Through this altered Ascension Ritual, Natalia Long had not only advanced her cultivation but broken through mortal limits, raising her primary Aspect of the Lantern to the Twelfth Tier.
The Twelfth Tier should not normally have existed in the mortal world. This was not merely a question of power being beyond reach; it was also a limit the Hours had placed upon all living beings.
In the mortal world, the Tenth Tier was the limit. One had to ascend to the heights of the Mansus, pass through the Three-Pointed Gate, and bathe in Glory before a mortal body could undergo its most complete transformation and gain the strength to contain a Twelfth Tier Aspect.
In theory, that was how it worked.
In practice, of course, there were exceptions. Sir Connie Lee, one of the powerful figures behind the Suppression Bureau, was known as the Conqueror. As one of the most powerful people in the British Empire, she commanded vast resources, including several secret treasures that had helped her break through mortal limits and attain the twelfth rank in the Aspect of the Edge.
Among mortals, she was undoubtedly one of the strongest. Even the most powerful figures in major organizations abroad could, at best, match her unless they had ascended and become Longevity Bearers.
Natalia's case could also be counted as an exception.
Pan Long had used the Blood Firmament Divine Art to extract the vital essence of more than a dozen cultists from the Papal Crown. She had used it to remake her body. She still looked mortal, but in truth, she could already be considered something inhuman.
Only a body like that could withstand a Twelfth Tier Aspect.
And with a Twelfth Tier Aspect, she could naturally travel to the highest reaches of the Mansus, cross the Three-Pointed