The Path through the Heavens: A LitRPG Wuxia Series (The Heavenly Throne Book 6)

by Yuri Ajin

  “Sorry, I don’t feel anything yet.” Elea shook her head, still trembling.

  “You can come in now!” Kai shouted, turning toward the door.

  The trio entered the room. At Ranmaru’s request, the Master of Souls began checking Elea’s state.

  “It’s hard for me to believe, but he’s done it,” he said after a minute. “The recovery process has started. The wound has definitely become smaller.”

  There were sighs of relief and screams of joy. Everyone had a wide smile on their face. Everyone except Kai, who remained cold as always, although he wanted to share everyone’s excitement.

  “The treatment will probably take about three years since it’s dangerous to carry out this procedure more than once every three weeks,” he said, trying to smile. “Eventually, you’ll be able to cultivate again.”

  “Kai. This... This is... I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I... Thank you. I’ll never forget what you’ve done,” Elea said, still finding it hard to believe she would be healthy again.

  “Nothing’s done yet. But I’m glad I could help. I’ll leave you to celebrate...” he said, left the room, and then went out of the house, stopping on the porch.

  “You kept your promise,” Ranmaru said, having followed him out. “And I’ll keep mine... I’ll join your unofficial faction. If you need a loyal friend, then know that my sword is always on your side.”

  Kai looked up at the artificial blue dome that hung over their heads. After a short pause, he nodded.

  “Take care of your loved ones, Ranmaru.” He slapped his shoulder. “See you!” he said and waved without turning around as he walked through the gates.

  “Tell me, old man,” he said after a short, silent walk. “Why didn’t her wound heal completely? Wasn’t there enough energy?”

  “I’m as puzzled as you are, boy. Seems it’s not as simple as we thought,” Rune’Tan said. “The healing process appears to have been hampered by the fact that the walls of her astral body around the wound have dried up. The soul energy had to deal with this before it could reach the wound. For now, only a tiny part of your power got to its destination.”

  “I see... So, it’ll take us some three more years to heal her?”

  “The recovery process will begin to accelerate over time, so it might take less.”

  “Good.” Kai nodded. “And what about you? I’ve created a Concentration in my soul, where I added and compressed all the surplus of soul energy that I’ve been constantly creating. But how much of it do you need to restore all your strength?”

  “I can’t say for sure. You’ll need approximately twenty years, if not more, to create the necessary supply... However, when you become an Exorcist, you’ll be able to create more soul energy. So it might go down to ten years.”

  ***

  Over the course of the next month, Kai visited Elea once more, repeating the procedure. This time, she was able to feel the changes in her astral body.

  Kai spent the rest of the time contemplating the Forces. He achieved considerable success, having finally managed to master the Force of Form of the Paths of Sword and Space at a perfect level, which was facilitated by the high quality of the fourth-floor pavilions.

  Next, he took up a more complicated task — to learn the Force of Fusion. It was much more difficult to do this than it was to understand all the previous Forces together. This particular Force wasn’t something that was supposed to be mastered but created by the cultivator.

  For example, for the Path of Sword, Kai needed to combine the seven basic Forces and the Force of Form into a whole, and then merge the result with his Soul Shell, thus becoming one with his swords. That was why it was impossible to get a full understanding of the Force of Fusion by contemplating other people’s Forces. Such meditations could only point him in the right direction, but ultimately, the cultivator had to create a Force of Fusion unique to them.

  Usually, even the greatest talents needed about fifteen years to do this, so Kai didn’t expect to reach their level any time soon. To save himself from making mistakes and going in the wrong direction, he decided to take a break, clear his mind, and reflect on the past month.

  He spent the next two days resting when he was contacted by Ephlix who reported that they had found the flower near the Rift in the Aive Mountains, where the Cloud Trial took place almost seven months ago, on the territory of one of the strongest local monsters — a Tyrant Stage Snow Crow.

