Age of Adepts

Should a high-grade battle escalate to the level of principles, the effect it would have on the world was terrifying.

If a plane was an old building, then the principles were the unseen foundations hidden below it. The laws derived from the principles were then the glue that held the wooden planks together.

What formed the building’s actual body were the millions upon millions of life and substance within the plane. Every blade of grass, every tree, flower, and stone. From the intelligent races that ruled the land to a pebble deep in the forest, all were part of what made up a perfect planar world.

When a battle was restricted to the level of elementium, there was practically no threat to the building. At worst, the building’s decorations and furnishing could be ruined, but the building itself would be untouched.

However, the moment a battle escalated to the level of the laws, it could permanently affect parts of the building’s frame and structure. In that regard, such conflicts could indeed leave lasting damage to the building.

As for a battle of principles? That was no longer just a threat to a single room, but the very foundations of the building.

The principles of the world cycled in a perfectly self-sustaining fashion. They were like individual, yet perfectly compatible, gears keeping the planar world running with their combined powers.

Now, imagine that a tiny rock was introduced to this assembly of gears. It might be small, but it would significantly disrupt the functioning of the world’s system. Moreover, if further magnified, its effect on the very foundations of the world would be destructive!

It was the fundamental reason why principle adepts were exiled from the planar world!

Meanwhile, this particular conflict was between Greem and Gloria. One was an elementium adept who had just come into contact with the fire principles and was able to draw on a trace of the Undying principles. The other was also no more than a body-refining adept who was able to imbue her body and techniques with a hint of the conviction of being Unstoppable.

To say that their actions could shake the foundations of the world was exaggerating. However, as two of the most powerful individuals in the World of Adepts, it was undeniable that their every action was leaving lasting marks on the world.

The clash between Greem’s principle and Gloria’s conviction had created terrifying ripples that spread to the principles’ level. The battle’s shockwaves were being continually magnified by the principles and spread to the foundations of the world.

Soon, even the planar consciousness itself had cast its gaze over, watching over this high-grade battle occurring in the Central Lands!

From now on, both Greem and Gloria would be marked by the planar consciousness as dangerous elements within the plane. Should they do anything capable of threatening the plane’s stability, the planar consciousness would inflict backlash without any hesitation and exile them beyond the plane.

Even if Greem were still an intermediate Fourth Grade yet to reach the upper limit of Fourth Grade, that would be the case. The planar consciousness had already classified him as the same kind of individual as the other ultra-powerhouses; he was tagged for an eventual exile.

Greem had stepped upon an irreversible path to the realms beyond!

He would be continuously suppressed by the planar consciousness as long as he remained in the World of Adepts. If he attempted to remain here against the will of the world, the entire world would be at odds with him. He might not be the public enemy of every living being, but his luck in the World of Adepts would plunge drastically.

Fortunately, Greem was still an intermediate Fourth Grade. There was a bit of a buffer, and the planar consciousness was willing to delay his sentence. As for whether this delayed sentence would come in a few decades or a few hundred years? That would depend on whether Greem would abuse this trace of principle power he had grasped.

Gloria, on the other hand, would have to endure far harsher backlash.

She was the one who had initiated this battle. She was also already a peak Fourth Grade. She would probably be forced to roam the realms beyond for a while after the end of this battle. The entire World of Adepts would no longer welcome her until the planar consciousness’ fury had subsided!

There were ways to reduce the hostility of the planar consciousness. That was to raid and conquer more lesser-planes of great power. When and if you were able to return as a conqueror with the resources, population, and knowledge of a foreign plane, the planar consciousness would provide you with generous, positive feedback.

It was the simplest way to win the favor of the planar consciousness!

The battle raged on.

However, Greem was already starting to feel exhausted.

It couldn’t be helped. This was the first time Greem had participated in an all-out battle with principle powers, and he had yet to recover from his wounds. Gradually, Greem started to become unable to fend off the opponent’s attacks.

Both of them were some of the most powerful people of the World of Adepts. The ferocity and danger of the fighting were only escalating exponentially.

The blows they were exchanging were obvious, and they were switching between offense and defense so quickly that it was hard to catch their every action. However, the battle occurring on the spiritual level hidden from plain sight was equally dangerous and fascinating!

From the very start of the battle, their Spirits had been wrapped tightly together.

Locking-on to the opponent, breaking free of the lock.

Spiritual blastwaves, counter-blastwaves.

Direct attacks, defense against those attacks.

Feints and counter-feints.

As an elementium adept, Greem’s control and application of his Spirit were far superior to Gloria. Consequently, Gloria was on the defensive and relied purely on her resilient Spirit to neutralize Greem’s waves of ferocious spiritual attacks.

