novelraw Chapter 1460 - 1459 - Eternal vs Origin Flame
Chapter 1460 - 1459 - Eternal vs Origin Flame
"Keep the artifacts supplied with Qi or I will kill you myself!" Lind briefly woke up to hear his mother yelling at someone. His draconic vitality and regenerative ability would restore him but death was still possible.
His desperate gamble paid off but left him too weak to simply rely on his natural abilities to safely keep him alive. The other issue was the only person that could make elixirs that worked on him efficiently was himself.
His Mother had them but they were useful to all, not just him. His mind, however, pushed his survival aside.
He had faith in his Mother and the other healers. She had trained many of them after all.
He let his mind wander to that pain he had felt when the Origin Flame touched him. It was like the fire Qi of all 3 elemental sets were inferior even at the half-step Dao level.
Ember had introduced him to the Eternal Flame Dao but that paled in comparison to the Origin Flame itself.
Why? Why did that small spark sear his flesh with such ease? He had thought the Eternal Flame Dao, while not one he could currently claim, was the peak of the power of flame.
Now, he understood that Dao, for all its power, was but one more step in the path of cultivation. Origin, on the other hand, was the beginning ordained by Heaven and Earth.
Eternal Flame Dao was a natural Qi path. It meant that there had to be a demonic and Celestial equivalents somewhere.
Dao was always there but it was grasping at the forces and pushing the understanding into the Divine Realm. He and Fey, despite all their current power, had barely scratched the surface.
If they had a full Dao of any kind, it would destroy them completely. His harmony was an exception but not by much. It may be a true Dao, but Lind could only skim the surface of its potential.
Origin Flame, however, seemed vastly different. It was like part of him could almost grasp it, yet it eluded him. How had Ethry done it? He had never once heard her talk about an enlightenment or breakthrough, so how long had she had it?
He applauded her skill at never once revealing it. Normally, they all came to him with questions about incorporating new Arts, skills, etc into their cultivation path.
The fact she had not come with something so essential to races tied to flames meant she had either not needed his help or something in her race memory told her to pursue it alone.
Some things were like that. Lind could teach the basic foundation of elixirs, Forging, and weaving but eventually, the individual had to walk their own path. It was not a question of matching his skill but their own perspectives that would shape their future creations.
Imagination was limitless but was not able to be replicated from one person to the next. Lind had far more ideas to pull off from his old life but he had been constantly surprised when his students came up with ideas he never would.
The Restoration Elixir had always been about stamina and physical recovery but he had been shown by a student not even a century old how flexible even 1st to 3rd grade items than even he realized.
His mind explored all possibilities but he had never considered the origin of each element before. He had always moved forward to Dao yet he now saw that there was power in the beginning as well.
He had always wanted to understand how things came together or worked to become more powerful but he had just been given a harsh reminder that his knowledge was still limited.
Origin was the birth of it all and it took his mind into a conflict.
The Eternal Dao was not the end goal but could one grasp eternity without knowing how it started? The myriad storm of thought that followed seemed to rip apart all his preconceptions and understanding of cultivation.
Cultivation had always seemed like the refinement of existence to reach a deeper understanding of the world and how it worked. As he grew more aware and could incorporate more power into his body, he could expand what he knew and continue the process, yet he thought differently now.
What if cultivation was merely a flicker of Heaven and Earth exploring itself? As cultivators learned, that knowledge was reflected in the spirits that could then touch on that core he had seen so long ago.
What if Heaven and Earth was a force trying to understand something of itself and the origin was the mystery it was trying to solve? It was arrogant to think cultivators were the peak of all.
He knew the downfall of so many that thought the goal was to live forever as a powerful being only to be left behind in the dust of history. He did not know what awaited him completely in the Divine Realm but the experiences he had made far more since when he contemplated the Eternal Dao vs Origin.
Lind slowly came to in the healing ward. His body was heavy but it was complete. He had 2 arms, 2 legs, and a working head all attached to a torso. He could still tell his organs were tender as he was far too aware of them.
His dantian shimmered with elemental power as his meridians were also freshly restored. Only one of his peak Law Grade elixirs could have made it possible in such a short time.
The wall above told him it had only been 9 days since his fight with Ethry. The time keeping inside the arena was only for the duration of the tournament. Once it was over, a countdown would begin instead.
It made things simpler than trying to adjust for different flows in time cultivators put up with in their lives.
Lind looked around and smiled as several of his wives and children were cultivating or sleeping around him. Brielle, for all her desire to be seen as an ethereal being, was drooling on his cover!
It was adorable and he would not wake her for the world.
He saw Ethry was fully healed and healthy as well. She seemed stronger too. The battle had pushed her and she too would be leaving him behind sooner or later.
He let his aura gently spread out and he felt no pain. That was good. He did not push it as his Mother had a terrifying ability to tell when he pushed himself.
He would rather face all the Fiends in the world than her wrath!
He allowed himself to look at them but then a voice surprised him.
[Are you okay, Master?] Abby quietly appeared and he smiled at her. She looked exhausted and Ember also appeared in a similar state. He nodded at them both as they hugged him tight.
[Sorry to scare you. Are you both ok?] The 2 limbs he kept contained both artifacts but it did not mean they did not suffer damage. He had to free them soon somehow.
Ember might actually have a massive lead thanks to the exposure to the Origin Flame but Abby was still not settled at all. It could be millions of years before he finished reconfiguring her artifact.
[We are fine, Master. In fact, look closer at your right arm.] Ember's words had him check and shock flashed through his heart. Any action she took normally injured him heavily but now his right arm was flowing with power.
The actual flesh had been improved and it was spreading!
[The Origin Flame answered many questions for me but it also exposed me to new ideas. I can help you incorporate the Eternal Flame Dao into your flesh safely. You still need to grasp it yourself but now you can feel it in your own body!] Lind had gained another Dao! It was not the correct method but it would be effective.
He patted her head but then turned to Abby who looked so gloomy with her long dark hair hiding her pale face.
[We all walk our own paths but we are still together. I am here, always.] She wept a bit more as he pulled her in for a hug.
The trio rested but Lind knew his next challenges would be more difficult. His body was recovered but he could tell, his soul was damaged. Weaving would be very dangerous and certainly limited for quite a while.
It was thankfully damage that could heal relatively quickly but not in time for his next round.
He took in the room and focused on healing. The more he could speed it along, the better but even his elixirs had limits due to his harmony and soul being fused. They simply could not overcome that barrier yet.
Forging and weaving with another fight before the year was out. Could he progress or had he come to the end? He did not know but he knew of one contestant that would not accept him surrendering.
A flash of the Berserker Immortal's crazed smile flashed through his mind and given how much Ethry could hurt him, it was clear he was going to struggle against that man. He was stronger than Ethry and did not care if he died getting to him.
It was not victory the man sought, but bloodshed and battle. He would die happily taking Lind with him if the fight was good enough.
"Sigh, why is it always battle maniacs that want to see me so badly?" He asked the question he often thought about but no one answered. Time enough to see what he could do and how the rest of the tournament was doing later.