the multi

Chapter 74

Motes in the Sands of Time

A singular vortex rising some eighty yards into the sky spun unto itself within the expanding desert. Dunes arose and fell, even the tallest barely a quarter its size, framing the arcane impossibility. And yet, it stood--its innards were dark, the frame embossed with varying colors of the flame, expanding and contracting almost like a heart. 

Obsidian Dragon Realm's entrances were all exactly the same, though they varied in size--this one, located deep within the Shifting Sands, was only the third largest. Nonetheless, for everyone currently present, it was still a looming behemoth that they couldn't quite comprehend.

Shen Tao was no exception.

It would be his first time entering a hidden realm, and though he tried to maintain an aloof expression, his mind was reeling. The entrance was not just awe-inspiring, it was just as much terror-inducing, if not more. From certain angles, it almost felt like staring at a maw of an obsidian beast. 

Eventually, though, he had to look away, and focus instead on other participants this time around. Including the five of them, there seemed to be just shy of four hundred people present, possibly a hundred more of Elders or escorts of the Disciples. 

It was a sea of people, and yet, even so, they were barely a passing dot in the desert when compared to the world around them. Everyone set up camps with tents, entire buildings, and even floating spherical objects, isolating themselves at first. However, as the time passed, younger folk began to explore and interact with others. This included Song and Lya (especially the former), who went around introducing themselves to anyone who cared.

Mei remained back, seeming entirely divorced from everything, refusing to utter a word to anyone who approached. Seeing it, Shen Tao felt a fading feeling of pride--at the very least, she no longer treated him as air. She, instead, treated him as an inconsequential ant. 

The realization hurt, but it was still an upgrade. 

Few approached Shen Tao himself--he made his appearance average, and he'd shown himself to be only at the early stages of Core Formation Realm, making him one of the weakest people here. Rather, their entire group, by and large, appeared to be the weakest, with only one Peak Core Formation cultivator. However, shockingly, only a few seemed to make some passing comments, and others, even if they had them, kept them to themselves or at least away from their ears. 

It was all, however, merely a calm before the storm. 

Though the vortex had appeared, it was yet to open, as it were. Instead of dark nothing at the center, there should be a reflection of the world beyond. So, until it appears, everyone would have to wait. 

"Are you nervous?" Mei suddenly asked, startling him. She seldom initiated conversations with him unless she was asking for a spar. 

"No," he replied, looking back at her. She'd put on a veil and rather loose clothes in a desperate bid to shun herself from the world. "You?" 

"A bit," she admitted. "Have you made a choice?" 

"Don't ask stupid questions," he hissed at her. 

"Fair."

"Why are you nervous?" 

"It's just who I am," she admitted. "Ever uncertain, ever doubtful, ever a cynic. How come you aren't?"

"Why would I be?" Shen Tao shrugged. "Worst case scenario, I fail to obtain any important treasure. It isn't so bad."

"Wouldn't the worst case scenario be you dying?" 

"Hah," he scoffed. "If I actually do die in this place, do me a favor--resurrect me so I can kill myself out of shame." 

"... haah. I'd have thought your arrogance would have... subsided, just a bit." her voice seemed weary as she looked away from him. 

"It's not arrogance," he said, lowering his head. "My father... he left me a trove of treasures." he didn't know why he was admitting this, no less to someone he considered a hateful wench just a couple of weeks back. "Short of the realm's laws themselves being broken and someone of much higher cultivation sneaking in, I won't die."

"Oh," she mumbled softly. "I'm sorry," she added after brief silence. "I've only ever known life without parents, so I forget the pain of losing them. What does it feel like?"

"... like hunger that never goes away," Shen Tao replied, his voice quivering ever so slightly. He wouldn't say he 'loved' his father--rather, he didn't love anything. It was a word forbidden, a weakness to be exploited. But the two still had a bond, and that bond was shattered like glass... so quickly and so violently. "Sorry. Forget I said anything." 

