The whale’s eyes instantly lit up. There was no room for negotiation; clearly, Derek possessed a slave seal, and his intentions were clear. He received the order to kill those to whom he delivered the rune.
"FORMATION!" Ruri, Loeus, and Corin shouted, awakening everyone around, who instinctively drew their weapons and gathered.
THUMP-THUMP!
The earth rune pulsed with all its strength, and all the earth laws from within the sect immediately resonated. All the disciples looked at the whale in front, feeling as if the whole world was focusing around them. On the other side, the elder drew a blue saber, and a deadly power from a cultivator in the ninth level of the Elemental Condensation Realm made all the QI stir.
He was just a few meters away from everyone, then his saber cut violently, making all the disciples feel an immense weight fall upon them. Suddenly, their bodies felt light, and a warmth swept through their minds. Then, they looked forward and saw the round figure waving with something emerging in his hands.
The weight on the whale’s feet made the ground collapse. Then, a gigantic sword, larger than the figure holding it, emerged, radiating a celestial blue that was like a divine presence over mortals. Next, the weapon swung...
BOOM!!!
Two tyrannical forces collided, making the world lose sound, and space distorted. All the disciples were completely stunned; despite the explosion, not a single residue of power passed through the whale and hit them. It was as if he had advanced forward, and all the QI in the world was directed in that direction, blocking anything.
Then they saw the central elder flying away while spitting blood...
Around him, fragments of a powerful saber scattered through the air. That weapon couldn’t withstand a single clash with the heavy sword.
"Stay behind," the whale spoke softly, taking a step forward. "As long as I’m in front with my weapon, nothing will pass. I’ll protect you all."
Everyone looked at him wordlessly. It was on his third step that the whole earth illuminated, and earth runes emerged as if they were stars everywhere. In a second, the runes merged with the whale.
Then his volume grew... a runic being of five meters emerged... a shadow of an ancestral creature with three horns seemed to rise in the aura around him. Then, a primordial presence surfaced in the world.
"The problem is that I can only attack two more times," the dense and heavy voice from the creature sounded to everyone. "I’ll protect you; when the opening appears, attack. Everything will be resolved in a few moves."
This was not a battle of attrition or escape. Derek was ordered to kill them, so they would either kill or die. Using the bloodline to buy time wouldn’t solve anything; no one would come to save them. Soon, they would make the two possible moves with Fides, using everything they had.
At that moment, Derek rose calmly, and everyone sighed. His injuries were only external; his power remained intact. The main loss was his destroyed saber. He snorted, and then his being was enveloped in runes, accompanied by deciphered sounds.
A furious domain of purple electrical laws emerged, enveloping him. With a wave, the electrical runes joined in his hand, forming an immaterial saber as dense as a common weapon. Its power was inferior to his old saber, but its compatibility with his electrical energy was higher.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of the earth breaking echoed from two directions; then, Derek and the whale disappeared before everyone’s eyes. The speed using the earth and the speed using the lightning were abnormal.
BOOM!
Suddenly, everyone witnessed the explosion between the two up front. The whale was no longer wielding his heavy sword, facing the elder head-on with only his fists. No one could comprehend how someone could withstand that power directly to their body.
Suddenly, the elder sensed something amiss as the lightning around roared. In a second, he leaped ten meters into the air, anticipating danger. However, looking down, he was met with the mocking gaze of the whale and realized he had fallen into his trap.
Two brown headlights, like the earth, emerged in her eyes. "Damn it! Gravitational Domination!"
The whale’s words echoed, and suddenly, the elder felt the world around him invert, as if a mountain were crashing against his back. He fell violently towards the ground.
However, in the same second, he sensed a looming death, and a spatial shadow crossed the space.
With his body destabilized toward the ground, a silver katana appeared at his throat as if it had teleported. That should have been certain death, but he was no ordinary elder. A yellowish glow burst from his chest, and a black earth rune appeared in front of the katana.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering glass echoed as Ruri seemed to hit a barrier that absorbed all the impact. She was violently pushed back, spitting blood as she flew away.
The elder smiled and continued to fall; that was his lifesaver. But, a celestial blue covered his vision, and a heavy sword came towards him.
"Shit,"
He muttered, spitting blood as he channeled all the power he could into his body. All the electric runes gathered before him, and suddenly, a celestial purple shock unleashed into the skies.
KABOOM!
Space began to shatter, but the heavy sword and Derek’s maximum electric power, combined with cultivation in an entire realm above, were enough to block the attack. Alm and Bruno’s main firepower lay in their defense thanks to the lineage. The attack was shocking due to the weight of the sword, but they could only use it three times; it wasn’t a miracle, and that fight wasn’t something they could normally win.
However, their real firepower was something else.
The elder had only just enough time to feel a sovereign beastly bloodline emerge in the world. Then, a wave of black fire covered the horizon, engulfing Derek.
