novelraw Chapter 263 - 262 - Time
Chapter 263 - 262 - Time
Lind needed help on 2 fronts. Frankly, he had almost fully grasped grade 4 elixirs at that point and knew no possibility lay in that grade to help Cicily. The other front he needed was power. He was going to be pushing the envelope and his Qi was insufficient.
He used his comprehension of the realm to make a leap of faith and it paid off, now he felt like his body was breaking down just from containing the Qi.
Further, he felt like his mind was melting trying to hold off something on his mental horizon. He was not ready, but clearly the Qi went hand in hand with revelations trying to invade his mind.
"Enough gallivanting around my body and mind, I have a job to do." Lind looked at the girl and at first nothing came to him, but frankly he knew at least one thing that had to be done. He could not build an entire dantain and set of meridians from nothing.
That was far beyond anyone's ability, but there were things he had researched on the fringe of what was possible. He even had intimations from both Younger Twin and Delenn about the aspects of making elixirs and Forging that separated them from other professions.
Refining and concocting were recipes and skills applied to replicate a result. After that, the quality of ingredients combined with purifying steps produce the grade.
Forging and elixir masters was instinct. It was about pulling out the essence of the materials to the best potential like the others, but after that, it was about consolidating the image in the mind and making it reality.
Lind had likened it to imposing his will but it was more complicated than that. He did not always get the result he wanted but learned what he could do with what was in front of him. The foundation of elixirs was understanding essence and combining it to reach the result desired.
If Lind could make his will manifest, he would force essence to fuse as much as needed until he got what he wanted, but instead he could only feel what was compatible and what reacted to his will.
Now, he summoned all his ingredients. With his current state, they all felt inadequate but he knew that would be the case. The realm spirit could do no more, the rest was up to him.
All were in awe as his dirty blonde hair seemed to glow as his dark green eyes blazed with an intent so profound, many felt inspired. His wives kept an eye on the Black Lotus Sect and so did a few elders.
"Heh, there is nothing he can do with simple grade 3 or 4 ingredients. He cannot succeed." Athan felt more confident but then all were stunned when the plants shriveled as one in front of Lind.
Some could just barely perceive the essence now floating in front of the man and his hands began to move through the air as beast cores were all cracked open as well. Finally, peak World Stones and some Sky Stones turned to dust as the Qi was extracted from them. What was he doing?
Lind was in a fugue state. He was pursuing an idea. He barely grasped it but the Immortal Qi seemed very compatible with it. Comprehension was flying through his mind but with each discovery, the headache got much worse.
Still, he did not stop.
The 6 elements danced to his whim better than any time before. If he wished, he felt like he could rule the world even if he only had a day to do it. No one could stop him, but the burnt body of the poor girl before him kept him grounded.
Ambitions tempted with great power. He understood it, but the fact he was so susceptible made him humble himself. He was no better than anyone else, but for now he kept going.
He began to extract the aspects he needed from each essence and combined similar ones. The Qi cost was insane, but he felt more sure as the process smoothed out. He sadly had to discard the rest as he had nowhere near enough vials or containers to hold them.
He also did not have enough time.
A day was generous, he guessed he would be dead in a few hours if he pushed his luck too far. The manifested spirit looked on indifferently but Lind ignored it.
"Break!" He roared as resistance finally fell away and light was born in front of him. It was not light Qi, all could tell that, but it felt very profound. Lind was sweating heavily but could not pause even for an elixir as they would do no good in his current condition.
Blood seemed to pool at his feet from his eyes, nose, and mouth, but he did not stop to care for himself. During that time, Bastion finally won but was too shocked by Lind to notice who was at his feet.
No one dared speak and the battles were long forgotten. All anyone could watch was the wondrous light in front of Lind Frey.
"Are you sure of what you are about to do? The Heavens may judge you." The spirit's voice made them all jump but Lind ignored it. He could not spare anything for the world at the moment.
