Chapter 204: Missing Piece
At first, Priam simply watched the Wind Elementals with curiosity.
They were extremely simple lifeforms, born directly from the concentration of elements in nature. Their bodies consisted basically of a single rune whose density had become so high that it was almost physical.
After a few hours, however... Priam’s perception changed completely.
He noticed that the internal flow of the element within those tiny beings was practically identical to what was described in the unknown Magic Art. It was an incredibly subtle detail, almost impossible to notice under normal circumstances. But the flow inside the Elementals was unique—and such a striking similarity could never be a coincidence.
Not long afterward, once he observed them from the right perspective, Priam was even more shocked.
Without a doubt, the creator of that Magic Art possessed an unbelievably profound understanding of the Elementals. He might have...
’If this person had such extensive knowledge, could it be that he created it based solely on the Wind Elementals?’
The question echoed in his mind, since the five natural elements shared far more similarities than differences.
It didn’t take long for Priam to understand how the Elementals interacted with their surroundings: they constantly absorbed and exchanged energy in a gentle, perfectly natural flow.
Perhaps that was exactly the secret behind the eighth stage.
So Priam began his experiments...
The seventh stage was activated. The Wind element around him began to stir, converging directly into his body.
A light-green aura emerged from his skin, causing him to emit a radiant glow of his own.
Slowly, the fabric of space began to distort and ripple across a radius of dozens of kilometers. Anyone looking in that direction from afar would have been stunned by the phenomenon.
*Crack!*
Muffled cracking sounds began echoing from inside Priam’s body.
At an increasingly overwhelming speed, he began devouring the surrounding Wind element, fusing its pure energy directly into his cellular structure.
It was a complete biological metamorphosis. His skin continuously cracked apart and reconstructed itself, changing both its texture and density.
He entered a state of absolute concentration, endlessly absorbing energy. The element merged with and flowed through every one of his meridians, producing continuous cracking sounds. Priam felt every painful change in his flesh, but ignored the discomfort, pushing himself to the limit to absorb as much as possible.
Powerful gusts of wind and dense mists gathered around him.
The tiny Elementals fled in terror. Every trace of the highest-level Wind element in the surrounding area violently converged toward him.
A few kilometers away, standing atop an ancient tree, Mishnar watched him with an expression of complete shock.
"What a terrifying fundamental aura... the concept behind this energy contradicts the Laws of this world. Yes... He... He’s definitely cultivating a technique from another world!" she murmured, her voice trembling with growing disbelief.
Completely immersed in a deep trance, Priam didn’t even notice when the sky turned pitch-black. The sunlight vanished completely, smothered by heavy, threatening black clouds.
Without wasting a second, Mishnar issued an emergency warning to every outer sect disciple, ordering them to evacuate the forest and lock themselves inside their residences, while also forcing every Beast in the area to get away immediately.
Priam maintained the process for half a day.
Then, all of a sudden, he felt his body reach its absolute saturation point.
It was impossible to absorb any more than that. Even so... he knew it still wasn’t enough. One crucial, unknown piece was still missing...
*BOOM!*
The heavens and the earth shook with a deafening explosion.
Priam’s eyes snapped open.
Looking up, he saw pitch-black clouds covering the entire horizon.
Thunder roared violently as bolts of lightning tore through the darkness. The entire area within a colossal radius was engulfed by an oppressive, terrifying aura.
’What’s happening?!’
Priam was genuinely horrified. He realized that the storm had formed into a gigantic vortex in the sky—and the eye of that vortex was positioned directly above his head!
The sky above looked as though it held a massive demonic eye staring directly down at him. Along with that horrifying sight came an overwhelming destructive will that pressed down on him from above.
Priam realized it instantly.
He couldn’t move even a single centimeter.
He couldn’t even blink!
He cursed furiously in his mind as he watched the lightning gathering and converging toward the center of the ominous clouds.
’Is it going to strike me?!’
It was a foolish question, and the answer came the very next second. Even someone ten times more naïve would’ve known the inevitable outcome.
