The old man came back after a while with a rag like map in hand, it looked old, rotten even and clearly wasn't taken care of. But once it was in my hands I was able to piece together the map and understand the current layout of the area.
The planet that these people lived on had been broken and torn apart in the belly of the serpent. But some chunks of land were still pieced together and I was able to understand where I need to go to find the Boar Tribe.
"Thank you," I said to the old man and headed out.
"Are you leaving?" the young man asked me.
"I should be back later," I replied and flew up.
Everyone in the village was surprised at the fact that I was able to fly and were all in awe gawking at me.
Seems that cultivation is pretty rare here for them to think that the mere fact of flying was this surprising, but I didn't have much time to care for this.
So I shot forward at blinding speed, cruising through the atmosphere, and blowing holes in clouds as I moved past them.
The smell of the rotten sea increased the closer I gotten to it, and it kept increasing until it was almost unbearable, and that was before I even reached the sea itself.
In the distance, a gigantic liquid surface was visible that seemed to be fuming, slowly so. Adding fumes and gasses to the atmosphere. Nothing healthy that's for sure, but it was just stomach acid. And from the size of it, the serpent hadn't even started digesting.
Hopefully it won't start doing so until I get the planet core.
Soon I was flying over the sea, and surprisingly I noticed a shadow in it.
How can anything survive inside the stomach acid of a planet devouring serpent I asked myself, and then I understood why immediately.
It was a type of worm, no, more like a parasite, that was hundreds of miles long, it swam without care in the world for the stomach acids and moved about uncaringly as it fed of whatever nutrients were melted in the acid.
I rose up a bit higher to avoid being spotted, that parasite was pretty damn big, and I wouldn't be surprised if it decided to have a flying prey.
An hour or so worth of flight I was able to see the first marks of land. It was pretty far away still it was land, so I approached it with even more vigor.
Before arriving though, I noticed something, the land that was supposed to be the area where the Boar Tribe lived in was almost gone. To the point that there was not more than a mountain range left. Incomparable to the Tiger Tribe land which had a great deal of land, mountains and grassland. This one here was almost eroded to extinction.
I hurried up, since this means that this land was about to disappear from existing if it corrodes even further.
As I arrived I saw that the situation was even worse than I expected, the mountain range had been shattered and ripped to pieces, causing rivers of acid to flow between the mountain peaks, separating its peaks.
Hundreds of people were actively moving about as if they were in a pilgrim, they had their tools and weapons on them, along with whatever they could carry on their backpacks of food and water.
The mountain range had some snow left on its peaks, but it was clearly unusable, since it was slightly green, from the acid fumes that have probably evaporated then fell down on its peaks.
I got closer and one of the people there noticed me.
He pointed at me, and the rest of the tribesmen next to him aimed their weapons at me as I approached.
Terrified of the flying man, they didn't hesitate to throw their weapons at me.
To which I just swatted away as I got down toward them.
"I come in peace," I replied.
"Lies! You're a cultivator!" one of them said.
"And what's wrong with that?" I asked.
"Cultivators are evil, they're the devil worshippers! The Tribe lord warned us from you! Leave this place! You caused this apocalypse all of you did!"
I frowned at the man's wording, how did I cause any of this?
Suddenly, the mountain peak that these tribesmen were climbing began cracking and a massive piece of rock fell and began rolling towards them.
Panic struck as the people began running away in all direction, afraid of being crushed by the incoming rock.
I sighed and flew forward. This caught the people by surprise but when they saw me standing up ahead in front of the rock's path, their surprised turned to astonishment. Because to them, I was actively seeking death.
Since I can't fully utilize my body as it is still heavily injured, I can use a little bit of my power.
I stomped my foot on the ground, then heaved forward as I pushed both of my open palms toward the incoming rock.
The moment the rock came in contact, I bent both my knees and hurled it up.
The strength behind the throw was enough to have the massive rock fly high up and fall far away from any of the panic-stricken tribesmen.
The problem wasn't the rock, it was the snow and avalanche that was following afterward. You could see it coming a mile away form the mountain peak.
"Everyone, if you want to live! Group together here!" I called then pulled my hoverboard.
Some were hesitant, but seeing those who believed in the man who threw away a massive rock to save them from death moving together, they did the same.
The group of a hundred or so tribesmen were shaking as they grouped up next to the hoverboard.
When everyone was close and panicking as the snow and rocks were getting closer and closer, I stepped on the hoverboard's protective pedestal, shooting up a Qi barrier that created a massive dome around us.
The snow came crashing down on the barrier, causing many to scream in panic thinking that they were goners, but seeing the rocks and snow crash harmlessly against the barrier and bounce away, then slide behind them gave them a breath of relief.
Soon the avalanche stopped and the snow no longer moved. But it was still thick and heavy covering the dome, I can get rid of it, but I need information first.
"So, someone explain to me what's happening here?" I asked.
"Exodus," one man said.
"The land?" I asked.
"Yes, it's being eaten away by the sea. The village elder asked us to head for the mountains it's the only way we survive…"
"I see, where is the elder?" I asked.
"He headed out first with his warriors, he said he'll make a shelter at the top of the mountain and now we're following them…
'So he ran away first, understandable,'
"And what's that about the elder saying that cultivators are devil worshippers?" I asked.
"Well… the Elder hates the cultivators since they covet his staff," a man said but was immediately elbowed to shut up.
"I see…"
"Why have you come here?" asked one of the people. "You're a cultivator you can survive the Great Flood can't you?" he asked.
"I suppose…" I replied.
"Then why have you come here?" he asked.
"I actually need the staff your elder has," I replied.
"You see, I told you all cultivator covet it!" someone spoke.
"listen, that staff, or more like the rock he has on it, it's important to me, and I can use it to probably save you all," I said.
"That's what another cultivator said when he tried to steal it and run away!" he said.
I sighed, "Would I have cared for you to live and die if I only wanted to that that thing and leave?" I asked. "Think about it, what if your elder has that staff would he be able to save any of you from your impeding doom? He can't, because he can't even save himself, lead me to the elder and I'll talk to him," I said.
The tribesmen looked at each other confused for a moment, but not willing to be the one to tell me and snitch on their elder.
"Fine, I'll do it myself," I sighed then spread my divine sense.
Suddenly I almost regretted doing so. One of the parasites was swimming across a river between the cracks of the very mountain we were on, and the moment it sensed my divine sense it stopped moving.
I retracted my Divine Sense fast.
"We need to move," I said, "Right now!" I said.
"Why?"
"Because a monster is coming up this second! Hurry up MOVE!"
"But we can't, the dome it's closing on us.
"Just head forward," I said as I guided the hoverboard forward, as it moved the snow began falling off the domed barrier and away until the front of the barrier was clear, once all the snow was unraveled I removed the barrier to preserve the Saint Qi crystal then had everyone moved forward.
The fall of the snow and ice was thick enough that made the people move at a snail's pace. And I could feel the trembling of the mountain as the parasite was moving upward.
"Shit, X, Y, Get out!" I said and the two puppets got out, surprising everyone.
"Incoming threat, delay and distract it," I said.
"As you command!" the two puppets said and rushed out.
While the sound of explosions echoed in the area of the mountain, I led the people up. I needed to meet this elder and understand his hatred for cultivators, then find a way to take the Planet Heart. With force if need be.
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