"The aspects reached the first step, now how to use it." Lind was mumbling but then he conjured water that was very different from normal. It was blazing in emerald light as an emerald flame lit beneath it.
He frowned as his newly honed instincts told him it was not enough. The discarded aspects were gone and he could not bring them back, but there were ingredients he had yet to use.
He emptied his ring once more and many were shocked at the elemental crystals and grade 5 ingredients! The ambition of Lind Frey was clear to all right then. He was pushing ahead hard and was prepared to reach the next grade!
Once more, herbs shriveled and cores cracked.
Now that they knew he was manipulating something, all tried hard to perceive it but just like with Forging, without the gift, it was nearly impossible. Lind was bleeding heavily and becoming pale but his body never stumbled nor did his hands shake.
Despite being more resilient than mortals, World Realms were still flesh and blood. Enough blood loss could lead to death, the same as mortals. It just took more.
"Lind!" Four voices chorused in concern but a dragon and girl held them back. Concern was on Fey's face but Ethry never wavered. She felt it in the bond. Lind was close.
The missing pieces were carefully constructed. He had enough and wasted a great deal but he did not care. He would start again. The loss of an Inheritance was nothing to him so long as he did not waste the chance to save the girl.
The world suddenly tilted and he knew he was running low on blood.
"No, do not give in. I am almost there. You will not make me yield." Lind's body suddenly blazed with emerald light. His face became rosier and he looked better but his wives knew his harmony could only postpone the inevitable a short time.
Half a day passed before 2 more lights lit up in front of Lind Frey. They felt very different from the first. They were not as profound but they made all the dantians feel wonderful when they pulsed.
"Blood. I need her blood." Lind mumbled as one of his hands gently moved and touched the still fresh blood from her wounds. She had not been left to rot but the damage to her body was extensive.
Bastion finally saw his sister but he did not move. His eyes misted as he understood what Lind Frey was trying to do. It must be a horrifying injury.
The blood lost all color but the emerald water began to blaze as all the other lights entered it. Now Lind was in his true element. He teased the fused aspects further together.
A pressure finally fell on the crowd but realm spirit simply glanced up and a shield appeared on all but Lind Frey and the girl. He could protect everyone else, but not them. The rules were clear.
Concern flashed on all faces but now it was beyond anyone helping. The glowing shield in front of them was far above the Sky Realm's power.
"Bring it on! I will not yield!" Lind screamed as tribulation clouds gathered. Unlike grade 4, however, all realized it was far above even the ascension tribulation a Sky Realm had to face.
"Interesting." The realm spirit seemed to be intrigued but did nothing else.
The clouds looked angry as light began to emit from the emerald water as Lind stopped the flames. Suddenly, he realized he could not divide it. He had no vial that could withstand that elixir.
He compressed it with the Qi at his command and the final condensation was done by his own hands. The pressure built as thunder rumbled and lightning sparked far above. The color, however, was crimson and violet.
"A 2 by 9 tribulation. Unexpected." The realm spirit's words made Elder Quin pale as she looked to her counterparts in the Heavenly Maiden Sect to see the same fear in their eyes. Their records covered things far beyond the mortal realms, but that was marked with warnings.
An Immortal faced harsh tribulations based on their various aspects and luck. A 2 by 9 was not the worst normally, but an Iron Tier was never meant to face such a thing. Why would an elixir elicit such a reaction from the Heavens?
Violet lightning struck but Lind waved it off with his own power. Shock flooded all but then understanding flashed just as quickly. He needed the power of the realm spirit for that very purpose.
The bolts did not stop as the name implied, 9 bolts would come in 2 rounds. Lind now looked very miserable but he endured far beyond any expectations.
"You have fended off the first round, but you will die if you persist. Let it go. Your death will not help her anymore than your failure." The realm spirit spoke indifferently but Lind's dark green eyes lit up looking at it.