Priam struggled with all his strength, but it felt as though the weight of a colossal mountain rested upon his shoulders. His body could do nothing but tremble under the overwhelming pressure.
*Crack!*
The massive boulder beneath his feet split apart. Even the sturdy structure of the mountain peak couldn’t withstand such immense force.
Fear threatened to overwhelm his mind. Being frozen in place and completely defenseless before an impending cataclysm was terrifying.
’This is a Heavenly Punishment. It descends only upon those who have violated the world’s Natural Laws. There is no escape. Gather every last drop of your strength and endure.’
The voice echoed directly inside his mind.
’Elder Leader?’
Priam recognized it immediately.
’Heavenly Punishment?’
Fury blazed through Priam’s chest. Out of all the evil people and monsters in the world, the Laws of the World had decided to punish him?!
Priam took a deep breath, focusing his mind.
[Dominate?] [Yes / No]
With no other choice, he activated the system command to break the physical paralysis and release his internal energies.
Clenching his fists, he felt his Ether and life energy surge back like a dam bursting open. His body once again shone with a radiant light-green halo. The elemental fusion process was still active, desperately trying to complete the metamorphosis.
He raised his head and stared at the sky with a cold, defiant gaze.
"Come on! Fuck your damn Laws!"
Several kilometers away, Mishnar watched everything in absolute silence, her mind filled with dark thoughts.
The clouds overhead grew so dense they looked ready to collapse, while every bolt of lightning gathered into a single critical point.
Suddenly, the entire world fell into a deathly silence.
The next second, a pillar of lightning several meters wide crashed down from the eye of the storm, carrying with it a killing intent meant to erase every trace of life below.
Priam watched destruction descend upon him.
The Ether within his meridians surged wildly.
Without the slightest hesitation, Priam burned all of his life energy at once, igniting his fists with a blazing crimson flame.
At the same time, every ounce of control he possessed over the Wind element erupted.
He condensed one hundred percent of his raw power into a single attack. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to create a Power Rune.
All he could do was regret it.
"Sky-Rending Wind!"
**KBOOOM!!!**
The mountain peak, hundreds of meters tall, was instantly reduced to rubble and dust.
Priam coughed up a mouthful of thick blood, yet remained standing firmly in the middle of the shattered rocks.
The light and power descending from the heavens still remained fixed on him, pressing downward like a heavenly spear trying to pierce straight through him.
There was no way to "defeat" something like that.
Before that divine spear, Priam was like an ant trying to stop the sky itself from collapsing. He didn’t possess the power to repel or destroy the lightning. His only choice was to endure.
It was a pure contest of endurance against nature itself.
He was completely powerless. The lightning crushed him mercilessly. His body was charred within seconds, and the smell of his own burning flesh filled the air.
And even then... despite feeling only a hair’s breadth away from death...
Priam did not retreat.
He didn’t give up even a single step.
He refused to let fear force him to his knees.
He bore the weight of destruction through nothing but sheer, unyielding willpower.
The agonizing seconds dragged on like centuries. Priam felt his consciousness beginning to fade as his very existence slipped toward darkness.
He bit his tongue so hard that the taste of blood snapped him out of the haze, forcing himself to keep his feet planted on the shattered rock until the very end.
Then...
"!"
All of a sudden, the crushing pressure vanished. The remaining lightning energy scattered in every direction, dissolving into the air until it disappeared completely.
The black clouds split apart and dispersed within seconds, returning light to the horizon. It was as though the cataclysm had never happened.
Mishnar’s figure flickered, instantly appearing in front of him.
Priam collapsed to his knees before falling to the ground, his eyes wide as he vomited blood once again.
However...
*Crack!*
A crisp, final crack echoed from the deepest part of his being.
The very next millisecond, his aura changed drastically.
Mishnar’s eyes widened, and she involuntarily took a step back.
The presence Priam gave off no longer felt like that of a mere humanoid—his life essence and the very nature of his body had leaped to an entirely new level.
Still lying on the ground, Priam felt that overwhelming transformation and understood everything in a single flash of clarity.
’That was... that was the missing piece needed to forge the Elemental Body?’