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

by Yuri Ajin

  “No retreat, no surrender!” their leader shouted.

  An’na and the others turned to him but they were too late. Their opponents had special belts that moved the contents of vials directly into the user’s stomach. A short message of will and energy — and the Elixir of Rampage was already consumed, without taking time to remove the cork and swallow the liquid.

  Their skin took on a reddish tint, their muscles swelled, and their eyes became bloodshot. Their physical stats, regeneration, level of concentration, auras, and ki reserves skyrocketed.

  The Elixir of Rampage, a secret recipe of Niagalians, released all the hidden potential of the physical and astral body, granting the cultivator unprecedented strength for an hour.

  However, the price for its use was as big as its benefits were. In an hour, they’d begin to feel a little tired. In five, their limbs would grow heavy and their minds would become clouded. Their bodies would ache. They’d be overwhelmed with severe drowsiness, but they wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.

  By the end of the day, they’d have a fever. At that moment, they’d have to take a special medicine, otherwise, they’d die. At best, they’d become disabled. Even after having taken the medicine, their suffering wouldn’t end there. For several days after that, they’d experience insane hunger, thirst, and even severe pain. At this time, they’d be incapacitated.

  That was why this Elixir was used only in three cases — if there was no way out; if a cultivator was ready to give up their life for the greater good; or if there was someone who’d then take care of them.

  In this case, all of their hopes were on Velator.

  One of Elize’s friends rushed to help her, breaking off from his fight with An’na. She tried to stop him but was interrupted by two of his friends, who, having ingested the Elixir, were able to restrain her.

  “He’s mine. You make sure our mission is completed,” the group leader said, pushing Ailenx aside and throwing Elize the Ring with the seal Velator had given them. “Use your technique.”

  “Got it!” Elize said, catching the Ring, and rushed toward the Turtle.

  Ranmaru tried to stop her, but the leader blocked his way. Using elements of the Path of Space, Elize lost her corporeal form and easily overcame the sand wall he had created.

  Rushing forward, she almost reached the barrier when Kai noticed her. Severing his connection with Guts, he merged with his two Spirits and found himself in front of Elize in the blink of an eye, making her jolt back in surprise.

  Kai’s blade pierced her skull and then passed through her entire body. But instead of killing her, the sword didn’t even leave a scratch, as if it had passed through the air. Elize disappeared, moving closer to the barrier, paper seal already in her hand. There were only a few inches left when Kai reappeared next to her.

  He had unraveled the secret of Elize’s ability. The technique made her ethereal for all objects that had a lower energy density than hers. Taking into account the Elixir, her ki density was at An’na’s level. Unfortunately for Elize, Kai could control energy, which allowed him to both increase and decrease his ki density.

  Appearing to Elize’s right, he punched her in the face. His body was now oversaturated with energy, so he had no issues piercing through the veil of her technique.

  Elize’s mask shattered into dozens of fragments, scratching her face. Blood spurted from her open mouth together with several teeth.

  So far, Kai had held back as his opponent’s aura seemed familiar to him. But it wasn’t until he saw her face that he figured out who he was dealing with.

  Seeing him, she just smiled. Despite the injury, she made it. She failed to defend herself, but she had fulfilled the order.

  The paper seal touched the barrier.

  The Turtle let out a furious roar. Hearing it, the Niagalians, including Elize, activated the extraction amulets and returned to Velator.

  A second later, a powerful explosion covered the desert.

  The Last Dawn Technique — the strongest skill in the Velator’s arsenal — hit the Turtle after the barrier was gone.

  A star seemed to have died in the middle of the desert, and then the sky was filled with a blindingly bright glow that was visible even in Sim and several other desert cities.

  Chapter 32

  A FIGHT IN THE SANDS 3

  A column of smoke rose from a mile-wide crater. Velator’s powerful attack had melted the sand and even burned all the air in that area.

