Chapter 122: A Gathering of Geniuses

"Do you mean, senior, that among the heretical followers and those visitors from the starry skies this time, some have cultivated from the Books of Mysteries?" Gune asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Batalu nodded slightly.

"Books of Mysteries are different from ordinary spells."

"Whether it's the Book of Combat Mysteries, the Book of Shadow Mysteries, or the Book of Spell Mysteries, each forms its own combat system."

"As far as I know, among the starry visitors who came to Oya Continent this time, there is one who seems to be a mentor from the top-tier large transcendent world 'Gulongtan Transcendent World.'"

"I don't know much about this mentor, but a Bluefeather named 'Dius' who followed him to Oya Continent is no ordinary person."

"This transcendent named Dius, a peak sixth-order transcendent, has cultivated a powerful Book of Wind Mysteries."

"I don't know the exact name of the book."

"But in the Gulongtan Transcendent World, I once saw footage of this guy fighting."

"Mastering the Wind Mystery, his speed is terrifyingly fast; even some dodging maneuvers can't match his speed. In the blink of an eye, he easily covers five to six hundred meters."

"If it were just speed, that would be one thing."

"But his elusive form perfectly matches the erratic nature of the Wind Mystery, making it hard to pinpoint his true location."

"As for the sharpness of his blade, it goes without saying. I saw him effortlessly tear apart magic-gold-grade armor and then shred his enemy's body to pieces."

"This genius transcendent named Dius is said to be quite famous even in a large transcendent world like Gulongtan."

Listening to Batalu's words, Gune couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

Although he had already learned about the power of Books of Mysteries from various notes and materials,

hearing Batalu's detailed explanation now still stirred a tremor in his heart.

This Dius, who had cultivated the Book of Combat, was indeed extraordinarily powerful.

"Scattered practice of various spells differs from comprehensive Books of Rune Mysteries."

"You, Lord Gune, are not weak yourself, but you must be extremely cautious of these top-tier transcendent visitors from the starry skies."

"Besides this Dius, there may be other transcendent cultivators of Books of Mysteries."

"Until these geniuses who have cultivated Books of Mysteries make their move, you never know how powerful they truly are."

"Whether these transcendents have cultivated Books of Mysteries or not, and whether their personal insights into mysteries are strong or weak, can greatly affect their strength."

"If you underestimate them, you're bound to suffer." Batalu said solemnly.

"Indeed," the old wizard Zul nodded slightly from the side.

"Our transcendent world of Oya Continent, whether in terms of the framework size of the transcendent world or the upper limit of spell books, cannot compare to those powerful transcendent worlds."

"Therefore, on this trip to the Elemental Forbidden Ground, you must be extremely careful."

"Mm!" Gune nodded.

He would naturally be cautious of these enemies.

He had learned that lesson well during the Dragon Grave, when facing the formidable Daughter of the Evil God.

"Not to mention those visitors from the starry skies and the followers of the evil gods."

"This time, the Southern Healing Church and the War Church—these two churches—are said to have already begun intercepting faith power in secret, using it to forge the flesh, source pool, and soul of their two god-forged seed geniuses."

"Forged by faith power, their strength likely contains a trace of the 'Divine Envoy's' power, making their overall strength no less than those starry sky geniuses who have cultivated Books of Mysteries."

"At the same time, because transcendent masters and above cannot enter the Elemental Forbidden Ground,"

"both sides will send a certain number of peak sixth-order transcendents—those who have been沉淀 for a long time and can advance to seventh order."

"The strength of these people should not be underestimated."

After listening to the old wizard Zul's explanation, Gune gently rubbed his fingers and chuckled.

"It seems that this trip to the Elemental Forbidden Ground will indeed be filled with many strong individuals!" Gune laughed.

"Of course," Zul·Eremen nodded slightly.

"After all, this battle concerns the matter of the Divine Crown."

"It could even be said to potentially determine the future direction of Oya Continent."

"In this game, both sides have invested enormous stakes."

"With life and death on the line, neither will easily let go."

Gune, lowering his head in contemplation, silently pondered.

After a moment of thought, Zul looked at Gune.

"How is your demonization rune condensation coming along?"

"Already completed long ago," Gune said.

"That's good," Zul nodded.

"There's still some time before the Elemental Forbidden Ground opens, and Mystic Island is currently in chaos."

"Since you've obtained the techniques and methods related to mysteries from Lord Batalu, spend this time cultivating here diligently to improve your strength. That way, when you enter, you can better unleash your full power."

"That works," Gune nodded lightly.

...

Over an hour later.

Gune entered an underground chamber within the ancient hall.

The walls of this chamber had been specially reinforced, and the stone door was a specially crafted transcendent door. Cultivating here in seclusion was extremely safe, with no worry of disturbance or assassination.

After checking to ensure safety, Gune took out a meditation mat from a corner and sat down cross-legged in peace.

In his mind, he recalled the genius from the starry skies who had cultivated a powerful Book of Mysteries, the god-forged seeds of the evil god and the Southern Church, and those peak sixth-order transcendents who had沉淀 for a long time.

A smile curled at the corner of Gune's mouth.

"Without a doubt, you are all very strong."

"But I am not weak now either."

Then, Gune focused his mind and looked inward at his own body.

Over these four months of secluded cultivation,

Gune had made tremendous progress.

His progress in rune mysteries was especially astonishing.

Besides rune mysteries, Gune's foundational spellcaster abilities had also improved remarkably.

At the early fifth order, after multiple reincarnations and this recent advancement,

the sheer power of his source energy base already exceeded that of a peak sixth-order spellcaster.

Moreover, Gune now possessed three 'Demonization Runes' within his body.

Feeling these demonization runes, Gune pondered slightly.

The first demonization rune could transform the source pool and source energy, forming a demon source pool and demon source energy.

Now, Gune's source pool and source energy had already transformed into a demon source pool and demon source energy.

At the very least, Gune no longer feared the spellcaster's greatest trump card: 'mana suppression.'

With two demonization runes, the soul's damage tolerance increased.

For Gune, this was also a huge improvement.

Previously, Gune was very afraid of soul damage; once injured, it was fatal for a spellcaster.

Even with the demonic sub-soul's protection, the main soul could not afford any mishap. A small crack in the soul would drastically reduce Gune's combat power, even rendering him incapable of fighting.

But after condensing two demonization runes, things were completely different.

Gune's soul, strengthened over time by the 'True·Mystic Source Fruit,' already had strong defensive capabilities.

With the increased damage tolerance, even if some soul damage penetrated and harmed the soul, Gune was not afraid.

It could be said to be a minor transformation.

Now, with three demonization runes, compared to the demonization of the source pool and source energy with one rune and the increased soul damage tolerance with two runes,

the condensation of the third demonization rune surprised Gune somewhat.

He didn't seem to feel much of a change.

The changes were that the efficiency of converting source energy into soul power greatly increased, and the demon source pool's self-contained realm became more stable.

These were inevitable changes as the number increased.

As for whether the 5% soul loss limit had increased, Gune didn't test it.

If he died, his cultivation would fall behind.

But regardless, the condensation of these three demonization runes didn't seem to be a critical point.

The effect was merely a normal enhancement.

More demonization runes would likely be needed.

However, Gune did not choose to condense more demonization runes; instead, he chose to condense the Secret Crossing Rune.

After all, more demonization runes only enhanced defense and survival.

The condensation of the Secret Crossing Rune was key to a transformation in Gune's offensive capabilities.