15 Glorious Pas (1/2)
Arno and the rest of the team are on the way towards the SAD local branch which was located near the city south gate. The toadman Fanctom is already there waiting for them. They were proceeding on foot while being guided by several soldiers. These soldiers were ordered by Reizen to escort the team. Initially, Melissa wants to reject the escorts but under Reizen persistent offer, she can do nothing but helplessly accept it.
Moreover, the distance between the mansion and the branch is too far and the roads are pretty much crowded. The team appearance is obviously conspicuous and will definitely attract attention. As a result these soldiers are useful to alleviate unnecessary disruptions.
Since Luccio has joined, he already started getting along with the rest of the member. The man himself is rather extrovert, hence, it is easy for him to adapt and mingled with the team as the other member also have a good impression of him. Melissa is satisfied with that, one fewer headaches for her to deal with.
When Arno is walking behind the other member, suddenly, there is something interesting that was detected by his Divine Sense.
He always activates and expanding his Divine Sense covering the entire city since the team arrived in the city. Right now, what was his sensed is the Saint rank individual whose Arno detected earlier is beginning moving towards the south gate direction.
An old male Saint rank warrior.
That old Saint rank didn't move at all when the team is still at the mansion, but now after the team is leaving the mansion. he also begins moving too, and it's direction also aligned with the team which is towards the south gate.
Arno is pondering. Is this merely a coincidence?
He doesn't know the other person motives, but he still keeps the Divine Sense to track him.
He also found the person wasn't alone, there are at least three other people with him. A middle-age man, a younger man, and a young female. All of them is from the human race, discerned from their unique lifeforce that exclusively belongs to the human, in which was detected by Arno's godly Divine Sense.
When he measures their strength, it is revealed except for the old man who is a Level 1 Saint. The middle age man is Level 5 Grandmaster, the young man is Level 3 Super Warrior while the female is Level 5 Adept Mage. These people overall strengths are not bad at all if according to the current time's power level.
If Arno is assuming that they were targetting Melissa's team with malicious intention. He doubts the team can offer significant resistance. Even with the team superior firepower provided by the magical armaments they wield, in the end, they still would be obliterated. It's because of the presence of a Saint rank warrior that would make impossible for Melissa's team to survive.
Experts with Saint rank strength are no joke. There is a reason why every Saint rank is an extremely dominant and respected individual that many nations and organizations in the realm highly sought or nurtured. Even Arno acknowledge this.
Arno keeps walking followings the team while his mind began returning to the remote past.
Back in Arno's time in Immemorial Era. Saint rank is equivalent of Martial Lord rank.
A Saint or Martial Lord cultivator is able to form the so-called ”Proto-Core” inside their body where the Blood Channels is converging. Proto-Core is a condensation of their entire pure quality Energia which was condensed with the help of their understanding of high universe law and of course the cultivation technique they practiced.
From Fighter rank to Grandmaster rank, cultivators can only circulate Energia or Mana exclusively inside their Blood Channels. So if a Peak Grandmaster or Heaven rank want to breakthroughs to the Saint rank or Martial Lord, then they must condense a Proto-Core first.
A cultivator is able to circulate their Energia throughout their entire body through the Proto-Core. The Energia will be able to directly go to every cultivator organs and cells instead of only circulating in the Blood Channels. This would provide cultivator an immense advantage as the Energia quality is much purer because it's already filtered by the Proto-Core itself before being distributed. Thus, the pure Energia will give a huge strength boost and longer lifespan to the cultivators.
A Saint or Arch Mage individual can live up to 500 years old.
That is why a Level 1 Saint rank who already formed their Proto-Core is at least 10 or 20 times stronger than a Peak Grandmaster, who of course nonetheless didn't formed a Proto-Core yet.
At first, a Level 1 Saint or initial-stage Martial Lord cultivator Proto-Core size is extremely small, around the size of a bean and its color is somehow a bit of faint transparent. But it would grow in size and became brighter as the cultivator raises his rank as well as comprehending more deeper about the Universe Law. Once their Proto-Core became the size of an apple and its color change into a faint yellowish, then it's signified that the cultivator is successfully broken through to the Martial King rank.
But forming a Proto-Core is extremely hard and almost to the point of being impossible. It's the reason of why so many Peak Grandmaster or Grand Mage would stuck without ever breaking through at all in their entire life. Some of them even breakdown into madness and despair as they don't know how to or clueless about what the further step is.
This is why that old Saint can overpower the entire team member by himself if he takes action personally.
Fortunately, Melissa's team had Arno in their side. He can eliminate that old Saint with only a flick of his finger. Even his soul includes.
