Heavenly Dao Child

"Did something happened Ryuu, you look a bit relieved as well as a bit happy?"

Ryuu nodded at Frost Flames question as he spoke, "Yes I am, and do you remember when I said that I was placing some surprise for them?"

Frost Flames nodded as Ryuu continued with a smile, "Well it worked, twelve Deva realm cultivator had managed to get free."

Everyone especially the Deva realm cultivators who were within his earshot let out whoop filled with joy even if a paltry few escaped it was still terrifyingly good news.

"Can we return and escort them here?"

As one of them asked Ryan shook his head as he spoke with an apologetic look on their face, "Sorry but no, I have managed to help them escape as well as guide them to a place where they could hide but nothing more at the moment, they need rest to recuperate and smuggling them outright under the nose of the Preta Lok army is not feasible at the moment."

The same speaker bit his lips as he spoke, "Can you at least tell us how they are doing?"

Ryuu closed his eyes for a moment before he spoke, "All I can say that they are safe at the moment, I left some arrays that would keep our cave warm along with enough food and drinks to last them for a long time, if I were in their boots I would wait there for as long as possible before slipping back to lower level floors, and I hope they would do so as well."

The person who asked him the question simply nodded as he spoke with a sigh, "Well as long as they are alright and safe that is all that matters."

Meanwhile back at the seventh floor, a large badly burned ball like creature split open as both Ithrura and Jethrar stepped out of it as Ithrura spoke, "Thank you for protecting me and with this, I believe we are even right?"

Jethrar simply gave a small nod as Ithrura spoke, "That was some explosion, how did he do such a thing, I crippled him thoroughly, his Dantian was gone, I dissolved his spirit veins and branches with my poison and yet how did he kill himself."

Jethrar sighed as he spoke, "He blew his soul using some form of Taboo technique."

Ithrura gawked at him as she spoke, "But that is impossible, I had any semblance of him using KI destroyed."

Jethrar shook his head as he spoke, "That does not matter, yes we cultivators cannot do anything without our KI but there are certain exceptions like in the case of Taboo arts which are fuelled by sacrificing one's souls or life energy in some cases."

Ithrura looked at the crater as she spoke, "That was a large one, but I thought blowing up one's soul would have been a much bigger explosion."

Jethrara nodded as he spoke, "If he had his KI or had cultivated his soul, then it would have been much bigger and more devastating enough that we might all be dead, but thankfully for us, it was not the case moreover your torture and everything took its toll on him, though it might have been small it did its purpose, at least a couple of hundred of our people are dead, it was a good idea that we left a few to guard the slaves and…."

His eyes widen as a horrible realization stuck him, "Quick we have to return what if we are being duped and the others are freeing them, we have left behind less than a thousand of our men to guard rest of our slaves what if they are freed by the Manushya realm while we are wasting our time with what might be a distraction."

Ithrura bit her lips as she spoke, "Then let us keep half of our men and bring the rest with us."

Jethrar nodded in agreement as they left bringing half of their soldiers along with them whereas the rest simply stood guard around the still functioning reverse tornado.

Back with True-Spear and the group who had ventured into the eighth floor lazily moved around trying to find a place for their base, all they had managed to find was unending graveyard as far as the ice could see, with the almost flat ground with not even a small hill.

"There are no caves for us to hide maybe we can burrow down and hide underneath?"

Ryuu shook his head as he spoke, "No way True-Spear, I am not touching the ground, it looks like it has been covered by powdered bone and I so do not want to touch it or go anywhere near those creepy dead bodies."

True-Spear sighed as he spoke, "Me too brother Ryuu but are we going to float around this place for who knows how long, given that we are strong enough to float for days but even we have limits."

Ryan ran his hand through his hair as he spoke, "I know but can you …."

Whatever he was going to say was stopped as the ground shook and a humongous worm-like creature appeared from underneath the ground, it was the largest creature Ryuu had ever seen in his life.

