novelraw Chapter 1528 - 1527 - Kang Mercenaries
Chapter 1528 - 1527 - Kang Mercenaries
Lind had traveled for months before he finally caught up to one of his adversaries. He had followed a brutal chain of deaths until he came to a village.
It was there that he found a difference compared to the wilds he had found razed previously. Unlike the absolute but efficient destruction there, he found signs that a group had paused for some time in the village.
Burnt out husks were expected but not all were the same age. At least a few weeks passed from the outer edge to the inner areas. Further, he found signs of older bodies left to rot while others were much newer.
His long experience told him the brutality of life during the time of the invaders but strangely a few of the darker deeds were absent. There was zero sign of humiliation or sick games as might be expected.
Perhaps they simply were looking for information?
They had lost whatever lead they had on him and were trying to find new ones?
He then froze as he found the gigantic corpse of a spider sprawled at the center of the village. There were many limbs strewn around it showing they had been ripped off over and over but he recognized the golden glint to some of its flesh!
It was one of the spiders he fought from the Throne in the Under Lands!
[Haro, what kind of strength are we looking at here?] Lind could gage natives fairly well but the kind of power he was seeing would normally level the entire land around it. Yet, it was only burnt and normal battle horrors left behind.
[Master, if Dao is employed carefully, no Immortal of any tier could stop them. They would have complete control of the area. It is only when Dao conflicts or is wild like yours that issues crop up.]
His response cleared up a few more questions for him. Lind was going the hard way. He had to pick up Dao and Laws and deepen his connection but the Divine Lands did it in the reverse.
They lived in the native lands of Dao. Even as Soul Realms, they were exposed to that power and survived it. Thus, when they finally became Immortals, they could learn to wield that power for millions of years before ever becoming a Divine Realm!
[Any restrictions on them I do not suffer?] He examined the heart of the village but only the direction of carnage remained.
Haro took longer to answer. It seemed the restrictions on knowledge were no longer as cut and dry as before. Lind left the village but not before collecting all the dead and turning them to ash. Even the spider too.
[There are only 2 I can think of. Because they descended, they are unable to fully unleash anything the world cannot withstand. They can go to the limit but no more. You do not have any such restriction technically.]
Lind looked chagrined at those words. While correct, if he unleashed his full power, there would be no world to stand in anymore. He would be cast into the void and his life would be over.
[The other is karma. The karma of the Divine Lands does them no good here. They essentially start over but may not know it. It is not something considered important but you know differently. As a True Lord, you may have a large advantage there.]
That was the first good news but Lind knew there were hard limits. He had not had a miracle occur in a long time but he had touched on many events that could consume his karma whether as restitution or retribution.
[You mistake me, Master. The karma you have built up in the Celestial Fields is not just the 2 outcomes but the favor of the very Heavens themselves. Fate cannot touch you but karma is in all things. I sense your anger but you restrain it so as to not lose yourself. That is not an easy thing when coming across such tragic imbalances.]
He stopped in his tracks. Lind quickly grasped what he meant. Rather than the dramatic application, he could tease it!
His aura shifted slightly but not in a way many would detect. His Eyes activated and he saw it.
Black and gold lines unlike any Qi a cultivator could wield. It was chaos at first but he slowly traced a massive black trail tinged in gold flecks coming from the village and going into the northeastern direction.
Odd, why not back west to the Hollow Land's entrance?
He followed the trail while keeping himself hidden. There were no roads or other settlements that he knew of in that direction but perhaps they had found something?
It took him a month before he sensed a massive disruption in the flow of karmic Qi.
He stopped tracking it and used his physical senses. He frowned at the sounds of battle. He heard the fierce strike of weapons but not the screams of despair or rage that would go with an assault.
What was going on?
He became as close to one with the nature around him before the simple trees and brush gave way to an artificial clearing.
He saw men and women with gold, black, and silver robes surrounding a makeshift arena. His height was greater than humans so he could easily look over them but he dared do little else.
His instincts warned him of some kind of danger nearby.
It took him a few moments to pin down the source to the arena fight itself. His Eyes soaked in a shocking scene. There were 2 Sovereign Tiers going all out and not a single ripple affected the 4th layer!
How was that possible?!
He carefully took in the surroundings and was shocked to see faint Dao energy enclosed the arena but it was neither an array nor weaving. It was a delicate yet incredibly strong use of it that he absorbed like a sponge!
The combatants were not the source of the threat, but the very dome that protected the 4th layer was! He had no way to combat that!
At least, nothing that was safe to use. His use of Dao looked like a child learning how to assemble wooden blocks compared to that! While he was able to manipulate it to get to his goals, it could all come tumbling down with the least effort by external forces or his own mistakes.
As for the fighters, they were clearly from their group as they were not fighting to the death and smiling as they pummeled each other. Fists and peak Laws flew with ease.
Their intents clashed in powerful ways as well. He recognized quite a few Arts and skills but they were far more profound than any version he had ever seen.
Still, he frowned. While they were powerful individuals, their elemental foundations were deeply flawed. It was only then he realized that while he had become accustomed to everyone having his elemental theory as normal, the Divine Lands still held to the old system!
It was then that Lind smiled like a predator. He turned to the audience and began to look for a target and listened to their words.
"Leader Kang is as strong as ever. Do you think Solok will win this time or hit the limit?" A young man was excitedly looking on as his companions seemed just as invested.
"Leader never says anything is absolute. We all have to keep striving to become stronger mercenaries and cultivators. He raises us all up." Lind would normally find such words commendable but the trail of destruction made him take their praise as self centered.
A power nurturing its members was completely normal but that power's actions dictated how they were viewed.
"How much longer are we going to waste wandering these barren lands? I want to find the target and kill him already." An older man was twirling a set of knives as if they were extensions of his body.
Even such a simple thing had Dao flowing through it. Lind was getting more shocked at the casual displays of power the group gave off like that but he also was assimilating information.
He began to grasp how simple he had been and how easy it would be to regulate his power. Still, he also knew the entire group would pose a lethal problem if he confronted them directly.
He began to notice the fight was winding down but he had not yet found a target until he saw a figure moving on the far side from him. He moved as quickly as he dared before he felt rage build once more.
A young aether child was covered in welts and dried blood. He had black and crimson skin so he had a powerful combination of elements. Yet, he was made to walk around naked while carrying 2 wooden buckets with a beam across his shoulders.
He was also only a peak Heaven Realm. Yet, the flow of Dao was just barely on his body as well. He was not from the Celestial Fields.
There was a larger man staying near the boy that was not watching the fight but the aether child.
Lind was a shadow as he simply exerted his Authority on the senses of the man. His face went blank as Lind snatched the aether child away. The broken eyes did not even register the buckets were gone nor that he had been moved.
Lind did not stop until he was a thousand kilometers away before he dove into the soil. It parted like water without leaving even a trace behind. He then isolated the aether child's aura and waited.
The explosion would come soon and he had to be ready.