Chapter 53 Interlude - A Better Way To Improve!
Chapter 53 Interlude - A Better Way To Improve!
In the shadows of his spirit palace, the sleeping Asura was sitting in front of the devouring monument, his eyes reading through the first stage passage with a serious look while jotting things down on a piece of paper his mind conjured up.
'Can I not change how the power of devouring works during those acts... Maybe a way that can benefit my loved ones a little more...'
"What are you doing this late, letting your parallel mind do the resting while your main mind is in this lonely place?" Brian's raspy voice sounded as Asura turned to him slowly with a focused gaze.
'Oh... it's Brian. I wondered who was lingering around me.'
"I wanted to see if there was a method that would stop this happening in the future. It is far too tempting, and I hate getting these benefits from doing those acts with my loved ones."
His face seemed downcast, "it reminds me of my past life's shame... I don't want to become like HER!"
The shadow of Brian moved around his body, seemingly confused as to why Asura was so conflicted, although it caused a smile to come to their face, knowing that he had taken the advice and warning to heart this much.
"You cannot stop it, but with a solid mind and heart, you can control it to benefit you both in a more tangible way; right now, you struggle to see their gains as they use the old cultivation system..."
"If you change how it's used slightly, then it will be a great boon for you and your loved ones—allow it to refine their bodies, mana veins and magic so they might deem to keep up with you in the future."
"What benefits would that have for me and them?" He wondered, ensuring he got the most from his devouring ability.
"First, it would allow your women to all eventually cultivate with the same system as yourself; their bodies, organs and bones would all be evolved, empowered and tempered to the stage where they can take the first step..."
"In return you would also gain this benefit, constantly improving your body, making your Anima purer and more dense while condensing all benefits into something that keeps your foundations perfectly stable and tight."
Asura felt this was better after being beaten several times. The importance of a strong body and magic density was all too vital. Also, he could have more control, and enjoy the act this way without unwanted thoughts.
'I like the idea, and maybe it will open new paths for us all in the future.'
Turning to Brian, he looked resolute, "Please, can you show me the way?" Having control would make his heart feel at ease.
"No problem, kneel before the Devour Monument, and I will help you."
"This is something you would have learned a little later on, but it weighs on your heart; I will help you learn it earlier."
He followed the old man's orders, kneeling before the monolith, and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth pulsating from the black obelisk and wrapping around him like a mother embracing a child calmed his unstable mind.
'I feel so at ease...'
Once the monolith performed this action, Asura was as if sleeping and would only awaken if Brian were to touch his body physically.
⁜ ???? POV
Brian watched the handsome Asura, his raven hair gently swaying from the light breeze of the monolith with each step; the old man transformed into a beautiful maiden, the black feathered phoenix form that she normally hid when he was present.
'Do not worry, this was the next stage of your devouring cultivation that would have become clear to you anyway. Now your women will surpass those known as geniuses in the mortal realm, and you no longer need to think of anything other than enjoying sex with them.' "I look forward to the future harem you create and how they choose to use the gifts you will give them: a strong body, endless magic with a density they could only dream of in the future."
'Even with a lifetime spanning millennia... I still learn new things about you—how delightful.'
The change she would make would simply stop his cultivation from increasing from the mana and anima shared between the couple, instead condensing it to slowly improve everything about both parties to avoid damage to their foundation.
This would lead the female to gain an extra cycle of anima to temper their body, organs, mana veins and magic density. Then, the last remaining anima would increase their cultivation slower than before, but overall, their gains are more than double. In return, Asura would gain the same benefits but with an emphasis on his Magic Affinity and body tempering, and his anima would be refined further than the female, causing his Magic Density to grow longer and more passionately he loved his women. It had nothing to do with focus or his technique, but the more pleasure they gave each other, the better the technique would resonate for the pair.
At the same time, his passive devouring ability would be amplified to cover the loss, meaning when he holds hands with Xavida or Lorem, he would absorb even more curses in half the time, and now devouring enemies he killed would be close to instant.
As for the minor cultivation when he kisses the girls and Mu Xue, refining her ice element... That would also be greatly improved.
'I don't want to lie, but it's just a little white lie... okay?'
Her hand reached out as if to brush the bangs from his face—however, before touching it, she pulled back as her fingers trembled while the devouring monolith continued to pulsate from her left hand placed on the black stone.
"With this, you don't have to feel guilty for taking from them and gaining so much... They will gain just as much as you do for some of them. They will gain even more in the future and won't face the same bottlenecks that would hamper their progress."
With a flick of her fingers, a strange runic tattoo floated from the monolith before swaying through the air and seeming to enter the body of Asura, causing his skin to glow a faint purple due to the devouring element being linked to his thunder.
As Asura's body began to convulse, the huge monolith at the back of his palace began to break the seal around the obelisk, now with a huge spider web-like crack running down from top to bottom. The moment this happened, the entire palace seemed to tremble as a light shone from the outside, and the entire citadel began to expand... five wings, five monoliths... each one vanished before appearing in a different area of the citadel.
'I did not expect this... What amazing luck! I just wanted to improve his control...' When Brian removed her hand, her form turned back into that old man before vanishing and sitting beside the Master wing, where the Phoenix Monolith now stood. The words were still jumbled, but the words could not be denied...
Asura was on the brink of awakening.
"Never did I think... you couldn't awaken your true bloodline because of this lump in your chest... Hahahahaha.... my dear spouse... how stupid.... lovely... kind... and wonderful are you?"
Asura's body was now lying on a gentle bed in the Eastern upper wing of the citadel where the devouring monolith gently glowed with a warm heat.
Life was finally beginning to appear in his once-dead and dreary citadel.
⁜ Lorem POV
Meanwhile, in the citadel...
Lorem watched the screens that showed each training ground with a location and coordinates. Of course, Lorem wouldn't send them to such places without being able to find them within minutes. She had not moved for a moment. When Asura was stabbed, or when Mu Xue almost killed the princess who mentioned meeting with Asura in private...
Or the prince was submissive to the knight he was travelling with.
However, this isn't what she cared about right now... Her eyes were fixated on the cavern where Xavida and Asura were sleeping... Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"You... it's you..." A flutter of red and black plumes and feathers fluttered around his body as Asura levitated several metres, a mystical spectacle...
"To think a True Phoenix Bloodline existed... but his family... no, that is only his father. What of his mother? Where did she come from..."
She began tapping through the kingdom's database, trying to discover information about Asura's mother... but there was nothing, even with the highest level of clearance in the kingdom... Nothing!
"Why is there no information on where she was born or even died!?"
Lorem began to take deep breaths.
She couldn't change this, but the truth was before her eyes... The male phoenix she had been waiting for was the same young man who could heal her illness.
"Imagine I missed this important man because of thinking he was a No-Mag... and I didn't remain in the academy."