novelraw Chapter 233 - 232 - Immortal Origin
Chapter 233 - 232 - Immortal Origin
"A dragon! It is a dragon!" Sheyra's voice was much like Lind's own surprise but before anyone could make more comments, the casket began to disintegrate right in front of them, but the weaving triggered once more to pull Qi from the very air around them.
Lind frowned and quickly pulled Sheyra and the elder back. If he had been a bit slower, they would have been drained dry as several items crumbled that were near it. The elder cried out but did not move forward to try and save anything.
Lind was about to move back when the tiny dragon around his neck began to shiver in fear. Why was the dragon afraid? He looked back up and suddenly was pushed into the stone floor of the vault with Sheyra and the elder. He had felt something stronger before but it was similar enough to confirm it was an Immortal aura!
"I see, a mortal realm. The war must be going that badly." A male voice spoke as the pressure lessened. Lind looked up to find a man with long light brown hair wearing what looked more like leather armor than robes but it was hard to tell from the projection.
The eyes were disturbing but familiar. Master Delenn and Younger Twin often had such eyes that looked into the depths of eternity. Still, Lind felt like the being before him was weaker than Younger Twin or Delenn.
"Are you a Sliver Tier?" Surprise crossed the face to reveal a faint scar tracing along the right side but Lind dared not use his Eyes to confirm. Immortal Qi would temporarily blind him if he was lucky.
"Interesting, you are only at the Iron Tier–" The image froze as shock spread fully across his face as his ephemeral body crossed the distance in an eyeblink to Lind. The little dragon tucked her head into Lind's robes but he began to pat her head which seemed to calm her down.
The bottomless eyes noticed the scared dragon and a very gentle look crossed his face.
"I apologize but you are a 6 elemental. I do not have much time so I will quickly explain. The casket I entrusted to my Clan was to be taken from the Celestial Fields due to the spreading war there." Lind instantly thought of the Fiends he had recently heard about. Even so, he might be jumping to conclusions given the history of his world had a major war every few thousand years just between demons and humans or just humans too.
"Why hide the egg so far away?" Lind did not know why they would come so far but the Immortal spirit frowned deeply as he stepped back. He looked at the small prismatic dragon that snuggled next to Lind happily and looked forlorn.
"I watched her parents die. They were protecting her egg from the enemy that hunted their clan to extinction. She is the last Divine Dragon Clan member alive." Lind quickly checked his connection and indeed felt the dragon was female but how did the spirit tell with a glance?
"Divine Dragon Clan?" Lind saw frustration as the spirit clearly was on a constraint.
"There is no time, simply know my Gu Clan followed my orders and I wove several protections into the casket. It was their dying wish with the fire of life safely contained when enough Qi was present to awaken her." Lind now understood what happened during the opening. It was an Immortal aether beast flame!
"She is in the Soul Realm, how?" A faint smile crossed the spirit's face at Lind's question. It was as if Lind asked something even a child should know but ascenders likely did not.
"Divine aether beasts are all born in the Soul Realm. Certain bloodlines of all races have such benefits in the Celestial Fields. She will also be able to learn a lot from you about controlling her strength. Perhaps Fate smiled on her at last." Lind wondered about that, but he felt an affinity for the little dragon. She had lost her parents and been left in a lower realm.
"My time runs short. You are my descendents?" The spirit turned to the elder who was kneeling on the ground with Sheyra next to him. When did they do that? Lind felt a little embarrassed to have not noticed that!
"Yes, great ancestor!" The elder looked terrified but the spirit simply sighed and picked the old man up. Sheyra quickly stood up and bowed respectfully but Lind wondered why they were so afraid.
"This man is now an honorary member of our Clan. He is also to be told everything about our origin and give him any help he needs." The elder wanted to affirm he would but clearly he felt part of those orders were useless. The spirit frowned but Lind summoned his grade 4 elixir master badge and grade 2 Forger badge. Instant understanding flooded the spirits face.
"I see, my apologies for assumptions. You are far more than I hoped for. Even so, tell him everything and treat him as a member of the Clan." The spirit began to tremble and destabilize but he looked up at the ceiling and frowned.
"What is wrong, senior?" Lind had seen Delenn look like that at times but she never explained why. The spirit seemed to think but then shrugged his shoulders as he turned to the 3 World Realms.
"I cannot feel the Heavens. Even inside this warded vault I should be able to feel it as a spirit. Something horrible must have happened. What does the Clan say?" The spirit turned to the elder once more who now looked terrified to answer. Sweat was soaking his robes but Sheyra stepped up and bowed low.
"Senior, we are the only Gu Clan in the 3 continents. We do not have any connection any more to even the Heaven Realm at the present. We have lost many of our techniques and arts as well. The ancestral clan went silent many thousands of years ago." Lind had heard something similar before. Younger Twin made it sound like something was wrong in the higher realms.
Could it be the Fiends?
The spirit was fading but sadness flashed across his face.
"I see. They are all dead then. I hope it is not the worst case but the spirits watch over you all. Take care of my dear martial niece, young man. Treasure her." The spirit looked fondly at the tiny dragon before he disappeared entirely. The small dragon seemed to look sadly at the spirit now but then nuzzled Lind's cheek once more.