"If I was going to give up, I would have died long ago. I would have never advanced my cultivation. I would have never stood up to Ryu or Trynith. I would not have destroyed Altair. The Heavens want me to bend, but I refuse!" His voice was raspy but his shout coincided with the first crimson bolt.
Lind summoned his dual saber and it blazed with the emerald light of the Immortal Qi! The hilt fractured but held as the first 2 bolts were deflected.
The only reason he lived was because he was not the direct target. Even so, his legend was imprinted on all. Even if he died, the fact an Iron Tier with any kind of assistance withstood so much was unlikely to ever be repeated again.
The hilt finally broke on the 3rd bolt. There were 6 to go but Lind summoned another hilt! He had more! Further, he summoned rods that he ran his own lighting over. His hands were shaking and his skin was very pale but he did not yield.
Inspiration filled many hearts when the 4th bolt crashed into the setup. It dispersed but many of the artifacts cracked or shattered. More were replaced but the power destroyed far more as the next 2 bolts crashed.
There were 3 more bolts to go when there was a change in the Heavens.
"It seems you have angered them." The realm spirit finally erected a shield over Cicily. That next part was purely due to Lind alone. He could finally protect her.
The crimson lightning was replaced by cerulean. It felt far more profound to all.
"Judgment! It is a judgment tribulation!" These were not unknown in the mortal realms but their power was usually far less. It meant that the Heavens were angered by something. Lind frowned as he looked up.
"So I was winning and you changed the rules? You want that poor girl to suffer that much? My actions offend you because I skipped ahead? What is it? Claim my life if you want, but let her reclaim what was taken. I know what I have done and will face the consequences. It will work, so let it work." His voice was practically nothing but a raspy whisper but it reached them all.
Was he goading the Heavens?!
The pressure built and Lind did not flinch. Cerulean lightning larger than all previous bolts combined crashed down but then a shocking golden light appeared around Lind. It was not Qi, or at least unlike any Qi they were familiar with.
Lind was stunned, himself, as the lighting was dispersed easily by the golden light. He looked over to the realm spirit but it shrugged.
"It is not my doing, but yours. Your karma has given you a chance even the Heavens can't deny. It is not something you can summon but proves you are not doing this for selfish or wicked reasons. Congratulations, you won." The clouds dispersed and the emerald elixir changed colors to a vibrant gold.
Lind nearly collapsed but he was all that was holding that elixir together. He limped over and the shields fell away as he covered the girl in it. She swallowed some but the injury in her gut was far more effective.
Just as the flames had destroyed her cultivation, the golden liquid spread everywhere and her body began to float in midair.
The blood that had drained onto the stone stage was picked up by the golden light as some Sky Realms and Diamond Tiers felt all the blood drain from their faces.
"Time, he made an elixir related to time!" Their shocking words were proven true as the burnt out dantian and meridians returned. Her wounds were undone, but that was not where the changes ended.
Her body matured and a tribulation cloud returned once more. It was far more tame compared to before and all realized it was a Gold Tier tribulation. The girl had only 2 fonts before but now there was a change.
A 3rd font had appeared. She had earth and fire before, but now darkness joined them. It was perfectly tempered which shocked Lind. Still he looked on as the tribulation gathered power but the golden light did not fade.
Earth, fire, and darkness bolts fell in succession. Her fonts had improved to Immortal Realm. There was then a bolt of vibrant green lightning that had to be related to an intent she had but Lind had no idea of what.
The final bolt built up and all felt the profound pressure before a pure white bolt slammed into her body. The entire time the golden liquid coursed in her body but each bolt seemed to consume it.
Lind finally understood. He had simply been looking for a temporal reversal of her condition but he did not want to undo her progress.
"Restored Potential Elixir." The name barely came from his lips before he collapsed. He was caught by rough scales but he could not care as his body was racked with pain. Just before darkness closed in, he heard 2 strange words.
"Condition unlocked."