Lind had been sweating bullets.
His disguise had passed Ethry's deep scanning but he had not been able to test it beyond general scans as he left the Throne. The dragon that ca had surprised him. The jade stone had been a prize that was available but he obviously did not need to swear an Oath to get one.
He still had to make sure there were no cracks in his disguise but the odds of the dragon knowing his new charges made him disturbed. He checked the threads of fate but they were still absent from him.
Astra, however, was like a sun of fate threads!
He sighed internally as they journeyed as he began to see the effect. They found either perfectly safe areas or fortunate encounters with peak Crystal Tier beasts that helped them recover.
Astra was not as esoteric as Neena. She was like body cultivation personified. Her elents were darkness, light, and water but he had seen her use powerful attacks with her fists that left him in awe.
The darkness allowed her to move faster while the light and water allowed her to recuperate far faster than anyone else could, even him!
He had never heard of an aether child like her!
Neena's ability was niche but very useful. She was happy to talk to him on the journey and she opened up. She began to smile more and was much more relaxed. Astra looked on smirking but he never asked her why.
He also asked to spar with Astra and, due to his disguise, he was defeated with ease. Given his successful rescue, it was clear the royal and nobles had caught them off guard and used their guardian to gain an advantage.
Still, he truly learned from her and noticed so issues with her skills. He demonstrated his own skills he had chosen and while his cultivation was not peak, skills were not held back.
Astra absorbed it like a sponge and beca far more powerful without advancing her foundation at all!
Neena also grew stronger in a different way. She learned how to map her surroundings more accurately. Lind had forgotten the joy of teaching.
Too much ti with the Harmonic Dragons that worshipped him like a God had spoiled the experience. His own children also thought too highly of him as they matured.
He missed his ti in the Moebius Sect just exploring what could be done about 6 elentals.
Aside from that, he learned just how chaotic the 4th layer was in the Sovereign Lands. Despite Immortals carving out territory, there was constant battle to maintain it!
The Thrones not only were fixed, they stabilized a large area around them that no one could impose upon. Anything else was in constant flux. In the Hollow Lands that was far more dangerous as tunnels that once led to the surface now went deeper into the middle lands!
The map that had so impressed the demons and the Sect Master of the Heavenly Maiden Sect was made using the flow of elental power. They underestimated the background Qi beyond indications of treasures or precious mines.
The flow could be traced. The disruptions could be perceived. It took centuries to get it to even work a bit and another 1000 years to perfect it. The disruption of the Harmonic Law Crystal of Vitality made that whole part of the map useless.
It was getting better but it would likely take centuries to settle.
He looked forward to seeing the changes!
Lind sensed a vibration from his soul. The dragon had completed his mission, it seed. Ethry had reached out with a simple signal via their connection. Anything stronger would give him away, yet it allowed simple updates after certain actions were initiated.
He wondered what the dragon did exactly but the answer was only found out weeks later when they finally got to the large town south of where they started.
The line to get in was longer than expected but not the insane kind he feared. It seed the large crowds had started to peter out.
They paid a simple price to enter of low Immortal grade Qi stone or equivalent lower realm stones. Lind had a variety of lower realm stones. It took a third of his stores to get in!
Without a storage treasure, he would be eternally poor as he could not carry much and the 4th layer was expensive. He had to pay for all 3 of them and then the won led him to a place where they could sell so of the goods they had acquired on their journey.
It was essentially a butcher with a side job of weapon refining. It allowed them to get beast parts for very cheap to turn around and sell for a tidy profit.
Not a bad business at the level they worked at he. His eye rated the shields and weapons hung on the walls of the front area as grade 6 to mid grade 7. They were not the best but completely serviceable.
The pair of won used their recent spoils to re-arm themselves or get so simple armor. Their robes were barely functional at that point and repairing them was impossible in the town.
The trio then found a humble tavern to eat and find a couple rooms to sleep. The town had a teleportation array but the slot to use it was a week out. It was a nice break after the long journey in the wilds.
The main road would have been more comfortable but they did not want to give any agents of Ricar a way to find them easily.
"Did you hear? The Empire of Ricar lost a prince! Apparently he attacked soone with one of those favor jade stones from the tournant!" A few tables were talking about the recent news about the Empire.
