Nine Paths of Asura-Original Wuxia

Chapter 75-The Hanged Man Pt.2

Life takes you to strange places. The other day I found myself unknowingly interviewing for a full time position at a bank which I got rejected from for an internship. Never stop trying my friends, the Dao path will take you to different places if you keep climbing.

Across the vast plains one could witness clashes amongst chosen both near and far no matter where one was. Most of these clashes did not end in life and death situations however. The divine sense obstructing abilities of the grass made escape much easier for the defeated to retreat.If one was to sense that the battle was unfavorable, retreat was only a few steps away, at any given point. Well... it was for most defeated Chosen. Those unlucky enough to encounter Lineir were not so fortunate. Relying on Mei's divine sense he could pin point their location in the tall grass as easily as an eagle could spot a snake. In this way, the number of Chosen were being reduced relatively quickly. Lineir was careful to only target those who had been defeated by other Chosen however. There was a vast difference between the levels of top Chosen and weak Chosen in the Sightless Plains. Those who had already been defeated and were fleeing were the ideal target as they were naturally weaker and oftentimes injured. To Lineir it was as if money was growing in the fields just waiting to be reaped.

"Hmph, another interesting haul. At this point, I've finally managed to scrounge up some decent defensive items." 

If one were to carefully observe Lineir now, they would realize that he was outfitted much differently than when he had entered the Sightless Plains. Throughout his cultivation and travels Lineir did not usually wear armor. This was simply because defensive artifacts required much more time and energy to make and were thus consequently were more rare. After all, what requires more materials, a single sword or a whole suit of armor? While hunting down escaping Chosen, Lineir had gradually acquired a fair amount of wealth. What he had done was to wear the pieces which he had found were best suited for him. The result was that he now looked like an oddly wealthy bandit. He had on beautiful armored boots which Mei assured him were made from the descendant of a minor dragon. Under his robes he now had a strong flexible silk armor which while he was unsure of its exact quality, was definitely extremely resilient to ordinary blows. Additionally, one of his hands was now covered in rings which could be used one time only to generate extremely potent life saving magics. Some of them were purely defensive in nature, such as barriers, while others could be used offensively as a last ditch attack.

 Unfortunately, while these treasures were certainly valuable and combined definitely increased Lineir's survivability considerably, they were all spoils looted from the bodies of losers. Hence Lineir was certain that against the truly strong Chosen of the Trials they probably wouldn't have much of an effect.

"Hide!!" 

Mei's voice suddenly hissed in Lineir's ears like a snake. Immediately he withdrew his limited aura and shrank into the tall grass. His Qi circled and collapsed in on itself as per the secret technique he had rigorously practiced upon the Sky Pillar. To those of his level, he was practically invisible unless they knew he was there or happened to look directly at him. Even those vastly above his level, members of the senior generation and the like, could have trouble sensing him if they were not actively looking. Though he should be invisible, Lineir exercised great caution. Anyone who Mei would warn him to hide from was probably trouble at the very least.

"Damn, she ran for it as soon as she saw me. Smart but damn annoying, how did the clan realize..." 

An average looking figure stumbled by. However, this Chosen while average in shape, stature and dress, sporting standard green cultivator's robes had one odd characteristic about him. Lineir could see very clearly from his hiding place. His eye's were glowing jade green! They were the eyes of a snake and at first glance Lineir instantly knew that this man was more than he seemed.