Prime Originator

Unexpectedly, that female stone golem was so powerful! Each of its words was like the mandate of heaven, brimming with the power of inviolable laws!

Leon was like an insignificant existence in front of such an almighty being, helpless to put a shred of resistance. 

"Why was I brought to that place? Was that really the center of the world, the inner core?" Leon muttered with a frown. 

If it was, then who or what was that female stone golem? Although Leon could faintly make a guess.

In the diary of Arden Gilardi, it was recorded that even during the peak of the Nova Empire, where their interstellar civilization span across the stars, the Celestials only looked for distant stars to refine. 

Leon refused to believe that not a single Celestial wanted to refine planet Gaia and become its Celestial Ruler.

"Perhaps, the reason why Gaia had no ruler was not that no one wanted to, but because no one could... There was already a ruler." Leon muttered. 

If the Celestial Ruler had always been slumbering in the depths of Gaia, it would not be strange for people to not know about it.

"But what was that red crack?" Leon frowned. 

At the very least, it must be the leading cause for the dying planet.

The planet was never revitalized despite its having a Celestial Ruler because all energy was focused on stopping the expansion on the red crack...

"Hm?" 

Suddenly, Leon noticed something different about himself. There were some changes to his soul core.

"My Earth Ability upgraded to the Transcendent level?" Leon uttered with surprise. "What a pleasant surprise!"

He could feel his Earth Law had strengthened on its own, and there was even a subtle absolute authority over it. 

"This ability is rather bizarre... it's like I have been a certain level of control over all the Earth Element of Gaia..." Leon muttered while analyzing.

The Earth Seed inside his soul core was seemingly brimming with an endless source of energy. 

"Is this a portion of the Celestial Ruler's power? Did I gain a bit of her authority over the earth when the stone golem's words blasted my consciousness away?"

Or perhaps it's due to his powerful soul be on the level of the Divine, which was of a similar level to the Celestials, thereby allowing him to control a part of the Celestial Ruler's authority over Gaia while it is preoccupied with sealing the red crack?

"I put aside these thoughts for now..." Leon frowned.

He had questions but no answers—at least not for now, he did not. When there is another opportunity, he will revisit the stone golem to get his answers. 

"For now, I should check on the others. I wonder how much time has passed..." Leon muttered while glancing around at the deserted quarter of the Desolate Crow Clan.

Duna was spotted some distance away.

As if sensing his approaching presence, Duna opened her eyes and gazed back at Leon. Her body was mostly recovered as Leon failed to notice any wound at a glance. 

Swoosh~!

Duna suddenly shot herself at Leon's chest, tackling him to the ground—not with her own strength, but because Leon did not resist, nor did he wanted to injure her by doing so. 

"What's up?" Leon asked. 

Duna moved her lips close to Leon's ears before she whispered seductively, "I want it."

"What? Right here?" Leon was stunned for a moment before he suddenly started coughing in the next moment. 

He was still affected by the same variant disease plaguing the Desolate Crow Clan. 

"I want it now!" 

"Let us head into my Worldspace first."

Leon picked Duna up like a princess before the both of them disappeared on the spot. There was no way he was going to do it in such a dirty place.

He was already sick. He did not want his little brother to become ill as well. That would be quite a tragic sight. 

Half an hour later, Leon and Duna reappeared on the same spot in the Desolate Crow Clan prior to their disappearance. 

Alas, Leon wore a disappointed look while Duna licked her lips with satisfaction. What she wanted was his blood, not what he was hoping for. 

That half an hour was spent curing himself before he allowed Duna to drink his blood. It was a necessary step he needed to take to prevent Duna from being a carrier of diseases.

Although it would not affect Duna herself, the disease on her body could spread to other people around her, turning it into a troublesome mess he would need to clean up. 

"Let's go meet up with the others."

Leon spoke while shaking his head with a sigh when Duna suddenly grabbed his wrist, "I don't mind If you really want to do it, you know?"

"Maybe next time," Leon smiled wryly before saying, "There's a lot of people that currently need saving. Let's not delay any more time than we already have." 

"Are you really going to turn down my offer like that?" Duna uttered with surprise before teasing him, You know there might not be a next time, right~?" 

