Way to the North, Dragon Heart Series Book 19

The silence in the hall was palpable, which made Hadjar a bit anxious. He had experienced a similar silence once before, during his journey through a distant Empire. He had stumbled upon a group of survivors who had narrowly escaped the wrath of a mad practitioner. Back then, he’d been a less seasoned traveler, so Hadjar had taken it upon himself to assist the survivors and guide them to the nearest town. Humans were generally intelligent creatures, but a crowd of humans could be a dangerous thing. Without Azrea’s help, Hadjar would’ve had a difficult time escaping that day. The villagers had decided that they were ghosts. Then they’d blamed Hadjar for the deaths of their loved ones, contrary to all logic and common sense. Luckily, here, in the heart of the Strange Lands, the holiest of holies of the entire martial arts world of the mortal regions, things were different. This was a famous and mighty Sect, after all. A lot of songs and legends had been created about it. It was the cradle of dozens of Immortals. And here, even Azrea wouldn’t have been able to help him escape.… After a moment of confused silence, the red-bearded leader’s aura descended upon him. Hadjar had faced many formidable opponents before: he’d beheld the Shadows of the Dark Gods (the creatures trapped somewhere outside the four worlds), he’d participated in the Battle of the Heavens and the Earth, he’d witnessed the battles of dragons, he’d fought demons, and he’d even survived a battle against a son of Fedenrir. He’d spent far too much time dancing along the impossibly sharp edge of Death’s scythe. And yet… There was something about this aura, even though it didn’t belong to an Immortal, but only a peak-stage Heaven Emperor. It was something that Hadjar wouldn’t have been able to put into words until recently. But now, as he looked at the mace pointed at him and felt the monstrous aura bear down on him, he realized why this relatively young cultivator held such a high position. He possessed a Rule — a mystical secret hidden somewhere far beyond the borders of a True Kingdom. It was such a deep and complex mystery that its very manifestation could distort the currents of reality, like the Rules that Fedenrir’s son and the Northerner possessed. Hadjar clearly sensed a Rule in the aura of the Head of the Sect. He wasn’t bothered by the Chiefs and Sect Masters, who had also unsheathed their weapons, releasing their auras, Techniques, and spells. Hadjar was no longer the same man who’d left the lands of Dahanatan so long ago. He might not be able to overcome the power of the elites of this ancient Sect, but he had no doubt in his ability to escape from them. However, the Sect Head’s Rule changed everything. “You’ve brought some garbage into my house, Abraham,” the Head boomed. “For a long time, I’ve turned a blind eye to your little adventures in my lands and-” “These are nobody’s lands, my old friend,” Abraham interrupted him. Surprisingly, even while facing the combined might of the Sect, the old rogue managed to maintain an icy calm. Maybe it was thanks to this very calm that no squad members drew their weapons. Only Arteus was whispering some barely audible words. Maybe he was praying, or maybe he was weaving his magic. “They are even called the Strange Lands precisely because they don’t belong to anybody. There are no Kings or nobles here. Or have you decided to challenge this fact? Decided to try on the crown?” Seconds passed like hours. Against their will, they fell like heavy drops of morning dew into the void that had suddenly formed in the hall. “I could kill you right now, General,” looking directly into Hadjar’s eyes, the Head said these words calmly. “I sense that you already know that.” Hadjar said nothing. He really did know that even all his trump cards, all his artifacts, all his Techniques, his Therna, and his mysteries combined… simply weren’t enough to withstand a Rule’s power. Such was the overwhelming might of knowledge that could change reality itself. “The fact that you know what kind of power I possess gives me the right to assume that the person about whom songs and legends have been composed for so long isn’t stupid enough to try and enter my home with malicious intent.” As abruptly as it had appeared, the Head’s aura vanished. His mace sank down into a kind of sheath at his hip. Following the Head’s lead, the Chiefs also put away their weapons and Techniques. The Masters hesitated for some time, but soon enough, they also came to the conclusion that attacking their guests and violating the unwritten laws of hospitality wouldn’t be prudent. “Take him to the infirmary,” the Head said to Shakh without looking at him. His tone didn’t so much as hint at how enraged he’d been mere moments ago. “Make sure that the best of the healers take care of him. I have a lot of questions about what this patroller has seen... or hasn’t seen.” “Yes, honorable Head,” Shakh bowed and, picking up the unconscious and wounded man, carried him somewhere deeper into the maze of corridors. Hadjar suddenly realized that Guy’s heavy hand was no longer on his shoulder. He had long ago stopped entertaining the absurd notion that the old rogue and his closest friend were even remotely weak. Rather, he wouldn’t be surprised at all if Abraham and Guy were some ancient Masters looking for artifacts and mysteries amongst the expanses of the Strange Lands that could help them overcome the trial of the Heavens and the Earth and gain Immortality. However, it was unlikely that even an ancient Master would be able to seal the Black General inside Hadjar by simply putting their hand on his shoulder. When Guy’s hand had squeezed his shoulder, Hadjar had stopped feeling the alien presence inside him altogether. It was akin to getting used to a slight ringing in his ears and suddenly realizing that he hadn’t been hearing it for a while. Hadjar stared at Guy incredulously, but Guy pretended that nothing had happened. “I’d like-” “I don’t care what you would like, you old bastard,” the Head interrupted Abraham. The Head came down from the podium, and Hadjar was given a chance to properly examine the physical body of the strongest member of the Twilight Secrets Sect, which meant that he was one of the strongest cultivators of the entire mortal world. In all honesty, he had quite an ordinary physique. He was powerful and well-built, but wouldn’t shock anyone with his muscles or elicit fawning admiration from them. If Hadjar encountered someone like him normally, he wouldn’t even pay attention to them. Only a few strange runes and symbols that made up the Name tattoo on the Head’s arms drew the eye.