The Path of the Strongest Mortal, page 1
The Heavenly Throne
The Path of the Strongest Mortal
Yuri Ajin
Lit Orange
Copyright © 2020 Yuri AJin
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Introduced by Lit Orange
Translated by Nevena Markovich
Edited by Sanja Gajin
Edited by Marina Zikic
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1
STARKS QUARRIES
Chapter 2
THE ABYSS
Chapter 3
THE CONCEPT OF YIN
Chapter 4
THE INCIDENT
Chapter 5
RESILIENCE
Chapter 6
THE ALCHEMY SHOP
Chapter 7
THE CONSEQUENCES OF BEING RECKLESS
Chapter 8
THE DAY BEFORE THE BATTLE
Chapter 9
THE FIST FIGHT
Chapter 10
FIST FIGHT 2
Chapter 11
FIST FIGHT 3
Chapter 12
FIST FIGHT 4
Chapter 13
THE LONG-AWAITED FREEDOM
Chapter 14
GOING DEEPER AND DEEPER
Chapter 15
FIGHTING AN ELEMENTALIST
Chapter 16
THE HOLY KINGDOM OF TAEL
Chapter 17
THE INVESTIGATOR
Chapter 18
THE GRAY GANG
Chapter 19
DEALS
Chapter 20
THE SHATTERING STRIKE SECT
Chapter 21
THE CLOUD ABODE
EPILOGUE
The Heavenly Throne Book 5
The Path of the Strongest Mortal
Through power, your chains will be broken.
The military showdowns, the insectoids, the search for the Gates of Ecumene, and the pursuit of Jiang Dao are all in the past. Earth, too. Kai found himself in a new and unfamiliar world, one unlike anything he has ever seen before.
Heavily injured and alone, Kai takes a new step on his path of cultivation. What awaits him in a world where humans are considered nothing more than ordinary beasts?
Recent events have changed him. Will he be able to continue cultivating or will he be destroyed, like countless of other daredevils who have dared to challenge the Heavens?
Kai is different. Everything around him is different. But one thing remained the same — the cruelty of the world ruled by strength and skill.
Ruled by cultivation!
Chapter 1
STARKS QUARRIES
In the middle world of Nikrim, there were two continents — Golid and Reitghem. Kai was lucky enough to end up in the latter. For a long time, Reitghem was divided among five races — giants, dwarves, elves, sylphs, and dorgans. In comparison to them, humans were weak, and were thus not considered a threat for the rest. Therefore, they usually lived in hard-to-reach and hidden places, like rocky islands in the south of the continent.
That was why the traders were so surprised to find Kai lying in the middle of nowhere.
After finding the Gates of Ecumene on Earth, Kai was teleported to the Ishar Desert, one of the most dangerous places on Nikrim. Fortunately, he found himself in the outskirts, which was better than ending up in the center of it. The conditions here were still terrible, but his bloodline made sure to protect him from the heat.
The huge Dark Ocean stretched to the west of the desert. This desert was the home of one of the five ruling races — the sylphs. The Holy Kingdom of Tael bordered Ishar on the east and they regularly traded with each other. The caravan that had picked up Kai was heading there.
However, the traders didn’t intend to immediately return home. They intended to make a stop at one unusual place — the Starks Quarries, unusual because they were sovereign territory, no larger than an average-sized city.
Some ten centuries ago, this place was nothing but one big toxic swamp, and its inhabitants had been nothing but the source of the Tael Kingdom’s eternal headache. But then he appeared — a mysterious elf who called himself Starks. For his level of development, he possessed unprecedented strength. Many concluded that he had been lucky enough to have stumbled upon the legacy of an ancient master or even met their Shadow. One way or another, the elf offered to buy the lands from the then king for a colossal price. There was only one condition — for these lands to cease to belong to the Tael Kingdom and to become his.
The king agreed, thinking that he had made a successful deal. He didn’t need the Rotting Swamps, so it seemed like a great idea to transfer them and their inhabitants into the hands of another owner. This way, he secured his lands in the west and filled the treasury, which was, at that time, somewhat empty.
However, the prince, who ascended to the throne only five centuries ago, now realized that this was a terrible decision. And the reason for that was that Starks miraculously transformed the toxic swamp, the fumes of which had been dangerous even for Holy Lords.
Starks managed to accomplish the impossible. With methods known only to him, he cleared most of the swamp, and then drained it, creating a habitable area. However, he didn’t stop there; he began to make a mine on his lands, as well as build a village.
No one knew how, but he had learned that one rather rare resource lay hidden in these lands — the Dark Ringing Stone, which could be found in only two other places on the continent. But that wasn’t what he wanted, no. He was interested in two other resources that were considered even rarer and more valuable — the Azure Crystal and the Emerald Water. The latter had previously been mentioned only in legends, but then Starks monopolized it.
