288 To the Rancid Turtles and Celestial Harlots (1/2)
Hearing that news, Konrad's lips curled into a smile, and he waved his hand, summoning Krann.
”Master!”
Krann knelt in greetings. Following these ten years, his cultivation had soared alongside Konrad's, and his battle-power reached dreadful heights. Now, throughout the Ancient Crystal World, Konrad's forces aside, those able to contend with him could be counted were few and far between.
”The Celestial Church is eager to renew the hostilities with Higher Realm backups. While the thought of battling those Devas is entertaining, we can't allow them to give us more trouble than we need. Take three-hundred Knight Commanders, sixty Knight Generals and ten Quasi-Paramount Knight to obliterate the Celestial Church. Keep both men and women alive. I need their souls.”
Konrad ordered from within the Jade Palace's imperial study. And immediately, Krann clasped his hands and bowed in agreement before shooting toward the Empyrean Tower to mobilize the troops.
Unlike most of his consorts, Konrad didn't spend more than sixty-eight years within the Tower. The reason was simple. He met a bottleneck time alone couldn't solve. Having reached the peak of the Crossed Tribulation Saint Rank, Konrad was ready to break through Star Connection.
With his resources, a breakthrough shouldn't have been a problematic manner. However, Star Connection was a sensitive stage with massive impact on cultivation post godhood. If he didn't tread carefully, there was a specific God Rank, he would not be able to surpass.
In Star Connection, cultivator connected themselves to a distant Star within the Three Realms and drew power from it. In Star Manifestation they summoned a portion of the star, and in Star Fusion, they permanently fused with said portion. There were low, mid, and high-grade stars. Each, bestowing more power onto the cultivator.
However, this was an erroneous path. The stars existed beyond the cultivator, either naturally formed, or created by another God. In the former case, it was just a cultivation issue. But in the later, dreadful hidden dangers lied. Whoever fused with a part of a God's Star was, unbeknown to them, bound to that God.
Said God could deprive them of their star force at any time.
Meanwhile, if they chose a naturally formed star, on the one hand, they automatically failed to comprehend a critical cultivation mystery, and on the other hand, they couldn't connect to more than one star. Thus, crippling future achievements.
Of course, most people could never even glimpse at the concerned God Rank. Therefore, the vast majority ignored that issue. But for Konrad who pursued Supremacy, it was of vital importance.
The only way ahead was to create his own Illusory Stars, a feat requiring extreme talent and Soul Power.
Having set aside the majority of his Holy and Divine Grade Soul Expansion pills for his consorts, Konrad could only count on the Infernal Soul Devouring Art to snatch more Soul Power.
After all, although he possessed more than enough soul power to condense illusory stars, to achieve the unparalleled level he pursued, it was far from enough.
Still, they didn't disappoint him. Yvonne condensed thirty-six illusory stars, Else thirty-two, and Verena twenty-eight. The rest varied between twenty and twenty-eight. Even Malkam only had thirty-six stars upon birth. This result was more than satisfying.
Talking about Malkam, Konrad somewhat envied him and those Primogens who were all born deities with all the previous cultivation steps fulfilled by Hell or Heaven's Will. The closer they were to their Realm Wills' origin, the more boons they received at birth. Astounding, really.
With a step, he vanished, reappearing within the Tower's third floor where Zamira currently sat crossed legged in meditation.
As soon as he appeared, her eyes opened and landed on him, and she stood to greet him.
”Your Majesty.”
Zamira bowed in greetings. With Konrad being both her son-in-law and master, their relationship had always been a pleasant but peculiar one. Of course, time and delight made all those peculiarities irrelevant.
After more than three centuries of secluded cultivation, like most of the leading consorts, Zamira now stood at the Star Fusing Saint Rank. But throughout this time, neither she nor Konrad forgot the old commitment.
”How are you getting accustomed to your titan bloodline?”
Konrad inquired with a gentle smile. After some deliberation, he changed Zamira's bloodline to titan for the sake of preserving her human origins. Though the cost wasn't negligible, it was a gesture he found necessary.