Although they only know a little about his identity or strength. Arno is, in fact, the only known Divine Overlord expert who almost gone through his Heavenly Tribulation.
There may be other cultivators who has reached the Divine Overlord rank in the ancient times, but ever since Arno was born until now there are no other Divine Overlord existed except him.
The sensational news about Arno ascensions to the Divine Overlord rank cause a massive storm throughout the entire Gaia Realm. Cultivators were amazed, disbelieved, shocked, some even became jealous and envying him to death.
It must be known that even back then, the Divine Overlord rank is already becoming something legendary, mythical and unreachable.
The news also prompts several prominent Divine Lord and Divine Origin powerhouses combining their forces to plot against the newly promoted Overlord. They were alarmed and fearful of him. Because Arno's strength already too powerful when his cultivation rank is only a Divine Lord, and his sudden rise to the Divine Overlord rank is something unacceptable for those powerhouses.
On top of that they already bore grudges towards him since the past.
Thus, the greatest and the largest cultivators alliance with thousands of experts above Martial King set out to hunt him down.
They utilize every means necessary to track and set upon him. It is not easy for them to find him. They literally turned the entire realm upside down for his whereabouts, they even investigated every bit of information about him.
His origin, families, relatives, friends, lovers, and disciples. But they discovered nothing, nothing at all.
It's not their fault actually. Arno is a lone wolf. He always has been since he decides to embark on the path of cultivation all those years ago.
Origins? Birthplace? Homeland? Those places were gone, destroyed, and forgotten.
Family and relatives? They were already long dead, not even their bones survive through the passages of time.
Friends? Disciples? Never had them to begin with. There are several acquaintances that may be still alive, but those people didn't mean a thing to him.
Lover? Except for some missed encounter on his journey which he didn't reciprocate back, he doesn't have one. Besides he's not someone who is fickles in love.
As the alliance found nothing about Arno personal life that can be used against him. They had no choice other than to strike him directly.
Ultimately, they encounter him inside a small realm orbiting far away from the Gaia Realm named Aprax.
Aprax Realm is a strange small realm which infamous because the realm land is inhospitably harsh and uninhabited by sentient races. There is not even an outpost or living communities presence on its surface. Additionally, The realm devoid of any valuable unique resources makes it unpopular for cultivators to visit.
Arno deliberately leaks his location in efforts to lure the alliance into Aprax. He was annoyed because the alliance is tracking and following him all the time, he wants to settle the problem once and for all. So he chooses Aprax Realm as the choice of battlefields. He didn't want to drag innocent mortals in the battle, because he knows the battle will be a massive and destructive one.
Although the enemy comprises thousands of members, in which the strongest forces in their ranks was 4 Peak-stage Divine Lords powerhouse. Arno still confidence that he would prevail in annihilating them. He experienced it himself.
His strength is at least hundreds more times higher compared to when he only just a Peak-stage Divine Lord. There is no way for him to be afraid.
Therefore, he is indifferent and emotionless as he gazes at the alliance numerous cultivators arrived in Aprax.
The alliance thought they completely succeeded in cornering him. Even the alliance leader, the Doom Lord. Who is one of the most powerful Divine Lord expert were haughty enough during the eve of the battle. He arrogantly insults and taunting Arno, proclaim this is the day of Arno's downfall.
Many other alliance members though do not overly share their leader optimistic feeling. Some of them still feel dreadful towards Arno. They were facing one of the most talented cultivators ever being born, the Dark Prison Lord. A lone and a solitaire cultivation powerhouse, whose strength is legendary and resonating throughout the world.
Not to mention at that time, he already became a Divine Overlord. They don't know much about this rank power, they can merely assume and guess. Some of the alliance members are adopting a cautious stance while others however still being an optimist as they believe the alliance is able to overpower the Dark Prison Lord with sheer numbers.
Hence, The battle begins.
The alliance unleashes their entire member's diverse skills and martial techniques. They deploy every high-level array of formations that can shatter the skies with inconceivable power. They attack with any kind of magic armaments they possess, an Emperor class spear, Overlord class bow, Ancestor class demon shield even a Supreme class divine sword that can rend the earth.
They throw everything at the Dark Prison Lord to bring him down to his downfall.
Arno also spared no expense at all in defending himself. He employs every martial skill that he practiced and learned, several of these skills are an inheritance that he gained from ancient powerhouses, some were the ultimate skill he creates and developed.
The Aprax Realm is witnessing the battle between the Gaia Realms peak powerhouses that happens on its surface, where every godly skill and divine power of domains which unimaginable to mortals or trivial common cultivator being thrown everywhere. Creating massive and devastating damage to the realm's surface.