novelraw Chapter 737 - 736 - Shadows
Chapter 737 - 736 - Shadows
Lind had learned a great deal over the 2 years in the village, but he could not sit still forever. Still, the many students he taught were now all peak Sky Realm in what Soltara said was record time!
The result was hard for many of the Immortal and Heaven Realms to ignore as they had not seen such growth in their history!
Where the hardline of keeping away more from learning had held for a year, now, he had even Heaven Realms coming to watch his lectures. It seemed more like he was playing with them to his mind but it seemed to be very important to them.
It seemed his experience as a 6 elemental was very beneficial to them.
As the 2nd year came to an end, he felt a tension building but he could not locate the source. The previously strong feelings of hatred from the Heaven Realms slowly vanished as they felt themselves progress just by listening to him.
Benefits were the best way to placate groundless hatred since he never asked for anything in return. He understood the legitimate issues they had but he knew they also had a soft spot for dragons.
No one had explained why, but at once point the Sky Realms had asked to see his transformation. After Balgorn and Soltara made sure he was safely isolated to avoid any issues, he showed off his dragon body.
That day was the turning point as he did not restrict his aura at all and even the dullest cultivator would feel the draconic aura flowing off his body like a thick blanket.
Afterwards, more young Elementals began to show up in droves and then like a tide.
It was also the day he felt a tension descend ever so subtly around him but he could not pin it down.
Someone was not happy but they were being careful about it. Melar had lost his mind openly but his open anger was known and easy to grasp so it did not worry him.
There were 2 more that seemed irritated with him but again, were open about their displeasure.
The thick telepathy pressure made it clear how angry they were but none of the 3 took action. At least, they were not allowed to, but the tension remained.
He did not mention it even once to Balgorn or Soltara. Whoever it was, they felt confident enough to act despite his clear protection.
That was why he began to be sneaky. Elementals were powerful and often frustrating beings to understand. Yet, he had begun to grasp their weaknesses when it came to dealing with cultivators.
Where he had Arts, they had almost automatic refining with all 6 elements. It was not Forging exactly but closer to formations using flags or other objects as eyes of powerful formation arrays.
Lind found it interesting to study the pieces Balgorn and the Heaven Realms made for his comparison. The Heaven Realms could only build simple shapes and functions. The implication he got was they could only mimic artifacts to a limited capacity.
The jade slip was not a complicated artifact that simply had greater capacity to store script or diagrams as imprinted by a cultivator as their grade increased but despite being Heaven Realms, the Elemental creations could not withstand any level of examination by a cultivator more than a handful of times.
Whereas the Law Array temples were as sturdy as the Immortal connected to them.
He could not even put a dent into Soltara's temple despite the fractures in it.
Such a drastic increase in resilience had him curious but he could not study Laws that extensively.
Even the traces in his dantian exhausted him for days to weeks at a time after a single session.
[Progenitor, what is this?] Lind saw one of the Heaven Realms point at a spark in the distance. He was confused too so he tried to reach out to it but the normal static of all the coherent life and Qi made it impossible to pick out what it was.
"I am unsure. I will investigate." Elementals had no real ability to interpret much better than him in the village. They could pick out individuals but penetrating at a distance was far worse than his own.
He flew up but informed Balgorn and Soltara where he was going and why. He had just started flying when he froze.
His telepathic signal had gone out but there was no response back. He was not far from either temple yet an intuition told him not to move to either. His eyes shifted to vertical slits and his talent was tuned up to the extreme.
As he looked around, nothing really stood out. The various crystal temples were mixed in with the giant trees, bushes, and even a few wild herbs that enjoyed Qi rich environments, yet it all looked serene as the sun gently pierced the treetops.
The dappled shadowed ground was like any forest he had been to before but his dragon eyes caught it. It was ever so slight, but some of the shadows were not quite right.
They were darker than they should be and sometimes did not move correctly. It was all tiny and very subtle that any human would miss, but he did not.
He carefully began moving again but sent a message to the Heaven Realms near him.
