Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 309 Sword of the Heavenly Raijin

Before Lu Chen returned to the scaffold alongside his junior Sister, he gave Altair a deep look and said, "My Sect, the Heavenly Thunder Gods Sect, is known for its Sword Techniques, but it is also known for its pacifistic nature. I will not tolerate violence, Mr. Blackwood, neither from you nor that devil by your side."

Altair politely cuffed his palm. He hadn't imagined that an entire floor would have been dedicated to a single sect. Perhaps this, too, was a testament to Lu Chen's prowess.

Lu Chen nodded, departing to flirt with his Junior Sister.

Altair chuckled before deciding to tour the mountain. He took a final glance at Julia, marking her death with his gaze, before walking off. The Heavenly Thunder God Sect hadn't been as large as he'd suspected, but away from the courtyard meant for foreign awakeners, everything changed.

Inside their sect, Altair was rather mystified by the stunning biome of life as disciples and nature lived side by side.

The lack of technology took Altair aback. He observed men and women carrying buckets of water from various wells that dripped with Mana to live in caves they called Cultivation Caves. At first, he was inclined to think of them as savages, but their distinctive manner and the exquisite gold and white robes they wore made him reconsider.

As time passed, he realized that not all the disciples lived in such ways.

The Heavenly Thunder Gods sect had been divided into five categories: the Outer Disciples, Inner Disciples, Core Disciples, Elders, and Patriarch.

"It's pretty," Raven said, looking around at the various pavilions that left her breathless. She spun on her heel to Altair, pointing towards one of the stunning structures. "I want one!'

Altair grinned. "The architecture sure is nice, though I can't say it'll match with what we currently possess," He said.

Morrigan looked around, frowning. "Let's just hurry to the Martial Pavillian. We are wasting time."

Altair glanced at her. "Can't you just create a new type of technique on the spot?"

Morrigan shrugged." I've mastered all the skills I've ever created to the highest level my current body will allow, but I refuse to simply create a technique that'll go unused for years on end. It's beneath me. I'd rather master some other person's techniques before tossing them away."

Altair didn't know what to say. He hadn't thought about it that way. "I guess that's true."

Asking a few disciples, Altair was quickly directed towards the Martial Hall, hidden deeper into the luscious biome. Subtly noticing, the deeper they traveled up the mountain, the more purified the Mana Density grew until it radiated multicolored light across space.

He gasped, feeling his pores breathing Mana. He might have been happy if he'd not decided to abandon the Path of Mana. Every day, he could feel his Vale Qi growing, thrashing about like a living creature within his Dantain. He'd noticed it the moment Syris became his Saintess, but ever since then, Vale Qi had slowly been gathering.

Starting as a mere droplet of energy, it now stood as a pool, half the size of his Mana reserves and nearly three times as powerful.

As they journeyed up the mountain leading towards the Martial Hall, Altair's footsteps came at the sudden scars etched across a stone monolith. He froze, blood trickling from his nose.

"Sword of the Heavenly Raijin," It read across its frame, written in High Imperial. Each character oozing a radiance reminiscent of the Sword's intent.

"Master?" Raven said, craning her head towards him.

The inner disciple, Guo Wengui, rounded on his heel to face the monolith. He smiled at the sudden attention to the monolith. "The first ancestor, The Patriarch's Master, created that Sword Scar after he vanished for nearly Six Chaos Cycles. Many of the old elders thought him dead, trying to steal his position as Patriarch. If not for Lord Lu taking over, they might have."

"Raijin… Raijin… Raijin," Tasha muttered, tilting her head back and thinking. She smiled then, turning to Altair. " I remember now. Raijin was the one Lord Seir battled for Seven Days to appease his boredom."

"Raijin as in the Ninty-Eight Lord on the Omnis Ranking?" Altair asked, remembering the name on the Compendium of Ascension Zelos had given him.

Tasha nodded. "That's the one. It was said that Raijin had managed to leave a permanent mark on the Prince of Hell's chest. As a reward, he kept him as his pet for Six Chaos Cycles to rule as a Knight of Hell. It would have been for an eternity if not for the Archangel Ariel's intervention. By her hand, he was able to earn his freedom. Becoming one of Myriad Heaven's most Righteous Gods." she smiled.

