Chapter 266: Mammoth Treasury
The stronger the cultivator attempting to become a Transcendent, the stronger the Treasure created in the likelihood of his failure. This Treasure would be all that was left of the cultivator.
If the cultivator that failed had an Iron or Silver Grade Human Avatar, then the resultant body part refined by the Bolt of Transcendence was called a Minor Treasure.
Similarly, if the failed cultivator had a Gold or Mystic Grade Human Avatar, then the resultant body part refined by the Bolt of Transcendence was called a Major Treasure. The same applied to Pranic Beasts too, though only Mystic Grade Pranic Beasts could invoke a Bolt of Transcendence.
The five Major Treasures depicted in Sumatra Chronicles were exactly that. The Major Treasure of Cure was the result of a Bolt of Transcendence that landed on the previous Gannala during the time the Boar King became a Mystic Grade Pranic Beast.
She refined that power into her heart to create the Cure, which was inherited by Resha.
The source of the remaining four Major Treasures wasn't detailed in Sumatra Chronicles. It was unknown which legendary human cultivator died to become a Major Treasure.
But one thing was sure. Whether it was a Minor Treasure or a Major Treasure, they had tremendous value, oftentimes capable of going slightly above the framework of the laws that existed in the Sumatra Continent's power system.
As Resha and Yahira climbed up the stairs and entered higher floors, each of which resembled a world, the presence emitted by the pillars of light continued to steadily increase.
The Minor Treasures in the first three floors were resultant from cultivators with Iron Grade Human Avatars. Hence, they were numerous.
From the fourth floor onwards, the number of light pillars drastically decreased, barely a tenth of before. But in terms of value, they were superior, for they originated from cultivators with Silver Grade Human Avatars.
Resha stopped before a certain pillar of light on the fourth floor, sensing his Mystic Bone Art react, "This is from a Mammoth Clansman's."
"I can feel it too," Yahira said, "It seems the larger Mammoth Clan had many masters at the 10-Life Stage over the generations."
"Many details were hidden from our Mammoth Clan by the Empyrean Tusks. Hence, our strength plateaued at the 8-Life Stage." Resha nodded.
"Yeah, my grandfather never progressed beyond the 8-Life Stage for some reason," Yahira said. Before the merger, her grandfather was their Mammoth Clan Chief. His strength had dropped a lot after getting killed a couple of times by the Boar King.
He was currently chilling as the 10th Settlement Leader, having lower responsibilities to bear after the merger since the Mammoth Clan was a lot stronger now.
"Go around and look for a Minor Treasure suitable for you." Resha said and began to climb to a higher floor, "Wait for me before you accept it though."
"Alright," Yahira nodded and began to explore the fourth floor.
Halfway up the flight of stairs, Resha activated his Primary Nature and unleashed a gravitational wave, sensing some pillars of light stir up in response. 'There are a few candidates here.'
But since there were better ones on the higher floors, he decided to look through them all first. He repeated the same on the fifth floor and noticed some light pillars displaying a stronger reaction to his Primary Nature.
He finally arrived on the sixth floor and observed only three light pillars there. The presence they unleashed made it hard for him to breathe, "If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed them to be Major Treasures."
It was apparent they were sourced from cultivators who were at the peak of the Silver Grade. Hence, every single Minor Treasure here was the strongest of its kind. Upon seeing them, he noticed a line of words form over each Minor Treasure, explaining what they were.
Minor Treasure—Extreme Sensitivity!
This was a piece of skin tissue that was brownish-red in colour, glowing faintly with interlaying lightning patterns. When stuck to a body, it would automatically merge into the cultivator's skin and apply its effect.
The Minor Treasure of Extreme Sensitivity strengthened a cultivator's Prana senses. Basically, when a cultivator spread their Prana around to sense their surroundings, any feedback would be in the form of prickling sensations throughout the skin.
The position, intensity, and progressions of the prickling sensations indicated the type of information gathered by the Prana sense. This was very limited and at most allowed one to know their opponent's strength, position, and motion.
