Chapter 539: Lucky chance

No matter where Liam looked, he only saw sand stretching endlessly on the horizon. He instinctively glanced at the sky, and the sun’s angle almost made him gulp.

That wasn’t the end. The air tasted wrong, like nothing Liam had ever smelled before. Everything was also terribly dry, deepening the heat that assaulted him.

Cultivators were basically immune to harsh weather. Even the northern region’s cold hadn’t made Liam flinch, but that heat was actively consuming his Qi. Actually, the latter was working overtime to fend it off.

At the rate Liam’s cultivation produced Qi, that constant consumption wasn’t an issue. His core was beyond what that environment could cause.

Nevertheless, the fact that the weather could cause such strain was rather terrifying. Liam could very well imagine foundation experts or weak rooting experts dying due to the heat.

As for mortals, Liam didn’t even consider them. It was pointless in the face of that death zone.

Still, rather than the shockingly hostile environment, Liam’s thoughts focused on its implications.

Realistically, Liam’s sense of direction was so good that he couldn’t get lost even if he tried. He had also seen maps of the Kingdom and knew that he had been teleported.

The answer was right there, but Liam didn’t want to hear it. He suppressed it for now, delaying the obvious until he was certain, prioritizing something else.

A long, black tablet appeared in Liam’s hands. That was the unified communication device that Grace also had, albeit Liam’s barely had any marks. She had bought it for him in the battle cages simply because it was a direct upgrade to the individual jades.

’Grace, can you hear me?’ Liam communicated, a bit anxious.

Back after the escape from the inheritance, Liam had left contacting Grace for last, but the changes in their relationship had now made it an absolute priority.

Liam couldn’t bear the thought of Grace believing that he had died or, worse yet, that he had left her, so he had to make sure that they could still communicate.

The anxiety vanished when Liam felt a familiar buzzing in his mind. He heaved a sigh of relief, playing that mental communication.

’Dear, did something happen?’ Grace asked. Others wouldn’t notice it, but Liam picked up the slight worry in her tone. His question had been too revealing for someone as smart as her.

’I was teleported while I was destroying the Cathedral,’ Liam briefly explained.

’Where are you?’ Grace immediately replied.

’I’m not sure yet. I only see sand everywhere,’ Liam described, knowing that Grace would be able to read between the lines.

’Sand?’ Grace asked, her tone the same as earlier, but Liam could hear a scolding in the making.

’I’ll look for directions. I just wanted to make sure we could still communicate,’ Liam cut the conversation short, aware that he was only delaying the inevitable.

Liam stored the jade and greatsword at that point, taking another look at his surroundings. Sand aside, he couldn’t feel any formation or Qi-related defenses, which made the building he had just destroyed rather suspicious.

’It wasn’t a Church?’ Liam wondered, inspecting the still-sizzling swamp below.

The weather was truly unbearable, but cultivators had access to proper magic. Even Liam had talismans that could keep that heat at bay, let alone an organization like the Church.

’Maybe it was a secret hideout?’ Liam considered. ’If it was, is the teleport in the Cathedral connected to multiple locations?’

Liam could accept the absence of the usual beggars. Yet, since the Church was likely sending reinforcements to corner Grace and the others, the location among the sand should have had several teams waiting to be teleported.

Nothing of the sort was there, demanding a different explanation. While Liam had basically just learned about teleports, he could guess the Cathedral was no single channel.

’Either the Cathedral is connected to multiple locations,’ Liam concluded, ’Or the Church can just change the teleports’ coordinates at will.’

The second option was quite ominous. It implied that the Church could bring out its full power no matter the location. The most widespread force in the Kingdom could instantly call for endless reinforcements as long as it had a teleport in the area.

’No, it can’t be that easy,’ Liam rejected the idea. ’Even if it can, there have to be restrictions. The Church would have overrun us otherwise.’

Chances were that the teleports were rarer than Liam feared, too Qi-demanding, or both, limiting how much and how often the Church could rely on that incredible tool.

’I might be safe,’ Liam realized. If that were only one of the many locations from which the Cathedral hoped to receive reinforcements, there might not be other Church members around.

Honestly, that was a bit of a problem now since Liam wanted to ask for directions. If he had known, he wouldn’t have obliterated the hideout and everyone inside it with the alchemical spell.

It didn’t help that Liam sensed no trace of life anywhere, but picking a direction was easy.

’They are heading west,’ Liam thought. Grace and the others’ destination was the western border, so Liam would at least fly in that general direction.

Somewhere else, on the endless landscape of sandy dunes illuminated by the afternoon’s glow, a rooting expert, a young woman, was flying as fast as she could on top of a silver spear, a fearless grin on her childish face.

If it were just about appearances, the woman seemed to have the time of her life, but her predicament said otherwise. After all, she had two rooting experts chasing her, both men, flying on guardless swords, their shouts far from friendly.

"Get back here!" The first man cried. "How dare you steal from me!"

"Thief, we’ll make you pay for tricking us!" The second man shouted.

"But Big Brothers," The woman called, half-turning to show the big ring on her forefinger. "You claimed that only this beautiful Sister was worthy of the Emerald Ring. My heart beat for you, but it is now bleeding tears of betrayal."

The woman’s childish, teary voice could shatter hearts. Even magical beasts would switch sides hearing it, abandoning their primal instincts to protect her.

The two pursuers weren’t immune to the woman’s charms. They almost stumbled off their swords, but recovered soon enough, a newfound anger fueling their shouts.

"Y-you said you were going to-!" The first man stammered in fury, red with shame, cutting his shout short to avoid revealing how easily he had been tricked.

"Shameless slut!" The second man came in his companion’s support. "The daughter of the Dark Heaven Tribe has no such thing as a heart!"

"If you knew who I was," The woman snickered, her behavior making a U-turn. "What made you think I’d give my virtue to desperate pigs? Especially for a measly ring."

Naturally, another barrage of shouts reached the woman’s ears, but she only laughed louder. Still, she had to admit that she was in quite a pickle.

Normally, the woman would make a beeline for her Tribe, but the two she had offended this time could actually put some pressure on it, and she honestly didn’t want to go through her father’s scoldings.

Escaping didn’t sound likely, either. The three’s speed was evenly matched, and fighting wasn’t an option. The woman’s only possibility was to lose the pursuers in a den of magical beasts. As long as no one saw her return to her Tribe, she could deny she had ever been involved in the affair.

But at that point, the woman spotted someone who stuck out like a sore thumb in the distance. He was a mountain of a man, seemingly one hundred kilos of muscle that his black robe with blood-red floral patterns couldn’t hide.

The man hovered on a fan radiating dangerous power, but his aura stunned the woman the most. He was clearly a rooting expert, but the woman felt utterly terrified, as if she had stumbled upon a beast that could eat her whole without as much as sweating.

And yet, the fearsome man, or beast, cupped his fist and uttered polite words. "Fellow Daoist, I’m looking for directions."

The woman’s green eyes lit up at that gesture. She didn’t need strength as long as her opponent was a man.

"Big Brother, you are here!" The woman threw a desperate cry, reaching the man, but not stopping flying for one second, only caressing his arm. "I’ll leave the Emerald Ring with you. I’ll see you once we are both safe."

The woman had shouted on purpose to trick her pursuers. It really was a common tactic that no one should fall for. However, even the slightest hesitation could lead to success.

Basically, as long as the two pursuers had the slightest suspicion about the newcomer, they would stop to investigate, or at least split up, giving the woman a lot to work with.

It was an obvious but inescapable plan, brought by a lucky chance arranged by the Heavens, which was why the woman found it quite surprising when she found herself hanging from a hand sealed around her throat.