Chapter 689: Totems and the Standoff Triggered by a Void Rift
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 689: Totems and the Standoff Triggered by a Void Rift
"A Totem?"
I muttered to myself, uncertain.
After checking again, I confirmed it didn't seem to do anything. This kind of pattern, even when attempted through the condensation methods of runes, yielded absolutely no feedback or effect.
And yet... this pattern truly existed atop my two abilities: Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and Self-Generated Mana. It was as if this pattern were the true bond linking the two together...
The original ritual connecting them was still there, but this pattern now sat superior to it.
I cautiously reached out with my mental energy to touch it, but it seemed to have little effect. However, when I used the sensory channels of my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation to "touch" it, the pattern finally reacted.
But that reaction gave me the fright of my life!
The pattern was like a predator buried deep beneath the seabed, showing only its head. The moment it sensed my contact, it underwent a violent transformation!
It shifted into the form of a pitch-black serpent, lunging toward my perception!
One must understand that the sensory channels of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation consist of the five senses, as well as the Heart Sense and Time Sense I currently possessed. This so-called "touch" was actually an act of sensory contact.
Terrified by this force, I recoiled, even leaping into the air and leaving the roof of the hotel.
The others were startled by my sudden, unprovoked movement. After all, this was the first time they had seen me looking so panicked and disoriented.
The reason for my disheveled state was simple... the pitch-black, serpent-like trail left by that pattern was a Void Rift!
I could never mistake that aura!
I had encountered Void Rifts many times before. I’d dealt with them twice just during the perfection of my Great Spellbook. Now that I possessed Domain power, I had means to deal with them, but that didn't mean I wasn't afraid of them!
These were things even Transcendent Witches would avoid. More importantly, the place where this thing had manifested... was the very essence of my soul and life.
If I wasn't careful, I was truly finished.
I didn't know if a Void Rift could tear my soul apart, but I was ninety-nine percent sure it could. Just now, I had been a single step away from true death. If my Time Sense hadn't allowed me to react and dodge in time, I don't know what I would have done.
I watched the pattern as it detached from my body. It continued to pursue me relentlessly, as if it would dive back into me at any moment. I had no choice but to expand my Domain, using it to carry my body cultivation sensory channels.
The moment my Domain expanded, all the power of knowledge and Domain Order within it transformed into the five senses. The Power of Knowledge belonging to the "imagery" of the five senses took on a somewhat eerie appearance.
However, expanding my Domain in this state was like overturning a barrel of gasoline. That pattern, dragging the slithering Void Rift behind it, acted like a spark that completely "ignited" my entire Domain!
I watched in shock at my own "fuel-on-the-fire" maneuver, feeling both dazed and stunned. I didn't even have the presence of mind to care that I had left the cover of the rooftop; the terrifying pressure of the Void Rift radiated from the sky above the Sixth Shelter.
Below the shelter, countless people looked up at the sky's transformation, freezing in their tracks. Their eyes were filled with the dread of the unknown.
But amidst this anomaly, I sensed something was off.
My inner fear stemmed from the unknown, but the Domain bought me more reaction time—even if it had also made the situation much worse.
I realized that this tearing of the Void Rift wasn't like the direct, gaping holes produced by the Great Spellbook. The rifts opened by these patterns were as narrow as cracks, quickly squeezed by the pressure of the void until they looked like slithering snakes, rapidly tearing and then healing.
Furthermore, the Void Rift wasn't the direct product of this event; it was a "byproduct" of the pattern's expansion.
To understand what these things were, I pushed the reaction speed boost from my Time Sense to its limit, desperate to buy myself time to think. I needed to understand why this was happening and how to solve this mess.
As I observed, I became increasingly certain: this was indeed a "Totem"!
It had no value as something to be replicated or formed; its value lay in its very existence.
In truth, I didn't object to the Totem making contact with my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation power. I should have even been actively trying to see what would happen. But the Void Rift it dragged along was simply too lethal...
Within my expanded Domain, I fought desperately to suppress the birth of these rifts. When the Great Spellbook had incorporated a Void Rift, I had used this same method to guide it. Now, I was simply reusing an old trick.
My Domain Order now contained more than just body cultivation power; it also held the power of two Great Spellbooks. However, I found that these Void Rifts couldn't be utilized by the spellbooks. It was a bit of a pity...
But once the order of the Great Spellbooks was added, the Domain visibly suppressed the Void Rifts. It was important to note that it only suppressed them; it couldn't eliminate them. I could only wait for them to "heal" naturally.
