Chapter 2664 Moments Before Death
*Shhh!~*
Before even Davis could make a move, Tanya's sword swept past him and stabbed into the force that shuttled out from the void nearby.
*Bang!~*
The icy sword simply shattered, causing Tanya to become shaken. That power was beyond her level, causing her to become desperate in a bid to stop them. However, before she could make her next move, ice encased that invisible force.
*Boof!~*
Space visibly sunk, distorting the scenery before it burst into a wisp of smoke, covering the area in mist and leaving behind a vacuum of a humanoid figure flying in the air as it made its way to Nyx Godwin's corpse. However, just as it was about to reach them, three figures abruptly surrounded it, and the mist was blown away by a single slash of a blade.
The brown-robed elder had his saber stretched out, his expression turning frosty.
"Immortal King Voidsmoke, didn't we tell you to wait back in the branch? For what reason have you come here and even tried to destroy evidence?"
The scene cleared of the mist, and everyone saw a black-robed man with a deep jawline, high nose, and sword-like eyes stare at Mystic Diviner Hailac with killing intent. He looked to the side and waved his hand.
"Evidence? What do you mean evidence, Elder Earthsaber!?"
The brown-robed elder frowned when called upon his title. However, Immortal King Voidsmoke still seemed livid as he stretched his arm and pointed at every single person around him.
"You all dare to defile my little cousin's corpse? Do you people possess any shame? My little cousin is still your sect's disciple!"
"So is that young woman." Elder Earthsaber appeared unamused as he continued, "We cannot take either side until we find out the truth. However, you have acted rudely on our sect's grounds and will have to pay the necessary price. Don't make things difficult for us, and obediently surrender."
"You dare to offend my Godwin Family. Good! We'll see what happens in the future."
Immortal King Voidsmoke kept nodding as his face held a smile. However, his fury was plain to be seen.
"Arrest him."
However, the disciples saw that the elders didn't give a crap about his words and still moved to apprehend him.
The blue-robed elder, whom they vaguely recognized as Elder Frostbite, twisted his hands, causing pure ice energy to churn out and form an icy cuff between Immortal King Voidsmoke's hands, causing him to no longer stay as less visible as smoke within the void.
He manifested into his fleshly body, his expression appearing mortified over this kind of treatment.
"Hmph!"
However, he just harrumphed and really didn't fight back, seemingly just giving a look full of mocking, filled with spite. It was almost as if he decided that the people in his eyes were already dead.
"Tanya, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Tanya responded to Davis's question, which was laden with worry and care. She momentarily smiled at him as she cast him a heartened glance, thinking that he was still protective of her even when she was an Immortal King. It was a wonderful feeling, but she was quite mad at the moment. After all, she was caught off guard by this Level Seven Immortal King in front of her. His prowess seemed to have almost been on the verge of entering the Immortal Emperor Stage, which meant that his prowess was most likely four or five levels above.
She was angry at herself for being unable to stop him for another reason
For that same reason, Davis wryly smiled.
They had just come out, but the full-force attacks by the Godwin Family seemed to have already started. He knew this was just the start, one that merely ended at a dispute over a corpse, or…
'That might've been his purpose… to make everyone think that he's here for dignity when his true intent was to erase any evidence of wrongdoing… Otherwise, he would've gone for Myria's head and not the corpse...'
If he had actually made a move on them, then only the elders could've saved them. Even Davis didn't see the attack coming until it was actually launched when usually, he would've been able to pick any signs just as he sensed danger, but the attack was not targeted at him.
Fortunately, Mystic Diviner Hailac and Tia remained unharmed, protected by that dashing blue-robed elder addressed as Elder Frostbite. His ice energy only seemed to resonate in this place, making him understand that this elder must've actually trained here in his youth or something like that.
Nonetheless, Mystic Diviner Hailac was only shaken for a moment before continuing to cast the karmic technique again. Although she was interrupted because she was interrupted at the very start, there wasn't too much backlash to her energy.
She adjusted her breathing, focused her psyche, and continued casting karmic energy overflowing out of her body as it mixed with the time and space of heaven and earth.
For a moment, time seemed to slow down for everyone, including the Immortal Emperors. However, this was merely an illusion as their gazes were fixed at that point where the divining into the past was taking place.
As cryptic voices emerged from Mystic Diviner Hailac's mouth, the corpse near her feet shook as though it was alive. However, it merely manifested an image out of its body and stood up, revealing a grin that appeared rather malevolent to them.
"Didn't I tell you that it was a dead end?"
In front of him was the beautiful figure of Myria. However, it was faint and outlined as though she was nothing but a spirit. However, everyone knew that this was a kind of limitation for the karmic technique and did not mean that Myria didn't exist there or existed as a spirit.
"Move."
They watched Fairy Myria reply with a cold voice, to which Nyx Godwin only soundlessly scoffed at her.
