Doomsday Sound, First Spiral Palace, Arrival in the Central Continent

"The Comb-boned Demon Snail is not a creature of this world."

When the strange snail inside the Howling Fish King finally erupted, Ronan obtained some fragmented information and learned that the Comb-boned Demon Snail was a creature from another world.

This creature feeds on the souls of the dead and can emit terrifying sound waves.

In the fragmented memories Ronan obtained, this snail creature once ruled a world. Any being capable of ruling an entire world is not a simple existence. The strange snails living in the Green Glimmering Sea Abyss now are far from being true Comb-boned Demon Snail; at best, they are just some "defective products" with a little bit of Comb-boned Demon Snail bloodline.

That's why it can only survive in the Howling Fish through [Parasitism]. The true talent of the Comb-boned Demon Snail, which can transform Nether Ghost power into terrifying sound waves, has degenerated into extracting the host's life force. Although it can still unleash terrifying sound wave attacks, after one unleash, it will not be able to withstand the backlash and will die.

The last snail king Ronan saw had a fairly high concentration of bloodline, and its shell was burdened with the wronged souls of the sea creatures of the past. It even retained the memories of its ancestors within its body.

This is also why Ronan was able to obtain the rune pattern in front of him from the other party.

Perhaps it wasn't originally like this, but for a wizard, runes are the best language to interpret everything.

"The impure bloodline of the Comb-boned Demon Snail has changed its talent from extracting Nether Ghost power to extracting life force, which is perfect for me."

The way the Comb-boned Demon Snail extracts life bursts is far superior to Ronan's own method of simply compressing the Life Light Sphere and releasing it all at once. Once Ronan masters it, his combat power will definitely be greatly enhanced when he tries to transform into the "Complete Demonification" form.

"Perfect timing! My Master Level proficiency in [Ascetic Body Forging] has surpassed 1,500 points, and my [Ancient Power] rune has been upgraded to advanced level. My [[Immaculate Body]] is becoming somewhat inadequate. If the [Spiral Palace] method can truly be effective, it might be able to make up for this."

Ronan remained indifferent; even he himself hadn't expected that the breakthrough of the [Ancient Power] rune to an advanced level would place such a heavy burden on his body.

His dull white hair and the large quantity of healing potions he purchased from the Arcane Workshop were all caused by the severe depletion of his life force after activating a high-level [Ancient Power].

With that in mind, Ronan attempted to activate the [[Immaculate Body]].

"Click-click-click—"

Amidst the familiar sounds of flesh and bone colliding and squeezing, Ronan's body, which was sitting cross-legged on the carpet on the floor, slowly rose, gradually becoming stronger and more imposing.

Everything was the same as before, but on the palms of Ronan's outstretched hands, which were flat on his knees, there were some black lines like vines, which started to grow wildly all over his body like flames along his arms. "Boom!"

An invisible aura emanated from the body, like an invisible millstone, squeezing the void and creating layers of folds. The furniture and decorations in the room were destroyed, and layers of Rune Array lit up rapidly.

"Whoosh—"

Ronan stood up and quickly appeared outside the airship in a flash.

The airship had long since left the territory of the Arcane Workshop and was now flying over a vast, desolate desert.

Ronan stood out against the setting sun, the desolate sky behind him, the blackness that had grown wildly on his body now reaching his chest.

His long white hair flew high behind him, and Ronan's body was surrounded by a dark halo, like a dark and twisted sun swallowing the light of the void.

The terrifying aura continued to rise, and just as it reached a certain peak, "Bang!"

Ronan's upper body flesh exploded open, and black lines "grew" out from the ruptured flesh, dancing wildly like flames or vines, and scattering large clumps of twisting black filaments.

"Whoosh—"

Ronan made a claw-like gesture with his fingers outstretched and his eyes indifferent as he waved his hand forward.

The next second.

"Snap—"

In the void directly in front of him, it seemed as if jet-black, tree-branch-shaped lightning bolts were rapidly flashing across the sky. Immediately afterward, the void in a certain location in the distance suddenly twisted and collapsed, and several deep, narrow ravines appeared silently on the Gobi Desert below.

"Call--"

Having done all this, Ronan seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and he completely broke free from the activated state of [[Immaculate Body]].

Weak and exhausted, with his body covered in blood and horrifying ruptured wounds, he flew back into the airship, took out a large amount of healing potions from his Space Ring, and poured them into his mouth as if they were free.

