With Yulan and Lifen now being on the Wandering Sword Sect Flying Sword with them, in case something like the previous confrontation happened once more they would be safe, and for that they were relieved.
"Yulan, Lifen!" Lian'er was the first to joyfully welcome them as she saw her two friends, she then jumped to her feet and greeted them with a warm hug before enthusiastically chatting with them.
In this way the group of now 7 cultivators, 1 excessively handsome man and 6 heavenly fairies, erupted in conversation with each other as time began to quickly pass.
Time, like the unstoppable river it was, never stopped nor slowed for anyone, and consequently it quickly flowed amidst Mikael and the girls' conversation and the quiet meditation of other cultivators as everyone waited for the Realm of Broken Skies to open.
It was unknown exactly how long had passed, but it was clearly counted in days, with the tear in reality that served as the entrance to the Secret Realm growing increasingly stable and less dangerous. It still wasn't anywhere near ready to allow the disciples to enter, but it was steadily moving toward that point.
In this way it looked like nothing would happen, with everybody simply waiting for it to open, but then—
"What's that?" a cultivator from a third rate Sect stopped meditating as she grew bored, and to pass time she began to observe the nearby landscape, she did so for a while before suddenly noticing some kind of… black point far on the horizon approaching.
That sight made her let out a confused exclamation as she focused her gaze on the still small 'black point', her vision slowly sharpening as she began to see what it truly was.
Instantly her composure paled as a fearful whisper escaped her, "demonic beast… This is a demonic beast!" what began as a shocked whisper transformed into a louder exclamation.
An exclamation which quickly attracted nearby cultivators' attention, some who scolded her for the loud noise, but after she explained herself their attention was redirected toward this 'black point'.
"Junior Sister is right! This is a demonic beast!"
A handsome Core Disciple of this Sect paled, "With its size, it's definitively not weak and definitively not something that a small Sect like us can deal with!" he declared, with some panic surfacing in his voice.
Other nearby cultivators also began to slightly panic, but their Sect Master brought them back to order, "Calm down! Even if this is a powerful demonic beast, do you think it's stronger than the Overlord Sects? It clearly isn't, so just transmit the message and they will take care of it!"
His confident declaration helped calm down the disciples who were beginning to panic, and quickly enough they obeyed his orders, and consequently the words of this approaching 'demonic beast' began to spread.
And this wasn't only because of this third rate Sect's effort, but also because other cultivators began to notice this approaching black point, which they identified as an immense and consequently powerful demonic beast!
Because of that the words spread like wildfire and before long even the Three Overlords Sect heard or saw this black point, and logically, actions were taken and consequently—
"Damn demonic beast! Why do you come disturb me? I was having a good nap!" A loud complaint escaped a groggy-looking Qiu Yuelan who yawned before stretching, her voluptuous curves pressing against the fabric of her beautiful Taoist Robes in a rather wonderful fashion.
Fortunately or maybe unfortunately there was nobody to see it, as the lazy yet mature beauty was currently in an isolated part of the Flying Sword, this isolated part having initially been the artifact core room but one that she had repurposed in a far, far better fashion.
Previously it was just its core but now it was both the Flying Artifact core AND a beautiful bedroom with an extremely comfortable bed, one in which she had been sleeping just moments ago.
Sadly for her, Elder Ren had sent her a spiritual transmission about the approaching demonic beast, which forced her to wake up and perform the absolutely inhuman task of rising from bed.
Vwooom.
The 'metal' before the lazy Sect Master parted as she walked out from inside the Flying Sword and stepped atop it where the rest of the Sect members were gathered, while behind her the metal closed once more.
'Where is it, this damn demonic bea—' as she thought so, her attention instinctively focused in one direction, and her gaze caught sight of the small black point that had rapidly grown since the first cultivators spotted it.
But with her higher cultivation she didn't have any trouble seeing exactly what this small black point was.
And when she finally saw it, her expression grew dark and ugly, "Are you kidding me!?" these words escaped her as she saw and sensed perfectly well what it was!
