novelraw Chapter 558 - 557 - The Battle of Two Rivers
Chapter 558 - 557 - The Battle of Two Rivers
Lind slowly turned and looked into a rather intricate cave system. He noticed that the stone walls were made of a rather interesting material but had to push it aside as he saw a broad shouldered woman staring at him in anger.
She was affected by his aura but able to resist.
She had close cropped blonde hair and a scar at her throat going down into the barely covering vest she wore. Her pants were cut to allow freedom but he also noted a few bulges to show weapons of some kind stowed away.
She was a Moon Tier. Flawed like the rest but above him.
Her dantian was worse than even Old Wan but still barely worked. Lind began to suspect breaking the brand was punished by putting them at the edge of being crippled. It was a cruel thing and added to his list of complaints.
"We will fight to the last breath! We will never bow to those monsters!" She proudly shouted at him and Lind just felt his anger evaporate. Why wouldn't they let him talk?
"He is an ascender!" Old Wan finally hobbled out. Such a simple movement brought him pain which made Lind react. He looked into his ring and was relieved nothing was lost.
Before an argument could begin, a globe of the purest water appeared. Herbs, Qi stones, and what looked like the heart of a beast floated in midair as they all shriveled.
He was not so focused that he did not miss the shock on the woman's face but it was no longer anger, but hope.
The ones pinned to the ground also stopped fighting suddenly which made Lind release them yet none stood.
The essence of 6th grade ingredients was now easily held by his spirit. He had struggled so much in the Sky Realm to cross that line but his Moon Tier power found it to be child's play.
The shimmering essence fused happily under his control and he began to deduce how to improve but that was for later. The water was then heated by a dark crimson fire before the water glowed and 4 vials were filled.
"Sit, and drink." Lind handed one to Old Wan who now looked at him as if he were a God. Lind did not like it. He saw the rest of those nearby were much the same. Still, the old man drank and Lind carefully watched over him.
The damage to his meridians and dantian were bad but the elixir nearly fixed most of it as well as his body. His lifespan was not possible to fix but there was no reason to suffer his last decades.
Old Wan took a long, deep breath and smiled wide.
"The pain is far less, but I feel renewed!" He nearly jumped up before Lind pushed him back down.
"You need to cultivate! Slowly, carefully, and if you try anything brash like that again, I will restrain you myself!" He did not heal the man just to let him get hurt. The mended flesh needed time to heal and with some luck, the cracks left in his cultivation foundation could heal up and extend his life a bit.
Old Wan wept but nodded as he sat down. Benny ran up and hugged him as tears fell from her face. Gail actually looked warmly at that and at him differently.
He then handed a vial each to Gail and Benny. They were of the appropriate grade but he then tossed 2 of the grade 6 to the woman that attacked him.
"Drink. I can't fix the damage to all of you just yet but I will work on it." Hope rose in the cavern but Lind did not give them a chance to speak. "Now, I have recently ascend—" The stone above suddenly rumbled and Lind stared up in frustration.
He just wanted to speak!
"To arms! The battle is joined!" The warrior woman shouted as she downed the elixirs. The professional in Lind wanted to scream but then sighed and moved to join them only to have the whole room freeze.
"Sir Lifemancer. You stay here, we will take care of this." The very man that tried to spear him was incredibly respectful but Lind nearly fell over at his new title. What is wrong with everyone?
"That is it! I just healed people and they are going to fight! Sit down now!" He imbued his draconic roar into his voice which made all of the people involuntarily obey. Even the woman who resisted his aura found herself sitting.
"In a clear, concise way, explain who is attacking." Benny, of all people, spoke up.
"It is likely those thieves from Silver Tree valley. They think they can make us obey them but we won't!" A vein throbbed on Lind's forehead. Surely, it could not be what he thought.
"Another bandit gang for freedom?" Benny and others nodded. "They also escaped and removed the brands?" Again a round of nodding as it was common knowledge.
