novelraw Chapter 1731 - 1730 - The Collapse
Chapter 1731 - 1730 - The Collapse
Lind was halfway to the Eastern Continent when he felt it. He was nowhere near anything but his own harmony reacted as massive amounts of his own Qi was used in a fashion he understood to mean it was over.
Time was up.
He left his room and went to the control room. The crew bowed in his wake but he only had focus to confirm what he sensed. He found the panel he needed and infused his aura.
Reports flooded his mind as he smiled.
The Southern Continent and Western Lament had decimated the Fiend forces. They still lingered but their numbers were laughably low.
The thralls and agents had been caught up thanks to his preparations. Still, the Eastern Continent had fallen.
It seemed his family had understood the danger as they had laid traps and sacrificed territory to consume as many as they could.
Yet, it was not enough.
The Great One had proven just as resilient as he feared. He was still not strong enough for direct conflict. Further, his hope to consume the army of Fiends had only partial success.
"Change course. We are heading dead south." His order was instantly followed and the ship turned.
He continued to monitor things and frowned as the Northern Continent was still attacked. The very land was wiped away but there were no living beings left.
How much it helped the Great One, he did not know. He did note that it stopped after a third of it was gone.
Even so, the horrific damage could not be hidden from the various powers. The tenuous alliances many had formed collapsed in less than a day after it happened.
Worse, Lind noticed that the Eastern Continent was being contained by some kind of peak Dao Grade Fiend array. Those that had not escaped were doomed.
He did not let the ship change course. He had to act now!
He moved up onto the top deck and informed crew he was going ahead.
Qing and Karu wanted to join him but he told them to monitor his status. He was likely walking into a trap or at least a battle where his position would be instantly given away.
He leapt into the sky and then fell as he transformed into his gigantic emerald dragon body. He roared as he turned into a blur. He sped up even more as he got away from his ship.
The wind was not even a roar as he left the sound barrier far behind. Even at such speeds, it took him a long time to finally get in range to see the flickering dark wall rising around the Eastern Continent.
He did not pause as flames built up in his throat and shot out like a beam as bright as the sun. All his foundation was in it as he knew if it was made by the Bastard, he would need every bit of power!
The stream slammed into the barrier and did not disperse it as he had come to expect of anything related to Fiends clashing with his harmony. Instead, it splashed outward and a conflict began.
Lind got closer and the intensity of the wall thickened as he did. The 2 forces were at a stalemate for the moment but he could feel the power behind that barrier was above him.
Yet, it was no longer insurmountable. Storm clouds began to gather rife with emerald lightning. Weapons condensed all around his sinuous dragon body.
He was pulling out all the stops before the wall could overpower him.
The Storm of Harmony Art and his Divine Battle Aura shot out and joined his flames. The previous stalemate was broken as the barrier was ripped open. Lind quickly controlled his harmonic Qi in all 3 attacks to flow along the 2 broken sides.
[BURN IT ALL!] Now that the force was split in 2, he was easily able to overpower it. The barrier tried to resist but was now subsumed by emerald light.
An angry shout snapped Lind's concentration apart and he felt a massive force coming right for him. The barrier was one thing but the source was still beyond him.
He quickly used his Mystery energy to fuse the soil, metal, and plants with his power. It spread like cancer but instead of death, it brought life and protection.
He then flew back to his ship at full speed. He had no desire to get caught alone at the moment nor endanger his crew.
[DAMN YOU LIND FREY! I WILL–] Whatever the Bastard was about to say, black clouds appeared and a pressure Lind had never felt before descended on them all. [NO! STOP–!]
The panic in the Bastard's voice was new yet Lind had no chance to grasp why when massive bolts of tribulation lightning came down. Lind felt his jaw drop as he knew what was happening.
A Journeyman Tier was ascending right there!
Because the Bastard was nearby, he was caught up in it! Who had that kind of timing or awareness to pull that off but not be sensed by the Fiend at the same time.
A bond suddenly flared up and his shock turned to fear.