The group of cultivators watched with wide eyes, the head of the worm consisting of rows of razor-sharp serrated teeth, with its head at least a hundred meters in diameter but its body was of different matter, it seemed to be unending, the group watched as the huge creature simply passed over their head and it was no joke they were at least ten kilometres above ground yet the worm was able to jump above their head not to mention they could not still see its end.

"A thousand kilometres that creature is at least A THOUSAND KILOMETERS!!!!!"

Su-Min could not help but shriek out in fear as many cultivators gulped as they looked down to see the creature disappear under the surface as if it was simply diving underwater, Ryuu meanwhile simply went through all his memories trying to anything remotely similar to the creature that was in front of him but failed spectacularly, as such he could not help but whisper out loud, "What is that creature?"

Zywia shook her head as she spoke, "No idea, I have no idea what manner of that creature that thing is."

"Whatever that creature is I believe we have to as far away from it as possible."

Ryuu looked at Estelle whose voice quivered from fear as such he could not help but ask out, "Did you recognize the creature?"

Estelle shook her head as she spoke, "No I do not but surely you should have felt it right? The feel of our KI wanted to burst from us and reach the creature as if it was trying to suck it out from our body."

Ryuu nodded at that as he spoke while looking towards True-Spear, "I do not think that staying underground is feasible anymore."

True-Spear let out a sigh as he spoke, "No it is not so what should we do?"

Ryuu looked at the horizon as he spoke, "We move fast and try to find something, there ought to be somewhere we could find shelter."

Frost Flames frowned at that as she spoke, "I do not like this place."

Frozen Ocean nodded at that before she spoke with a frown, "We have to find our way to the next level as soon as possible, the Preta realm cultivators have an obsession with the corpses do you think that they might be able to utilize them."

Ryuu bit his lips as he spoke, "Maybe I am not sure, they do have the ability to control the dead so maybe they will be to do so, and Jethrar may not be the only corpse puppeteer so we might be in danger in this place."

"Is that a floating island near the horizon?"

As the shout drew their attention as the group spotted a floating island at the horizon, True-Spear looked at others as he spoke, "Let us check it out there must be something that we might find useful especially a place where we can use for shelter."

It took them over an hour for them to reach the island, but as they neared the scene in front of them completely changed, gone were the endless desert of powdered bones and corpses, all that was left in front of them were massive chunks of debris that they had mistaken for a floating island, but was in fact debris from a broken planet, the core gave an iridescent blue glow as similar colour fire seemed to be trying to reach the space.

Ryuu whistled at that as he spoke, "That is some sight?"

Frost Flames nodded in acknowledgement as she spoke, "It is though I would like to caution that flame seems unnatural."

Ryuu frowned at that as he spoke, "Yes it is, I do not know why but those flames gives me chills.", he looked up as he frowned, "Hey are those buildings over there."

Everyone looked up as Shivering Saber spoke with his eyes narrowed, "yes they are young Ryuu."

~giggle~ ~giggle~

A sound of childish giggle came to his ears as Ryuu frantically looked to spot the source of the sound but found none.

"Ryuu are you alright?"

His attention was drawn towards a frowning Frost Flames as he spoke with a concerned look on his voice, "I heard someone giggling, it sounded like a child."

Frost Flames tilted her head as she spoke, "Sorry Ryuu I heard nothing."

Ryuu frowned at that as he spoke, "It was so distinct."

Frost Flames simply held his hand as she spoke, "It must be the tension is getting you all Ryuu, do not worry everything will be fine, you will be able to rescue those hostages."

Ryuu gave send her a small smile of gratitude before he spoke with a sigh, "You are right the tension might be getting to me."

"You cannot catch me ~giggle~."

Once again the sound came as Ryuu frowned even more as he discreetly looked around he was surprised to see no one able to hear or react to the sound as he was as a strange conclusion came up in his mind, 'I do not know what is causing it and I so do not intend to find out, I have seen enough movies to know that the person who hears first and tries to investigate alone either dies or finds themselves in a mental asylum, just ignore it.'