Here it comes… Ryu thought to himself. The founder was as cunning as he is brilliant. There was no way he didn’t inquire about Ryu. A young boy reaching the King Domain at such a young age was unheard of. He also managed to break into his tomb that was guarded with powerful enchantments that only permits those with his bloodline to enter.
His grandparents didn’t suspect Exoe one bit and probably told them everything about Ryu. Thankfully they didn’t know too much. If they knew the full truth, Exoe might have taken them hostage already.
“Nothing major, I’ll just suffer a little backlash.” Ryu lied, he didn’t want Exoe to know the true extent of his abilities. “Actually my clone can’t generate Qi at all, only from spiritual medicine. I believe it’s best if we head out as soon as possible.”
“Agreed. It’ll take weeks to just get to the capital.” Exoe said seriously. “If that’s the case, you should collect all the spiritual pills and potions I have, we’ll head out in a few hours.”
“Okay.” Ryu said as he pretended to agree. Ryu packed up and said goodbye to his grandparents. He had left a clone with minimal amount of Qi to guard them in secret. His grandparents are not really part of the cultivation world and the founder’s reputation already has them worshipping him. Ryu didn’t have the heart to reveal the truth to them.
Exoe’s essence was contained inside a small gem within a small bag that hung on his waist. Following Exoe’s instructions Ryu rented a mount to head towards the capital. Obviously there was no way one mount can travel that far so they have to layover in many cities.
“So Ryu… I heard about your past from your grandparents. You must be some sort of genius… what’s your secret?” Exoe asked bluntly. Ryu was prepared for the questions regarding his fast progress. If he did not answer appropriately, it’ll cast a huge suspicion on him which Ryu didn’t want at the moment.
“A few years ago I was indeed kidnapped by an unknown expert. He saw that I was talented and wanted me to follow his footsteps.” Ryu began. “Unfortunately this expert was on a mission to steal from the Kings of the Forbidden Forest! It was there that he met his untimely demise.”
“Unknown expert? It is not uncommon for supreme experts to forcefully pass down their legacy to someone suitable after a long search. How strong was he? What happened between the confrontation?” Exoe asked excitedly. During this time Ryu felt a trace of spiritual sense emitted from Exoe’s essence, he must be trying to determine the truth of Ryu’s words by detecting any fluctuation in his Qi. Unfortunately for him Ryu could control his Qi better than he could control his own finger.
“I was only in the early stages of cultivation so I am not sure how powerful he was. The opponent was a Saber Wolf, one of the Kings of the forest. The battle lasted a few minutes but ultimately he lost. I thought I was going to be killed when a huge ape-like beast saved me. The ape could actually speak! He took me inside an enormous mysterious tree where time was increased many folds. I was free to train there with its tribe as long as I wanted, I don’t even remember how many centuries have passed but after I reached the King Domain I came out.” Ryu narrated as naturally as he could. He made up a random magically location that had accelerated time which could explain his progress.
“So that’s how it is! The Kings of the Forbidden Forest are more formidable than I thought, to be able to speak requires the Emperor Domain at least. ” Exoe exclaimed. “The legend is true after all…”
“Legend?” Ryu inquired.
“The Forbidden Forest has always been an enigma as long as one could remember. Millions of years ago, there was actually six provinces on this continent! The strongest empire at the time was the Chu Empire! The emperor, nearing his end of his life, was looking for a way to live forever since he couldn’t break into the next level of cultivation. Then a rumor came that inside the Forbidden Forest contained a special area that controlled time and possibly grant life.” Exoe said seriously. Ryu was shocked that something he randomly made up actually connected to a real piece of history.
“The Chu Empire charged into the forest looking for this cherished place but were met with resistance from the Kings of the forest. Before long it became a full blown war that ended up with the destruction of the Chu Province. Literally the whole province was wiped off the map overnight. Ever since then no major power had dared to provoke the wrath of that forest. No one even knows how strong these kings are or if that place is another mythical zone!” Exoe explained.
“Mythical zone?” Ryu asked with pure curiosity now.
