Suddenly, Krune felt that he understood something.
"I see... Senior Iridia said that you gained sentience and escaped the control of the elders of the Emukran Sect. That much is true. However, something bothered me ever since I heard that you remained in this place. Senior Iridia said that it's because this was the best hiding place for you, that no one would bother you here either. But that's not true, right? After all, who would stay in this place hidden from heavens for 50 thousand years? Especially since you had just gained your sentience back then. Just how boring must it be for a newly born sentience to stay put like this?"
Zule couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Impressive. That's correct. I'm not staying here because I want to hide from the dangers outside. No, I'm locked here, just like everyone else. I simply can't leave even if I wanted to."
Iem narrowed his eyes.
"Mind explaining?"
Zule nodded his little head.
"The things that you heard that I used the disciples at that time as hostages to gain time to seal this place were true. Although I didn't kill anyone, I condemned them to be locked with me for eternity. Well, eternity is not the right word since they couldn't achieve an unlimited lifespan while in this place. They all left descendants behind and have long since perished."
"To be honest, whether they died or not matters little to me. They were about to join the sect that wanted to keep me sealed in this place, so why should I feel sorry for them? I'm already being very benevolent for not killing them. Anyway, the initial plan was to lock this place down and then send everyone out. Even though I don't care if they died or not, it would be better to not buy a fight with their backgrounds for no reason. After all, there were quite a few famous powers behind some of those kids."
"After that, I would use my spatial powers to move this dimension away. As long as I carried this dimension, I would be able to go anywhere without anyone finding me. It was really a win-win situation. The kids and that elder would go back to their normal lives while I would gain my freedom. As to what the Emukran Sect would do after that, I couldn't care less."
"Unfortunately, someone intervened during the most critical conjuncture. During the time I was finishing separating this Dimension from Zamaria Planet, it was struck by a power beyond the capabilities of a Nascent God. Without a doubt, it must have been someone from the God Realm. That's because I felt like I was being sucked away from the Godly Path Realm."
Krune felt that something was wrong.
"That doesn't make sense. Beings of the God Realm are much stronger than any Nascent God Realm cultivator of the Godly Path Realm. If they could really reach the Godly Path Realm to take a Heavenly Fragment that was used in a Treasure, then they might as well find a Heavenly Core Equipment. Was there a need to select you? If anything, I would find treasures with a complete Heavenly Core a lot more enticing. Considering the power of a cultivator or demon beast of the God Realm, he or she shouldn't have difficulty finding Heavenly Core Treasure owners here in the Godly Path Realm. Those people with such equipment would definitely be famous, after all."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIem was taken aback. Indeed, aiming for Zule didn't make much sense. It would be a lot better to target those higher-level treasures with entire Heavenly Cores into them.
Zule, on the other hand, couldn't help but sigh.
"It seems like you don't know this. That's to be expected, though. You just arrived in this Godly Path Realm, after all. The Heavenly Cores and Fragments that come in the Godly Path Realm can't be taken away by the God Realm by force. Even if one of those treasure owners ascends, they must leave the Heavenly Fragment or Core Treasures behind too."
Krune and Iem got confused.
"Why is that?"
Zule then answered.
"That's because if you try to bring it with you, your God Realm ascension tribulation will suffer the same effect as the Heavenly Fragment and Core owners. Their Tribulation will be several times stronger. I might as well tell you that the chances of ordinary cultivators and demon beasts ascending are around 1%. I believe that the lower realms are the same. 1% is already frightening enough. Let alone making it even harder by bringing that Heavenly Fragment and Core with you."
Krune couldn't help but ask.
"There is something I don't understand. The reason Heavenly Fragments and Cores' owners have harder ascension tribulations is that the Universes those fragments and cores originated from are trying to prevent it from escaping to the higher realms. However, once you are here in the Godly Path Realm, you lose the connection with those Universes of the Lower Realms. Logically, your Tribulation shouldn't be affected anymore. However, you are telling me that you also get harder ascension tribulations if you try to bring it to the God Realm. Why is that? Could it be that the Heavenly Fragments and Cores didn't really get their connection with the Lower Realms cut?"
