Damien combined all the life essences he had absorbed from the wolves in his ethereal core. His ethereal core slowly started assimilating the combined life essence...but after a few moments, suddenly the rate of assimilation spiked!

Damien was shocked since this was the first time he was increasing his cultivation by absorbing life essence. He wondered if this was how it normally is and in the future as well.

Bang!

A soft sound sounded in his ethereal core as it instantly started expanding as the last of the collected life essence was fully absorbed by his ethereal core.

The quality of the ethereal energy in his core made another jump in level as it became noticeably thicker than before.

His gaseous ethereal core had become more denser than before with jet black wisps of energy slowly forming into a sphere. It was like his ethereal core was made up of these jet black gaseous energy.

He felt that his ethereal core was becoming more chilling as a whole and the ethereal energy inside his core was concentrated and denser than ever before, to an unbelievable degree!

His previously exhausted ethereal core was now filled to the brim with ethereal energy and he felt his vitality increase from before.

The lightning seed in his ethereal core started forming into a vague shape of a sphere and the link between it and his Origin Seed formed a clear strand of jet black energy. It seemed as if the higher his cultivation becomes, the more lightning laws he is able to comprehend from his Origin Seed. As a result, his lightning elemental seed would improve with every breakthrough.

Damien slowly opened his eyes with a smile. He felt his eyes becoming more cleared up and his hearing sharpened. There was a pleasurable sensation throughout his whole body that was like the shedding of an old body.

His ethereal strength broke through from the strength of the tenth level of the Initial Ethereal Realm to the first level of the Nascent Ethereal Realm!

Within just a few minutes he had successfully broken through while a normal practitioner would take at least an hour to breakthrough!

But he knew that the more his cultivation increases, the more life essence he would have to absorb to breakthrough.

He was happy that he broke through but he wasn't satisfied with his achievement. He knew that there was still a long way to go before he could help Lily.

But he understood that things should be taken at a steady pace and that he should not rush himself in cultivating his ethereal energy. He knew that he should build a good foundation and try to stabilize his current cultivation before trying to breakthrough again.

But that doesn't mean in that period he cannot store the life essence from whomever he kills. He planned to just collect it and breakthrough all at once he is ready.

'It's almost daybreak. I should go back to the palace now I guess.' Damien thought as tiny jet black lightning streaks started crackling around his body.

——-

A jet black streak was whizzing through the dense forest and it seemed as if the wind was having a hard time catching up with it.

Anyone below the Earth Ethereal Realm would find it impossible to spot the jet black streak even if it zoomed past them. They would only feel a gust of wind just like what the guards felt yesterday.

Damien stopped as soon as he reached near the border of the Dark Forest.historical

"Ha....I am already feeling spent even after my breakthrough." Damien complained.

Luna mentally said in a bored tone, "Do you realize that you crossed over a dozen kilometers in just a few minutes? I think if you complain more, you will get struck by lightning."

Damien rolled his eyes hearing her sneer. But he knew maybe he was a little too thirsty for more power. After all he understood that whenever he was executing the Mirage of Myriad Phantasms, his top speed would even rival low level Earth Ethereal Realm cultivators!

If any diligent cultivator with the same cultivation as Damien, saw him complaining about his speed, they would even start doubting themselves if they are fit for the cultivation path.

But as he casually looked around, his eyes suddenly caught sight of something. A blood red flower with five petals which seemed to have just bloomed recently.

'An Earth Grade Five Petaled Bloody Flower!' Damien shrieked inwardly.

The Five Petaled Bloody Flower was the main ingredient used for concocting a Peak Grade Rank 4 Blood Nourishing Pill. It was one of the rare kinds even among Rank 4 pills since the main ingredient, that is, the Five Petaled Bloody Flower, does not bloom often and is hard to find.

'How is this possible? These shouldn't be able to grow out here. The conditions are not right.' Damien was puzzled seeing an Earth Grade flower on the border of the Dark Forest.

He knew that only Common Grade herbs would be able to grow in the outermost region of the Dark Forest. Earth Grade herbs or higher can only be found once one goes even deeper towards the middle of the Dark Forest.

It is also the reason why many practitioners looking to earn money or cultivators dispatched by various alchemists would hunt for medical herbs in the Dark Forest. But it would take a lot of guts and courage for someone to hunt for precious herbs in the deeper parts of the forest.

Which is why, there would be many requests for practitioners to collect these herbs from the forest. However, those who were confident of their own power and willpower, would not only try to collect herbs but also hunt ethereal beasts since more rare the ethereal beasts are, more money they could make from their ethereal cores.

But many cultivators lose their life every day venturing deeper into the Dark Forest either by overestimating themselves or by getting killed by other cultivators trying to loot from them.

This is the reason why the Dark Forest is the most infamous forest in the Rong Empire. Venturing into the Dark Forest was one of the fastest ways to earn money but also at the same time, it was accompanied by grave and dreadful risks of losing one's life.

Damien pushed away the thoughts about its existence and moved towards it to pluck it.

"Hold it right there!" A boy's voice sounded from behind Damien.

Damien had his hood on but he didn't have a mask. Instead, using his ethereal arts, he had blurred his face and if anyone saw his face, they would only see a misty blurred face, making them unable to discern his facial features. He could also modulate his voice to sound low and deep, almost like a growl.

Damien didn't speak and just turned around to see who dared to waste his time.

He saw a skinny youth about seventeen years of age with two young men behind him of the same age group. It looked more like the two men were the lackeys of the skinny one.

The three of them tensed up when they saw a hooded figure observing the flower they had set their eyes on. But they were relieved when they casually probed Damien with their spiritual perception, and learned that he was only at the first level of the Nascent Ethereal Realm.

The skinny guy decided to venture out this early because one his lackeys had spotted an Earth Grade flower yesterday night. So, he wanted to pluck it before anyone else comes into the scene even though he didn't hold much hopes about it still being there. His lackeys were too scared to pluck the flower alone thinking that it wouldn't be left unguarded just like that. He was also surprised to not see any wolves roaming around this flower.

Damien didn't want Luna to mask his cultivation level since it might discourage the wolves from attacking him. Because of that these three were able to discern Damien's cultivation.

"If you know what's good for you, step away from the flower. Else our senior brother Skinny Face here would cripple your legs." The lackey on the left side of the skinny guy said in a proud tone.