novelraw Chapter 1229 - 1228 - Vile Factory
Chapter 1229 - 1228 - Vile Factory
Lind tumbled out of the teleportation summons but it was into an inky black sky. Unlike anywhere else in the Endless Peaks, there were no stars, moon, or sun. It was pure darkness.
He was definitely still in the 3rd layer but nowhere matched what he was seeing. The various maps and special realms were still archived thanks to the efforts of the 4th layer. He knew such knowledge was vital but it did not mean it was complete.
Various powers kept secrets but even then, there were limits as time passed. Spies, rumors, and other such things would lead to investigations by those that sought resources for themselves.
Yet, not a single shred of information existed about an inky black sky over anywhere.
His aura found nothing to orient himself in relation to what he knew but he did find something rather terrifyingly familiar.
A factory, or rather, a modern city with plumes of smoke rising surrounded the black pillar rising out of it into the endless sky.
Endless. No stars, no sun, and there was not even a cloud.
"By the spirits, the void." It was a place he had been to before but it was never that calm. It had been the barest of bridges he had been able to walk to cross back to his home.
He knew the Fiends had considerable abilities to use the void or near void areas to their advantage but nothing like he saw now.
He slowly pieced together that what he detected before was a separate but concrete place in the 3rd layer. It had billions of the soulless but he realized he had not seen any place to explain how they were made.
Knowing the materials and end product did not reveal the process itself. Elixirs, Forging, and weaving were complex examples that someone could know the raw material and final product but the facilities needed to make such things en masse were vital.
He could use weaving with just materials on hand but if he wanted to make a product like a plate engraved with a weaving, would need a place to store materials on a level enough to make such plates.
He pushed aside the thoughts as he noticed Lina was alone on a bare patch of earth by the bridge. She was surrounded by both soulless and Fiends! They seemed surprised at the moment but he could not give them time to recover.
He tried to tear through space but the void had nothing for him to use! He realized his artifact had only worked to pull him close to Lina but not to her side like it should have. He was simply pulled into the void roughly relative to where he had vanished from.
He launched himself via his draconic flight skill as his Immortal flying was also very weak. The total lack of Qi was disturbing to him but he had enough for the moment to last as he needed to.
His massive form was easily a nice distraction as his emerald scales glowed in the inky darkness. Normally, that would draw eyes and attacks but he got to Lina because her arrival through them for a loop already.
They were unprepared for yet another being arriving. He swept her up as vile lightning and gravity attacks tried to lock onto him. His speed was more than they could deal with but his stamina was not bottomless.
He had also been in vicious combat with a peak Radiant Tier Fiend not too long ago. He shot for the complex structures around them and dove into the maze of passages and smog emitting stacks.
He kept moving down turns as his form shrunk to that of a man. Blood trailed from many injuries he had suffered and his healing was delayed by his demand for more speed. His robes were intact at first but he noticed they quickly lost their luster to his Eyes.
The Qi inside them were being sucked out due to the environment they were in. He quickly scanned Lina and was actually relieved to see she was spent. The lack of Qi in her dantian actually saved her life.
He suddenly was confused, however, as to why his own body was fine. He checked and found the answer was, ironically, his injuries. It gave enough egress for his Qi to leave safely but exacerbated his injuries.
He quickly summoned an elixir from his pouch while he could. He also emptied the various materials and tossed them in all directions. He had to buy time for their escape.
His instincts worked perfectly well as he felt pursuit coming. He was unsure how the Fiends protected themselves but it did not matter.
What did matter was that they had to escape into the maze of facilities. He saw long lines of lumps of flesh being infused with fluids as dark as them. He saw flashes of Fiends manipulating the flesh into the rail thin limbs and wings of the soulless.
He also saw fresh 'supplies!'
People, living breathing people were being led into several buildings and he knew damned well what happened in there! They were strange though, the people were lifeless.
Their faces were blank and eyes empty of any emotion at all. It was not a skill as Qi would be bled away no matter what but having seen the farms in the mortal and Heaven realms, he could well guess something far more sinister was at play here.
