black.

She characterized it as a dreadful erosion that seemed to disintegrate everything it came into contact with, and she thought the boy had no control over it.

"Our doubts will be answered when we meet that young man once again. Let's go." Long Tian remarked as he began to accelerate slightly, pulling his daughter behind him in the back of his dragon body.

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[A few minutes later, on the ruined mountain range]

"Agh, my head hurts.." A groan could be heard; it was Liang Long.

He plummeted from the heavens as his breakthrough came to an end. He could sense the changes in his soul and how powerful he had gotten almost immediately.

Liang Long's soul power is now denser than before, with increased vigor and quality. His soul was now much clearer, and what startled him was that it was no longer blue, but black with white flecks of light all over his figure. He was likewise shrouded in a hazy black and white mist.

He recognized it right away. It was primordial chaos energy!

It had previously revealed itself as he was crossing over to the next realm. It appears that the energy has entirely assimilated into his soul, giving him a sudden burst of power.

The runes that covered Liang Long's body had vanished. Since his breakthrough was effective, it most likely scattered completely, indicating that he may no longer require them.

"I have gained quite a lot. My comprehension of the cosmos has grown by leaps and bounds, and I can now delve much deeper into my understanding of kinetic abilities. But why do I think I've created something completely new?" Liang Long paused for a moment after voicing his thoughts.

He is well aware that his agonizing and unsettling promotion to the next realm was not unjustified this time. He evaded numerous heavenly tribulations, causing karmic power to accumulate inside him.

There was far too much karmic power to be discharged steadily through his body as the result of his breakthrough in this world.

The world most likely suffered the most from the overflow of karmic power, resulting in an incredibly turbulent environment for his breakthrough.

But what piqued his interest the most today were the two objects that appeared in the sky without him noticing. Even if he was experiencing a breakthrough, his awareness of the space around him was incredibly sharp, so even the tiniest shift would be noticed.

"When I returned to myself, their weird energy signature had long vanished. Did the blue cube return to me as well? I'm curious whether that red crystal did the same thing." Liang Long uttered it, as he clearly saw that they had some sort of compatibility with one another.

He was convinced that the blue cube was still with him, as it had been previously. The true mystery is what the red diamond-shaped crystal was. What caused it to appear? Did it do anything that had anything to do with his soul's increase in power alongside the primordial chaos energy?

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*Whoosh*

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"?!"

Liang Long heard a sizzling in the wind and noticed someone, no, three individuals, rushing directly at him. He already knew who they were since he had previously sensed their aura.

'It's those three again.' He was sure of it.

After a bit of exploring, he learned that there was no one in this world with a greater energy signature than these people and himself, indicating that there had been no mistake in his assumption.

Soon after, three people emerged into his line of view and began to descend. A mature-looking woman, a guy, and a young girl stood a few meters apart from him.

They were all taken aback, as the person in front of them at first was a bright blue, vibrant soul with highly detailed traits all over his body, but now his soul was practically pitch black with glittering white particles blazing around him.

"We've met again, young man. Haa, you've really don-" Long Tian was the first to speak to Liang Long, whom he thought the name was Bai Li when they first met. But then his gaze was drawn to his appearance, and he was taken aback with shock.

His wife had the same expression.

"Primordial chaos?!" Long Tian screamed loudly, his eyes popping in full disbelief.

"It really is primordial chaos energy!" Luo Lan couldn't stop herself from speaking out.

They intuitively understand what the Primordial Chaos energy is and how it feels because they have lived for eons. It was not a sort of energy that people could touch or manipulate since it was not governed by any laws.

They couldn't figure out how this boy had so much energy quietly spinning around in his hazy appearance.

'What happened to him? His soul... It's indeed in the Open Heaven Realm, but at the same time, it... isn't?' While contemplating his breakthrough and energy signature, Luo Lan and Long Tian thought.

They were able to lock their divine sense into the area with the biggest power fluctuation when they arrived in this destroyed region, which led them to Bai Li (Liang Long).

Luo Lan and Long Tian were both perplexed. They could certainly feel the aura of an Open Heaven Realm cultivator in front of them, but they couldn't accurately define it.

.

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For whatever reason, Liang Long's aura has undergone an unusual alteration.

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[1872 words]

(A/N: Too many concepts; I'm brain dead.)