novelraw Chapter 1197 - 1196 - Failure
Chapter 1197 - 1196 - Failure
Lind dropped off the woman as quickly as he could. The demons at the Hort Fortress were crestfallen but quickly rebounded. They happily welcomed a new Radiant Tier but she was weak.
He could tell she only faced the basic tribulation and a simple Law Tribulation. She would not amount to much in his eyes.
Radiant Tiers were precious but they were also cannon fodder if they could not fight back against the soulless creatures.
He left the fortress before any more annoyances could get in his way. He had to get stronger!
He was still only a low Radiant Tier. His power was enough to fight peak Radiant Tiers but it was not enough. He wanted to clear the source of the damned undying army but they seemed endless.
Worse, the records of their advance were essentially lost. He had to start from scratch!
When he first appeared in the world he had been stunned even in his uncaring state by the terrifying battle in front of him. The headless creatures did not care and tried to kill him but all froze when his emerald flames easily killed them.
According to the demons, his efficiency was enough to equal an entire army as he had ended the battle shortly afterward. Still, the fallen creatures eventually recovered when prisoners were fed to their corpses.
It made it frustrating as he had to completely immolate the creatures that took a lot of effort from him. Stopping was easy, but permanently dead took effort.
Regardless, he had to get stronger. He wanted to ascend and get the Great One as soon as possible.
He no longer let distractions slow him down and thus had advanced in 2 centuries far more than he normally would with cultivation alone. His miraculous advances were ignored as he knew that was Heaven using him.
He compared to his early days in the Soul Realm where he fought and crawled to keep his Soul Cores ahead of his foundation to keep him safe. He had earned each step there and was proud of it.
The World Realm was rife with coincidence and miracles, although his becoming a dragon soul he attributed to saving Ethry.
Still, he had come far in his cultivation on his own efforts. His elemental theory was not just his work so he still took pride but after a certain point in the Sky Realm, he felt sickened.
He was just used!
Since his ascension, he focused solely on his cultivation and advanced without any interference.
He had traded for Radiant grade Qi stones and beast cores for his cultivation. His progress had been slower than he was used to but he took pride in it. It was all his own effort!
He flew in the storm unhindered. Unlike the newly ascended woman, he was immune to the cold. His own emerald flames protected him as he returned to his personal cave in the current battle.
He found a vivisected corpse of the soulless creatures splayed out but it had given him few answers. He had tried to determine if a certain corpse was used to make them or a source of them, but nothing was revealed.
The skies were essentially theirs. The Endless Peaks were hanging on but it was by a knife edge.
His arrival helped but he had limits. The soulless also seemed to be controlled. They had adapted to his presence and avoided him as much as possible in battles. Still, the demons persevered and had reclaimed a third of the territory of the entire Endless Peaks.
He was glad of their efforts but the price in blood and tears was not to be ignored. The population of the Radiant Tiers had been reduced to a third of what it had been before.
The wind picked up as ice began to slam into the ground around him. He entered his cave and it was a spartan affair. He had eliminated all distractions yet he felt it was not enough!
He was stuck!
He did not understand why he could not breakthrough to the mid Radiant Tier after 2 centuries!
It should have been a matter of course but he was stuck. He focused instead on finding the source of his current enemy.
Based on the information he had gathered, there was one final facility in the Celestial Fields. It was clearly the source of the soulless enemies and their control. He had to find it!
Yet, despite all he had uncovered, the information eluded him. It was lost!
HIs failures irritated him. He had to do better thus he had focused on the current assault! The random cultivator ascending had wasted all his efforts and cost him valuable pieces!
Lind was angry at his failure but knew he could recoup the losses. He recovered to his peak condition before reviewing his map disc. They were incredible inventions that could track not only the enemy but allies as well.
White showed the position of the soulless while black and blue showed the demons and their allies. It was a wonderful artifact but it only painted the hopelessness of the current situation.
The loss of the 2nd squad was far too critical to their efforts!
All that progress they had made in the last 2 centuries was lost! They would have to spend the next 10 years clearing out the creatures now!
Lind pushed it all aside as he assumed a lotus position on a mat in his cave. He had to cultivate and clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts. He had not expected Annabelle to be there.
He had thought he curbed his attachment to others but seeing her face had moved his heart. He had failed so he had to start again. Connections were a weakness from Heaven and Earth.
They were trying to control him and he refused to follow their dance anymore. He would become strong enough to make them pay!
"I have to be a stone. I will become strong by facing the weather and enduring. That is all that matters in the end." He spoke his thoughts aloud and began to excise his feelings for his family once more.
His actions had consequences, he knew that but his loss of status was the most surprising to him.
He had been a True Lord on his ascension but since his actions over the last 2 centuries, he had felt his connection to Heaven and Earth dull. It was all so clear how it had tried to control him now that it was gone.
His authority was revoked and even though no dragons existed to express it, he was no longer a True Lord.
He knew it in his soul.
He had worried about his weaknesses but he clearly had not eliminated them enough. All the chains Heaven and Earth had put on him would be severed!
He had chosen his path! He would not back down and viciously buried the tearful face of Annabelle. He would become strong enough to end it all!
He fell into his cultivation as the wind howled outside his entrance. The lonely path seemed right to his mind but his heart cried out to stop him. The cries fell on deaf ears and silence filled the cave as the wind continued.
⬧⬧⬧⬧
The Frey Clan dominated the central lands of the 1st layer. They were the unquestioned power there. Even with the recent war with the Fiends, their lands had never fallen or been bothered.
Still, they had sent many forces to help others even outside their familiar connections.
The Matriarchs had ascended enmasse recently but one remained behind. The senior Matriarch was the mother of their Founder and a powerful alchemist. Her pills were second to none in the Clan and many came to learn from her but she freely shared her lessons with open lessons to those that could attend them.
Her dark hair and eyes were common but her Shard Tier foundation was nearing the peak. Her office was full of vials, plants, and documents for her study as she reviewed a jade slip.
Tears fell down her eyes as she put it down and stood up from her leather chair. It was made by her son long ago and she always had it moved with her wherever she went. The small boy smiling at her flashed through her mind but also the tears he had hid from her many times.
He was too soft to be a cultivator yet he had come so far.
She always had that thought and was glad she was wrong. His gentle heart had persevered for so long yet now it was gone.
"Lind, what changed you? Why have you run away?" Mira Frey looked out from her tower and felt a new fire light in her heart. She had been stagnant for so long but now she felt a new motivation.
She was going to ascend and give her son a piece of her mind! It did not matter how she got there, she would find him and remind him of his obligations. He could not run away from her!