04: The Guardians

"Which vermin dared set foot upon this holy land!"

A thunderous sound suddenly came about as a sea of scarlet inferno incinerated the area. The flames shot into the dark sky, but did not burn anything at all.

When the blaze subsided, Alaric saw a divine beast standing proudly in the air: a Qilin. Its entire body was golden and covered in fiery sparks. The creature had an incomparably gallant figure as it stood above the sky like a descending divine god. Sitting behind was a young monk who was looking at Alaric like he was some acid inside a bottle of honey.

His head was smooth and reflective and had three crooked rows of four ordainment markings. Anyone would wonder whether his markings were real or not.

The young monks eyes were narrowed, as he had a serious expression on his face.

A series of large, round beads hang around his neck. Buddhist lights flashed inside these beads as if there was a Buddha inside each of them, sitting in a solemn pose. Sometimes, faint chants could be heard.

Beside the young monk stood an old Monk that was cloaked in an azure robe. He had no special features except for the six white markings on his bald head and a long, silver beard.

On his hands, he held a golden Khakkhara along with a small string of beads that were used for his prayers and invocations. He stood calmly as he stared intently at Alaric.

"Who I am was not important, however, I am here for the Holy Fruit. Now, move out of my way, or die!" Alaric knew that he was being harsh, but he had no choice. Time was running out, and he needed to secure the safety of his daughter in any ways possible.

For a moment, there was a complete silence. Nobody spoke as the three of them exchanged heated glares.

It only took a few seconds before the old Monk broke the silence. "I would let you pass."

"What? But master!"

"Only if you defeat Rael, my disciple."

Rael's expression instantly changed as he stood proudly with a smug face.

"I won't ask again. Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"

Rael immediately laughed. This would be the most arrogant words he heard in his entire life. "Ha! Don't be so full of yourself, intruder! Or you might eat your words."

"We shall see." Challenged Alaric as he jumped a few meters back.

Taking out a small treasure, Alaric casually threw it on the ground.

With a cracking sound, this treasure crazily assembled into a small, divine dome as it carefully shielded his daughter.

It was a three-colored sphere that was created from numerous tiny pieces that latched together. Thus, it looked like gold, but was not made of gold; looked like wood, but not wood.

The treasure was named Heavenly Thirteen Transformations. It was made from the ancestral trees of the Heavenly Race, and was refined by the laws of the Immortal Realm.

"Let me see your supreme art, old man." Rael snorted as he proudly stood.

Raven, on the other hand, just grinned. He was already way too familiar with this kind of scene.

"Don't make me laugh, junior. You are far too inexperienced for me to take you seriously. Come. I would end you in a few moves."

Rael was infuriated. Being the second disciple of the Great Ethereal Temple, he had never suffered such humiliation.

"Hn! Accept your death!" Rael furiously took a deep breath. In just the blink of an eye, his blood energy let out a mighty roar as the flames that encircled his body turned into a gigantic lion. His body then emitted a frightening aura as this monstrous lion devoured the raging inferno.

The older monk was a bit satisfied with his disciple after seeing his powerful aura. Although Rael still had a long way to go, it was certainly not bad compared to their temple's grand disciple.

"Time to end this!" Rael cried out as this flame lion struck downward with its mighty claws made from fire. Under this strike, the entire area seemed to be made from a piece of paper. The whole field was almost torn asunder.

Right when the fiery claws were scratched downward, Alaric finally shifted his body at the last minute. The space around him suddenly shivered as if it was a flap of his wings.

Rael's eyes widened as soon as he lost sight of his enemy. He gritted his teeth as he frantically looked around.

"The first rule in a fight. Do not take your eyes off your opponent. It might cost you your life."

As soon as the words entered Rael's ears, a huge explosion followed. Chunks of dirt and dust covered the surroundings. The old monks eyes became profound as he stared at the scene.

It was followed by an ear-splitting yell coming from Rael. With his lion encircling him, he was sent up high, staining the sky with his own blood.

Another deafening bang resonated as Rael was just blown away. He did not even have time to regain his composure before being slammed down to the ground again and again.

Four more explosions resounded. Before Rael could think logically, he was struck three more times. The force behind these blows accumulated on his body in a split second, crushing the gigantic lion around him.

Finally, a resounding rumble shook the entire land as Rael heavily slammed into the ground, creating a huge pit.

Inside this crater, Rael was battered and covered in blood. Every bones in his body cracked. He was completely immobilized. His breathing was already slowing down as the seconds passed.

