Against The True Gods

The orbs rippled, and the vines opened up, revealing the treasures inside.

The first was a bundle of golden and silver strings, covered in glowing white runes. The second was a beating heart, covered in vines and runes of all colors, and finally, the third was a wiggling mass of flesh and tendrils, like a living cancerous mound.

'True Strings of Fate… Ninefold Boundless Lifeheart… Ancestral Vine Symbiote…'

Without wasting any more time, Caine took off his robes just as he applied multiple sealing formations all over the room.

With a deep inhale and an even deeper exhale, he began.

The Ninefold Boundless Lifeheart floated toward him and viciously exploded into a bundle of emerald runes that were etched into his chest, right above his hearts.

BOOM!

An explosion seemed to go off in Caine's body as an overflow of Boundless Life and Death Qi flooded his body and tore him apart.

His skin fell off in dried flakes, followed by his flesh that withered into crimson dust, leaving behind his mighty black bones.

The Ninefold Boundless Lifeheart was a rather simple treasure. It contained a true and endless amount of Boundless Life Qi and Boundless Death Qi, the highest forms of life and death qi that existed.

It constantly saturated its wielder's body and Blood Qi, essentially making them… quasi-immortal.

Any limb cut off could be regenerated in an instant, any injury could be healed in a minute, and if its wielder's head was cut off… it could be regrown.

It was a terrifying treasure and, normally, would be impossible for anyone to wield. After all, who had a body capable of holding such an amount of qi?

As Caine had understood, the body represented the upper limit of all other aspects. If his body broke down, then everything else fell.

But Caine had the perfect bone and flesh structure for this heart. With the ability of his bones that endlessly and constantly refined his body at all times, would it not be perfect?

And with the ability of his flesh to truly and perfectly assimilate all things, would it not be perfect?

By now, Caine was a hundred percent sure both Zao and Lady Gaia could see the future and help him navigate through it.

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From Zao's birthday gift that would soon help him regain his eyes to Lady Gaia's current gifts and the rune she'd given him, which restrained his True Will so as not to shatter his flesh.

But though Caine was truly grateful for this, he saw the issue beyond.

No one but himself knew just how horrifying his Innate Circle was. In truth, if he'd wanted to solve all these issues, he could've simply awakened his constitution, though that would've ruined a few plans he had.

So, if even with all his talents and his unmatched mind, he still needed help from the future… just what was he supposed to face?

At first, Caine had thought his father's warning was about his Trial of Fate, but now, he wasn't so sure.

BOOOOOM!

A terrifying rush of thick Boundless Life and Death Qi soared into the air, flowing through Caine's bones and rapidly lighting up the countless runes etched upon their surfaces.

At that moment, Caine's True Will erupted, burning through all aspects of his existence like an eternal flame and burning all foreign influences.

Though normally, this wouldn't have worked due to both the complexity of Adari and Uriel's attacks and the complexity of his own body, now it was different.

He'd discarded all aspects of his flesh and only kept his bones for the moment, lowering the load needed to be managed and through the endless life and death qi fueling him, it was much easier to shatter their influence.

BANG!

The bones of Caine's severed arms formed in an instant, the sensation of wholeness washing over Caine and momentarily overwhelming him.

But he didn't lose focus for long.

"Celestial Taiyi Bones. Form."

BANG!

His bones, previously on the verge of crumbling, solidified as his Bone Structure reformed and horrifying power coursed through them.

"Chaos Wuji, come."

Filaments of multicolored flesh appeared in the air, weaving and overlapping to rapidly fill his frame with thick, tempered, and rippling muscles.

His muscles compressed under the force of his skin, having gone from jade white to a slightly tanned and exotic hue, enchanting beyond words.

Rivers of darkness fell from his bald skull, his hair having become curly and undulated as it majestically fell and draped over his broad and powerful shoulders.

His Elemental Organs reformed one after the other just as his Blood Qi began to pump through his veins.

Over his chest, the emerald tattoo began to grow and cover its entirety, joining with the tattoos of gold and silver on his back, the two harmonizing seamlessly.

The tattoos faded from sight, and power shot through Caine.

Now, with the appropriate fuel of his Ninefold Boundless Lifeheart, Caine felt the terror of his foundation. Akin to an empty cup finally filled, his strength began to tower.

Having done this, Caine pulled upon a second treasure as well as the tattered robes that he'd once used to form his prosthetic arm.

With a steady heart, he pressed the robes against the Ancestral Vine Symbiote.

The two fused seamlessly, becoming a strange, wiggling mound of flesh and silk.

Caine took it and pressed it onto his back.

He steeled his jaw. "Go."

The symbiote dug into his spine, fusing into it.

Caine had already repurposed the torn robes, fusing them into his nervous system and using them as an agent in his body that'd immediately pull upon his Time Qi to heal any of his injuries—beyond becoming his new arm, that is.

But now that he'd regained his arm and fixed his foundation, most would likely think it had become useless.

Caine had other plans, though.

The Ancestral Vine Symbiote, similarly, was supposed to be fused into the body to almost become a second self that'd protect oneself at all times while also deepening one's connection with the world.

When the Ancestral Vine Symbiote was fused with the torn robes, though, a new treasure formed, with an entirely different set of abilities.