novelraw Chapter 543 - 542 - Ilyria
Chapter 543 - 542 - Ilyria
Nearly 20 years had passed since the Moebius Competition. While it had been thought of as a simple production contest to show off the Moebius Sect's prowess turned into a transformative experience for all involved.
The once fragile alliances had been not only strengthened but a massive increase in strength followed!
Once, where Star Tiers were near legendary figures, had become an attainable dream for all races of the Floating Isles.
A cultivator still needed to gather the resources and employ the experts to create the platform and tools, but it was now a path that could be pursued.
If that was all, it would be miraculous but the ripples went all over the realm. The lower world saw an explosive increase in cooperation to make better weapons, armor, and artifacts made by cooperating between Forgers and Refiners.
Elixir masters and alchemists found a massive increase in their quality as well which led to explosive increase in cultivation results. Sky Realms began to become a certainty which led to even more Star Tiers in the cycle.
Moebius Sect went not only to a supreme power but the Wilds became a branch of it! The aether beasts added their numbers to them which shifted the balance of power but rather than make chaos, it made it easier to get more materials to improve Heaven grade experts!
Where once it seemed like the derivative professions would dominate the Heaven grade section of cultivation, alchemists and the rest were closing the gap!
It was like a magic spell had been cast and only 20 years later did even the most dullard of a cultivator grasp what Lind Frey had done. The man had brokered peace without conquest nor invoking the Babylon Guild.
Wars were still waged and cruelty did not stop, but the once near endless chaos was gone. There was room to grow and several safe havens now existed where few supreme powers could claim to be before.
Middle to high powers that focused on production became safe as any disruption in their ability to create pills, elixirs, or anything was safeguarded by many other powers that relied on them. The ripple effect had given places for cultivators to strive to grow so the number of production masters had the greatest explosion of all.
The man who made it all possible was in high demand and applications to meet him had been piling up, but Vice-Sect Master Kexin was currently in charge while the location of Lind Frey was unknown.
A decade ago, the weavers of Moebius Sect suddenly all found inspiration to break through the 3rd circle. Heaven grade weaving also leapt up to grade 4 which required tribulations to strike the finished product!
Many surmised that Lind Frey had found inspiration during the competition and was in seclusion but had come out long enough to share as he always had what he learned. All suspected it was not only weaving that was inspired.
He was possibly trying to do what he was most famous for.
Forging the next path for 6 elemental cultivators to the Heaven Realm!
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Lilting laughter of a little girl filled a cavern that had a constant waterfall roaring at its entrance. The regular breath from the giant tortoise head also made a backdrop as a girl with silken black hair ran around doing flips and handstands.
As a divine beast, the daughter of the Divine Guardian had no trouble becoming a Sky Realm but she was still so young that she was but a child.
As she danced around the cave, sigils would flare around her as if celebrating her new form. Unlike native aether beasts, she could assume a human form in the Sky Realm.
Looking on, Lind smiled as he watched her enjoy her new shape. Her growth had been very slow compared to anyone he knew.
Where Tal and Ethry had grown at a normal pace, Ilyria was extremely slow. It made him reminisce about raising Tal as the pure joy of the last 2 decades had soothed his tired soul.
He had not realized how much stress he was under and raising Ilyria had let it all out.
"Momma! Look! Momma, look at me!" The smile faded as her tiny pale body hugged the giant head. He had explained many times that 'Momma' was asleep and could not wake.
"Momma?" The tiny voice broke his heart as the clear dark eyes looked at him with tears falling.
"Uncle Lind, why won't Momma wake up?" Lind had not been idle. He had actually tried to see if there was anything he could do but the fact was the Divine Guardian's injuries were made by something very powerful.
If he had not been exposed to them, he would not understand that an Immortal injured her. The fact she had survived was not a small miracle, it was a massive one. He had Kexin relay a message to Delenn but she had confirmed there was nothing he could do.
