Power of Runes Chapter 449: A Realm Disturbing Phenomenon (3)

The initial compression and infusion phase served to imbue one’s will with a specific nature, to dictate its future form. Now, the pivotal fourth step commenced, requiring the shaping of that newly balanced, ever-shifting nebula into a petal-like structure capable of serving as a foundation.

The lotus petal represented one of the most fundamental, accessible, and stable forms for crafting Immortal Seals. This was particularly true for prodigies confident in their ability to forge all Nine Immortal Seals and manifest the ultimate Nine Petal Lotus Immortal Seal.

Its full magnificence was only realized when all nine petals were present, at which point the structure achieved its complete and most stable state.

Conversely, cultivators lacking the confidence to achieve a Nine Order Immortal Seal opted for a more inherently stable form, one that could endure even with a mere First Order Immortal Seal without succumbing to imbalance.

Ash, without a shadow of a doubt, selected the Lotus form.

Ash mused, feeling the nebula-like manifestation of his Will respond to his thoughts with immediate obedience, as if it were a direct extension of himself. It felt akin to a pool of viscous liquid, readily moldable into any desired shape without physical contact.

After all, it was his own Will, merely given a new form, making its manipulation effortless. However, the true marvel lay in the newfound smoothness and fluency of its movement compared to before, where his Will Power, though controllable, was handled with far less grace and was prone to resistance or delay.

Yet, he could not linger here; progress was imperative.

He began to mold the runic nebula of his Will into a petal shape, initiating another round of compression, as the transition from liquid to solid was now required.

Progressing through phases—from gas to liquid, and now to solid—refined and polished the cultivator's Will, enhancing its operational smoothness, stability, and density with each transition.

At this juncture, however, Ash encountered an unexpected impediment: his Will began to actively resist further compression.

This was a natural reaction, but it was accompanied by the agonizing return of that terrifying pain, causing his entire being to convulse. Despite this, Ash maintained his focus, relentlessly applying pressure to his Will.

As moments stretched into an eternity, his Will, under the unyielding pressure, started to coalesce once more.

This time, the process was considerably more gradual than before, owing to the heightened density of his Will. The pain, too, was diminished. Perhaps familiarity bred a degree of ease, having already navigated this ordeal once.

Shaking off such thoughts, Ash’s mind narrowed to a singular point of concentration as he re-entered the Flow state, which had been momentarily disrupted after the infusion process. His consciousness began to move in a consistent, unwavering rhythm, oblivious to all else.

Unbeknownst to him, a parallel phenomenon was unfolding at his physical core in the external world.

Initially, it was barely perceptible.

Faint tendrils of golden light emanated from his glabella, resembling ethereal threads. Each strand carried shimmering fragments of ancient runic symbols, imbued with an almost sentient brilliance, as if these symbols subtly shifted within the light, resonating with a profound, underlying source.

These luminous strands did not scatter aimlessly. Instead, they moved with a discernible purpose, ascending and arching outwards, guided by an invisible force that dictated their trajectory with unnerving precision.

Gradually, these tendrils proliferated.

What began as a sparse scattering of trails blossomed into dozens, then hundreds, then thousands. Eventually, their sheer number rendered counting impossible, as more strands continued to emerge unceasingly.

With each graceful arc through the air, they left behind incandescent inscriptions that pulsed with latent power. The symbols flickered and morphed, weaving intricate patterns that defied immediate comprehension, like echoes of a language transcending ordinary understanding.

The very fabric of space around him began to warp under their collective presence.

The golden strands expanded outwards, forming a dome-like structure. They bent and looped in complex patterns, their paths intersecting while maintaining a flawless, almost sacred symmetry that persisted even as their numbers swelled, suggesting adherence to an unseen, immutable order.

It evoked the image of a blossoming entity, akin to a colossal lotus composed entirely of light and runes. Each arc rose and fell in a continuous, fluid motion that felt both meticulously controlled and vibrantly alive.

