Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

The moment his comprehension speed increased a hundred thousandfold, the strain became overwhelming. His eardrums ruptured under the pressure, and blood began flowing from his ears as the strain continued to affect his body.

Blood soon came out of his nose as well, while his mind started to go numb, making it increasingly difficult to maintain his concentration.

Atlas could already comprehend many things in front of him with just a single glance, but he didn’t focus on any of them. He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down while gritting his teeth against the pain.

Instead of allowing his attention to wander, he concentrated on the Astral Domain he needed to form and recalled what Zaakrax and Sylvaris had explained to him.

According to their explanation, forming an Astral Domain required comprehending three different concepts. The first was ‘Self’, which meant understanding one’s own existence, something Atlas had already accomplished. The second was ‘Extension’, which required extending one’s ‘self’, or will, outward into the physical reality surrounding them.

The third and final concept was ‘Control’, which meant understanding how to control the extension of one’s self within reality. Only after comprehending all three concepts could a cultivator form an Astral Domain. Atlas had already completed the first part, so he didn’t waste any more time thinking about it and immediately focused on understanding Extension.

The moment he began, his mind seemed to come into contact with some unknown form of knowledge, and information flooded into his consciousness. He quickly began to understand that Extension was nothing more than imposing one’s will upon reality, something that everyone was already doing without realizing its true meaning.

‘Such a simple fact, yet I, no, almost no one considered it.’ His thoughts churned as he continued examining this realization, ‘The abilities we wield and the techniques we develop are already ways of imposing our will upon reality.’

This realization immediately broadened his insight, causing his comprehension to progress further as he examined the concept from different perspectives. The more he thought about it, the simpler Extension became, and he gradually understood why it was necessary for the formation of an Astral Domain.

‘But in the case of forming a Domain, I don’t need to create a space myself… reality itself should create it according to my will. Otherwise, it will become a dimension, not a Domain.’ As he considered the distinction, the concept became even clearer to him. Rather than creating an independent space, he needed to extend his will into the existing reality and allow the Domain to form through that connection.

After understanding Extension, Atlas shifted his focus toward the final concept, ‘Control’, ‘This is also almost similar to how we control our abilities upon reality.’ He paused as another realization emerged in his mind, allowing him to understand the relationship between the two concepts more clearly, ‘Control of my own self-extension is basically controlling my own will upon reality.’

‘The terms seem complicated, but their meanings are so simple that everyone would feel shocked after understanding them.’ Atlas couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, even though the pain caused by the strain hadn’t disappeared.

After a few more moments, he finished comprehending the concepts he needed to form his Astral Domain, and his eyes slowly opened with the symbols still glowing within them.

He immediately altered the logic of his comprehension back to normal, and the unbearable strain began to fade away.

“Hooh.” He exhaled a long breath as relief washed over him, finally allowing him to relax after forcing his mind to operate at such an accelerated rate.

Normally, comprehending these concepts took over three or four thousand years of seclusion, just as it had for Orivian. However, there were exceptions, such as Luberion and Michael, who had completed their comprehension much earlier than the usual period of four thousand years.

Luberion had accomplished it even earlier than Michael, taking only a decade to completely understand everything related to Self, Extension, and Control, thereby forming his Domain in the shortest time in Eliomor’s history.

Even that achievement paled in comparison to what Atlas had just accomplished. Within a span of minutes, he had comprehended two different concepts, and although his understanding wasn’t completely exhaustive, it was sufficient for him to form an Astral Domain.

The difference between his comprehension speed and that of other cultivators was beyond comparison, allowing him to achieve something that had previously required years or even thousands of years of seclusion.

Atlas didn’t think about anything else as he slowly stood up and extended his right hand, closing his eyes in the process. Something translucent began exuding from his body, and it wasn’t energy in the usual sense. As it spread outward, Atlas felt the reality around him shifting, while the space surrounding his body began to bend under the influence of that translucent aura.

For a long moment, nothing else happened. The space around him continued to bend, but there were no other visible changes to indicate that his comprehension had resulted in anything significant.

Atlas remained still with his right hand extended, maintaining his focus as the translucent aura continued affecting the surrounding space.

Then Atlas spoke…

“Astral Domain – Domain of Nothingness.”

The moment those words left his mouth, enormous pitch-black darkness erupted from his body and spread throughout the surrounding outer space. Atlas had already altered the logic of space to allow the Domain to emerge from his separate space, as he knew that the space itself would never be able to withstand the pressure of his Domain.

The darkness continued spreading across hundreds of thousands of kilometers, covering an increasingly vast area of outer space. It didn’t stop there, expanding until it eventually covered an entire radius of a million kilometers.

Only after the expansion finally stopped did Atlas open his eyes, finding himself surrounded by complete darkness that stretched in every direction. The blackness was so absolute that even the word ‘darkness’ felt insufficient to describe what he was seeing.

‘I knew it… my own self, my will, somehow represents Nothingness.’ He had come to understand this during his comprehension, finally connecting something he had overlooked for a long time.

The Codex had shown him things that originated from his own existence, yet he had failed to recognize the simplicity behind them. His Bloodline had been the first thing to come to mind, followed by the Osmo ???, which he knew had originated from his own blood.

Then there was the Metadata Axiom Trait, which was also his own trait, taken from his blood when he had first come into contact with the Codex itself. Atlas didn’t need anyone to explain the connection to him after putting these pieces together, ‘If my Bloodline always seems to give me abilities related to Nothingness… then it becomes so obvious that I wonder if I was just an idiot till now.’

He could only shake his head at the realization before shifting his attention toward the vast expanse of his Domain. ‘If anyone is trapped inside this Domain… they will be erased, but it also consumes Aether Energy, and an absurd amount of it at that.’

‘Though…I can reduce the consumption by keeping its size small.’

After considering the Domain’s capabilities and its energy consumption, Atlas shifted his gaze toward his own hands. The connection between his Bloodline and Nothingness had become increasingly apparent, but it also raised a question.

‘If my powers, my own Bloodline, are really related to Nothingness… then who are my parents?’