[Keep all the young ones near here. No one follows me.]
His serious tone got through and the ephemeral shapes bowed before he felt them draw the attention of the Soul and World Realms. The Sky Realms would move on their own more but still focused on the knowledge he shared with them.
The village was deceptively small. It looked like a small village with sparse buildings but it was actually quite large. A few moderate hills hid the rest of the village depending on the angle you were looking at it.
The strange spark was deeper inside and it only took a moment for him to sense a very subtle aura isolating the area. Its power was on par with Soltara but it felt very wrong to him.
He did not feel anything vile, but the aura was not something he liked. He realized his body was interpreting the feeling as an enemy.
As he flew, the sensation in the air became strange. He also felt like he had to start to fight to fly until he realized where he was. The trees fell away to an open stretch of ground.
He stopped at the edge as he felt off.
The dirt beyond seemed to be slightly out of phase, like it was part of another world. The spark was near the center of it, but the word 'trap' floated in front of him like a giant sign.
He was about to simply pull back when his blood turned cold. The spark was a ball of lightning pinning a Soul Realm Elemental!
It was barely alive and in pain! His skin rippled with scales for a moment until he brought his emotions under control.
He had no choice. He had to head in.
The instant he stepped into the clearing, he felt ill. His Qi became lethargic but then his sun flared as his skin took on an emerald hue. He felt a little better but just enough to move on the ground.
He kept his guard up and Protean was on his belt as well.
[Master, I have become restricted. Space has been locked down.]
Haro suddenly spoke up and basically confirmed the trap for Lind. He finally got near the struggling Elemental.
[I will get you out, please stay as still as you can.] The words may not get through but his intent to help would. The tiny cloud of life slowed as he sent a stream of harmonic Qi to it.
The spark of lightning was strange. He had never seen an Art or conjuring like it.
It took him a moment to realize what he was looking at.
A very simple Law Array. It was some kind of Law bent to a shape to make the sphere. He felt rage but knew he could eventually remove it if he had time.
All his instincts told him he would be attacked the moment he tried to do anything. Still, he could not ignore the innocent.
"I know you are there. I know this is a trap, but the innocent should not suffer. Let them go or allow me to save them. I will not flee afterwards." His rage was apparent and his voice was distorted slightly as he had partially transformed.
No response came but he began to examine the simple Law Array. Compared to any other one he had looked at, the current one was very simple but it was still far beyond him. What he then thought of was something a bit simpler.
His harmony enveloped the tiny Elemental. Its cries of pain faded to joy as it danced inside the bubble Lind had created. He carefully touched the Law Array and was nearly blown back.
He endured horrible pain as he freed the little Soul Realm. After what felt like eternity, the little cloud was free.
Lind let it go and it danced around him while he collapsed. His Qi was nearly depleted but he was glad it was safe. The Law Array stayed there but the feeling in the air changed.
[Go, little one. Your friends are waiting for you.] It seemed reluctant to leave him but then it ran off after the pressure increased. Lind had no way to resist it as he was already weakened.
[I am impressed. You were able to free the child but leave the Array intact. I had not considered such a solution or I would have acted sooner.] A female voice spoke as a projection appeared above him.
She was beautiful but he felt a direct threat just feeling her aura.
[Why? If you don't want me here, I was going to leave soon anyway.] It was true. He had softened the relations but he was not so foolish to push his luck. He had hoped to build a bond between them in the time Soltara had left.
[Oh, there are many people that want you dead or gone but I have a very different goal I want from you. You see, a solution to a problem I have had finally came into my possession. I refuse to let you slip away.] A look of strange elation came over her face that made Lind shiver.
He realized very quickly what she wanted by simple deduction. He was where the ascension pool used to be and his harmony was calling out to it. He had no idea what to do but an Immortal would.
Especially one that was nearly a Shard Tier.
[Now, how best to use you while you are still alive…] Her false brightness and smile were just making it worse but Lind was losing his consciousness. He knew one thing.
If that darkness closed in, he would die.