Creation of Immortal Seal was a very hard, complicated and extremely painful process, something that tested not just strength but the very core of one’s existence.
The pain it caused was something that a normal soul or person can’t withstand, as it directly affects the will itself.
But I am not a normal person and the things I have faced and experienced, along with the pain I have withstood will be my foundation to withstand the pain.....that I will now face....
Ash knew that the pain he would be facing was far more sensitive and profound than anything he had experienced before, because will power was related to the soul, and the pain caused to the soul was extremely intense. Even though Ash had experienced injuries and had felt soul pain before, the thing he was going to experience now was beyond all that, though he had no idea about it.
That pain was also the reason why many people fail in forming their Immortal Seals and die prematurely, unable to endure it till the end.
Before leaving, Elizabeth asked me to study the Legacy Crystal and absorb the insights in it, and strictly instructed me to form the seal only after I have understood everything and under her direct supervision....
But Ash knew this was something he could not compromise on. He needed to form the Seal on his own, because this was not a normal law that he would be infusing into his Immortal Seal, but the Rune itself, and that required complete control.
"Before all that, I need to change my position. Forming the Immortal Seal in the shop is not safe."
Different concepts caused different phenomena around a person’s body during the formation of an Immortal Seal, thus it was advised to form the seal under the supervision of another Transcendent so that the phenomenon could be suppressed within a limited area.
Although Ash did not have anyone to oversee him, he had other ways through which he could hide himself.
His eyes opened in the real world and he left his room after just a few minutes of staying there. Before leaving, he left behind his Blood Clone in the shop, while his real body vanished and appeared in the middle of the ocean.
Or rather on a peculiar uninhabited island in the middle of vast endless ocean with nothing else in sight. It was not too large, but it was neither small. There were no creatures there because Ash had already killed the beings living there earlier.
During his travelling through the Eden when Ash first appeared, he had found this place. As this was very deep in the ocean and in the middle of nowhere, even if he caused some phenomenon that escaped the protective measures he would place, he would still be safe and there would be enough time for him to vanish.
{Are you going to form your Immortal Seal???}
Eva asked curiously, as she had also gone through the information about the Immortal Seal through the Soul Library.
"I will, this place is good enough and far from the lands."
{Are you forgetting something? There exist Sea Lord Alliance and Ancient Races Alliance, who have influence throughout these almost infinitely vast oceans. And you know those alliances consist of millions of oceanic races. Are you sure this is a safe place??}
Ash shook his head at her question, "Of course not, but risk exists everywhere, there is nothing truly safe. But now that you have mentioned it to me, I will change my form into something different."
As he said that, his body began to morph, and along with it, his clothes also changed their form, shifting smoothly without any resistance, as if they were alive and responding to his will.
His body size and shape remained exactly the same, as he did not feel like changing them, though his upper body became completely bare, his skin carrying a faint, cool oncean sheen under the light. From behind his back, bones and muscles moved and reshaped themselves, stretching outward before settling into wings that looked like sharp, translucent blades.
They extended outward with a quiet dominance, their edges jagged and glowing faintly, as if they were formed from condensed light or crystal, giving off a subtle yet dangerous presence that felt both elegant and sharp.
From his head rose a pair of curved horns, smooth and refined rather than monstrous. They arched upward in an elegant curve, their surface polished and clean, carrying a faint oceanic glow that pulsed ever so slightly, matching the rhythm of his breath.
His eye color and hair also changed into a deep oceanic blue, the color rich and clear like deep waters, blending naturally with his face, which looked far less handsome than his original one, but even then, his attractiveness was still impossible to hide, as if something deeper than appearance was at play.
His shoulders and arms were partially covered in armor formed from his clothes, shaping itself naturally around his body as if it had always belonged there, fitting perfectly without restricting his movement.
Indeed, he had already created clothes that could change into any form he wanted. Though, it had no defense at all.
It wrapped around him in asymmetrical patterns, merging seamlessly with his form. The rest of his lower body was covered in layered, flowing fabric that hung in long, uneven strips, slightly translucent, moving gently even without wind, as if reacting to an unseen current, making him look like some sort of prince of the ocean.
And at last, an ocean blue tail, similar to that of a sea dragon, extended from behind him, the scales faintly reflecting light as it swayed slightly on its own, completing his transformation.
Although he had no special abilities of this form, he still looked incredibly striking, enough to make anyone pause for a moment.
"What do you think? If they see me now, will they associate it with me?"
{I.....have no words. To be honest, you look kind of cool like this, but this form will definitely shift everyone’s attention towards the ocean. And you might actually be left alone.}
{Though, those poor fishes might have to suffer. But whose form is this? And what race? I have never seen anything like this, not even in your memories.}
"Guess."
Eva pouted visibly as Ash avoided her question, her expression showing clear dissatisfaction.
But inwardly, Ash was just chuckling.
How would I know what this race is, after all I created this form based on just my imagination. There exists nothing like this, and that will only confuse those fishes even more if they come looking for me....heheheh
After that, Ash travelled all over the island, creating Concealment Runes through the comprehension of his Rune of Concealment, moving steadily as he placed them one after another across the surroundings.
He was covering the whole island in runes, not leaving even a single corner unchecked, because he did not want to take any risks, and the form he had changed into was also a part of that precaution.
Because even without Eva reminding him about the oceanic races, his intuition had already been sending him danger signals since the moment he decided to create the Immortal Seal using the Runes, a feeling that kept lingering in his mind.
Although, he had no idea whether it was because of the difficulties involved during the Seal formation process or because of the attraction of various beings that might occur during it.
After all, even the laws of the world resonate when an Immortal Seal is formed using laws, while Ash was going to use the Runes themselves.
To him, every precaution felt like less precaution.
After he was done, Ash sat down in the middle of the island, the quiet surroundings finally settling as everything he had prepared came into place. Eva watched his actions from within Ash’s Soul Space, and if one were to say she was not worried or anxious, it would be a straight lie.
But she still appeared nonchalant and free of worry in front of Ash, keeping her expression calm, because she did not want to influence him in any way possible.
{I know you can do it, if you can’t....no one can....}
Thus, with a deep breath, Ash began the process.
His mind first started to clear out every kind of unnecessary thought and distraction, slowly pushing everything aside, and within a few minutes, his mind became free of everything as he reached a state of Absolute Clarity.
He had already reached this state many times during rune comprehension, so this step was very easy for him.
The more challenging things would be the next.
The Soul Flame awakening or Immortal Seal formation has 6 steps, the first is to reach Absolute Clarity, which Ash achieved without much difficulty, his thoughts steady and undisturbed like a still surface of water.
The second was the compression of the will into a singular point, although it sounds simple, it is not, because this step is where most people fail.
Because compressing one’s will is almost like compressing one’s existence itself, forcing everything that defines a person into a single point without losing control.
And the pain it would cause would be unimaginable, far beyond anything physical, something that would shake the very foundation of the soul.
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