The immortals were really a force to be reckoned with, particularly the ones that followed Patroclus the closest. They believed that the immortals were not only the future of the human race, but also the future of the universe.
It was this sense of honor that had driven these warriors to follow Patroclus wherever he went. Not everyone joined Patroclus because of the immortality that he had promised them; some of them did fall feverishly for Patroclus"s cant.
Patroclus might not be the most unique human in history, but he was definitely the most complicated one. The harder an individual was to understand, the more followers he or she would attract. This was part of the human nature.
Seeing the light emitting from Patroclus, Li Zhedao suddenly felt he was too old for this. Despite Patroclus" overbearing soul energy that loomed over the entire battlefield, a wind blew from some unknown corner and threatened to dismantle the web of energy. Li Zhedao finally attacked.
He could have forsaken the humans, but he couldn"t throw his family"s reputation out of the window. It had been pa.s.sed down from generations to him, and he couldn"t let it get shattered in his own hands.
Everyone had one thing that he or she would not sell for any price, much less give it away for free. For Li Zhedao, that thing was his family"s honor. This importance of family"s name was deeply entrenched in the beliefs of all of House Li"s members. The house started with Li Feng, a self-made hero, and it was their job to carry on Li Feng"s banner until the end of time. Li Zhedao was the patriarch of the House Li first before he would consider himself an Einherjar.
Zenn!
The Sword of Vayu writhed its way through the netted interceptions of the lance. It went at his opponent like a flow of wind, a soft breezy one instead of a gale, so that it would pa.s.s right through the lance"s effective jabs and thrusts.
In half a heartbeat, the blade hit its target and grazed Patroclus" handsome face. The GN force in the strike made sure that Patroclus" healing ability would not work on the wound.
In one strike, Li Zhedao had forced Patroclus"s belligerence down a notch. The wind came up again, hemming Patroclus" soul energy to the left and right.
Li Zhedao had struck back when Patroclus"s energy had reached the peak; however, it was able to diminish the threat significantly. Such was the power of the most powerful Einherjar of the world.
The Einherjar lifted his sword, and the wind echoed his move; he was about to strike again. Sensing danger, Patroclus fumbled a few feet back. There was nothing extraordinary in Li Zhedao"s move, but it was enough to make the divine lord feel threatened. Li Zhedao attacked, and Patroclus retreated further back.
Even as Patroclus pulled back, his body was instantly covered with a dozen wounds. Still, Li Zhedao"s move was simple and straightforward.
Li Zhedao didn"t attack like this last time he fought with Patroclus. By then, Patroclus registered that his opponent had found the divine path that he was still looking for.
What was the divine path?
It was the source of everything.
Li Zhedao had found the source of himself, the source code to his power so he could hack it, blow it up, and make himself invincible.
He had found the key to the secret in his own blood, the blood of the Blade Warrior. He had understood that the ultimate power of the world was beyond the worldly burdens. It could not be measured by fame or sol readings; it was a thorough understanding of life itself.
Li Zhedao didn"t design to pay the ultimate sacrifice when he decided to stay behind. He was here to set the world"s problem to the right.
Everything had been smooth sailing for Patroclus so far; overconfidence had clouded his judgment and made him lower his guard.
Connecting his pulse with the movement of his blade, Li Zhedao had become one with the blade. He had transcended the blade attack to the attack of wind. This was what Li Zhedao had learned after he found the Divine Path. When the world seemed to have been disappointed at House Li"s performance, the patriarch of the family proved that they still had it.
When the movement of the blade turned into gusts of wind, Li Zhedao had truly become the reincarnation of Vayu, the wind G.o.d. As an Einherjar who had found the divine path, Li Zhedao had reached a much higher state of consciousness than Patroclus regardless of the divine lord"s invincible body. Once one found the divine path, he or she would be able to wield one elemental force. Li Zhedao"s element was wind, and his key to the path was his responsibility.
Responsibility was a worldly idea, something to weight the cultivator down; however, Li Zhedao had the golden touch that turned a worldly thought into a vehicle on the divine path.
