706 Grehha’s Ultimate Objective
The Minor Treasure's presence wafted out of the Dungeon and spread to its surroundings on the surface, luring in the nearby Pranic Beasts.
Grehha had selected a location frequented by Iron Grade Pranic Beasts, with occasionally some Silver Grade Pranic Beasts moving about. Iron Grade Pranic Beasts were dangerous as a horde. However, the Bone Vipers were more than well-equipped to deal with them in the maze where they enjoyed a home-ground advantage.
A group of Iron Grade Pranic Beasts entered the decorated entrance positioned along the cliff side of the bone mountain and rushed into the maze, relying solely on sounds, smell, and Prana detection methods to sense around as their surroundings got progressively darker.
As they rushed inside, lured by the wafting presence of the Minor Treasure, they entered a section of the tunnel filled with bone mist, beginning to cough in response as they inhaled the smoke.
A few seconds later, they dropped to the ground as bone spikes jutted out of their lungs and pierced through all the nearby organs, including their heart. A Bone Viper controlled a chakram made of bone and began to sever the Pranic Beast's corpse into large pieces, causing its blood to spurt on the floor and be absorbed into it in a matter of seconds.
Once all its blood had flowed out, a group of Bone Vipers latched onto the corpse and tore it further, gorging upon the pieces in a flash of gore. Their instructions were to avoid the blood and consume only the flesh.
The Bone Vipers too couldn't see in the dark, but they had a superior weapon to rely upon in the maze.
Bone Slip!
The entire maze was a Bone Slip, allowing them to constantly add and access the information within it. They added every single piece of information picked up by their senses, collating which allowed the Bone Vipers to have a better grasp of the invaders' movements.
By relying upon this method, they pooled their senses and mowed down their enemies rapidly. The walls and floors absorbed the blood and dripped them outside, causing the blood to fall into the canal positioned further below.
As the blood collected in large volume, it began to flow through the canal, heading deeper into the maze, slowing reaching the innermost depths which were situated forty kilometres below the surface.
The maze hadn't even been developed past a kilometre mark in depth, as it hadn't been long since Grehha began constructing this Dungeon. At this depth, only the canal existed, which led into a large spherical cave spanning a kilometre in radius.
The blood dripped into it and began to gradually amass itself in quality, rich with the Prana of Pranic Beasts it was collected from. The Prana was gradually dissipating from the blood, enriching the air in the cave.
Grehha slapped onto the walls some Spirit Moss that he purchased from one of the Empyrean Tusks, watching it absorb the ambient Prana and rapidly grow in response, beginning to cover the cave walls.
As his surroundings began to brighten thanks to the Spirit Moss, Grehha jumped onto a boat floating on the lake of blood and placed the Empyrean Incubator carrying his daughter on it. There was a socket in the boat, in which the Empyrean Incubator had been lodged perfectly.
This allowed a portion of the Empyrean Incubator to remain in contact with the blood, allowing it to absorb the traces of Prana within the blood. And as it continued to absorb Prana, the Empyrean Incubator released Empyrean Tusk essence within, allowing the girl to absorb it and develop in response.
Upon seeing it working as intended, Grehha expanded the boat and brought the Minor Treasure of Corporeal Mixer there, watching it hover before him and unleash a pillar of light that slammed into the ceiling of the cave.
It wasn't a Major Treasure, and hence its beam of light didn't manage to pierce all the way through forty kilometres of earth and reach the surface. Only a small portion of its presence leaked out of the Dungeon and systematically lured in Pranic Beasts at a pace the Bone Vipers could handle.
Grehha spent the next few months increasing the population of the Bone Vipers. Finally, eighteen years since the end of the Second Major Disaster, three years after he had begun constructing the Dungeon, he had completed laying down the necessary groundwork.
The Dungeon had multiple entrances reaching far away Pranic Beast territories. The number of Bone Vipers, though young, had increased to a couple hundred thousand. There were enough male and female Bone Vipers to conventionally raise their population despite their insane death rate.
Only after the birth rate slightly exceeded the death rate could Grehha call it a day. Now, the Dungeon will be self-sufficient, with the Bone Vipers expanding their population by feeding upon the Pranic Beasts that enter daily, lured in by the presence of a Minor Treasure.
With all preparations completed, Grehha arrived at the innermost cave where the Minor Treasure had been placed. He stared at the Minor Treasure of Corporeal Mixer and observed that the blood filling up the place was steadily being influenced by it.
Corporeal Mixer was a Minor Treasure in the shape of a stomach. Once fused to the stomach, it allowed the stomach to digest any organic material rapidly. Birthed from a Mammoth Clansman who happened to be a Settlement Leader, this was one of the three strongest Minor Treasures in the Mammoth Clan's possession.
Spectral Eyes was with Resha, Extreme Sensitivity was with Gannala, and finally, Grehha had Corporeal Mixer.
Currently, the influence generated by Corporeal Mixer had changed the properties of the blood within the cave, turning it into a digestible fluid rich in Prana.
Grehha enveloped himself in an Empyrean Incubator, positioning himself on the boat similar to his daughter. The Empyrean Incubator absorbed the fluid and seeped Empyrean Tusk essence into him.
As he began to absorb large amounts of Empyrean Tusk essence, Grehha felt his Secondary and Tertiary Natures becoming excited in response, faintly beginning to develop. Internal Inertial Gravity couldn't grow anymore, for it had already reached the pinnacle of the Gold Grade. But Empyrean Incubator still had room for growth.
