Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 366 The Secret of Heroic Spirits
"I don't have much time left. I've had my fun, and I'll probably have to go back soon. Don't look at me so surprised. This was an unconventional emergency summons. Perhaps we'll be able to meet normally again soon amidst the demonic tide."

Visibly, Emma showed signs of becoming "transparent," as if something was gradually dissipating.

When a Heroic Spirit begins to use power beyond the norm, the system naturally performs a "check" to determine the situation and calculate whether support is necessary.

After verification, it was naturally determined that there was no need for it to exist, and the countdown to return began.

"Don't worry, there's no pressure in accompanying you on this journey. If it really comes down to it, I'll stay illegally for a while."

"Is this still possible?"

"Of course, being a Heroic Spirit is an honor and a choice. At least that's true for most of Valhalla."

There were some things Emma didn't hide; in fact, she felt Rean needed to know, otherwise he might be tricked.

During each Demon Tide, some Heroic Spirits would neglect their duties and go "dragon hunting." Whether they succeeded in hunting dragons is hard to say, but they did produce some very strong new dragonborn.

"It is said that the earliest version of the Hall of Heroes was created by several extremely ancient beings, involving the very beginning of its creation, and some of these members are still among the top ten of the 'gate' to this day."

This can no longer be considered a hint; it's a clear indication that the Thousand-Faced Dragon is involved.

Rean nodded; this was to be expected. Rean had always felt that this system was far too familiar, and he even suspected that the mastermind was likely the Thousand-Faced Dragon, who had come up with the idea and concept.

"One of the members, or rather, the group of members you should have just met, is the 'Seven Sages of Truth' numbered seven."

The original Heroic Spirit system was a system designed to "prevent the extinction of the world" and "recycle and reuse hero resources," a choice made out of necessity.

It to some extent intercepted the soul cycle of the "Circle of Origin," giving the fallen a second option.

“In essence, there are actually two kinds of heroic spirits. One is like me, who accepted the invitation at the time of death and became a kind of undead creature. Don’t look at me like that, it’s just similar. Although we spend most of our time sleeping, we live quite well when we are awake.”

These undead (remnant soul) warriors who go directly to Valhalla can still grow to some extent. Although they have often reached their limits, they still have their own lives and vacations.

However, most of the heroic spirits are in a state of eternal slumber. In a sense, their greatest reward is the freedom to move around and the post-war leave.

"The other option is to refuse the invitation. Well, we have the right to veto, so the soul itself will re-enter the cycle of reincarnation, but an information replica engraved with most of the memories and abilities will become a heroic spirit."

Such heroic spirits are somewhat like tools. Although they receive all the treatment they deserve, they are basically only "created" when there is a "need," and they have virtually no room for growth or development.

"The oldest Hall of Heroes is actually ours; it was created by the first group of Ancients using the authority of the world. It's a 'world crisis response mechanism' and a 'civilization preservation mechanism,' but later some super-powerful beings found it very useful."

Thus, private Valhalla, or rather, private Valhalla of a particular race or ethnic group, came into being.

Some of them have disappeared into history, but some have survived to this day.

Ultimately, as long as the technology can be replicated and "authority" is obtained, such a Hall of Heroes is not unique. For certain reasons, the world also desires more choices and backup possibilities. "Actually, I've received invitations before. Their offers were quite good; they even offered to help us regain a human body if we were willing, but I'm too lazy to live again." Having a complete body and life is roughly equivalent to living again, but a second soul transfer is unacceptable; it's equivalent to complete change and death.

Emma didn't need to explain things too clearly. Only the original Hall of Heroes could truly achieve so-called immortality and be officially recognized by the "world".

Other Halls of Heroes each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but they also have their own shortcomings, which can only be compensated for in other ways.

However, some are shared, meaning these immortals can only interfere with the prime plane at special times, mostly limited to world-class crises during the Demon Tide. Yes, some of them are active on ordinary days, and also have wars and battlefronts to deal with, but they are not in this world.

This multiverse needs heroes, so the Hall of Heroes was created and has been copied several times.

Civilizations constantly produce heroes, but heroes rarely possess true eternal spirits; they are merely a group of dead people. Passing on their stories ensures their legends endure, and in a sense, it also grants them "immortality."

There are two types of heroic spirits (the clone and the remnant spirit). The latter is more powerful and has a certain growth potential, but in the endless wars and years, the remnant spirit will eventually be consumed, and what will eventually remain is probably only the "information clone".

Many of them, thanks to the blessing of "faith" and "legends," are even more powerful than they were in life. It is said that these legends themselves can replenish the natural consumption of "remnant souls and heroic spirits," making them last longer.

This is quite crucial. Many heroic spirits continue to fight after their deaths, striving to gain fame and legend, and even actively creating "anchor successors," which is to "continue their existence."

But this is also one of the reasons why they are forbidden to descend during peacetime. In times when the system is not perfect, there are indeed heroic spirits who interfere in the mortal world and transform themselves into "gods" who are praised throughout the country.

If heroic spirits could descend to the mortal realm at will, then real civilization would probably become a land of the dead. Even great heroes—no, precisely because they are the great heroes celebrated by the world—are often more self-centered and more willful.

A certain system binds them, nourishes them, manages them, cultivates them, and also "drives" them.

Even so, time can still erode everything, which is why many heroic spirits choose to sleep forever, hoping to go further.

Emma's downfall this time was also due to the fact that part of the auxiliary system responsible for "faith weaving" and "legend blessing" suddenly went offline. Although it was still operating, its efficiency had obviously decreased a lot.

Emma didn't tell Rean these things, and she knew her limits, only letting him know about the parts that were still operational.

"For some reason, the legacy of the Thousand-Faced Dragon is actually producing Heroic Spirits in large quantities. Its successors have a higher chance of being selected as Heroic Spirits, and the threshold is lower, as if a back door has been opened. Heh, there are also factions among the Heroic Spirits, which we jokingly call the Dragon's Private School faction."

As Emma said this, she saw the confusion in Rean's eyes.

She smiled. The current "Li Ensu" is still very young and doesn't know what this means.

He has quite a few fellow disciples, and many of them are not as open-minded as he is.

“Ms. Suliman, in some ways we are the same, both inheritors of a certain Heroic Spirit Academy. Perhaps one day we will meet again in heaven. Your hostility towards me is unnecessary. Because there are many people who deserve this hostility more, and you are destined to meet them.”

(End of this chapter)