Against The Eternity Chapter 64: [63] Chapter - 39: Borrowed Breath Beneath the World

Read chapter 64 of Against The Eternity by Phoenixfly_steller on NovelPedia.

[63] Chapter - 39: Borrowed Breath Beneath the World Inside the vast and silent expanse of his sea of consciousness, Eklavya stood once again before the ancient blood pool beneath the dead tree. Its surface was unmoving, yet it radiated a pressure that made even his thoughts feel heavier. Following Magha’s instructions without hesitation, he carefully drew out a single drop of blood. He allowed it to hover above his palm, containing within it the remnants of primordial power. With a simple shift of intent, the cold metallic token appeared before him. It was suspended in the air as though it had always been waiting to be summoned. The blood droplet drifted forward on its own. It sank into the token’s surface without resistance or sound. For a brief moment, nothing happened. The silence stretched just long enough to raise doubt. Then the droplet emerged once more. It was unchanged in shape, yet clearly altered in essence. The primordial ki that once infused it was entirely gone, leaving behind only primordial blood. The difference was subtle, but undeniable. Eklavya immediately sensed that something fundamental had been extracted. “How did you take the primordial ki so easily and how?” Eklavya asked. His voice was steady, though curiosity lingered beneath his composure as he watched the token carefully for any further reaction. Magha’s response came with faint, knowing amusement. The sound echoed inside Eklavya’s mind rather than being spoken aloud. ‘All rings are connected to each other, regardless of distance or container,’ he explained calmly. ‘The two rings embedded within that token are linked directly to your three-coloured dragon ring, which is where I reside.’ ‘So transferring the primordial ki was nothing more than redirecting a flow that already existed.’ Eklavya nodded slowly as the explanation settled. Moments later, the token dissolved into nothingness, its purpose fulfilled. The now-ordinary blood droplet returned silently to the pool below. Almost immediately, Eklavya felt the suffocating pressure that had plagued his physical body fade away. It was replaced by a strange lightness, as though the very laws governing his flesh had shifted slightly. With that realisation, he withdrew his consciousness and returned fully to his physical form beneath the lake. When he opened his eyes, there was no pain for the first time since submerging. The water pressed against him from all sides. Yet his lungs did not burn, and his chest did not tighten. That alone confirmed that Magha’s method had worked. ‘What exactly did you do to my body?’ Eklavya asked internally. His gaze remained steady as he tested the sensation by inhaling reflexively, despite knowing air was absent. ‘I altered your body so it can survive without air,’ Magha replied. His tone was serious now, lacking earlier amusement. ‘However, this state is temporary. The primordial ki extracted was barely more than a point, and it will only sustain you for around twenty hours.’ ‘Once that time passes, your body will revert. You must find a way out before then.’ Understanding the urgency, Eklavya nodded inwardly. He turned his attention outward, only now fully taking in the underwater world concealed beneath the blood lake. He was far deeper than he had realised. So deep that even filtered sunlight barely reached this place. The water was dim and shadowed, though not completely dark. Countless small, white translucent fish drifted through the depths around him. Each emitted a faint glow like floating embers. Their collective light illuminated the space just enough to reveal crimson-tinted currents spreading outward. The blood from the lake above flowed in distinct directions. It formed streams that vanished toward unseen passages. One of those paths clearly led toward the river hidden within the valley. As Eklavya moved forward slowly, he realized there were no enclosing walls. No cave boundaries defined the space. It felt like a submerged world rather than the bottom of