Reaper of the Martial World

Book 10: Chapter 76: Fathers (1)

Despite having awoken, Dyon sat as still as a statue.

In the last five years, it was as though pain hadn’t existed to him. Suffering through pain for a moment or suffering through it for five years was no different.

It was quite ironic, though. The concept of Oneness he thought was so simple actually took him five years to take just the very first step of. Yet, the benefits were beyond his wildest imaginations.

He felt that conventional and vital qi flowed better in unison. He found that his comprehensions for seemingly unrelated wills were actually interconnected in fantastical and magical ways. He even vaguely felt that the body, energy and soul paths really weren’t so different after all.

And then there was himself. It was as though the technique was asking him if he was willing, if he was ready… To be that man who combined it all.

A breath of air left Dyon’s lips. His cultivation hadn’t moved even a single step in these five years, yet he was very clearly more powerful than he had ever been.

His hand waved.

In an instant, 108 flying swords appeared, streaking like comets.

His two fingers stretched outward. Under his command, the swords trembled.

One after another, they began to collapse. One hundred and eight became fifty-four. Fifty-four became twenty-seven. Twenty-seven became thirteen. Thirteen became one.

The resulting sword fell into Dyon’s palm, trembling with mighty force. It was a long, slender silver blade that radiated a faint pale blue, almost like the streaking dust particles of a comet.

‘108 comets… 12 moons… 9 planets… 3 stars…’

Dyon raised his arm and slashed forward.

If this was the Mortal Plane, who knew how devastating the result would have been. Dyon felt that this strike was the greatest he had ever levied in his life. Yet, it didn’t leave so much as a white mark on the black wood before him.

Still, Dyon smiled. He was still completely incapable of even conjuring the other swords of True Sword Will, but this much was enough for now.

Dyon’s gaze turned cold. Even if he couldn’t defeat a Fallen outright, he didn’t believe he would have a problem retreating. And once he broke through the Middle Dao Realm barrier, defeating a Fallen wouldn’t be a pipe dream any longer.

After another glance toward the floating orb, Dyon turned and left.

The Realm didn’t seem to have such a damning effect on him anymore. He had suddenly become capable of blending into his environment, as though he himself was also becoming one with it.

With a sweep of his hand, he casually took what remained of the Celestial Deer Sect’s resources, only casually giving it a glance. These things no longer shook his soul as they once did.

After exiting the Realm, he placed its form into his Inner World, only to hear Chenglei sigh in relief.

“That damned world.” He growled before sinking into a deep sleep.

While those five years were a blink of an eye to Dyon, Chenglei felt every one of its seconds. Yet, he grit his teeth and didn’t say a word from the moment Dyon began to cultivate. His resolve was impressive.

Dyon only smiled and let him sleep. If nothing else, Chenglei’s mind had most definitely been tempered well even if his body hadn’t been. This would only help him in the future.

**

Dyon had been in a good mood. He strolled back into Mortal Alliance territory with a light smile on his face, trying to figure out how to make up for his absence. He hadn’t planned on being away for so long, but he had truly underestimated [One Above All].

However, what he saw when he came back caused his good mood to plummet.

It wasn’t that the Mortal Alliance had been attacked. With Dyon’s protective measures, five years wasn’t enough even enough to enter the front door, let alone mount any sort of meaningful assault. The problem was the mood of his wives.

Madeleine seemed to be in high spirits and was having a nice chat with Little Alauna. Clara and Delia were having a sparring session and were also just fine. Since their constitutions suppressed one another, their greatest avenue for improvement was the time they spent together. And, Amphorae was sitting with Madeleine and Little Alauna, adorably trying to appear as though she wasn’t nervous while socializing with them.

However… It was his Ri that had a shadow cast over her heart.

With a deep frown on his face, Dyon instantaneously appeared by her side. She was so lost, dazedly looking out over the ocean before them, that she didn’t even notice his appearance until several seconds later.

Without a single word, she fell into his embrace, clutching him tightly.

Dyon didn’t need to ask to understand why she was being this way. If he did, wouldn’t he be a terrible husband?

It had already been more than 20 years now since her father disappeared into the True Empath Trial of the Epistemic Tower. Yet, they hadn’t heard a single word of him since then.

Everything was seemingly perfect, and there was nothing Ri could want for… But not having her father by her side was weighing on her.

In truth, if she had to be honest, the father she knew in her youth had been gone for a long time. The guilt he felt leaving his Kingdom in pursuit of his wife was something he had never forgotten, and it ate away at him every day.

Dyon honestly didn’t know if he would ever crawl out of that pit of despair.