As the healing medicine was administered, the remaining life force in his body began to take effect, and fresh granulation tissue grew on the wounds, which then slowly healed. When all of Ronan's wounds had healed, he seemed to have aged more than ten years. His white hair was spread over his shoulders like withered grass, his back was hunched, and even his originally smooth, jade-like skin had become dull and had some faint wrinkles.

"The third type of power that reaches the 'forbidden' level"

Ronan looked at the lines on his palm, a complex expression in his eyes.

He never expected that the power of the [Ancient Power] rune would increase so dramatically after it was upgraded to a higher level.

It was so powerful that it easily broke through to a level equivalent to the forbidden realm of magic, and this was not even the full extent of the [Ancient Power]. He did not dare to fully release its "power".

When the [Ancient Power] rune first appeared, Ronan speculated that the physical tempering of [Ascetic Body Forging] was merely a "prelude" to the appearance of [Ancient Power], allowing practitioners to withstand this terrifying power.

It's like the Ancient Power is a sword, and the [Immaculate Body] is the scabbard.

The problem Ronan is facing now is that the knife is too sharp, so sharp that his scabbard can hardly contain it anymore.

During the growth of the [Ancient Power] rune, his body was constantly destroyed, and almost all of his abundant life force had to be used for repair, which led to severe depletion of his life force.

To solve this problem...

Alternatively, one can increase the storage of life energy within the Life Light Sphere, which means accelerating the body's repair process.

Alternatively, the scabbard itself could be reinforced.

"I possess a 6% concentration of Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline. Logically, my physique should be significantly stronger than someone who normally practices [Ascetic Body Forging]."

Otherwise, Ronan wouldn't have complained that his "Complete Demonification" state wasn't powerful enough, limiting the full potential of his perfect physique.

"Perhaps it's because of the lack of a true lineage? I've been missing a crucial step or tool in my practice of [Ascetic Body Forging]?"

Ronan once again recalled the unusual "Soul Ignition Potion" that Anglie had given him. A long time ago, when he was working on improving his proficiency with the [Ascetic Body Forging] card, he had been trying to figure out this.

However, he later discovered that the "injury-bearing" method could promote the continued growth of the [Ascetic Body Forging Tempering] proficiency, and he did not encounter any obstacles, so he gradually forgot about it.

Now that the [Ascetic Body Forging] has encountered difficulties again, Ronan has a premonition that the key still lies in that bottle of "Soul Ignition Potion".

However, after the Talent Competition, Anglie disappeared without a trace. Now that he was about to head to the Central Region, finding him again would be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, even if they find Anglie, he might not be able to help Ronan solve his problem.

Therefore, Ronan can only pin his hopes on the second solution.

"[Spiral Palace] is taken from the first half of the Comb-boned Demon Snail's talent. It uses a special energy guidance method to perfectly utilize the life force in the body."

At this stage, my body should be able to undergo a significant enhancement.

The reason why [Parasitism] Comb-boned Demon Snail that parasitize the Howling Fish die is that they immediately have to convert the mobilized life force into sound waves and unleash them. Their bodies cannot withstand the explosion of the terrifying sound waves, so they naturally explode and die.

However, Ronan did not need to go through the subsequent steps; he only needed the method of mobilizing life force with the Comb-boned Demon Snail.

This would perfectly solve the problem that the [[Immaculate Body]] cannot withstand the backlash of the power of advanced [Ancient Power].

Of course, this is just Ronan's theoretical speculation. Whether it is feasible and what the effect will be after he actually tries it will only be known after he tries it.

"It will be five months before we reach the central region and head to Evaqu."

During these five months, I have been attempting to construct the "Spiral Palace" system of the Comb-boned Demon Snail within my body.

Ronan visualized the [Spiral Palace] rune in his mind, its profound and complex nature resembling a natural maze.

He doesn't need to build the entire maze in one go; he only needs to construct a rough outline first, and then gradually expand and fill it in later.

As for the rune part of the "sonic burst" talent in the latter half of the Comb-boned Demon Snail, which is originally one with the [Spiral Palace], Ronan has temporarily named it - [Doomsday Sound].

The system of this energy burst is equally profound and complex, and can even be said to be the true essence of the Comb-boned Demon Snail's talent.

Combining it with necromancy might create unexpected sparks.

