Chapter 639: Truth Slate

Cang Xu was genuinely stunned.

He made no attempt to conceal his true feelings at that moment.

All along, he had been at the bottom tier of transcendents, utterly unfamiliar with the upper echelons like the saint level. After all, he had once been merely an iron level individual.

And today, he had finally witnessed the true might of a saint level powerhouse!

"It's like when the commander, back at silver level, took down a gold level Teng Dong Lang. Ordinary silver level fighters weren't even close to being his match back then."

"Teacher Si Ling must be something like that."

Many factors influenced combat.

Transcendent level was only one aspect; another crucial factor was bloodline.

Just like the dragonman youngster back then, his greatest asset was actually the legend level bloodline of the Flame Dragon King.

The Flame Dragon King bloodline granted him not only extraordinary defenses like dragon scales, but also substantial base strength, agility, vision, and more.

Beyond that, it bestowed the most direct combat abilities— like the racial magics dragon prestige, dragon breath, and the like.

Beyond transcendent levels and bloodlines, numerous other factors influence combat. Take initiative, for instance. This distinction was particularly pronounced for assassins and rogues. For them, an initiative to make the first move could often change the battle results.

Sensing Cang Xu's gaze of shock and admiration, Teacher Si Ling's smile became increasingly natural.

He taught without holding back information: "When a transcendent reaches the saint level, no matter which kind, they will have a domain."

“Magicians wield magic domains, fighters wield fighting domains, while clergymen are unique—their divine domain approximates the effects of the divine domain spell, yet carries personal characteristics.”

“Regardless of type, these are collectively termed saint domains.”

“The quality and size of a saint domain profoundly impact every saint level transcendent.”

“The saint domain also forms the foundation for their future advancement to legend level!”

Hearing this, Jian Gui couldn't help but feel a surge of envy and admiration toward Cang Xu once more.

He had never received such guidance, for the undead orthodoxy knew full well the limits of his bloodline.

“These words were meant for Xu Jia.”

“Because his bloodline mutated, it mutated into the Hanging Corpse Tree bloodline.”

"The ultimate concentration of this bloodline remains uncertain. But at least for now, he genuinely holds hope of ascending to the saint level!"

That's right.

To infiltrate the undead orthodoxy, the fishman youngster had bestowed numerous deception spells upon Cang Xu. The classic spell combination of Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell was merely the foundation.

From Teacher Si Ling's investigative perspective, Cang Xu possessed a saint level bloodline yet remained in a state of mutation.

This was normal.

Typically, the lower the bloodline level, the shorter the mutation period. The higher the level, the longer the mutation period.

Moreover, even bloodlines of the same level exhibited varying mutation durations.

In fact, even identical bloodlines underwent differing mutation durations due to varying environmental factors. Consider this analogy: 2+1=3, and 1+1+1 was also 3. The former's process was shorter, the latter longer, yet the outcome remained identical.

Bloodline dynamics were profoundly mysterious and intricate. Detecting bloodlines was inherently challenging and often inaccurate; bloodline mutation was even more elusive.

From this perspective, one could truly appreciate how invaluable the Bloodcore truly was.

Back then, War Merchant placed the Bloodcore at the top, while relegating the two artifacts—the Deceptive Disguise spell and Mermaid Fairy Tale, to the lower levels of the mage tower. This was no accident!

Artifacts possessed unparalleled, unique power, yet they still had limitations in their application. Even the legend level War Merchant could only harness a fraction of the Mermaid Fairy Tale's true power. The Bloodcore was different. It could be wielded effortlessly, fundamentally reshaping one's foundation and unlocking boundless potential for its host!

Jian Gui was correct.

Teacher Si Ling's deliberate guidance at this moment was indeed granted for Cang Xu's sake.

Saint and gold were two distinct concepts, existing on different levels.

Cang Xu possessed the potential to ascend to the saint level, a qualification sufficient for Teacher Si Ling to offer guidance.

Should he confirm Cang Xu's capability to reach the saint level, the treatment he would receive would be even more exalted. It was entirely possible that You Shen himself would come to instruct him!

The Twelve Saints he had taken under his wing were all chosen for their assured potential to ascend to the saint level in the future.

You Shen's standards for accepting disciples were exceptionally stringent.

Of course, this was precisely the situation Cang Xu and the fishman youngster sought to avoid.

Because they were deceiving these people.

If You Shen were to see through them right before his eyes, it would be disastrous.

Facing a saint level opponent already put the survivors at risk. Facing a legend level opponent, the likelihood of being exposed inevitably skyrocketed.

This was not difficult to understand.

The Deceptive Disguise spell itself was merely a creation by the War Merchant, inspired by the artifact [Mermaid Fairy Tale]. A legend level being like War Merchant still fell short of You Shen. Therefore, the likelihood of You Shen seeing through it was quite high.

Truthfully, there's no need to observe him.

Just look at the present.

In battles against peers, Zhou Zhang's deception divine spell now had minimal effect. Both Da Han and Qian Xing could swiftly discern the deception within a short span.

Cang Xu mused inwardly: “Charming Blue Goddess' strength isn't particularly high. If her deception divine spell were truly effective, she wouldn't have been gravely wounded and fallen into slumber...”

“Her Deceptive Disguise divine spell won't be reliable in the future.”