  Velator rushed forward at full speed as soon as he unleashed his technique. Using spirit perception, he concentrated on the area where his attack had hit. For almost a minute, he felt only echoes, spreading in waves of residual energy around the area. Once they died down, he almost stumbled back from the shock. He no longer felt the Turtle’s aura. However, he did feel the aura of his opponents.

  Impossible! he thought, bewildered, as he stared at the seven small spheres that hovered over the crater. How did they survive?! Another artifact?! Of the Imperial rank?

  The spheres descended smoothly onto the crystallized sand, releasing the cultivators hidden inside, and then disappeared.

  “Thank you.” Kai nodded at Shacks. “Your handiwork?”

  “Yes.” The archer winced. He had spent as many as seven charges of one of the artifacts that his clan had found on Saha in the ruins of the Belteise Empire.

  “Bloody Heavens!” Guts muttered, looking at the charred remains of the turtle shell. “I’ll find out who’s behind this. And when I do... The bastards will pay for everything they’ve done! Everything, down to the last Crystal!” Spitting, he glanced at Shacks. “They’re still out there. It’ll be difficult for us to defend ourselves without my pet.”

  “It was too big. There was nothing I could’ve done. Besides, if anyone’s to blame, it’s you for not dismissing the dang thing in time,” Shacks snorted in response.

  “Shacks.” Kai suddenly turned to him. “Elize is working with them.”

  “What?!” Shacks exclaimed in surprise. “Elize? But what does she...?”

  A loud voice interrupted him, barely audible in the approaching noise.

  “Get ready!” Ranmaru shouted as the sandstorm swallowed their group.

  The sky disappeared into raging darkness. A deafening noise drowned out all sounds.

  The chaotic interweaving of the Forces of Sand and Wind, coupled with waves of overwhelming energy, was so powerful that they were forced to hastily activate their strongest defensive abilities.

  Kai formed a sphere around himself, free from sand and wild gusts of wind. But even so, it sagged slightly under the pressure of the monstrous sandstorm. Just to be on the safe side, he also put on his ice armor.

  Convinced he was safe, Kai revealed his aura, trying to determine the location of his friends. But no matter how concentrated on spirit perception he was, he couldn’t find anyone. The sandstorm was overflowing with power, making it difficult to scan through it. It interfered with energy vision, too.

  He was about to turn to Rune’Tan and his ability to sense other people’s souls when everything around him changed suddenly. The sand, the wind, and the noise disappeared. The storm remained, but it seemed as if a small island of tranquility had appeared inside it, untouchable to the winds, upon which stood the rest of his group.

  “Looks like we’re all here.” Ranmaru, who created the safe zone, looked around. In addition to Sand, his other main element was Wind. Being inside a sandstorm made him a whole stage stronger.

  “We have to leave as soon as possible,” An’na said. “They’ll start looking for us.”

  “What’s going on with your energy?” Kai asked Guts.

  “I had to spend some of it to protect myself against the last explosion,” he replied. “I didn’t expect to be rescued. If you help me, I’ll have it all back in a minute.”

  From a few hundred feet to their left came an explosion so powerful that the sound of it reached them even through the rumble of the storm.

  �
�They’re looking for us. We gotta move,” Ailenx said. “If they get close enough, they might be able to detect us even inside the storm.”

  Shacks nodded.

  “I agree.”

  “What about the Lighthouse of Lost Dreams?” Kai recalled and looked at Shacks. “Didn’t we use that to escape the Insectoids in the plane back on Earth?”

  Shacks shook his head and threw up his hands.

  “I spent all of its chargers when I found myself in Nikrim, trying not to become a slave.”

  “Then we have to run,” Kai decided.

  The rest of the group didn’t argue. Staying in one place seemed like an idiotic idea to them, so they moved in the opposite direction from the Elementalist. Kai began to restore Guts’ energy as they walked, holding his hand.

  But before they had time to cross even a couple of miles, a gigantic fire tornado appeared in front of them. They all reacted instantly, changing direction, but the fiery pillar followed them.

  Just a few more seconds, flashed through Guts’ mind. I’m so close to having enough energy to summon the Steel Eagle and gain complete control over it.

