Chapter 4518: Success and Chaos I was swimming slowly deeper into the lake of corruption when I suddenly stopped. A moment came swimming toward me. It’s a large fish monster with black iridescent scales and sharp teeth, that will have no problem in tearing me apart. Soon, it had reached me; there are barely twenty meters of distance between it and me. It’s too close for the monster of this power. If it found me, I would be in massive trouble. I could survive this monster, but not others that might attack me. Thankfully, it didn’t sense me and swam away. I watched it for a while before swimming deeper. Inside me, all my clones worked to make me used to the corruption. Sealing all the gaps and doing tiny upgrades. The progress seemed to build up over time, and I was able to increase my speed. I could even faster, but I do not want to take the risk. I didn’t increase my speed much and kept swimming down, while marvelling at the world inside the corruption. On the surface, there are only lotus, but as one goes down. One could notice many other plants. From small to big, supporting the ecosystem that had been formed here. It’s beautiful as it is dangerous. I am cautiously diving deeper, sensing more and more powerful monsters as I do, while also secretly collecting corruption. It might be dangerous, but it is also very precious. It would be very helpful with the things I have to grow. I am very cautious while collecting; these monsters are extremely dangerous. They could sense the faintest ripple. Thankfully, that is not a big problem; my armor is absorbing the corruption, which is being directly sent into my core. Minutes passed, and I got closer and closer to the destination, with corruption getting more powerful. Right now, the corruption is so dense that it wouldn’t even take a second to kill me, if it touches my skin. I am really scared and want to go back, but I am going to. I have really close, a little further, and I will reach the range of attraction. With that, I swam deeper, bearing the powerful corruption that wants to swallow me—turning me into a part of itself. I couldn’t help but wonder what changes it would bring if it happened. I am not some common Sky Sovereign, but someone whose every cell is infused with the forbidden power. This place is vast, but I am sure that the forbidden power would bring some changes to it. Finally, in what felt like an hour, I reached the depth I had calculated. I would need to reach for the circuit to attract the tool. Now, it is time to see whether I am right. I hope I am. I don’t want to be wrong; going deeper would be extremely dangerous, and I don’t know whether I would do it even with my appetite for the risk. A moment later, I took out the triangular pipe device. Buzz! I had just done it when it pushed, and I felt the huge pull from it toward the ground. I didn’t resist and let go, and it shot out of my hand. I watched it leave, not moving from my place even an inch. A couple of monsters have sensed it, and now all of them are looking at it. Thankfully, they are busier looking at the object where it came from. Some had even chased its incredible speed, but the tool was too fast, and it got faster the closer it got. Soon, it disappeared from my eyes and my senses. Seeing that, I wanted to move away, but there are many monsters around me, and I decided to remain where I am. Hun! A minute passed, and the monsters were leaving. I was about to start swimming when I felt something. Buzz! A buzz rang out, and the base of the lake burst out with the lights. The power was immense, and it shook all the monsters. They roared, panicked, and some even started to attack each other, while I watched. Hoping the light would dim down soon, so everything would go calm. Instead, something opposite happens. The ground began to shake, slow at first, before it started to get faster. ’Fuck!’ I cursed as I felt the wave and the purity around me that suddenly began to increase. Earlier, everything was set: the lower density above, the greater density below. Now, due to the shakes, all of it is mixing together, creating chaos. This is not good, not only for me, but also for the monsters. Those of lower density monsters couldn’t bear the high density. It is why many of them are panicking. Including me, my clones are rapidly working to manage the density of corruption that is denser. I have also started swimming up. It’s too dangerous at this depth; I need to swim up. It would be a little safer; the corruption won’t be this dense. So, I moved, but suddenly stopped a few seconds later when a long, snake monster with lightning cracking across its body swam past me. It is powerful enough that I didn’t even think about fighting it. If it even looked at me, there would be no choice in front of me other than bringing out my shields and creating a protective sphere. These are deep monsters, extremely powerful ones, that do not even defend against. My goal is to reach the surface of the water and then walk out of the lake. Only then would I be safe. The shaking is getting bigger, mixing the layers together. That density of corruption seemed to have increased rather than decreased. Still, I kept moving, while the lake swished like the sea. I am getting closer to the surface, and I wish I could swim faster, but I am already taking a massive risk by swimming at the speed I am. If I swam even faster, I would not remain hidden from the monster. Right now, with anger and panic in monsters eyes, getting discovered would be a death sentence.