2188 Tragic Fate
Watching the sword skill of the Swordswoman, Lin Mu couldn't help but be impressed.
'Her skill is almost at the same level as Great Ocean Rake.' Lin Mu thought.
The skill had a different appearance and function but the end result was the same, the decimation of the beasts.
It also suited Ocean Raker greatly, as if the blade was crafted for the technique itself.
'Seven Seas Sword Style… I'll have to remember that.' Lin Mu thought to himself.
While he had observed the skill, there was no way Lin Mu could replicate it. It was simply too complex to do that simply by one look. He would have to know the proper manual to be able to learn it.
Though Lin Mu had to admit, he was quite tempted to have it too.
'The former owner of Afternoon Pine also had a great skill.' Lin Mu thought before he saw the woman flying frantically towards a certain location.
~WHOOSH~WHOOSH~WHOOSH~
"Waste no time! Elder won't be able to last long like this." The woman spoke out loud to her companions that were flying behind her.
Lin Mu finally got to see just how many people were present here now.
'Over two hundred?' Lin Mu was stunned. 'Did the rules of the inheritance ground change or something? Why were only ten allowed when we came?' he couldn't help but wonder.
This now made him sure that there was more to the Spatial plane than they had understood.
Before Lin Mu could think anymore about this though, he saw the swarm of Auroch Chimeric beasts. And among those beast there were a few cultivators fighting.
~SHING~SHING~
Yellow sword slashes tore through the beasts as a man fought valiantly at the front. Lin Mu recognized who he was as soon as he spotted what sword he was using.
'So that's how the former owner of Afternoon Pine looked like.' Lin Mu studied the man.
He was dressed in snugly fitting blue robes that did not flap around. They had a simple design, but most of it was obscured by the blood of the beasts as well as tears.
The man wore his hair in a bun and had no ornaments on.
His face was stern, his eyebrows fierce and his eyes sharp.
It made it seem like if the man looked at someone, they might just freeze from the sheer intimidation he exuded.
He gazed at the beasts with disgust and anger, slaughtering as many of them as he could. His companions also fought bravely but could not match the level of power he showed.
"ELDER!" The woman called out.
The man saw her and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.
"THE REINFORCEMENT ARE HERE!" the man's companions shouted in joy.
With that, the battle shifted in their favor as the woman and her group joined them in the slaughter of the Auroch Chimeric beasts.
The battle lasted for two hours, after which they finally got some respite.
"Hall master… I can't thank you enough." Afternoon Pine's former owner said while cupping his fists.
"I need no thanks. We could not let you all die after all." The Swordswoman replied, though relief was certainly present in her voice.
"Still, I must do so." The man replied. "I never expected things to go like this."
"We never should've come here… It was a mistake." The Hall master replied. "Come, we should not wait here. We need to leave as soon as possible."
"But how? We still haven't found an exit." The Elder replied.
"We have some hope this time. A few of the scouts have reported a Spatial rift that seems to be stable." The hall master spoke.
"A Spatial Rift?" The Elder furrowed his brows. "Should we be taking that risk? We don't know where we'll end up." He said with concern.
"At this point, I'll take jumping into the void over staying here." The Hall master replied. "We still have a few life saving treasures the sect gave us. They'll be enough to tide us over once we're there." She added.
"Shouldn't we have used the life saving treasures here?" The elder frowned.
"It would be a waste. The sheer number of chimeric beasts here is horrendous. It would only delay the imminent danger, but would not save us in the end." The hall master replied.
"Mm… No use filling a bucket full of holes." The elder nodded. "Very well, we'll take whatever chance we get." He agreed.
Soon the large group flew towards a certain direction. During this time, they encountered more beasts but they seemingly defeated them with ease.
~SHUA~
"Ugh…" Lin Mu felt his vision flash before his perspective changed. "Back to Afternoon Pine."
This finally allowed him to see just how the former owner of Ocean Raker looked like.
The woman had sharp eyebrows similar to that of the Elder's but her face was a lot more softer. Her eyes carried a sense of duty in them, but when they looked at the elder, it changed to affection.
The emotions emerged in Lin Mu's mind, revealing the true thoughts of the elder.
'Love?' Lin Mu realized.
It was an emotion that was hard to mistake. It was pure and unfiltered love that made Lin Mu's heart feel warm. In this cold and dangerous land where death could come at any moment, the love was like a warm blanket that made one feel protected and calm.
Lin Mu couldn't feel the emotions of the hall master, but the look in her eyes hinted that she was probably feeling the same at this moment.
~BIHIIIIIIIIIIII~
While the two lovers were gazing at each other though, a loud cry put a sour taste to it. Their eyes turned alert and they drew out the blades.
"Heavens! WHAT IS THAT!?" Someone in the group shouted.
The elder looked at it and couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
It was a beast bigger than anything Lin Mu had ever seen before. It easily towered over a hundred meters and had four heads.
Each of the head looked different, belonging to a goat, a horse, a panther and a bull. But despite being different animals, they all had the same sharp and jagged teeth that seem to have large chunks of flesh stuck in them.
The flesh was rotting for who knows how long, and the stench was carried over by the wind.
Lin Mu could feel the same disgust that the elder had felt in the past, with the memory being strong.
The beast had four legs that looked like that of an elephant but were tipped with blade like claws. Its eyes held no emotion other than malice and a row of spikes stood on its back, going all the way to its tail that was shaped like a trident.
"More Auroch Chimeric beasts!" But that was not all.
Accompanying the giant beast was an army of Auroch Chimeric beasts. They seemed like dwarfs in front of it, but were still fearsome none the less.
The army of chimeric beasts appeared on the horizon and was charging towards the group.
"We cannot fight this, that giant beast is easily at the Seventh Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm!" The hall master said in a tense voice.
"We will have to cut past them, the spatial rift is behind them." A cultivator next to her informed.
"Dammit…" The elder cursed, but still held onto the sword. "Use all your might, and SURVIVE!" he shouted, before the group charged in.
The army of chimeric beasts was simply too massive though and even though they tried to go from the edge, they still ended up fighting them.
Lin Mu watched as the group struggled against them, with members starting to die. They ended up losing half of their people by the time they were in the middle of the beasts.
"Elder Zen, Hall Master Fei! You two have to leave. We'll open a path for you." One of their companions said before taking the lead and cutting open a long path.
"You'll die like this!" Elder Zen who was the owner of Afternoon Pine replied.
"You two have to survive at least. We need to inform the sect and the other powers." Another cultivator spoke, trying to convince them. "We cannot let this place spill out into the world, we need every powers strength to seal it or destroy it."
Elder Zen felt conflicted by the sacrifice of his companions but also knew that their words were correct.
"They're right, Elder Zen." Hall Master Fei agreed. "Even if we all die, we cannot let the horrors of this plane be unleashed."
"Curse this place and these beasts," Elder Zen said but still went on with the decision.
The two lovers charged through the army of beasts while the others acted as a shield, sacrificing themselves for their survival.
Still, when they were at the end of the army, they had lost all their companions.
~SHUA~
But there was still a silver lining to it, as a flicking portal could be seen in the distance.
"We're almost there!"