However, on the actual battlefield, Gloria was overwhelming Greem with her tremendous physical Strength. She chased him all over the plain, forcing him to avoid staying in one spot for more than three seconds.

The clash of their powers had brought about an unprecedented calamity to this land!

Naturally, there were no ordinary lifeforms left alive by now. Even the Fourth Grade Shadow Demon that Greem had painstakingly crafted after his advancement was moving around very cautiously.

After hiding in the shade for a moment and absorbing enough shadow power to patch its injuries, Shadow Demon had found an opportunity to cut back into the battlefield and ambush Gloria.

Five seconds later, a tattered and almost ruined Shadow Demon scrambled away from the fight.

It went back into hiding and mended some of the damage, waiting to recover further before joining the fight again.

Despite its sturdy body of shadowsteel, Shadow Demon had tragically fallen into a terrifying cycle of getting torn apart, getting fixed up, and getting torn apart again.

It wasn’t that Shadow Demon wasn’t trying its hardest, nor that its techniques were crude, and absolutely not that it was frail as glass.

Instead, it was simply because the battlefield it was situated in was far too terrifying!

The slender and petite female adept of no more than one hundred and seventy centimeters in height was a demon amongst demons. Gloria wasn’t very big, but her body weighed a shocking three tons. Moreover, her seemingly tiny and weak fists were nightmares for Shadow Demon.

Have you ever seen a five-meter-tall, five-ton-heavy metal golem simply get swatted aside by a tiny girl? Have you ever seen a shadow golem who boasted an indestructible body get punctured by a fist?

If you had seen this scene for yourself, you would truly understand the meaning of ‘strength!’

If Shadow Demon didn’t have the Shadow’s Breathing ability to mend itself with shadow power, and if its body had not been forged of a combination of shadowsteel and memory alloy that allowed for easy repairs, then it would have already been out of commission by now.

Meanwhile, the only effect that Greem and Shadow Demon’s bloody struggle had was only a mild weakening of the purple light around Gloria. After an entire day and night of fighting, Gloria’s punches were still as ferocious as when they started. Her movements showed no signs

of slowing either.

Exhausting her stamina? A battle of endurance had never been a weakness for body-refining adepts and their immortal bodies!

In contrast, Greem was starting to falter after all this time fighting.

His injuries had reduced his Physique, rendering him a glass cannon. After an entire day of fighting, his stamina was no longer able to keep up with the battle’s pace.

After having the law defenses of his Tome of Corruption shattered several times in a row, Greem had finally exhausted all his strength. He hastily teleported back to Nightmare Castle and hid.

Without Greem as the main combatant, Shadow Demon no longer dared to show itself. It hid in the shadows, prepared to strike once more to stall the enemy for two or three seconds.

That was the best it could do now! A few more seconds and it would have hopes of escaping alive!

The battle had finally reached an intermission.

The purple light had been weakened by half. Only a thin layer shrouded Gloria as she slowly walked toward Nightmare Castle. At this point, you could finally see Gloria’s appearance through the purple light, albeit faintly.

A bald head, no eyebrows, purple eyes, and that eye-catching purple leather armor.

One had to admit that the ferocious Gloria was a unique individual, even when it came to her appearance. She would stand out wherever she went.

“Good…very good,” Despite having fought for so long, there hardly seemed to be a trace of fatigue on Gloria. She stared at the looming castle and said coldly, “Who would’ve thought I would run into such a formidable man in the World of Adepts. Greem, join our Adept’s Association! With how powerful you are, you won’t have a future in this land of weaklings.

“Those weaklings with no future don’t even dare venture into space, let alone establish an empire of their own in foreign worlds! Mingling with them will do nothing but drag yourself down to their level.

“I heard you intend to unify the Central Lands? Those weaklings of the Central Lands are fence-sitters. They can never be truly united, nor will they ever obey you sincerely. How are you supposed to venture into the battlefields of foreign planes with these two-faced vipers with you?”

Gloria’s words were harsh and cold, but her evaluation of the Central adepts was spot-on.

Greem remained silent for a moment within the darkness. Finally, he spoke up.

“Everybody would prefer to walk the path they have chosen for themselves! I intend to walk down mine, regardless of how difficult it might be. You can refuse to be my ally, but I do not wish for us to become enemies! Leave. If you leave now, I can pretend as if nothing has happened today. However, if you insist on forcing my hand, do not fault me for making enemies of your Adept’s Association.”

Gloria laughed coldly.

“Make enemies of us Adept’s Association? Haha! Well, let me see if you have the capability to do so! I’m coming in now, Greem. Hide yourself well.”

Having said that, Gloria strode past the castle gates.