Chapter 124 124: Update
The influence of Runes happens subtly, often without the person involved realizing it; they might even believe their actions stem from their own subjective will.
By the time the influence manifests in the material realm, the person's will has already been twisted.
Only demigods like Janna, or higher-dimensional spiritual entities, can observe this process.
Kael was not surprised by this.
This was the inevitable consequence of deep exposure to Runes.
"Thank you for the warning, but now is not the time to deal with this. Could you help me with something?"
Kael said.
"I came precisely for this. Follow the direction of the wind; it will guide you to the person you are looking for."
Janna whispered softly.
As her voice faded, a gust of azure wind swept across the surface of his battle suit, gently pushing Kael forward like the palm of a maiden.
In the region of Zaun, nothing can hide from Janna's eyes, provided the wind can flow there.
Before long, Kael arrived at a slum, where makeshift shacks were haphazardly patched together everywhere.
His arrival attracted some attention, with obscure glances cast from the dark shadows, and suppressed coughs and gasps occasionally heard.
"You need to hurry."
Janna reminded him again.
Someone was already trying to tip off others.
Kael nodded lightly, took a huge leap high into the air, and the battle suit's kinetic assistance system propelled him over a hundred meters up before he dropped heavily into a pile of construction debris.
With a loud crash.
Kael barged into the hiding spot of the Noxus officer in the most brutal and simple way, kicking the officer into the night sky amidst his startled and panicked gaze.
"Surprise, Vander?"
As Kael turned his head, his face mask retracted. Judging by the look of astonishment on Vander's face, he was indeed surprised.
"You saved me again."
A look of joy gradually appeared on Vander's face.
The rest was simple.
Kael finished off the remaining survivors, took Vander, and left the Undercity, returning to his own stronghold.
The story of the Two Cities concludes here... Pure White Space
When Alliance Kael descended, the contaminating power of the Runes that had been acting upon him was instantly purified, transforming into the purest "Principle" and absorbed without reservation.
Calling it contamination is actually more like calling it distortion.
Runes, being a high-dimensional power, inevitably experience distortion to some degree when transmitted down to a lower dimension and absorbed by humans.
When this distortion is reflected in a person's life and soul, it's like being pixelated, becoming something unspeakable and incomprehensible, leading to warping and mutation.
This can actually be considered a form of life protection.
It prevents direct contact with high-dimensional power and subsequent assimilation.
"As expected."
Alliance Kael digested the extra "Rune Knowledge" in his mind, unable to hide his joy.
How could someone like him, who uses cheats, possibly worry about the mere contamination and warping caused by "Runes"? He had anticipated this long ago.
However, the current situation was far better than Alliance Kael had imagined. This meant he could explore and research the power of Runes without any concerns.
Not only did he not have to worry about contamination and warping, but he could also continuously cycle and absorb this distorted information, converting it into the authentic "Principle."
What is the "Principle"? It is already part of the rules.
It exists in every world.
It's just that the method of interpreting it varies across different worlds.
For example, in the Alliance World, the way to interpret the "Principle" is through Rune Magic.
Simply put, there have already been sages who successfully reached the "Principle." Kael only needs to follow the path they walked to interpret the "Principle" using Rune Magic.
Once Kael truly masters this kind of Rune Power, he will be comparable to a god in Runeterra.
No wonder Janna previously said that he was already considered an alternative God Ascendant.
"Let me see what's going on?"
Marvel Kael curiously came forward to interact with Alliance Kael, and his expression immediately shook.
"Great! I knew I hadn't misjudged myself!"
Marvel Kael grabbed Alliance Kael's shoulder and shook him vigorously, shouting excitedly.
"I told you the path of technology has no future! It's up to me now to become the God of Runes!"
"That sounds kind of weird."
Alliance Kael curled his lip, knowing he was about to gain a bunch of hangers-on.
The Marvel Universe is such a dumpster; it has every supernatural system imaginable. With a few patches, this system could probably be used in the current version, meaning Marvel Kael just found a ready-made solution.
I wonder if, after truly becoming the God of Runes, the divine power can be transmitted to other worlds. Since it's a type of high-dimensional power, it should be possible to some extent, right?
For example, the Knight Qi and Blood Power of Goblin Kael isn't impossible to synchronize to Kael in other worlds, but upon synchronization, it is immediately worn down and suppressed by the conflicting world rules.
In that case, it seems that "Kael" itself can be considered a high-dimensional power.
Before long, a group of Kael started working on Alliance Kael.
"Haha, this Daoist Master has finally succeeded!"
Folk Kael laughed wildly. As a Bard, he also possessed certain spellcasting abilities.
