Eternal Thief

Chapter 1627: A Complex Theft (10)

The Tainted Qi Disarray was an Upper Mystical Grade Forbidden Spell acquired by Dargoth from the Central Repository after spending almost all of his wealth.

The function of this forbidden spell was to cause disruption within the cultivation foundation and souls of living beings and corpses alike, and then leave a ’Tainted Seed’ of the user almost undetectable by the victim unless they were a full realm above the user.

Once someone is successfully infected by the ’Tainted Seed’, the user can then take their time to slowly take over their bodies and souls without them even realizing it.

It was truly a dreadful forbidden spell, and all it cost to activate it was that the user needed to split a fragment of their soul. But that’s exactly why it was also dangerous, because if someone overcame this forbidden spell, then the ’attacker’ would become a victim of their own spell.

It was like a gamble of life and death. When Dargoth learned about it, he nearly went insane with indignation because he had been tricked by a superior into trading this forbidden spell.

If he had known about the true nature of this forbidden spell before, he would’ve never wasted so many points on it.

But he can’t do anything to that superior either, for they were at the peak of Abyssal Lord Realm, and could only swallow this loss silently while secretly vowed to take revenge once he reached their level.

As for why Ace was using this dangerous forbidden spell, the reason was simple because he found one aspect of this forbidden spell that caught his attention even before thinking about using it here. It was the terrifying, mystical power of ’disruption’ that it creates.

Furthermore, now, because of the Mirror Persona, Ace had gained great insights into the methods of the Corpse Clan, and Dargoth’s entire insights were at his fingertips.

’Despite hating this forbidden spell for its ridiculous backlash, Dargoth still diligently learned it because he wanted to take revenge using this same forbidden spell on that person. Now, all his hard work ended up benefiting me...’

Ace lamented for Dargoth but only for a fleeting moment before he focused on the strands of ’tainted Qi’ flowing around the embedded corpse veins within the corpse vessel.

Ace instantly felt the flow of an unknown Corpse Qi from one line, which probably belonged to the corpse vessel’s owner, and then found another as he used the Tainted Qi Disarray to follow their flow, and then used the forbidden spell to match their rhythm.

If it were even Dargoth, or any other member of the Corpse Clan, they couldn’t perform this task so quickly, but Ace was different, as with the Primordial Spirit imbued with Lawless Darkness, he quickly succeeded.

Thus, a faint reaction occurred, despite it being subtle, almost nonexistent, under Ace’s senses; it was enough as he quickly used the Tainted Qi Disarray to disrupt the Qi flow directly into the Corpse Vein.

The next moment, the Corpse Qi within the vessel shifted ever so slightly, and behind it, space distorted for a brief moment.

This was exactly the result Ace was aiming at and didn’t hesitate. The next instant, he stepped forward, and his figure passed through the corpse vessel as if it weren’t solid, vanishing!

Ace quickly stopped the Tainted Qi Disarray with a hint of elation in his eyes because the results were even better than what he had expected, and he knew with this dangerous experiment, he had opened a world of future opportunities for himself.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Ace has already begun using his advantages while taking risks, exactly what Pixy wanted him to do.

The moment he crossed through, everything changed as the environment behind the hall disappeared completely, and what replaced it was something else.

It was a narrow passage, but it didn’t feel like a constructed tunnel as the walls were uneven, dark, and lined with thick, dried vein-like structures that stretched in every direction. Faint traces of Corpse Qi flowed within them, slow and heavy, like something long deprived yet still functioning.

While emptying another vial of Heavenly Spirit Recovery Elixir in his mouth, Ace also noticed this strangeness as his steps slowed.

’...This isn’t stone.’

The thought came instinctively, along with the texture, the mysterious, faint pulse, and the strange elasticity beneath the surface... everything about this place felt wrong.

But Ace sensed no danger, paid no more attention to these strange details, and continued without stopping.

As he moved deeper, the passage twisted and expanded, branching into multiple routes, yet with Moira’s help, the route remained clear, and he followed without hesitation.

But the deeper he went, the more pronounced those vein-like structures became, as some were as thick as pillars, while some others stretched across the ceiling like roots. All of them were faintly pulsing and appeared to be connected.

’What kind of place is this...?’

Ace’s expression grew solemn as he could feel even more powerful Corpse Qi in this place, but unlike the Corpse Qi outside, there was a vague yet striking difference that he couldn’t put his finger on.

But, as Ace went deeper, he instantly realized the difference in the Corpse Qi here.

Astonishingly, the Corpse Qi here was refined like that of the Corpse Cultivators but far more potent, even more than Dargoth, an Abyssal Lord, as if it had been filtered, condensed, and circulated through this place for an unimaginable amount of time.

Keeping his guard up, Ace eventually reached a widened passage and stopped, astounded yet grave, because a wall stood before him. But calling it a wall didn’t feel right, for it was alive, or at least it appeared to be.

Countless runes covered its surface, layered upon each other in chaotic yet precise patterns. They pulsed rhythmically, expanding and contracting like veins beneath skin. Each pulse released a faint, oppressive fluctuation.

A grim realization dawned on Ace at that moment as his eyes narrowed sharply, ’It’s a seal!’

Ace’s guess was right, especially after he had learned about Sin Seals, not to mention that there was no door or mechanism in front of him, only the cryptically arranged rune symbols of unknown origin, creating a complete and absolute barrier.

On top of that, this sealing barrier seemed to be one that wasn’t meant to be opened ever.

Even standing before it, Ace could feel the danger clearly as if this wasn’t something meant for intruders, but meant to keep everything out, or perhaps keep something in.

Right at that moment, Moira’s voice sounded again with a hint of unmasked ecstasy, ”Sir... the Transcendent Void Obsidian... It’s right behind this!”