Truthful Transmigration

Chapter 546 - 546

How long had it been since John had been home? Even if he wasn't strictly counting where he lived, it was over a year now. As it turned out, planets were big. Circumnavigating the globe was one thing, but that would cover just the tiniest fraction of where people lived. Fortunately, some people were willing to come to John. However, now that the overall journey had been started he couldn't just back out. Technically he only had to cover a bit more than a third of the planet since Aldara was doing the other part- and they had their own territory- but once one considered any significant portion of a planet it became a huge project.

All that, and they were ignoring small sects and clans. If they had to meet with each and every one of tens of thousands of separate power centers John would truly go mad. If they got through a few every day, it could take multiple decades- and that mostly ignored travel time. Just focusing on those above a certain strength cut that down to a more reasonable fraction of the work.

Right now, John was still dealing with the Endless Swamp. Next was the Waterlogged Root sect, similarly concealed deep within the region to the former Green Stump. They were prominent enough that John couldn't ignore them- nor allow them to ignore him.

The sect had one final chance before John showed up at their headquarters. There was a nearby city that was quite prosperous as far as cities in the midst of dangerous swamps went. Food and materials were readily available… presuming one could defeat the beasts of the swamp. And sometimes the flora.

Deepwillow wasn't all that unpleasant relative to everything else. The city itself was mainly composed of wooden walkways, as it seemed to have been easier than trying to make anything on the ground. Buildings were constructed around the sturdiest trees, some of which were intentionally grown out in different directions to more easily organize the flow of the city.

Though as John and the others approached the sprawling city, it was clear that some places had given up and let the natural flora grow as they pleased. There were large gaps between construction in some places, separating neighborhoods with large stretches of waterlogged terrain. Other places were cramped together, with some 'buildings' seeming to be little more than a roof- or a secondary walkway- above a narrow passage.

The city didn't have any walls, though it would have been an impractical project from the beginning. Wooden walls couldn't hold against cultivators of any merit even when enchanted, and the city was likely constantly growing. Stone would both be hard to obtain in the region and also far too heavy for the terrain. John actually noticed a segment of an old attempt at making a wall… some ten meters deep in the ground. Anchoring the walls to sturdy trees might work, but not all of them were conveniently arranged. In all cases, it would be easy to go above or below any wall that was constructed- unless the wall went tens of meters into the ground, it could be swum beneath or trivially burrowed under. There were always neighboring trees to jump from, and in a water and earth element region it was an endless task just to keep control of the growth inside the city, let alone outside their walls.

Some of that was speculation on John's part, of course. He hadn't had an opportunity to speak with the locals, but if he could come up with those weaknesses on the spot then certainly they knew them far more deeply.

Besides, in most cases, any enemies would be ambushed far before reaching the city. Making use of the local terrain to perform guerilla tactics would be quite useful for the residents of the area.

John hoped that the lack of attacks was a good sign. He really preferred peaceful resolutions. It wasn't like the locals had any chance to begin with, so it was really a poor choice on their part if they did something.

He swept his senses over the city, looking for the strongest individuals. There were quite a few with decent cultivations. His group made their way towards the middle of the city where they resided, keeping to the wooden walkways.

Some of them lacked the necessary sturdiness to carry people like Renato, but he was polite enough to spread the weight of himself and his armor over a wider area. A few sections of the direct route were rotten, but John didn't technically have to step foot on the ground. He wasn't going to carefully pick and choose his way around the place, but he would avoid breaking things. Everyone had their own methods, and Renato found it easiest to jump down atop the 'ground' below. Nobody would care if he squashed a wide area of swamp muck.

John finally intersected with his main target in a market area, where the man was waiting. John's intentions would have been obvious from about the time he entered the city.

"Are you a member of the Waterlogged Root?" John asked. He was mostly being polite, as some of those with him had encountered the sect before and confirmed their spiritual energy. Then again, the people here could have left the sect for some reason. Wars weren't exactly times of stability. And in some ways… they were still at war. The Sovereign Primacy didn't seem to have officially declared the war was over. No, they couldn't- the greater entity barely existed as different factions responded to the loss of their Exalted Soul Phase cultivators.

"I am," the man confirmed. He wore a wide brimmed hat, and at his side was a machete- convenient for chopping through any annoying vines and also likely people. Few cultivators were known for their peaceful demeanors, after all. "So you are the one, then."

Despite the man's calmness, his voice implied he wasn't happy to see John. But he didn't need to be happy, he just needed to be reasonable. "John Miller," he said. "Leader of the continental alliance."

"Emperor of the southwestern twin continents," the man said. "Delver of darkness. I am Ghjase, sect head of the Waterlogged Root." The man's body posture told John quite a bit, his hand resting on his hilt. "We will not submit to your tyranny."

The man's spiritual energy spiked instantly, a jet of water propelling his blade from its sheath and into his opposite hand, raised to chop down towards John. That was certainly the man's intention, but John caught him by the wrist. Stepping forward just once was faster than readying a weapon. John could have pulled out his sword, but instead his right palm struck the man in the chest. The attack lacked finesse, just the heavy weight of earth crushing the man's ribcage.

Surrounding sect members were also attacking, drawing their weapons and reaching into the surrounding trees to swing their branches. The center of the city itself was moving, the carefully placed boards warping and snapping as the trees were mobilized.

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Two in a row. Swamp dwellers were obstinate. They also seemed to have negative titles for John. Darkness element cultivators were still prejudiced against in many places, and that seemed to hold even here where they were in an allied elemental cycle. Or maybe 'delver of darkness' referred to some objectionable way John had used his spiritual energy in the war. John could see people fearing what he did, but it was all in service of efficient killing. He rarely caused unnecessary pain, even to those that annoyed him.