"Neither one of us is necessarily happy with this arrangement," she said. "But I am not entirely void of empathy. You can always talk to me."

Shen Tao remained silent momentarily. Even if they were just words spoken out of awkwardness, he appreciated them. Nonetheless, he would never take her up on it. Presenting himself as weak and vulnerable to her would destroy his pride, or whatever was left of it, anyway. It was pointless to talk, in the end. He poured it all into his anger, and goal of avenging his father's death. Anything besides that felt unnecessary. 

"Thanks, but it's fine," he said. 

"Okay," though he was certain he misheard, a part of him believed that he picked up a trace of disappointment in her faintly subdued voice. "Go call back the other two. The realm's about to open."

Shen Tao looked up toward the vortex and noticed the budding changes--the edges of the dark began to crack inwardly, revealing a world of blue sky beneath. He quickly located the pair of kids who were chatting with a nearby group of wandering cultivators; for one reason or another, nobody turned them away. Whether it was their social skills, or that they'd also seen something in the kids, Shen Tao didn't know.

"Come, you two," he approached them and called out. "The realm's about to open. We have to stay together."

"Right, yes! It was nice meeting you! Good luck in the realm!"

"You too." 

"Who were those?" Shen Tao asked on the way back. 

"Apparently, they are all Mastered to some hermit who lives at the Salted Lake further up north," Lya replied. "They're all very nice."

"And strong," Song added. "The weakest among them was just barely weaker than us."

"Oh?" Shen Tao arched his brows, glancing back at the group for a moment. It consisted of eight people, two men and six women, who all seemed to be in their early twenties at the oldest. Though he never heard of a hermit living at the Salted Lake, it wasn't unordinary--there were thousands of hermits in the world, most of whom were useless criminals that were banished from the society. Not all, however. Some simple felt betrayed by the world, and went to live away from it. 

It was just a brief glance, however. 

He was more than confident in being able to defeat them all, and possibly even take on several at once. By the time they returned to their holding, the hidden realm was half open. The Elder chattered a bit more and sent out a few extra warnings to stick together and avoid conflict if at all possible, and instead focus on scavenging and finding treasures. 

Rather than listening to him, Shen Tao mapped out the most important faces of those gathered here. In reality, this was just a tiny portion, possibly the smallest one, that would enter the realm. According to the Elder, as well as Long Hao, there were around eight thousand Disciples participating the last time the realm opened, from all across the Lower Ashlands.

Despite that, running into others wasn't actually that common due to the sheer size of the realm. 

From his quick assessment, there were just six people that posed any sort of danger, and all were in their late twenties and at the Peak Core Formation Realm. If it was six from here, there'd likely be dozens that would pose danger altogether. Not a small number, but not an insurmountable one either. 

"Stay vigilant, and come back home," were the Elder's parting words as the world abruptly shook. 

The vortex spun and hummed as loudly as a boom of thunder, the darkness within it shattering and revealing fading images of plains, mountains, lakes, forests, and so on. Though it switched, everyone here would appear at the exact same place--far Norther Plains of the realm. From thereon, they'd likely scatter in search of treasures. 

Long Hao took the lead and others followed--surprisingly, Song and Lya didn't seem at all nervous despite the fact that they were likely the youngest people here. There was nobody else who'd send kids with such potential this early on into the open world, and though he didn't exactly know what their temporary Sect Master was thinking, for some reason, he did trust her judgment. 

There was a good chance that the two kids might be targeted, but, in some small ways, that would work in their favor. They, as a group, were entirely unassuming--they'd probably be underestimated the most. That would lead, at least initially, to them reaping quite a few rewards, at least until the word spread.

He could already feel it, causing his skin to tingle. There were quite a few eyes shuffling toward them as they made their way to the portal. A lesser man would cower under them, but all Shen Tao felt was excitement. He needed this, an outlet--he needed to see blood flow, or his inner demons would soon consume him.

And the hidden realm, shorn of the prying eyes, would be baptized in the blood of those who'd dare attack him, regardless of who they were.