Chapter 386: Mudcloak's Secret

Ashlock's focus returned to Red Vine Peak to open a portal for the Mudcloaks, as Stella couldn't open such a long-range portal herself.

"Come to think of it, I haven't checked on them in quite a while," Ashlock mused as his spiritual gaze floated through the rain and roaring wind toward the Citadel. "I wonder what they have been up to."

Atop the monolith that served as the central core of the Citadel was Quill's library, and Ashlock could see his offspring's leaves fighting with the storm. The Citadel was an 8000-meter-deep hole through the center of the mountain that had been made by a giant Star Core Realm worm. While the roaring wind quietened down the deeper he delved, the Citadel had been turned into a waterfall as rain drummed on the spiral staircase and cascaded down into the depths.

"If I remember correctly, there's a small lake at the bottom that is fed by my ethereal roots alongside the troughs built into the central pillar that feed the moss that the Mudcloaks like to eat." Ashlock thought as he reached the bottom, "Ah yeah, there it is."

He was pretty surprised as he inspected the small lake. It wasn't overflowing like he had anticipated. "Wait, are those pipes?" Looking closer, he saw industrial-sized pipes built into the lake's side, and he could see the water rapidly flowing into them. "Were these always here? I don't think so..."

Deciding to follow them, as he hadn't seen any Mudcloaks daring to brave the rain thus far, he soon came upon a vast tunnel. He would have thought it was a giant cave system if not for the perfectly smooth walls. It was as if it had been dug out by a machine.

It didn't take long for him to run into his first Mudcloaks. There was a small group inspecting a crack in the wall. All of them were wearing bright yellow rain boots and matching metal helmets. One of them was holding a clipboard and seemed to be the group leader as they waved a runic device over the crack. It looked like a long stick letting off a blue light, but when the Mudcloak waved it over the crack, it turned red.

"Bugs." The Mudcloak declared, causing excitement from the other Mudcloaks. The leader handed his clipboard and device to another and, to Ashlock's surprise, took out what he assumed to be a weapon. It was comically large compared to the 3-foot-tall Mudcloak. It vaguely resembled a gun with a long nozzle and was covered in runic circuits. Ashlock took a closer look and saw words related to fire.

From within his tattered black cloak, which Ashlock knew now was actually their skin and served as a protective layer, the leader Mudcloak revealed his hand and placed it on the wall. Earth soul flames flared to life, and a fist-sized hole in the rock appeared.

"This Mudcloak is in the Star Core Realm?!" Ashlock triple-checked, but there was no doubt about it. The leading Mudcloak was in the early stages of the Star Core Realm. "Wait, this little guy is technically as strong as Douglas? What..."

The sound of clicking came from beyond the wall, and Ashlock could see something shifting in the darkness through the hole. His surprise at the Mudcloaks reaching the Star Core Realm was briefly put aside as his curiosity at what they were doing got the better of him.

"Are there really bugs in the walls? I've never noticed them."

The leader stepped back and slotted the nozzle of his weapon into the suitably sized hole.

The runes covering the weapon flared to life all at once, and the Mudcloak laughed manically as fire blasted into the hole, causing the insects on the other side to let off a shrill cry followed by the sound of their bodies exploding like party poppers.

Ashlock watched the whole scene in disbelief.

Once the runic weapon finally ran out of power as all the spirit stones had dulled, the leader pulled the nozzle out of the hole, and the other Mudcloaks moved in, soul flames wreathing their bodies. They created a Mudcloak-sized doorway into the stone and gleefully dragged charred bug corpses into the tunnel. It was almost impossible to tell what the bug had once looked like as now it closely resembled a vaguely insect-shaped piece of coal.

"Yummy!" One of the Mudcloaks cheered with glee as they brutally tore off pieces of charred flesh and devoured it. Ashlock couldn't even see their mouths, just their glowing blue eyes that narrowed in ecstasy. The bugs were easily twice the size of a single Mudcloak, yet that didn't seem to faze the Mudcloaks at all as they each consumed an entire bug by themselves.

Having finished their meal, the leader sealed up the hole and crack in the tunnel before leading his small entourage of yellow hat and boot-wearing Mudcloaks down the tunnel.

Ashlock absentmindedly followed them with more questions than answers. When did they reach the Star Core Realm? How did they make a flamethrower? What the hell are those bugs, and are their stomachs linked to a spatial dimension?

He would ask them directly, but his {Abyssal Whispers} skill would undoubtedly break their minds. Since they were quite slow due to their short legs, Ashlock went on ahead down the tunnel, and in the distance, he could hear the loud clanging noise of metal striking metal.

"What in the nine realms is this?" Ashlock uttered in awe as the tunnel opened into an expansive space. He finally uncovered the source of the clanging as he saw hundreds of Mudcloaks working on assembly lines, creating weapons and what looked like parts. Instead of conveyor belts, they had aqueducts, and the finished parts were carried along on floating pieces of wood.

Ashlock finally figured out what they were using all the water for. Not only was it used to transport things around, but it was also used in the forging process to quench the metal and in cooling towers to stop the room from overheating.

While they seemed to mostly focus on weapons and smaller parts, there was a giant forge in the corner that dominated the room, operated by Mudcloaks using suits of shifting earth. The door to the forge was slowly opened, and a large sheet of still-red-hot metal that looked like armor for a tank was pulled out. The largest of the suits of earth, five meters tall and operated by multiple Mudcloaks, moved across the room toward the forge. Mudcloaks, all wearing the yellow helmets, streamed around its feet as they went about their own tasks.

