John watched from afar as dozens of Elders, as well as his master and Thunderzen approached him. The Bloodfiend Sect below was completely obliterated, mostly by Thunderzen's attack, leaving absolutely no trace of it behind.
They all landed together near John, and Thunderzen's eyes swept over the nearby Elders. He could tell that they were missing a few. As they landed, John saw his master consume a pill, and the color on her pale face slowly began to return.
"Status report," Thunderzen asked one of the nearby Elders.
The Elder, whose cultivation was at the early Dao Transformation Realm, stepped forward.
"We have successfully eliminated the remaining Bloodfiend scourge...however," the Elder paused for a moment before continuing.. "In the battle with the Bloodfiend Elders, nine of our own Elders were slain."
Thunderzen sighed upon hearing this. While it was not unexpected, it was still saddening to hear.
The Bloodfiend Sect, being one of the premier sects of the continent, had formations within the sect that could be used defensively in times of war. These formations were incredibly dangerous, even to Dao Transformation Elders. While it was not the only reason, this was one of the reasons why the Bloodfiend Sect was never destroyed before.
However, John's sudden tribulation has ruined the sect from within, destroying most of these formations before they could be activated. Even still, the result of the Bloodfiend assault had claimed the lives of nine Elders of the sect.
While nine Elders for an entire sect was a good trade, everyone present still couldn't help but feel saddened by the news.
"Each Elder will receive the highest burial honors," Thunderzen replied. He glanced down to the destroyed sect below, before he glanced back to the same Elder.
"The Bloodfiend Sect's destruction will surely have the other Forbidden Alliance sects scavage its ruins like buzzards. Have several of you stay behind to find and remove any remaining artifacts and weapons," Thunderzen commanded.
"It will be done," the Elder replied.
After talking to the Elder, Thunderzen glanced at the nearby John, who was sitting there half-dead of fatigue. Thunderzen took note of John's condition, which was incredibly grave.
Most of his body's exterior was completely ruined and charred by the tribulation lightning, while his organs were also damaged within. If it were any other person, Thunderzen couldn't see them living through this amount of bodily damage. However, John always seemed to have surprises up his sleeve.
"You've done well child," Thunderzen said as he smiled at John. "In fact, you did far better than I ever could have imagined. Your actions have saved this continent from sure destruction, and you should be incredibly proud of what you have done."
Thunderzen walked closer to John as a pill suddenly appeared in his hands.
"Here, take this," Thunderzen instructed as he tossed the medicinal pill to John. The pill emitted an incredibly dense medicinal aroma, and John could easily tell that it was an incredibly precious healing pill.
Flash!
Kirii suddenly appeared on the ground in front of Thunderzen, as John was more worried about Kirii than himself.
"Help Kirii instead," John replied. He would be able to heal from his wounds eventually, but he was unsure what was going on with Kirii. Kirii's flesh wounds had been mostly healed, but he was still unconscious, and his breathing was still uneven.
Thunderzen glanced at Kirii and his divine sense washed over him. He inspected Kirii briefly, before he retracted his divine sense.
"I cannot help him," Thunderzen replied. "No one can. Kirii is a beast of lightning, and he was struck by that tribulation lightning meant for you. He could have taken the attack and been mostly fine, but he decided to do something incredibly crazy...he attempted to absorb that tribulation lightning. He is currently struggling against that tribulation lightning, which is rampaging deep within his core. If he successfully absorbs it, he will transform himself to new heights, but if he fails…" Thunderzen's voice trailed off.
John glanced at Kirii, his eyes tinged with sadness. He could understand Kirii's actions, as he had done the same thing himself. A deep sigh escaped John's lips as his soul power flared once more, and Kirii was withdrawn to his soul space.
Thunderzen suddenly waved his hand, and a large flying ship appeared in the sky above them. It was his own personal flying ship, which was incredibly large and luxurious.
"We depart back to the Heavenly Lightning Sect," Thunderzen instructed. "These events today will have large-scale ramifications in the near future, and we must prepare for them."
The Elder's all flew up to the ship and began to board it, but John remained behind. Thunderzen and Lilian glanced at John, who seemed to be thinking about something else.
"Do you need help getting up to the ship?" his master asked, as she didn't know if John was too injured to fly or not.
John remained silent for a moment before he shook his head.
"It's not that," he replied.
"Then what is it? Are you not returning to the Sect?" Thunderzen asked.
"It's just that...I've been away from home..my clan, for far too long. If possible, I would like to visit them," John replied.
He had not seen his family in nearly a year, and was a bit homesick. Not only that, but he was also worried for their safety, as Allfiend had figured out they were related to him.
Thunderzen thought about it for a moment before he nodded his head in agreement.
"You have indeed been away from your home for too long. To get there, you have to cross the Great Desert, which is something far too dangerous for you at the moment. I will have an Elder escort you there," Thunderzen replied.
"No," Lilian suddenly spoke up as looked at John. "I just took this brat at my personal disciple, and would like to meet the family of my disciple. I will escort him."
John glanced at his master with slight surprise, before a small smile appeared on his face. "You're finally acting like a proper master should, instead of being a crazy-" he replied before thinking.
Bang!
A thin stick suddenly slapped John across the face, knocking him into the ground.
"Ouch! What the hell was that for?" John groaned in pain as he struggled to get up. "And where did you even get that stick? Do you just carry around a stick on you at all times?" he yelled out in protest.
"It seems my first true lesson as your master will be to teach you proper respect," Lilian replied with an icy glare. She suddenly waved her hand, and another flying ship appeared in the air above them.
"Hop on and stop wasting my time," Lilian commanded.
John rubbed his pained cheek while he glared at his master, before he flew up to the ship above. He glanced at the ruined Bloodfiend Sect below for a moment, as a satisfied smile smirk appeared on his face. Against all odds, his goal of destroying the Bloodfiend Sect had been achieved.
Ignoring the pain that wracked his body, he flew into the flying ship, and his expression became one of excited anticipation.
"I'm finally returning home!"