Dust fell as another rumbling came but Lind felt like he could hear his heart thudding in his chest. Using Arts, techniques, or just trying to enhance the body in such a state was as good as rushing to death!
"IDIOTS!" Lind then charged out of the cave system as he followed his nose to fresh air.
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"Ha, Sheena is hiding away like the coward she is!" A rail thin man wearing the tattered remains of a dark jacket and leather pants smirked as his men launched a few simple elemental attacks at the large cave entrance.
It was situated on a large island between the main Grail River and the branch called Halcyon River. Despite sharing a source, the Grail River had extreme healing and nurturing properties, while the Halcyon River encouraged the growth of herbs to induce illusions.
It allowed for the stone vein to form that Sheena's group had used to thrive while they all risked everything being out in the Hinterlands to survive! It could not be allowed!
"Evans, she will be out soon, don't underestimate her." A much healthier looking man spoke but he was missing both his eyes. He relied on his cultivation senses at the Moon Tier to see. It was better than eyesight in many ways.
His whitened covered head stiffened as he felt something odd.
"Strange, when did Sheena get a beast?" Evans looked at his companion but before he could speak, emerald flames shot out of the cavern.
"IDIOTS!" A voice roared and then people began to fall! Evans was a peak Star Tier but he could only see a blur as the nearly 40 men he brought were felled in moments. He pulled out his sword but then was stunned as it broke in 2!
A bare chested man with fierce emerald eyes stared down at him in apathy and rage.
"You dare?!" Evans shouted and tried to use his primary earth element but then the pain in his dantian shot up and he lost his concentration.
"ARE YOU SUICIDAL?!" The voice shook Evan's bones as he fell backward twitching.
"Ethan, run!" The blind old man did not move but looked right at the attacker. It was only then that Evans heard the moanings of pain.
No one was dead?
"You are not from here but you don't feel like one of theirs. Ascended?" Ethan's words drew Evans back but the man stared as he heaved breath in deep anger.
"How many?" Two words came out but they were cold and both Evans and Ethan flinched. What was he asking of them?
Ethan was about to speak when a Moon Tier aura flared out and brought all trying to rise back to the ground.
"How many of you died fighting each other in that state?! WHY?!" Evans saw red but Ethan quietly held up his storage pouch. The emerald eyes narrowed before the aura narrowed in on the bag.
A frown formed but instead of understanding, rage flared.
"Six headed tulips, fire leaf fern, and veridian muck root." Evans had no idea what those were but Ethan flinched.
"A Lifemancer or Pill Forger. You are indeed–" Ethan seemed to want to reason when the man vanished once again.
That time, though, Evans could follow a bit and saw him pluck several plants from the riverbank.
"Those pills are useless. All they do is suppress the pain and you still die. Further, they are too damned rare. There are herbs all over for better pills." A yellow flower, orange seeds, and what seemed to be a root were deposited in Ethan's hands.
"W-what?" Evans had never seen the well built Ethan shaken as the blind man used his hands and senses to examine what he was given. Tears began to fall but Evans did not know why.
"This battle is over. Leave and return in 3 days. I want everyone, and I mean every damn bastard here in that time. If anyone attacks, they die." The man then turned and went back into the Two Rivers cave.
"Ethan, what–?" Evans was able to stand up but then he saw the man toss the precious pills away. The Foundation Support Pills were too hard to get to toss away!
"He told me, in my head what to do. We have wasted our time! We leave, now." Evans was confused but then had to ask the burning question.
"What are those plants and why ruin those pills?!" It hurt to move but Ethan held up the 3 herbs.
"Sunbeam seeds, Lion's eye daisy, and iron root will make a pill to repair some of the damage, not just suppress it." Evans froze. He looked at those 3 very common plants and felt all the fire die in him.
They had come to take more herbs for their pill from Sheena as they grew nearby very well but plants most of them threw away to plant some crops was able to help them?!
The Battle of Two Rivers was a common event but that day, the fate of all in the 6 empires was about to change.