novelraw Chapter 371 - 370 - Awaken the Dragon
Chapter 371 - 370 - Awaken the Dragon
"You are certain you want to do this, Master?" Lind awoke to a familiar male voice. His vision went from fuzzy to clear as he felt the rock of a boat around him. The wooden supports creaked as the smell of salt was strong but he also heard birds that would not be present in the middle of the water.
They should only be near the coasts.
Lind found a rough blanket thrown over him but the bed was rather comfortable. The cabin was fairly spacious for a boat but far smaller than the captain's cabins he had seen. The decorations of weapons and preserved food told him it was someone well versed in travel by sea.
He felt a little sore but it was more due to he had not had a chance to cultivate. He did that now.
He assumed the lotus position and began to cultivate, but then froze. It happened again! His foundation had broken through. He had just barely crossed over into the peak of the Diamond Tier but when did it happen?
He tried to recall if he had felt the breakthrough but nothing came to him. He was too busy during the battle, and he had pushed himself hard so it might have happened after, but that was impossible.
He would have felt the reinvigoration right after a breakthrough and the need to stabilize his foundation that followed. His dantain was solid diamond with just the edges and his fonts on the outside of it.
He was close to the peak of the World Realm. While many would be happy to reach that after only 200 years, Lind had a bottleneck he could not overcome.
He could not break into the Sky Realm yet. He had no idea how. Then again, he had the mystery of how he reached the peak of the Diamond Tier without noticing.
"Master Frey, are you ok?" A young female voice came from a chair that looked like a cloak was draped over it, but the cloak moved to show it was occupied. Lind smiled at the young woman's face that looked out at him. The muscles looked odd but they seemed to be smoothing out from the last time he saw them.
"I am not sure, how long was I asleep?" The girl tilted her head and he smirked as she made a play of counting her fingers. She liked to pretend she was dumber than she was as it made people underestimate her.
"I think the whole month we crossed the Fortune Way then the last few days on our diverted course." Lind was stunned. A month? He had pushed himself, certainly very hard, but why was he out for a month?
It added to his new cultivation. What had happened to him?
His silence was not interrupted. Unlike her brother, the female twin of Bloody Wrath was far more introspective. Lind guided his Touch through his meridians and dantian but found no issue at all.
In fact, the Qi felt heavier than it should for a Diamond Tier. It was closer to Sky Realm tier 1! It should not be possible but Lind had been used to fighting a full tier above for some time. Sky Realms were also not able to hurt him easily since he started to master his dragon soul.
Still, his Qi had stayed within the quality of the World Realm, yet now a great qualitative change had occurred. It explained his new foundation as that quality of Qi easily pushed him ahead but where did it come from?
The emerald diamond floating in his dantian seemed unchanged no matter how he examined himself. He dove deeper and finally saw it.
His harmony was tied to his soul but the flames had changed. They were far thicker than before and now a larger dragon was inside them. Its sinuous body was coiled in sleep yet the power within it was far more profound than before.
"I awoke the dragon." The words were mumbled out but only confused his current companion. He waved it off but inside he was shocked. He had never done it before since becoming a Diamond Tier, even in the war, he held back as he had to go the distance.
When he used his soul, it was always a partial infusion. It would bring out his scales and eyes, but that was it. That time in Petra, he let it all out at once. He intentionally had to when overcoming the restrictions of Heaven and Earth.
Only a true Divine Beast could fly at that moment so he held nothing back. The gamble paid off and essentially fried the arrays on the saber he used as well. It was unexpected but clearly he had missed something when using his dragon soul.
Senior dragon soul had told him he would be changing but he should have asked some questions. An aether beast did not need a cultivation technique to advance. While their potential would vary greatly, they could advance given enough meat and time.
Had he advanced like an aether beast because he pulled out all the stops on his dragon soul?
Hibernation was part of the dragon cultivation cycle but usually when they were much more advanced from what senior dragon soul said. Why would he be doing it now?
He pushed it aside as he stood up.
"Where are we exactly?" Lind could now smell trees and other signs of being near the coast.
"We cannot return to Veritas as the many bounties on you make it impossible. Further, things have now gotten more complicated." Lind tilted his head but then felt a headache coming on. He had revealed a true divine ore to the world.
While no one could confirm what it was exactly, the effect on the world was well documented from other Ruins and Inheritances that had grade 7 resources or artifacts. The Heavens would expel those as well.
They moved up the narrow hallway to the stairs before emerging into the sunlight. The salty air was welcome but Lind noticed only Nadia and the boy twin next to her. There was no one else despite the fairly large size of the boat.
It could easily accommodate over 50 people as passengers from what he had seen and at least a 20 man crew. His Eyes did perceive the formations slaved to the current wheelhouse but all were inactive since they were at a small dock.
There was no town or village but a small set of huts on the sandy beach. They were rundown but Lind could see one of them was livable. Nadia smiled but LInd could not see the boy's face under his hood.
Still, his Eyes and Touch confirmed his Qi had also improved from the last time Lind had seen them a few decades ago.
The twins had been found by Nadia in a bandit headquarters as children and she had raised them in the guild after that. As they grew stronger, however, their bodies seemed to become twisted.