The "Principle" Alliance Kael digested via the Pure White Space was fed back to his Alliance World, becoming new Runes. When fed back to the Folk World, it became various spellcasting specializations.
From this, it can be seen that the Folk World is likely one of those worlds with loose rules.
Of course, it's still far behind the Marvel Universe. The latter doesn't wear underwear at all; anyone can enter. It's practically sending out warm invitations promising safe passage.
However, Folk Kael's laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Because Titan Kael threw a punch without hesitation.
Damn it, Newton's coffin lid in the Titan World is nailed down too tightly; it can't be lifted at all.
He also wanted to become a noble spellcaster and get various Monster Girls for free.
Hmm, a large part of why Folk Kael was so happy was because the status of spellcasters is quite high in the Folk World. As long as he shows his abilities, plenty of Monster Girls will throw themselves at him.
Furthermore, spellcasters also study Abyssal Summoning Magic.
This is a divine skill for getting Succubi for free.
Free door-to-door service, the kind that's on call, requiring only a tiny bit of effort in return.
Titan Kael's eyes were red with envy.
Staying in the Resistance forces, let alone Succubi, he barely sees anyone without a penis.
Well, even if there were people without penises, they wouldn't look much different from those with them.
Cyber Kael's situation was similar to Titan Kael's; Newton was sleeping just as soundly in his coffin.
However, he didn't feel repressed at all. Lucy and the others were constantly finding new ways to drain him; he couldn't repress it even if he wanted to.
"Alright, alright, stop fighting. We are all Kael."
Vanished Kael stepped out to mediate, and conveniently added a few kicks of his own.
He did have ways to relieve stress, but the food wasn't good at all. Given Villedo's urban environment, which could breed Humanoid Night Demons like Lavan, one could imagine the average standard of the other women.
Black Myth Kael didn't speak; he hadn't achieved Human Form yet, so he couldn't. He perched on Ghoul Kael's forehead, rolling his dark eyes and making the sounds of summer.
As a Yaoguai, since he hasn't even refined his Horizontal Bone, he can barely be considered a Minor Demon. At most, he has entered the Enlightenment stage and can try to absorb Moon Essence.
If following the normal process.
After several decades, through the accumulation of Moon Essence, Black Myth Kael could attempt to condense Demonic Energy, Open his Meridians, refine his Horizontal Bone, and finally become a Minor Demon on a mountain peak.
However, the prerequisite is that a cicada can actually live that long.
It is extremely difficult for insects to become Yaoguai without external intervention, as their lifespan immediately limits them.
Even if they are lucky enough to accidentally consume some kind of Spiritual Item, saving time on accumulation, dissolving the Horizontal Bone, and achieving Minor Demon status, they would still be at the bottom tier of Minor Demons.
This innate deficiency can only be compensated for after achieving Human Form, becoming a Great Demon, and gaining Innate Divine Abilities.
Of course, if you possess the bloodline of an ancient exotic species, that's another matter entirely.
In fact, without such a bloodline or opportunity, insects cannot even enter the Enlightenment stage.
This creates a survivorship bias.
It seems that insect Yaoguai tend to be individually stronger than other types of Yaoguai.
But with the power of ten Kael added to him, even without refining his Horizontal Bone, Black Myth Kael can already display some extraordinary Innate Divine Abilities.
For instance, a few days ago, a large spider, lusting after Black Myth Kael's body, was kicked ten meters away by a back-kick, breaking half of its fang.
Furthermore, Kael's speed in absorbing Moon Essence far surpasses that of ordinary Spiritual Beasts. At this rate, barring any accidents, he should be able to attempt refining his Horizontal Bone within a few years.
You ask where a cicada gets bones?
For him, the Horizontal Bone is not a physically existing object.
It mainly refers to the point when a sentient Yaoshou begins to master the Divine Qi of tongue sounds.
The saying "a fish bone stuck in the throat" refers to the feeling of having a bone stuck, wanting to speak but unable to. Refining the Horizontal Bone opens the Tongue Orifice, allowing the Divine Qi to be used, primarily through the tongue.
Purple Cloud Mountain is a good Geomantic Treasure Land, but one thing annoyed Black Myth Kael: there were too many spiders and centipedes, and they were all huge and all lusted after his body, disturbing his peace.
He just wanted to perch on a tree, sip some tree sap during the day, collect some Moon Essence at night, and achieve Human Form soon so he could go next door and look at the spiders' long legs. Why was even this simple request so hard to fulfill... Spiderweb Cave
The environment inside the cave was dark and damp, with numerous stalactites and glowing jade fragments scattered across the floor.
The entire cavern was covered in fluorescent moss, emitting a dreamy blue light under the faint illumination.