"As much as it pains me, I can only abstain for the greater good," Leon stated with a crumpled expression before pinching her soft cheeks, "So stop seducing me and making me aroused, you little temptress." 

Pah!

Leon's hands were shortly slapped away before Duna snorted, "It's not my problem if you can't resist it, you horny animal."

Leon secretly cussed at Duna for being unreasonable. It was like burning a house, then blame it for burning.

...

Outside, the remains of the Holy Water were completely consumed before all the clansmen could receive their fair share of it. 

One water fountain of Holy Water was simply not enough for everyone in the Desolate Crow Clan. 

"Your Highness! More than half of our clansmen have yet to receive their temporary treatment via the Holy Water," Jorn began recounting what he learned from his subordinates. 

"Although we have given priority to more severely ill clansmen, the ones left untreated have already started losing their mobility due to weakness."

"Didn't the aristocrat families hoarded all the healing medicine in the clan, Uncle Jorn? Have them distribute it to the rest of the clansmen. It might not be as effective, but it will buy them some time." Lilith instructed. 

"Yes, Your Highness." 

Shortly after Jorn left to carry out his task, Lilith's brows begun creasing deeply with concerns and uncertainties. 

As the sole member of the Desolate Crow Clan's royal family, she had to remain strong in order to lead her clansmen. 

She could not show weakness. 

However, she was not made for leadership roles. The situation forced it upon. If she did not have Leon's support, she would not have known what to do.

Suddenly, an intense itch in Lilith's lungs and throat caused her to start coughing violently before her complexion paled slightly, and her body staggered with a hint of weakness.

On the side, Aria extended a hand and supported Lilith from falling before she inquired out of concern, "Are you alright, Lilith?"

"Mm, for now. It seems that I have also caught the disease," Lilith smiled wryly. She should have seen this coming.

"Don't worry. Everything will be resolved once Leon is done with his breakthrough," Aria spoke while throwing a glance at the sky. 

The Transcendent Phenomenon had already dissipated, but Leon still needed time to consolidate his cultivation—or at least that was what Aria thought. 

Little did she know, Leon was not required to do anything at all. 

He had directly stepped into the Earth Transcendent Realm like he was casually sipping water. It happened spontaneously, perhaps due to his body's constitution or unique cultivation technique.

"You've called?" 

Leon's voice was suddenly heard, causing Aria and Lilith to turn around before their eyes brightened with pleasant surprises. 

"Leon! You're here!"

"You transcended again?" 

Lilith and Aria exclaimed before Leon nodded, "See for yourself. Though, this isn't wholly my own strength but a part of Gaia's strength."

While the weakened clansmen were being tended and cared for on the outskirts, the abled warriors and Transcendent clansmen removed the countless rat carcasses from the mountain and burned them in a different pile.

Leon sensed the earth with his divine sense before he raised one hand.

Rumble!

In the next moment, the whole mountain of carcasses shook with movements before the billions of carcasses were pushed out of the buried Desolate Crow Clan.

"This…! What is happening?! The mountain is moving!"

"Holy Sh*t! The rats are being mowed by the earth!"

The warriors exclaimed while many lost their balance by the sudden movements.

Sometime later, the entire mountain of carcasses was moved away, revealing the hidden Desolate Crow Clan buried underneath.

What could have been many days of work was finished in several minutes.

"Incredible…"

"This must be the work of gods!"

The clansmen were awe by the spectacle while Aria and Lilith looked at Leon with shock, awaiting his further explanations.

"Is this still within the realms of Preliminary Accession-stage Transcendent Awakeners?" Aria muttered.

Leon smiled before shaking his head, "No matter how I wrap my head around it, I am also amazed myself. There's no precise explanation for this inexplicable amplification in earthly power."

"The Cataclysm has been nothing except full of danger and unexpected discoveries."

"It's like you have suddenly received Gaia's favor and became the favored Son of Heaven," Lilith commented.

"The favored Son of Heaven, huh?" Leon smiled self-deprecatingly, wondering just how many near-death experiences and hardships one had to overcome before they even reached this step.

Shortly after, Leon shook his head and said, "Let us figure this out later. Everyone's treatment comes first. If I'm not wrong, you should have been affected too, right?"

"Mm.." Lilith nodded.