Chapter 20: Payment

Zax pondered on the possibility of trading the Solar Basil Leaf for Yurnal’s Black Core. Regardless of the chain’s Second Leader’s thoughts on the bizarre Earth’s Core and wanting to keep it for his son, without the remaining three, it will only limit his cultivation path. In contrast, the Solar Basil Leaf will reconstruct his physique and improve his affinity, make it tremendously a lot easier to understand the fiery attribute.

“You- You- already used the Diluted Element?”

The shock on Gid Chu’s, Yurnal’s and all the others’ faces was mutual.

“Wasn’t the Diluted Element the treasure made personally by an Immortal?” Someone asked in a deep undertone.

“It is ... was. I partook in the trials, under a disguise. I even heard from someone who stayed in the Grand Abode and got to see them up close”.

“How did you waste it? Why did you not consider more fitting candidates?” Yurnal snapped. His bare foot stomped furiously.

“T- The- The most valuable treasure on the planet...” An old man, second level Martial Master, in a golden robe and a long white hair stuttered on his plastic chair beside Gid Chu.

“How could you have succumbed to the enticement of learning your insights? Why must you be so young?! Why can’t you understand that you are still young?!” Nam Ner implored, knowing it is too late.

“Zax...” Gid Chu said in a low voice, struggling to utter the name without venting. The calm and calculated, the peacemaker amiable Leader of the chain ... even he knew not how to react. “Explain”. He asked in a tone that was hard to determine whether it was a demand or a plea. “Explain”. He repeated.

In Gid Chu’s mind images of his fight with the lad raced in an unending cycle. It was not the fact that Zax used the Diluted Element without consulting anyone that agitated him, but his belief that with his talent and potential, even if the lad did not already, then sooner than later he would have perceived and comprehended the fifth bottleneck of insight, the limit of the Diluted Element.

“Zax...” Zechariah, on his plastic chair next to his beloved, Linor, quietly said. Perhaps only his companion could interpret the meaning of his solemn gaze.

“That...” Rockwell said and Riv shook her head.

“Was a stupid decision”.

“Humph!” The duel pistols wielding Duthur snorted disdainfully. “See, Lenrah ... what have I told you? Do you remember? This pretentious guy, him obtaining the perfect dark attribute’s essence was not luck, but his cunning. If he handed it to Rockwell and Riv back then, instead of using it to boost himself, than maybe our Sinister Chain would have had already an expert on the same caliber as a fifth level Martial Mortal”.

Duthur did not bother to control his voice, as a result, all the members encircling Zax could hear and recalled that before the Event in Demirva Ridge, before certain someone consumed the extremely sought after perfect dark attribute’s essence, the so called “new member” who is actually an outside contractor, was not something more special than the other Core Masters talents in the chain, at most, a tier above prodigies such as Zechariah, Linor, Varinka, Duthur and couple more others.

“No wonder his growth is such exponential”.

“Forget the youngsters; even old ones like us could have had a spike in battle power if we consumed a legendry perfect dark attribute’s essence”.

“Some of us had a slow start on the cultivation path that cost us our youthful looks. Although we can live now for thousands and thousands of years, having to live by looking like an old men and women ... with treasures like this kid was fortunate to use, retrieving our youthfulness might not have been impossible”.

“No, it’s still not impossible. The Solar Basil Leaf reconstructs the physique. Even if it is just internally, the energies could still rejuvenate tens for years back”.

Many of the chain’s senior members lamented, daring to do so outloud due to the fact that should they really had the chance; none of them would make a selfish decision.

“Quiet”. Gid Chu requested. “Zax, speak”.

“Senior Gid, if you want the truth, then I’ll admit...” Zax spoke earnestly. If revealing that he comprehended five bottleneck of insight could alleviate his status in the chain, make things easier, including getting the pay he wants, than there was no better time to share it. “Before consuming the Diluted Element I already comprehended five bottlenecks. The reason why I still used it was because it constantly gave my position when Archbishop Silternja chased me”.

“So you got rid of it by consuming it?” Yurnal asked.

“Did I have a choice? Should I have spilled it somewhere? Throw it away? You can choose to believe me or not, but the instant I shattered its crystal bead container, I had no way of stopping it from get absorbed by my body”. He did not want to say that he kept it in his mouth. “I was in the Down Ocean, as you all should know. Although the Diluted Element did not contribute to my comprehension, it did refueled my body, gave me the energy to make my escape”.

“With the help of three Pure Cores of Deformed Beings not weaker than fourth level Martial Mortals”. Someone from Yurnal’s side reminded, a Peak Core Master short black haired, brown skinned woman, wearing white tank top and blue jeans.

“A choice for Leader and Second Leader which has nothing to do with me”.

“They saved your life when you deviated from Leader’s initial plan!” Nam Ner joined the younger looking woman.

“Leader’s plan was flawed. And if I received the Pure Cores to begin with, maybe I would not have needed to waste the Diluted Element to stay alive, or even need all three Pure Cores”.

“Ingrate!” Nam Ner spat, her eyes turning red, actually changing color, while her bony body grew pale scales. In a short moment she transformed to the low class Shenghuo, Ghastly Red Eyes Snake. “Incompetent those who raised and taught you!” She hissed.

“Nam Ne-” Before Gid Chu could fully pronounce her name; a boom sound from the center of the oval sitting arrangement caught him by surprise.

Zax’s plastic chair was blasted to tiny sharp fragments as he charged at the twenty meters longs snake.

A resonating deep roar emerged from Nam Ner’s lengthy throat. She was an Intermediate third level Martial Mortal, seeing that Zax came at her without executing any particular technique, she was more than willing to meet him in a frontal assault.

“Halt!”

“Suffice!”

Both Gid Chu and Yurnal bellowed, changed into two silhouettes and rematerialized between the pair. The chain’s Leader with his back to Zax, while the Second Leader with his back to Nam Ner, it seemed that their real intention was for Gid Chu to shield Zax from Yurnal and for Yurnal to be Nam Ner’s vanguard.

“Senior Gid”, Zax lividly gritted his teeth as fluctuations of dark attribute energy bustled in the air, an indication of him about to transform to his Dark Titan Storm form. “This review, appraisal or whatever you want to call it, is done!” Killing intent oozed from every word, his countenance ominous.

It was one thing insulting or bullying him to corporate with the chain’s own accords. He could endure and even attempt to manipulate certain parts of the arguments in his favor. However, it was another to tarnish his parents and Master, his big sister and Grandmaster, his extended and Martial families. More so when they were not present and thus lacked the ability to defend themselves, furthermore, when to him, by word or touch, his loved ones were untouchables!