60. The Elusive Path of Dao
Clay closed the book he was reading upon seeing a Krad'u’s silhouette approaching him from afar.
Initially when he asked for books pertaining to their ancestors who had been in contact with the immortals, they brought every manuscript available and when he heard that most of them were copied from the stone monuments within the Death Qi mountains, he asked they make a new copy. And the reason is to make a comparison from the old books.
It was unnecessary but halfway through the translation of the texts being brought to him, he realized there is no difference from the books he already had gone through. It was due to luck he was able to find clues about Beast Core Transplant and although no cure was mentioned, he still managed to get some leads to his next destination.
He wanted to speak to Krad’u before leaving but yesterday, Krad'u sincerely asked for a break to facilitate a burial rite.
Clay knew he could easily order Krad’u around but he decided to show some decency and he should be grateful with the knowledge he acquired especially on the history.
According to the books he read, there was once an ancient Elven clan who wanted to unify all continents creating turmoil and disturbance across the cultivation world.
That clan believed that unifying the lands was the will of the immortals, the same immortals Krad’u’s ancestors had been in contact with. Unfortunately, that clan underestimated the numbers of resistance and after years of protracted war, their experts fell one by one eventually leading to their demise.
After that clan had been besieged, a rumor spread that the real reason they were waging war is to assimilate remnants of the technology left behind by the immortals. As for their real objective, no one figured it out.
The name of that Elven Colony is called Ul Al'iya Clan which will be his new destination. It is unclear if this ancient colony still has remaining descendants but someone should have at least kept records of their existence.
"I thank this esteemed master for giving us time to bury our kin. Rest assured I had everyone resumed in copying the texts and will be available this afternoon as promised."
Krad'u kowtowed upon arrival. Clay wants to believe the sincerity of these villagers including Krad'u but he knows that the only reason for their respect and obedience is due to fear and the Spiritual Vein Model.
"What do you know about human Sword Experts?"
Krad'u was surprised by the question.
"This Lord, if not because of the mysterious power produced by their techniques, the dominion of Ca'ar continent should have had long fallen into the hands of Elves. We call it Path of the Grand Dao and for human sword experts, they wield the power of Sword Qi which even the most talented genius of our race is unable to comprehend."
Clay felt relief upon hearing that Elvens cannot exert such force assuring there will not be any surprises on his next journey. Although it is still logical that a stronger version of the Sword Qi may exist, it is now clear that such practitioners are extremely rare and should be limited to humans. Krad'u could not explain what Sword Qi is, but at least he was able to tell what Clay needed to know for now. Clay activated his wings and slowly levitated.
"Bestowing you items may implicate your village, but I will remember the kindness and favor from heart. As promised, I will leave in peace." Clay bid his farewell then levitated.
Krad'u watched Clay's disappearing figure in confusion. Part of him hopes Clay really will not come back. Having witnessed those Qi Projections, he is positive even Nascent experts stand no chance. In fact, the Magic Beast within the Death Qi regions are extremely dangerous that Nascent experts would be cautious of were all eliminated like ants stomped to death with little effort.
Krad’u clenched his fist. He does not know if their village is being toyed with but since Clay left them a Spiritual Vein, he protect it at all cost.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Spiritual Veins are foundations of every sect and although the boulder does not emit Qi like Veins, it does produce a mysterious energy enriching any nearby floras with Qi. Through time, they might be able to produce their own Nascent Expert by relying on that treasure. He clenched his fists and hope for the best.
Meanwhile, Clay has no idea what Krad’u was thinking but when he was a few kilometers away, he stopped mid air and looked at the Death Qi mountains one more time. That time when he had to eliminate every dangerous Magic Beasts in the area, he did notice some interesting structures within a deep crevice.
If he were to remove the dirt that accumulated over time, the true image of the structures would reveal a Spatial Formation that stretches at least eight hundred meters wide.
Clay was reminded of the simplified simulacra of the Formation he inscribed on a parchment and because of it that he is still alive today.
It is indeed interesting learning more about that structure will have to wait until he reverts back to normal. And speaking of his condition, he noticed his body is aging rapidly.
A month ago, he looked like a teenager but when he saw his reflection yesterday, he looked like in his mid thirties and from his estimate, he probably has less than a year if this continues.
After three days, Clay landed on a deserted mountain with a natural spring which formed a swamp teeming with unknown succulent fauna. Similar to where he first created a Vein Model, the Spiritual Qi within the area is almost non-existent so he expects that no cultivators would even bother visiting.
“How could I forget to ask him something basic?” Clay cursed upon realizing he forgot to ask Krad’u about the crystallization of Spiritual Qi. He could at least avoid taking unnecessary stops.
Clay took out twelve metal plates from his then activated a simple Isolation Array. He wanted to set a Defensive Formation and test what he learned from the village but he felt it was a waste of time as he does not believe powerful cultivators would visit the area.
After submerging the Vein Model on a shallow water, he dug a cave then took out the sword manual from his spatial ring to study.
Three days passed in a blink of an eye and Clay started harvesting leaves enriched with Spiritual Qi.
Last night, he stopped immersing himself with the sword techniques as he was disappointed that none of the manuals described Sword Qi. He thought it would just manifest by itself but after two days of self-practice, nothing happened. He even tried imitating the basic slash he remembered during his encounter with the young swordsman but after hours of practice, he gave up.
Since the leaves were ready for harvest, he will study it again some time.
As Clay sealed the bags of succulent leaves he collected, his eyes blurred.
“Not good.”
Clay felt the same lightheadedness similar to that time when he fought Nascent experts and he is anxious he will lose consciousness again.
But the bigger problem this time are the bones in his head and on the coccyx area. It felt like they are moving.
Clay had little time so he went to retrieve the Spiritual Vein Model. He does not know how long his slumber is going to take but if he does not hide it, the Isolation Formation may not be able to contain the Spiritual Qi continuously produced by the surrounding plants and the burst of Qi may attract unwanted attention.
As Clay’s consciousness is beginning to fade, he is unaware that his biggest fear had already happened.
A group of cultivators had already trespassed and positioned themselves like cunning predators and when they saw Clay’s unusual behavior, they shot their crossbows. Unlike artifacts, the weapons they used were not imbued with Qi and despite Clay’s ability to instantaneously set up a barrier, it was too late for him to defend.
Phssk!
Clay saw two bolts pierced his calves aggravating the changes in his body and the next second, he felt paralyzed and dropped to the ground. His last thought was spreading his Qi Projections and crushing six people’s heads.
Last night, a group of cultivators were travelling when their flying mounts suddenly changed its course. The cultivators tried to control them but their leader allowed they take a small break. The leader was surprised that a trained mount would act abnormally within a location deplete of Qi so he thought that it might be a treasure that attracted their beasts.
After a few minutes, their mounts brought them near a mountain. Their mounts were restless and it looked like it was attracted to a scent within a Formation which prompted them to investigate.
Upon stepping into the Formation, an Eden of Qi greeted them.
Since they cannot detect a Defensive Array, their leader ordered one to be stationed outside the Formation as a lookout while the rest proceeded to investigate.
It was then they discovered the owner of the place. They wanted to retreat but upon confirming there is only one cultivator within the vicinity, their leader decided to capture Clay.
Having found the perfect spot to launch sneak attack, they waited for the perfect opportunity and when they thought Clay would stop moving after being shot by poisoned arrows, they immediately regretted their actions.
Within a split second, they saw terrifying Qi Projection which grabbed then squished their heads.
A few hours later, the cultivator who was assigned as a lookout noticed that his comrades have not responded so he went to investigate as well. And upon arriving on the scene, he immediately sent a signal for back up.