Talented, genius, those were never the words people would choose to describe Li Zhedao. He was considered the least talented Einherjar among the high ranking warriors, and it was because of his family"s reputation that the public had crowned him as the number one Einherjar of the world. When his son grew up, even Li s.h.i.+ming was considered more competent than him. His reputation further deteriorated after he ran away from the battlefield while fighting against Patroclus. He had become a laughing stock, the synonym for cowardice.
Although Li Zhedao had many excuses for his retreat—some were more believable than the others— the public was convinced that his mediocre talent had hampered his advancement. However, if people were to take a look at Li Zhedao there and then, they would know that they had been wrong.
By then, even the immortal army felt the threatening energy in the wind. The wind was Li Zhedao, and Li Zhedao was the wind. He was nowhere, but also everywhere.
Miles away, Li s.h.i.+ming felt the breeze blowing at the nape of his neck. He reined the horse around and looked back at the cloud that covered sky. He knew that his father was in that cloud, looking down at him.
Li s.h.i.+ming had misunderstood his father just like the others. He had been convinced that he would surpa.s.s his father. When that happened, he would take over the House Li and manage it properly. His father"s leaders.h.i.+p skill was as bad as his cultivation. His retreat from the battlefield was a humiliating, even to his son.
However, the retreat was what made Li Zhedao find his key. When Li Zhedao finally reached the divine path, he knew he was already beyond life and death.
He might not have been a talented warrior, but he was the first person to have entered the divine path in centuries.
"Young master, this is…"
Li s.h.i.+ming nodded. He prayed that his father would succeed, and restore order to the world, as well as reputation to his family. Even if he could manage to wound Patroclus, it would still help the human resistance greatly.
Warriors of House Li had finally seen a sliver of hope. They finally realized why their house lord wanted to stay behind instead of retreating with them.
This was the final showdown between humans and the immortals.
When the wind howled, even a blade of gra.s.s could kill. Li Zhedao"s movements were almost lazy, but Patroclus were unable to block any of his attacks. Soon, the divine lord"s body was ridden with wounds.
Never once had the divine lord been overwhelmed by his opponent like this. Of all the fight that Patroclus had partaken in, he had only one defeat, and it was under very particular circ.u.mstances. If he didn"t want to lure w.a.n.g Tong to use his soul essence skill, he might have won that match within seconds. w.a.n.g Tong stood no chance against Patroclus back then.
The second most memorable battle he had was with his father. It was going to be a tragedy for Patroclus regardless of the outcome, so he had decided to choose the lesser evil and kill his father.
The third one was this fight against Li Zhedao, the first human warrior to have found the divine path in three centuries.
The silvery lance twisted and turned, spilling out mercury-like energy; each droplet was a silent a.s.sa.s.sin that could kill in an instant. However, Li Zhedao"s sword-wind blew them away like winter gale would to an old man"s piddle.
KOM!
Patroclus was dealt another blow, and the impact sent him staggering back a dozen feet. The development silenced the immortal soldiers. A couple of divine lord"s most loyal subject had thrown themselves at the human warrior. Before they reached their target, they were struck down by a flash of silvery energy.
Patroclus had gathered himself, and he announced, "I said this is a one on one fight." Even as Patroclus issued his command, the wound on his body was closing up and healing. He flashed out of sight and then reappeared in the sky above Li Zhedao.
"So, this is the power of the divine path? Haha, I had never seen it in you, but thank you for showing it to me."
Li Zhedao regarded Patroclus coldly and said, "I know you want to kill me for Li s.h.i.+ming. You want him to find the divine path, but why?"
"Why do I need a reason?" Patroclus smiled thinly. "I do whatever I think is right. I never ask why. Since you have reached the divine path, are you a super Einherjar now?"
"Not even close, but I am on the right track." Li Zhedao pointed the blade at Patroclus, and the temperature suddenly dropped.
"Fake divine path...Haha! Well, my lance will be the judge as to whether or not you are on the right track." Patroclus laughed broadly.
Li Zhedao heaved a sigh and muttered, "What a pity...!"
The Einherjar raised his blade and summoned a wild whirlwind. It twisted and writhed around the blade as it kept on growing in size. All the natural energies were being sucked into the whirlwind, leaving none for Patroclus to borrow.