It was a Gold Grade Nature but wasn't at the peak of the Gold Grade yet. Moreover, Grehha intended to improve his Primary Nature of Spirit Bone to the Gold Grade and perfectly harmonise it with his Secondary and Tertiary Natures during the process.
His goal was to emulate the power of a Mystic Empyrean Tentacle in how it harmonised its three Natures and unleashed power on par with a Mystic Grade Nature. Moreover, it could vary the levels of harmonisation to unleash varying powers, all at the Mystic Grade.
This was how Mystic Empyrean Tentacles were strong. Even though they could only unleash power on par with a single Mystic Grade Nature, thanks to varying their harmonisation, they had an arsenal of powers equivalent to multiple Mystic Grade Natures, able to use the perfect power according to the situation.
Once Grehha's three Natures were at the peak of the Gold Grade, he'd be able to achieve a similar harmonisation. The Empyrean Tusk essence he was absorbing to the point of saturation would help in evolving his Natures in that direction.
'It'll be unfortunate if this brings me to the Gold Grade as I won't be able to progress through the Life Stage fast enough.' He thought, for entering the Gold Grade meant he would be only at the 2-Life Stage or at most the 3-Life Stage, if he was fortunate enough, by the time the Fourth Major Disaster began.
Only by remaining at the Silver Grade could he progress through the Life Stage fast enough. After all, what he wanted the most wasn't Gold Grade strength by the stacking power he would get by progressing through the Life Stage, which would strengthen the constructs he makes through Spirit Bone.
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Moreover, once all his Natures reach the Gold Grade, he'll be wielding Gold Grade strength. He just wouldn't be fast enough in unleashing his power as compared to a Gold Grade Pranic Beast, having enough reserve of Prana, and enough brainpower to process complex control over Spirit Weapon.
It was a worthy trade-off as he could somehow satisfy the lacking Gold Grade aspects with a high enough stack of bodies at the Life Stage. With that in mind, he began his preparations, from time to time using a Spirit Weapon to make contact with the maze and gathering information present in the Bone Slip.
He remained up to date on the current affairs thanks to the information gained and collated by the Bone Vipers. This way, he wouldn't entirely lose out in terms of information.
As he cultivated zealously, Grehha breathed out slowly, "Mystic Bone Art is indeed the best cultivation technique among everything."
Every single living being had a skeleton, which was what Mystic Bone Art controlled. That was this cultivation technique's greatest relevancy, which was why Grehha remained proud of his Mammoth Clansman identity.
It was also why all the Bone Vipers he created used Mystic Bone Art. And once he completes his accumulation process, he planned to construct as many Dungeons as possible and increase the number of Viper variants at both the Iron and Silver Grade.
Grehha had even mapped out the method to mutate a Gold Grade Viper variant, a completely new species. That variant was still unstable, so he was waiting until his three Natures were perfectly harmonised, following which he would produce the all-power Gold Grade variant.
Countless races existed on Sumatra that worshipped the Empyrean Tusks as Deities, among both Humans and Pranic Beasts. However, even though these creatures worshipped Empyrean Tusks, they had no relation with the Empyrean Tusks.
Their worship was created out of awe for these majestic creatures that represented the pinnacle of natural birth, possessing powers that vastly exceeded the standards of Gold Grade Pranic Beasts. Therefore, when Brangara hunted Empyrean Tusks, these creatures did nothing.
They were unlike Mammoth Clansmen who lived and died for the Empyrean Tusks. Hence, Grehha wanted to create a new line of Empyrean Tusk worshippers, those armed with Mystic Bone Art.
Cultivating the power derived from an Empyrean Tusk, they'll worship Empyrean Tusks from a fundamental aspect, just like Mammoth Clansmen. Hence, when Brangara attacks the Empyrean Tusks, they'll do everything in their power to stop him.
It mattered naught if they could do anything, but they'd give their everything for their Deities. Moreover, as they cultivated Mystic Bone Art, it meant the Mammoth Clan could instantly gain information through Bone Slips from all territories home to such creatures.
This would expand the Mammoth Clan's influence which had severely been undermined in the past few decades due to Brangara's growing power and the absence of the Empyrean Tusks.
Moreover, Grehha had a powerful motive to push forth in this direction. Whether it be the Bone Vipers or any other Viper variants he could produce through his Empyrean Incubators, they were all Pranic Beasts.
It meant that just like every single Pranic Beast race with enough intelligence and foundation, they could create Ravaged Tribes.
Ravaged Tribes that served the Viper variants and cultivated Mystic Bone Art. The Viper variants cultivated Mystic Bone Art and worshipped the Empyrean Tusks. Finally, the Empyrean Tusks who were the creators of Mystic Bone Art and the source of the Mammoth Clan's strength remained in the centre of this network of power. This would balloon the Mammoth Clan's influence to a whole other level, one that grew exponentially as the years progressed, making Sumatra extremely safe for the Mammoth Clan.
Grehha wasn't worried about it hindering the ultimate objective of the Mammoth Clan, for Brangara alone was more than enough threat that would force them to the depths of despair and force them to evolve.
He stared at his daughter, "The day she emerges out of that Empyrean Incubator, her Mystic Path would already be full."
"She'll be there to lead everyone, even if everything else fails," Grehha closed his eyes and muttered solemnly, "As the Supreme Tusk."