Two days remaining, Ogras muttered as he looked out the window of the small farmstead. I guess its about ti.
Whats that, darling? the lithe woman purred in Ogras ear.
I need to go out for a bit, the demon said with a smile as he pinched the bare bottom of his little savior.
You shouldnt walk around too much with those wounds of yours, she said with so admonishnt in her eyes. You were on deaths bed just three weeks ago.
Didnt I prove just how healthy I was yesterday? Ogras said with a cheeky grin and received a roll of the eyes in return.
He had been pretty confident in defeating the 5th floor guardian after his experience with the Transcendent Master, but the fight had pushed him way harder than expected. The enraged beast had been a perfect counter to him as well, too stupid to be tricked.
Things didnt really turn for the better at the following three levels as he looked for an inheritance to end his run with. His wounds kept accumulating until he almost died at the hands of the assassin who guarded the gates to the 49th floor. If it wasnt for the defensive treasures he had commandeered from Galau he might have actually t his end then and there.
Thankfully he managed to escape from the assassins pursuit, and he quickly disappeared into one of the neighboring kingdoms. However, the wounds were too severe, and he had fallen unconscious outside this Uynalas farmstead.
Are you sure you dont want to enter the path of cultivation? Ogras asked as he looked at the girl lying in the bed.
Only problems will co from that. Life is beautiful because it is short. Why would I want to prolong it just to fill it with bloodshed? Uynala said with disapproval. Look at that wound on your chest. Is it really worth it?
Ogras only smiled in response as he finished dressing and walked out of the small house. He didnt have a specific place in mind, but rather simply chose to walk a while to loosen up. One day on the inside ant roughly 15 minutes on the outside. He might find himself in deep shit real soon and needed to be ready.
The massive gash in his chest was still a bit troubleso, but he would be able to fight at full power without issue. Hopefully, it wouldnt co to that though. Zac should have reached a floor high enough to scare off any attempt at their lives, and if not he would serve as an excellent lightning rod for their attacks until they tired themselves out.
The demon found himself on top of a small hill soon enough, and Ogras took a deep breath as he looked around at the quiet vale where he had stayed the past days. The world of cultivators and immortals was almost completely cut off from this little community. The strongest person he had encountered was an old hunter who was level 29.
People worked their fields and lived off the land, without strife or any real suffering. Their lives were short but fulfilling. Uynala would probably marry soone from the community, and their three weeks together would turn into a hazy mory of an adolescent escapade.
Is it worth it? Ogras mumbled as he looked up at the sky. Definitely.
He donned a mask and robe and crushed his token the next mont, not sparing the house and its savior another look. A brief bout of darkness shrouded his surroundings until the world exploded into colors.
------
The beautiful lake was hidden deep within the mountains, untouched for thousands of years. Not a ripple could be seen on its surface, making it seem like a perfect mirror that reflected the heavens above. If one looked from a certain angle it would be impossible to discern which sky was real and which one was fake.
A scream suddenly broke the tranquility of the secluded mountain as a harried cultivator desperately fled for his life. A group of warriors was high on his heels, and the mans back was covered in wounds. He looked back and forth, but there was nowhere to hide. He knew he would have to make a final stand if he wanted to break free.
An hour later the sa man slowly breached the crest of the mountain housing the tranquil pond, and his eyes lit up when he saw the inviting waters. He had barely survived the ordeal, and he was grievously wounded and without provisions. But at least he could drink his fill.
The man dipped his hands in the pond, causing a ripple spread across the tranquil surface. If the man hadnt been completely focused on quenching his thirst he would have noticed a shocking change in his surroundings. Just as the pond rippled from his actions, so did the sky above.
Heavens and lake mirrored each other, and it was impossible to tell which was which.
But his mind was occupied with thoughts of escape, and he lanted the fact that he couldnt simply sprout wings and fly away, leaving his problems behind. He was so engrossed in his escapism he didnt even notice how the air behind him shuddered as two crystalline wings appeared on his back. He only kept drinking the icy cold water, feeling it was the most delectable thing ever.
He finally managed to quench his thirst, and the mont his hand left the pond the ripples disappeared, once again turning into a mirror. The man looked down at his reflection again, feeling that he wasnt as harried any longer.
There was sothing odd about him though, but he couldnt put his finger on it. Did he get the feeling because of the wound across his chest? No matter. The important thing was that he would be able to keep moving for a bit longer.
He jumped off from the ground, his wings vigorously pushing through the air to lift him into the sky. The warrior soon soared among the clouds and set off toward the sunset. Each beat of his wings filled his tired soul with a sense of freedom as trees and hilltops flashed by beneath. But his sense of euphoria slowly dimd down and was replaced with a creeping unease.
Sothing was wrong.
He had sensed it before, and the feeling only beca more and more palpable as ti passed. It was like he was dream walking, where the world wasnt true and correct as he had always known it.
The wings!
Since when did he have wings?! What were these crystalline monstrosities attached to his back? Was this so curse the guards of his family had placed on him before being struck down? But he had never heard of anything like it.
