novelraw Chapter 1096 - 1095 - Fallen Land
Chapter 1096 - 1095 - Fallen Land
It was several weeks later that Lind was sitting next to Ranger while he drove their wagon. They were in the center of the wagons marked with the burning jewel on the side. Their caravan was not rushing but neither were they suffering from a standard pace.
The horses were helped by Lind as he refused to abandon them for a qilin. The qilin also apparently were being much more well behaved than the drivers were used to. The flat plains they traveled through only had the hard stone road with a few rest stops on the way.
They passed farmers, rogue cultivators, and some patrols but they only got respect and the right of way given to them.
"Master, we have several beasts tracking us but I do not sense anything else. "Lind nodded but already knew they were support forces protecting them hidden from sight.
The beasts were more qilin but they were air qilin. They seemed to be struggling until he figured out why.
His presence was actually helping the beasts feel better despite being in a place their natural existence was rejecting. He expanded his aura and the beasts gained a second wind.
"Husband, you are too soft!" A gentle chop fell on his head as Ranger smirked at them.
"It costs me nothing to speed us along. I want that information." He rubbed the top of his head as if he had suffered an injury. The pair nodded solemnly but Lind suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"What is that?" He was genuinely confused as his aura was disrupted directly ahead. His dark green eyes shifted back to his normal emerald ones but they went wide in shock!
The horizon became visible to them and even Chu was left in shock. Jur quickly joined them as she felt their auras shift. The rest of the group poked their heads out.
All of them had far superior sight to most cultivators but they had no way to process what they were seeing.
Qi, as a rule, was not visible without a Talent or very high concentration but there was a vaporous wall of it directly ahead of all elements! Lind was able to see through it to find a lip of raised ground but it was not like a mountain.
It was a literal cliff in the middle of a plain! Why?!
As they got closer, he saw it was in all directions but he also noticed the ground sloping downward as they approached.
"A crater, a massive one. It also looks like the area was landscaped after the fact to add to an existing road. It goes beyond my range so it must be the fallen kingdom ahead." Gilgamesh had told him the story but it was the first one he had actually seen.
A floating landmass had come crashing out of the sky when the Corruption spread across the land.
The road slowly changed as the concentration of Qi transformed normal stone to a grade 3 elemental Qi stone! The entire road was made of them and the grade was improving.
"Papa, these feel different." Lind nodded and waved at the faint storm of Qi they were passing through.
"Unlike a mine or elemental crystal, these started as normal stone and have begun to saturate with elemental Qi. They are not pure but full of all 6 elements to some degree. I would be curious to study some of them…" He wanted to experiment with them but he would not rip a road to do it!
The closer they got, the more massive the difference became. The land around them was infused with Qi but it was relatively the same. The cliff face, however, felt far more profound to their senses.
"The Floating Isles." Lind realized it was that stark of a difference. The very soil and stone of the islands were fundamentally more powerful than the 3 continents he had grown up on.
The sheer difference even after the Qi had to be dispersing like mad for the last million years was immense. He knew it should be more but the fact it endured spoke volumes to him.
"No wonder the qilin prefer this area. They were never meant to be on the surface. I worry for the future." He knew removing the Corruption would massively improve everyone as a cultivator but the land was not so easy.
The fallen lands would not rise again just because they retained some of their density. It would be theoretically possible but the resources needed would be immense.
Seeing it in front of him though, he wondered if it might be more possible with some if they could be so much higher in density like he felt.
If the Corruption lifted tomorrow, parts of the land in front of him could rise again!
"Lord Emerald Immortal, we are coming up on the Cliffs of the Fall." A soldier had leapt onto the side of the wagon and he nodded. They were all looking in interest as the road came up to an old fortress.
It had a massive gate the size of 2 full grown dragons! The doors were a bright blue with dark metal channels that slowly lit up with Qi as they swung inward. A much finer road extended in front of them.
Formation lines lit up and a much more powerful Law Binding was on the other side of that entrance they were coming upon. The white stone was not like the road that had been transformed over time but truly refined material into a powerful defense.
Lind's Eyes glowed briefly to see some Law Grade construction that inspired him to study more! An expert made that wall and gate!
The wagons did not pause as they got through and the density of Qi skyrocketed compared to before but he frowned. It was powerful but not as much as the border itself.
He looked back and saw the wave of Qi was still there. It seemed fainter on the other side of it. The gate closed with a firm thud and only then did he notice no personnel manning it!
He tried to use his aura but it was a chaotic storm of Qi. His Eyes and Touch could figure it out but no living presence came to him. As if the soldier knew his thoughts, he smiled as he adjusted his dull helmet.
"There are 6 gates that surround the original border. They were created by supreme experts long ago. They were originally manned by a Shield Wall Regiment but now the outer cities defend our kingdom and the formations are left monitored at a central hub in the capital." Lind found that was a bit more information than expected, yet he quickly grasped why.
The design might be blood imprinted, meaning only someone that was allowed to imprint the control could use it via their blood and needed a previous user to allow a new one to be added.
Lind could manipulate a lot but weaving could not mimic that kind of connection.
It was also likely that nothing on the surface could stand up to those walls. He had power to burn but it would take him considerable time to overcome Law Grade defenses like that.
It was likely the gates were reacting to something in the coaches or Gilgamesh himself. Without either, it might be impossible to enter the fortress looming over the walls.
The soldier hopped off and he suddenly realized the young man was why they got through!
It was only the population of the soldiers that could get in!
He did not even know how such a Law Binding or formation would work! What were the requirements?!
Weaving could easily do something similar but it would need his own input to make it work. Setting up something like that would be very difficult!
His Clan defenses were tied to his bloodline but even that was not foolproof. Descendents could decide to betray the clan and such weaknesses could be exploited.
Compared to what he made, this was far more complex and secure!
The caravan moved down a bright white stone road with well manicured brush on either side. It was picturesque and clearly meant to convey the power of the kingdom to visitors. He also noticed faint signs of Law Bindings extending into the sky to create flying pathways.
The Bindings were much weaker than the purification shields but clearly they endured where much had fallen in the rest of the 2nd layer.
"So, the floating lands had much more resilience than the surface it seems. I wonder how the beasts fare here?" Lind was able to let his aura stretch but was shocked when there were areas he could see anything!
Vast stretches were just invisible to him!
Gilgamesh poked his head out and waved at them from his forward wagon. Lind waved and nimbly leapt along the road before hopping inside.
Gilgamesh was looking much more relaxed and smiled as he saw Lind take a seat.
"Lord Emerald Immortal, I forgot to warn you about using your aura once we get to the capital. Our old defenses are still mostly functional and could react badly if they sense an intruder. Please restrain yourself when we get there." A chagrin look passed over Lind's face but he nodded.
It was quite possible he had just caused a country wide panic!
He knew they would never believe his aura could reach so far in the current age but he would have to come up with an explanation. The caravan moved on the road as the first city comes into sight.
Lind could already detect the panicked move of more soldiers as they were trying to find the source of aura that just triggered half their defenses! Lind wanted to just dig a hole for how he took for granted how his aura was unimpeded for so long! He felt a headache just thinking about the experiences to come!