  No one could sneak up and steal the flower with it around, which was why Kai had to pay the Anarchists again to help him and promised to go with them, taking Shacks, An’na, Malvur, Ailenx, and Ranmaru along.

  The next day, they all went to the Aive Mountains through the portal. Even they’d have difficulties defeating a Tyrant, which was why they did some serious preparations and gathered many powerful artifacts.

  At nightfall, the raid began.

  ***

  A little later

  A portal opened ten feet above the thick snow cover. Out of the tear in space emerged eight bewildered elves. Reacting quickly, they landed on the white blanket, and split up. Only once they had scanned the area with spirit perception did they finally calm down.

  “There’s no one here, elder brother,” one of them reported, looking at Lightus.

  As members of the Sixt family, these elves were the only ones allowed to be in Lightus’ faction. However, their position was justified not only by noble blood but also by their strength. All seven of them were among the first six hundred on the List.

  “What happened? Why are we here?” Lightus inquired, looking around.

  “This is the Aive Ridge. We should’ve moved to the Abode, to your palace, but we ended up here somehow. I assume that the connection to the portal was interfered with. It’s probably an anomaly.”

  “You’re probably right.” Lightus nodded. “But this has never happened before. Our family’s portal has always worked perfectly. I don’t know how an error could’ve occurred... But it’s the only explanation. This is an anomaly zone after all. Have you been able to determine where it happened exactly?”

  “Not yet, elder brother. The artifact is still being configured.”

  “We’ll wait then.”

  Going home would be good for him. The strange, hard-to-control outbursts of emotion that had been happening to him over the past year and a half weren’t an accident, as the family elders, as well as his father, helped him figure out. After the fateful battle against Nomen, his fears and anger began to take form and eventually turned into what they could only call “an inner demon” that tormented him in both his dreams and the waking world.

  He was dealt a powerful blow, capable of shaking the spirit of many cultivators. However, his will was strong. And he would’ve overcome this “inner demon” within a couple of months if not for the fact that he was being hindered by his own Spirit, which refused to obey him. The seal holding it back was damaged. Fortunately, Lightus’ father and the elders noticed this and fixed it, restoring the balance and even making him stronger in a way. It was then that Lightus once again realized how useful it was to have wise and experienced elders help him on his path of cultivation.

  “We’ve got it, elder brother,” one of the elves suddenly said. “We’re not far from the Endless Rift. We need to go around it to get to the Aive portal located in the mountains. The only threat on the way is a Tyrant-Stage Snow Crow, but I believe we’ll be able to pass by unnoticed.”

  “Great. Then let’s move forward. Assume battle formation,” Lightus commanded and the group sped up.

  The journey seemed calm and foreshadowed no trouble, but the more time passed, the more the feeling that something was wrong pressed on Lightus. He couldn’t do anything about it, unfortunately. Just as he couldn’t see a figure dressed in snow-white robes, wearing a white-blue mask, sitting at the top of one of the nearest mountains, with its hands folded behind its back as it calmly watched what was happening below.

  Chapter 26


  THE ELUSIVE ONE

  A wild cry of pain and rage spread for many miles in powerful waves, forcing all the monsters below the Tyrant Stage to run in panic. The Snow Crow’s voice was overwhelming, making some of the Abode disciples who heard it experience considerable tension with each shriek. If it weren’t for the pre-prepared protective artifacts, they would’ve lost consciousness.

  The fight against the Snow Crow began less than a minute ago, when a powerful explosion went off in the middle of the snow-covered Aive mountain range. A group of students executed the first attack, having entered the battle by activating several powerful artifacts.

  As expected, they failed to kill the monster. Their energy wasn’t dense enough. They knew that they could’ve pumped the artifacts with even more energy, but they also knew that if they had done that, there would’ve been a greater chance that the beast would notice such an accumulation of power. In addition, no one wanted to accidentally destroy the Three-Bladed Flower that grew in the cave next to the Crow’s nest. So they decided to substitute strength for precision.