“Hahaha yes, you might not know this but have you heard of the Fiend Tower? Or the Endless Labyrinth?” Exoe asked. Ryu shook his head, pretending he didn’t know. “These places are rumored to have been built by god-like beings themselves but unknown to most, they are actually associated.”
“What do you mean?” Ryu was getting more curious by the second now.
“Actually I might as well tell you, I’ve been into one of these mythical zones myself. The Fiend Tower! There are multiple stages in these mythical zones, no one knows how many stages there are. I’ve only managed to enter the first stage following an expert but we didn’t clear the stage. To enter such place, you need a special key. If you successfully clear the stage, you can continue on or leave. If you fail or decided to quit, the key will disappear and no one knows where it’ll show up. It could be under a house of a farmer for all we know.” Exoe explained.
Is this where Exoe encountered that dark beast and performed Beast Fusion with it? Ryu wondered. Then he thought to the key he stole from Mr. R’s group and wondered if that’s the same key mentioned.
“The rise and fall of any major empire all seem to have something to do with these mythical zones. There are countless treasures in there but obviously it’s extremely dangerous in there as well. The Toko Empire’s founder was rumored to have entered the Endless Labyrinth and came out with three spears powerful enough to split the heavens. One spear can devour anything, one spear will never miss, and the last spear can increase in size exponentially. Those spears still exist today. The Yasha Empire’s founder also obtained three sacred treasures from the Endless Labyrinth. A mystical mirror that could block anything, an unstoppable sword that could directly cut into one’s Qi reservoir, and a miraculous stone that could heal all injuries. The Lin Empire’s founder somehow gained enough power to slay a dragon, people suspect he came out of one of the mythical zones successfully too. I’m not familiar with the legends of the last two provinces.” Exoe said to a wide eyed Ryu. They were currently flying on a mount and it’ll be weeks before they reach the capital so there’s plenty of time to chat.
“How many mythical zones are there?” Ryu asked.
“I can only speculate but possibly five. The Fiend Tower and Endless Labyrinth are out there in the open for all to marvel at but you can’t enter without special keys. Then there’s the Forbidden Forest that might be one due to so many powerful beasts guarding it. Now the next two are pure speculations from rumors but as you know Shaolin and Wudang are situated on two mountains side by side. Some believe that there’s a secret mythical zone similar to the Fiend Tower inside those mountains and that the two great powers of the Heaven Continent actually managed to clear all the stages in it!” Exoe said excitedly.
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“That’s unbelievable…” Ryu was almost speechless. “What’s the last one?”
“The last one? It would have to be where you are currently headed with your main body. The Thousand Swords Graveyard. The number one swordsman of this continent has held that position for millions of years. His legendary status spanned longer than some empires. Even if you reach the Sovereign Domain, your life span only increases by a few hundred thousand years! There’s no way he lived that long with ordinary means. That place is also fortified with all kinds of magic and innumerable treasures. So rumor has it that he conquered that mythical zone all by himself!” Exoe spoke with admiration. “But again, that’s just my speculation from rumors and legends.”
“Wow…” Ryu’s thirst for adventure was kindled and he too wished to enter a mythical zone.
“However, you entered a pretty magical place yourself. Time, space, reality, reviving the dead, teleportation, and such could not be achieved even with True Specializations! Only god-like items could perform similar feats. Now that you confirmed there’s such a supernatural time altering place in the Forbidden Forest, I’m sure it’s a treasure from a mythical zone inside the forest. Perhaps the Kings of the Forbidden Forest had conquered a few stages of it.” Exoe said confidently.
Good thing he seems to have bought it. Ryu thought to himself.
Ryu was confused whenever someone speaks of time or space altering abilities as mystical. The Fairy Lady mentioned it so casually to Ryu so Ryu didn’t think it was strange that he established the specializations regarding those areas. His first two specializations with his original reservoir that had no tomes related to it was Dimensional Destruction and Time Dilation. Although the first one was too dangerous for him to wield at the moment, he still didn’t know what’s so special about breaking space. He heard Na’Vi’s group saying that it’s against the will of the current gods but they wouldn’t explain when Ryu asked. They told him that he’ll know the truth regarding the world when he goes through his first Rebirth.