As these Totems ran amok in my Domain, I noticed that many miraculous lines, distinct from runes, began to appear within it.
"Is this... a Totem?"
Uncertain, I summoned a manifestation of Power of Knowledge infused with body cultivation strength. I found that my Power of Knowledge had already been "contaminated" by this Totem. It looked like the most primitive of etchings, like lines chiseled into stone.
These patterns seemed to have no inherent meaning. They didn't fit into a runic framework or a ritual structure, yet the lines themselves possessed a power that could not be underestimated.
But I didn't know how to use them yet.
As for how I knew this power existed... it was because when I used the full strength of my Floating World level Spirit Vision to "understand" it, I felt as if I had returned to being an infant, looking at a mass of unintelligible information!
I finally understood why the Dean said that even Real Time—my Spirit Vision—couldn't help me learn Totems. Totems were an incomprehensible power in their own right. Even Floating World level Spirit Vision only allowed me to perceive more information that I couldn't understand.
It had no system, so it couldn't be perceived naturally. Therefore... if I wanted to use it, I had to personally experience and feel the tangible existence of this power. Any utilization of it would have to be built upon a "new cognition" formed between my perception and the feedback process!
No wonder the threshold for learning Totems was so high. If you couldn't make contact with one, you didn't even have the right to learn. Moreover, this power couldn't be gained through cultivation, nor were there means to copy it.
"You... are you Yang Yuehan?"
"What are you doing in our Sixth Shelter? Are you trying to disrupt the order here?"
While I was immersed in my thoughts regarding the Totem's power, I was interrupted by a voice from the outside world.
Only then did I notice several figures flying outside my expanded Domain. They didn't dare enter, as the "pressure" brought by the dense Void Rifts within my Domain robbed them of the courage to step inside.
"Everyone, stay back. My power is out of control. If you don't want to die, leave immediately, and evacuate the idiots watching from below while you're at it." I gave them a cold glance. Seeing that they were mostly from the Beast Academy, I didn't bother with a detailed explanation.
They wanted an explanation from me?
Why should I give them one?
Under my guidance, a Void Rift accidentally tore open at the edge of my Domain. The terrifying pressure and the undeniable force of the void instantly shredded the few people who had been shouting at me. They were lucky they moved fast, but one man, left with only half a body, plummeted from the sky with a wretched scream.
The Undying nature that this senior student was so proud of failed to restore even a shred of flesh under the lingering aftereffects of the Void Rift. Because the attack had struck his life essence, no matter how his power level manifested physical immortality, it couldn't repair a wound that struck at his very existence.
I felt only a flicker of surprise before my expression returned to neutral. As expected, Void Rifts were things even some Transcendent Witches had to avoid.
I felt even more justified in my earlier caution. Otherwise... I might have truly died just now. A total death, where not even the soul remains.
Then again, maybe not. My soul essence still had the final refuge of the Soul Dream. Could a Void Rift tear open a dream? I didn't know.
Escaping would have been easy—I could have cut my losses and severed the connection. The reason I had looked so pathetic earlier was mainly because I was a bit too "greedy." I didn't want to miss this opportunity.
This was a chance to perceive a Totem! If I missed this, even Dean Mei's promise during the holidays might not be enough to help me understand what a Totem truly was.
Seeing the fate of the injured man, the others who had been about to demand an "account" instinctively backed away. They were all figures equivalent to teaching assistants from various academies; they didn't want to take the risk.
This power was simply too bizarre!
That was until another figure arrived.
Mentor Elena!
The resurrection mentor stationed in Ninglan New City!
Following her arrival, many other figures appeared in rapid succession. These were all the "Transcendents" currently staying in the Expansion Realm.
They included a large number of clones from the Omni-Link Main Network Tree laboratory, as well as mentors from other Transcendent Academies.
"The traces of a Void Rift... and on such a scale?"
"Oh, it's Xiao Han."
"I don't know why, but seeing that it's Xiao Han, I don't feel surprised at all."
In that moment, above the Sixth Shelter, with me at the center, two groups of people suddenly became locked in a tense standoff.
On one side was the Witch Academy, and on the other... the clones of all the mentors from the other Transcendent Academies who had rushed over.
Although these clones had no power... they could serve as teleportation markers at any moment, allowing their main bodies to arrive!
One had to remember that the Great Weakening Spell did not apply here in the Expansion Realm!
