Chapter 259 – Darkness (X)

Chapter 259

Darkness (X)

Long Tao stared at me with a rather strange expression for a few moments before chuckling and leaving.

… what the hell?

Are their expressions not important? Am I reading too much into this shit?

Honestly, as soon as I saw the second body, something about it tickled my fancy, but I wasn’t quite sure what. After a few more, I picked up on the fact that they all had extremely serene expressions, as though they’d walked into death’s doors all on their own and were not just happy but relieved to do so.

Seeing as how Long Tao was relatively dismissive, he probably knew what this place was. Seeing further how he never told me, it means that it likely has something to do with the scope that goes a bit too far over my head.

… seeing that, I’m happy to exist in my ignorance.

We didn’t immediately move on, settling in place for the kids to recover the spent Qi. Even though they made it seem rather effortless, Xi Zhao spent over a quarter of his Qi reserves, while Wan Lan and Dai Xiu were at about one-fifth. Light spent two-thirds, but it made sense since she was fighting well above her realistic cultivation realm, which was now at the 9th stage of Qi Condensation.

Rayce also appeared a bit pale, though he didn’t meditate like others and instead immediately drew out a few sheets of paper and started drilling into them with his fingertip. Everyone gave him a bit of room, as they understood the smallest distraction could mess the entire thing up.

Lao Shun was… re-examining his belief system, I’m fairly certain. Though I prayed inwardly he’d stay away, he approached me about fifteen minutes into our rest, sitting by my side.

“Tell me the truth,” he said. “You lot have come from some Upper Realm, and you’ve re-entered the Dust, haven’t you?” Well, Long Tao has, I suppose.

“No,” I said.

“Then it doesn’t make any sense!!” he exclaimed. “Having one Disciple like them would have already been extraordinary, but you… you have five. And one of them is even a Shaman!”

“So?”

“You’re a cultivator!! What the hell do you know about Shamanism?!” A fair question, but I didn’t really want to answer immediately, as I was enjoying my bit of glee, seeing this reaction.

It looks like I’ve been kind of starved of it, as we always had to be low-key. Well, we didn’t have to, and if anything, I likely went against their wishes by forcing them to be low-key, but seeing somebody finally acknowledge them and, by extension, me, of course, was… oh, it was quite pleasant. And addicting.

So addicting, in fact, I feared if I let it fester, I might just keep pursuing it in the future.

“Probably more than you,” I said.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I sure would hope so, seeing as I know practically nothing!” he sighed in exasperation, leaning back into the tree as his robes crumpled. “I don’t know whether it’s merely a play, or you truly are ignorant, but… even if other Sects may have far more Disciples than you, I guarantee there are no more than five in this entire world that can match you talent-for-talent. Do you know how incredulous that is? Especially because, for all intents and purposes, you are a nobody.”

“Hey, that’s not true.”

“It’s not?”

“No. I was an Elder of a Sect.”

“Really? What Sect? Oh, was it Heavenly Pavilion? Sword Palace?!”