The Minor Treasure of Extreme Sensitivity improved upon this aspect, making the prickling sensation detailed, enough for the cultivator to get an accurate grasp of even the target's body shape, size, and even the individual movement of their limbs.
If Resha were to get this, his sensory response would become stronger, allowing him to promptly react. Honestly, if there was just this Minor Treasure, Resha would have selected it without skipping a heartbeat.
But the remaining two Minor Treasures were equally good. The second one was an eyeball, glowing purple, appearing no different from a piece of gem.
Minor Treasure—Spectral Eyes!
Upon obtaining it, the Minor Treasure of Spectral Eyes would fuse with the target's eyes, expanding his sight at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. He would be able to observe objects far away with greater detail. Similarly, he could also zoom in on a speck of grain and observe its structure in detail.
It didn't end here, for Spectral Eyes also allowed the target to see the flow of Prana. Basically, if Resha were to get this, he would be able to see the energy streams connecting a cultivator to their Spirit Weapon. It would allow him to notice the moment a cultivator tries to sneak attack using their Spirit weapon.
It had insane practical value. Upon seeing it, Resha almost grabbed it, because it would be a perfect addition to his arsenal, 'I need just this.'
He then approached the last Minor Treasure, one obtained from a Mammoth Clansman. It was an organ, a stomach, grey in colour, dull in nature.
Minor Treasure—Corporeal Mixer!
Its ability was robustly simple. When a cultivator obtains it, the Minor Treasure of Corporeal Mixer would fuse with their stomach and strengthen it to the extreme, allowing the cultivator to rapidly digest any organic matter ingested by their body. It wasn't just that.
It would make their stomach organ immune to poison and all associated abilities that target the body from the stomach. In the possession of a Mammoth Clansman, this Minor Treasure's power was elevated to a whole new level, turning them into cultivation monsters that could progress rapidly.
Resha's growth speed would increase by at least twenty to thirty percent with the Minor Treasure of Corporeal Mixer.
All three Minor Treasures were strategically valuable, making him conflicted. If possible, he would wish to obtain them all. But he was aware of their value. A Minor Treasure appeared when a 10-Life Stage cultivator failed to become a Transcendent.
And there was no guarantee a Minor Treasure would appear every time a cultivator failed to become a Transcendent. After all, there was a greater chance for their bodies to be completely vaporised. Hence, every single Minor Treasure was a strategically valuable asset, appearing at most once every few centuries.
The only reason Raaha took them out this time was to cement his authority as the Mammoth Clan Chief. This Centinger egg hunt was the first joint raid conducted by the Mammoth Clan after the merger.
This was his way of displaying the Mammoth Clan's terrifying foundation, accumulated through their thousands of years of history. Moreover, if not for their quasi-indestructible nature, he would have never brought them out.
Basically, if Resha were to die now, any Minor Treasure in his possession would separate from his body. Of course, there was a fair chance of the treasure being destroyed alongside his body. So, risks still existed with giving Resha one.
When 100 Empyrean Tusks exited the Sumatra Continent and left behind 88 Empyrean Tusks, they also left a portion of their Minor Treasures with the weaker herd, giving them a way to prosper. It was the Mammoth Clan Chief's responsibility to protect them.
The six-storey building Raaha brought out was called the Mammoth Treasury, a Major Treasure left behind by the Mammoth Ancestor. This was created when a Mammoth Clansman with the power of the Gold Empyrean Tentacle failed to become a Transcendent and left behind this Major Treasure.
The Mammoth Ancestor refined it into a treasure exclusive to the Mammoth Clan, only controlled by its Chief. It had two functions. The first function was to store all Minor Treasures in the Mammoth Clan's possession.
The second function was to create an inheritance line for the Gold Empyrean Tentacle's power. Basically, the owner of the Mammoth Treasury would obtain the Gold Empyrean Tentacle's power.
It was their Trump Card!