1176  Ascension

Within the Asura territory, Lith went from one world to another. Wherever he walked, he only saw misery and aftermath of genocides. The Asuras were cruel to their enemies, but much crueler to their own subjects. To have an edge over the EGC, they would resort to any measure, this was clear. Many forbidden rituals were conducted across their territory.

It had been a hundred years since the war started properly, and now it looked like the beginning phases were over where everyone was testing the waters. Trump cards were starting to come out, with the Asuras focusing on strengthening themselves through taboo means. When Lith saw enough, he left the AGC's territory and went back to Qing Mei Sect in the central alliance. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by the three supreme ancestors of the sect. Lith did not indulge in unholy wrestling with these beautiful ladies. Instead, he called for an emergency meeting. Everyone that was sent out was called back. Lith had a lot to say and also wanted an update on everything. The meeting took place in the central palace of the Qing Mei Sect. It had a serene and calm courtyard meant for gatherings.

The sun was two hours from setting and everyone Lith had sent out had finally returned. "Master…"

"Master…"

Many called for Lith and he turned to them.

A blonde-haired butler with absolutely phenomenal cuteness came rushing and hugged him firmly. Lith's cold face melted. A warm smile formed on his face as he hugged his butler back. This was Fei. "Master…"

A green-haired nerd with glasses joined the two, her being Lith's precious disciple—Lizbeth. "Master…" Another voice called out. It belonged to a witch in a long pointy hat. This was the ever emotionless Sylvia, who also joined the hug.

"Master…" the fourth voice came from a distance. When Lith saw the red-haired to whom it belonged, his heart ached. Fanny looked around, but could not find her mother. She stared at Lith and asked about the same when he finished hugging the ladies. Lith sighed and walked up to her. He hugged Fanny, even though she did not want one, and said, "I do not know. All I know is that she's safe and alive."

"W-w-what!?" Fanny was shocked. Lith did not break the hug. He rubbed her back and continued, "Be at ease… try to relax… your mother isn't in danger."

This was true. If she was in danger, through his blood connection with her, he would've known immediately. Fanny had trouble digesting this fact. Her heart was at unease and she felt really uncomfortable. Lith tried to console her. He did his best to calm her down, and it took quite a few minutes to do so.

"If this is of any help, Hyunsuk, Luna, and Qingshan are with her. She isn't alone."

Lith was sure they were together because it was he who got separated. A lot had happened a hundred years ago when he entered that realm, and it was so much that his memory from that time was foggy. He would need special means to retrieve all his memories, and right now wasn't the time to do so. Fanny was dejected. She did not have the will to do anything and retired for the day. Fei and Sylvia felt sorry for her, but there was nothing they could do. Lith felt sorry too, but some things were just not in his control. For now, he kept Fanny's matter aside and focused on the meeting. In the courtyard, Lith stood by a pond whereas everyone else stood in front of him, in a single line. Lith saw a lot of familiar faces again. There was Roy, Jacqueline, Lucas, the group of mercenaries, the three Supreme Ancestors, and Wang Wei.

Lith first talked to the Qing Mei Sect group. He assured the ladies that Qingshan was safe, just busy with something important in that realm. They did not ask further and kept quiet. He then turned to Roy, asking, "What is the status of your clan?"

Despite being Evure himself, never once did Lith consider himself a part of the Evure God Clan.

Roy shook his head. "It's not good. The Three Greats and the Twelve Pillars are alive and well. Only one pillar is dead among the twelve, so the force has not changed much. However, in the lower ranks, half the population has been wiped out."

Lith turned to Lucas as Roy said that. Lucas bowed, then nodded his head. "He is saying the truth, Your Highness. The Evure God Clan had a lot of trump cards and did not suffer as many losses."

"Continue." Lith said to Roy when Lucas finished. "We were working in the background, ensuring neither clan had an upper hand." Roy said. If any of them got an upper hand, the results would be disastrous for all. Roy made the right call.

Lith did not give him a hard time and listened. When he was done, he talked to others and got a brief explanation on the general situation. It was the same old dogfight, except the members kept bringing newer ways to try to topple their enemy. With how the situation was, the war wouldn't stop even in the coming thousand years. Assured by this fact, Lith gave these guys a bit of instruction and immediately went into seclusion to break through. In the hundred years he was in the other realm, he had been through many experiences and had enough elemental knowledge to ascend. However, he did not do so as that place was dangerous and he may end up dying or getting crippled. Since he was back now his first goal was to break through and cultivate. …..

In a quiet cave, Lith sat in a lotus position and focused on his ascension. Everytime he ascended under someone's supervision. This time it was different. He was alone. It was going to be a major breakthrough to the Half Emperor Rank. Lith took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus on his Mind Sea and Magic Core. Up until now, the understanding of elemental laws was the major factor in ascending. But for this rank, it was slightly different. Not only did one need to have a better understanding of the elements they had an affinity with, they also needed to put their body, mind, soul, Mind Sea, and Magic Core in harmony. If these were not in sync, the instability would collapse either or all of them, leading to a person's demise. Lith went through his Mind Sea first. It had undergone a lot of change and wasn't the same anymore. A dark tree was rooted in the middle of an endless expanse of water. Its branches pierced the roof and covered the skies. From it fell down fruits. Each contained a monster's emblem Lith had defeated in the other realm. They could be summoned anytime he wished. Away from the tree, a pitch black sword revolved on a vortex of pure Destruction energy. This was the real body of Lith's avatar, Neo. Being the real body did not mean Neo was with Lith. Neo had the freedom to roam anywhere he wished in the universe. His consciousness was attached to Lith's, and at his will, he could be summoned anytime he wished. Whenever Neo was one with his real body, that is, he became a sword, he would gain all the insights and experiences from the battles the sword had been through.

This would strengthen him, which in turn would strengthen the sword body, which in turn helped Lith.

It was all connected. Apart from the sword, there was a vintage pocket watch in purple chains. This was related to Fei and Sylvia. Lith still had no clue what they did, so they were just resting in a corner. Then there was a black and red crown. The red was blood on it, and it belonged to Keith.

This appeared on the day he did the deed with Keith. What it did was once again unknown. The vampire blood connections with his ladies brought items into his Mind Sea.

They were limited to Supreme Rank ladies and above.

So doing the deed with Alexandra or Lucy had not made an object appear here. All the items related to his ladies were in one corner.

That's about all the things he had on him.

Next, Lith went through his core. In his Magic Core, primitive beings were born and evolving. To fasten their growth, Lith showed them how to create fire and showed them the wheel and basic pulley systems to make life easy.

They were ape-like beings and still could not grasp the concept of pulleys. Thankfully, they could make their own wheels and wooden carts now. This made carrying a lot of goods easier. Lith's Magic Core was vast, and when the tribulation would descend, it would incinerate the civilization present inside. Lith had to ensure their survival on top of his own. If they were to die, having them appear again would be a great challenge. 'I can worry about that later. Let's focus on the ascension for now…'