The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1152: Land of Opportunities and Dangers, Abyssal Dust

"That’s right." Soul Master Vastmind affirmed Vaan’s suspicion, adding, "Within the Dark Horizon hides a spatial tunnel that connects not only to other parts of Chaos but also to many battlefields."

"I also heard that the war on the battlefield is absolutely ferocious," Soul Master Voidwhisper added.

"Powerful waves of creation and destruction constantly clash and mix, forcibly expanding Chaos across the endless sea of nothingness, erasing myriad things while birthing various exotic life forms and miraculous oddities."

"Moreover, these things spill through the ungoverned spatial tunnels, arriving in our space region, forming the Dark Horizon we’ve come to know today. Dangers and opportunities are intertwined and inseparable in this dark region."

"Interesting..." Vaan uttered thoughtfully before wondering, "Why doesn’t anyone close the spatial tunnel? Could the opportunities be so great that the Myriad Sea God Palace is willing to keep this variable danger next door?"

"That is also correct, Lord Vaan." Soul Master Vastmind smiled ruefully, explaining, "The Dark Horizon contains opportunities across all levels of existence, even Empyrea-level opportunities."

"After all, these opportunities ultimately originate from the battlefield, where the Lord of Chaos and the Abyssal Beast King have fought."

"Just the lingering traces of their power and law present enormous opportunities to Empyreans and other True Divinities, let alone the myriad creations birthed by their conflict and fusion."

"Although the Lord of Chaos and the Abyssal Beast King no longer battle in this particular region of the vast battlefield, the war between our world and the Outerworlders rages on. As such, the Myriad Sea God Palace regularly deploys disciples to the battlefield."

"Lord Vaan might be surprise to learn just how many Divine Kings and Divine Emperors voluntarily join the battlefield outside of the regular million-year recruitment period."

"Even Divine Kings and Divine Emperors join the battlefield? Is the spatial tunnel so safe to traverse that even Divine Kings and Divine Emperors join the battlefield outside of the recruitment period?"

Vaan raised an eyebrow.

"Hahaha, of course not," Soul Master Voidwhisper shook his head with a soft chuckle, explaining, "The spatial tunnel is full of Abyssal Dust, making it dangerous even for ordinary True Divinities."

"It’s just that the megacyclic recruitment period is too long. As such, some Heavenly Gods would occasionally band together and lead other willing disciples on an expedition to the battlefield."

"I see." Vaan nodded with understanding.

To be honest, he was not all that interested in the battlefield. No matter how good its benefits were, the level of danger he would have to face there was far greater than everyone else’s, and simply not worth the risk.

Such a place was only suitable for beings who were hard-stuck at a bottleneck, unable to progress in their cultivation.

For someone with a smooth cultivation progression like him, there was no need to take on such a risk.

"If Lord Vaan is also interested in joining the battlefield, you should be mindful of the Abyssal Dust. This destructive substance is even more prevalent on the battlefield than the spatial tunnel and the Dark Horizon." ℞ÄΝ𝙤𝐛ÊṨ

"Thank you for the advice, Soul Master Voidwhisper. However, there’s no need to worry. Given my bright future, why would I take on such a risk?"

Vaan corrected Soul Master Voidwhisper’s misunderstand with a calm smile.

Although he wasn’t interested in the battlefield, he was definitely interested in the Abyssal Dust.

After all, Abyssal Dusts were fine particles of objects that weren’t completely destroyed in the catastrophic clash of power between the Lord of Chaos and the Abyssal Beast King. As such, they must be incredibly firm materials.

More importantly, they also contained the residual power of nihility from the endless sea of nothingness.

Although this residual power of nihility wasn’t strong enough to tear apart the reality of Chaos from the inside out, it was still incredibly destructive and dangerous to other life forms.

Moreover, the Abyssal Dust’s corrosive damage was extremely difficult to heal. Most restorative methods wouldn’t work.

Only a Soul Master or their restorative creation would be effective against it.

Nevertheless, as both a Nihility User and a Soul Master, Vaan had no reason to fear the Abyssal Dust. On the contrary, it was an enormous opportunity for him to enhance his comprehension of the Nihility Law.

’Unfortunately, even the closest region of Abyssal Dust lies in the Dark Horizon. For the time being, I can’t leave the Mermen Domain,’ Vaan thought.

He could only make a mental note and visit it later, when the opportunity arises.

After Soul Master Vastmind and Soul Master Voidwhisper answered all of Vaan’s questions, providing him with valuable information, much to his satisfaction, it was now his turn to reciprocate the favor.