He carried Lina until all the Qi was gone from his body. Despite its absence, he felt relatively ok as his body finally healed. Not having his ring was a boon as Haro may have been damaged with forceful Qi extraction.
He continued to run for a time until finally all sensation of pursuit vanished. The Fiends' artificial streets worked against them as they could no longer track him. His harmony also continued to blaze in his crystal to keep him safe.
Lina was exhausted so she would not be waking up and very weak when she did. They needed to escape but the only way out was so heavily guarded they had no chance!
"There has to be another way out." He refused to believe there was only a single bridge connected to the factory city he was in. How else were they able to keep it running in the void otherwise?
While his aura was both useless and dangerous to use, his instincts worked perfectly. He also found it odd he could stay in his human form as he had fully become a dragon so he should be reverting to that shape instead.
He thanked the spirits for the mercy and found a place to rest. Mortal sleep and needs would return to them both without Qi to sustain them.
He kicked in the door and found barrels sealed in all directions. The seals were wax but his nose told him it was exactly what he needed. His strength was lagging but more than human as he ripped open a barrel and found fresh water inside.
It was not exactly refreshing but it would suffice. The blessed liquid helped him stay awake as he cupped a bit for Lina to drink as well.
He let her sleep as he carefully moved the barrel to a dark corner of the warehouse they were in. He could tell it had been years since anyone came in there but that would change as they hunted. Food and water would be targeted eventually but the mental switch to mortal thinking could take some time.
Lind used the barrel to make a kind of barrier with the corner and let Lina sit so she could sleep. He then sat in front as he closed his eyes.
His draconic instincts were sharp enough to wake him but he needed rest.
⬧⬧⬧⬧
Lina slowly awoke and was surprised to wake at all. She found darkness at first but dim light let her adjust quickly as she saw a tall man shaped shadow next to her.
Fear spiked until the familiar scent of Lord Frey came to her. She wanted to conjure a light but she was shocked at how heavy her body felt. She also noticed her fur had increased dramatically!
She was closer to her original beastly form! It was only after that revelation that she realized she had no Qi!
Her dantian was entirely dark but not damaged. She breathed a sigh of relief as it just meant she needed to cultivate. She was curious why it was completely drained, even after she had slept, but when she tried to cultivate, she found nothing!
"Wha–" She was about to speak when her nose scented something disgusting to the point of nearly throwing up. Voices faintly came from somewhere as the scrape of wood on metal was clear.
"They still haven't found them but they found broken vials everywhere else? Who were those 2 intruders? I did not hear about that." Her ears hurt. The voices were wrong. It was like the very tones were violations of nature!
Fiends! They were Fiends!
"I don't know about the girl that was described but the man was confirmed. It was that damned emerald dragon! The Great One's orders included his description. Now that he is here, he will be at his weakest. After we finish our farm duties, we will join the hunt for his head!" The 2 men revealed much but she was confused.
Fiends need Qi like anyone else so why were they clearly fine while she could do nothing? There was no Qi at all for her to even use so they should have nothing to convert. She was about to sneak out when Lind vanished!
He was there, prone one moment, when the next he vanished to her eyes! He was so fast! Only her ears picked up his thunderous steps before 2 thuds reached her.
"Lina, we have to go." His voice pulled her out and she saw something shocking! His harmony was reducing the Fiends to nothing! Their Qi was being converted actively but it was leaving just as quickly as he took it in.
Still, his body clearly recovered faster during that process. He checked their belts and found storage pouches but frowned as he examined them.
"Some strange weaving on it but no Qi? How?" His words shocked her as that should be flat out impossible. Sigils were made of Qi, laws, and even intent according to him so how could the Fiends avoid it?
He shook his head and took them for study. Their weapons were left on the ground but he picked up a barrel like it weighed nothing and left the warehouse. It was only then she saw the horrific place they had come to.
The vile factories belched smoke into the void but the windows let her see how the hordes were born! It made her knees shake but he pulled her on. The pair moved into the darkness and could only pray they found a way home.