Chapter 2670: Some Serious Injuries |
After a warrior reached the Other Shore, they would meet with the Stage One.
Everything regarding Stage One had somewhat become general knowledge among the people.
Everyone was aware of how many divine megaton of force contained in the Crimson Golden Sand, the Heavenly Cyan Stone, and basically, any Other Shore Token. One would be considered lucky if they were to stumble upon one of the rarer ones, like the Spiritual Fire Seed.
However, there was a limit to the amount of force within these Other Shore Tokens, which ranged from one divine megaton to four.
All things considered, the most highly regarded Other Shore Token in Stage One was the Magic Cloud Crystal they had witnessed just now. As this token was extremely rare, it was not normal to encounter it in Stage One.
However, Zen's sword strike had a power that surpassed warriors in even the third stage of the Other Shore Realm.
All this information buzzed around the heads of all who witnessed this feat. Naturally, a sense of awe filled them. What Other Shore Token had this guy obtained?
Just as Zen turned around to take his leave, the handsome man stopped him. “Hello, friend! You are also a beginner at the Other Shore Realm, right? What Other Shore Token have you obtained?”
Normally, discussing Other Shore Tokens was taboo for most people. Unless one was willing to boast their tokens in front of others, it was considered indecent to ask someone about it so frankly.
“This question should be hard for me to answer, shouldn't it?” Zen gazed at the man coldly, smiling mirthlessly.
The handsome man was taken aback for a moment, but the corners of his lips twitched upwards in a forced smile. “Allow me to introduce myself.” He cleared his throat. “I am Normand of the Chu Clan from the West Vanity Lake. If you don't mind, we can explore the Other Shore together!”
The Chu Clan was popular in the West Vanity Lake. Normand smirked, thinking Zen would be shocked to find out his identity. However, Zen just smiled at him nonchalantly, replying, “If there is a chance, then, sure.”
Zen then abruptly turned around and left without waiting for a response.
Normand was flabbergasted at Zen's perfunctory response. Few people reacted this way whenever he revealed his identity. 'Either he comes from an even more prominent clan, or this guy is just reckless...' Normand huffed in frustration.
Watching Zen leave, Normand's expression darkened.
It only took Zen half a day to take the test before the red stone. Upon completing this, he headed for the Sword Tower.
Zen found Sellers stationed there. “Is there any place here that's quiet enough for me to cultivate?”
While the Sword Tower was indeed a place for cultivation, it mainly served swordsmanship theurgies. However, Zen was hoping to cultivate the Truth of Goodwill and Malice; consequently, he needed a place of solitude.
This was actually quite difficult to find inside and outside the Dragon City. This is because silver swords rained from the sky, creating a sort of organized chaos. While this might be beneficial for practicing the Truth of Eternal Sword Intent, it was quite distracting for those who practiced other Truths of Godly Ways.
“You want a secluded cultivation room?” Sellers raised an eyebrow, evidently taken aback by Zen's request.
However, he recalled how Athemar had asked him to take special care of Zen. Technically, it was not difficult for him to grant Zen's request; he only needed to remove the sword arrays from the cultivation room.
After a slight moment of hesitation, he eventually agreed to Zen's request.
After settling down, Zen began to wonder how good his compatibility was with the Truth of Goodwill and Malice. He figured it should be higher than that of the Truth of Cultivation Nature, and that this should be a bit easier. Either way, neither of these were comparable to the Truth of Eternal Sword Intent, which was what he was most comfortable with.
Glancing around the cultivation room, Zen sighed. It was a pity that there were no items that would help him cultivate. Now, he would have to rely solely on his understanding of the Truth of Godly Way in order to make any progress. However, the process would be extremely slow.
For three consecutive days, he stayed cooped up in the room, reciting the Truth of Goodwill and Malice over and over again.
The power of Goodwill and Malice manifested alternatively, which affected Zen's aura.