This black point could only be called a 'Chitinous Leviathan', it looked like an absolute titanesque demonic beast, a flying insectoid one with heavy dark platings covering the entirety of its hundreds of meters long body.
Its two immense insectoid wings, far larger than its body, continuously flapped as it approached the cultivator gathering, the motion accompanied by its pair of vast and seemingly emotionless compound eyes.
When all of that came together it gave rise to an absolute titanesque insectoid demonic beast that seemed unstoppable and of unimaginable power, but the reason the Sect Master cursed wasn't because of the creature's terrifying strength or presence.
The reason she cursed was because she saw some non-living part directly within this 'demonic beast', something that looked half organic and half inorganic.
"Chitinous Leviathan! This is the Chitinous Leviathan! It isn't a demonic beast but a Flying Artifact!" she gritted her teeth, "I was seriously disturbed from my slumber for… this!?" she spoke aloud with a pissed-off expression as she threw a dark glance at Elder Ren.
He raised his hands in a pacifying gesture, a helpless expression spreading across his face as if to say, "How is it my fault? I didn't know it wasn't a demonic beast, I was just being safe!"
"Chitinous Leviathan… S-Sect Master, a-are you sure it's really it?" a nearby Core Disciple paled upon hearing her words and questioned uneasily.
The Sect Master, already in a foul mood, didn't take the time to think and instinctively answered, "Of course! I'm not blind, I know what I saw, this is definitively the Chitinous Leviathan… Oh… fuck!" as she spoke, she realized mid-sentence what was happening and couldn't help but curse.
All the nearby cultivators who heard their Sect Master's words had a similar reaction as they tensed and paled, even more than before when they believed it to be an extremely powerful demonic beast.
The reason?
They knew to whom the Flying Artifact known as the Chitinous Leviathan belonged.
It belonged to the Eidolon Path Sect, the strongest Sect of the Eclipsion Region, a region almost entirely dominated by Varnari where other races were rarely seen, and because of that, the Eidolon Path Sect was composed entirely of Varnari.
Knowing that a Sect constituted entirely of Varnari could naturally lead to the question—what exactly were the Varnari?
The answer to that question would be simple in the fact that the Varnari are a race in the same way humans are considered to be a race, but the difference lies in the reality that the Varnari are a superior race compared to humanity.
And this fact isn't something that can be debated by comparing who has the most talented geniuses, the strongest cultivators, or anything of the sort.
Calling them a superior race can't even be called racist, because it isn't.
This is simply stating purely objective facts, the Varnari are simply a superior race compared to humans, and anybody who thinks otherwise is simply in denial and refusing to accept reality.
But then, if the Varnari are a superior race, in what way are they better than humans?
They are better on a variety of factors, but it can essentially be summarized in three points:
{1. Lifespan & Regeneration
Extremely Long Lifespan: They can live up to ten times longer than a human of the same cultivation realm, granting them an almost unnatural longevity.
Extreme Vitality: Compared to humans, their vitality is immensely greater, making them far harder to kill. What would instantly end the life of a human cultivator would, for a Varnari of equal cultivation, likely result in nothing more than a heavy wound.
Extreme Physical Regeneration: Their physical regeneration is their most terrifying aspect, reaching levels that defy common sense. Even those with weak bloodlines can recover from decapitation or being cut in half within seconds, while stronger bloodlines exhibit regeneration so excessive it borders on the absurd. The only true method to kill one is to strike them down repeatedly until their energy reserves are completely drained.
Innate StrengthInnate Cultivation Base: Every Varnari is born already standing at the 1st layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm. This power isn't entirely accessible from birth but gradually awakens as they mature, to the point that when other races begin their cultivation journey, a Varnari has already stepped into a stage most can only dream of reaching through years of effort.
Powerful BodyPhysical Superiority: The body of a Varnari is naturally stronger than that of a human in the same cultivation realm. While their regeneration remains their greatest strength, even those with weaker bloodlines possess physical might roughly half a minor realm above humans of comparable cultivation.}
And all the above points don't come with drawbacks that counterbalance things or anything.
