The two siblings sat within a makeshift cabin, one overlooking the nearby ocean. Kirii laid on the ground within, enjoying the warmth of the nearby fire they had started. Five days had already passed since John entered the forest, each passing day increasing the worry of the two youths.
Only Kirii's reassurances that John was still alive, him being able to tell due to their soul connection, kept the siblings at relative ease. Roaming beasts had wandered near the cabin several times, but Kirii made sure each and every one of them scrammed away quickly.
The powerful beasts lived within the nearby Immortal Forest, while the weaker beasts stayed outside, near the coast where they were. As such, Kirii was more than capable of driving away the curious or hungry beasts that approached them.
Suddenly, a powerful presence arrived above them, appearing high above the cabin. The arrival was so sudden that even Kirii didn't notice the arrival of the newcomer, but he roared with displeasure and shot out of the cabin a moment later, his aura exploding outwards. Lightning flickered over his body, ready to battle whoever had arrived.
Kirii spotted a flying ship hovering high overhead, directly above the cabin. A side-door on the ship opened a moment later, a man stepping out immediately after. The man appeared to be in his thirties, with long blonde hair and a clean-shaven face. His eyes seemed to glow brightly, like the sun was contained within. He wore a white robe with golden trimmings, giving him a regal aura.
Kirii roared at the man in warning, but didn't approach him just yet. The man's Late World Expansion cultivation was clear, a level of power that Kirii couldn't hope to fight against. Still, he held his ground, as John had instructed him to protect the two youths.
"Kirii, it's fine!" Luri said, speeding out of the cabin a moment later.
"Father!" Suri yelled with joy, speeding up towards the white-robed man, tears of joy streaking down her face.
The man's fierce gaze softened instantly as he spotted the two youths, who both sped up towards him, arms wrapping around his waist in a tight embrace. The man chuckled lightly with happiness, embracing each of the youths with one of his arms.
The three parted a moment later, the man inspecting the two youths.
"Why are you two here?" the man asked them, stern confusion in his voice. "One minute you were on your mission, the next I had lost all contact with you two. What happened?"
"We…" Suri started, but paused a moment later.
"We were captured by slavers," Luri explained, his expression grim as he remembered just how close they had been to losing their freedom permanently. "We trusted the wrong people on our mission, and were led into a trap. They had five in the Late Dao Transformation Realm and one in the Half-Step World Expansion Realm, so there wasn't anything we could do. They captured us and took our communication devices before we could react."
"Slavers!" the man exclaimed, a furious look on his face. "To think slavers have grown so bold as to target those from a Dao Sect. Unacceptable!"
The man's gaze shifted over the nearby land, scanning every nook and cranny.
"Where are they!" he demanded loudly. "Where have they fled to?"
"It's alright father," Luri said, "they have been slaughtered already, all of them."
"Slaughtered? By who?" their father asked.
"A boy we met, one who was captured as well," Suri said.
"A boy?" their father asked. "Where is he now? What Dao Sect does he belong to?"
"He's…he's in the Immortal Forest," Luri said, pointing in the direction John had gone to. Their father glanced in that direction, a frown on his face.
"Did he flee for some reason? Leaving you two here to fend on your own?" their father asked, his gaze shifting to the nearby Kirii. He could tell the beast was quite amazing, but didn't know anything about it, or where it had come from.
"No," Suri shook her head vigorously. "He saved us, then left his companion here to protect us. He left five days ago, and should be back any time now."
"Is that so?" their father mused, his gaze returning to the forest.
"I'm glad that someone was able to help you, but we should not delay any longer," their father said, "we will leave at once. If the boy wants to receive a reward for his help, he can find our sect on his own time. Come, let's go."
"But…" Suri said.
"I'll hear no arguments," he said, "let's go."
…
A satisfied look lingered on John's face, his back against a large tree, one bearing marks of a recent and brutal battle. Blood covered his body, belonging both to him and his foes, his dantian mostly spent. His body was wracked with the pain of battle, but that only made him feel more alive.
John rested for some time, his body quickly recovering thanks to his newly unlocked Limiter of Life. After recovering, he cleaned himself off in a nearby stream, then put on a new robe, one black and red; the colors of the Heavenly Lightning Sect's War Hall.
"I've managed to gather quite a good amount of beast blood essence," John said to himself, inspecting his blood reserves with much satisfaction.
He had battled arduously over the last five days, slaughtering more beasts than he could count. Their blood was harvested and bodies collected, either to be sold or consumed at a later time. He didn't like to waste the corpses of the beasts he killed, both out of respect for his fallen foes, as well as respect for his wealth.
Each of these beasts would no doubt sell for a decent amount, and he would not turn down free spirit crystals. After cleaning himself, John studied the ruins of his recent battlefield.
"I suppose I should be heading back," he mumbled to himself. "I lost track of time, it seems, consumed by the pleasure of the battles. It's almost been a week, so I need to return before those two siblings go mad with worry."
Thanks to his soul-connection with Kirii, John knew the direction he needed to travel. He sped through the forest for the next day, resting for one night as the sun fell. He laid about on a tree branch miles above, the branch wide enough to comfortably fit a dozen humans. The forest rumbled in the distance, the serpent of the forest no doubt the cause.
When the sun rose the next day, he continued his journey, speeding through the forest towards the coast. A half-day later, he arrived at the forest's edge, the sight of the distant ocean appearing in his view.
He sped towards the makeshift camp he had made a week ago, and arrived there a short while later. He raised an eyebrow as he arrived.
"See," Luri said excitedly, pointing to John. "I told you he would get back here safely."
John stared at the man Luri was talking to, a middle-aged man who stared back at him, his gaze bright and intense. The man shared the same hair color as the youths, and had similar facial features, no doubt the father of the two youths.
'World Expansion huh? Their father is quite powerful.'
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