Sometimes he resembled a holy Buddha, holding up one hand. Other times, his expression would darken with mischief, as though he were possessed by a devil.
After three days, Zen finished his secluded cultivation. Without dilly-dallying, he left the Sword Tower.
The minute he stepped out of the room, Sellers sensed the Truth of Godly Way emanating from Zen's body.
'Has he been spending these days practicing with the purpose of grasping his second Truth of Godly Way?' he wondered.
Of course, he was mistaken. If he had been more powerful, Sellers would've sensed that Zen was not practicing the second Truth of Godly way, but the third.
Without further delay, Zen made his way to the exit of Dragon City.
As soon as Zen set foot at the market outside the city, he felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. Something was definitely wrong.
In the distance, he saw Kenelm, Jago, and the others. Running towards them, he noticed a heavy scent in the air. It was the smell of blood.
“Beldene! Faegan! What happened to you?”
Zen cried, his eyes widening in astonishment once he saw the two figures lying in a pool of blood on the ground.
Faegan had lost an arm and a leg, while half of Beldene's body had been cut off. A bitter taste filled Zen's mouth as he took in this gruesome scene.
“Flag Master!”
“Flag Master is back now!”
The instant the disciples of Sword Light Palace saw Zen, their hearts were filled with joy, their eyes, with hope.
Zen said nothing. Instead, he knelt down beside the massacred figures and stretched out his hand towards them. Shutting his eyes in concentration, he released his spiritual sense to assess the gravity of their injuries.
Thankfully, both of them just passed out. Their souls were still intact, and their inner worlds were not destroyed.
Zen heaved a sigh of relief, but his expression darkened. “Who did this?” he asked quietly.
“I suppose it was Fergus's men,” Gant replied nervously, shuffling from one foot to the other.
“And why didn't you stop them?” Zen bared his teeth at the poor man, unable to contain his anger.
Gant raised his hands helplessly. “I tried! But I was no match for them. I even got injured, too.”
Over the past few months, Gant had become somewhat of a loyal member under Zen. He was tasked with recruiting new members, and at the same time, he helped the other members find what they needed whenever he entered the city.
Whenever Zen was in the Dragon City, Gant was almost regarded as a deputy Flag Master who dealt with the more trivial matters for Zen.
Because Gant was somewhat like second in command, naturally, Zen would turn to him for an explanation.
Zen shot Gant an angry glare before pulling out two pills from his space ring. He gently fed the pills to the two severely injured people lying on the ground, and watched intently as the pills worked their magic.
Suddenly, Beldene's and Faegan's wounds began to bubble as new flesh magically started to form. With a low hiss, muscle fibers began weaving together, healing their wounds quickly and producing new limbs.
“How did this happen? Tell me the details,” Zen barked.
Gant then began to explain the sequence of events.
Annually, newcomers flocked to the Dragon City in between winter and spring. Many would try to cross the Sword Wall at this time, thus, the demand for Sword-reading Liquid would skyrocket at this time of year.
Usually, the price of the Sword-reading Liquid would increase by 30%, or even more.
However, for some reason, the price didn't rise this year — in fact, it even dropped. Now, it was only about ten thousand divine crystals per bottle!
The old sellers scratched their heads at this predicament, and decided to investigate the matter. Not long after, they found out the reason: there was a new seller of Sword-reading Liquid right outside Dragon City!
There was absolutely no way they would tolerate such a thing. Consequently, they recruited a team of hatchet men to cause trouble for this new seller.
On the other side of the coin, Beldene and Faegan had concentrated on purchasing Heavenly Pure Liquid and selling Sword-reading Liquid, minding and running their own business.
Although Beldene had taken measures to keep a low profile, the other sellers still managed to find him.
Unprepared for the sudden attack launched by his competitors, he was no match for them at all.
Fortunately, their enemies had decided to spare their lives, albeit barely. Even Gant, who had attempted to rescue them, had come out of it slightly injured.