Chapter 87 - Connate Providence
[Connate Providence Unlocked! Destined Sword Sovereign.]
[Host has gained access to the Sword Dao River]
’Hmm? What river? What is that? ...Don’t tell me I have a river inside me now?’
[Sword Dao River is a manifestation of the infinite Sword Dao, formed from the collective comprehension, intent, and principles of countless sword cultivators throughout existence. Every sword path flows within it, allowing those with sufficient talent and understanding to perceive, comprehend, and draw upon its profundity. The deeper one immerses themselves within the Sword Dao River, the greater their comprehension of the Sword Dao becomes.]
’Huh, so I can see intent of others there too? Like seeing their spiritual body?’
[Yes.]
’Sigh, this is great and all but it won’t help much in the fight ahead. I can only rely on becoming a low-stage Emperor and using the beast form. I’m confident I’ll win since there’s no Emperor Stage cultivator there now. But the problem is time.’
Cale paced the chamber, thinking through his options.
’The Hundred Year Gu will only get me to early Emperor Stage. To truly stabilize at Low Emperor, I’d need to burn fifty years of my own lifespan. Add the adaptation time and...’
He stopped mid-stride.
’Alright. First, become an Emperor here. Stabilize slightly since I have more time in the inner sanctum. Then buy everything necessary, use the beast form, and get out.’
"Truly a difficult task."
He spent the next hours polishing basic sword forms.
Slash. Pierce. Parry. All four of his bodies practicing in synchronization.
Time blurred.
Then came the moment.
’How much lifespan do I have right now anyway?’
[Host currently has 157 years of lifespan]
’Minus fifty and it’s just a mortal’s span. If I stay in Emperor Stage longer after the Gu wears off, I’ll need to burn even more. Then I’m really sacrificing my life away.’
He slapped both his cheeks.
’My cultivation technique said it was made to defy the heavenly Dao. I guess I really am going to do crazy things in the future... if I survive this.’
He closed his eyes.
’Alright. Use the Hundred Year Gu.’
The artifact activated. No sensation was felt. Lifespan wasn’t something you could feel being added.
’Alright... do it.’
Then he felt it.
Cale’s life force erupted like a furnace. Not gradual but quite directly. His lifespan burning away with every breath, every instant costing him years of existence. His meridians screamed as an ocean of energy tore through his cultivation shackles with brutal force.
The realms shattered one after another.
His flesh trembled. His bones cracked beneath the pressure. Blood seeped from the corners of his lips as his body struggled to contain the power being forced into it.
But Cale did not stop and his life force continued burning.
BOOM!
The moment he stepped into the Emperor Realm, everything changed.
He could suddenly perceive every inch of the inner sanctum. The black void beyond its boundaries. The flow of spiritual energy through the heavens and earth. Distant life fluctuating at the edges of his senses. Even the structure of space itself laid bare.
Power flooded every vein and every cell, the very thought itself.
For the first time, Cale understood what it meant to stand at the peak of mortal cultivation.
But beneath that power was something else.
His body was being forced to contain a realm it had never been prepared to reach. His soul trembled violently. His meridians strained to the point of breaking. Every heartbeat consumed another portion of his remaining lifespan.
He had not cultivated to Emperor Stage.
He had burned his way there.
And Cale knew that the moment this power disappeared, the price would come due.
Still, he raised his head.
’Let’s continue... open the shop.’
[What kind of item would host like to buy?]
’Is that how it works?’
"Give me a technique or a skill which can help me deal with the people outside and will remain even after the time limit ends. Can’t have a losing bargain now..."
[Host doesn’t have enough points.]
"What?! I have more than a thousand points and there’s not a single technique I can afford? Just show me the list or something."
[To stop host from unnecessary buying, the shop’s list can’t be shown.]
"Y-You think I’ll buy random stuff to get out of here! Alright, just give me some weapon. A nuke! Give me a fucking hydrogen bomb of this world, enough to deal with the lot outside. Don’t waste time now. Use all points."
[Purchased ’Heaven-Extinguishing Annihilation Orb’ x3]
"Sigh, just three? Well, alright."
With that, the time was over and Cale was forced out of the inner sanctum.
Just as he emerged, a binding artifact’s spiritual energy wrapped around him, yanking him sideways.
Wang Zetian laughed, his voice booming across the battlefield. "Hahah, you rat! We’ve finally found you!"
Wang Rou barked an order. "Kill him."
Cale launched upward, climbing higher and higher into the sky.
’Alright... seems like they can’t sense I’ve become Emperor Stage.’
His closed eyelids masked the transformation happening deep within.
His eyes snapped open—striking golden slits that pulsed with ancient, reptilian power.
The sleek white soul armor encasing his body suddenly erupted into blinding golden light.
His human silhouette dissolved entirely, weaving into a tempest of dark, fiery energy.
From the chaotic vortex, a colossal form began taking shape.
Thick, jagged black scales locked together, laced with glowing golden circuitry that thrummed like the veins of a god.
’Is this the body of a dragon... hmm, but I’m still quite small compared to real ones, huh? Am I an imitation?’
Fully transformed into a magnificent black dragon, Cale plunged headfirst into the ocean’s crushing depths.
The displacement sent violent tremors throughout the sea.
High above the churning gray waves, a massive swarm of armored enemies hovered in the stormy sky.
Purple energy blades glinted menacingly as they scoured the turbulent waters in tight formation.
Wang Zetian ordered, "Go inside. Kill that bastard. Let’s see how long he can hide."
He didn’t understand how Cale had transformed, but assumed it was another trick.
Wang Rou sighed heavily. "Just how many tricks does this kid have? In my hundreds of years, I’ve never seen someone this slippery."
They came as hunters, completely unaware that the apex predator they sought was already rising from the abyss.
With a deafening crash, the ocean surface exploded. Cale’s massive head thrust into the howling wind, sending a mountainous geyser of seawater violently upward.
"I-it’s a dragon! He’s turned into a dragon!"
One warrior’s shriek cut through the chaos.
Panic rippled through their ranks instantly. Their previous discipline shattered like glass.
"A live one! How the hell did someone in Master Realm use beast transformation?!"
"Quick, notify the elders—"
The command never finished.
Cale surged upward with unstoppable momentum, sending millions of tons of churning ocean water crashing through the airborne ranks.
The sheer kinetic force swallowed them whole.
Their screams drowned in the crushing tsunami.
Suspended amidst jagged floating rocks and crashing waves, Cale’s towering form dominated the desolate skyline.
His golden energy flared violently across his dark scales.
’So there are types to dragons too, huh? I turned into one that can go underwater? Is this due to the Kunpeng and dragon bloodline mixing? It’s possible. Both are ancestral and divine level.’
He spread his terrifying appendages and opened his massive maw.
The roar that erupted rattled the very heavens.
"ROAR!!"
Dark, ominous storm clouds rapidly gathered above, blanketing the sky in darkness.
A signal of absolute destruction for anyone foolish enough to stand in his path.