novelraw Chapter 317 - 316 - Divine War
Chapter 317 - 316 - Divine War
Tal and Kora both felt intimidated by the interior but Lind found nothing. There were no bodies, no furniture, nor any sign any living being had been there in recent memory. There was also no signs of beasts moving in, only the slow encroachment of the jungle, but even that was only in the collapsed structures.
Lind had no obstruction to the limit of his abilities and neither Tal nor Kora could sense anything, but they were all a bit on edge despite a complete confirmation of nothing around them. Even the very walls seemed like just stone but something kept the plants from breaking the walls themselves.
Regardless, Lind had to recover and the broken citadel made for a good place to defend if needed. Tal and Kora took up guard positions as he quickly used an elixir to speed up his recovery. Qi flowed easily at first but then Lind snapped his eyes open.
"Get to me now!" Both girls leapt to him as he slammed a formation plate down. A shield snapped up at incredible strength, far beyond what any of them could erect. Lady Dierdra had granted him a few life saving items to protect them, including divine formation plates.
It was a limited use item, but it was worth it as Lind imbued his harmony into the Qi. The reason was due to what his body absorbed with the normal Qi. Anti-Qi.
He had felt the disruption instantly but it was not faint traces like he had felt on arrival, but fresh Qi, Qi that could only exist with either artifacts or a living cultivator. In that case, a living Fiend.
The quality was still in the World Realm, but Lind was unsure if that was due to an injury or simply dumb luck. Why would senior Skinwalker not know of such a creature inside his Inheritance?!
The Qi hit the shield and flared on it, but his harmony did as before, the anti-Qi seemed to instantly return to the corresponding normal Qi. He really wanted to understand that process but for the moment, he was focused on something moving towards them.
It was definitely not in the World Realm either.
What bothered him was his physical senses still said nothing was there, yet his cultivation sense definitely felt something moving.
From the hall leading into the darkness of the deeper structure, a metallic orb floated into the room. It was the source of the anti-Qi. It was a first for Lind.
It was not a cultivator, but a Fiend artifact but then he realized something odd. The anti-Qi felt closer to the old Ruin he encountered in the Lotus Academy. He could not put a finger on the difference but that version of the anti-Qi did not feel sickening to him.
What was the cause of that?
"W-what is that?!" Kora's voice nearly cracked but Tal simply stood in front of her looking fierce. It was comical that the Stone Tier had more courage than the Diamond Tier. Still, he had a visceral reaction from his instincts once the object entered the room.
His dragon instincts wanted to run far away from that object but why? Dragons were rulers of the world by all accounts with only other divine bloodlines being their only rivals. Why would an orb make him feel like an ant just on instinct alone?
[Diamond Tier roc detected. Sand Tier stone dral detected. Unknown lifeform detected.]
[No hostiles.]
A sudden screen was projected in their direction with several sentences but Lind was curious why he came up as unknown. Before anyone could speak, a new screen popped up.
[Please state affiliation.]
Lind instantly covered Tal's and Kora's mouth with earth Qi. He shook his head firmly for neither of them to speak. No matter what, his Eyes approximated the quality of the orb being almost Heaven Realm in Qi.
None of them could stand up to that artifact if it turned hostile.
Lind summoned something he had not used in a very long time. He infused his Qi as a black emblem blazed on the pale white stone. It matched the partial golden one on the wall.
[Confirmed, guest elder of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. Identity is Lind Frey.]
Lind was stunned that the stone had his identity in it, but then the orb truly floored him.
[Analysis confirms token is active. Holder is correct but has gone through partial transformation. Low Heaven Grade 5 elixir master and Forger detected. Low grade 1 weaver.]
How could the orb know all of that?! His badges were in his ring yet the surprises did not stop as the silver dragon on his ring flared.
[Confirmed, Divine Dragon Signet detected. Holder has full access to records, do you wish to enter a request, Holder?]
Lady Dierdra had not known the origin of the ring but the orb did!
"What is the Divine Dragon Signet?" The orb floated calmly in front of them before a display appeared.
[Divine Dragon Signet: Purpose is unknown but is a unique treasure of dragon race. It chooses its owner but once chosen, that holder is held in highest regard by righteous dragon clans. All other data restricted due to cultivation level.]
Lind learned several things but was frustrated his cultivation realm restricted his knowledge. Still, it meant the knowledge was dangerous to him to learn too early. It could split his head open just to hear the words from what he had been able to learn.
"Why is your Qi different from the Fiends?" Lind tried his luck but had little hope of getting an answer. Instead of denial however, he got an unexpected answer.
[Query not understood. Celestial Qi is one of the basic Qi.]
It was the first time he heard that word in association with Qi, but it made a question instantly come to mind.
"Does the Celestial Qi only exist in the Celestial Fields?" Lind did not believe in coincidence when it came to naming things in the cultivation world. Each realm was named what it was for a damned good reason thus far.
