51 Continental Drif

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From below, an incredibly deep moaning grumble came. It sounded as if some great beast, larger than any leviathan buried under the earth, was rolling over and singing a mournful funeral dirge. Lineir's entire body felt as if it was vibrating and all the bones in his body were grinding together.

"ACK, what is this!" Beside him, the girl was also rolling about, and she was scratching herself.

"It itches!" Lineir, whose face was screwed up by the intensely uncomfortable sensation, saw outside the cave, something strange was happening. He could see a large patch of starry sky and in it the stars appeared to be moving slightly, just barely shifting.

"What, how can all the stars suddenly decide to move!" He shouted and tried to jump to his feet. However, the ground shook and he quickly found himself on his elbows and knees again. Looking outside, he stared for a long time before Mei declared,

"Kiddo... the stars aren't moving at all. It's you that's moving. Look outside."

Lineir inched carefully towards the cave entrance, making sure to keep some space from the edge, he had no desire to fall off from a sudden shift in the earth. All around, trees were swaying, leaves falling, and magical beasts were chittering madly. Clearly, they too felt the strange deep grinding hum.

"Kiddo... I think your continent has begun to move! If everything around you is traveling with you, but the stars appear to be moving, the only answer is that this continent's foundations have been shaken loose, the whole landmass is now floating freely in the ocean!"

Abruptly, the shaking stopped, but above, it felt like the stars were just barely wobbling. Even with his extraordinary eyesight as a cultivator, he wasn't too sure, but it was as if they were swaying, sashaying across the sky. Mei surmised,

"I believe, somehow, this continent has slid off its foundation, and begun to drift freely, as you can see the stars appear to move, that must be because your continent is floating atop the currents. Where it is going though... I do not know. For an entire continent to move, even the gods would not lightly do such a thing. This plane... something is happening here."

BANG

From behind, the girl who had been rolling around on the floor, smashed a taloned foot into the rock wall.

"Argh! It itches so bad, what's wrong with this continent!"

Before Lineir's astounded eyes, glowing blue rings of solid light spread all around her body and then shrunk in. Within moments, there was a blinding blue flash, and then she was gone, the crushed rocks the only sign of her presence remaining.

"What?" Lineir scrubbed his eyes, and looked all around the cave.

"Gone? Just like that?"

In the dusty twilight, as the bloody mists of cut throats fell over the fabled battlefields, the white haired man called out,

"I know you're there Dahn, before the demons move again, let's talk." In front of him, an indistinct figure shrouded in purple mist formed.

"Still unwilling to show your face, huh? You know my allegiance is not necessarily with the Heavens. I've no desire to give them any face at all." The white haired man said, but the figure, Dahn, still remained hazy, purple motes swirling around him unendingly.

"You know I'm not interested in letting any side know I'm still around. I'm just here to watch and enjoy the comings of the end. What do you want?"

His voice was light and annoyed, it gave off the impression of somebody easily angered. The white haired man wasn't put off by his tone however,

"Dahn, I cannot...we cannot do anything to help mortals directly as of yet. The third pillar was broken far too soon. Indeed, that continent is actually already beginning to sail! I fear, it will be too late if we hesitate. Dahn, I know you don't want them to know you're alive, but I ask you as the only one left still free, guide them!"

He lowered his head to the indistinct purple figure, who stood there unmoving, no expression visible behind the purple haze.

"You... I would give you face, you know, just for the old days. But I can't let them know I'm alive! I have no desire to war with any of them right now, they've grown far too volatile! I cannot help the mortals!" The white haired man smiled however, and replied,

"Relax Dahn, I'm not asking you to directly intervene, just guide them. There's no need for you to even display your powers, I'm sure you can hide yourself just as well over there as you can here, the Heavens need know nothing." The purple motes still swirled innecently, but the figure bowed his head a little, thinking.

"No need to show myself...fine. When the time of end comes however, whether they are capable or not is up to them, I take no responsibility!"

The white haired man simply nodded and smiled hearing what he wanted to hear. A moment later, the indistinct figure seemed to fade away, and he was standing there alone again. The black haired man came up from behind.

"Can we trust him, really? Do you even know who he really is under that illusion of his?" With a troubled voice he asked. The white haired man however was still chuckling,

"Know who he really is? Illusion? No, no, his disguise is no illusion, that is actual Qi he's using to hide himself. There's no need for him to lie, He might not want to be drawn into the conflict just yet, but if he did.... he wouldn't fear any one side. Be thankful he is honorable and willing to give me face. With us bound here, he is the only one who may be able to shape the coming conflict favorably."

The black haired man gaped,

"That was Qi, and he condenses it externally all the time like that? I couldn't feel any of it escaping. How strong is his control...?"

Walking away, the white haired man waved,

"Come, we have hope, with his personality, while he says he will only guide, I'm certain he will be tempted at some point or another to intervene more directly. It's simply a matter of when he finds somebody he likes. The scum stirs again, it's time to do our part."

A massive tribladed halberd appeared in his hands, its menacing visage stirring the fighting spirit of all who saw it.

"Come! Old heroes should ensure the junior generation can grow strong before they die!"