Chapter 250: Tracking
Once I made sure that everything was tuned and the last details for the hoverboard's flight were managed and handled with as much care as I could, I decided it was time for me to move to the next step.
"Automaton, I want to ask you something," I said, and immediately, the Automaton that is serving the Lord of Lord's pagoda appeared in front of me.
"Yes, master." It replied.
"We'll be having a few guests, I suppose that the Pagoda can handle a few additions without feeling too full right?"
"If you're talking about the town. It can be managed. Should I take them in?" the automaton said.
"Yes, sadly all their efforts in rebuilding the city will be for naught, but it's best if they are alive to rebuild a new town."
"That won't be a problem, the city you're in is still not large enough to be a problem once added into the pagoda."
"You mean…"
"Yes, I can take in the entire city, buildings and all."
"Well, that's good to know. Yeah, go ahead. That's pretty damn handy." I said as I nodded up and down.
"Please be careful, I'll start the integration process now…" the automaton said then suddenly it looked like it had shut down as it didn't reply to my following questions.
"Then, as if life had been breathed back into it, it lit up, "It is done," It said.
I frowned for a moment then used the Lord of Lords token to take me to the open prairies part of the five biomes.
And found the entirety of Lucid Springs planted into the midst of the massive open fields.
The buildings and roads were all carefully placed into the pagoda without a single part missing.
Just as I approached the small city, the formation opened up, revealing trembling mortals unable to understand what just happened.
"It's the former city lord!" one o the people said as they looked up to me.
As I hovered above everyone, I spoke, "This is no longer the same world you used to live in." I spoke. "The planet of Si Xue no longer has hope. This is the only safe place left for this world, be grateful to be alive and lucky enough to be here." I said.
"Do not wander off too much, you may find things that will not hesitate before making you into their dinner. As long as you're in the city you'll be fine. For food, I'll make sure that you're all fed."
Suddenly, someone, who I didn't think would have the gals to talk to me spoke, "Father." He said as he looked up at me.
"My wife and daughter…" he said.
"What about them?" I replied.
"They're still outside, are they alive?" he said.
I sighed… he may be an ungrateful unfilial bastard. But his daughter didn't do anything bad. She is also my granddaughter. I can't allow them to die.
"I'll see to it," then immediately spoke, "Listen her. I will not go around collecting your relatives otherwise it will not end. If you can't afford to 'live' without your relatives, the ask the automaton here to let you out and go find them for yourselves, but do know, if you were to leave, I won't take you back. And if someone thinks that I'm being unfair by taking in only my own descendants, then I am unfair. But I won't be collecting your family, otherwise we'll never have enough time to leave the planet."
"Master Shen Bao." Spoke Wu Fan.
"Yes, friend."
"This city, most of the people here are already without relatives, the floods took their homes and families and the only people here are already tight and close as family, do not worry about us being greedy and wanting to take in more, because all we have left is the people already here. We thank you for your grace. We all realized that something big was happening, and we're thankful that you even considered our mortal lives worth saving. Many would not even bother, for the Immortals, Mortals aren't worth saving."
I nodded and left.
I needed to go and get Lu Bao's wife and daughter first before I start looking for the rest of my friends.
A much as I wanted to test the hoverboard, I decided against it, because the Saint Qi release will pull in too much unwanted attention, thus I used my own speed to go after the ones I need to find.
Once I arrived to where my son's wife used to live, I came down to a city so void of life that I felt slightly agitated.
Could cultivators have come and attacked this place?
But the notion suddenly disappeared from my mind once I used divine sense.
The city didn't have any cultivator in it, and most people that lived here were nothing but mortals.
With a quick scan using divine sense, I found Lu Bao's family.
I headed towards the old manor where they were and opened its door. Only to find a young woman with a young daughter behind her, the woman had a knife held in hand, trembling in fear at my sudden appearance, while her daughter whimpered behind her.
"W-who are you!" she spoke trembling.
I tilted my head and didn't even speak, as I pointed my hand forward, making her jerk back in fear.
A portal opened next to her.
"Go in," I said.
She clearly didn't want to, terrified of what might be inside that gate.
"Your husband is waiting. Don't make me force you in." I said.
"You didn't kill him?"
"Why would I kill my own son?" I replied.
The notion finally setteled in, and hope that her husband was still alive gave her some courage.
"Chyou'er, lets go." The woman said.
The two of them walked into the portal and this concluded the first problematic I had.
I looked around for a bit and grabbed some items from their house. Mainly a few toys and some memorabilia items and threw them into the portal. Then left.
Now to find the rest of my friends…this won't be easy.
But with this I muttered as I grabbed the Black Tower pendant.
I should be able to track them.
I looked at the ranking and found out that Wu Di and Xiao Lang both were ranked, while Yuzehan's name never appeared even after looking many, many times. Seeing Wu Di's score rising, I realized that he was in a fight.
But since I can't locate him on my own and looking for him through the entire planet would be nothing but a huge waste of time. So I only had one option.
There was a Black Tower a few hours travel from where I am, and I could get some information on the location of the battles happening. But the risk of me being discovered will be huge.
I then reapplied my disguise and made sure it didn't reveal anything that would link me to 'Shen Bao' the wanted man of the Black Tower.
And then headed out towards the nearest Black Tower city.
Hours of flight later, I arrived to the vicinity of a city that had several dozen cultivators fighting at its gates.
It seems that an advanced force of enemy cultivators arrived to the city.
I can't use poison, nor can I use my sword, or my puppets.
'I guess it's time to use that dragon claw, since no one knows of it and how 'One Eyed Snake' fights.
Sadly, since I can't use regular flight, as it will expose me for the fact that I still can't control the poison Qi output I passively released as I fly, I'll have to use constant teleportation to move about, but that shouldn't be a problem.
I immediately teleported behind a cultivator wearing the fire King's Emblem and struck down with my left arm as it manifested draconic claws of the beast I consumed in my sea of consciousness.
The swing was deadly as it clawed at both space and flesh alike. Slicing through the cultivator and splitting him into three pieces.
I then immediately, teleported next to another cultivator and sliced up, cutting one of his arms off before smashing his chest with a palm that immediately turned him to a husk as I used the White Plague I gained from the Poison God's knowledge.
I continued teleporting around the battlefield assisting the combatants which increased the courage of the rest of the ally cultivators.
Though they were only fighting a small force, the addition of reinforcements gave them enough of a breather to fend off the assault.
"Go assist that man!" one of the cultivators said and the ally forces rose up to help.
The enemy force immediately dispersed and split in different directions afterward. They were probably just scouts and didn't want to die before reporting their findings.
I teleported back down to the front of the gate, with both hands behind my back. I looked away from the gate at the retreating figure of the enemy cultivators while many ally cultivators came and flew down next to me.
"Brother, how may I call you?" asked one of the cultivators.
I turned and looked at him in the eyes.
Once he met my eyes he had a hunch, but I confirmed it saying, "I'm the One-Eyed Serpent. And I need some help."