[ETHRY!] Of all of his wives, she was more talented them all. Her bloodline as a Divine Ryuu was so pure and further enhanced by his own techniques. The fact she had all 6 elements was another rarity brought forth from his nurturing as well.
In essence, he saved her a massive amount of work so she only had to grow.
She had found a way forward to the tier that eluded him but what should have been a celebration was a massive threat to all! He wanted to rush to her side but he could not go anywhere near that tribulation.
[Qing! Get that ship here now!] The tribulation would take time but he had no idea what Ethry's condition would be if she survived. He felt anxious as he was helpless but a scream from his enemy brought some satisfaction.
Heaven and Earth was venting its rage at him with such a rare chance. A being that broke the rules seemed finally unable to simply ignore it at that moment. Just as LInd was still threatened by Master Tier attacks, the Bastard was not immune to them either!
[ST–] A bolt of lightning cut off the transmission but Lind pushed any worry about the Bastard to the back of his mind. He focused on the bond between him and Ethry. Her life force was strong but he could feel her fear.
The tribulation already terrified him, he could not imagine what being the focus of it would be like.
Always before, Ethry had faced tribulations that were more like fireworks celebrations. A Divine bloodline was welcomed by Heaven and Earth, yet she had said her ascension to the Journeyman Tier had felt like a warning more than a celebration.
In such a short time she had advanced but she had intentionally triggered it after the Bastard came for him. Had she truly been ready or taken the chance to strike? Lind was afraid it was the latter.
Whatever had hidden her had also muted their bond, but she could still clearly find him. He tried to see if anyone else was nearby but nothing came back in the chaotic space around him.
Only the ship now arriving was clear. He swiftly turned back into a human and slammed into the control room. Raw senses would not help him now!
He quickly took over a set of panels and pushed the artifacts to their limit. He finally got a clear view of the proud sinuous prismatic body smoking from the tribulation lightning.
Just as before, it was unlike lower realm tribulations but it did not seem unique to her either. What was going on?
A dark thought passed through his mind.
[Qing, she woul–?] He was about to ask Qing when Karu began to cry.
Her memories of the future had begun to fade when her Talent vanished but some clung on. Lind could read her face clearly in that moment.
{Not again.}
That was all he needed to know. He went to leave when Karu gripped him like iron with her small pale hands.
"Don't–don't go. There is nothing you can do. Nothing any of us can do." Lind looked at her before gently smiling and prying her hand off.
"That may have been true before, but I am not those others. I am me and I do not give up." He was well aware of the danger but he was not going to take it on directly.
He flew back up and built up energy beneath his feet. His smaller body had better odds but he was willing to take a few hits.
He had to get to Ethry for this to work.
The air distorted around him before he let the pressure go. Gravity, air pressure, and pure thrust combined to shoot him so fast even his own eyes could not keep up.
The tribulation instantly targeted him but unexpectedly, it paused. It was as if it recognized him as part of itself.
Divine Lord! He was a Divine Lord so his gamble was less of an issue than he thought!
He saw a haggard Bastard on the slope of a blasted hillside. His Fiend energy was completely exhausted yet those baleful white eyes stared in hatred at him he was sure.
It was the last thing he saw before he slammed into the surface. He felt bones snap but the pain only helped focus him.
He leapt out to see a suffering Ethry not even aware of him as her foundation was clearly barely holding on.
The pressure at the center was insane. Lind felt none of it as he touched her body and gently rubbed her cracked scales.
[I am here.] He then looked up at the tribulation and his Divine Authority flared like a thousand suns. [Mine.]
The word was imbued with power and anything still in range trembled in fear.
The black clouds boiled for a time until finally they struck once more at the Bastard before leaving.
Lind sighed as the pressure vanished. His gamble was to use his Divine Authority to let Heaven and Earth see Ethry as his family. He hoped her intent to save against a common enemy of all would allow her transgression to pass.
Ethry was badly injured and they had no time to address it. He collected her with his own dragon body and left.
[Anyone still here, come now.] His final message did spark a massive fleet of flying figures and all fled the Eastern Continent. The Eastern Continent was lost.