"Fairy Myria, I can tell you're a beautiful woman whose beauty even eclipses Rea Tyriel. Your intellect also leaves any woman- no, any man in the dust, even the elders I saw back in my power, and your skill in spirit formations is worthy of extreme praise. I have never seen a woman like you, a woman that every man would want, and unfortunately, I'm the same. I want you. Leave him and come to me."
"…"
At this point, everyone's gaze flickered with a sense of disgust as everyone started to understand what had gone on.
They saw Fairy Myria still calm for a while before she warned him with a piercing look in her eyes as though wanting to kill him. But in the end, she didn't escalate the situation and walked past him, only to be suddenly grabbed by Nyx Godwin by the wrist.
"Since you don't appreciate my kindne-"
He stopped when Myria suddenly grabbed his forehead, causing him to grin as well before quickly grabbing her wrist again.
"Wrong move. My soul is protected by- by..."
After that point, the semi-transparent manifestation of the past ended, causing people to look dumbfounded. But suddenly, Mystic Diviner Hailac abruptly fell to the front.
"Careful!"
Davis shouted, causing Tia to instantly grab Mystic Diviner Hailac's shoulders. A little check she conducted told her that Mystic Diviner Hailac had just fainted from exhaustion and not injuries or backlash, which made her sigh in relief and nod to Davis, relaying that she was alright.
"The truth is made clear."
Ellia had a mocking look on her face as she enunciated her words, causing Immortal King Voidsmoke's expression to churn.
"Lies."
"What lies? That is not a projection but a divination. The heavens don't lie."
Tia's gaze was also furious as she coldly spoke, causing Immortal King Voidsmoke to narrow his eyes. A little pipsqueak with baby fat still on her face dared to talk back to him? But just before he could speak, Myria's voice echoed.
"Why stop at that when you can see what went on next, although it is up to you people whether to believe my projection or not..."
Soul force surged out of Myria and turned into three outlines, one depicting a bald, old man with long eyebrows falling to his neck while the other two depicted herself and the dead body of Nyx Godwin.
"My grandson!"
A heart-wrenching cry rang out. It was the old man. He grieved for Nyx Godwin, and the sight of it was saddening. However, he turned around and gazed at Myria, his gaze furious.
"You! Why did you murder my grandson?"
"Your grandson tried to violate me."
"Hmph! Who do you think you are?"
The old man with long eyebrows exploded, pointing at her face, "I don't care if you're the Young Mistress of the Tyriel Family or anyone else. You should've just spread your legs open and bore a child for my grandson, but now, you have invited a calamity for yourself and anyone related to you. Just wash your neck and await your execution- no, before you even think of dying, your womanhood you tried to defend from my grandson will be ruthlessly violated, and you will die as a slut!"
"Are these the words of an Immortal Emperor?"
"I just lost my filial grandson and the most powerful heir my Godwin Family has ever seen, and you expect me to be gentle and polite!? You completely offended my Godwin Family, so just wait. I'll personally head to the Aurora Cloud Gate to bring you back with me and enjoy your body for countless nights with my brothers before slicing your head off publicly."
The old man exploded into a burst of maniacal laughter and disappeared. After that, Myria retrieved her projection made through soul force.
If disciples felt any amount of sympathy at first, there remained only disgust by the end of the projection.
Clearly, the one who was wrong was Nyx Godwin, and yet, it seemed as though Myria should've willingly victimized herself and stayed quiet about it, according to his grandfather. They wondered how it made sense, coming to completely look down on the Godwin Family.
In all this, Rea Tyriel's expression was quite furious than one would expect.
Although she was also angered at the treatment that Myria received, why did she get pulled into their conversation for no reason? It was like she was a mere scale, but more than that, she was completely infuriated over Nyx Godwin's grandpa saying that she or anyone should just open their legs for him.
At that moment, she had the intent to war against the Godwin Family. Just how can they be this daring? What difference did they have from bandits or barbarians!?
After retrieving the soul projection, Myria turned to look at Immortal King Voidsmoke, whose expression was unsightly at this point.
"You can dispute this as a lie but not the one before. I revealed what and all I could reveal. Now then, am I free to leave?"
She turned to look at Elder Earthsaber.
"No, you're not."
Myria frowned as her eyes became frigid. Was this still not enough?
"Since you have proved yourself innocent, we'll give you full protection." However, Elder Earthsaber placed his saber on his shoulder and grinned, "Brothers, prepare for war."
"Aiyo, is it time for the Aurora Cloud Gate to finally reveal its might to the forgetful world once again?"
"Seems like it..."
Elder Whitejoy and Elder Frostbite looked at each other, and a faint smile of expectation seemed to glow on their faces.
Their expressions and words caused Myria to be stunned. It was not only her but the entirety of the disciples, even Immortal King Voidsmoke looked at them with disbelief.
The Aurora Cloud Gate's reason for warring… was decided just like that?