novelraw Chapter 470 - 469 - Goals
Chapter 470 - 469 - Goals
Lind was unhappy reading the reports sent to him. Compared to the network of the Matron, he could see bias and some face saving phrases but it was essentially the same.
Now that the invading force was not being slowly drained, the fangs had been revealed.
"Annabelle, what do you think?" His office was now a meeting room for elders and his wives. Cyntilla and Shoti were picking apart the tactics
"It was not just illusions. It was also the natural ability of them to hide in those tunnels. The formation masters are not bad but there is no way to spread intent as a detection artifact to just eliminate those issues." It was impossible for them to replicate the Fiend ability to impose intent as their formation plates.
The limit of personnel that could detect or combat such items was a severe issue.
"The complex could just be destroyed if the island was but then we would lose precious leads of their plans and if there are more of such plans." One of the demon elders spoke up. He was a native of the Floating Isles but came to the Moebius Sect after encountering several other demons that ascended.
Demons did not care that much about ascenders. Strength was all that mattered to them.
"Destroying it would be unwise. The Fiends likely prepared for such a step to blow up in our faces. They are more than happy to burn a base if it can hurt their enemies." Fey spoke up and both Shoti and Cyntilla nodded in agreement. Lind also agreed.
Fiends seemed happy to let mortal realms waste resources and personnel how they wanted in the fight. The loss to them was minimal as their resource was cultivators themselves.
"I think we need to address the fact there is a teleportation array. Has anyone felt space distortions since we began attacking that structure?" Lind frowned but Lysanna had a point. Several of the elders quickly pulled up a jade slip before shaking their heads.
It was an oddity.
"We are overlooking something. What is their goal by fighting a war of attrition?" Kora spoke up. Despite her unique origin, she still retained the memory of her original self. She had heard of Fiends far more powerful than the forces they dealt with at the moment.
Ethry and Tal were out raising up the strength of the beasts and other disciples on an expedition. They had no memories to pull on, not even race memories. Thus they were not included but Lind found Kora's question disturbing for several reasons.
He also had been thinking about the goals of the Fiends.
The purpose of the caches was rather straightforward. Supply lines would not be needed if they just had to reach another cache to recover and improve.
It was clearly the prelude to an invasive attack but that left several hard questions to answer. The technique the demons used was now exposed and could be detected so where would such a force come from in enough numbers to need such resources?
Further, the atmosphere in the complex was closer to the Ruin he and Cyntilla once explored than simply using Fiend Qi as a convenience. The drain on the assault teams and the effect of his armor and weapons when used spoke volumes to that.
The following battles had been bloody and costly. A Star Tier had died eventually to save Sky Realms fleeing some kind of formation attack no one understood.
From the description, Lind thought it sounded like the trap had reversed the pressure in the hall to make an explosive vacuum. It meant instead of slow leak, the cultivators were dropped into outer space conditions.
While a vacuum could be created by cultivators, that one ripped the Qi and soul from their bodies very quickly. A Star Tier had been with them in the new arrangement and used his more powerful abilities to protect the Sky Realms as they fled.
He was killed by a beast that hid until that last moment and struck when the Star Tier was powerless to fight back!
The forces revealed were vast, adaptable, and powerful. The question remained, where did they come from?
To sustain such a force, especially on a heavily visited island like Severis had been, would have been impossible. Ransha Quingyu had only survived all that time due to spreading out its numbers and keeping its true activities quiet.
They had also used a known wicked cultivation technique to hide the truth.
Now, even wicked sects spurned such techniques to prove they were not with the Fiends.
"The corpses, was there anything odd about them, Qing?" Lind turned to his wife but she quickly shook her head.
"They were preserved with odd methods but the corpses themselves were quite normal. If anything it was odd how uniformly healthy they were." Lind arched an eyebrow as he pulled up her reports.
He looked it over but his frown only deepened until he shot up.
"Their dantians!" He had been too busy rooting them out and preparing for all he had to do as Sect Master to delve into it before but now that he saw the breakdown, he saw a discrepancy.
All looked at him oddly but Qing suddenly looked grim as if she too understood.
