1964 Whose Road to the Sky
Han Sen was suffering beneath the Sky Palace text. He could not focus on anything else, and he did not hear what Thousand Feather Crane had said to him.
Thousand Feather Crane could see Han Sen suffering, though. And without thinking, he moved to grab hold of him. “Relax, it is okay.” Thousand Feather Crane smiled as he helped Han Sen.
The feelings around Sky Palace were strong, but Thousand Feather Crane possessed the blood of the Sky. He was born there, and he was immune to that power. He held Han Sen with ease, because he felt nothing. It’d be so light, even if Han Sen was getting crushed.
Thousand Feather Crane saw that Han Sen was continuing to walk forward, and so gave him his own arm to hold and support him. If he fell, Thousand Feather Crane would use his own strength.
Although Han Sen looked to be weary and in pain, he still managed to cross the five-hundred step milestone. But after that, his body could no longer endure the force. It bent his back.
Thousand Feather Crane pulled his arm upwards to help Han Sen stand straighten But when he used strength to lift Han Sen, he felt as if the man’s weight was like that of a large boulder. He had to use a great deal of force to get Han Sen to stand straight.
“Relax; don’t use strength. This is an illusion, and there is no actual pressure coming down on you.” Thousand Feather Crane thought Han Sen was using strength because he was holding him.
Han Sen did not hear what he said. The scary feelings continued to pound down into his body, making him feel as if he was carrying a mountain. He had to focus.
Thousand Feather Crane held onto Han Sen as he ascended. The weight on Thousand Feather Crane’s arms felt heavier and heavier, and he thought, “This guy’s will is so weak. He is getting crushed, and he is using too much strength.”
After a while, Han Sen seemed too heavy for Thousand Feather Crane to keep him upright. He looked at Han Sen’s body and noticed he wasn’t running any energy, and he wasn’t using up any of his own strength.
“Weird; he hasn’t cast anything. Why is he so heavy? Sky Palace should just apply mental pressure, and nothing physical.” Thousand Feather Crane thought about it, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on. So, he continued helping Han Sen.
Han Sen’s body was getting heavier and heavier. Thousand Feather Crane had only used one arm to begin with, but now he was forced to use two. On top of that, it was getting extremely difficult.
“Hey, are you okay?” Thousand Feather Crane looked at Han Sen and frowned. Han Sen was looking very red, and his clothes were drenched in sweat. His breathing had become very hoa.r.s.e, as if he was beginning to suffocate.
Han Sen’s eyeb.a.l.l.s were bulging in their sockets, with blood vessels popping. It was like his entire body was really going to be crushed.
Han Sen hadn’t expected that when he let the feelings imbued by the text enter his body, it would be this scary. Now, he could only use his will to prevent himself from being crushed. Walking on his own really was impossible, at this point. After one thousand steps, he was being carried by Thousand Feather Crane.
Thousand Feather Crane had no clue what was going on. The feelings of Sky Palace were powerful, but they should not have been that strong.
He didn’t realize that Han Sen had asked for this. Instead of fighting the feelings, he practically invited them into his body. No one had ever done something that crazy before, so it was an entirely unexpected event. When Thousand Feather Crane realized what had happened, he didn’t know how things would progress from there.
Han Sen had slowed to a stop, and he didn’t seem to be awake. Thousand Feather Crane carried Han Sen. Lifting Han Sen put an enormous strain on his arms, requiring all of his strength. Quickly, his arms became completely exhausted. He couldn’t hold Han Sen off the ground.
Thousand Feather Crane gritted his teeth and set Han Sen down. He moved in front of Han Sen, then used Han Sen’s arm to pull the young man onto his back.
After Thousand Feather Crane lifted Han Sen onto his back, he continued walking towards Sky Palace.
“Knife Queen’s student is strange. He had reached such a dire state just walking on the Road to the Sky.” Thousand Feather Crane felt depressed, but he still carried Han Sen.
The old man in Sky Palace was waiting for Han Sen, so he couldn’t just leave him behind and keep going by himself.
Thousand Feather Crane hurried up the pace at which he was carrying Han Sen, but after a while, he slowed down again. It was not like he wanted to be slow; it was just because Han Sen was as heavy as a small mountain. He couldn’t walk fast.
The higher he went, the heavier Han Sen became. Thousand Feather Crane’s forehead was beading with sweat.
“Is this his Road to the Sky? Or is it my Road to the Sky?” Thousand Feather Crane continued carrying Han Sen, and before long, he was sweating all over.
After nine thousand steps, Thousand Feather Crane was all red. The sweat had soaked his clothing, and the prettiness of his face had vanished. He was gasping roughly for air.
“I can’t believe he is this heavy. No way he can unleash this sort of power, if he is indeed just a Viscount. He doesn’t even have an energy flow. Where is this magic coming from? Is it because of the feelings issued by the Sky Palace text?”
Thousand Feather Crane pondered as he walked on.
Thousand Feather Crane was an Earl. He could have carried a dragon, and walked up each and every step without so much as getting out of breath.
But now, veins were bulging across his arms and legs. He was exhausting all his strength in this walk. He was breathing so heavily, it looked as if he was going to breathe fire. Boom!
A white cloud poured out of Thousand Feather Crane, like steam stemming from his pores. The white smoke then condensed, swirling closely around Thousand Feather Crane’s body.
Thousand Feather Crane could no longer keep going with physical strength alone, so he was using his cloud powers.
Han Sen’s situation was worse than Thousand Feather Crane’s, though. Something inside his body had been crushed. His bones and flesh were collapsing, making him look like an anorexic patient. The parts of him that had meat were caved in, and his bones groaned amidst it. They were going to break.
One step, one stair. Ten steps brought blood and sweat. Thousand Feather Crane, seeing things were almost over, felt his legs shaking violently.
He tried his hardest, but the final few steps were taking up all his strength. He almost fell down right in front of the gate. He used all his strength to push through it and carry Han Sen through the gates.
After entering, Thousand Feather Crane felt light again. He almost moaned in pleasure. He felt relieved, and he said, “Finally, we are here!”
On the steps between the clouds, no one had seen what was going on. But when Thousand Feather Crane walked in, the people saw he had carried Han Sen. And they were all given a shock.
For as long as Sky Palace had existed, no one had been carried like that before.