[Inaccurate. Celestial Qi exists in all realms as it is the source of Qi, but it becomes corrupted and transformed in the lower worlds. Celestial Fields refers to a divided realm where density is sufficient to be of use but limited to natural sources.]
Lind nodded as that lined up with his thoughts but then it begged a question. If anti-Qi was actually Celestial Qi, why were Fiends such monstrous creatures?
"What are Fiends?" Lind had gotten bits and pieces from those willing to tell him but the orb seemed a bit more free with knowledge. A very long pause came after his question, but Lind felt like it was thinking of what it could tell him.
[World Realm restricts information but allowed information follows: Billions of years ago, a calamity occurred of unknown origin. Celestial Qi became antithetical to all other Qi, reasons unknown. Twisted creatures suddenly emerged in all realms all at once that craved the Qi of other lifeforms.]
Lind had guessed a bit of it, but the breadth of it left him speechless. All realms, as in all places at once the Fiends suddenly appeared?! Why?!
[Hostilities broke out in many places, but Celestial Qi is the source of all Qi so formations and aura defenses do not work. New tactics were tested and during that time Demons arose as servants of the Fiends. Origin is unknown.]
Lind began to realize he truly had no idea of the depth and breadth of the battle against the Fiends. The demons were born by those that wanted to live or take advantage of the situation as the case may be.
It would explain in part why demons like Darkmor existed and also the Demon Empire. They were both warlike but one was devoted to honorable combat while the other wanted to conquer.
Both were far more mellow than he imagined the original demons to be, but the orb was not done.
[After millions of years, most of the smaller breakouts were contained but a formidable leader appeared in a Celestial Field that motivated and structured the Fiends. His power spread upward beyond any expectation before all Divine Realm Fiends joined him.]
That was unheard of. Normally, lower realm cultivators were regarded as ants to higher realm cultivators. Why would an Immortal be regarded as the leader of Divine Realm cultivators?
[Finally, the Divine War began. Death on a scale none had ever considered occurred as a whole continent was destroyed. The remaining continents were also heavily damaged and some areas made barren. The Fiend leader learned of this and offered a partial truce.]
Lind quickly understood. What was the point of winning if all the precious resources were gone?
[Current standing is unlikely to change, but Divine Realm cultivators must only use Immortals up to an Apprentice in battles and only in areas designated for the battle when it came to Apprentices.]
Lind did not know what an Apprentice was exactly but given context, it likely referred to a portion of Divine Realm cultivators. Weak ones, relatively speaking, at least.
"So that is why the war with the Fiends is at a standstill. They had to restrict the big guns or there would be nowhere left to stand. Still, how can it stop escalation?" Lind was only speaking out loud, but the orb took it as a question.
[Divine Realm cultivators must take an oath to Heaven and Earth]
Lind felt rage. He had an idea which side proposed that.
"And does that oath only apply at the Divine Realm?" Kora and Tal noticed the change in Lind but did not know why. His rage made his transformation become stronger as his scales thickened and his hair changed to a mane slowly, but the orb noticed nothing.
[Correct. Exact oath words unknown to his unit but effect only applies to Divine Realm battle. All other battles are valid.]
The shield was dispersed suddenly as Lind's harmony blazed. His slitted eyes looked coldly at the orb. He did not know its origin nor did he know what the citadel had once been but it no longer mattered.
All that mattered was he knew the truth behind that oath had nothing to do with safeguarding the resources of the Divine Realm, but to ensure a steady supply of lower realm cultivators as food!
"DAMN THEM! DAMN YOU ALL FOR YOUR STUPIDITY! They came for us! They turned men and women into thralls to feed them from my mortal realm! You left us to rot!" Lind's hands had become claws as his boots burst to reveal the same for his feet.
The thin wall was evaporating as tribulation clouds gathered over the citadel. The map no longer mattered to Lind, all that mattered was the memory of that feeling in Cimmeria and what he saw in that room.
It was all about to start when a faraway dark mountain vibrated from the emanations of Lind. The ring on his claw responded and suddenly all his Qi was gone. His eyes closed as exhaustion closed in and the tribulation clouds dispersed.
"Child of Platinum Wings and adoptive daughter of my possible successor. Bring him to me. He must learn of himself before he can advance or all will be for naught." A voice boomed and the orb trembled.
[Divine Lord Edict received, we obey]
Several flows of Qi encircled Kora and Tal as they held on to Lind. They were brought outside and nothing stopped them or even came near as they flew through the skies. Kora had felt all the blood drain from her face as she recognized the title the orb had displayed.
A Divine Lord was a power recognized by Heaven and Earth. No one could deny them and no one dared cross them. She trembled as the dark mountain came in sight and they closed in on it. What would they find awaiting them inside?