novelraw Chapter 1403 - 1402 - Throne
Chapter 1403 - 1402 - Throne
Experience was always more enlightening than abstract knowledge. No matter how powerful the imagination, reality had an aspect to it that was impossible to ignore.
Lind knew the 4th layer was a smattering of Sovereign Tiers imposing their will over epochs until the current situation existed.
Thrones, however, were held as an exception to such changes yet he never really grasped why.
The feeling of the very land he stood on was not like something a person had created but a force of nature. He slowly examined the Qi flowing in the stone around him before he grasped a piece of it.
"Instead of imposing their will, they focused on the heart of their race. The race memory is at the foundation of this place." He felt inspired as he understood what made a Throne so different from the manifested areas created by Sovereign Tiers and their followers over time.
He wondered how someone could do it though. Beasts had access to the race memory but making it impose a fundamental manifestation like he was seeing escaped him. Being a progenitor meant his race memory was non-existent.
He did wonder if his children or the dragons he changed with his harmony had access. What was it like so early in the journey of his race?
The questions made him actually ponder what race memory was. It was not the same as being reborn or anything close. He had spoken to ancestral spirits living inside that race memory but they never felt as real as a soul or a person to him.
Powerful, certainly, but it was like they were just an echo.
How could that be channeled into something like the tunnels he was seeing? He also knew the surface was far more impressive from what his family told him.
It had been a long journey, far more than he ever imagined, but he now had to find his way to the surface. Assuming he was near the bottom or at least deep underground, he would need a guide.
He also needed to let someone know he was not here to invade but he highly doubted that would go well. Feng's reaction to him told him to expect stark opposition.
"Just what is the grief between the Divine bloodlines? I have them with those damned tigers in the 1st layer but that was after they acted. Why are they having such deep feuds?" He knew he was missing information as even Ethry just told him it 'was always that way.'
He carefully stretched out his senses but frowned at what he saw. Rather than a treasury or maybe some kind of storehouse for food and resources, he saw slaves.
Specifically, he saw people with collars that were artifacts to restrict their cultivation and free will. He also saw they were at grade 7!
The species varied but they seemed to be lesser forms of avian races for the most part. Why, by the spirits, would they keep avian races underground slaves or not?
He also saw a few other races but they were in the minority.
There were no humans or demons at all. They were all beasts.
He found that odd as slavery usually does not care about origin. There were no canine races nor any reptilians or the like. There were, however, feline races.
He recognized an honest to goodness cat race. Not a tiger or lion, but like a cat kept as a pet!
They could cultivate and refine bloodlines like any beast but generally domesticated pets never advanced very far due to all their needs being met.
In the Celestial Fields, it seemed such an assumption was no longer true.
Still, it begged the question of why. Why of all feline varieties, the domesticated bloodlines were enslaved?
They were engaged in what seemed to be rituals where their Qi was used to fuel arrays or help the overseers perform tasks. He recognized a few as mundane maintenance and compared to what humans did with slaves, it was downright hospitable but the feeling he got from them was anything but happy.
The cats aside, the avian races were broken. They had no hope nor any sign of joy in life. He saw children kept in pens but not mistreated. They were all simple animals still but clearly being made to cultivate to replace the slaves as they died or advanced to more complex tasks.
He sighed as he realized he was in far dire straits than he had assumed.
[Master, the overseers are all below the Immortal Realm. I detect no Immortals at all.] Haro pointed out something Lind missed.
It was true. Not a single Immortal was anywhere! He found that odd. Even if they preferred living on the surface, why was there no one looking over the operations.
Lind quickly wove an illusion over himself. He could not pull off anything like Annabelle, but his weavings were not bad at hiding his own presence.
He examined the sigils and nodded as they seemed perfect.
"None of you talk to me or come out. I cannot be certain I can contain your auras." His 3 spirits were technically far stronger than him. They were limited by his own power but their thoughts suffered no such restriction.
If a Divine Spirit spoke, it would ripple in the world. Even if the meaning was not grasped, it could be detected.