It would take a peak grade 7 pill or elixir to even hope to heal the injury and given the age of the Divine Guardian, she had little energy to spare.
He gently hugged the little girl as she cried.
All she wanted was to talk to her Momma but aside from when she was born, there was no chance of it.
He had tried his harmony many times but it did nothing. He had simply been lucky she was still awake 20 years ago.
"I am sorry, Ilyria. She can't wake up. I promise she would if she could." He had told stories he had with her mother but that was as Divine Guardian, not as a mother. He knew the little girl wanted to hear her mother.
"Was I bad?" He tightened his grip on her as he quickly shook his head.
"Your momma was hurt a long time ago and protected you all this time until she could fine a safe place to entrust you. You were her reason for living." The crying slowed as he patted her hair.
Compared to her natural form, her human form was at most a 9 or 10 year old child. She curled up in his lap as her dark dress contrasted with her pale skin.
Lind had tried everything he could but nothing was going to wake the Divine Guardian again. Her lifeforce was still strong but it felt weaker than when he first met her.
It seemed that releasing her daughter let all of her reserves go. How long had she been on the edge and now could finally let go? He had also gifted her with greeting her daughter to the world.
She had never hoped to have even that but still got it. The joy, sadness, and regret had been so strong it broke his heart.
Neither he nor Ilyria were able to reach out to other minds like a Star Tier could or maybe they could reach something in the Divine Guardian.
While he was high tier 9 of the Sky Realm, he knew he had an issue to overcome that could take decades longer and that was his harmony. There was no real reference or precedent for 6 elementals reaching the Heaven Realm.
Star Tier was about adding elements but 6 elementals had no need for that, but their harmony was a factor no one had explored beyond the mortal realms.
Lind knew it could even take him centuries if he got truly stuck but at the moment, his focus was the issue before him.
He was only 'Uncle' Lind but he had raised her for 20 years. There was relatively little time and he had no chance of getting her to Star Tier either so he simply comforted her by humming the song the Divine Guardian used when her daughter nudged her snout.
He reviewed what was in his ring for any inspiration but then came across his grade 6 materials.
He had only gotten Forging and elixirs to grade 6, but Weaving was only at peak Heaven grade 5 since he broke through.
His badge was still crimson as he had to make one to reflect it but he wanted a true evaluation before changing it.
He closed his eyes as he hummed and reviewed all he knew before a flash of when he broke through came back. He had not touched on that kind of complexity but he looked chagrined when his eyes opened.
"I have been limiting my options." As one hand continued to reassure Ilyria, his other glowed with emerald light.
Sigils that sparkled of finely used catalysts as he began to connect traces in many ways. He had never thought to try such a thing before but hopefully weaving could let it happen.
The traces suddenly broke but he was fine. It was his new focus and he would be damned if he failed as he looked at the teary and puffy face sleeping in his lap.
He would make her dream come true!
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Saisei City had thrived in the last 20 years. It was 80 years until the next contest but many were already looking forward to it.
Many wondered how Moebius Sect would raise the stakes but the same group also knew the improved quality of production masters would make it far more interesting.
Saisei City had also taken on another role. It became a place for challenges to be put forth between fellow experts. It actually gave the arena a lot of use as there were always those that wanted to dethrone a well known name or place theirs in the eyes of the public.
As such, betting houses were enjoying revenues even between main competitions. Moebius Sect had chosen to allow it but 20 years before the official contest they would be suspended which the various powers supported.
It gave a window of time for materials to be gathered and prepare the arena.
As the city bustled along, a figure in a black cloak passed through the gates. He had paid his way in but the guard would never remember him. In fact, the crowd moved around him as if he was an obstruction but none complained.
A grizzled beard showed he had not shaved in a few days but the man simply looked up and smirked.
"So, the mortals have made progress here. Lind Frey, you cannot run from us anymore." The man disappeared into the crowd as if he knew the city like the back of his hand. None knew he was there and none suspected an impossible cultivator was among them.
A Sun Tier had descended.