Authors notes:
The first 8 Privileged chapters will be available on p a t r e o n from now on (Profound Realm and above tiers).
It is MUCH cheaper to read there rather than on WN since 9.99USD unlocks all of them for an entire month, it's also the BEST way to support the novel and comes with many other perks (Like the reference images being directly posted there)
https://www.p a t r e o n.com/shinigami8671
***
'Come to me!'
A single irrefutable command was communicated through their soul connection, passing through the stretches of space and reaching Gavril instantly.
Gavril was resting beside a small tree somewhere on top of a cliff. His body still resembled a human teen with white hair. He slowly opened his eyes upon getting the message and looked to the left where a hunched figure was sitting cross-legged on the ground.
The figure's head was lowered and so his face wasn't visible but the numerous words of power on his exposed upper body were enough to identify him as the leader of the resistance.
Seeing as he was in deep mediation, Gavril leaned back against the tree and within seconds drifted off to the dreamscape.
Hao Xuan felt the change in the Mind Palace and knew Gavril had arrived.
He gestured for Jin Wang to go ahead and sat back down on the bed, closing his eyes and entering his inner world. He appeared in the usual spot and saw Gavril standing near the podium in the center.
"Is everything okay?" Gavril asked impatiently before Hao Xuan even got close, to which Hao Xuan shrugged.
"Not really, no. We are low on time and a lot of new things have come up."
"Anything I can help with?"
"Yeah, that's why I called you before anyone else," Hao Xuan said gesturing towards the other Orcs.
Four of them, the ones Hao Xuan had summoned in the catacombs were sitting away from the remaining 196 Orcs. Not only do they appeared to be more mature physically but their raw power was higher than even Hao Xuan's.
Gavril noticed the differences in their appearance and the obvious rings of ethereal light surrounding them, letting out a proud smile unknowingly.
"Did you like them? I guess they finished their training before anyone else."
Hao Xuan nodded but for obvious reasons appeared to be a little skeptical about their powers.
"What happened to them? How did they get so strong all of a sudden, surpassing all the others?"
Gavril pointed towards the rings of ethereal light surrounding each of the massive Orcs, "Because of that. I tested all of them before starting their training and it turned out these four fulfilled all the requirements of becoming the first 'Warders' of the new generation so I gave them a higher priority in the order."
Hao Xuan didn't need to ask what the Warders were, his expression relayed that subject quite easily so Gavril clarified.
"There are some among our kind who are more psychically attuned to the unseen. They can easily harbor the energies of the void and draw power from it as needed. These four are such creatures. Under normal circumstances I would have just killed them to save them from the misery of living as such an existence but since you have complete control over them, I used one of the forbidden Cultivation Techniques created by the old King himself."
"It first concentrates their psychic powers in their physical bodies before magnifying it by several times to combine their souls and physical bodies into one. This method turns them into powerful psychic entities. They are not traditional living beings anymore and live off of the energy of the void."
"The good thing about this is that they are much more powerful this way and have a lot of otherwise unique abilities that only spiritual creatures would have. The bad part is that they can easily be controlled or manipulated by any powerful creature that finds their tethers in the void or if there is a great psychic disturbance."
"But since you can control them at will, this greatest weakness is almost completely nullified."
Hao Xuan noticed the change in Gavril's tone of voice when he was referring to the Orcs. It sounded like he was talking about some wild animals rather than his own people. His words lacked any kind of empathy one would expect in such a situation, as if they were nothing more than tools to be used.
Still, he didn't bother calling him out on it since it would serve no purpose other than driving a wedge between them, which was not something he needed on his plate at the moment.
Hao Xuan walked over to the four orcs that were sitting in a circle facing each other. The rings of ethereal light hummed lightly as they rotated around each of the massive Orcs.
He extended his hand over one of them and muttered lightly, "Inspect!"
Rows of scattered words appeared in front of his eyes. Hao Xuan focused on them to make them fall into order and create some sense.
Species: Orcen Lord
Bloodline: Void Priest
Blood Purity Level: 13.8%
Abilities: Psychic Attunement, Light Blade, Infinite Leap, Illusionary Dome, Void Threads.
Skills: Axe Mastery, Unarmed combat