Fates Parallel Chapter 356 - Contingency

While the Geumji expedition needed more time to assemble forces and coordinate leadership structures, Shen Yu was pushing for the team going after the tomb to depart at the earliest opportunity. Barely a day after their treaty was established, they received word that they were to depart at dawn.

That night, Yoshika met with Master Ienaga and Princess Seong Misun under the strongest privacy barrier that Misun could manage. Yoshika refused to explain why until the barrier was finished.

Once Misun set the final glyph in place, she crossed her arms and scowled at Yoshika.

“Alright, there. Even the God-Emperor couldn’t listen in on us without me noticing—now what’s so important?”

Yoshika pursed her lips.

“I’d been hoping to have more time to resolve this problem, but we’re out of time, and now I’m desperate. We can’t actually open the Sovereign’s Tomb.”

Misun blinked.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I don’t know what the others are planning, but it takes more than just the keys to open it. For one thing, it only opens at a certain time and I have no idea when that is. Since the other factions are moving now, I’m guessing it’s probably soon. The other problem is the formations to open it are powered by xiantian cores—Yin and Yang aligned, one for each key used to open the tomb.”

The princess pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned.

“This is the sort of thing that you might have brought up much sooner. I could have probably procured them from the vaults before we left if we’d known.”

“We didn’t know at the time. But also, would you have? You weren’t exactly enthusiastic about this whole thing.”

“I’m not enthusiastic about it now, but I see your point. Xiantian cores aren’t exactly easy to get, you know. Recovering one from a beast requires waiting for it to reach the cusp of its awakening and start rampaging, and it usually gets destroyed or degraded in the process.”

Yoshika nodded.

“I know. We must have killed half a dozen of the things before we actually got a usable one.”

“Oh! You already have one?”

“Had. We used it to power the Sky Hall during Rika’s tribulation.”

Misun buried her face in her hands.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are the most infuriating pair of maniacs this world has ever known? You just gave it to her?”

Ienaga smiled and shook her head.

“The kind of trust Yoshika fosters in her friends isn’t earned cheaply. Before the academy fell, the other deans and I would occasionally joke that Yoshika was the secret fourth dean of unified cultivation, the way she freely taught her unique cultivation method to anyone who asked.”

Yoshika shrugged.

“I mean, it was mostly just friends. It wasn’t that big a deal.”

“The fact that you think so is part of what makes you so endearing to those who’ve gathered around you.”

Misun rolled her eyes.

“Okay sure, whatever, they’re generous pushovers. That doesn’t change the fact that they gave away an item that was crucial to a mission with the entire world at stake! We don’t have any xiantian grade cores, and neither does the sect.”

Yoshika’s eyes widened—that had been her first hope, and it was already crushed.

“What? How do you know?”

“I asked. We didn’t hold anything back when outfitting you, but the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect is not what it once was. Frankly, I think the fact that they’ve fallen on hard times is a critical part of why they’ve been so willing to get on board with this whole fiasco—no matter how flowery Lin Xiulan dresses it up, this is their ticket back to greatness.”

“But they’re a great sect! They have this entire mountain, the town around it, and the rest of the province. You asked for a private room and they gave you an entire mansion to yourself!”

Misun shook her head.

“You haven’t been immortal long enough—those are mortal luxuries, mortal wealth, and mortal influence. Since losing their official status, the Flowing Purewater have been pariahs, even among the allies that still respect them. Nobody will trade with them, and their immortal resources have dwindled.”

“What? That makes no sense!”

Ienaga sighed.

“Qin politics is a complicated web of social dynamics—more than usual, that is. Xin’s allies may respect them, but they don’t want to risk offending the other sects by treating them favorably.”

“So, what, then we’re just completely screwed?”

“Not necessarily. If the door is opened, it may not matter who opens it as long as you’re there to take advantage.”

Misun scoffed.

“That’s a pretty flimsy plan to rely on.”

“It is. Which is why we won’t be. I have half of our solution right here.”

Ienaga produced a glassy black orb from within her armor that seemed to drink in the light around it, giving it a strange sort of anti-shine effect, casting shadows from non-existent light sources all around it. A xiantian grade Darkness core.

Misun blinked at it.

“Where in the ancestors’ names have you been hiding that?”

“My armor does more than just protect me from harm. Mages and spiritualists are more sensitive to ambient energy than martial artists, so we have to get creative about keeping ourselves hidden. I retrieved this from the body of one of the monsters that attacked the border outpost around the time of your arrival. It should be enough to satisfy the requirement for a Yin aligned core.”

“I don’t suppose you have another one of those tucked away? Maybe from that fiend you bisected back in the mountain pass? I’m pretty sure that bird one was Sky-aligned.”

Ienaga shook her head.

“No, his core was shattered by my Soul Severing Strike.”

Yoshika frowned.

“What are we going to do about the other one?”

Ienaga tapped her chin for a moment as she considered it.

“Do you know where most awakened fiends live?”