John's blade flicked back and forth as a significant portion of the Waterlogged Root sect attacked. Any civilians remaining in the area scattered- including cultivators that didn't want to be associated with the attack. Smart ones had already withdrawn, likely having some sort of forewarning. John hadn't been particularly surprised at the attack, he was just disappointed.

Sparing the trees would have been nice, as they didn't deserve to be chopped to pieces, but sometimes they were the easiest targets as they were manipulated to attack. This section of the city was likely ruined anyway, with half of the structures crumbling apart. John watched for attacks, cutting down those who surrounded him.

A man wielding two machetes attempted to parry his attack, but unfortunately he simply didn't have the necessary strength. John could just power through, and he had reasons to show off his strength. He could have done far more if there weren't any neutral parties nearby. A woman tried to wrap an entire tree about him, but she forgot to protect her own body. He flew through the branches, spinning around to avoid some and cutting others out of his way. Her head fell like another stick.

A machete swung for his thigh. Slow. John countered with his own blade. Then, suddenly, he forced his spiritual energy to reverse and halted his blow. John was fairly certain he broke his shoulder and strained a tendon in his elbow as his sword came to rest against a young woman's neck. No, a girl. Her malnutrition was clear, but John could tell she wasn't finished growing even with that as a factor. Her spiritual energy was surprisingly in the Foundation Phase- that was why he hadn't immediately clocked her youth. It wasn't an amazing level of strength, but for someone less than two decades old it was highly unusual.

John glared at her. "Drop your weapon. I don't kill children."

For most, the mere threat of his spiritual energy would cause them to collapse. The girl instead ducked under his sword, tumbling through his legs and slashing at the back of his knee.

She was nowhere near fast enough that John couldn't react, especially as she stumbled over the uneven remains of the wooden walkways. No, he could have cut off her head or broken her fingers or just… stepped a dozen meters away. But he let her strike hit. Her blade- perhaps from one of the fallen cultivators- couldn't pierce through the enchantments of his lower armor. Yet the girl had a technique that passed through some of her spiritual energy, a hidden sharpness.

John's skin wasn't so weak that a Foundation Phase cultivator could cut through it if he didn't let them, though. He didn't even need spiritual energy to defend- but just to avoid being an arrogant idiot, he had created a condensed layer of internal defense. His initial judgment on his safety had been correct, though.

The girl took her weapon in a two handed grip- despite the handle length not being at all appropriate- continuing to swing far less effectively than her initial assault. "Y-you! You're the dark emperor of slaughter that killed my mother!"

Just now? No, he couldn't imagine anyone from the Waterlogged Root would have brought their daughter to try to assassinate him… and her spiritual energy didn't fit. John pulled out three daggers, flinging them past the girl to strike down targets threatening his allies.

"Who was she?" John asked. He twisted his sword around hers, lodging the machete into one of the now-stationary trees.

Dark and tangled hair dangled in front of the girl's face. "She was the most beautiful, strongest, kindest mother in the world! And she never came back!"

She punched him in the gut. John had to use his spiritual energy to spread out her hit so that she didn't break her fingers. It seemed she'd learned a cultivation technique but not proper combat form. Or perhaps she'd forgotten it in her rage.

"She went to the assault on the… what did you call them here… twin continents?" John asked. He was going to presume from the scream of rage that was a 'yes'.

What could he say, that he hadn't killed the woman? If he fought her… he probably had. But there was no way he would remember a single individual. How troublesome.

He swung his sword, cutting apart two enemies trying to ambush him from behind. They might have had a slight chance of injuring him if they hadn't been some of the few remaining cultivators from their sect still standing. If John had been distracted by a dozen others… they would still have died, but maybe gotten something out of it.

The girl screamed, her voice catching in her throat as she tried to tug the machete out of the trunk of the tree. "I'm going to kill you!" Her head whipped back and forth, looking for another weapon.

Apparently, she decided that John's sword would be a good choice. She grabbed the places his hand didn't cover- the pommel and the crossguard- trying to rip the weapon out of his hand. He lifted his arm. Yes, his shoulder was broken. He pushed the bones back into place. He'd have to keep a supply of spiritual energy there to prevent things from getting worse.

The girl wasn't that short, but she didn't need to be for John to lift her off of the ground. She flailed her legs and kicked at him, and once again she would have broken her toes if he didn't disperse the force for her.

"You'll never kill me like that," John said. "You'll need to learn to fight."

What was he doing? John didn't really know. Antagonizing her wouldn't help, but that wasn't quite what he was trying to do.

She mostly growled in frustration, eventually releasing her grip on the sword and falling onto displaced boards. Her legs and feet were pierced by numerous splinters. "... Nobody would teach me."

"Figures," John said. "I'll do it, then." He'd never seen a look of such profound confusion as the one looking up at him. "You'll never even have another chance if you don't follow along after me, and you won't be able to keep up. So you don't really have another option," John explained. "I'm the strongest, and I have the most to teach."

"... You'll just kill me," she said.

"If I was going to do it, I'd just do it now," John pointed out. "But of course, you have no reason to trust me. I'm the enemy."

There was one more combatant. They were running. Too bad for them, they'd already made the wrong choice. One more throwing dagger. After all, they weren't a kid. They knew what they were doing.

"So," John asked. "What do you think?"

The girl just glared at him. He didn't expect much different. He didn't even know what he was doing. How many hundreds of orphans was he responsible for in some way? Why this one?

"I don't call myself the dark emperor of slaughter. I call myself John. Do you have a name?"

"... Rukiye."

"Well then, Rukiye," John turned. "Make your choice." He began to walk off.

She staggered after him. Then she tried to slash him with the next weapon she passed.

She was going to need some help keeping up. There was no way John was going to slow down the trip just so she could walk on her own two feet.