Chapter 618: Astral Empire

Kadin's normally calm and cool face lit up with surprise as he watched the girl enter the portal. He had not expected such an action by her, and had been hoping to court her to join him. He was used to getting everything he wanted in life, but knew the girl was something that he could not obtain easily. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the portal, and after a moment of silence, his figure flashed as he left the area.

The crowd looked at Kadin who fled, before they gazed back at the Dao Transformation portal. Everything had happened so fast, and they could tell that the situation was not as simple as it appeared.

"Did you see that? Did that girl actually revive that boy?" one of the disciples asked as the conversations started up.

"I think so. We could all tell that his life ended, but then she used her power and brought him back. Just what was that power of hers? It was unlike anything I've ever felt before," another replied.

"Whoever she is, Kadin seems to know of her identity. If someone like him turned so respectful after seeing her identity, she must be far more important than any of us know," another said.

Similar discussions broke out, including discussions of both John and the girl entering the Dao Transformation portal. The general consensus was that both of them would die, as the Jade Dragon Empire lands had already revealed themselves to be incredibly brutal. A place meant for only Dao Transformation cultivators was not a place Heaven Tribulation and Meridian Forging youths could survive.

The crowd dispersed after a while, spreading the tale of what happened before the portal throughout the entire Jade Dragon Empire trial lands.

...

Kadin appeared in an alleyway in the ancient city as he arrived before several other youths wearing the same clothes as him. A serious look lingered on his face as he thought over everything that happened, before a large sigh escaped his mouth.

"Who was that girl?" one of the Starforge youths asked. None of them recognized her, only Kadin.

"Yeah, why did you act so shocked to see her? And why did you act so respectful to her after she insulted you like that?" another asked.

Kadin's gaze shifted to those two youths, his gaze as if he were staring at two idiots. That gaze faded away as he quickly remembered that only very few youths knew of the girls identity.

"I'd like to see any of you act haughty before someone from the Astral Empire," Kadin replied.

"The Astral Empire!" all the other youths exclaimed in shock.

"She's from the Astral Empire? Why is she here?" one youth asked, his voice tinged with shock.

"Why are we here?" Kadin replied. "We were invited by the Honorable Alliance, and it's a good opportunity to obtain benefits for ourselves. I'm sure her reason is the same."

"So who is she? Is she someone important from the empire?" another youth asked.

"Do you think I would act so respectfully in front of someone with lesser status?" Kadin barked back. "The Astral Empire may be strong, but our Starforge Clan is not much worse"

After listening to Kadin's words, a thought appeared in the minds of the youths, and their faces paled with shock and fright as they remembered the girl had entered the Dao Transformation portal.

"Are...are we screwed? She entered the Dao Transformation portal? What if she dies, surely the empire will blame us...surely the Astral Emp-"

"That's enough," Kadin interrupted. "She entered the portal on her own, and everyone saw it. Even if the empire comes asking questions, it cannot be blamed on us. And like I said, the Astral Empire may stand at the top, but so do we. At least our trap for Adam's friend worked, so we solved one headache at least."

"Was that trap necessary?" one of the youths asked. "Couldn't you have just killed Adam's friend secretly?"

"Do you think I'm stupid, or that the Heaven Scrying Sect is stupid?" Kadin barked at the youth, displeased with his questioning tone.

"No, of course not," the youth hastily replied.

"Then do not ask such stupid questions," Kadin replied. "As much as I hate to admit it, that boy is a freakish monster. Even when I unleashed my nearly full powered battle art, he was able to resist its might and only be knocked back. He didn't even take any visible damage. If I were to battle him with my full power, I would no doubt overpower him, but killing him is another thing entirely. It would be easy for him to run away, and a monstrous genius like that is not someone I want as a future enemy."

The youths glanced at each other, as they could tell that Kadin's words were suggesting that John's combat talent was greater than his own. However, Kadin was not stupid, and did nto believe himself to be the strongest youth in the world. He knew his strengths and weaknesses, which is why he was such a formidable and fearsome enemy.

"Tch, I wanted Adam to be taken care of as well, but it seems like something helped him escape," Kadin clicked his tongue as he changed the subject. "If only she didn't interfere, the plan would have been perfect."

A look of displeasure once again appeared on Kadin's face, while his body flashed as he left the area. The other youths all glanced at each other with mixed expressions, and deep sighs escaped their lips before they followed after Kadin, leaving the ancient city for good.

...

Bang!

John's body slammed into hard earth, carving a long trench before he finally came to rest a few hundred yards later. A groan of pain escaped his mouth as he sluggishly stood up and resisted the urge to throw up blood. His body protested in pain, and he could tell he had taken considerable damage by blocking that powerful attack in such a manner.

A healing pill appeared in his hands as he quickly popped it into his mouth, while his head swiveled around in all directions. A grave look appeared on his face as he noticed the area was now completely different. In all directions was a land of dead trees, while fog hung in the air, obscuring his vision. A thick aura of death lingered in the air, and John couldn't help but frown again as he realized where he was.

"Motherfu-...I was knocked through the portal," John cursed as his mind remembered the face of the one that had unleashed the attack at him.

"Kadin!" John growled, his voice tinged with hate and rage. "What happened to Adam was no doubt his doing, and he used him as bait for me once he was done with Adam. I'll rip him to fucking shreds the next time I see him."

Roar!

A terrifying roar erupted in the distance, its power beyond shocking. John felt his body groan in pain from the power of the roar, despite it being dozens of miles away. Were it not for his physical durability, he would have taken severe damage just from the roar. A grave look once again appeared on his face as he realized that getting out of this area would not be a guarantee.

"What should I do?" John grumbled. "I need to reach Heaven Tribulation to have any chance at getting through this area, but if I undergo my tribulation, even if I survive, I'll be too injured to move for weeks. Whatever just roared would surely finish me at that time."

John's mind raced for solutions, but he couldn't come up with anything. The thought of trying to sneak through these lands crossed his mind, but he eventually decided against it. He did not have any strong stealth arts, and a land meant for Dao Transformation cultivators would not be so simple to traverse.

John realized that he was in a situation far over his head, one that he could not think or battle his way out of. The sound of muffled footsteps sounded out behind John, his eyes narrowing as he realized he was not alone. His battle axe once again appeared in his hands as he turned around and prepared to unleash his strongest battle art against whatever was approaching him from behind.

'Now!'

John turned and raised his battle axe, which came to an immediate halt as he spotted the source of the footsteps standing a few dozen yards away from him. A veiled face appeared before him, one that he had seen once before in his life.

"You!"