Spiderwebs were densely spread, and the rustling sound of spiders crawling could be heard occasionally.
Deep within the eerie and dark cave, however, stood an antique, traditional mansion.
The Sprites and Monsters in the nearby mountains called it the Zhu Family Manor.
Originally, this Zhu Family Manor housed seven Spider Demons, each a Great Demon who had achieved Human Form, and they were famous far and wide back then.
But later, they encountered the People Traveling West to Obtain Scriptures, and only one survived. Even so, the Zhu Family still held absolute sway over the surrounding hundred li of Pansiling.
However, in the side courtyard of the mansion, a sound of suppressed sobbing could be heard.
"Fourth Sister, let Big Sister have a look. Why did you come back with a swollen face?"
Dressed in luxurious clothes, with shiny black long hair, the girl who looked only ten years old leaned by the bed and reached out to lift the quilt covering Fourth Sister's face.
"Don't look, get out."
Fourth Sister, buried under the covers, seemed too ashamed to show her face, letting out whimpering, wronged sounds.
"There, there, don't be childish. Lift up your face."
Big Sister said gently, lightly stroking Fourth Sister's back as if comforting a child.
In fact, the Fourth Sister she spoke of was indeed a child, looking only seven or eight years old.
Under Big Sister's continuous comfort, Fourth Sister slowly lifted her head, first revealing her red, teary eyes, and after a long time, finally showing her swollen mouth with half a front tooth missing.
"Pfft..."
Big Sister couldn't hold it in.
"Waaah..."
Fourth Sister immediately started crying even harder.
"It's all Big Sister's fault. Big Sister shouldn't have laughed at you."
Left with no choice, Big Sister quickly offered comfort, only managing to soothe Fourth Sister again with great difficulty.
"Tell me, what exactly happened? How did you lose half a tooth while playing outside? If Mother finds out, she'll definitely scold you again."
Big Sister held Fourth Sister in her arms, gently tidying her loose hair. As the Big Sister, she often had to act as a mother.
There was nothing for it; their mother's old wounds hadn't healed. After enlightening all the sisters, most of the manor's affairs were managed by them, and as the eldest Big Sister, she had to bear more responsibility.
"I don't want to say."
Fourth Sister pouted. Remembering the kick, her wronged tears flowed uncontrollably.
How could she have imagined that the Summer Cicada, which looked so plump and tempting, possessed such strength?
It was clearly just a Sprite that hadn't even refined its Horizontal Bone, yet one kick managed to knock out half a tooth from her, a "Great Demon in Human Form."
If this matter got out, how could Fourth Sister ever show her face among her sisters?
Although she had achieved Human Form, Fourth Sister could currently only be considered a Minor Demon, and a watered-down one at that.
It couldn't be helped that her Demonic Energy and Human Form were bestowed upon her by her mother's Enlightenment.
This kind of action is akin to pulling up seedlings to help them grow.
But for Sprites like spiders, without any bloodline opportunities, it would be even harder to grow without this forced boost.
She was called Zi Zhu'er's daughter, but in reality, there was no blood relation, so she naturally couldn't inherit the Great Demon's talent.
However, just by looking at Big Sister and Fourth Sister's Human Forms, which are indistinguishable from ordinary people, one can tell that Zi Zhu'er's Enlightenment method is extraordinary. At least, if they follow the steps, achieving Great Demon status in the future won't be a problem.
This is a classic example of "when one person achieves the Dao, their whole family ascends to heaven."
Even a bottom-tier Great Demon is still a Great Demon; claiming a mountain as territory is no problem.
Therefore, for the vast majority of Yaoguai, this "Enlightenment" is not pulling up seedlings to help them grow; it is clearly a step straight to heaven.
"You must tell me. Pansiling cannot tolerate any Sprite hurting you."
Big Sister frowned, her tone serious.
"Actually..."
Hearing this, Fourth Sister could only explain softly.
"..."
After listening, Big Sister was speechless.
She felt that her Fourth Sister got off lightly with that kick.
If you lust after someone's body, they deserve to beat you to death.
Among Demonic Creatures, there is a distinct set of morals and ethics.
They abide by survival of the fittest and respect for strength.
However, an older sister standing up for her younger sister is a different matter entirely.
Seeing Fourth Sister's pitiful and ridiculous appearance, Big Sister decided she needed to get revenge for her.
Never mind what to do with that Summer Cicada, at the very least, he needed to know that Pansiling belonged to the Zhu Family... The next day, Zhu Family Second Sister looked at Big Sister and Fourth Sister, who were wearing veils, frowning in confusion.
When she stepped forward to ask, the two were evasive again.
This really made Spider Spider curious.