Wooosh!
A Yin and draconic power eclipsed everything. In the skies, Runula and Deryu flapped their wings side by side. Runula was a few levels below that elder; she, attacking alongside Deryu and combining their powers in a formation, managed to unload all the Qi they possessed into a single devastating blow.
Alm and Bruno were already on the ground and were not affected. Currently, the offensive power of Runula and Deryu was equivalent to them fully activating Ruri’s rune. However, they would lose their bloodline and inconceivable defensive power. After the behemoth changed its earth rune, it was no longer worth giving that up; these two wyverns played their roles well. Exhausted, they returned to Ruri’s beastly space.
Three seconds passed, and looking up, the whale narrowed his eyes. Slowly, the black fire dissipated, and Bruno clearly felt the presence of a strange Yang law. "He used that bone. And managed to survive by putting all the power into a spatial rift..." Bruno dryly commented.
Then, a strange light emerged like a small sun in the midst of black clouds. Everyone watched as the light dimmed, revealing the elder completely blackened and burned.
"This did cost him a lot; he survived, but now he’s very weak. We have to finish it," Alm spoke quickly, and the whale jumped, breaking the earth.
Fides appeared for its final move, and this time, the entire behemoth lineage was burned without sparing anything. To gain more explosive speed, all the earth runes that composed the runic body of the whale vibrated. Then, earth energy was converted into electric energy.
Electricity surged through the body, crackling. The air around was covered in electric bolts that condensed. The lineage blood was burned, and the electricity changed to an intense and powerful whitish color.
Fides was raised toward the air, counting with a speed and power that seemed to split the world. Then Derek widened his eyes and spat all the blood he had on the bone in his hands.
Boom!
The heavy sword and the bone clashed, surprising the whale. The bone, just an inch long, pulsed with light and managed to absorb all the impact and destructive Qi.
They looked at Derek and saw his countenance age severely. His whole body was injured, his Qi depleted, and a large part of his life was burned to defend himself.
"ATTACK!"
The whale roared, and space opened up behind Derek. Ruri appeared, along with fifteen thousand disciples. Then, every drop of available Qi and power was channeled into a single move.
The elder turned, pulling countless wooden logs from the spatial ring. Alm and Bruno felt a dense natural power in that wood, coming from the Skyward Forest. Then, they joined together, forming a defense.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
CRACK!
The defense exploded, and all the wood turned into dust. Its hardness and capability were enough for a blockade, but the skies were already covered in vibrant colors, and the young man with colorful hair threw his spear with all his might, piercing through.
Pof!
The spear went through Derek, creating a hole in his chest. However, he wouldn’t die so quickly.
Whooosh!
Loeus attacked, and a pillar of Yang flames hit him with full force, covering him in all directions. Everyone threw everything they had, continuously attacking the elder.
But Alm and Bruno on the ground, watching from below, narrowed their eyes. An even brighter light grew to five meters, like the sun in the daytime sky.
’The defensive power of this is unparalleled... but, Derek is now completely doomed, no turning back.’ Bruno murmured.
Everyone retreated, entering back into the spatial rift that Ruri created. They appeared on the ground, at a considerable distance from the site. Ruri also had to use all her Qi to bring everyone to the right point at the exact moment, manipulating space. Of course, all thanks to the spatial rune. But her Qi had to be used to manipulate that correctly.
The whale looked up attentively, with its bloodline and Qi completely depleted. Theoretically, they had won; but Derek, completely disfigured, emerged with no intention of surrendering.
’The orders of a slave are absolute,’ Bruno murmured, and Derek’s eyes moved downward, meeting theirs. In those trembling eyes, they saw endless pain and sorrow.
"Sorry..." Dry and powerless words came from Derek’s mouth. Because he was weak, the slave seal eased slightly, but he could do nothing more than murmur.
Alm dryly commented, ’He has no free will. His orders must have been to kill us at any cost. His life is worthless to the demon emperor.’
Soon, that bone moved and pierced the hole in Derek’s chest. Quickly, the elder’s body spasmed, and everyone watched in horror. Soon, all the blood in his body shriveled as if demonically sucked.
’A demon’s technique. He’s using every last drop of blood, life energy... and his soul...’ Bruno spoke with regret.
’He had the choice to raise Denil, and everything should have flowed without needing any of this to happen. But he chose greed; and did not repay the benefits he received. His karma has been collected.’ Alm spat.
Then, a light emerged in the world and began expanding at a frightening speed. Everyone felt a deadly pressure on them. The whale, in turn, looked at it stunned.
’Shit... he created a spatial rift that’s expanding and swallowing everything like a black hole,’ Bruno analyzed tensely. ’His soul is being consumed... at this rate, he’ll have enough energy to cover this entire enclosed field.’