The ground beneath responded subtly, dust and particles rising as if attracted by the potent energy radiating from Ash. The air itself seemed imbued with an ancient, overwhelming presence, exerting a gentle yet persistent pressure on the surroundings.

The Concealment Runes Ash had meticulously arrayed across the island activated, causing the very fabric of space to warp and distort, effectively rendering all that transpired within invisible to the outside world.

To any observer, the island would appear as nothing more than an ordinary landmass. This time, even the ancient Qi that emanated from it was masked, a stark contrast to the invisible waves ceaselessly flowing from Ash's body, which had, curiously, bypassed the Concealment Runes he himself had set.

Suddenly, the expansive network of golden runic tendrils that had saturated the sky dramatically contracted. In a single, forceful movement, they shrank to approximately a quarter of their initial expanse, as if an unseen force had compressed them from every angle simultaneously.

The graceful outward-reaching arcs now tightened inward, their luminescence intensifying to an almost unbearable degree. The concentration of power within them surged to terrifying heights, giving the impression that the entire structure was being squeezed into a significantly smaller volume without compromising its integrity.

And in that precise moment, a shattering sound echoed.

A sharp, fracturing ripple pulsed across the island as the Concealment Runes Ash had painstakingly established began to fail, one after another. Their intricate structures fractured like brittle glass under an overwhelming onslaught, utterly incapable of withstanding the immense force being unleashed.

Whether it was the sheer volume of energy that far exceeded their capabilities, or the inherent superiority of the Rune of Harmony's hierarchy over that of Concealment, making suppression of such a phenomenon impossible, the outcome was the same.

They had failed.

The instant that protective barrier gave way, the previously restrained energy erupted without any further inhibition.

-RUMBLE!!!!!

-BOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

A thunderous explosion ripped through the island as a colossal pillar of golden-white light shot skyward. It pierced the atmosphere like a divine lance aimed at the heavens, carrying with it an irresistible force.

The beam was immense and radiant, a pure column of blazing light that appeared to bridge the island with the firmament. Its core blazed with an intense white-gold luminosity, while fiery golden currents swirled around it in wild, unyielding patterns.

The runic brilliance emanating from Ash's glabella, however, did not falter.

It remained intact, compressed and rotating, continuously feeding the colossal beam as if an inexhaustible supply of light was being poured forth.

The ocean below responded immediately.

-WHOOOOSH!!!

Waves surged and crashed in disarray, no longer conforming to the previous rhythmic energy pulses. Instead, they fractured into chaos, colliding with one another as if the natural equilibrium had been shattered and could not be swiftly restored.

The disturbance did not propagate infinitely; it remained localized around the island. Yet, within this affected zone, absolute pandemonium reigned, the water churning violently under the immense pressure descending from above.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

The overwhelming power that characterized the initial release was short-lived, dissipating almost as rapidly as it had manifested. However, it left behind something far more oppressive—a persistent, unyielding pressure that bore down on everything within its reach as the golden beam continued its ascent without pause.

And at the epicenter of this phenomenon, Ash's body began to slowly levitate off the ground.

His form, situated in a cross-legged lotus position, ascended from the earth, completely enveloped by the golden-white light. It clung to him as if it had chosen him, drawing him upward into the very heart of the beam.

His figure hovered there, suspended within that brilliant pillar, a sight visible even from the farthest reaches of the seemingly endless ocean.

But this was not the conclusion; it was merely the genesis. The vast network of golden runic threads escaping Ash's glabella once more contracted, reducing its expanse by another fourth. Now merely half its former size, the density within it had escalated to an even more terrifying degree.

The effulgence and radiance spilling from it enveloped Ash's being, bathing him completely in golden light. His form became nearly indistinguishable, his entire body submerged in such intense radiation that even his silhouette was difficult to discern.

-RUMBLE!!!!!