"Elena, as the resurrectionist stationed in Ninglan New City for the Expansion Realm, it's against the rules for you to be here, isn't it?" The side of the other Transcendent Academies was the first to strike. "Is the Witch Covenant you signed just a scrap of waste paper to you?"
"I'm just a clone here to watch the fun," Elena replied without a hint of fear, looking quite relaxed.
The massive scene unfolding above the Sixth Shelter terrified all the students present! They couldn't understand why their mentors had suddenly appeared. Was it just to expel that teaching assistant, Yang Yuehan?
The scale seemed a bit excessive...
These students had no idea how much the fluctuations of a Void Rift tugged at the heartstrings of these Transcendents! Any power capable of triggering a Void Rift was never simple. The most direct association was... a Great Spellbook!
So, they had come to demand an explanation of what was happening. The witches always kept their methods hidden; now that something had been exposed, the others had to figure out the situation. After all, if you knew the trump cards, you could find ways to counter them. Truly invincible power could not exist.
Otherwise, the Primal Witch wouldn't be stuck guarding the Witch World Great Library; she'd be roaming the entire void!
No one wanted to see that happen.
After a round of intense probing between the two sides, they turned their spearheads toward me. They had realized that I was the one who had triggered the void. Upon closer inspection, I wasn't even a Transcendent girl yet!
But looking closer... it was that person they all remembered, the little witch teaching assistant named Yang Yuehan!
"No matter what, she has caused a disturbance in the Sixth Shelter, and she must give us an account!"
"An account? I’ve got a roll of duct tape right here—want that instead? What right do you have to demand an account from someone from our Witch Academy!" One of the senior witch sisters at the front snapped back immediately!
A witch nearby, looking to stir the pot, actually threw a roll of tape toward them.
"You witches are too arrogant. If we all join forces, you might not be able to wipe us all out."
"Don't forget, the Great Weakening Spell doesn't work here," another person added, trying to sound more imposing.
They were trying to provoke the witches into losing their cool. After all, everyone was restricted by the Witch Covenant; who couldn't talk big?
"Then come at us~ I'm standing right here. Try hitting me and see what happens."
But clearly, no one present was a fool.
"Witches, our request is simple. This is just a misunderstanding. Once things are explained clearly, we can all go our separate ways. A Void Rift is far too dangerous, and we are curious if this student—who isn't even a Transcendent—is researching some taboo power that threatens the safety of the Main World."
At this point, a Preaching Angel stepped forward again to act as a peacemaker. There was no need for experts to waste time; lingering here only allowed others to cause trouble.
They were trying to understand what was happening, as they weren't blind. It was just that many of them couldn't make sense of what they saw. They could only see that the person involved had expanded a Domain, and that Void Rifts were spreading within it!
Many of them were Saint Realm Transcendents who also possessed Domains, but they didn't recall there being such a thing as a "Void Rift Domain."
Of course, they also overlooked one thing: aside from the "Void Rift Domain" they didn't understand, there was also the miracle of a non-Transcendent manifesting a Domain. But they had already categorized this concept as an "anomaly." To spend energy on a concept they couldn't understand would be a pointless waste of effort.
"It's okay, Xiao Han. Ignore them. With us here, they can't do anything to you." Several witch sisters had come to my side. They were the quiet witch mentors from the laboratory.
They stepped into my Domain without any power of their own, which spoke volumes of their confidence.
"It's fine. If explaining this will end this farce, I don't mind speaking up." After all, I knew very well that a Totem... was something that truly couldn't be stolen or coveted. Unless... they killed me, causing the Totem to be destroyed along with me.
"There's no need. If they can't see it, it's because they lack the vision," the witch closest to me said. Her eyes signaled me to stay silent; she likely already recognized what this was.
"Alright..." I turned slightly and saw a familiar figure in the crowd behind me. It was Sister Bai. In that moment, my urge to compromise vanished.
Even though they were just clones without power, their presence gave me a profound sense of security.
A Totem... wasn't an ability that had to be kept secret. If I had to reveal something to get past their harassment—whether it was the planned Incubation Rebirth or the shaping techniques of Self-Generated Mana—I would only ever reveal two words: "Totem."
But clearly, at this special moment, these witch sisters wanted to teach me another lesson: Witches do not need to compromise when it matters.
Just as I had barked at the Beast Academy assistant who came to cause trouble—oh, they don't call them assistants there, they call them "Little Beast Kings."
I didn't need to give them a single word of explanation!