Incongruous emotions clashed in his mind, mories of a life in the heavens, and mories of a life on the ground. But the mories of soaring among the clouds soon shattered, turning into crystalline shards that floated away.
He was elated at grasping the truth, but his eyes widened in horror when the wings on his back disintegrated, turning into shards just like the false mories. Without any ans of flight he plumted toward the forest below, and a large thud echoed out across the desolate mountain as he slamd into the ground.
The wounds of the warrior had worsened, but he was at least alive. The false mories were gone, and his pursuers were half a world away. A sense of freedom once again filled his soul, and it allowed him to rally the energy to keep going.
Dreams of his boundless future started to form as he walked across the unknown forest, but he suddenly felt the creeping unease return. He started running to escape the mounting dread, but it only worsened as ti passed. What was happening to him? Who was ssing with his mind, his perception of reality?
And what else about him was false? Sothing was no doubt the origin of the undeniable unease. He looked down at his hands and froze in place. Were these hands really his? Or were they fignts of his imagination just like his wings?
The answer soon presented itself as the hands fractured and turned into crystal shards that started drifting toward the sky. But as more and more of his body fragnted and split off from his body, the heavier his apprehension beca.
These mories that were left in his mind, were they real or more fignts of his imagination? They turned more and more disjointed, and soon enough they were filled with nothing but short bursts of faces and places that he couldnt na or place.
Am I even real?
A swirl of crystalline fragnts floated into the sky, and a ripple spread out as they breached the surface. The small crystals kept falling until they fell onto the bed of the tranquil pond, joining the millions of other ones just like them.
--------
Ogras found himself standing on top of the teleportation array, and he took a deep breath beneath the mask before sat down and went over his final gain of the Tower of Eternity.
Reality is a perception, Ogras muttered with a frown.
A surge of energy inundating his body as his understanding coalesced, and he felt a new path opening up before him. He had gained the Seed of Mirage from the inheritance trial, and he had quickly incorporated it into his fighting techniques as a ans of distraction.
But was the way he looked at the concept too shallow? What if false could be true, and true be false? How could soone defend at sothing that was neither real nor fake, while simultaneously being both? His eyes stayed closed for another five minutes until Ogras finally took another deep breath and opened his Dao Screen.
Seed of Mirage (High): Dexterity 15, Intelligence 35, Wisdom 10
It looked like he had gained 5 Dexterity and Wisdom along with 20 points into Intelligence. It wasnt a huge amount, but it did push his sowhat lacking Intelligence a bit further. He had never planned on focusing on the attribute even though it was beneficial to so of his skills, but he would gladly take it when it ca for free.
Only after having secured his gains did he bother to check in on his surroundings, and his expression imdiately soured when he saw what was going on.
Shit Ogras muttered as his eyes t the hundreds of glares from the mob waiting outside the protective shielding.
Had sothing happened to Zacs climb that emboldened these fools? Or did they have a false sense of security by their numbers? They would find that numbers were aningless in a battle of powerhouses, and if they got swept up by the chaos it was their problem.
At least they couldnt target him until he stepped off the platform, but he knew that was only a temporary protection. The human cockroach would have to find a more permanent solution for their trio.
The array suddenly shuddered, and a pale Galau appeared the next mont. No apparition appeared upon his exit, but he still sat down with closed eyes as he took out a pill from his Cosmos Sack.
Youre late, Ogras grinned beneath the mask, quickly pulling himself together. Just missed my Apparition, and it was a pretty good one. By the way, do you have a tool to check what level that guy has reached? Hello?
Ah? Galau suddenly said. Mr. AzhRodum? It has been a while, I am glad you are fine. What did you say just now? You want to see the tower ladder?
What happened to you? Ogras asked with a raised brow. Trouble at the desert town?
Ah- well, Galau said with a weak smile as his hand reached for his spatial pouch again. Negotiations fell through at the last mont. I got a bit greedy I am afraid, wanting to make a big profit right before I left.
This face turned even whiter the next mont, and he looked ready to puke. Ogras looked on with incomprehension before his eyes widened in understanding. He quickly reached for his own Cosmos Sack, and a second later his expression was an exact copy of the rchant's. So many barrels of fine liquor gone.
Its that bad? Ogras asked, trying to find so solace in the sorrows of others.
Almost a third of his barrels remained though, and most importantly he still had the treasure he got for defeating the fifth floor. That thing alone was worth more than everything he had stashed away combined. Together with what that asshole provided in the inheritance he stood a chance to open up two of his hidden nodes in one go, provided that he would survive, of course.
Its worse than I expected, Galau confessed with an almost crying expression, but he still took out an opaque crystal. At least I could keep so of m- WHAT IN THE HEAVENS?!
What? Ogras asked with a frown.
Hes reached the 71st floor, Galau sputtered, incredulity evident on his face. "Almost at the gates to the 9th floor."
Monster, Ogras snorted with a shake of his head, even though he wasn't as calm as he let on. We'll see if it's enough to deter the group of starving Gwyllgi waiting outside the gates.
Reviews
All reviews (0)