  The Anarchists’ mission didn’t end there. Their plan was to weaken the monster, distract it, and let someone take the Flower from its nest. It was easier to steal the Plant while the beast was busy with uninvited guests, and then escape through the portal back to the Abode.

  Unfortunately, their first attempt resulted in a failure. As the most inconspicuous and at the same time fastest Exorcist, Shacks was sent to retrieve the Flower. But even if it didn’t see him, the Crow’s intuition told it that something was trying to invade its personal space.

  And the Crow didn’t like thieves any more than it liked trespassers.

  A giant ice wall appeared in front of Shacks at the very last moment, blocking the path to the cave and the Flower. The Crow finally came to its senses, flew up, and brought down hundreds of icy feathers on the students with one flap of its wings.

  Using up another expensive artifact, the Anarchists defended their squad with a protective barrier.

  “Seems like we’ll have to fight it after all,” Ephlix said, looking up at the bird.

  “It appears so.” Kasox, who was standing next to him, nodded. “We can’t break through the wall. And if we attack with all our might, we might damage the Flower. Clever little beast, this one...”

  “Let’s move on to Plan B then,” Ephlix suggested and turned to Kai, An’na, and Malvur. “I hope you remember your roles and the signal?”

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head,” An’na grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. “This ain’t our first monster hunt.”

  Ephlix only nodded in response to An’na’s grin and turned to his subordinates.

  “Charge!” he shouted as soon as the barrier above them turned from dark blue to a translucent orange.

  The defense artifact was specially selected for this fight. The flaming barrier did an excellent job of dealing with the Crow’s ice attacks. However, the barrier’s main feature was that it could be configured so that outside attacks were blocked while letting through attacks from within the dome.

  Only a dozen of the strongest Anarchists were given permission to attack, including Ephlix and Kasox, as well as Ranmaru, Shacks, and Ailenx. They spared no effort, repeatedly attacking the gigantic snow-white bird, trying to inflict as much damage as possible.

  As for the rest, not counting Kai, Malvur, and An’na, who were waiting for the signal, their task was to saturate the defense artifact with ki. As they weren’t strong enough to break through the bird’s Energy Cover, they were to focus on defense.

  But no matter how much effort the bird put into its attacks, it didn’t succeed in inflicting damage. The Anarchists didn’t have much success either. The Crow’s defense was too strong, and it put a lot of energy into each barrier.

  The fight was taking too long. Anxious to get the intruders out of its home, the Crow decided to use its strongest attack to finally break through the weakened barrier, dive inside, and turn its opponents into icicles.

  The Crow flapped its wings, sweeping away all the oncoming attacks with a powerful blast of air. Opening its beak with a shrill cry, it revealed a swirling ball of bright energy. A blinding flash came from below before the Crow could release its attack, but the actual blow came from above.

  Kai and Malvur attacked simultaneously as soon as the Step Through Snow teleported them a couple of feet above the bird.

  Slashing with both swords in a dive, Kai hit its right wing. On top of Body Gates, Life Rampage, and the Eight Yang Flashes Technique, just to make sure that he’d win this fight, Kai put as much as twenty years of his life in the form of soul energy into this attack.

  Malvur didn’t hold back either. He revealed his true size, which was slightly taller than a hundred feet, and activated two body techniques — one increased his parameters, and the other boosted the strength of his attack. His massive glaive flashed gold, growing together with him, as he unleashed a powerful blow on the Crow’s left wing.

  Two monstrous attacks merged into one deafening clap. And although the Crow managed to cover itself with the thickest ice wall it could muster, it failed to defend itself. Its wings remained attached, but its bones broke, and it fell like a rock, crashing into the defensive dome below.

  Writhing in pain on top of the shimmering barrier, it tried to get up. But before it could do so, another dome formed above it, trapping it inside. A moment later, the space between the two barriers was filled with flames, interspersed with flashes of lightning. The two elements eagerly bit into the plump flesh. The Crow cried out but it didn’t stop resisting, refusing to go down without a fight.

