The Innkeeper

Chapter 2316: Joro realm

The tribulations were... okay. Lex looked at the three tribulations and was both impressed and bored. He was impressed because River really stepped up. As a paladin, and the one in the group with the strongest defense, he really stepped up.

When he saw the swarm of death warriors, and the countless Immortals standing in the back, watching with a smirk, he knew it was up to him. Although he did not believe Cliff’s story of fighting hundreds of Immortals during his tribulation, at this moment that was exactly what he would have to do.

If only he knew that ’Cliff’ had been humble when telling that story, and hadn’t mentioned the fact that the tribulation was inside an area with highly volatile laws.

Lex was also bored because as soon as River stood up, and towards the death warriors and immortals, the immortals were frightened out of their minds! River barely managed to involve one immortal in his tribulation before the rest all escaped as far as possible.

Suffice to say, the very first bolt of lightning killed all the death warriors, and seriously hurt River as well. Fortunately, he was wearing Cliff’s necklace which helped him heal very quickly. At the same time, his paladin powers became stronger the more hurt he was, for he had embarked on a very special path even among paladins.

With his two shields, and his divine abilities, River barely managed to keep the immortal around long enough till the immortal was seriously hurt, and then forced to escape using desperate measures.

The other two went through their tribulations with varying levels of difficulty, but they managed to survive. It was only River that was basically a light breeze away from dying when the tribulation ended.

Since he was in no condition to pay attention to anything, he did not notice that towards the end, even his necklace bore the brunt of the tribulation. Lex did not make the tribulation easier for him. Instead, he just sent a bit of healing energy into his soul which kept his body and soul from being extinguished. Still, it wasn’t like Lex’s actions were foolproof.

He had only acted discreetly and with a fraction of his powers. Even that caused the necklace to be attacked by the tribulation - not to mention the strength of the tribulation increased in proportion to the help Lex gave.

The necklace itself was unharmed by the lightning, though Lex’s soul had to tolerate a bit of pain. It consumed a lot of his energy, but that was no longer the concern.

Once River successfully passed the tribulation and survived, the universe’s feedback came. His mortal body had been baptized by the lightning, slowly turning immortal, and the feedback helped him heal and complete his status as an Immortal. Unlike regular human immortals, he did not form a tenet. Instead, his paladin powers concentrated into the shape of a single tool which personified his path so far.

In his case, it was a shield. Of course, this shield was not a physical shield that he could summon. Instead, he could rely on its power and imbue other items with its might and power. Unlike ordinary human immortals, he could not manipulate all laws at will. Instead, his manipulation of laws was more focused towards existing paladin powers.

As the three concluded their tribulations, no elation filled them. Instead, they surveyed the surrounding area and came to the realization that their enemies were far stronger than they had ever imagined. Who was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes? They did not know.

They exchanged glances, Pearl and Karev both awestruck at what River had achieved. He had literally saved both their lives by almost sacrificing his own.

Before any of them could speak, however, the sound of clapping echoed through the lands as the air rippled and a team of Immortals walked through. The one leading them was of the Celestial race, though obviously the three of them could not have known that. Only Lex realized as much.

"I am impressed," said the Celestial as he observed River closely. "According to the reports it’s your ancestor who’s remarkable, but I see you don’t fall short either."

For some reason, the Celestial was unable to tell that it was actually Pearl, not River, who was Karev’s descendant. His understanding of the situation was based on the stories that had spread of River across these lands.

"I commend you for your bravery," he said as he turned to look at the devastation left behind by his tribulation. "If you hadn’t acted as such, I would not have noticed the anomalous tribulation, and I would have remained ignorant of what is happening here. I promise you, the perpetrators behind these actions will get what’s coming to them - and much sooner than you think."

River let loose a sigh of relief as he realized that this new immortal in front of him - the one who had an aura much stronger than any River had felt before - was not his enemy.

"You don’t need to worry about any of that anymore. Now that I have personally taken note of this issue, it will come to a swift end. Instead, you should say your farewells and handle any remaining business you may have in these lands. I will personally escort you all out of this realm."

Lex raised an eyebrow. Now that was a twist he didn’t see coming. River and Pearl hadn’t seemed to realize the issue, but Karev did.

"We won’t be going to the Greater World?" he asked, looking towards the Celestial with a cautious expression.

The Celestial shook his head.

"If you were immortals of any other humanoid race, that’s where you would go. But humans... no, humanity itself is going through a massive change. The Humanoid Alliance has fought hard to present this opportunity to humanity, but it is only the members of your own race who can grasp this opportunity.

"You all will be going to the Joro realm, one of the three Major realms still harboring undiscovered human legacies. Besides the Joro realm, the Humanoid Alliance has also attacked the Tyranum realm, and the Geb realm. There, you will contribute to the war, and hopefully gain the chance to inherit one of the old Daos of humanity, and change the fate of your race!"