Death... and me

Celis and the twins also expected as much. "Is that so? What could two cultivators at the Core and Soul Fusion Realm like us do for someone like you? Someone at the Space Bending Realm like you should have no lack of subordinates who can do things for you, no?"

Hearing that, a hint of surprise finally appeared on Levid's face. 'So you really are part of the Sacred Undersea Kingdom, huh? Otherwise, how could you tell my cultivation with your own? Even this demon tree by your side shouldn't be able to do it,' he thought.

However, Levid wasn't disappointed with that, saying, "Well, you two are quite resourceful. Indeed, if it was for some simple thing, I could just ask anyone else to do it for me. However, there's something I want you two to do that others probably can't. Do any of the two of you have knowledge about the formations of the Undersea Kingdom? We're in desperate need of help with a certain formation of ours. However, we have very limited knowledge about formations since this world is closed. We can't go out and ask the Formation Guild or anything like that."

Rean couldn't help but say in response, "After so long, there's bound to be quite a few Formation Masters who became statues and ended up here, right? Can't they help with it?"

Levid shook his head, saying, "Everyone who becomes statues are usually low-level cultivators and demon beasts. If you were at a high level, do you think you would have been caught by the white powder phenomenon?"

The twins had to admit Levid was right. "So, because of that, the Formation Masters you have here are mostly at a low-level, is that it?"

Levid nodded in response. "That's pretty much it. We did create our own Formation Guild in the Upside Down World, gathering as much knowledge about formations as possible. The same goes for the other side occupations. But in the end, we can't even compare to a small city's guild because of our circumstances. We also improved as much as possible on our own, but there's a limit to our achievements."

Celis found it strange. "Can't you see that they're only Peak Stage Core and Soul Fusion Realm cultivators? Do you think they would know too much about the formations of the Sacred Undersea Kingdom? First of all, don't forget that they're more like disposable tools for the Undersea Kingdom since they aren't aquatic demon beasts. There is a limit on how many things the kingdom would be willing to share with these two."

However, Levid laughed out loud when he heard that. "Hahaha! You're kidding, aren't you? Do you think I can't tell they lost their cultivation? The Peak Stage of the Core and Soul Fusion Realm? Ha! That's the cultivation you get when you burn your own Nascent Soul in exchange for power."

This time, it was the twins that got surprised by Levid's words. In fact, even Himatikia, who was in the room, looked at the twins with surprise at Levid's words. "Grand Elder Levid, is that true?"

Levid could guess what Himatikia was thinking, saying, "Are you afraid that they broke the rules when they took part in the challenge between the Tranquio Sect and Hura Clan?"

Himatikia nodded, replying, "Yes. If that's the case, then we must give the victory to the Hura Clan instead."

However, Levid immediately shook his head, telling her, "There's no need. There's nothing in the rules saying that one can't destroy their own Nascent Soul to bring their cultivation down. What matters is whether you're in that cultivation realm or not. Of course, these twins ended up having much more advantages that came with their previous higher cultivation. It's just that no one would be idiotic enough to throw away most of their cultivation just because of some challenge. That's why you don't see it happen often. However, I guarantee you that they aren't the first ones and are definitely not the last."

"This..." Himatikia then thought about the rules for a moment. Sure enough, there wasn't anything preventing one from using cultivators who lost their cultivation realms. "So that's how it is..." For Himatikia, that's more than enough. The only thing that mattered was if the rules were broken or not, and it was obvious that they hadn't been broken.

Roan, who had been quiet so far, finally decided to ask, "How do you know our cultivations were much higher before? We're still in our seventies, so there's nothing wrong with our cultivation for the age we have."

Levid shook his head in response, replying, "There wouldn't be anything wrong if you were just some random cultivator. However, do you want me to believe that two cultivators in their seventies who are also part of the Undersea Kingdom are only at the Peak Stage of the Core and Soul Fusion Realm?"

Roan had to admit Levid was right. "That would indeed be weird. However, that's not the only reason, right? After all, you didn't even know our ages until a moment ago."

"Smart," Levid complimented Roan. "The reasons I mentioned were good ones. However, the main reason I can tell you lost your cultivations was your fighting power. People at the Core and Soul Fusion Realm would never be able to fight at the Saint Realm level, regardless of how much talent they have. After seeing the report from Himatikia, I was absolutely certain that your cultivations were much, much higher before."

Levid was curious, though. "And that's what begs the question. Since you were much stronger before, how did you get turned into statues?"

Roan shrugged his shoulder in response, saying, "I would rather not talk about the situation that forced us to burn our Nascent Souls."

"Hahaha!" Levid laughed after hearing that. "Indeed, no one would like to talk about such things. Well, that doesn't matter as it won't change my request to you. Now then, how about the answer to my question? Do any of you three have any advanced knowledge about formations?"

Rean, Roan, and Celis looked at each other and nodded in response. After that, Rean raised his hand, telling Levid, "I believe you need me, then. I'm a Golden Peak-Level Formation Master."