"They might work against weaker foes, like at the gold level, where they show clear effectiveness. But at the saint level, their practical utility in combat diminishes. Once targeted, their impact becomes even more negligible."

“Of course, when the Lord Commander is wielding the Charming Blue divine artifact, that's an entirely different matter.”

At the mention of divine artifacts, Cang Xu witnessed Teacher Si Ling slowly draw one from his robes!

It was a stone tablet.

Approximately one centimeter thick and the size of an A4 sheet, it formed a rectangular prism of deep blue-black stone.

Not a single word graced its surface. Far from rough, the stone felt remarkably fine and smooth.

Divine artifact - the Truth Slate!

This artifact was renowned throughout the Main Plane, no, the entire world.

It was a fragment of the core divine artifact, the Book of Truth, forged by the God of Truth. Legend held it recorded every law and principle governing the existence, operation, and demise of all things in the world.

With the fall of the God of Truth, the Book of Truth was shattered, its fragments scattered across the world. Each page became a Truth Slate.

Now, Teacher Si Ling held one such fragment in hand.

Teacher Si Ling channeled his magic power into the tablet, slowly activating the artifact.

The tablet began to emit a faint, grayish-white glow.

Undead magic power!

A faint aura of negative energy seeped out, though it was extremely tenuous.

Simultaneously, the pale gray glow slowly expanded, radiating outward from the tablet's center point in all directions. The surrounding space became tinged with a layer of grayish-white.

Cang Xu couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He realized the pale gray glow was drawing ever closer to the Deep Sea Monster Fish!

Within mere seconds, the glow's expansion halted.

Ultimately, it coalesced into a luminous sphere centered on the stone slab, spanning fifty meters in diameter.

The slab began to tremble slightly, initiating a process of self-carving.

As countless tiny stone fragments scattered and vanished mid-air, intricate characters etched themselves onto its surface.

Extremely complex runes.

Cang Xu glanced at them and was immediately struck by intense dizziness. He quickly shut off his vision, but the impression etched into his memory still sent shockwaves through him!

Fortunately, Cang Xu possessed the Memory Concealment spell.

He swiftly cast it, compressing and sealing away the memory from just a second prior.

Not seeing Cang Xu faint, Jian Gui, whose heart brimmed with envy, felt a pang of disappointment.

He offered guidance: "That is the truth divine script, transcendent characters created by the God of Truth to record all things in the world. Many believe this script is the divine question among divine scripts, beyond our comprehension."

Jian Gui didn't glance at the stone tablet once. As a member of the undead orthodoxy, he naturally knew more secrets.

Truth divine script!

Cang Xu's heart trembled with shock.

Teacher Si Ling, however, stared intently at the stone tablet, his gaze fixed on the ever-increasing number of truth divine script runes.

He spoke slowly, “Xu Jia, what do you think the divine domain is?”

Cang Xu had severed his vision, his field of sight plunged into darkness. Hearing Teacher Si Ling's sudden question, his heart jolted.

He keenly sensed this was a small test from Teacher Si Ling, gauging his insight or inspiration.

Cang Xu's mind raced: "Could it be that the divine domain is the ultimate form of a domain?"

“Hehehe, good insight, not bad!” Teacher Si Ling smiled with satisfaction.

“Whether it be battle qi, magic power, or divine power, at their core, they are all forms of energy.”

"The foundation of any domain must be built upon an energy cornerstone. Beyond that lies the rules."

“These rules are the very logic governing the existence, operation, and dissolution of all things.”

“For instance, the foundational energy composing the Charming Blue Divine Domain we currently inhabit is Charming Blue divine power. Its primary logic revolves around deception and disguise, while secondary logic encompasses the fishman race, water elements, and fishing...”

“Silence!” Teacher Si Ling was abruptly cut off before finishing.

Cang Xu instantly recognized the voice as Zhou Zhang's.

He hastily reconnected and activated his vision, seeing Zhou Zhang swim through the breach in the Mother Nest, her face twisted with fury.

The Snow Pear Octopus had also returned, but instead of entering the nest, he guarded the opening from outside.

“Teacher Si Ling! I never imagined the one I'd be waiting for would be you!” Zhou Zhang roared, her fury palpable. “Put away your tablet! How dare you so casually pry into my Lord's divine domain!”

Though Zhou Zhang's personal combat prowess paled beside Teacher Si Ling's, her unwavering devotion left her utterly unyielding.

This display stood in stark contrast to the earlier reactions of Da Han and Qian Xing.

Cang Xu deeply understood this fury.

For Teacher Si Ling's act of using the divine artifact tablet to pry into the secrets of the divine domain was a grave sacrilege.

This was one hundred percent certain, beyond any doubt!

Despite Zhou Zhang's furious rebuke, Teacher Si Ling remained unperturbed, leisurely stowing away the tablet. "Archbishop Zhou Zhang, you must understand this is part of the agreement between our alliance and yours. Your church must provide us with knowledge of the divine domain."

“Moreover, this isn't my first time entering this part of the Charming Blue Divine Domain.”

“Back then, I used the tablet to analyze and document the divine domain.”

“Even the avatar of Charming Blue Goddess was present.”

“Who do you think constructed the magic inscriptions of the formation outside?”