Ace's mind was in chaos right when he heard System's voice. There was some kind of mysterious power in that voice, he immediately regains his senses. But his eyes remain pitch-black and the black smoke didn't vanish either.
He felt extreme coldness coming from his body like he was in the depth of a frozen lake. He could feel something wants to burst out of his body like there was a mysterious power that wanted to be free from its shackles.
He didn't have time to think what it was because he saw three powerful experts of the Qi Foundation realm were coming towards him with killing intent. With a thought two 'Grey Beads' appear in his hand.
They were invisibility beads!
Ace place an invisibility bead in Eva's hand that was very cold because of him and said, "Quickly shatter this bead!"
Eva's hand almost froze but when she saw Ace regain his calm and give her a grey bead she didn't delay and quickly do as she told and shatter that bead instantly with Ace.
The moment they shatter the grey beads a grey light enveloped them and they vanished in thin air.
Everyone saw this and exclaim in shock because All this happen in seconds and Dulce's force didn't have time to react before Ace and Eva vanished in front of everyone's eyes.
The three experts were about to reached Ace when he vanished with Eva but they didn't stop and released their aura of Qi Foundation realm. Around their fists, Qi starts to form like they were wearing the gauntlets of Qi.
This is the manifestation of Qi one can only do this after they can reach the Qi Foundation Building Realm. They wanted to attack the spot where Ace was standing before disappearing with full power. If he was still around that spot he would be gravely injured.
'Boooomm'.
Three fists were landed on the spot where Ace was standing just a second ago but they meet with only dust and an empty void.
Dulce's face turned extremely ugly when she saw this and said in anger, "Find them! They can't breach this barrier! They must be somewhere in this area surrounding the barrier, and that strange treasure won't last forever. They will appear sooner or later we just have to find and capture them the moment they will appear. They're just two rats in a big cage."
Dulce order everyone to search for them and if they spot them they have to immediately report. She didn't expect Ace to have that strange bead that can even help him escape three Qi Foundation experts even she can't feel that coldness coming from Ace anymore.
She was now more determined to capture Ace and take his secrets for herself.
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Inside the Inn on the fifth floor in an empty room, two persons appear out of thin air they were Ace and Eva.
Eva has a curious expression on her face she was fascinated by those two grey beads miraculous power of invisibility. They can escape with ease even with all those experts presents right in front.
But that invisible power only lasts for a single minute. As much as she wanted to inquire about the origin of those grey beads she can't because Ace's body was still releasing that black cold smoke and his eyes were black.
He was giving a feeling of extreme chillness, he wasn't looking like a human at this moment.
"I know how you're feeling right now! But we have to find a way to escape from that strange barrier before they find us again. After we escape if you want we can seek revenge for all those innocent people and I'll help you with it." She said in a worried tone while trying to console him.
Ace was still feeling deep grief and pain. The images of Coal, that aunty, and her son, the restaurant owner where he used to work, those streets of the city… were appearing in his mind. He will never be able to see all those people, his home ever again, they were all gone.
'Sigh...'
He sighs after heard Eva's words. He has to find a way to escape here before avenging them all. "I'm fine just give me some time to calm down." He said to her and sits down in the corner of that room.
He also saw the black smoke coming out of his body and system message. He transmitted his voice inside his mind, "System what is happening to me and what are these four hidden gates?"
"[Host has awakened the innate attribute of the "Heaven's Stealer" [Darkness],1 by feeling true despair.]
[This was supposed to happen when the Host would be encountering the first Heavenly Punishment. But it seems that unknowingly host has touched the minor law of [Darkness] and that is [Despair]. Because of it, the host can now open the Four Hidden Gates of Darkness that was forming inside your body from the first day you start to steal the Qi from Heaven.]
[Without opening these Gates of Darkness host will never be able to build a Heavenly Foundation of Darkness.]"
Ace didn't notice the excitement in the system's voice because he was only feeling deep coldness nothing else.
His mind was extremely calm and he asked calmly, "[Darkness] and [Despair] huh, you telling me it is my choice to form Foundation of Darkness or just a Heavenly foundation?"
"[From the moment Host chose to learn and practice the Heaven Stealer Technique you chose the road that leads to Darkness.]
[The Qi that the Host steals from Heaven is called Primordial Qi and it comes from its personal treasury, which is a Primordial Void.]
[Because this Primordial Qi can help anyone become as powerful as Heaven itself, it never allowed anyone to take that Primordial Qi and for eons, this Primordial Qi has been growing in quantity. But that Primordial Void is dark with no speck of light there, and now eons after the Primordial Qi itself has become Dark as Primordial void.]
[That's why Host has formed these gates of darkness the moment you start using this Dark Primordial Qi.]"
The system didn't ask for any TP for all this mind-breaking information.
Ace take a deep breath of cold air, now he finally understood why this 'Heavenly or Primordial Qi' was black.
'So, I was always in the path of [Darkness] from the start.' He laughs at his ignorance, but when he remembered Dulce's words of contempt towards the life of a commoner the coldness in his eyes deepen.
"Even Heaven that controls everything is unfair towards everyone, much less a mere moral-bitch like her (Dulce). System, you have emotions I felt the moment you start talking about Primordial Qi and I don't know what you want with me, and I don't care anymore as long as you can give me the power to protect everyone I hold dear. I will do your bidding even if you want me to slay the Heavenly King." Ace cold voice transmitted in his mind. He finally felt the emotion of the system.
The system didn't say anything as if it didn't care and Ace also didn't have enough time to inquire further about it so he said while his pitch-black eyes shine darkly, "Open the Gates of Darkness let the [Darkness] be my eternal Acolyte."
He knows from now on the darkness will be the closest to him or it already is in face of the system!
=======
"[Confirmation received, System has deducted 600 TP and the Opening of the Gates of Darkness has begun.]
[Plese brace yourself host]"
=======
Veins starting to pop out all over Ace's body the moment system voice range in his mind.
After a moment he fell from his sitting, his hand and legs begin to twist. He was currently feeling pain worse than death.
The black smoke enveloped his entire body like a cocoon, one can only see a glob of black smoke, not Ace's body anymore.
Eva panicked the moment she saw him fall and hurriedly move to pick him up but the black smoke has already enveloped his body and she can't get closer to him. The temperature of the room starts to fall at a rapid pace.
Inside the smoke globe, Ace felt his blood was turning extremely cold, it was changing like all his body whenever he opens a Heavenly gate, and now all the blood inside his body starts to absorb the Heavenly Qi and the crimson color of his blood has more deepen almost turn black.
But this time the Qi inside his meridians were not like vague black but complete pitch black, it was the Qi of Primordial Darkness!
"[The 6th Gate, Blood of Darkness has successfully open.]"
He didn't have time to hear System's voice because after his 'Darkness Blood Gate' the space between his eyebrows starts to tingle. He called it the 'Mind Space'. This space was formed because of his soul cultivation and in this space was his Yellow Wind Soul Core.
The Soul Core was currently floating in the center of his mind space. It was like a glob of yellow cloud. But suddenly Qi of Darkness starts to enter his mind space and space starts to turn black from its white transparent state.
That's wasn't the end, the space starts to expand and so was his soul core. He didn't know how much time has passed but after the expansion of his mind-space stopped it changed completely.
Now it was like a dark sky and in the center of this dark sky was a big yellow soul core, it was like a sun that was illuminating the entire 'Dark Mind Space'.
"[The 7th Gate, Mind of Darkness has successfully open.]"