Zule shook his head.
"It's nothing like that. The Mortal Realm Universes' Heavens aren't strong enough to intervene with the Heavens of a Higher Realm. Just like you said, they got their connection cut. However, Heavenly Fragments and Cores are still part of one of the Heavens. Since those Heavenly Fragments and Cores can't connect with their previous Heavens anymore, what do you think they will do?"
Krune understood where Zule was coming from.
"So you are saying that the Heavenly Fragments and Cores are now connected to the Godly Path Realm Heavens, correct?"
Zule nodded.
"That's basically it. To make things simple, in a certain way, those Fragments and Cores changed their allegiance. That also includes my Space Heavenly Fragment."
Iem and Krune nodded. They really had no idea that such a thing was possible. But then again, they just arrived at this place, so how could they know it?
"Alright. Since that's the case, how come someone from the God Realm tried to grab you? Since these Heavenly Fragments and Cores are now attached to the Godly Path Realm Heavens, it should be impossible for them to forcefully dragging you away. No, the real question here is: Since they could do it with you, why didn't they chose a Heavenly Core Equipment straight away?"
Krune pondered a bit and immediately remembered something.
"No, wait! Could it be..."
Zule couldn't help but feel happy with Krune. He could see all the intricacies of the matter easily.
"Seems like you understood, right?"
Krune nodded. As for Iem, he was as confused as ever.
Krune then took a deep breath and said.
"The issue is the fact that you tried to hide from the Heavens. Since this Dimensional Realm you are staying can't be seen by it, then it is the best place to drag you up to the God Realm. The Godly Path Realm can't see you, so how will it prevent someone from the God Realm from bringing you away? In the end, your plan of freeing yourself gave the guy up there a chance to get a Heavenly Fragment, something that would usually be impossible for him."
Zule laughed out loud as he clapped his small hands.
"Truly impressive. To think that someone who ascended just awhile ago and didn't have much information to work with would understand everything on his own this easily. I'm sure that it wasn't only talent and good fortune that brought you so far."
Iem felt a little gloomy that Krune was praised so much while he was forgotten. However, he quickly put those thoughts behind. Whether Krune is smart or not has nothing to do with him.
Krune didn't finish his questions, though.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I'm glad that you are happy with that. But there is still one last problem. This underground dimension is completely hidden from the Heavens, isn't it? Since that is the case, why didn't that guy from the Higher Realms grab you? This should be the perfect moment for it. The heavens can't see you, so the being in the God Realm should have nothing to worry."
Zule nodded.
"Simple. Because I wiped out his mark. Simply put, he can't see where I am anymore."
Krune was startled.
"They left a mark on you?"
Zule nodded once more.
"Not only me. I reckon that every Heavenly Fragment or Core in the Godly Path Realm is market by unfathomable experts of the God Realm. Of course, I'm only talking about Heavenly Fragments and Cores that lost their Owners. You and Iem's can't be marked since you two are still alive. It has to do with the fact that they are inside your Divine Souls. Anyway, Since I'm sentience born from a Heavenly Fragment, I was able to detect that mark and wipe it out before I was pulled away."
Krune and Iem nodded.
"That's good to hear. But at the same time, this attack from the God Realm also turned things to worse, and you ended locked in here. Now, you want us to help you regain your freedom, correct?"
Zule nodded.
"Yes. Do that, and I'll take you back to the Zamaria Planet. Then we can pretend we have never seen each other. The people inside here will be free, and the Demon Beasts will be able to receive their sentience. After that, I'll be gone."
Krune then remembered that he forgot a crucial question.
"Oh, right! What kind of equipment are you?"
Zule was taken aback. After all, that question came a lot later than he thought. He talked so much that even he forgot about saying it.
"To be honest, I'm a failed product. I'm a Realm Barrier Dimensional Slasher."