As a result, Starks Quarries soon became a proper city, inhabited by slaves brought here from all over the continent. But the most important thing was that this place had become the mainland’s trading center, located exactly between the Sylph Desert in the west, the elven kingdom in the east, and the dwarven mountains in the south.
In the past, in order to trade with the eastern part of Reitghem, dwarves and sylphs had to cross the Anomaly Lands, which remained from the times of the Great War of Races. But because of the dangers that plagued the path that connected the territories, the cost of the goods increased significantly, which wasn’t to the liking of either side. Other routes, for example, those across the sea, were also considered unsafe. Moreover, they were longer.
But that all changed when the Starks Quarries appeared. By clearing the swamp and building a city on it, Starks was able to create a safe zone connecting the east and the west. The Quarries became one of the largest trading hubs in Reitghem, a position that was much more valuable than the resources mined on their territory.
It was then that the new king of Tael realized that getting rid of the Rotting Swamps brought his father only a temporary benefit. But it was too late. While the Quarries were developing, an influential clan of dorgans guarded them, but when the treaty with them ended, the kingdom could no longer regain these lands.
By that time, Starks had reached the Holy Lord Stage. He received a middle name from the System — the Thunder Fist — gathered many other powerful cultivators around him, and made many useful connections. Although the forces of the Tael Kingdom or any other country on the continent were greater, it turned out to be too dangerous and too much of a risk to fight Starks.
The lands were divided into three parts — a huge city in the very center, where slaves lived and worked; a protected path connecting the desert, the kingdom, and the nearest dwarven lands; and the remains of the swamp that surrounded it all, serving as a natural barrier.
Udin. That was the name of the capital, which, in reality, was seven completely different territories, connected by walls and roads: the Quarry, the Azure Crystal Mine, the Center, the Night Butterfly Area, the Dark Alchemy Area, the Fighting Pits, and the Abyss. The last region was reserved for slaves who didn’t have long left to live.
***
Pain.
The first thing Kai felt upon awakening was intense pain. His mind and soul were being tormented. And only a few minutes later, when the torture was over, did he start regaining his senses.
A heavy blow to the stomach helped him wake up. His eyes widened and blood spurted out of his mouth. Trying to shrink into a ball and protect himself, but failing to do so, Kai jerked and gasped for air.
“Wasn’t that a bit too strong?” a male voice asked.
“Not at all.” answered another, a rough and low, but clearly female voice. “This man is surprisingly strong. And the traders definitely gave him a Calm Body Potion before selling him. The effect will last for at least two more days.”
“I see... Hey, slave! It’s time to wake up!” The owner of the male voice slapped Kai. “Hmm... He really is strong.”
Opening his eyes, Kai realized that he was somewhere dark. By the looks of it, it was a prison cell.
His hands were chained above his head. But that wasn’t the worst part. A collar had been placed around his neck and tightened, its sharp edges dig
Besides him, there were two other people in the room. One was an eight-foot-tall person with a dark bronze tan. A female. And the other one was a male. Old, gnarled, with bright golden eyes and long gray hair. To Kai’s surprise, he wore glasses, even though he was an Exorcist.
But soon Kai realized that the glasses were some kind of an artifact, so it was unlikely that the man had problems seeing. What intrigued him the most were the guy’s long pointed ears, which were bent downward in a weird way.
The system showed him two messages.
[Race: Giant]
[Race: Elf]
Just like in video games... he thought.
“Looks like he’s awake,” the giantess said with a nod. “All right. Now, except for the wound on his chest, nothing is a threat to his life anymore. My work here is done.”
As soon as she reminded Kai of the wound, as luck would have it, his chest began to burn with pain. Fortunately, it wasn’t as strong as the last time, so he could endure in silence.
“Thank you,” the elf replied, following her with his gaze as she left the cell.
Turning back to Kai, he narrowed his eyes and looked at him with contempt.
“Human…” He almost spat out the word, making Kai feel the hostility and disgust in it. “I have your Ring here. It was made rather poorly. And there are no protection spells on it. Then again, what else could be expected from your insignificant race... Breaking your mark while you’re unconscious is tricky. So, be so kind as to remove it. I prefer not to forcibly erase the imprint. I like to have the slaves remove it themselves. You can indulge me, or you can become a new test subject of mine. It’s your choice.”
Kai gave him a cold look, grinned, and then spat in his face.
“Filthy dog,” the elf hissed and plunged a long needle into Kai’s chest. Ki and Forces flowed from his hand into the needle, and Kai’s body shook with convulsions.
“Come on! Scream!”
Kai twitched, but he didn’t make a sound.
“What?!” the elf exclaimed in surprise. But even when he increased the power, he didn’t hear a scream. “Usually, three seconds are enough for even the most persistent ones to start crying and begging for mercy…” He scratched the top of his head. “Have you already opened your soul world? This early?”
The elf was right. Only by immersing himself in his soul world was Kai able to sever the connection with his body and avoid excruciating pain.
