Kalzara
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Chapter 59: What Is The Son Of Heaven Doing Here?!
🕑 Added 2023-12-14 00:56:41 +0000 UTCSlifer shook his head in frustration as he scrolled through the System Shop. The treasures and cards that could actually rival an Ascendant cultivator’s power cost upwards of 50,000 credits! If the meeting was in a few weeks, perhaps the work of the Disciplinary Hall members would have been enough to buy something worthwhile.
“Couldn’t you throw a starving cultivator a bone?” Slifer grumbled under his breath.
The Shop interface flickered mockingly before disappearing.
Slifer sighed, forcing himself to look on the bright side. At the very least, he was able to purchase the means to physically get to the Ascendant Meet itself. For an Obsidian Rank treasure, it wasn’t even that expensive!
Name: Divine Azerion Arc
Rank: Obsidian
Condition: Critical
Cost: 5000 Karmic Credits
Description: Crafted by an immortal, the Arc now limps through the heavens. Its body, marked by old fights, is barely able to hang on.
Warning: Some functions may be unavailable due to critical condition
Sure, it is in critical shape but that is a critical shape for an Obsidian Rank item, Slifer consoled himself.
The ship would do the job…he hoped.
The Ascendant Meet was always held in the clouds of the seventh heaven, far beyond the reach of those below the Ascendant Realm. From what Slifer gathered, the Mortal Realm had nine heavens, it was said that breaking through the ninth heaven would lead to the Immortal Realm.
As for the seventh heaven, the air pressure and elemental forces present at such altitudes would crush anyone under the Ascendant Realm, unless they had access to a vessel or artifact that could protect them.
And apart from the ship, there was nothing else Slifer could afford that could take him there.
But having the physical means to reach the Meet was the easy part.
Actually surviving the gathering of powerful Ascendant Realm cultivators was another matter entirely.
Slifer didn't really know what to expect. The original as a Nascent Soul cultivator had never qualified to attend such a gathering before. But Slifer knew how these things went - as the new guy, he fully expected the other Ascendant cultivators to try him.
He had no illusions about his chances without the System, just a sneeze from an Ascendant Realm cultivator could turn him to dust. After all, he was like an ant arriving at a convention of giant boot-wearing humans.
And he couldn't even bring along bodyguards, even if the Grand Elders were loyal – which they were far from - they'd wouldn’t even qualify as meat-shields!
But with these cards, I’m not totally helpless, Slifer smiled, looking at the few Critical Block cards and the single Reflection Barrier card he had bought.
Are they enough though? I should probably try my luck at gambling, who knows I might just get lucky…Slifer nodded to himself, he would rather use his credits now than get one-shotted later, those thousands of credits will be useless then.
Ding!
Random Card Acquired
Activate Now?
(Yes/No)
“Yes!”
***
Three days later
The streets of Riarn bustled with life, flooded by crowds going about their daily business. Vendors called out from stalls lining the roads, advertising various goods from exotic places. The smells of roasted nuts, fresh bread, and fragrant spices melded together, saturating the air. Children laughed and played, ducking around grumbling labourers.
Two boys chased each other when one suddenly tripped, tumbling forward. His knee scraped painfully against the ground, and he yelped, clutching his leg as tears welled up in his eyes.
Before the boy could cry out, a hand gripped his shoulder.
“Are you alright, lad?”
The boy looked up into warm brown eyes set in a gentle face. The man had short chestnut hair and appeared to be in his late twenties, he wore simple but well-made clothes.
The boy sniffed loudly and shook his head as he struggled to hold back tears.
"Let me see, little one.”
The boy tentatively showed his injured leg, a tiny amount of blood trickled down the scrape.
The man placed a hand above the wound and soft red glow emanated from his palm, easing away the stinging pain.
“See there, good as new!”
The boy stared wide-eyed. "Y-you’re an immortal?" he whispered in awe.
The man smiled. "Haha, not yet but…I’m getting there."
He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. As he did so, a faint, intricate pattern momentarily appeared on the boy's head. It quickly faded away without leaving a trace.
"What do we say?" the man prompted gently.
“T-thank you, sir.”
“You’re quite welcome, lad. Now, do be more careful in the future.”
As the man turned to continue on his way, the boy stared after him, dumbfounded.
Nearby pedestrians who had saw the exchange smiled and whispered to one another.
"That was Lord Ulric, wasn't it?"
"Yes, he is so compassionate and humble. If only more nobles were like him."
One figure lurked in the shadows of a nearby alley, face hidden by a hooded cloak. They watched the encounter closely, lingering even as Lord Ulric disappeared into the crowds. After several long moments, the mysterious observer faded away into the darkness.