"I hear nowadays he slaughters any devil and demon his path crosses."

'Seir, the First Prince of Hell in Avenos," Altair thought, staring at the monolith in a sort of absent daze. He approached it.

A/N: Avenos is the First Layer of Hell's Name.

"Well, I'm not sure about all that you said. Those were only rumors, but Lord Lu said that a technique exists on this Monilith after Lord Raijin carved into it after his long absence. However, no one has been able to learn it." Guo Wengui explained, pushing his chest out with pride.

"How long has it been standing here," Raven asked, noticing her master's fascination.

"No one knows. There aren't any records."

Altair frowned, noticing a lack of moss or erosion from the stone that did not seem any different than granite. It was ordinary stone. And yet it stood untouched by the elements as if there was a power protecting it.

"I'll keep my distance,' Tasha said, touching her throat. Unsure if Raijin's hatred for her kind still lingers in the Sword Intent embedded in the Monolith.

As one of the Knights of Hell, Raijin was known as a warden who often butchered his way through hordes of demons and devils on the front lines during the War between Demons and Devils, known as the War of the Devils Fall. He had made a name for himself by surviving a clash with Archdemon Baphomet, who later honored him by allowing him to live another day so that they might clash again.

Raijin had never won a single battle against Archdemon Baphomet but had managed to earn the respect of one of Hell's most powerful Archdemons, rivaled only by the Archdukes and Kings of Hell.

It was only after Raijin had escaped from the hells that he managed to ascend to the Omnis Ranking three Hell Cycles later when the Silver Devil created the Sword Path, which allowed one to seek perfection without the consequence of madness.

'The Sword of Raijin,' Altair muttered, studying the strokes that seemed to transcend the limits he'd envisioned a sword could possess. It was pure, like liquid fire, held only by lightning.

Altair couldn't explain it, but the more he studied the monolith, the more he understood the hundred and twenty-eight strokes, the five main forms, and the nine subforms.

For a moment, he stood there, lost in the movements, before a Vale Sword flashed into his hand, carrying a thrum of power across its edge. Closing his eyes, Altair saw it, the flashes of sword light marking space within the shadowscape of his mind.

He moved, matching the path of the sword. Each stroke was marked with imperfection, and yet with each cycle of each form, perfection began to settle.

[Divine Being, Reigning Lightning, has recognized your existence]

[Divine Sin, Sacrilege is observing your existence]

[Divine Sin, Sacrilege grins the veil of mystery around you]

Suddenly, arcs of obsidian lightning ignited across the Vale Sword as Altair's blade began to grow. He could feel anger in each stroke, unimaginable pain and suffering, and despair hidden beneath each stroke.

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'He must have done this after his escape,' Altair told himself, pouring his emotion into the blade. Despair had not been foreign to him but the foundation of his power. Whether it be his mother, the Lake of Rot, Azura, Cain, or the Upper Moons, all had caused him to suffer. All had caused him some sort of fury to ignite in his blade.

Thunder roared across the heavens, rolling through the clouds below as a furious arc of lightning coiled around the Emperor's blade.

[The Ninth Form, Aeron proficiency has Increased by 1%]

Proficiency : 3% ? 4%

The winds turned sharp like blades, uprooting the biome around them and gathering the attention of Elders as each lifted their attention towards the Emperor. They stood frozen as the lightning around his sword turned furious. Reeling out of control, it lashed against the Earth, igniting fires as Altair began to grasp the fundamentals of the Sword of the Heavenly Raijin.

[Divine Being, Reigning Lightning, expresses more interest in you]

Far across the sect on his scaffold, Lu Chen frowned, turning in Altair's direction. His pupils contracted as he muttered, " Masters Sword Art… Oh, Hell." He vanished, appearing before Altair in a single breath in time to hear the young lord mutter.

"Indignation"

Once more, Lu Chen felt as if he were looking up at the World Tree spanning heaven and Earth, lightning blacker than the deepest night coiled like the roots of Yggdrasil, lashing at Heaven and Earth to open the Gates of Hell.