’The demon principal and the demon emperor couldn’t act directly because of the agreement. So they set up everything, and even added a demonic technique to ensure we would die,’ Alm spoke, snorting, as the light was already twenty meters. ’All this to make sure that woman’s son dies and doesn’t become a threat in the future... the envy and greed to be the only one is irrational and immeasurable.’
’What can we do? Everyone is going to die like this!’ Bruno thought frantically with all his might.
But Alm responded without hesitation, ’We have a slim chance of surviving; they don’t. The order given was to kill us; if he succeeds, it’s all over.’
Bruno immediately froze his thoughts; that was the only possible resolution at this moment. They had no way of knowing about all the past conflicts and that they had always had a giant target on their backs. Soon, everything was set up for them to fall into this hopeless trap. They didn’t have the power to overcome something like this, especially these laws they only had a brief understanding of.
’But...’ Bruno interrupted himself, a sharp pang of pain piercing his chest. ’Yes, he’s ready to go on his own... it’s us who don’t want to say goodbye.’ He sighed, concluding with sorrow.
Alm and Bruno felt an indescribable pain, a sensation they thought had long been forgotten. Their chances of survival were minimal; even if they managed to escape with their souls intact, the journey back would be long and uncertain. Possessing an infinite life expectancy due to their divine souls, they felt overwhelmed by the idea of a possible permanent loss.
’Sixty percent of his soul was damaged; if we delay further, Derek will never be able to reincarnate.’ Alm’s words echoed painfully in the air.
’I... I can’t do this, you do it...’ Bruno muttered, leaving everything to Alm.
The whale sighed deeply and turned, heading towards the disciples. They ran hastily, taking only two minutes to reach them. The light emanated at a frightening speed, death seeming to draw near to all, but the trust in the whale fueled hope that everything would be resolved.
Alm’s eyes met Ruri’s, and for a moment, they connected silently. She seemed petrified, as if sensing the imminence of something terrible. Alm waved for her to come closer.
Ruri moved slowly toward them. In a soft whisper, the whale spoke, ’I’m going to perform a dangerous act. Please hand this to Nimfle afterward; it might be destroyed in the process.’
Ruri didn’t rationally comprehend the meaning of the words, but her instincts screamed something that made her will crumble in premonition. She accepted the leadership emblem of the Forge Institute and stowed it away quickly. Then, she felt a gentle hand stroking her hair.
’Keep being a good girl,’ echoed the voice in Ruri’s mind. And then, everything disappeared, like a black curtain closing over her consciousness.
The whale held the unconscious Ruri as he turned to Corin and Loeus, who approached quickly, completely stunned. Corin carefully took Ruri, while the whale spoke dryly in their minds.
’There’s a 99.99% chance that this body will die. Even if it survives, or only my soul remains, it will take a long time for me to return, if I can return at all. It’s better that Ruri doesn’t harbor hope for that. Just tell her that I won’t come back and provide all the necessary support. Time has the power to heal all wounds.’
The two trembled; Loeus clenched his fists tightly. Meanwhile, tears streamed vigorously from Corin’s eyes. Soon, the message echoed in his mind:
’Foolish boy, I’ve brought you this far and taught you a lot. Unlike everyone else, you have the greatest potential to reach the divine realm and conquer the pinnacle of cultivation on your own. Hopefully, we can meet again and still hunt the queen together. Focus on your cultivation and forget all this; seeking revenge or anything like that isn’t worth it.’
The whale turned to Loeus. ’Your future is in the desert city. Take good care of that place and keep it as a refuge for all who wish to live in peace. Even if I don’t come back, I’ll still be able to feel the people’s faith; remember that.’
Taking a deep breath, the whale cast one last look at the still-unconscious Ruri. Then, he turned to the front. ’Seventy percent of his soul has been destroyed; just a little more, and it will be irreversible. So, let’s go.’ Alm said, sealing his emotions, while Bruno remained silent, consumed by grief.
Everyone saw the tattoos glow on the whale’s wrists. Millions of spiritual crystals were consumed, and his body filled completely with Qi again. Now devoid of bloodline, they could only rely on their physical cultivation and Qi to survive.
The disciples and Corin, who couldn’t stop crying, watched in despair as the whale jumped straight toward the giant light. The plan was simple, die and have the slave seal fulfill its purpose so the rest could be saved.
Suddenly, he disappeared without any disturbance or alarm. It was as if he had entered a different world.
It didn’t take five seconds for the light to freeze. Then, everything went dark completely, and only the central elder Derek, who looked like a dried-up corpse, emerged.
Pof.
He fell to the ground directly... then everyone felt that there was no life in that body...
As for the whale, there was no sign of him. Even after an hour, everything remained the same. It was only when several central elders entered the location in shock, after receiving the news of the elder’s life crystal being destroyed, that everyone woke up to reality. The whale was gone; and it was unknown when or if he would ever return. The void he left behind was palpable, as if an essential part of the world had been torn away.