  Explosions came from both right and left, after which two more fire tornadoes appeared. The group maneuvered between them as quickly and carefully as they could, eventually breaking away from the pursuing techniques... and walking right into a trap.

  A flash came from the front. Shacks was the first to react, once again spending precious charges of his Belteise Empire artifact. He could use it one more time, after which it’d become completely useless.

  “Gotcha! I wonder how much longer will your protection last?” a voice came from the front.

  With a wave of his hand, from which raging tongues of flame broke out, Velator dispersed the sandstorm within a radius of several hundred feet around himself and his opponents. At the same time, the fire tornadoes, finally catching up, surrounded them from three sides.

  But Velator wasn’t going to stop there. He activated the Flesh-Burning Web Technique several times, shaping each of them into a huge sphere that surrounded his opponents in several layers.

  He could’ve simply waited for the defense artifact to run out of juice and attack. But he didn’t want to risk it. There was a small chance that at the last moment someone would run away and he’d have to chase them. To prevent that from happening, he layered the technique, forming a wall through which it’d be difficult to escape, even for him.

  “How long will the barrier last?” Guts whispered.

  “Twelve seconds,” Shacks replied quietly.

  “I see.” Guts took out his flute. “Mission ‘Escape’ is canceled.”

  The barriers disappeared abruptly. Velator clenched his fists, making the five spherical nets with tiny holes begin to contract. They had almost reached his opponents when a pleasant and smooth melody started playing. An accumulation of energy, compressed to the size of a tiny coin, burst out of Guts’ body, assuming the form of a Sandworm that tore through the nets and then rushed toward the panicked Velator.

  Another Tyrant?! Impossible! he thought, looking at the rapidly approaching monster opening its mouth.

  Just before the collision, he released one of his ordinary attacks. There was an explosion but not a scratch appeared on the worm’s sturdy skin. Like Ranmaru, it had grown much stronger inside the sandstorm. A moment later, it closed the distance with a dash and, swallowing Velator with its giant maw, disappeared into the sand.

  But this wasn’t the end.

  A huge column of flame burst out of the golden sea, and both the worm and the Velator were spat out. At the moment of mortal danger, Velator had activated two powerful techniques designed for close combat: the Avatar of the Fire Lord and the Whip of Prominence, both of which temporarily made him powerful enough to successfully counter opponents much stronger than himself in close combat.

  Once he was in the air, Velator pointed with his hand toward Guts but the Sandworm reacted with lightning speed, preventing him from attacking its master. Guts had such good control over his pets that he hadn’t doubted even for a second that the attack would be unable to reach him. However, with such a degree of control, he was running out of ki much faster. Fortunately, Kai kept restoring it so that Guts could continue to fight.

  Seeing what was going on, Velator’s group joined him on the battlefield, alongside three Fiery Guardians Velator had created just in case.

  Dodging the dagger, Jiang Suin sharply closed the distance and came face-to-face with his attacker.

  “Shacks?!”

  “It’s been a while, Jiang Suin.” The archer chuckled. “I see you managed to jump into the portal.”

  The shock on Jiang Suin’s face was replaced by anger.

  “You were with that bastard Kai when things went to shit! You betrayed the master!” he hissed, glancing around. “Where is that piece of shit?! He’s here, isn’t he?!”

  Spotting Kai, he grinned, already plotting how he’d get his revenge, when he was kicked in the stomach. Shacks had caught him by surprise.

  “Hey, I’m right here!” he mocked. “You should learn from your seniors, Jiang Suin. Now, if you’d be so kind, I’ve got a couple of questions for you. Be warned that your life depends on your answers. What are you doing here? Why did you attack us? Why are you with Elize? Where is Jiang Dao? Who are your other friends?”

  “Fuck you!” Jiang Suin spat out and swung at him.

  Like everyone else, he, too, had spent eight months in this world. During this time, he managed to learn several high-rank techniques of the Niagala Empire that were much better than those of the Seven Blades Clan.