Ronan happened to have Spell Inheritance from the "Bone Bell," and both Aihaxia, the "arrow embryo" for the Ghost Arrow, and the Square-Horned Cowbell were ready-made materials for spell experiments.

I'll study it slowly when I have time later.

Five months.

Ronan gently wiped away the remaining medicine from the corner of his mouth, glanced at his Character Panel one last time, and then slowly closed his eyes.

Thanks to his initial understanding of the [Primordial Star Meditation Technique], his ability to subtly control his mental power has been greatly enhanced. Otherwise, it would have been extremely difficult to construct such a profound and complex rune system as the [Spiral Palace] within his body.

This also made the plan to split and inscribe the [Law Control] rune much easier all of a sudden.

Five months later.

The lush greenery stretches as far as the eye can see, with the tree canopies intertwining to form an endless ocean of dark green. Several winding streams, like silver ribbons, flow quietly at the junction of the mountains and valleys.

The outline of the mountains is faintly visible in the distance. Sunlight pierces through the thin mist that lingers among the mountains, flocks of birds take flight, and the melodious sounds of nature echo.

In this serene, mysterious, and pristine mountain valley, a dilapidated airship, resembling a few deflated hot air balloons, drifted by, swaying precariously.

The airship stopped near a stream, and then a faint runic light flashed, and a tall, slender figure stepped out of the airship.

This was a handsome young man with white hair and a black robe. He had a calm demeanor, as if he had just awakened from a long slumber. When he came into contact with the sunlight, he subconsciously squinted his eyes, and a faint look of disorientation appeared on his face.

"Is this the Central Continent?"

Ronan stood firmly on the ground, bent down, picked up a clump of soil from beside his feet, and slowly rubbed it between his fingers.

He carefully savored the first impressions this place gave him.

The concentration of free energy particles in the air was much higher than in the south, about two to three times higher. If the Upper Ring Continent was a sunken "valley," then the Central Continent was located in the very center of this valley. Ronan sat up, walked to the stream, and scooped up some water to splash on his face.

A breeze blew across his damp cheeks, bringing a cool sensation. Ronan gently licked the few drops of stream water that clung to his lips, savoring the long-lost sweetness of nature.

It's been five months.

Time flies.

He felt like he hadn't done anything, and five months had already passed.

As his strength increases, Ronan increasingly feels that there is not enough time. Any research on spells or runes makes time slip away like a never-ending stream.

Although Ronan is still young and has plenty of time to spare, he still feels a strong sense of urgency.

He began to admire Helamus more and more. Legend has it that Helamus rose from a Wizard Apprentice to a figure at the pinnacle of Dawn atop the Upper Ring in less than a hundred years. "Fortunately, the prototype of the [Spiral Palace] is now basically complete."

Ronan looked inward and saw a "Blue Snail" composed of countless light bands, which was transparent inside and out, floating quietly at the center of the Life Light Sphere within his body.

Its appearance is somewhat similar to that of the Comb-boned Demon Snail, but upon closer inspection, its interior resembles an incredibly complex and intricate miniature maze.

Ronan spent almost all of his five months constructing the [Spiral Palace]. He stopped practicing all spells and even rarely practiced the [Primordial Star Meditation Technique].

The complete [Spiral Palace] is many times more complex than the "Blue Snail" in front of him. Ronan has only completed the first step so far, so he named it [First Spiral Palace].

The completion of the "First Spiral Palace" occurred on the third day after the airship entered the Central Continent, before Ronan even had a chance to test it.

Overall, the long journey from south to central China went relatively smoothly.

They encountered five minor but unexpected situations along the way, but Ronan managed to overcome them all with his strength and survived without serious harm.

However, the airship he was traveling on was severely damaged and was now almost scrapped. It was a miracle that it was able to carry him to the place he had agreed to meet with Evaqu.

"Contact Evaqu first."

Ronan stopped by the stream, gathered some dry branches, lit a campfire, and then took out a bottle of powder that Evaqu had given him when he was in the Uta Clan, threw it into the fire, and muttered a low incantation.

A moment later, with a loud "bang," the flames in front of Ronan suddenly shot up, leaping several meters high. The orange flames turned into a ghostly green, the tongues of fire intertwining and finally coalescing into a rugged, masculine face.

"Damien, thank you for keeping our appointment..."

Evaqu's voice emanated from the fiery face, mingled with the crackling sounds of burning dry branches, creating a buzzing effect.