Chapter 888: A Suitable Gardener?, A Nature Revealed and Eyes Opened
Avia was left baffled by Astratis' words. Could he not see that their current situation was not good? Did he want to eliminate any chances of their survival? Even if he planned on forfeiting his life, shouldn't he at least take others into account first?!
"I have to do something...!" Avia thought to herself with furrowed brows as she stepped forward.
'Hm?'
When Izroth saw Avia walk to the front of the group with an anxious expression, he could already guess her thoughts. But he did not intend to stop her.
'How amusing. Since she took the initiative, let's see what she has planned.'
"Oh? What's this? Don't tell me you plan on using your Fifth Great Clan to threaten me or save yourself. We both know your current circumstances. In fact, if I were to deliver your head to the Fifth Great Clan myself, wouldn't they thank me?" Louven said with a grin as a look of greed flashed through his eyes.
The Fifth Great Clan was well known for its access to rare high-quality herbs that could only be found in the Mother of All Forests. There were many individuals who would kill a thousand times over to secure a stable supply channel with the Fifth Great Clan.
Avia was visibly shaken by Louven's words as she felt a strong wave of killing intent wash over her. However, she understood that the moment she dropped her guard or backed down, her life would be in danger.
"I admit, I am not your match. But I would suggest that you walk away while you still have the chance." Avia said as she quickly regathered herself.
"It's good that you understand your limits—at least, that's what I would have said if you stopped after your first few words. Walk away? And, just who will make me, the Destructive Sight of the Eight Heavens, walk away?" Louven scoffed as he released the pressure of his aura.
At the same time, a dark crimson flame flared up on his right hand. Even from a distance of several meters, the intensity of the heat released by the flames could be felt.
"Do not be rash. If you start a commotion here, aren't you afraid that the Holy Maiden will discover what you've done eventually and seek revenge?" Avia said as she winced from the heat wave that passed by her.
"Nice try. But, at this distance from the Thousand Blossoms Peak, even if the Holy Maiden discovers what I've done, it will be too late to change anything. After it's already over, will she risk starting an all-out war with my Eight Heavens for the sake of a dead man?" Louven stated.
In Louven's eyes, even if Izroth held some importance to the Holy Maiden, it was not to the point that she would seek him out at the Eight Heavens just to avenge his death.
"I didn't know you were this bold. Where was this confidence when you were face to face with the Holy Maiden back on the Thousand Blossoms Peak?" Avia commented as she gave a meaningful glance to Izroth.
Avia knew that Louven had no intention of letting her go. Not to mention, winning in a head-on fight was not possible. However, Avia was confident in her ability to stall Louven using the substances of her Fifth Great Clan.
Therefore, her only option left was to place her hopes in Izroth and his two companions in hope that they could somehow get in contact with the Holy Maiden on the Thousand Blossoms Peak.
Since this was the only path to her ensure her survival, Avia was willing to take the risk. Also, even though she would not say it, it was also her way of paying the debt she owed Izroth for saving her life.
As Izroth observed the situation, he gave a small inward nod of approval.
'She may just be doing it for herself. But regardless, she did not immediately run away when danger approached and instead stepped forward. This kind of person definitely has some uses. It's a shame the Fifth Great Clan threw away such a person in an attempt to further their own schemes. Well, I suppose it's a good thing for me.'
Initially, Izroth planned on learning all he could about the Great Clans and Mother of All Forests from Avia in preparation for his future visit. After all, the Wiseman may somehow be related to the Great Clans, but who knew how long it'd been since she was actually there? Because of how long-lived the trephasia race was, for all he knew, the power structure could have completely changed within the time she spent in Proximus and traveling around. Therefore, it was best to have a fresh perspective on matters.
Not to mention, having a guide in the legendary realm when he visited the Mother of All Forests to complete the SSS-ranked quest Awakening of The Lost Bloodline would definitely make it easier to move and avoid unnecessary troubles.
But, after seeing her reaction to Louven's arrival, Izroth started to think that perhaps there would be more uses for her in the future. That is, as long as she did not cross any lines and betray his expectations.
'Now that I think about it, there is still the issue of finding someone to manage the Resplendent Landscape Pocket Dimension once it's activated. With her knowledge of herbs from the Fifth Great Clan, there should be no problem if I leave it to her.'
If other players knew of Izroth's thoughts to practically make a legendary realm figure his personal gardener, they would cough up blood from shock.
Others would be doing everything in their power to curry favor with a legendary realm being, yet he wanted to have one as his gardener? What kind of absurd thought was that?!
"Audacious!" Louven erupted as the crimson flames around his hand surged.
When Avia brought up what happened back on the Thousand Blossoms Peak, Louven was reminded of the humiliation he had to endure. Avia's words were like rubbing salt in his fresh wounds. How could he not be infuriated after having to swallow his pride like that in front of others?!
"I was going to let you live a little longer, but since you're so eager to die, I will grant your wish!" Louven bellowed as he swung his hand forward in a swiping motion.
The moment Louven performed this movement, the crimson flames on his hand shot out like the twisting body of a flaming serpent toward Avia.
Once Avia saw that she managed to redirect Louven's main focus to her, she knew that her taunt was successful.
"Good, that should give them some time to-" Avia glanced at her back; however, what she witnessed almost caused her to faint from anger!
Instead of taking the opportunity, she provided to commence their escape, Izroth and the others had not moved a single step!
Could it be that they did not understand her intentions? No, that was unlikely. Izroth was someone she likened to the little princess in terms of having a calculative mind. It should not have been a problem for him to see through her intentions!
Avia quickly snapped out of it as the crimson flames approached her. However, she was so taken aback in the moment that she failed to react properly and messed up her timing.
"I won't make it..!" Avia thought to herself as she closed her eyes tightly and circulated her mana full throttle to brace herself for the incoming blow.
"..."
Avia waited, but, to her surprise, the blow never came.
The next moment, Avia opened her eyes. And, the scene before her left the trephasia in a state of utter disbelief. She almost thought her eyes deceived her.
That's because Louven, a powerhouse at the late stage of the legendary realm, was currently sprawled out on the ground at someone's feet!
To be exact, he was at the feet of one of the individuals she did not sense any mana or energy from.
Avia's mind momentarily went blank. One second, she was thinking desperately about her survival, and the next, the major crisis that appeared had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Youngest, isn't this guy too weak? Are you sure you're from the same place?" Astratis inquired with a frown as he scratched the back of his head while looking down at the motionless Louven.
Although Izroth explained to him some of the power structures in the Mortal Realm, in Astratis' mind, he still believed that all the people in the Mortal Realm would be similar to either Izroth or the fragment of Tal'Nis.
Therefore, even though he was only testing Louven, he used a much more heavy-handed method than he typically would when testing a weaker celestial or someone from an ancient race.
Who would have thought that the first person he tested in the Mortal Realm would fall down after one strike?
Izroth shook his head and responded, "His strength would be considered on the higher end here. It's not that he's weak; it's just that you're too abnormal. There are few people here that are capable of rivaling you."
Besides people like the Holy Maiden who were at the peak of the legendary realm and that old man called Zhi, there was likely no one else in the Mortal Realm who could block Astratis' path.
Not to mention, the Son of Thunder's situation was unique. Due to the world he was from, his power was not limited in the same way as those from the Mortal Realm. This meant that it may be theoretically possible that his power had already exceeded that of the average peak legendary realm being!
Of course, he was still not at the same level as someone who was a Plane Ascender. But, at the peak of the legendary realm, he was virtually unrivaled!
Even if it was not him being serious, how could a small character like Louven possibly survive his strike?