No, no, no, the Varnari are called a superior race and it isn't without reason, because not only do they enjoy the above benefits but they also don't suffer from any drawbacks in other aspects.
In other areas, like intelligence, cultivation talent, or things of that nature, they stand at the same level as humans, making them fully deserving of being called a superior race.
The difference isn't so overwhelming that a human would be nothing more than an ant before a Varnari, but the difference is real.
"What!? The Eidolon Path Sect is coming!"
"Why are they here?"
Chatter erupted as the nearby disciples began to worriedly converse, their attention fixed on the approaching Chitinous Leviathan.
Even Qiu Yuelan's sleepiness vanished as she warily and seriously eyed the approaching titan, 'The Eidolon Path Sect's presence today… just before the opening of the Realm of Broken Skies, can't be a coincidence.'
These thoughts passed through her mind as she began to worry about the situation, after all while humans and Varnari weren't at war or in bad relations, the reality was that no matter the race there were always conflicts of interest breaking out in the Cultivation World, so as she saw the Chitinous Leviathan approach she couldn't help but fear the worst.
And this was especially the case considering that she knew the Eidolon Path Sect was a Sect stronger than any of the three Overlord Sect!!!
The only way the three Overlord Sects could resist was if the Wandering Sword Sect, the Flame Sovereign Sect, and the Frozen Serenity Sect joined hands and worked together, then and only then could they be on equal footing against this behemoth.
Understanding this reality, it was only natural for her to worry and grow serious, after all while she was lazy, didn't do her Sect Master duties, didn't know her Sect Members and more… she was still the Sect Master alright and needed to care about her Sect!
Vruummmm!
As the mature beauty frowned in worry, the Chitinous Leviathan continued to cut through the sky, its massive shadow expanding until even distant and weaker cultivators could make out its chitin-covered hull and segmented wings.
At that instant murmurs began to spread like wildfire through the crowd.
"Isn't that… the Chitinous Leviathan?" someone muttered as his expression darkened, "So it wasn't a demonic beast! But those Varnari, they are actually coming here…"
Another cultivator beside him snorted, "Hmph, after what their once-in-a-millennium genius Tharvonis did by going on a rampage and challenging every human prodigy he met! Now their entire Sect dares to come into our Suncrest Region!?"
A nearby female cultivator shook her head, "Not every human prodigy, he didn't dare to come into our Suncrest Region because he knew he would get beaten up!"
A rain of agreement followed as all the nearby cultivators voiced their approval of the female cultivator's words, but to anyone with sense it was clear that it wasn't the truth but merely their pride talking—it was, as always, a matter of face after all…
Another cultivator frowned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he looked at the Chitinous Leviathan, "And they are coming just as the Secret Realm is about to open too…" he shook his head, "I don't think this is a coincidence, they should be after our Suncrest Region Secret Realm!"
"This is really outrageous! They have their own Secret Realm so why are they eyeing ours instead of using the one in the Eclipsion Region!?"
Cries of outrage resounded from nearby cultivators as they realized that his suspicions were probably right, and instantly they shouted with voices full of 'righteousness'.
And this conversation was only a microcosm of what was happening in the large gathering of cultivators, the chatter growing louder as fear, anger, pride, righteousness, and even interest or fascination mixed together while all gazes remained fixed on the approaching Flying Artifact.
Author Note:
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With that we are approaching the end of Volume 4, I know I've said(I'm not sure I said it but I think so) that the goal was for Volume 4 to end at chapter 300 but yeah…
We are at 322 and we aren't there but we are approaching, goal 330-340 max and the Volume 4 would end, this volume really lasted a long time(far longer than I thought) but I'm still satisfied with it as while it had gone somewhat slowly we were able to develop more things so I'm satisfied with it.
I don't know if this feels the same to the readers?
I would be interested in knowing your opinion to potentially make adjustment for the Volume 5 which is coming(at least try because if you say it's too slow, I can try to make it faster paced but no promise I would succeed…)
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Want to read ahead? Unlock advanced chapters on Patreon—just search SDASLUMMY.
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— End of Chapter —