Yoshika was taken aback by the sudden non-sequitur, but tried to respond to the best of her knowledge.

“Uh, they live across the ocean, right? Or at least the dragons do.”

“The ocean is vast, and it spreads out in every direction. You may need to be more specific.”

Misun rolled her eyes.

“It’s a trick question. There are known pockets of fiend civilization around the southern isles, but they don’t have much contact with us humans because of the real answer to Ienaga’s question—the vast majority of magical beasts that survive long enough to awaken as fiends live in the ocean.”

“Indeed. Yamato has limited contact with a few of the smaller tribes, but for the most part, ocean trade is made impossible by leviathans.”

Yoshika’s eyes widened.

“Leviathans? I’ve never heard of them.”

Misun shrugged.

“They aren’t often talked about as more than a bit of trivia. ‘Oh, why don’t we explore the ocean?’ ‘Because of leviathans.’ End of conversation. They’re bad enough for mortal fishing vessels trying to stick close to the shorelines, but the real danger is actually for immortal practitioners.”

Ienaga nodded.

“They’re attracted to powerful sources of essence, and if this tomb really is the source of all essence in the world, I’m guessing that some of the most powerful leviathans on the planet will be there.”

Misun grinned as she realized what Ienaga was getting at.

“And they’ll be hungry for a bite of all the xiantian cultivators gathered in one place. The perfect chance to harvest a fresh new core.”

“Leviathans are large and powerful enough that there’s minimal risk of damaging their cores as well. I have some experience hunting them from before my ascension.”

Yoshika furrowed her brows. That explained how the Ienaga clan had sourced the fiend core that they’d used for the ritual that allowed her uncle to forge her a new body of ki for her xiantian breakthrough. But something else bothered her—she recalled what Shen Yu had said about demons, fiends, and elementals being their cores.

“Aren’t they people, though? I’m not sure we’re comfortable with the idea of slaughtering some innocent bystander for our own gain.”

Misun shook her head and laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Even most fiends consider leviathans to be monsters. They may be intelligent, but creatures that big and powerful rarely concern themselves with things like ethics or morality—they see something they can eat, so they eat it.”

Ienaga nodded in agreement.

“The only reason ocean-dwelling leviathans aren’t a bigger problem is that they spend most of their time killing each other. They don’t tend to be open to reason.”

“I see. So that’s it? We just kill one on the way and hope we get what we’re after?”

“Our options are limited, and keeping things simple will give us more chances to improvise later. Our ‘allies’ such as they are, have the same constraints to worry about, so there’s a lot that can happen between now and our arrival.”

Princess Seong Misun rubbed her temples and scowled.

“We haven’t even left yet and this is a disaster. Alright, good enough! Is that everything?”

Yoshika nodded.

“I think so, yes.”

“Good. Now get out of here and get ready to depart—we’re leaving in a few hours.”

—-

The girls spent the rest of the night organizing with Yue and Ja Yun. They’d been loaned or gifted a huge variety of spells and artifacts, and they took the time to make sure that they were each equipped with the gear that suited them best.

Jia wore her Fist of Earth, along with a set of mystic robes enchanted with Light qi to improve her speed and mobility—they were highly compatible with her new Lightspeed Traversal technique, and would even help empower her Lightning arts and spells. And she had spells aplenty.

Not only did Jia have her own signature lightning bolt and nova spells, but Misun had bolstered her offensive repertoire with a selection of high-powered lightning spells including a single talisman containing a spell Misun called “Heaven’s Wrath,” which she warned would require divine essence to cast.

Eui naturally wore the other half of their personal artifact, the Claws of Heaven, and a set of self-repairing magical robes enchanted with Wood. The robes improved her healing and partially absorbed the backlash effects of her Destruction arts. Despite their best efforts, they hadn’t been able to find a way to use Jianmo as a spiritual weapon, but Jia’s dimensional ring carried several enchanted blades that they hoped would be able to withstand at least some of Eui’s techniques.

While Jia’s talismans focused on destructive power, Eui was destructive enough by herself, and so her spells had more utility. Sealing spells, barriers, and mana shields for every element were just the beginning, with her wider repertoire focused on controlling terrain—something they’d seen Dae do to great effect during their time at the academy.

Yue didn’t need much outfitting. She was already adorned with her own personal artifact, The Moon Lady’s Pride—a golden pin which could channel Light and Dark qi and enhance the power of her voice. Supposedly it had another unique ability, but Yue hadn’t been willing to share. On top of that, she had a pair of fans, each enchanted with the opposing elements of Light and Darkness, which she incorporated into her Starlight Dance martial art.

Her robes were enchanted for maximum defense and mobility, and she forewent any spells—insisting that her arcane arts were too far behind to be worth anything.

Finally, Ja Yun wore actual armor from the Earth Rending Sword Sect, enchanted to be as light as possible and empower Earth-related techniques. To go with it, she’d been gifted a spear and shield, both of which had the ability to float freely around her if she let go of them, allowing her to focus on casting spells without leaving her weapons behind.