“All right…” The elf sighed resentfully, and then pulled out the needle, stopping the torture. “Then, we’ll return to the basics. Eh... This ain’t fun at all...”
Realizing that the Forces of Lightning, which had been torturing his nerves, were gone, Kai returned to reality. He saw the elf getting ready to get rid of the mark by using the simplest trick in the book — by erasing it with a stream of his willpower.
But the elf didn’t even suspect that Kai’s willpower exceeded the level of his development by far. Kai wasn’t afraid that his soul could suffer any damage, since on Earth, he had discovered that some force protected his Shell. As for the pain, well, he was well-acquainted with it, so he’d endure.
He didn’t intend to resist, however. As much as he wanted to annoy the elf, he understood the position he was in. He knew that it was better to be an obedient slave than a dead one. So, for now, he’d obey.
“I’ll… take it off…” he said, pretending to be weak, before the elf started breaking into his Ring.
“You’re afraid of spiritual pain, aren’t you?” he said. His laughter was disgusting, like a crow’s croak. “I see... Come on then, hurry up!” he shouted, putting the Ring to Kai’s chest.
Either physical contact or contact through the aura was required to erase or apply a spirit mark. Since the latter was blocked by the collar, Kai focused on the Ring touching his skin.
A few seconds later, the mark was no more.
“Well done. Obedient dog...” The elf grinned again and then headed for the door. “I’ll go check what you have in here. Get ready. Tomorrow you’ll be sent to the Abyss...”
The elf left the cell, leaving Kai alone. The thick, enchanted door closed. Kai sighed and relaxed.
“He didn’t notice…” he whispered, smiling.
A tiny ball rolled out of his mouth and hovered in front of his face. It was the Night Space. Within it, two things were hidden — the scroll with the Cold Void Meditation Technique and the Memory Jade. Kai’s most valuable possessions.
Just a minute ago they were in his Ring. But as Kai had no intention of giving up the items, he decided to take a chance.
He spat at the old man to distract him and activated the Forces of Space. He created the Night Space by hiding it in his mouth, and, at the same time, he teleported the scroll and the Jade from the Ring into the pocket dimension he had created. Had the elf been at least a little familiar with the Forces of Space it wouldn’t have worked so easily.
Thank my lucky star...
The rest of the items in his Ring weren’t valuable. Besides, it would’ve been too suspicious if he had completely emptied it.
After swallowing the dark ball, Kai used ki to hide it inside his stomach, and then switched to something more important.
After analyzing the situation, he came to a disappointing conclusion. He was still dying. The wound on his chest never disappeared, on the contrary, it was growing bigger. No, that wasn’t right. The wound did stop spreading. However, his regeneration seemed to be working rather slowly or not at all. He didn’t know which one it was. He was still under the influence of the Calm Body Potion. It was a cheap drug that the traders had given him so that he wouldn’t accidentally die during the journey. But although the potion was weak, it was still sufficient to boost his healing abilities and allow them to stop the wound from growing.
But, as the giantess had said, the effect of the potion would last for about two more days. And then, the poison within the wound would take over, quickly killing him. Therefore, he had to figure out what to do while there was still time.
Once he had finished examining his body, he concentrated on the collar. It was a suppressor, apparently. A very complex and a very powerful one. He immediately realized that it was supposed to block the use of ki and Forces.
But Kai was a unique case, and even the System couldn’t limit his strength. His control over any sort of energy was absolute. That was why he was able to create the Night Space and transfer his belongings into it.
The collar still had some effect on his power, however. He felt like something was pressing on him, something that he had to constantly resist.
“Old man, are you there?”
A few seconds later, he received an answer.
“I am...” Rune’Tan’s weak voice rang out.
“What happened to you?”
“I still can’t believe it, but that creature somehow managed to wound both of us! I had to urgently plunge into a special slumber, to minimize the damage.”
“What happened? What was that monster? And how did it hurt us?”
“I don’t know, Kai… I don’t know… But one thing I can say for sure: that thing was very, very strong! I don’t think I’d manage to deal with it even at the peak of my power!” Rune’Tan’s voice sounded tense.
“What about this collar?”
“An interesting trinket. Apparently, it uses a mixture of the Forces of Soul and Mind to block one’s aura, Forces, and energy, as well as the Forces of Space to track movements and restrain physical strength. However, as far as I know, they’re in mass production in this world, and, therefore, the masters are in no hurry to put their will into them. So, if I understand correctly, it’s not bothering you too much, right?”
“You’re right. It feels heavy, but I can control the energy inside it,” Kai replied.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to—”
“I know. I don’t know where I’ve ended up, so it’s best to pretend to be an obedient slave for now and come up with an escape plan.”
“Exactly.” Rune’Tan nodded.
“By the way—” He wanted to ask about the world in which they had found themselves, but he got interrupted.
