Chapter 361 - Beyond the Dunes(Part-1)

Ryuu stretched himself while letting out a loud yawn as he looked around, he found himself to what seemed to be a tent of some sorts, as he stepped outside he was greeted with the sight of his group chatting around to what seemed to be a camp fire, he noticed that the faux campfire was the byproduct of some sort of array that was placed on the ground as they sat surrounding it, as he approached them he could here True-Spear laughing loudly, 'Since when did they join us.'

"Ah Daoist Ryuu, I see you are awake how are you."

Ryuu smiled at True-Spear as he spoke, "I am fine, as good as new, and so how many did make it?"

At his questions many of them frowned as Amon spoke with a tired sigh, "From what we have found may be around 800 managed to reach this place and those who have not I hope they had managed to survive."

Ryuu shook his head as he spoke, "I doubt it they are the most vicious creatures, not to mention there were two of them, but you are right we can hope that more escaped and hid in the 2nd level."

True-Spear frowned at that as he spoke, "I want to thank you for that if you did not recognize the beast we would be dead, but to speak the truth I have never heard of any such creature."

Zywia frowned at that as she spoke, "I also wanted to ask you the same Brother as I have never seen nor heard of such a creature."

Ryuu tilted his head as he mulled over what Zywia had just said, 'So it seems that her parents did not share such information with her good to know.'

Ryuu simply smiled as he replied, "I recognize it as simply a fluke."

Frost Flames looked intently at him as she spoke, "Explain."

Ryuu sighed as he looked up to see the star lit sky as he began speaking mixing half truths and lies, "In my family the youngest member was my mother was the youngest member prior to my birth, as such by time I was born I had no one of age to play with, so I turned towards books. My mother has a hobby of collecting books, manuscripts and over the years she had managed to gain a rather impressive collection of literary jewels including some extremely rare ones. Since I was young my family had instilled in me the habit of reading, and when I learned to read I became frequent visitor to her library, at first it was simply children books with pictures and what not.", he stopped for a small breath as he accepted a glass of wine with a smile before he began again, "One day I came across a rather worn out book with pictures and I learned from that."

Frozen Ocean looked at him incredulously as she spoke, "You mean that you learned about that creature from a children book."

Ryuu scrunched his face as he spoke well I will not signify it as mere children book it was more like a book on mythical creatures that I had found, that creature was mentioned there, so horrifying was its poison that its breath tainted in the presence of the poison stored in its glands were strong enough to kill let alone the poison itself."

Daniella's jaw dropped at that as she spoke, "I thought that the creature was spraying the poison in some gaseous form, not simply breathing around and killing others with it."

Ryuu shrugged at that as he spoke, "May be you are right may be you are wrong who knows, I just shared that information that I had learned from the book."

Amnon sighed at that as he spoke, "Now we know why that expedition of our seniors fell apart all those years ago."

Zywia bit her lips as she spoke, "I also hope that was the reason who knows what might have happened after all we are told how Eden is unpredictable and how no one knows what might have caused that incident."

Su-Min was looking intently at Ryuu who was feeling uncomfortable by it as such he could not help but speak, "Is something wrong sister?"

Su-Min looked at him as she asked in a confused tone, "Why?"

Ryuu was confused at that as he spoke, "What do you mean by 'What'?"

Su-Min looked at him devoid of any emotion as she spoke, "Why did you risk your life to save mine?"

Ryuu looked at her before he spoke with a sigh, "Sister I hope you remember that I promised that I would help you and let me tell you that my word is law, if I make a promise I will keep it no matter the consequences."

Ryuu knew he looked cool the way he delivered and judging by others face it had quite the impact now he only hoped others did not bring about his momentary lapse of judgment.

Su-Min looked down for a moment as she spoke with resolution in her eyes, "Ryuu you once said your goal is to conquer the 15 the level, as I Su-Min promise you that I will help you to achieve it."

Ryuu looked at her with slightly wide eyes before he spoke with a smile, "Thank you."

One of the many cultivators who were nearby spoke curiously, "Why do you want to reach the 15th floor? Is there something interesting in that floor?"

Ryuu smirked at him as he let go of the cup which floated near him before he inspected his left hand while speaking, "Well the most important thing about that floor is no one has ever managed to conquer it and I wish to be the first one to do so."

The same cultivator frowned as Ryuu started to bandage his arm as he spoke, "How do you know that, after all this place existed for time immemorial so how do you know that no one has ever conquered the 15th floor?"

Zywia replied on behalf of Ryuu, "Well do you know that stele that shows the number of cultivators that are participating in Eden.", as she spoke many nodded as she continued, "Well near it there is another stele which mentions the name of cultivators who have conquered the 14th floor, it has been there for ages, so long that most no longer pay attention to it anymore."

True-Spear seemed to have been struck by realization as she spoke with a grin, "Ah I remember those names might be some seriously cool cultivators if they had managed to do such a thing. Pangu, Zarina, I think that were their names though I do not remember the names of rest of them."

"I never heard of them.", was quipped by another by then Ryuu had completely finished bandaging his hand.

Ryuu looked up to them as he spoke, "Brother, what about you? Do you believe even in the most remote part of our world in small villages a bit detached from your society people would know your name no they will not, how many of your know the names of every Dao Father of our universe, well if you ask me I surrender I do not and I can bet many of you don't, same with them they might be heaven defying cultivators but at the end of the day Truth becomes Legend, Legend becomes History, History becomes Myth, and Myth just a bed time story and soon they are forgotten."

Under the sound of crackling campfire Ryuu inspected his bandage as he nodded in satisfaction before he took a sip from his cup, as others around him dissolved into their meaningless chatter, 'Nine years and a few months more before I can get out of this place and get help from my teacher.'