The titan of earth waited until the metal cooled before lugging it down a tunnel that seemed to lead to a neighboring room.

"Did Douglas tell them to do all this?" Ashlock's opinion of the man skyrocketed. He was a diligent worker, and while dealing with his requests, he also micromanaged such a widescale production from the Mudcloaks? He had come here to open a portal for them but was far too curious about what else they had been doing down here. Following the earth titan down the tunnel, Ashlock was stunned further.

If that last space was large, this one was massive and primarily dominated by a half-complete construction that vaguely looked like a spaceship Ashlock used to see in those sci-fi shows designed to house colonies as they explored the stars. The earth titan that had seemed domineering in the last room as it lumbered past the endless rows of Mudcloaks working looked tiny compared to this construction.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask—oi!" Douglas glared off to the side and shouted, "Stella! Your pet is trying to eat a Mudcloak!"

"Guppy, you glutton! Don't eat the little guys—they aren't food!" A distant voice he knew was Stella's shouted, and the abomination let out a sad cry as it put the confused Mudcloak down and got back to devouring the dulled runic formations.

Ashlock decided to leave everyone to it and withdrew his presence to his Inner World as he knew a pressing matter needed attention. Looming over Stella's house, a shifting mass of divine ash was patiently waiting for him. The moment he laid eyes on his guardian, the system informed him of something he had been eagerly anticipating.

[Larry has accumulated enough Qi to evolve to SS grade]

[Herald of the Divine Ash {Larry} wishes to evolve]

[Yes/No]

"Yes," Ashlock answered and was surprised when the system didn't present him with a list of options to choose from. There was only one.

[Harbinger of the Eternal Ash {SS}]

As an SS Grade being, he steps into the realm of kings—the Monarch Realm. This evolution into the Harbinger of the Eternal Ash marks his ascension into a higher form of divinity, with full dominion over decay, ash, and rebirth. Now wielding the immense potential of a domain, Larry will become an undying apocalyptic power.

[Please note: This evolution will take longer than previous ones as Larry must comprehend multiple laws and form an Inner World. Do you still wish to proceed?]

"That's concerning. Larry is one of the best counters I have to Vincent Nightrose, and the first stages of the beast tide are quickly approaching. It won't take more than a week, will it?"

[The process has no set time frame. It entirely depends on Larry's comprehension speed, but I would guess a week at minimum]

"What do you think, Larry? Should I start it now, or should we hold off on your evolution?"

"Master, I beseech you to allow me to evolve," Larry lowered his head, "In my current state, I am not worthy of being called the guardian of the Ashfallen Sect."

"Not worthy?" Ashlock chuckled, "If not you, then who? You are one of the strongest in the sect."

"Nyxalia has surpassed me, Maple's strength is unknown, and I suspect Mistress Elysia will be able to wield the power of a god soon enough. Please, Master, allow me to undergo this ascension so I will not be cast aside."

"Larry..." Ashlock sighed. This darn spider already had higher cultivation than him and would be a step into the Monarch Realm after this evolution. If Larry was feeling inadequate, how was he supposed to feel? Everyone around him treated him like this godly figure despite a few in his sect being in a higher stage of cultivation than him. That aside, now really was a bad time to undergo an evolution that would last an undetermined amount of time.

With Larry busy evolving and Nyxalia off somewhere else, he was left with few trump cards. Vincent Nightrose had proved that Nascent Soul Realm Ents were a joke before him, and it was said that this beast tide would have multiple Nascent Soul Realm monsters and possibly even a Monarch Realm one. So, relying on Anubis was ill-advised, and Nox was trapped in a pocket realm.

"Leaving myself and Maple as the powerhouses in the sect," Ashlock didn't like that his partner in crime would be a very unreliable squirrel. "System, could you tell me more about this evolution? I understand the jump in cultivation to the Monarch Realm level is significant, as is the formation of an inner world and learning multiple laws, but can you give a little more? Because as it is right now, Larry's strength serves my current needs."

[A lot of Larry's strength after the evolution will be based on how he can wield his new power level and capabilities. However, with the creation of an Inner World, Larry will have a place where he can store ash beside his body, effectively making him utterly immortal as he can keep reforming his body. He could also unleash this stored ash upon the battlefield in a storm that corrodes anything it touches into ash that Larry can absorb into his Inner World or control]

"That does sound quite strong. Mhm, what do you mean when you say control? Since he will have laws over decay, ash, and rebirth, what can he do with the ash besides unleashing it in a storm to decay everything?"

[He will be capable of commanding an army of ash-based warriors and creatures that fight alongside him. He can also impart his will to these creations, giving them intelligence. They will also be able to reform indefinitely from ash, making them incredibly resilient unless completely obliterated]

"Oh, I can see why you said he will become an undying apocalyptic power. That does sound quite useful for fighting against the beast tide." Ashlock paused as he looked at his servant, who hadn't yet raised his head. "This is really bad timing, but it's hard to say no. Better to start the process now before the worst part of the beast tide hits, and I realize I need another member of my sect to be in the Monarch Realm. I can't yet depend on Nyxalia, after all."

"Okay, system. Commence the evolution."

[Acknowledged. Evolution to Harbinger of the Eternal Ash {SS} initiating....]