Eternal Thief

Ace never would've imagined that the end of the tree maze was something this shocking. It was like he was witnessing some kind of a legend in reality because he was only from low-level lands and didn't have much knowledge of these kinds of wonders of the cultivation world.

Ace didn't dare to act recklessly anymore because he could tell that this grey tree was not like those 'ash tress'. It was clearly real.

He enters in stealth the moment he sees that huge tree and with extreme caution moves in the open field around the tree.

Since he didn't know what kind of being that tree is he would not act rashly. First, he would scout the area around it to see if there was any kind of trap or dangerous beast here.

After an hour, Ace has scouted the whole field and didn't find anything abnormal only that grey tree was the abnormality here.

However, he did notice something and that was after every ten minutes that huge labyrinth of those white strings glows brighter for an instant. It was like those white threads were alive and beating in a strange rhythm like a heart.

Slowly but surely the interval between those threads was getting faster and faster.

'Something is not right here!' Deemed Ace gravely. He has activated stealth to the fullest and didn't dare to move from his hiding spot anymore.

Ace was feeling that his soul sense was giving him a grave warning like never before. If he made even a little bit of mistake he would die here without a doubt.

Suddenly, the huge web of glowing strings started to dim and the glow in them started to fade until it vanished completely.

'Crak, crak, crrrrrkk'

Cracks began to form in the grey tree surface like an eggshell. As if something was moving inside the wide tree and wanted to burst out.

'thhhllll'

All of sudden, a grey hand appeared from the cracks while it made a huge sound.

'cccrrllkkkk'

Finally, as if the tree surface can't hold the thing inside anymore it tore open the tree and a huge twenty-meter wet body emerged from inside.

Half of its body was humanoid; its upper half of the body was like any human and it was completely grey. But on its head were a single horn and its face has no nose or mouth but only eyes there were more than twenty beastly eyes on its face.

It has only two shoulders but there were four hands attached to its forearms. Its upper body was like any human, but there were four legs and a sharp spear-like tail from its torso. From its whole body was dripping some kind of white liquid substance like it has bathed into it not long ago.

Ace was currently hiding in the open field with his stealth and saw that hideous-looking creature creep out from the tree just like it has given birth to something.

He became horrified because that thing was giving him the chills like never before and the pressure that coming from its body made even him who was almost five hundred meters away from it hard to breathe.

Ace wanted to escape the moment he saw that thing and run as far away from it as he could. But his soul sense was warning him that if he moves even a muscle that creature would find him that instant.

Even he can run, he simply can't since he didn't know the way out of this damn place. If not for his soul threads he wouldn't be able to find his way here, to begin with.

'The only being that can detect me while I was still in the stealth has to be in Qi River realm!' Ace becomes ashen and cold sweat begins to flow on the side of his face the moment this thought surfaced in his mind.

Because even if he was as powerful as a middle stage qi foundation realm expert and with his perfected skills he can even compete against high stage qi foundation realm experts and escape with his life if things go south.

But in front of the Qi River realm, he was nothing but a child.

If that creature was really a Qi River-level demonic beast or something else, he was doomed!

That thing can easily toy with him and he can do nothing to protect himself.

If not for his stealth being boosted by the dark atmosphere, that creature would be able to spot him the moment it appeared.

Ace was still thinking about a way to escape this place when he felt the same kind of agitated feeling from his Dark Void when he enters this place!

Ace was alarmed because he felt that the Dark Void was reacting to something in that torn open grey tree.

For the first time, Ace finally shifted his gaze from the creature to the tree. He saw there was a white substance flowing from the open exterior of the tree. However, inside the empty tree space, there was a hovering white palm-sized orb.

The orb was still, and peaceful floating like there were nothing that can faze it.

Ace finally understand to whom the Dark Void was reacting, that white orb was the culprit!

Even his HD-Qi begun to spike the moment Ace laid his eyes on that floating orb.

'Just what is that thing? Even the feeling that I was getting of being stuck in the Qi Gates Realm has vanished for some reason because of that orb.' He thought in astonishment.

This was the most shocking thing that Ace found after coming to this place. Because he could feel from the depth of his soul that the moment he gets that orb is the moment he will enter the Foundation Building Realm!

'But why this thing is so important to build a foundation and without it, I'll die?' Ace even forgets about that creature after finding out about the way to enter the higher realm.

He was very perplexed right now because of all the shock he gets from this discovery when system sweet yet cold voice range in his mind,

"[System has detected [Nature's Light Elemental Orb] in the area around the host!]

[All the conditions have been completed. The information of hidden part of the [Heaven Stealer Technique Vol .1 Heavenly Crystal Body] has been revealed.]

[Hidden Part: Heavenly Crystal Body Technique method of breakthrough into higher realm required one who cultivates the technique to find, [Eight Elemental Orbs of Nature]. Those nature's elemental orbs are orb of [Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Metal, Lightning, Light, Darkness]]

[How to use Elemental Orbs: When one finds any elemental orb, one has to consume them at the moment of breakthrough. One can consume elemental orbs at any random sequel. But remember this, one can only consume the orb of darkness at the very end of the Crystal Body technique final realm not before.]

[Elemental Orb: Formed in the extreme specific element environment. Only the orbs of light and darkness formed in the opposite element environments because the light is born in darkness and darkness exist within the light.]

[Warning: The place where these elemental orbs formed are filled with dangerous traps of nature because these orbs are formed after hundreds of thousands of years and possessed vague intelligence. The moment they sense sudden changed in their specific element environments or something break all the traps of nature, they will release their guardians the moment they sense danger.]

[Orb Guardians: They were born with the elemental orbs from the beginning of their birth. The older the elemental orbs are the more powerful their natural-born guardians will be. Every elemental orb has a different kind of guardian. The orb guardians have the same element as the elemental orb.]

[Note: Only a single elemental orb exists at a time and if someone else already has one then the next elemental orb will only form after the existing one was used or destroyed.]

Ace was flabbergasted by this long information and become extremely shocked. He nearly forgets to keep his calm and his skill active.

Ace was feeling extreme anger and disappointment; they were not towards the system that didn't give him this information before but he felt them for himself.

Because he first thinks that he can enter the upper realms with just enough EXP and after gaining insights into that realm. With this, he can become strong extremely quickly.

However. Reality struck him hard and now he found that it was not the entire case and easy as he thinks. Because even after having the EXP and insight almost for a whole year he didn't dare to enter the upper realm.

He was finding it hard to believe first but every time he wanted to do it and made up his mind, his soul would always begin to shake in fear and he was finally sure after that it was a death sentence to him if he does not complete a 'special condition'.

Now he finds out the exact 'special condition' he felt like he has fallen from the high sky straight into the lowest abyss!