The surrounding environment shuddered anew as minute fissures began to snake across the entire island. The land trembled under the escalating pressure, and slowly, with the golden beam as its focal point, an unknown darkness commenced its spread across the island. Initially advancing at a glacial pace, its speed rapidly accelerated with each passing second.

The encroaching darkness soon subsumed the entire island, plunging it into an inky blackness that swallowed every detail. Yet, its expansion did not cease; the darkness continued to pour into the ocean, radiating outward in every direction.

A vast expanse of the ocean turned black before halting, yet to the observers, it seemed capable of continuing its oceanic feast indefinitely until an unseen command forcefully restrained it.

Following Ash's figure and the intensely bright radiance, a projection, dwarfing the light enveloping him, began to materialize.

This projection shimmered with a golden hue, its contours solidifying at an astonishing pace. Thin lines, as if sketched by an ethereal hand with unparalleled precision, independently formed, leading to the emergence of a colossal tree behind Ash, resembling a golden-lined celestial drawing.

The tree's sheer magnitude was overwhelming, not merely in height but in its imposing aura. Its trunk ascended like a celestial pillar supporting the heavens, its roots lost in the unfathomable darkness below, while its branches unfurled in every direction, creating an expansive canopy that spanned the firmament.

Each major branch bifurcated into countless smaller ones, which in turn subdivided into finer tendrils, constructing a network so intricate it appeared limitless upon prolonged observation.

Its bark defied conventional substance, composed instead of innumerable golden symbols intricately woven together. Each glyph pulsed with a soft luminescence, flowing into one another like radiant streams, forming dynamic patterns that shifted continuously yet maintained a perfect harmony, as if the entire structure possessed a consciousness, resonating with an undetectable force.

The leaves were legion, each flawlessly formed, emitting a gentle glow akin to tiny sparks of light. Despite their apparent uniformity, no two leaves seemed identical; some blazed brighter, others dimmer, all swaying with a subtle grace in the absence of any breeze, moving to a rhythm comprehensible only to the tree itself.

Beneath this magnificent entity, the darkness that had consumed the ocean's surface no longer felt void. It was a profound abyss, swallowing all light and thereby amplifying the golden tree above, positioning it as the sole beacon of existence within that realm.

At the nexus of this spectacle, the column of golden-white light persisted, ascending and bisecting all, bridging the Stygian sea below and the golden arboreal vision above, serving as a conduit between opposing extremes.

Ash's form hovered within this luminous shaft, ensconced in a meditative posture, utterly motionless. Light embraced him, securing his position as if he were the linchpin of the unfolding events.

From his glabella, threads of runes continued to emanate, now significantly more concentrated. They spiraled upwards and outwards, integrating into the surrounding architecture, their progression seamless and unbroken, appearing as the very filaments weaving the tableau together.

The spectral tree, the abyssal ocean, the supporting beam of light, and the ceaseless runes flowing from Ash – all existed in a state of sublime equilibrium. None element asserted dominance, yet each enhanced the presence of the others, crafting a vision that was simultaneously awe-inspiring and profoundly tranquil.

Viewed from a distance, it might appear as though a self-contained world had materialized within the existing one, a silent dimension where luminescence and shadow coexisted harmoniously.

The arboreal projection was of an immense scale, grand enough to diminish the vast oceans to insignificance. Its sheer size rendered it impossible to overlook, irrespective of the observer's vantage point.

Furthermore, its aesthetic was breathtakingly beautiful. Golden foliage and a golden trunk formed an exquisitely detailed sketch of the entire tree, with every branch and leaf rendered with absolute clarity, making it an irresistible sight as it stood in silent grandeur.

Were Ash conscious, astonishment would surely grip him, for this was, in essence, the external manifestation of his Soul Space – the dark sea and the Soul Tree, precisely as he knew them, with only the mode of presentation to the outside world differing.

Yet, the spectacle was not yet complete, as the intricate web of runic symbols began to contract once more...

-RUMBLE!!!!!

***