He felt sadness but confusion as well in their bond and pet her mane that seemed to make her happy. The damage to that corner of the vault did not seem too bad but the wall was the only thing that survived intact while many artifacts and resources were withered or destroyed by the casket's final act.
"Lord Frey, please follow me." Lind noted the change in his title but made no comment as he followed the elder back out of the vault. The 2 guards looked awed as Lind passed with the dragon around his neck.
Her prismatic scales made it difficult to identify what Qi she had used but Lind liked them a lot. It made her ethereal as an aether beast. Her cute roars were similar to a kitten's to LInd's ears.
"Ethry. Do you like Ethry?" Joy flooded the bond as her head nuzzled him heavily. He smiled at her antics as they moved towards the quarters of the Clan Head. The elder was not stopped by any guard at all which Lind found odd.
While the Old Man and Granny were close with him, the guards would stop even Teyla and Teylin from visiting them easily unless summoned. Sheyra looked nervous but they finally stopped at a massive courtyard.
Unlike the Frey Clan, the Gu Clan enclosed many of their courtyards from the elements. Given their specialty with 6 elementals, it was likely a protective measure to prevent theft of their techniques. He also realized there were far more secrets than he expected in that clan.
"Sir, Lord Frey succeeded and the ancestor appeared as dictated." Lind's eyes narrowed at those words. They had known! Sheyra was looking down as a figure sat in the lotus position behind a screen. Smoke curled up suddenly as the smell of a pipe reached his nose.
"So, the legends were indeed true. Leave us." The elder fidgeted a bit before relaying what the spirit said. The hidden figure gave no outward motion but the elder bowed and left with Sheyra in tow.
"May I ask what is going on?" The Gu Clan was supposed to be comparable to the Frey and Che Clans but the man across from him was clearly a Sky Realm. How had the Gu Clan been able to hide all of what he had seen?
"Hmm, I am not inclined to indulge upstart youngsters normally, but given your special status, I suppose you deserve some answers." Anger flared in Lind. An artifact appeared in his hands and Qi began to flow before the man could respond.
Anti-Qi suddenly appeared and the aura suppression vanished. Lind had been studying anti-Qi due to his experiences in Ruins and battle but he had noticed it could nullify normal Qi stunningly easily.
It took time for him to figure out how to create an artifact that could mimic it like demon Qi for his elixirs but he had succeeded in a very limited capacity, but the shock from the hidden figure was replaced by rage.
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!" The Sky Realm aura tried to fight back but Lind was amused as he failed. He was done being looked down on and clearly he was used for some reason as well but for Sheyra, he did not attack.
"I made it. I fought a set of creatures that used this anti-Qi and learned about it in a Ruin in the Lotus Academy. I also know about the Fiends." Silence descended as the man finally stood up slowly and emerged from the screen.
An aged man with rail thin limbs stood strong in front of Lind but new respect filled his dark eyes. Lind stopped channeling his Qi, mostly because he was nearly drained. Compared to demonic Qi, anti-Qi took 3 times the amount to produce.
"Interesting. I don't think anyone but a Fiend or their pawns could use that Qi. Never reveal that to the children of this mortal realm." Lind arched an eyebrow as even the longest lived Sky Realm known was only at 2000 years. His confusion was clear as the old man laughed loudly.
The weak body seemed a lie as he easily moved in his dark blue robes to take a seat on a couch around a small table. Lind joined him as Ethry looked around in curiosity at everything in the room.
The old man looked fondly at the little dragon.
"The Gu Clan was once a mighty Immortal Clan in the Celestial Fields. We were not a major power but we were allies of the Divine Dragon Clan. As such, we once ran everywhere without fear among much more powerful clans and sects." The old man then looked heartbroken as he seemed to recall something.
"In the Celestial Fields, the lifespan of cultivators is longer than down here, but you are correct. I only have a century left at best but I have seen nearly 3000 years pass since our bloodline was far from this place." Lind was stunned but not too surprised as Delenn had said something similar.
"Do you all live longer?" Lind saw a shake of his head.
"We have an inclination for 6 elementals due to our higher bloodline. It has led to a decline in those of us that can reach the Sky Realm. The next closest person to me is an elder in the mid Gold Tier that has little chance to advance. The resources we once had are long spent." Lind grasped it. The vault was clearly a treasure of impossible things but it had many spaces.
It was becoming empty of Immortal Realm treasures.
"Our ancestor charged the ancestral clan with a mission to bring the casket to a mortal realm away from the hunters that had killed so many of their kind. As you can see, the dragon also has 6 elements but has no harmony. I suspect a trace of dragon blood is what makes us so inclined for 6 elements." Lind nodded but had many questions. The Sky Realm then sighed as he leaned back and looked very tired.
"You are now entrusted with our legacy, please take care of it." Lind bowed and began to chat with the old man about the Gu Clan but he knew as little about what happened in the Celestial Fields as anyone he met. Too much time had passed but the Gu Clan was once an Immortal Clan.
How many secrets like that existed in the 3 continents? Lind had come across a few but it made him think something terrible had happened as all of it was risking the wrath of Heaven. What could be so bad that so many Immortals fled it?
Lind petted Ethry as he finally left the Gu Clan to go home and wondered if he had found his new goal in life. He had to get stronger and try to find the secrets before he ascended to the Floating Isles. It could be life and death for his new family and he would never let them die if he could help it.