Immortal Paladin 083 Lion’s Roar

083 Lion’s Roar

May the dead find peace beyond this life.

May they find redemption on the other side.

And may whatever awaits them be kinder than the lives they lived.

An.

I let out a slow breath as I internally whispered my silent prayer.

Why pray?

For so, it was a way to seek strength.

For others, a way to seek forgiveness.

And for probably a lot of people, it was just a way to look for answers.

?

I didn’t really know.

To save my soul? Nah. Too soon.

To ease my conscience? …Dunno.

As far as I was concerned, my conscience was clean.

Or maybe I just felt pity.

I kind of wished they had better endings.

When I first ca to this world, survival had been my highest priority. Nothing else mattered but making it to the next day. I tried to make smart choices, but no amount of wisdom stats would cure what the heart wanted, wouldn’t it?

That was how I ca to doing Paladin-stuff—helping people, fighting the bad guys, standing up for whatever justice I could believe in.

I was never in it because I thought I was a hero. Not because I had so grand destiny. I was not that delusional. So people just do stuff, because they could. I didn’t have any noble ideals. I just didn’t like feeling shitty when it ca to it.

Simply put, I couldn’t bear to do nothing when I could do sothing.

So… why didn’t I bother using my skills or items to bring those bandits back?

It wasn’t about justice, morality, or being smart. It was human selfishness at its finest. I’m not perfect. I’m fully aware of it. Sotis, I’m inconsistent. Other tis, I’m just spontaneously naive. And other tis, I could be selfish.

I had people I cared about now.

I wouldn’t use them as an excuse for what I did. The murders I caused were on .

But still—

It was for my sake that I chose to be selfish. That was the point.

The warp finished.

The Floating Dragon erged from the twisting void of space, stabilizing as the world settled back into focus. Beneath us stretched a vast, foggy lake.

I turned to Ren Xun, arms crossed, and asked, “What’s going to happen to the bandits?”

His expression was neutral as he recounted. “I found so of their wanted posters back in the city. Their leader?” He exhaled through his nose. “Probably a death sentence. He had a long list of cris under his na.”

That wasn’t surprising.

“And the others?”

“Labor camps, most likely.” He shrugged. “They weren’t innocent, but they weren’t worth executing either. The law will decide the rest.”

I frowned slightly. “Were they connected to any Abyssal Clans?”

Ren Xun shook his head. “If they were, that’s the Black Clan’s business. They’re the ones in charge of law enforcent on Deepmoor Continent.”

I considered that for a mont before shrugging. “Guess that’s out of our hands, then.”

Justice, punishnt—whatever happened next, it wasn’t my concern.

Dave, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up. “Are you fine, My Lord?”

I frowned at him. “…What are you up to?”

His tone had been careful—too careful.

Dave tilted his head slightly, unreadable behind that featureless Puppet Armor. “I am simply asking.”

I sighed. “I’m fine.”

If he had anything else to say, he didn’t push it.

anwhile, Gu Jie gently placed the aquarium by the mast, the water inside shifting as Ren Jingyi swam in slow, lazy circles. The fish blinked at .

On the starboard side, Hei Mao and Lu Gao leaned over the railing, staring out at the foggy lake ahead. The mist stretched endlessly across the water, shifting in slow, eerie swirls.

I turned back to Ren Xun. “Where’s the Shadow Clan? How long will it take to reach them?”

He didn’t answer imdiately. Instead, he gestured toward the lake.

“We’re here.”

I blinked. “What?”

“This is the place.”

I narrowed my eyes at the thick fog, trying to see past it. Nothing. No structures, no land, no hidden passageways. Just endless mist rolling over the water’s surface.

Ren Xun continued, “There’s a spell formation concealing their territory. Now that I am seeing it firsthand, oh man… this is gonna be a pain in the ass… I’ll need ti to decipher it.”

“…How long?”

“Weeks. Maybe months.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That complicated, huh?”

Ren Xun nodded. “It’s not just any formation. The structure is layered, and from what I can already sense, it actively shifts its patterns to prevent unwanted entry.”