"They cultivated without using my theories. Since I circulated them nearly 3 centuries ago, all cultivation powers have adopted the elemental relationships as it massively improved their abilities." It was true. The base relationship theories had stunning results on all powers.
Their existing cultivation techniques could be altered with minimal loss and many cultivators benefited. The result being clear as time passed that his theories were beneficial to all.
Even wicked sects had found it useful after being nearly flattened in several conflicts they usually came out ahead or broke even with before. The bodies preserved in the caskets showed no signs of such application.
The elements were in disharmony but still worked together. It was as if they cultivated in isolation from the world but in that many numbers was impossible.
"Their goal was complete external invasion!" Cyntilla saw it all come together as well. The source of the bodies was outside the realm! The source of their forces was outside the realm! It was a true invasion of the Floating Isles!
"But why?" Shoti spoke up and many nodded. "Fiends can't come here in person. Heaven and Earth would wipe them out. What good would taking over a Mortal Realm do them?"
Lind wished he did not see it. It was more than simply resources.
"They cut off the flow of cultivators to the Heaven Realm. They get access to all the Inheritances, Ruins, Relics, and so forth as well. They take the survivors for fresh resources. It is simply the same war with a supply line in danger." Lind's words made them all look grim.
It made a horrible sense.
It started with those that willingly sought out the Fiends then spread their forces around but the Fiends simply used them. The technique to grant longer life was a sham to start with and any promises no longer mattered once the Fiends took the mortal realm.
While many cultivators looked at weaker realms as ants, Fiends saw the danger of constant personnel rising up through the realms. They saw the need to stop it to give them an edge.
"It can't be the first time they have done this. It is too smooth and well thought out. If not for the mistake of their pawns, we would have all been caught in this realm with no escape." Lysanna spoke again but she looked cold.
"What could they do about it? It is why all Fiend bases are scoured but clearly the Fiends have learned to keep the secrets close." One of the aether children volunteered something depressing but true.
Knowing Fiends were trying to take mortal realms was one thing, but finding all the attempts was another. According to what Lind had learned, the number of mortal realms was always shifting.
The Heaven Realm was massive to surround them all but the truth was it was actually quite close to quantum physics in that observing a realm changed its relative position to the Heaven Realm. Whereas not looking, nothing stayed still.
It would be like trying to pierce into a grain of sand at the beach. You had it the moment you looked but once glancing away, you had to hunt for that grain once more. The resources could be put to other things.
"Still, the Heavenly Maiden Sect and Divine Sword Sect would surely send experts once contacted?" A human elder spoke up. The man looked nervous but Lind shook his head at the same time his wives did.
"Heaven Realm cares enough to maybe send resources but a powerhouse would not be sent for anything less than a confirmed threat. Similar to what happened in the Demon Empire War." Lind had learned what level of attack was needed.
The portal he had found in Cimmeria would have warranted such an action as well if he had not closed it.
The facility was an issue but since activity could not be confirmed, likely the Heaven Realm would simply try to isolate the mortal realm to prevent any teleportation.
Aside from that action, that was all they would do unless a true Fiend connection was found.
Lind froze at his train of thoughts.
"What if they are wrong?" All looked to him and he brought up the drawing of the large room. "What if that is not a teleportation array but only looks like one?"
No one was following him so he began to write out a formula. It was fairly complex but space was at least basically grasped by all Sky Realms.
Once he was done he showed it to them.
"We have been thinking in terms of attack and defense but what if the Fiends are simply thinking what benefits they can reap now that their larger plan has been thwarted. Why let us see this save to make us jump to a conclusion we could control when the reality is not that?" Fey suddenly paled.
"It could be a locus point instead!" Shock flowed around the room but Lind was confused. What was a locus point?
He was not the only one so Fey revealed the depth of the problem.
"If that is a locus point, it would be very similar to a teleportation array but a much wider range. Rather than take what is on it to another array, it would take it all. The entire island!" Lind felt shock fill his body.
There was no way to risk another consignment to the island as no doubt Fiend agents were still active and watching.
"We have to go, now!" It would be a long journey normally but he looked to Lady Gua who practically glowed with Qi recently.
"It is the least I can do for you, Lord Frey. I have more than sufficient power now and likely will break through afterward." He smiled at her and began to issue orders. They had no time!