611 Divine Wind (1/2)

The immortals were really a force to be reckoned with, particularly the ones that followed Patroclus the closest. They believed that the immortals were not only the future of the human race, but also the future of the universe.

It was this sense of honor that had driven these warriors to follow Patroclus wherever he went. Not everyone joined Patroclus because of the immortality that he had promised them; some of them did fall feverishly for Patroclus's cant.

Patroclus might not be the most unique human in history, but he was definitely the most complicated one. The harder an individual was to understand, the more followers he or she would attract. This was part of the human nature.

Seeing the light emitting from Patroclus, Li Zhedao suddenly felt he was too old for this. Despite Patroclus' overbearing soul energy that loomed over the entire battlefield, a wind blew from some unknown corner and threatened to dismantle the web of energy. Li Zhedao finally attacked.

He could have forsaken the humans, but he couldn't throw his family's reputation out of the window. It had been passed down from generations to him, and he couldn't let it get shattered in his own hands.

Everyone had one thing that he or she would not sell for any price, much less give it away for free. For Li Zhedao, that thing was his family's honor. This importance of family's name was deeply entrenched in the beliefs of all of House Li's members. The house started with Li Feng, a self-made hero, and it was their job to carry on Li Feng's banner until the end of time. Li Zhedao was the patriarch of the House Li first before he would consider himself an Einherjar.

Zenn!

The Sword of Vayu writhed its way through the netted interceptions of the lance. It went at his opponent like a flow of wind, a soft breezy one instead of a gale, so that it would pass right through the lance's effective jabs and thrusts.

In half a heartbeat, the blade hit its target and grazed Patroclus' handsome face. The GN force in the strike made sure that Patroclus' healing ability would not work on the wound.

In one strike, Li Zhedao had forced Patroclus's belligerence down a notch. The wind came up again, hemming Patroclus' soul energy to the left and right.

Li Zhedao had struck back when Patroclus's energy had reached the peak; however, it was able to diminish the threat significantly. Such was the power of the most powerful Einherjar of the world.

The Einherjar lifted his sword, and the wind echoed his move; he was about to strike again. Sensing danger, Patroclus fumbled a few feet back. There was nothing extraordinary in Li Zhedao's move, but it was enough to make the divine lord feel threatened. Li Zhedao attacked, and Patroclus retreated further back.

Even as Patroclus pulled back, his body was instantly covered with a dozen wounds. Still, Li Zhedao's move was simple and straightforward.

Li Zhedao didn't attack like this last time he fought with Patroclus. By then, Patroclus registered that his opponent had found the divine path that he was still looking for.

What was the divine path?

It was the source of everything.

Li Zhedao had found the source of himself, the source code to his power so he could hack it, blow it up, and make himself invincible.

He had found the key to the secret in his own blood, the blood of the Blade Warrior. He had understood that the ultimate power of the world was beyond the worldly burdens. It could not be measured by fame or sol readings; it was a thorough understanding of life itself.

Li Zhedao didn't design to pay the ultimate sacrifice when he decided to stay behind. He was here to set the world's problem to the right.

Everything had been smooth sailing for Patroclus so far; overconfidence had clouded his judgment and made him lower his guard.

Connecting his pulse with the movement of his blade, Li Zhedao had become one with the blade. He had transcended the blade attack to the attack of wind. This was what Li Zhedao had learned after he found the Divine Path. When the world seemed to have been disappointed at House Li's performance, the patriarch of the family proved that they still had it.

When the movement of the blade turned into gusts of wind, Li Zhedao had truly become the reincarnation of Vayu, the wind god. As an Einherjar who had found the divine path, Li Zhedao had reached a much higher state of consciousness than Patroclus regardless of the divine lord's invincible body. Once one found the divine path, he or she would be able to wield one elemental force. Li Zhedao's element was wind, and his key to the path was his responsibility.

Responsibility was a worldly idea, something to weight the cultivator down; however, Li Zhedao had the golden touch that turned a worldly thought into a vehicle on the divine path.

Talented, genius, those were never the words people would choose to describe Li Zhedao. He was considered the least talented Einherjar among the high ranking warriors, and it was because of his family's reputation that the public had crowned him as the number one Einherjar of the world. When his son grew up, even Li Shiming was considered more competent than him. His reputation further deteriorated after he ran away from the battlefield while fighting against Patroclus. He had become a laughing stock, the synonym for cowardice.

Although Li Zhedao had many excuses for his retreat—some were more believable than the others— the public was convinced that his mediocre talent had hampered his advancement. However, if people were to take a look at Li Zhedao there and then, they would know that they had been wrong.