Their muscles were being stretched and twisted until they could barely move. Lind had happily answered Nadia's request to examine them and found the problem. The twins had a rare physique issue where their other half was conflicting with their cultivation.
Unlike Teylin and Teyla, who complimented each other quite well, the Bloody Wrath seemed to be connected as if they were a single cultivator. Their dantians had identical elements of air, water, and fire.
Men and women, though, used those elements very differently. Thus, as they advanced, the other half of the pair caused issues in the other. The solution was actually something he had picked up in the Lotus Academy ages ago.
There was low demand for the pill so it was not made often but Lind made an elixir that not only balanced the bond between them, but reversed the issue over time. It took a very long time as too quickly would ruin their bodies.
Now, he could see that they were mirroring each other and their bodies were much healthier.
"I assume you feel well rested?" Nadia remained blunt and sarcastic all at once. Lind smiled and was about to speak when his eyes narrowed.
Before anyone could react, Lind vanished from the deck and appeared near a treeline closest to the huts. A man was slammed to the sand and dirt while Lind's arm bulged with power.
Emerald light flared along his body but his eyes had no intelligence in them. They were the eyes of a beast!
Nadia recognized the robes of her guild but she had not expected anyone there. Scales appeared on Lind's arm as the man began to turn blue. Nadia was about to yell when a giant form appeared over Lind's body.
It was a massive, sinuous body but unlike the descriptions she had heard, it was much more solid than before. Further, the aura on Lind was rising!
"LIND STOP! You are forcing your cultivation!" She enhanced her voice with Qi but Lind did not seem to hear her as the man's struggles became faint.
"7, there are 7 of you. Good." The cold voice made the 3 on the boat shiver as the man was finally released. The man was heaving breath but before he could relax he was sent flying into the sky!
He was only a World Realm.
Nadia reacted but then froze as 6 more auras flared in the treeline.
"So, you are a beastman. I had hear–" An arrogant fop with high quality robes appeared and Nadia felt her own anger rise. She knew that fool, it was Gheho! He was the young master of a fairly powerful sect to the north. He was also well connected to the upper echelons of the Saint Kingdom.
His long mane of dark hair was far too silky to be from a true warrior but his hand snapped up as a Sky Realm aura came off him! He was the same as Nadia!
His fist caught the flaming fist of Lind as if he was a child but then Gheho's handsome face twisted in disgust. He brought up his free hand to strike but the dragon projection then opened its mouth and flames exploded on the scene!
It was far higher in power than before and reduced the trees to nothing as Gheho was blasted at full force! Nadia finally moved but the other 5 focused on her until a scream drew all their eyes up.
The previous man was falling when a voice broke out of the emerald flames.
"I really liked those robes. You are troublesome." The flames vanished to reveal the well built body of Gheho. He was naked but unharmed by the flames. It was clear he used defensive armor but still, he was fine despite losing it.
Lind finally seemed to wake up, but rather than back off his aura skyrocketed as all of his skin changed. Gheho sneered but then was shocked as his arm was broken! A Sky Realm was injured by a World Realm!
"I have no time to waste here. What happens next is your fault for waking me up." Vertically slit eyes turned cold as Lind now roared himself which had a much more dramatic effect.
Gheho grasped his ears in pain and in that moment, Lind struck with a black spear he summoned from his ring. The spear was low Heaven grade 5 and easily pierced Gheho before anyone could react.
Rather than pleased, however, Lind frowned. Gheho looked pained but then slowly lowered his hands to reveal his ears were bleeding, but not blood! It was a bright blue substance.
"A clone!" Gheho huffed at Nadia but frowned as his limbs began to break down.
"Capture the man, kill the rest. I will be there shortly!" Gheho's body collapsed but Lind simply turned to the rest and his aura showed no sign of slowing down! Nadia finally got in range but then lightning was cast outward to the remaining 5 men.
All 5 were killed instantly. It was not an Art, but felt like real lightning from the Heavens. Lind was stunned too so he had not intended it! What was happening to him?
As he examined what happened, it was as if something slid into place for him.
"Of course, I understand now. It was not becoming a dragon that forced me to advance, it was because it burned away my indecision. I understood but did not want to advance. Saying good bye was the correct path but it was only one part of it. I have to wake up now." Lind looked at the skies above and Nadia wondered what he was looking at when she felt a chill in her spine.
Black clouds were gathering. It was coming. An Ascension Tribulation was coming and somehow the dragon part of Lind broke down the doorway to him. Nadia quickly turned and swept the twins up into her arms.
There was little time as the pressure began to build and Nadia knew Lind would be facing all 9 bolts but it felt a thousand times worse than hers. As she looked on, Lind assumed a lotus position of all things and calmly cultivated.
The contrast scared her witless as the world began to groan as if a great pressure was on it. She could only look on as the clouds thickened and all the beasts began to run.
She shoved off the ship and headed away. No matter what, they had to get farther away before the tribulation began or they would be destroyed. She could feel that only death awaited anyone that dared to interfere.
As if the thought summoned him, Gheho appeared with a sneer as he looked up at the sky. He summoned a sword and dove down to kill Lind in the moment before the first bolt and no one could stop him.