"If there’s anything you want to know, ask now," Vaan permitted.

Soul Master Vastmind and Soul Master Voidwhisper immediately revealed joyful expressions; their eyes lit up with excitement.

"Did you manage to gain anything during your stay at our Soul Master Hall so far, Lord Vaan?" Soul Master Voidwhisper inquired with slightly suppressed excitement.

"Not much, but it was better than nothing," Vaan nonchalantly replied before adding with a casual smile, "I’ve also added some stuff to the library’s database. If you are interest in this, you can check it out."

Soul Master Voidwhisper was thrilled after hearing this, but he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. It wasn’t appropriate to depart in such a manner.

What if his action offended Lord Vaan?

"May I ask what it is that you added to the library’s database, Lord Vaan?" Soul Master Vastmind respectfully asked after calming his agitated nerves.

"Well..."

Swish!

The moment Vaan finished explaining the Slightly Better Boundless Skysea Creator Visualization Technique, the Greater True Soul Refining Art, the Innate True Spirit Replenishment Art, and the Ninefold True Soul Refining Art, the Soul Masters rushed to the library.

Their excitement burst forth like opened floodgates, unable to contain the gushing water.

Vaan did not mind them leaving in such a manner; he simply chuckled as he watched them depart. Through his Omni-Sense, he had confirmed that the two were indeed part of his father’s lineage.

Although their current lives were part of a different race, their primordial souls contained a human origin.

In other words, they could be considered his great-nephews.

Since he was their elder, how could he feel offended over their small actions? It was a trivial matter.

Moreover, he could understand their excitement.

Due to the Soul Master Hall’s poor heritage, Soul Master Vastmind and Soul Master Voidwhisper were unable to attain True Divinity. It was their greatest weakness.

Achieving True Divinity was also their greatest wish.

Although his current contributions wouldn’t help them achieve True Divinity, they could still provide unique insights and bring them one step closer.

Nevertheless, after Vaan was left alone, his eyes flickered with a trace of cold, ruthless glint.

The killing of Soul Masters was the equivalent of killing his relatives and descendants. Such a matter couldn’t be tolerated. The Outerworlders and their corrupted minions deserved a thousand deaths.

’Sigh...’

Vaan silently sighed.

Although he was currently too weak to avenge his fallen relatives and descendants, he had noted this blood feud.

Shortly after, all traces of killing intent vanished from Vaan’s body.

He stood up from his seat and, with a step, disappeared from the spot, appearing elsewhere in the Soul Master Hall.

There were only a few areas in the Soul Master Hall where the disciples aspiring to become Soul Masters generally gathered. Namely, they were the Suppression Court, Meditation Pavilion, and the Hundred Arts Tower.

The Suppression Court was a place where aspiring disciples could temper their souls in hopes of releasing the potential of Soul Masters.

The Meditation Pavilion recorded the Soul Power Intent left behind by other Soul Masters, allowing aspiring disciples to meditate on them, feel their profundities, and comprehend the unique power of Soul Masters.

Finally, the Hundred Arts Tower compiled the hundred studies of art that could achieve Soul Resonance.

Of the three places, the Hundred Arts Tower was the most popular and practical.

After all, without the Prime Factor, no amount of soul tempering at the Suppression Court or meditation at the Meditation Pavilion would help with cultivation.

On the other hand, the study of the hundred arts was still useful for cultivation, even if one ultimately failed to walk the path of a Soul Master with it.

For example, the study of sound arts could also reach the apex, allowing one to become a Sound God not in any way inferior to a True Divinity of another cultivation path. As such, no effort was wasted, even if one had no talent for Soul Master Cultivation.

After weighing the pros and cons, an aspiring disciple’s first choice was quite obvious.

Outside of the Hundred Arts Tower, Vaan’s powerful Omni-Sense scanned through the crowd of aspiring disciples entering and exiting the towering white building, then shifted through each floor.

Each floor represented the study of a different art.

Although Vaan had swept the Soul Master Hall with his Omni-Sense before, it only gave him an estimation of the disciples within. This time, he scrutinized each aspiring disciple.

Unfortunately, he was left disappointed.

Not a single aspiring disciple was a Bearer of the Prime Factor.

However, he had also expected this, given the rarity of Soul Masters. Within a quadrillion beings, he might not even find one Prime Factor Bearer, let alone twenty thousand.

After having no luck with the Suppression Court and the Meditation Pavilion as well, Vaan left the Soul Master Hall, returning to the Mermaid’s Grotto of Whispering Pearl City.

Finding Prime Factor Bearers to nurture was just a side quest, not a main priority.