Rivers of the Night

Chapter 762: Disgust

Four men with their gazes fixed to the ground walked forward. They wore imperial robes of silver and blue, three-clawed dragons of winding, snaking lengths embroidered onto them.

They were all on the older side, probably in their forties or fifties by mortal standards. As for their true ages, it was certainly a lot higher than just that alone, as their auras...

Every single one was a Ninth Resonance Dome of Heaven expert.

As they moved forward, the world rippled around them. It looked as though they were moving through a sea, and yet there was very clearly no water around them at all. It was more like... they were walking from a separate space entirely.

They were there, and yet not there. Present, yet not present.

Even if Theron attacked now, he had a feeling that he would fail. The complexity of this application of Space Mana was on another level compared to Orchu, but that left one confused...

Was that really because of a difference between Seventh and Ninth Resonance? No...

While it was true that the gap between even single tiers of cultivation was huge the higher the realm you were speaking about, it shouldn’t be this exaggerated.

It almost felt like Orchu was a child compared to these four sedan bearers, which was odd considering their standing was obviously low enough that they were responsible for such tasks in the first place.

Theron completely ignored the Merchant King, his gaze entirely focused on the sedan even as they walked forward through the destruction.

When they reached deep pits and trenches, they casually walked over them as though the air above was formed of evenly paved roads. Yet, when they came across rubble and debris, they walked right through them as though they were nothing more than illusions.

Each action was the pinnacle of simplicity, and yet every one was likewise an application of Space Mana Control and Comprehension that was on an unconscionable level.

That was when Theron understood.

Their cultivations might have been at the Ninth Dome of Heaven Resonance, but their Mana Control... it was at a King Resonance level.

The difference here was time.

These four didn’t have the talent to reach the King Realm. But what they did have was experience and years upon years of training. Even though they had likely been stuck at this Ninth Resonance for centuries, maybe even millennia, they had never stopped incrementally improving.

By comparison, Orchu might have had the talent to reach the King Realm, but he had had far less time than these men.

Space Mana was amongst the hardest—if not the hardest—Mana to control. If Theron had to grade Orchu, the latter was probably not even at Heaven Resonance in Mana Control. He acted much closer to a Gold Mancer than he did a real Dome of Heaven Mancer.

’I see. This must be how the culture of the Chron Clan is. They focus first on cultivation, blitzing through to their full potential as quickly as possible. Once they reach that full potential, they slow down and focus on hammering out a deeper, intellectual understanding of their Mana.

’This works for them because 99% of the opponents they come across won’t have the senses needed to understand Space Mana even at the simplest form, so the likes of their heirs can get away with mediocre Mana Control.’

However... the spine and backbone of their Clan are those that should truly be feared.

Theron realized right then that he was wrong. These sedan bearers didn’t have King Resonance Mana Control, that was just an illusion that came from how complex and hard to comprehend Space Mana was.

They had Heaven Resonance Mana Control.

But much like how Theron’s Void Cores made his Resonances act as though they came from a higher level, so too did Space Mana do the same.

Not all Elements were created equal. There were some that were simply on a level all their own.

If Theron ever came across a Time Mancer—if such a thing ever even existed—even if their Mana Control was only at a Silver Resonance level, how many people would be able to even touch the hem of their clothes?

It would require an existence countless times more powerful than them in Mancy to kill them by brute force. If you tried to skill your way to a kill against such a Mancer...

You would be finished.

The sedan made it to the entrance of the now dilapidated palace and placed the chair down. The doors opened and an old woman stepped out.

She clasped her hands behind her back, and Theron felt his heart skip a beat.

Danger.

Quasi King. Not just any Quasi King, but someone who probably had Space Mana Control even greater than the sedan bearers.

The space around Theron twinkled as though it could collapse in on him at any moment. He didn’t move a single inch, nor did the old woman even look in his direction.

Soon after the old woman, Lyrah stepped out, holding her daughter’s small hand. Lyra’s face was obscured, and no one could see it beneath a heavy embroidered veil.

However, Theron felt as though her movements were a bit slow and languid, the twinkling chime of her earrings and ankle bracelets all the more prominent now.

They had strengthened them?

One had to remember that those pair of items were like chains to Lyra. But Lyra was already quite weak in the first place, what was the point of strengthening those chains even more?

Also... what kind of wedding had the bride appear first?

Somehow, this was the tidbit Theron held onto more than anything else.

When he and Malaya got married, he stood before her sedan with sword and dagger in hand, carving through every obstacle they came across before he finally helped her down.

This Alfone, though...

"He wants to arrive last as though he’s a woman? Interesting choice of heir the Chron Clan has."

What remained of Theron’s drunkenness seemed stoked by the flames of his disgust.

The old woman’s steps suddenly paused.