Lind suddenly gave orders to organize and head out. No one knew why but none of the Master Tiers seed unhappy or unwilling any longer. His aura had improved but not so much as it did to them so even his family was unsure what was going on.
Only Karu recognized it. She had seen it enough to know what had happened. He had turned the key to the Master Tier once more but in record ti! It should have been impossible but the entire tiline had been absurd in so many ways on both sides.
She had never realized how much the Great One had held back nor how much ground work had been laid out for Lind's current incarnation.
She did not know what had made the final shift but the results were clear as day.
No cultivator, no matter if they were reborn or not nor filled to the brim with every resource and opportunity could pull off what Lind had. She could not even bla Heaven and Earth giving him a helping hand because its own rules prevented it.
Heaven and Earth faced extinction but had never helped Lind overco the monster looming over them all.
How easy would it have been if even the first few tis Lind improved specifically to combat the Fiends could Heaven and Earth have pushed him over the edge to co out victorious?
She knew why. Victory in the Divine Lands was essentially aningless unless certain conditions were t. Lind surviving alone was still the end. He could not advance to the next realm without help.
He was far from reaching it yet.
Still, she lost her despair as she saw him not only advance but give off a solid aura that showed his foundation was not sacrificed to do it. She realized only at that mont, that he had created an opportunity that ca with great risk but maximum results.
Lind was now a pseudo Master Tier but she doubted he would be like she rembered. His horrific battle showed the power he had then yet she felt like he was much stronger even now.
The next realm was very difficult to reach, even with her foreknowledge, failure had still occurred for them.
They had greater success than failures, yet their doom had co without a fight as the tribulation of Heaven and Earth ended their attempt right there.
The laughter of the Great One haunted her from those tilines as she had feared her Talent would not activate because Heaven and Earth ended their lives.
As the ships and artifacts took to the skies, Lind stood at the bow of his ship as it cleared the clouds. He was in a lotus position, still grasping whatever he could. If he actually grasped a Master Tier Mystery, she would drop in shock.
She was about to head below when a chill went down her spine. She whipped around and saw a distortion floating in front of him! It felt like Fiend energy but unlike anything she had ever felt before!
She knew what it had to be. They had discussed them several tis yet she had never heard of him harvesting one from a host. Why? Why would he need one?
She was about to approach when Haro suddenly appeared and assud a guard stance. He smiled at her but it did not reach his dark eyes. His imposing aura made it clear. No one was to co close.
She looked on but she quickly lost the thread of whatever he was doing. He was neither destroying it nor picking it apart for study. She felt the chill of the wind and was about to go below when her race mory tugged at her.
Her burnt orange eyes went wide. She quickly assud a lotus position and was about to delve into whatever enlightennt had co as the world fell away.
????????
Karu's eyes opened but they were no longer burnt orange. They were fiercely pale white and blue. They swiveled over to Haro and Lind. She stood up slowly, carefully, as the fragile body of a Divine Realm could barely contain her.
Haro seed to know what she was but was unbothered. He knew she could not threaten them. She walked forward before staring at what Lind was doing.
[That is an abuse of your bond, senior.] His voice casually entered her mind but it was masterfully done. He did not disturb Karu nor alert her that sothing odd was going on.
The being looking out of her body snarled but cald herself.
[We felt it. You did sothing. What?] Those words made Lind pause. He turned in confusion at her.
[I did what I have likely done before. My harmony was the key and I turned it. I can feel hints and ideas about my next step but I have no ti. I have more important things to do.] She shook her head. He was wrong.
It was not the sa at all.
[You changed sothing. We should not feel that but we did. What did you do?] Lind only tilted his head more at her. He clearly did not grasp what she was after but a new voice intruded.
[Supre Oracle, I think it is the fact he grasped the Mystery of Defiance. He is the first. The first is usually attached to so phenonon. Even your area should feel that.] Haro's words made both look at him but the ancient beast frowned.
It did not feel right. She had never felt anything like what she had not too long ago. It was like her old connection to Heaven and Earth grew stronger or changed. How was it possible?
The last ti that happened was billions of years ago when the Fiends erged and all the Celestials vanished. Even the return of the Celestials had not caused such a stir!
[Insufficient. Being first in a realm is one thing inside the Divine Lands but to reach outside of it? It takes far more. In detail–] Lind suddenly narrowed his eyes at her.
She felt it then. The world seed to gather behind him. She felt small!
[That is not your body and you are not to be here regardless outside of very specific circumstances. Your curiosity is not my concern. If we live, I will look into it.] His dismissive attitude would normally be disdained by her but Lind was a special case.
Technically speaking, no one could be said to have sacrificed more for all the realms save maybe Karu, herself.
The ancient beast sighed as it knew the issue was indeed not worth looking into unless they succeeded. She glanced ahead and had a thought.
[We could–] The feeling of Heaven and Earth suddenly thickened around her. It had tolerated her abuse to the current extent but its indulgence ca to an end. She was being pushed away!
She sighed but had to say one more thing.
[If you succeed, it is important you take your ti in the Master Tier. You are walking a very different path now. You will slow down imnsely but you will have ti. He cannot co down here even if he was free.] Lind nodded appreciatively for the knowledge.
She returned to the lotus position before glancing upward.
[A lot of this could have been avoided if you simply chose to act.] A rumble of thunder followed her transmission but she fell away before it arrived.
Karu was still in the midst of her enlightennt which was now further compensated as she had abused their relationship. Karu would be made aware of it too.
The ancient beast returned to her main body and the Divine Lands cald down.
????????
Lind had lied.
He knew what had disturbed the Eternal Realm. The Mystery of Defiance was not ant to be taken on by a cultivator. It was one of the forces inherent to Heaven and Earth that allowed the path for cultivation in the first place.
That kind of power was extrely dangerous. Other cultivators would grasp it to break the rules of Heaven and Earth. It could allow shortcuts as he was well aware of. His speed was largely due to the Law, Dao, and Mystery of Defiance as he had advanced.
It was only now that he fully embraced it and grasped it that he saw how terrifying he must have seed to others. He had let his emotions run wild many tis and the power of defiance could have run rampant if not limited by his strength.
Lind realized he was walking a thorny path. He was currently needed. Once he was not, he was unsure what would happen. It was entirely possible all his fortune would be twisted into misfortune or sothing else tragic.
He was about to resu his current project when he felt Haro's aura was focused on him. He looked at his Guardian and smiled.
[You know
too well, Haro.] The bald man in erald lined tan robes smiled wide before turning back to his duties.
[I am with you until the end, Master. I pray to the spirits for your success.] Lind nodded as he resud his project. The seed to soften the Divine Lands was far more complex than he had ever imagined but it would take months to cross the Southern Continent.
It was far more ti than he needed to study it but he did not know if it would be enough to complete his project. If he could, it would be very good for their side.
He resud his work as the words of advice from the ancient ancestor of Karu rang in his mind.
The explosive speed he had enjoyed would vanish according to her and that made perfect sense in normal circumstances, but he doubted it. The danger of the original Bastard would not be overlooked by his other selves.
While he would slow down, he doubted it would be as she imagined. He expected that once he started, it would lead him to his next step rather than fumbling around. The Master Tiers were a little more free with knowledge but only a little.
He sighed and resud his work. They had a lot yet to do but it had to be done on the move. That bridge had to fall!
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