Meanwhile, Alaric still stood in the same place as if he had never took any action.

Meanwhile, the old monks mouth was gaping. He looked like a fish in a chopping board. He had an unvocalized words stuck in his throat. Everything happened instantaneously. In a split second, even Rael's powerful defense was completely useless.

From start to finish, the old monk only saw afterimages. If it was not for his incredible cultivation, then he would not be able to keep up with Alaric's speed.

'My poor child! You failed to realize that your opponent merely toyed with you. Should he fought seriously, then you would be dead before the fight even began.'

Rushing to his disciple's side, the old monk immediately spread his palm over Rael's body. Not a second later and his hands glowed green that enveloped Rael. With a buzzing sound, all of Rael's wounds and broken bones were mended.

"Huh?" Rael quickly regained his consciousness as memories from their encounter invaded his mind like a tsunami.

"I'll destroy you!" Rael shouted venomously as soon as he saw his own blood. Spitting with fury, tiny bubbles of froth suddenly started forming in the corner of his mouth. His face contorted with venomous outburst. Fists clenched as he slammed it down into the ground with his eyes squinting menacingly at his opponent.

'This is bad! I have to stop him before he destroyed himself!' With that in mind, the old Monk stepped in front of the Rael, which startled him.

"That would be enough, my child. That would be enough!"

Rael's eyes widened like saucer plates by what his master said. He was too preoccupied to even say anything. The words just kept on bouncing inside his brain.

His master's commands were absolute. He knew better than to disobey him, but the humiliation he felt was so strong, it bounced back at him as he gritted his teeth.

"Master, I..."

"Go to sleep, child. When you wake up, everything will be alright."

Slowly, Rael felt his eyes dropping. His vision was already blurred. He tried to stay awake, however, the fatigue that laced his whole body guaranteed his unconsciousness. Not a second later, he collapsed to the ground.

"What happened?" Alaric chose this moment to approach them. Standing only a few meters away from the Monk.

"I sensed it. You might have hidden it well, but you could not fool me," the old monk said in a monotonous voice. He was not called the Superior Guardian for nothing.

Deciding to play along, Alaric feigned ignorance for his amusement. "What are you talking about?"

"You are too powerful. I knew from the start that you just played with the boy. Should you get serious, then he would be dead from the very beginning."

"Then why did you let him fought me?"

"As you have said, this child was too inexperienced for the real monsters out there. He was too arrogant for his own good. I just wanted him to have a taste of his own medicine, and I hoped that it would serve as a lesson for him."

Alaric could only nod in agreement. The Monk was right. The boy was really full of himself. He would not be surprised if his arrogance get him killed someday.

"As promised, I shall let you pass."

"Why would you trust me? You don't even know me. I may have evil intentions."

"Tell me, young one. What was your heart's desire?"

His heart's desire? Alaric automatically turned to look lovingly at his daughter and smile. All he ever wanted was to protect his family, but now that his beloved is gone, he promised himself to sacrifice everything for his daughter's safety.

"Then it shall be done."

"Huh?" Alaric turned to look at the Monk who now had a kind smile. Seeing this, Alaric was reminded of his own father. Just then, a wave of pain suddenly pierced his already broken soul. The sadness flowed through his veins and deadened his mind. It was like a poison to his spirit, dulling and killing his other emotions. It washed all the goodness out of him and left him a mere shell of what he used to be.

To divert his mind on the current situation, Alaric tried to change the subject. "What are you talking about?"

"Trust me. You don't want to know." The Monk smirked mysteriously, and with a wave of his hand, Rael suddenly disappeared.

"Come. We don't have much time."

Alaric had no idea, but somehow, he trusted the Monk. It might have something to do with the current situation, however, it was not important anymore. As long as the security of his daughter was at risk, then he would do everything.

oooOooo

It dis not take long before they reached a normal looking door. It was made of dried wood and was situated in the middle of nowhere.

"This was how far as I could go. Good luck, young man."

The monk was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something very important. "Oh, before I forgot, always remember, do not believe everything you see. Open your mind to possibilities. Follow your instincts, only then will you achieve your heart's desire."

Alaric raised his brows. The way the monk spoke made him think that he had ten things to do at a time. His mind was still surging with perplexity, but before he could ask, the monk was already gone.

It soon slipped out of his mind when he turned to see his daughter's sleeping form.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I will get you out of here no matter what."

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