Chapter 421: Disqualified (2-Last)
"I never expected you to show up. Though, I owe you one... No, perhaps with a lot more." shaking the hand that channeled warm energy into his body which quickly healed all his previous wounds, Khal showed a bittersweet smile.
Hale upon hearing Khal’s words laughed with the same pleasant tone as always and said, "I wonder when you will be capable of repaying me the kindness I have given to you. Perhaps in the next eon?"
"Well, better late than never." Khal shrugged and once all his internal and external injuries healed he let go of Hale’s hand and added, "Though, with my cultivation speed, perhaps you don’t have to wait for an eon. Maybe a few centuries."
"Hmm..." looking at Khal from top to bottom, Hale touched his chin with a pondering look and said, "You are right. If I calculate the speed time flows in the Second Realm, you didn’t even need a month to reach your current Stage since we last met."
Then, with a calm smile, he added, "Though, still not better than me. I only needed half a month to become a peak Ascender."
"From the Fourth Cultivation Stage?"
"No, from the First Cultivation Stage."
’...’
[Nice try.]
’Shut up.’ Khal thought with a sour taste before shaking his head helplessly.
Indeed, the being standing in front of him was in a completely different realm. And not only just in cultivation or appearance but past achievements too!
’I should have never asked that. Now I feel like a speck of worthless dust in the vast desert.’
[Considering your current strength and position in the Cultivation World, yes, you are indeed a speck of worthless dust in the vast desert.]
’Thanks for the great encouragement. Now I am feeling much better.’ Khal rolled his eyes in his heart.
[I was just stating facts so you are welcome.]
Nova replied with visible joy, but not because she was happy that call now became languid, but because she knew this will at the very least keep Khal on the ground and won’t allow him to act all so mighty and arrogant.
Also, she knew Khal way too well. If something like a few words were enough to make him give up and stop cultivating then he wouldn’t have been able to achieve the things in the past he did and would have never been able to come all this way.
She was pretty sure this will only serve as a sort of fuel for him and will allow him to broaden his vision more considering the cultivation world!
"Anyways..." clearing his throat, Khal glanced at Nefia behind Hale who slowly but surely began to approach them, and asked quietly, "Can I go back now? I don’t really want to stay together for a second longer with that lunatic. I fear she will kill me if I do."
"Say what?!" Nefia’s hearing just as any of her other senses was pretty sharp, thus she could easily catch the words Khal said, causing her expression to freeze and her face to darken.
Hale, on the other hand, froze only for a split second before his eyes curved into two crescent moons and a hefty laugh broke onto the surface out of him.
"Hahaha! You are truly something else! Hahaha! You never cease to amaze me."
To have the audacity, courage, and sheer valor of not dying, in Hale’s eyes Khal was truly someone worthy to call a friend. Of course, he thought like this as he knew Khal didn’t mean to offend Nefia by any means and only spoke what he currently felt, which he cherished the most out of many things.
From Hale’s point of view, honesty was the most important trait one should have, as he always used to say, it is better to bruise a heart with the truth than to break one with a lie!
Hale kept laughing for a while and only after he took a deep breath to calm himself down did he turn toward Nefia and ask, "So, will you let him go now? Of course, with a punishment which he deserves and not with a pointless death."
"H-Huh? W-Wha... I..." seeing those dazzling pair of eyes on her that could easily captivate any women’s heart, Nefia’s previously dark expression quickly became crimson once again and her whole being became flustered.
"Hm? Is there a problem?" Hale asked with a confused facade, but from the slight curve at the corner of his mouth, even a complete idiot would know he was perfectly well aware of what Nefia’s ’problem’ was.
"Eh? N-Not at all!" Nefia’s eyes widened, entirely oblivious that Hale was teasing her gently.
"I-I will think for punishment right away! However, it will also include their disqualification from the Realm Tournament!" Nefia spoke as she tried to look straight into Hale’s eyes only to be forced to look away as if she was embarrassed.
[She is head over heels for him.]
’Yeah...’ Khal nodded as he was deeply dumbfounded by what he was witnessing.
Was this really the same individual that previously almost killed him and turned his body into meat paste? Because no matter how he looked at Nefia at this very moment, in his eyes she looked no different from a young lady whose heart was stolen by a young man, resulting in her falling madly in love with him but strangely enough was too shy to take the first step to her dream!
Time passed quickly and after 10 entire minutes, from which 9 was in order to calm her fast beating heart down, Nefia looked at Khal and said, "I have decided. Your punishment will be the following. Including your disqualification from the Realm Tournament, you will be sent to the Corpse Lands where you will have to survive for an entire day!"
"Why don’t we increase that to three days?" suddenly Hale asked before quickly adding, "I mean, with is strength and cultivation a day will be like a stroll in a park."
"L-Lord Hale is right." Nefia mumbled and quickly clearing her throat she nodded and said, "Then it is settled. You will be sent to the Corpse Lands for three days and three nights! Any objection?"
"This..." Khal was dumbfounded and looked at Hale, but when he did the only thing he saw was Hale smiling at him, almost as if what he just did was the most natural thing to do!