To be expected of a Goryeon warmage, Ja Yun had more spells at her disposal than Jia would know what to do with. Offense, defense, utility—Ja Yun was the kind of mage who took her preparation very seriously. Her talismans were tiny, efficiently printed, and plastered across every inch of the inside of her armor and clothing, complete with protection against the elements.

Ever since they’d worked together on Eunae’s tribulation, Ja Yun had been working with Seong Misun to improve her spells, and had made huge strides towards cracking some of the advanced magic that Jia had shared with her. That magic had been adapted into a set of ultimate talismans that Ja Yun promised to use in case of emergencies, promising that she’d be able to protect against even most xiantian threats at least long enough to attempt to flee.

Iseul, for her part, had insisted that she didn’t need anything, choosing to stick close to Ja Yun, and hide beneath her armor for safety.

By the time they were ready, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon and after saying their farewells to friends and family, the girls met their allies at the top of the mountain.

Shen Yu, Bai Renshu, Yan De, Guan Yu, and Ienaga Yumi made up the xiantian escort, and Yoshika privately worried about the safety of her master, outnumbered by potential enemies.

Aside from them and the girls, the rest of the expedition consisted of Zheng Long, Han Yu, and Bai Lin, accompanied by half a dozen cultivators that Yoshika didn’t have high hopes for. She could feel how much weaker they were than the rest—barely even awakened in their non-spiritual disciplines.

She vividly recalled the way Yan Zhihao’s groupies had thrown themselves between him and the fire elemental that they had encountered. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but Yoshika didn’t have much faith in her Qin allies.

Once they were all gathered, Sovereign Shen began shouting orders without any fanfare.

“We will fly directly south until we reach the coast, at which point Ambassador Yoshika will take the lead and guide us to our destination. If you cannot keep up, you will be left behind. Do not stray too far from the group, or your protection cannot be guaranteed. There’s not a moment to waste, let’s go.”

A giant sword appeared at his feet and he casually stepped onto it and shot off into the distance. Yan De followed suit, a pair of flaming wings sprouting from his shoulders as he rocketed after the divine avatar. Guan Yu simply gave the girls a stoic nod before flying after the others without any flair.

Bai Renshu pulled an intricately inscribed flask from his sleeve and uncorked it, producing a cloud that spread across the ground in front of him. He smirked at Ienaga as he stepped on.

“Can a musclebound barbarian even fly? You do realize we’re crossing the ocean, right? Were you planning to swim?”

Ienaga gave the man a polite smile.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’ll manage.”

“Tsk, suit yourself. Lin’er, come along.”

Bai Lin and the remaining Qin cultivators joined Bai Renshu on the cloud before it rose up and began carrying them away. Zheng Long called back as they left.

“Don’t take too long! This whole thing will be for nothing if your dawdling keeps us from arriving in time.”

They took off into the sky, leaving Yoshika alone with her allies. She gave her master a nervous glance.

“Can you fly?”

Ienaga chortled and shook her head.

“I can’t, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to worry about me—I’ll keep up.”

“I’m pretty sure our windwalking spell can bring you with us.”

“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”

Yoshika nodded and signaled for Ja Yun to begin. If Ienaga said it was fine, then she’d trust her master.

Ja Yun held out the talisman nervously, her free hand tightly gripping a high grade mana core to power it.

“Are you sure I’m the right one to be casting this?”

Yoshika nodded.

“It’s your spell, Ja Yun, and you’re our expert. We trust your judgment—you think it will be enough for the trip?”

“Eh...this will get us to the coast at least. I have more talismans, but after the first leg, I’ll need to get creative.”

“We’re in your hands.”

Ja Yun swallowed nervously.

“Okay.”

The girls gathered around Ja Yun, placing hands on her arms and shoulders as she collected her mana—and her nerves—and cast the spell. In an instant, they transformed into a powerful gust of wind and blasted off after the others, leaving Ienaga by herself on the mountain.

The martial arts master watched after them for a moment, waiting until everyone had disappeared over the horizon. She wasn’t worried about the head start—she was more than capable of keeping up. Ienaga Yumi simply didn’t want to give any secrets away to her enemies.

Once she was certain she was alone, she gathered her ki and crouched down. It had been a long time since she’d needed to move like this, and it was just as well that the last few months had been so quiet. She hadn’t recovered as much divine essence as she’d have liked—damn her glacially slow cultivation—but the rest had done her well.

As had the company. But thoughts of Lee Jung only strengthened Yumi’s resolve to keep Jia and Eui safe.

Focusing her ki to the maximum and inhaling a deep breath full of the Purewater Spring’s dense essence, Ienaga uttered a silent incantation that resonated through the fabric of the world itself.

“Sacred Art: Transcendent Physique.”

The next instant, she vanished from sight, leaving nothing but a crater and an explosion of displaced air in her wake.