Chapter 814 Sunlance Academy’s Welcome
With a Machine Race vessel at his disposal, Kael entered the Sunlance Galaxy in less than a day.
As expected, his Astral Compass immediately began flashing without pause. Someone from Sunlance Academy had clearly been trying to contact him again and again.
Kael raised an eyebrow and sent a strand of Origin Power into the compass.
A long moment passed before the Dean of Sunlance Academy finally spoke.
“Kael. You finally decided to answer.”
“Of course. If I ignored you much longer, you might run out of patience.”
The Dean gave a humorless laugh. “You have some nerve. You killed Valerius, one of Sunlance Academy’s Vice Deans. Don’t think taking the humans from our territory means there are none left for me to punish.
“While you were gone, we traveled to other planets and captured even more humans. We brought them back to Sunlance Academy specifically to await your return. Come here immediately. If you refuse, I’ll execute ten thousand human cultivators every day.”
The strain in the Dean’s voice betrayed the fury he was struggling to contain.
Valerius had been his deputy. If he failed to avenge the man’s death, maintaining his authority over Sunlance Academy would become far more difficult.
“Very well. I’ll come to Sunlance Academy immediately.”
“You...”
Kael’s easy agreement caught the Dean off guard.
Only a few months had passed since Malachar’s death, and word had yet to spread beyond the Northguard Galaxy.
The Dean had no idea why Kael had agreed so readily.
“You truly intend to come?”
“You’re the one who’s been demanding that I visit Sunlance Academy. What’s wrong? Having second thoughts?”
“No. Very well. Come.”
The Dean severed the connection.
...
Dozens of light-years away, deep within Sunlance Academy, the Dean lowered his Astral Compass.
“Dean, Kael agreed far too easily,” one of the Vice Deans said. “Could he really have established ties with the Machine Race?”
“If he has, humanity may have formed an alliance with them,” another Vice Dean added. “We need to consider the consequences carefully. The Machine Race is not an enemy we can afford to provoke lightly.”
The Machine Race’s reputation alone was enough to inspire fear throughout the myriad races.
“What difference does it make if he has ties to them?” the Dean demanded. “As long as I can force him to refine Immortal Spirit Liquid, Sunlance Academy will produce at least ten Real Deity Realm experts within a thousand years. Once that happens, why should we fear the Machine Race?”
His voice hardened with resolve.
If he failed to reach the Real Deity Realm soon, his body would begin turning to stone. He might as well gamble everything on this opportunity.
Even if the Machine Race truly sent an army against Sunlance Academy, he could simply take the academy’s senior leadership and flee to another galaxy. Kael would remain imprisoned inside his Inner Cosmos throughout the journey.
He only needed to endure for a thousand years.
After that, he would possess enough power to leave the Blood Jade Galaxy—or dominate it outright.
Even the Machine Patriarch would have to kneel before him.
...
The Machine Race vessel appeared beneath a pale-gold planet.
Kael emerged, stored the vessel away, and suppressed his cultivation to the True Origin Realm. After altering his features, he crossed the remaining distance in a flash and appeared beside the planet’s teleportation array.
“Halt! What are you?”
Several guards immediately surrounded him, their hostility undisguised.
Some belonged to the Golden Dragon Race, others to the Heavenly Dragon Race, and the rest to the Giant Serpent Race.
The strongest among them had reached the Great Ascension Realm.
“I’m human, not a ‘what.’ I came to use your teleportation array.”
Kael had concealed both his appearance and cultivation because he wanted to see for himself how badly Sunlance Academy treated humans.
“Oh? A human.”
“Enough talking. Hand over every treasure you have. Quickly.”
The Great Ascension cultivator from the Golden Dragon Race spoke as though Kael’s possessions already belonged to him.
“If I surrender everything, will you let me use the teleportation array?”
Kael furrowed his brow and deliberately let a trace of fear enter his voice.
“Hahaha! Hand it over first. If I’m in a good mood afterward, maybe I’ll let you into the array.”
This time, one of the Heavenly Dragon cultivators answered.
Kael sighed.
“Sighing won’t save you,” one of the Giant Serpent cultivators said. “Stop wasting our time and hand over your treasures.”
“In that case, I suppose there’s no reason for me to remain polite.”
Kael’s features shifted, instantly returning to their true appearance.
“You—”
“Kael?”
“Wait. Why are you only in the True Origin Realm?”
The guards instinctively recoiled.
But once they confirmed Kael’s apparent cultivation, the fear quickly faded. Greed took its place, and they stepped forward again.
Then Kael’s aura began to rise.
True Origin.
Great Ascension.
Planetary.
Stellar.
Galactic.
Eternal.
The pressure exploding from his body drove all dozen guards to their knees. Not one of them could move so much as a finger.
“L-Lord Lin, mercy!”
The Golden Dragon cultivator cried out in terror.
“Very well.”
Kael withdrew his pressure.
The guards hurried to their feet, but their earlier arrogance had vanished completely. Shoulders hunched and heads lowered, none dared look him in the eye.
“Activate the teleportation array.”
“At once!”
The Great Ascension Golden Dragon rushed to comply.
Kael crossed the distance in a flash and stepped into the center of the array.
The guards had only just begun to relax when flames suddenly ignited within Kael’s right eye.
The Myriad Spirit Light swept across them.
Every guard around the teleportation array was reduced to dust.
White light rose around Kael, and he vanished.
...
At Sunlance Academy’s central teleportation array, the formation suddenly began revolving at tremendous speed.
A humanoid silhouette of white light rapidly condensed at its center.
The Dean had already gathered four Vice Deans to await Kael’s arrival.
He gave them a signal.
The four Vice Deans immediately surrounded the teleportation array and summoned their strongest hidden treasures.
After a brief wave of disorientation, Kael materialized at the center of the formation.
A colossal net dropped from above and engulfed him.
The instant it touched his body, it contracted with tremendous force.
At the same time, several violet-gold talismans shot forward and attached themselves to him.
Before Kael had even fully recovered from the dizziness of teleportation, Sunlance Academy appeared to have captured him alive.
“I truly didn’t expect him to teleport straight into the heart of Sunlance Academy,” the Dean said with a faint smile. “Youth really does make people careless.”
The next instant, every violet-gold talisman attached to Kael burst into flames.
Then a head as large as a planet rose beyond the far side of Sunlance Academy.
The enormous net began to shriek under the strain.
“He’s breaking free from the Celestial Spirit-Devouring Net!”
One of the Vice Deans hurriedly pulled out another talisman.
He was already too late.
Kael’s monstrous physical strength tore the Celestial Spirit-Devouring Net apart. Countless white threads exploded outward and scattered through the air.
Kael strode out of the teleportation array.
Each step struck the ground like thunder, and with every footfall, his body grew larger.
By the time he emerged from the formation, he towered several hundred yards high.
Stage Twenty of the Fiendgod Transformation was complete.
“I must admit,” Kael said, his colossal voice rolling across the academy, “Sunlance Academy has a remarkably unusual way of welcoming its guests.”