44: Unbound

Lycius dismissed his wandering thoughts of Vynessa and Xylara. He had no intention of seeking them out—not yet.

There was still something far more pressing that demanded his attention.

His dantians.

Or rather, the ones that remained sealed.

Without hesitation, he strode through the grand halls of their home, his movements smooth, fluid, purposeful. His destination was already decided.

His royal bedchamber.

Well… Xylara's bedchamber.

But as far as he was concerned—everything Xylara owned was his.

The moment he stepped inside, the scent of dark florals and lingering warmth wrapped around him—a subtle trace of Xylara's presence. But he ignored it.

The chamber was vast, adorned with the finest silks, deep violet drapes, and a bed that rivaled the luxury of any throne. But it was the center of that bed he sought.

Without breaking stride, Lycius moved toward it, settling himself effortlessly upon the plush surface.

Cross-legged. Spine straight. Eyes closing.

He exhaled, letting the outside world fade into a dull whisper as his focus tunneled inward.

He reached out—not physically, but with something far more profound.

And he felt her.

His aunt.

Lana.

Not her physical form, but the trace of her energy—the lingering imprint of her presence from earlier when she had guided him through his body's depths.

It was easy.

After all, he had watched her do it.

Now, it was his turn.

His consciousness drifted deeper, peeling back the layers of his being until he stood within the endless void of his own internal world.

And there—looming before him—

Two enormous crystalline structures.

His high dantian.

His low dantian.

The sealed gates to something far greater than even his main dantian had been.

A slow smirk curled on Lycius's lips.

Magnificent.

Power slumbered within them, waiting.

No, begging to be unleashed.

And now that he had found them…

They would not remain closed for long.

Feeling bold, feeling arrogant, he raised a hand—his will absolute.

Elemental forces surged at his call.

Here, inside himself, there were no rules.

No restrictions.

Reality could not bind him.

Only his imagination dictated what was possible.

And Lycius's imagination…

Was boundless.

As he stood before his sealed dantians—his high and low dantian—each an enormous crystalline monolith, pulsing with unfathomable power.

The seals upon them strained, creaking beneath his mere presence.

But it wasn't enough.

He needed destruction.

He needed calamity.

With a flick of his wrist, the elements of catastrophe stirred.

Infernal flames crackled to life, burning with a heat that could incinerate divinity itself.

Abyssal frost spread like a merciless plague, devouring existence in absolute stillness.

Storms of pure annihilation raged, lightning that did not simply electrocute—it unmade.

And yet, all of it was his.

A mere extension of his will.

Lycius lifted a single hand.

Snap.

The sound echoed like a death knell.

From the void, a weapon was born.

A scythe.

Not just any scythe—his.

The blade, sleek and elongated, pulsed with an edge so unnatural it defied reality itself.

A weapon unbound by dullness.

Unshackled from the weakness of mortal durability.

It was absolute.

Lycius gripped the shaft, his golden eyes glinting with cruel amusement.

With a single swing—

CRACK!

The strain on his lower dantian shattered.

The force of the impact sent ripples through his internal world, the vast abyss trembling at the sheer magnitude of what had just been unleashed.

He did not hesitate.

Another swing.

BOOM!

The remaining seal upon his high dantian ruptured, exploding into nothingness.

In that moment—

His body, his soul, his very essence shifted.

Something awoke.

The moment his dantians shattered free of their seals, a force unlike anything he had ever known erupted from within.

It was not an explosion.

It was not a surge.

It was a collapse—an implosion of power so dense, so absolute, that it crushed him beneath its weight.

Lycius barely had time to comprehend the shift before—

"Hngh—!"

His entire being was yanked back into his physical body, his vision snapping to the present with violent force.

The pressure struck like a divine decree. A suppression so immense it felt as though the very laws of existence demanded his submission.

His muscles seized. His breath hitched.

Then—agony.

A burning, searing pain erupted in his chest, as if unseen hands had reached inside and begun ripping him apart from the inside.

It wasn't a wound.

It wasn't damage.

It was growth.

His dantians, now fully awakened, roared to life, channeling rivers of Aetherius through him—unstoppable, all-consuming.

With each second, it expanded.

With each pulse, it became something more.

Lycius gritted his teeth, golden eyes flashing with dark gold radiance as he rode the storm within. This was not suffering—it was evolution.

And he would endure it.

No—

He would conquer it.

Lycius exhaled slowly, reining in the wild torrents of Aetherius surging through him. It struggled, resisted, its raw, boundless might refusing to be tamed—but Lycius was no ordinary being.

With sheer force of will, he commanded it into submission, compressing the raging energy until it became an extension of himself. Not a storm. Not chaos. But power—his power.

When the final strand was absorbed, his aura changed.

It was fiercer, heavier, darker.

Like the silent stillness before a calamity—a force that did not need to announce itself because its presence alone demanded reverence.

Lycius smirked. His Aetherius had grown beyond expectation.

"Now that that's done… time to advance my cultivation."

Without hesitation, he called upon his system.

"Death Cultivation."

A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.

__________

[Realm Cultivation - Breakthrough]

Major Realm: 00000/15,000 Brk.thrh (Not Recommended)

Next Major Realm: Soul Realm

Minor Realm: 0000/5,000 Brk.thrh (Recommended)

Next Minor Realm: VI

_________

Lycius's gaze sharpened. Not recommended?

That only made him more eager.

"System, advance my cultivation to the highest major realm possible. Use all the souls I've confiscated."

A brief silence. Then, the system responded.

[Master, the highest realm attainable with your current soul reserves is the 'Void Emperor Realm' (Major Realm), Minor Stage VIII. However, the process will take approximately twelve months.]

Lycius's eyes widened slightly before narrowing in irritation.

A full year?

"Tch. Breaking through major realms takes this long? Annoying…"

His fingers curled slightly in frustration. He wanted power. He wanted growth. And yet, waiting was a nuisance.

But he couldn't afford to be sealed away for an entire year—not when he still had Xylara's transformation to complete.

"Damn. I hate unnecessarily unexpected problems."

For now, he would delay the breakthrough. But Lycius knew himself.

He wouldn't last long.

One day.

That's how much time he would give himself before this hunger for power took over.

Tomorrow. After breakfast, he would announce his decision to the family. He wouldn't be present for them, not truly. His body would be here, but his mind—his soul—would be utterly consumed by cultivation.

For an entire year, he wouldn't speak to them. Wouldn't see them.

And when he emerged…

He would be something far beyond their expectations.

"Time to taste my beautiful Xylara..."

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