  Kai and Malvur attacked again with their most powerful techniques, this time from both sides. The second dome was an inverted one-sided barrier; that is, it let nothing out, but allowed external forces in. At the same time, the artifact responsible for the elemental attacks flashed, signaling that the next attack was ready.

  Realizing the danger it was in, the Crow spared no strength trying to defend itself and activated the strongest technique it possessed. A large Ice Egg formed between the two barriers, warping them. A moment later, the techniques and the elemental attack collided with their target.

  There was an explosion that shook both barriers, as well as the ground. The earthquake spread under the first dome, forcing the Anarchists to activate amulets and techniques so that they wouldn’t be knocked down.

  When the flash died out and the dust settled, the Anarchists saw shards of the shattered Ice Egg littered across the blood-soaked ground, as well as the wounded and very pissed off Crow.

  Releasing another shrill cry that shook the earth and the heavens, it looked down and directed its next attack at the artifact that had just unleashed another beam of fire and lightning.

  Just as the energy ball was to roll out of its beak, a figure appeared next to the Crow, deflecting it. The same happened to the next attack. And the next. No matter how hard the Crow tried or how much energy it poured into its attack, it couldn’t get rid of its opponent that inched closer and closer with every moment.

  Giving up on the Frost Ray, the Crow switched to using its beak and talons.

  As soon as the Ray’s icy-blue glow faded, the Crow rushed at An’na but she easily dodged. With a quick and elegant movement, she raised her sword, activated the Falling Comet Tail Technique, and swung.

  The Crow covered itself in ice but An’na’s blade cut through it, reaching the flesh and drawing blood.

  There was a bright red flash, and the monster’s severed head fell on the lower barrier.

  An’na landed next to her trophy and sighed. If the Crow hadn’t been weakened, exhausted, and constrained, her attack wouldn’t have broken through its defense. It probably wouldn’t have even hit it. An’na was a powerful cultivator, but the quantity and quality of her ki were still inferior to the Crow’s.

  However, An’na had an advantage — her perfect understanding of the Force of Fusi
on on the Paths of Sword and Fire, while the Crow used only one element — Cold, sometimes also called Ice or Snow, in which it achieved only a partial understanding of the Force of Fusion.

  “A pity...” Kasox sighed as he observed the barriers disperse in a shower of glittering dust. “We could’ve sold the carcass if we kept it in one piece.”

  “Next time we fight a beast like this, you’re more than welcome to try to preserve it,” An’na retorted with a grin. “Tyrants don’t grow on trees, the Crow’s still worth something. Why was it guarding the Plant anyway? It contains elements of Sword. Why would the bird need it?”

  “Judging by the form of its techniques, this isn’t the first resource of this kind that it has eaten. I think it was trying to master one more element, so it waited for the Flower to grow stronger,” Kasox explained, turning around to the sound of crashing.

  The rest of the group finally broke the ice wall. An’na ran over, eager to see the Plant that Kai retrieved from the cave.

  But before she got to him, Kai collapsed. His right hand disappeared, and a scarlet streak appeared in his eyes. Everything happened so quickly that the group didn’t have time to realize that there was one more student among them.

  An’na was the first to come to her senses and almost got halfway to Lightus who appeared nearby. He stood on the blood-covered snow, holding Kai’s severed hand. Sunlight reflected off his Spatial Ring, worn on the right thumb of his gloved hand.

  Without hesitation, An’na activated her Royal-rank long-range technique. Her sword flared up again and a large phoenix with razor-sharp wings flew at Lightus.

  Glancing over his shoulder, the elf smirked as if he were looking at a baby bird bumbling its way out of the nest and not the embodiment of the element of fire.

  His eyes flashed bright gold.

  ***

  Having finally gotten the Three-Bladed Flower, Kai could finish preparing the Heavenly Flask, and break through to the Exorcist Stage.