“What did you encounter in the Fiend Tower?” Ryu asked while trying to keep the conversation going.
“Well… I followed an expert inside. Like the name suggest, inside the tower is full of monsters terrifying beyond your imagination. Fabled rare beasts from legends exists in there such as dragons and phoenixes. I even saw a giant humanoid beast that was a kilometer tall! It’s like you are in a different world once you are inside.” Exoe explained.
“Is that where you found your beast partner for Beast Fusion?” Ryu asked innocently. He already knew from peeking inside his memories but he asked nevertheless.
“Yes. I was fortunate enough to encounter a weak fire beast in there. Beast fusion is best done early but finding a suitable partner for life is hard. In Infernia, there are tribes that send their young ones into the wildness to capture their partner as a coming of age ceremony from what I heard.” Exoe answered.
Suddenly a spark flew out of the gem, it was the essence of Sha-Hi-Ra.
“Who are you calling a weak fire beast? I am the great Sha-Hi-Ra, there is nothing I can’t incinerate.” Sha-Hi-Ra shouted angrily.
“See what I mean? You have to pick carefully.” Exoe said sarcastically. “Get back inside.”
The essence of Sha-Hi-Ra looked like it unwillingly fused back to the gem containing the essence of the founder.
“How does Beast Fusion work?” Ryu asked. He was surprised that Exoe had complete control over the beast Sha-Hi-Ra since he thought maybe Sha-Hi-Ra was influencing Exoe somehow.
“My fusion was not a traditional one. I managed to absorb this rebellious spirit due to my special abilities from my bloodline. During a traditional Beast Fusion, there is a special ritual that is carried out with the human and beast at its center. Right after the fusion, you’ll be half beast half human. If you cannot control your partner than it will take over and you’ll be under the beast’s control.” Exoe explained. “It’s best to do it early on so there will be more compatibility. The unique cultivation method needed is also less effective if you fuse later in life.”
“What level do you have to be to enter?” Ryu asked, itching to go there one day himself.
“These mystical places can’t be comprehended with logic. The expert I followed mentioned that the world inside will be based on the challengers or challengers’ cultivation. In theory, what they test could be passed by the challenger if they have the luck, skills, compatibility and other traits. That being said, the expert I followed couldn’t even pass the first stage.” Exoe said with a sigh. “The key needed to enter the Fiend Tower or the Endless Labyrinth is hard to come by. Who knows how many keys are out there. They appear randomly across the Heaven Continent abd carry no traces of Qi so you can’t search for them. I would need all the luck in the world just to enter it again.”
“So what treasures are left if the founder of the Toko Empire and Yasha Empire have succeeded before?” Ryu kept asking, he was really curious.
“They definitely did not clear every stages. On top of the Fiend Tower is a devil-like beast that’s beyond the Sovereign Domain, it sleeps indefinitely there. No one has dared to provoke it or at least no one survived to tell the tale. Everyone believes that’s the true guardian of the tower that one must defeat in order to get the last treasure. The tower is actually only like ten floors tall and a few kilometers wide but once you enter, you’ll be transported to a vast new world. Many suspect that those founders only cleared the first stage and already gained enough power to start their own empire” Exoe said excitedly.
“Wow… amazing.” Ryu said in praise.
“Don’t be in such a rush. Enjoy life and one day you’ll be able to experience it yourself. You are already a genius reaching King Domain while looking this young. Take my advice, haste makes waste. If I could do everything over again… I would have trained slower to grasp a better foundation instead of desperately learning as many skills as I could and leveling up each chance I get.” Exoe frowned.
Ryu nodded. He has mixed feelings regarding the founder. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy but why is he putting so much effort in lying to Ryu and scheming for an unknown purpose? Why was he so blood thirsty? The snippets of memory Ryu got was only due to his strong emotions when he narrated his past.
Exoe seemed to love talking so Ryu flooded him with questions regarding Beast Fusion, the Frozen Continent and anything else he could think of. Exoe happily answered, Ryu wasn’t sure if he was doing this to further rope Ryu into helping him or what.