novelraw Chapter 1519 - 1518 - Dueling Daos
Chapter 1519 - 1518 - Dueling Daos
About a day after the incident, Lind finally came up to the gate. The squad present addressed people 5 at a time.
"You all accept whatever fate awaits you beyond the gate. Death is a real possibility. So long as you agree to this, you may pass." Lind nodded with the rest but he knew it was a bit nostalgic at the loophole overlooked.
There were worse things than death not addressed by the guards but he knew why. If a crippled cultivator could escape, they would bless the spirits their lives were spared.
Lind then crossed the threshold and felt the stark difference.
The 4th layer had high quality Qi and Laws throughout it but the torn up terrain was covered in mist and power.
Lind felt the flow of power nearly crush him at that moment. The other 4 blanched but survived the initial exposure.
He moved on into the lands beyond them. The other 4 moved in different directions. If they survived or not, it was not up to him.
He ascended the torn up earth made into a hill and found a cliff beyond it. He quickly leapt down and the energies around him stripped his disguise away.
His power far exceeded the pressure of the dueling powers but he did not care. He had nothing to learn from the external areas.
It took him 3 days to get past the torn up earth until he finally reached the most dangerous area.
The outer area was where the Laws and Daos were in conflict but at the heart of it was the 2 souls still battling it out.
It was a strange area in that only he could enter it. Any sane cultivator would avoid it like a plague. It would disrupt their souls and cause possible True Death just being near it.
Many believed the 2 souls were long dead but Lind knew differently. Such fierce opponents would not let death claim them so easily.
Still, the minds were gone. Souls were but one part of existence and Lind knew more about them than most. The heart of the area was a forbidden zone to everyone due to the instant death most faced.
Lind had heard about the dangers but they misunderstood what was there. Most assumed it was simply too powerful Daos or Laws but he knew the truth.
Pure soul power was far more dangerous than anything he knew of.
Weavers may use it for their profession but other cultivators would find such power lethal to even be exposed to.
Lind felt the power and smiled. He felt like he had come home.
He saw 2 faint forms clashing with a spear and a sword with a shield. They were still fighting, millions of years later, but with no thought left behind.
Lind observed them but finally had to step into the very core to reach what he wanted. He had to feel the power of their souls!
He took only a single step but it drastically changed the pressure and dynamics of the world! He went from feeling Daos and Laws flow around him in a storm to pure intent!
Unlike before, where he could breeze through dangerous areas, he finally felt his existence threatened.
The 2 soul intents were going at full strength, trying to kill each other. Compared to the Phantasm Forest, where partial souls were held in limbo for so long, the current situation was far more dangerous.
Lind looked pale as he endured it.
Still, he confronted the forces at play and felt pure Dao alone!
His dantian, cores, and his very body easily dealt with it but his soul strained. His harmony flared to protect him but he suppressed it.
He assumed a lotus position and endured the trial he finally found for his soul.
He had finally found a place to improve the quality of his soul! The strain slowly gave way to a flow of Daos directly into his soul.
His harmony and soul began to improve as they were tied together, but unlike his Dao, his soul benefited immensely.
The discontinuity between soul and body slowly began to close. The battle around him was profound as each tried to keep killing each other but they could no longer bring the attacks home.
It was just a grandly rehearsed play at that point but Lind benefited from it as his soul improved! He used his foundation and body to protect what he had to while letting the rest through.
Anyone else would call him insane but he had to go that far due to his current state. His body, foundation, and elements were beyond the limits of the current world. If he was a peak Sovereign Tier, he would be long beyond the requirements to attempt ascension.
His soul, however, was far too weak.
He was finally fixing that issue. Time became fluid but no one came upon him. Anyone that tried would face True Death.
Lind had blood flowing from his orifices but his life was safe. His soul was fracturing at times but it bounced back stronger than ever each time.
It was like a third party had joined the endless battle.
A shockwave finally shot out from him as his soul matched his body! Lind opened his eyes and felt his control had drastically improved.
Before, he struggled with his elements and other aspects, but now it felt far easier to tap into his power!
He also understood how dangerous his existence was directly to the Celestial Fields. Everything felt so fragile to his enhanced senses!
The very fabric of the world felt like glass to him now! He also understood how far he had to go.
His foundation was vast and profound. It was also in need of Dao to progress more than Laws or Qi. He actually felt like his progress in his soul had opened his eyes to how badly his future advancement would cost him.
In his best estimates, it would take close to a million years just to become a peak Sovereign Tier but he doubted the Great Bastard would need more than a few thousand to reach his goals.
Still, it left him with simply more leads to track down. His soul could still benefit from the clash of 2 Immortal souls, yet he had to move on.
He stood up and bowed low to the 2 intents. Their minds were gone but he had still benefited from them.
He then turned and made his way out slowly. Getting in had been easy as only a suicidal fool would follow him, but going out, he had to be careful of others.
He also was unclear on how much time had passed. He had no reference at all so he had to get out to find out.
Eventually, he reached a point he could don his demon disguise in part. He needed his full aura to resist the Daos and Laws but his Shard Tier demon mask returned.
As he moved through the torn up terrain, he found some corpses as well as people striving to improve. He collected some identifying items for the corpses but ignored the rest.
It was only as he was a day out from the gate that he had to pause. He felt all too familiar auras ahead and he could not get around them.
He glanced up at the Heavens once more and sighed.
He stayed low and glanced over a torn up piece of soil and stone to see a group of humans that were arranged to protect the woman at their center. The men were sweating and clearly straining to withstand the pressure they felt.
"You can all do this! We need to get as close to the center as we can!" The arrogance of her words made Lind frown but he had no right to interfere.
He suppressed his aura easily in the chaotic space but the next words made him freeze.
"Mistress, we will kill those 2 right?" One of the men spoke up but Lind did not recognize him outside of the previous encounters. It meant he had chosen to blend in and stand back during the 2 encounters.
The woman sneered as she nodded her blonde head quickly.
"The humiliation must be paid with their blood. We will find them in here and kill them. No one can blame us that way as well." The men nodded but Lind's emerald eyes turned cold.
He scanned the group once more and confirmed there were no surprises as he discarded his disguise once more.
He swapped his armor for crimson robes lined in black and gold. He then sighed once more as he simply walked out and the group froze at his arrival.
As expected of people from Goresh Kingdom, they recognized him.
"True Lord Lind Frey, It is a pleasure to–" She had cupped her hands and bowed but he had no desire to indulge her. His hand casually swiped out and all the men lost their heads before their dantians shattered.
He disliked mimicking his enemy's method but it was effective. The woman blanched but before she could beg or scream for help, his claws shattered her dantian.
The terror in her face only made him sigh as he looked down at her.
"I dislike repeating myself, but you should have simply accepted the responsibility of your followers. I do not like bullies." Shock flared as he saw her piece it together before he destroyed her mind.
He felt cold and angry having to act but he could not walk away after hearing their plans. He then returned to his demonic disguise and left the area.
He did not collect their identity items as it would demand too many answers. Still, he found himself questioning himself at how easy it had been. He felt no guilt like he expected and he did not like that at all.