In so bits and pieces, it seed the 4th prince had been maid. No amount of healing was able to restore his manhood! Lind frowned at that. It was a bad injury, sure, but for an Immortal and the right pill, it was easily repairable.
He recalled the stone he infused and it was just sharpened. No more, no less, so why was he unable to heal?
The other noble scions were not heirs so they had been disowned by their families for the sha of the incident that a Sovereign Tier dragon ca to reveal to all.
Its thod to restrain the Empire was both simple and brutal. It simply swore an Oath to Heaven and Earth and even produced the identification to show he was sent by a holder of a favor jade stone.
It was easily confird by the Throne of Defiance as they expected such inquiries. The end result was that the entire misadventure was made public for not only the Empire but all its neighbors and subordinate powers!
Lind was proud that he did not sigh nor show his anger. Why go that far?! Was there no other way?
If the Imperial Ricar family decided to hunt down his current disguise, he did not have as detailed one ready to go or anywhere to hide!
He could only hope things did not go awry. He was about to retire to his room when he instinctively snapped out his arm to grab a wrist.
A sweaty and clearly drunk man was surprised at Lind's strength. He had maintained his disguise but the man in his grasp was peak Crystal Tier!
"Eh? I rely wanted to see the goods before offering a fair price. Surely, you can let a custor do that?" The sneer spread but no one in the tavern believed his words. Lind glanced at the barkeep but he only glanced away.
Despite his drunken state, the man's robes were decent. The reaction of the others in the room were sowhere between pity and glee. It seed the man was well known and did not face the consequences of his actions often.
"We are companions on the road ho. Please leave us in peace." He let the man go and tried to pretend it was a misunderstanding but the man leered at the won.
Neena shrunk in on herself while Astra's flow of Qi was ready to flow like lightning to her limbs. In reality, he had saved the man from her as she was much stronger than him.
"Such fine won surely seek better company than so scruffy rogue? Co with
ladies and you will know such deligh–" His hand was reaching out again and Lind sighed internally before his aura flared.
He rely moved his fist but the air warped under its power. The fine control he demonstrated actually made most of the room perk up.
A body cultivator was much harder to gauge than the usual cultivator. The man actually beca cautious but then summoned a token from his ring on his left hand.
It shared a symbol Lind recognized well enough. It was the golden archer with flas behind them. The Searing Bow Sect was a supre power. It was not one to be ever trifled with but focused on a ranged combat path.
It was very rare yet they had risen up the ranks as their techniques and Arts made it damned hard to get up close to them. Lind narrowed his gaze under his hood. The dallion was real but it was not bonded to the man.
It seed he had co upon a conman abusing the sect's na. Lind did not reveal he knew what was going on but he used his fist to punch downward.
Confusion crossed the man's face until he began to gasp! He was clawing at his throat as he passed out. He was not dead as the Art expired fairly quickly!
"The Void Fist Art! It can create airless pockets and increase speed, distract, or anything but that was the infamous Gasping Void Skill!" A burly man shot up to his feet in shock. Lind was surprised the Art was recognized from a single skill in the set.
New respect and fear spread in the room but all looked at the fallen man and paled. They seed to expect things to get out of hand but Lind carefully picked up the dallion. He pretended to examine it before he found what he needed.
He infused so Qi into it and a formation array lit up. A flickering image appeared that looked incensed.
[Who dares to use Talon Phoenix Piercer's dallion?!] The aura was felt by all! A Sovereign Tier.
Lind cupped his hand and bowed.
"Senior, I once t one of your esteed mbers so when I saw a dull dallion in the hands of this lecher, I suspected it was stolen. I knew there was a function to activate it and if the user was in peril, it would get a response." The man stared at Lind like he was an ant but glanced around the room.
He saw all nodded swiftly before locking on the passed out man.
[Kill him. A mber will arrive in 2 days to get the dallion. All are witnesses to my order.] Lind bowed but he was too slow. Several patrons launched knives and even a spear to kill the man. It seed he had many enemies. [Good. Do not leave your location. We are coming.]
The tavern went silent after the figure vanished. The room all turned to look at Lind but he simply bowed and took the dallion. He would not poke the hornet's nest further!
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