He felt all 3 acknowledge his wish and he moved forward only a step before glancing at his right arm. Technically, it was his flesh and the artifact fused but the damage had revealed more of the artifact.
The once hollow cylinder seemed more like an actual flame to him. It had random shapes and shifted with the movement of his remaining flesh. He was not entirely sure he could contain it with the weaving alone.
He Forged some bandages and rewrapped his entire right arm. It actually felt soothing too so he was glad of that. He had to get used to only having his left arm as well.
He wondered what would happen when he transformed so but he dared not do that as a phoenix was just as sensitive as he was to the aura of other races. The fact he was not found out already was surprising but he suspected it was because he was deep underground.
The aura of the Relic may also be covering him still.
He carefully made his way up and examined the more refined areas. Massive storerooms held storage treasures or ore harvested from areas outside the Throne. He noticed that difference as well.
The Throne had no generation of ores, Qi stones, or other resources. It was just fused rock with flame Laws and elements. It was interesting but ultimately not helpful to cultivation.
They had to gather from around them. It was a trade off but one that worked in their favor.
The Throne seemed to restrict other Immortals from affecting lands nearby as well. It made him wonder just how large the 4th layer was.
He had never found a limit to the other layers land wise. Bodies of water did exist but they were all landlocked. No ocean surrounded the edge but a void that seemed to retreat as the layers recovered.
Would the lower layers grow larger over time or only return to what they once were?
He quickly analyzed the layout and found that the area had been in the transition between a Throne and the other lands. The proper areas were all much more refined.
Straight halls with massive rooms or dormitories for the slaves.
He carefully examined the collars and determined they were only refined items. No Forging was present at all nor weaving but elixirs were there. He had seen a nice set of shelves holding dust covered vials.
The elixirs were decent but had impurities that should have been purged during the essence or aspect extraction.
Whoever made them was not good at their job. Most of the elixirs were only up to grade 4 but it was no excuse!
He finally found what he wanted though, a map!
What it revealed depressed him. The Throne of Living Fire was massive!
Some areas were blacked out but even without that, he estimated the Throne he was in was easily as large as 5 Cimmerias without even trying!
With the blacked out areas roughly estimated, he placed it close to the size of the entirety of his mortal realm!
Just what was in those blacked out areas?!
He also realized he was in no danger of being found out. He was in the Outer Flame area according to the map. The next area was called Fiery Shoals, and the last revealed area was the Origin Flame Area.
Anything beyond that was blacked out or the surface which he had no map for at all. The only location he wanted was in the Origin Flame Area. It was the Gateway of Samsara.
It would take him weeks to reach there without being found but the more he saw, the more he realized being seen was very bad.
He sighed but then something entered his range that made him narrow his emerald eyes in rage.
A small kitten was being beaten to teach a lesson to their parent!
{You dared to override your mate's punishment so now your child will bear the consequences!} A young man with wild orange hair sneered at a man weeping on his knees.
Lind needed to hide. He needed to be cautious—
Space was torn open and his aura slammed the flaming orange haired Moon Tier phoenix into the ground.
"You will not harm an innocent ever again!" His words were full of his rage as he stood over the now terrified boy. The cat man was shaking with horror but Lind did not care as the wounded kitten was meowing in pain.
He gently picked up the calico kitten and let his harmony wash over it gently. The injuries were healed instantly and the young male kitten began to purr in joy as he rubbed his tummy.
Lind smiled at the little one's antics and brought him to his father. He snapped the collar with a flick of his eyes.
"Bring your wife to me and I will free her. As a True Lord of the dragon race, I have spoken." The words made the squirming youth freeze but the cat man looked up in awe suddenly before smiling.
His blue and black eyes were full of joy as he wept openly in joy.
He ran off and came back with a woman that had deeply dark hair and the peaked ears of a cat. She was only a Star Tier but he snapped her collar in 2 as well.
The family bowed low and left without a glance back. He then turned to the phoenix that was now sweating in fear.
He sighed but he had already acted. A giggle from Haro in his mind made him feel exhausted but he could not stand aside for what he saw. He had to move forward for now and see what he could achieve.