***
A few hours later as the sun dipped low over the city's rooftops, the boy from the market wandered alone down an empty alley. His eyes lacked the usual spark of life and curiosity that one would expect in a child. His footsteps dragged as he shuffled forward until he reached the end of a dark alley.
Rotting wooden boards blocked the windows of the last building, the boy paused before its door, swaying slightly as though he was in a trance. As he stared blankly ahead, the door creaked open.
The kind stranger from the market stood in the doorway, though there was nothing kind about the smile that stretched across his face.
"There you are. Come in, come in, the others have been waiting for a while already."
As the boy stepped forward, the door slammed shut behind him.
In centre of the room sat eight other children arranged in a circle. Though they faced one another, their blank eyes stared right through each other. Their new addition joined the circle. He did not speak or even glance around. None of the children so much as blinked.
Ulric clasped his hands together. "Perfect, perfect! Nine souls, ripe for the taking!"
He scurried to the centre of the circle, nudging the children's limbs as he positioned them to his liking.
"The book said nine boys, and here you are!" Ulric continued muttering to himself as he drew intricate patterns on the children's foreheads using a vial of ink. "Following its guidance, I should have no trouble forming a Nascent Soul. Yes, no trouble at all!"
He retrieved a scroll from his robes, "Now let's see, first I must corrupt their souls."
Closing his eyes in concentration, a red glow emanated from his palms, coalescing into pulsating tendrils of energy. They snaked towards each child before boring into their chests in a misty haze.
The children convulsed, faces contorting in silent agony as the purity was leeched from their souls.
After a few sickening seconds, their bodies slumped to the floor.
"Excellent, that should sufficiently corrupt and weaken them," Ulric opened his eyes. "Now to extract their souls. If I can harness the souls of nine innocent boys, I'll finally breakthrough to the Nascent Soul. Oh, I can almost taste it!"
Looking down at the young boy from earlier, Ulric laughed. “And I’ll be one step closer to being an immortal!”
He then retrieved a wicked curved dagger and poised it above the first child's heart.
Just as Ulric was about to plunge the dagger down, the sound of splintering bones and tearing flesh filled the air.
Ulric froze, dagger slipping from his fingers. Looking down in horror, he saw a claw-like hand emerge from the centre of his chest, staining the floorboard with blood.
"You didn’t think you’d be the only one having fun, did you?" a ghastly voice hissed by his ear. A foul breath tickled the back of his neck, sending an icy chill down his spine.
Ulric whipped his head around, mouth opening to scream, but only a strangled gurgle escaped his lips.
Before him stood a girl, perhaps sixteen, with skin so pale it appeared translucent. Dark veins spiderwebbed across her face. Her eye sockets were hollow, and they let off an otherworldly blue glow.
As her mouth opened impossibly wide, the woman inhaled deeply. An unseen force, like an invisible hand, seized the demonic cultivator’s soul, pulling it from his body and guiding it toward her gaping maw.
Ulric convulsed weakly, his eyes rolling back in their sockets.
With a wet squelch, the girl withdrew her hand from Ulric's back, examining the blood staining her pale fingers.
The lifeless corpse slumped to the floor.
Dragging her thumb across her lower lip, the girl purred, "Delicious," smacking her lips together in satisfaction.
As the woman turned her attention to the unconscious children, the dark veins receded, and colour returned to her cheeks.
"As much as I'd love to claim your little souls as well, master would be really mad if I did that," Amelia murmured. With a resigned sigh, she took a step towards them, intending to return them to their homes.
No sooner had her foot touched the ground than the wall behind her exploded in a shower of dust and splintered wood. She leapt back as a crescent blade of solidified air whistled through the space her head had just occupied.
Whirling around, Amelia’s eyes narrowed at the figure now stepping through the new hole in the wall.
He was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, with a strong, muscular build and shoulder-length raven hair. His handsome features were twisted into a vicious scowl, and his emerald eyes glinted with a predatory light.
"Just who do you think you are, barging in here?" Amelia growled.
The corner of the man's lip curved up mockingly.
"Ziven."
***
Ding!
Alert: Your Disciple Amelia Is In Battle Against A Son Of Heaven
Win Reward:
- If your disciple defeats the Son of Heaven, your luck will be restored to its normal state
- If she manages to kill the Son of Heaven, your luck will be significantly enhanced and you will gain a random bonus reward
Loss Consequences:
- If your disciple is defeated but survives the encounter, your luck will decrease
- If she dies, you will suffer the consequences of a disciple death
