Tower of Heaven

Their strength level, their combat ability; he wouldn't be able to perfectly quantify all of it in a short span of time, but he only needed enough to confirm his course of action.

'Firstly, the checkpoint.'

It was already difficult to make it past such a large number of guards without being noticed.

Atlas wasn't particularly skilled at espionage or stealth-related tasks. In fact, he was quite literally the opposite of a good assassin.

'No matter. It is still possible in this environment.'

The nameless forest was relatively open. Most of the environment that led to it was a flat plain, but that didn't mean it was completely uniform.

After all, wasn't there sufficient cover for Atlas to hide in? No matter the distance, if he was merely standing in the middle of an open plain, he would've been spotted instantly.

There weren't any large mountains or structures in the vicinity, but the area was relatively hilly and the terrain wasn't lacking in diversity.

When one took flora into account, moving covertly wasn't too hard until one was within 50 meters of the checkpoint.

As for the checkpoint itself, it was quite thorough.

The guards were spread thin, but not thin enough to leave openings. The majority of the forest was hidden behind them and the makeshift structures they inhabited.

'However, the forest is too expansive to be completely locked away by their movements.'

Finding his way past them wasn't the problem.

Because once he truly entered the forest, he would meet the true main course they'd prepared.

'Regardless, I must do it. I must wait until nightfall, so this time can be used to form the rough outline of a plan.'

Atlas sat down in his hidden position and calmed his breathing, blending into the environment.

His current strength couldn't be compared to normal Core Formation Realm cultivators, but he wasn't nearly strong enough to fight across realms and defeat those Earth Sages yet.

Trickery and deceit.

They were never his forte.

He, both as the Heavenly Emperor and Atlas Vaun, preferred to face problems head-on.

Though, the lack of a calculating mind inhibited him greatly on several occasions in his past life.

'I must stay alive until I learn why I have been reborn in this era. The Heavens have given me a chance to correct the flaws of the past, and I have no reason to waste it.'

[Trait [Perfect Adaptability] has activated.]

His mind cooled, and he gazed into the distance like a hawk.

There were still a few hours before he made his move.

Until then, he would understand everything he could about the habits of those who stood in his way, so that when it came time for them to be removed…

…they wouldn't even be able to question how they died.

***

Night fell as it was always meant to.

The sun would eventually rise again, but before it did, the clouds needed to be dispersed.

A lone figure swept through the darkness. It was fast, but its steps were so light that the ground hardly marked its presence.

Atlas made his way to the checkpoint after covering himself in dark robes that hid his appearance.

He'd spent the last few hours observing the checkpoint, and he already knew how to make his way through without alerting any of the guards.

'I would prefer if I could eliminate them all, however, I am racing against time above all else.'

His goal was the 12th floor. He didn't come here to form irreparable enmity with forces he wasn't strong enough to fight yet.

That was why he moved so silently.

The only skill he had in his memory that could aid him here was one that hid his aura. His physical presence was still completely visible, and if he used his qi, it was impossible to remain unnoticed.

The plan was to get as far as possible without being discovered.

Atlas moved stealthily. With his clothes allowing him to blend into the darkness and the guards slightly less wary as the time to change shifts approached, he made his way to an area roughly two hundred feet from the edge of the checkpoint.

'This is the place.'

The weakest point of the barricade was here.

There were two guards to the front, and the nearest guards aside from them were at least twenty feet away.

It wasn't much distance, but it was more than enough for a shadow to pass by without anyone noticing.

But how was Atlas to do it when he was so exposed?

That answer was within the Formation Spark he was gifted by his old friend.

The spark gave him knowledge on all herbs and plants that could be used alchemically, as well as all metals and materials that could be used to forge.

Atlas didn't have the skills to practice either skill yet, but if it was just combining a few herbs to create something through natural means, anyone could do it with knowledge.

Spirit Grass was the most common herb in the world. It could be found almost anywhere, and it was the basic ingredient to almost all introductory alchemy recipes.

Its benefit was its ability to change its properties based on the ingredients it was mixed with, and if one was skilled enough, it could even provide a slight enhancement.

When Spirit Grass was mixed with an herb called Mystic Grass, which was less common but still widely available, it had a slightly dizzying effect.

It was a concoction nobody saw the use of, not because they were ignorant, but because there truly wasn't much one could do with this.

Alchemists across the ages had attempted to find a hidden greatness within this simple recipe, but all of them gave up for a reason.

Were they wrong?

No.

But did they miss something that could've become their lifeline?

Yes.

The combination of Spirit Grass and Mystic Grass didn't react well with any other spiritual herb or resource.

However, what if one tried to influence them through the mundane?

According to the Formation Spark, whether it be regular dirt or water from a natural spring, if one added a material without spiritual energy into the mixture, one would be able to elicit some kind of reaction.

When tree bark was used in an exact proportion that was difficult to measure without the best devices…

Calling it sleeping powder was most apt.

It only worked on people below the Sky Sage Realm, so nobody cared enough to understand the specifics to create it, but it was the perfect solution for Atlas' current situation.

He used the wind to spread the sleeping powder through this part of the checkpoint around half an hour ago, and the time for its effects to show had come.

It went something like this.

"Hey, Barros, I'm feeling a little tired right now."

"And? Why should I care?"

"Just keep watch for me for a little so I can rest until the next shift comes."

"Haa, again? If I keep covering for you, it'll be my head that goes flying. You know the captain's temper."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll spot you with some gold when we get paid. That's enough, right?"

"Tch, maybe on a usual day, but I'm tired today too, so I'm not going to suffer for your sake."

Swoosh!

"Hm?"

The man named Barros raised his gaze, ignoring his drowsiness for a moment as a breeze passed him by.

"Did you feel that?" He asked.

However, his fellow guard, William, was already half asleep.

He turned back to the quiet scenery before him and shrugged, struggling to keep his eyes open.

'It must've been my imagination.'

It was not just his imagination.

But he didn't need to know that, did he?