  The Omnipresent Blade Technique pierced the space with a steel flash, almost instantly reaching Shacks. In Niagala, Jiang Suin realized how great the difference between his former world and this one was. Here, he had access to resources, knowledge, and places for development, which in the past he couldn’t have even dreamed of. This was why he believed that he had already surpassed the geniuses of the Celestial Plateau, including Shacks. What could some heir of a pathetic clan like the Bright Moon do to him, a cultivator who planned to become one of the Sons of Niagala like his master?

  He was about to attack Kai when he felt a strong pain in his torso.

  “You don’t seem to understand,” Shacks’ eerie and cold voice rang out from behind, after which his palm easily pierced through Jiang Suin’s back. “My doubles are fighting with you, not me. And even they aren’t using their full strength. I’ll ask you once again, Jiang Suin. Why are you here?”

  “I... I...” Jiang Suin wheezed, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest from fear. Afraid of dying and clinging to the hope that Shacks would let him go if he answered his questions, he opened his mouth to respond when a sudden explosion swept both him and Shacks’ double off their feet.

  Velator fell into the sand a few dozen feet away. He was covered in blood and breathing heavily, struggling to maintain his techniques as long as possible. The Sandworm, which had received only a few minor wounds, would have no problem dealing with him in this state.

  An’na, Malvur, Shacks, Ailenx, and Ranmaru pushed back their opponents with ease despite the Elixirs of Rampage. The scales seemed to be tipped in the favor of Kai’s team.

  Suddenly, the sand, drawn by the storm, stopped, hovering in the air. The cultivators also froze, bound by an unknown force. They couldn’t move, breathe, or even use energy.

  A couple of Sword techniques flashed past them and hit Ranmaru and An’na, throwing them back. Luckily, their Energy Covers handled this attack. Ranmaru just lost consciousness, and An’na landed almost at the edge of the area frozen in time.

  “Finally!” Bane exclaimed with a joyful grin. A powerful artifact sparkled on his wrist.

  [Binding Field Bracelet]

  Rank: ???

  Quality: High

  Features: ???

  One of the seven great elven families who lived in Nikrim before the ancient war started was the Livarus c
lan. Even today, their power was so great that it extended beyond the continent, reaching a couple of the neighboring worlds. Although Bane wasn’t the heir, he was still the grandson of one of the elders and the holder of several Imperial-rank artifacts that were now tied to a special Ring on his finger. A second, identical Ring, remained in the possession of the elder, and the two items shared a connected pocket dimension. That is, if one of them put an object in one of the Rings, the other could take it. The only condition was that both Rings had to be in the same world in order to work. As for the artifacts, if any of them fell into the hands of someone other than Bane, they’d instantly return to the Ring, as they had the elder’s mark on them.

  Stopping near Kai, Bane looked at Velator.

  There are no marks, but these techniques... I’ve never seen anything like this. Maybe their owner created them on their own, but I find that hard to believe. They’re of high quality. These idiots are also equipped with unusual artifacts and they use unfamiliar techniques... I’m willing to bet that they came from another continent. I heard from the elders that they were up to something. If I capture them, I’ll get a higher status in the family, and my branch will receive even more resources. Seems that Fate is on my side today. All of this must’ve been a test, and now the time has come to get my rewards...

  “Don’t even try to resist,” Bane said, turning back to Kai. “Otherwise, you’ll die ahead of time. I wouldn’t want that. I still want to challenge you and have some fun. Grandfather advised me to vent as much anger as possible. It’s good for the soul, y’know? But since I don’t need your friends... I might as well get rid of them.”

  Bane headed toward Malvur when Aldus and his group stepped in.

  “You have your fun while we take our revenge. Let’s tear him apart, brothers!” he shouted.

  But the pack had to stop before it made a move.

  “You sons of bitches, where do you think you’re going?!” Bane hissed through clenched teeth, dismissing the technique he had attacked them with. “I took you with me so that you’d help me capture him. As a thank you, you can watch his execution. I don’t know where you heard that I’d let you kill him.”