Reaper of the Martial World

Book 5: Chapter 59: Second Trial (1)

Dyon’s vision blurred, causing him to blink profusely. When he could finally make out his surroundings, he found that the first thing to overwhelm him wasn’t the sights, but rather the ridiculous amount of noise.

He sat on a wooden and quite shabby looking throne at the helm of a room filled with bickering middle aged men. It seemed that the air content was almost half filled with disgusting liquids that flew from their mouths, but their discussions were so heated that that they didn’t seem to notice. It was likely that the room had increased at least a few degrees simply by virtue of their exaggerated anger.

Looking down at himself, Dyon found himself wearing cheap linen, but it was clear that this was likely the most expensive fabric this place had, judging by what the others wore. He also noticed that the Dragon King was nowhere to be found, nor could he feel his presence. Luckily, Dyon’s body cultivation talent had gotten a buff, or this would have been a fatal blow.

Making a decision, Dyon decided to change his focus from observing his surroundings to paying attention to the conversation going on around him.

“We should be running! What could this ancestral land possibly mean to us if we’re all dead?!”

“Spineless coward! This land was built up by our forefathers! We have an obligation to protect it to the death! If your grandfather was still in this world, could you look him in the eye and say you were willing to run?!”

“You! How dare you bring up my grandfather?!”

“He only pointed out your shamelessness! If it wasn’t for the merits of your father and grandfather, do you think you’d have the right to sit here?! You’re hundreds of years old and are still a silkpants, how do you even look your wife in the eye when you come home at all hours of the morning?!”

The man who spoke out face reddened in anger to the point where it seemed steam was coming out of his ears. He and they knew that this was nothing but a ridiculous exaggeration. Every single one of the ministers here had been to the brothels, it was just that he happened to be the only one caught, and now they dared to bring it up as though they were blameless.

“Enough! You’re speaking of ridiculous things and character assassinating those of us that are rational to cover up your stupidity!” Another minister jumped in to defend the red-faced man. “You want us to stay here and die? Really? Then what do you think those damned Devils are going to do to our sacred lands after you die here? Won’t the desecrate it just the same?! Except this time, there won’t be anyone left behind for revenge because you want us all to DIE!”

Although those who wanted to stay and fight were angered by these words, anyone rational could understand that this was a very valid point. In some form or fashion, both decisions resulted in the defilement of their ancestral lands, but only one decision gave them the chance for revenge.

Seeing that his words were effective, the minister pressed forward, applying a bit more pressure.

“They’ll be here in week, we’re already running out of time. In order to move the women, children and elderly, we need all of that time, and even then, we’ll be cutting it close.

“Brothers. Remember, we’re exactly that. Brothers. Think about the life of Minister Brodaya’s son. We can’t make his sacrifice be meaningless.”

Those last words were the straws that broke the camel’s back. It was because of Michael that they had the information they did now. If he hadn’t infiltrated the enemy as a spy, risking his life and limb, a week from now that Devil army would be here and they would have died in vein. But, now they had a chance to repay that child for his bravery and strength.

Silence reigned the room. The only thing left was for their king to make a decision. As much as they argued, it was their king who would truly be giving up everything. It was he who built this small land to compete with the largest empires on the planet. However, now the situation was different. All three God Clans and their Royal God Clan were rushing here, intent on taking away their holy land.

One might wander just what such large clans would want with their small humble sect. Well, the explanation was in not only their legacies, but the massive spiritual vein their holy land was situated on.

Everyone in the martial world was aware of the fact that energy stones were the corner stone of cultivation and had to be mined. However, even beyond that, it was much more natural and beneficial for your cultivation to rely on the energy density in the atmosphere. That said, as one might imagine, that density varied drastically depending on the location, to the point where even a few miles or even feet might radically change the amount available to a cultivator.

Knowing this, one could guess just how dense the energy in their village was compared to elsewhere.

When the King’s father was still alive, no one dared to attack their home. After all, he had been the foremost expert of not just this planet, but the universe as well. Back then, the God clans didn’t know about the spiritual vein, so he was respected and feared without any semblance of greed. However, about ten years ago, after their young King took the throne, the information had somehow leaked, causing the God clans to become ravenous.

Now, without their leading expert, their clan was vulnerable to being attacked. These experts were completely blinded, thinking that somehow the spiritual vein was the only reason their late King was so powerful, when in reality, it was their clan’s special bloodline.

Unfortunately, their King was thrust into this limelight much too early, and despite being a talent that surpassed even his father, he had yet to tap into his full potential. Even worse, those greedy clans wouldn’t accept any other explanation, and even if they would, the bloodline of their ancient clan was an even greater secret that they would take to their graves.

Now, it seemed that those graves were growing ever closer.