I crossed my arms, thinking. Ren Xun was low-key very good with formations, even if he didn’t boast about it.

Admittedly, I didn’t have a good reference for how skilled he truly was. However, the fact that he could analyze formations from a distance and make confident assessnts already spoke volus about his competence.

Still, weeks to months was a long ti.

Gu Jie folded her arms and tilted her head. “Master, wouldn’t we waste a lot of ti waiting, then?”

I nodded and turned to Ren Xun. “What she said.”

Ren Xun sighed. “It’s not that simple.” He pointed toward the dense fog below us. “Descending blindly would be dangerous. There’s probably a maze hidden within, not to ntion all sorts of spells designed to target the mind.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And,” he continued, “there are likely... other things in there.”

I squinted at him. “Other things?”

“Creepy crawlies,” he muttered.

Now that caught my interest. A maze? Mind-affecting spells? Weird creatures lurking in the fog?

That sounded a whole lot like a dungeon.

And for so reason, that thought made weirdly excited. The inner PvE player in was itching to do sothing. It would be an understatent to say I was bored. I know I’m asking for trouble in looking for so excitent, but maaaan… boredom was a pain in the ass.

Still, there wasn’t much point in going in blindly when I could just cheat.

I focused, extending my Divine Sense outward—and sure enough, I could detect sothing solid hidden within the fog.

An island, or at least sothing similar.

If I really wanted to, I could just jump straight onto it.

I shared my thoughts with Ren Xun.

The mont I did, a nervous tic twitched at his brow. “That… would be incredibly rude.”

I frowned. “Since when do I care about being polite?” Sotis, I just wanted to fuck around and find out… or sothing.

“Since now,” he said firmly. “These people are hidden for a reason. If you suddenly drop into their territory like so brute, they might take that as an attack. I suggest we wait… They should have detected us by now, however, it will be up to them to welco us or not.”

Okay. Fair point.

“Also,” he added, “what if there’s a spatial trap? You might end up sowhere very, very bad.”

…Oof.

I winced. That was also a very good point.

Now that I thought about it—yeah. Formations were terrifying.

Gu Jie wandered over to the starboard, peering down into the dense fog. anwhile, Lu Gao and Hei Mao had already lost interest in the discussion.

Lu Gao sat cross-legged on the deck, his hands resting on his knees, his breathing steady. ditating. He was probably squeezing in so extra training, working on the Blessed Weapon spell I had assigned him. anwhile, Hei Mao sat by the fish, probably contemplating how he would broach the topic about his family to this people.

Gu Jie, still gazing downward, frowned slightly. “Master… I can feel it.”

I turned to her. “Feel what?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she placed a hand over her heart, as if trying to still sothing within herself. “…Misfortune,” she finally said. “From beneath the fog. It’s thick… like resentnt, grudge, and the like.”

Ren Xun sighed. “That’s not surprising.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“That presence could be coming from the spirits of dead Shadow Clan mbers—those who suffered the punishnt of the Grand Emperor.”

“…Or?” I prompted.

“Or,” he continued, “it could be the remnants of challengers who dared to displace the Shadow Clan and failed.”

Ah. That explained a lot.

Ren Xun glanced at the swirling mist below. “The Shadow Clan may be sothing of an offshoot branch of the Black Clan now, but they were once a major power.” He looked at seriously. “Don’t underestimate them.”

I leaned against the railing. “So, they’re dangerous?”

“Extrely.”

Ren Xun didn’t usually emphasize things this much. That alone told how cautious I needed to be.

At that mont, Dave stepped forward. “My Lord, shall I do reconnaissance?”

Considering his constitution and the fact that death was temporary for him, I understood why he was offering. If anyone could handle this without permanent consequences, it was Dave.

Still, I shook my head. “No. It’ll do us better if we’re polite… like Ren Xun said.”

Ren Xun quipped, “For so reason, I feel like you are about to do sothing… er… wild… Senior…”

“Little Mao?” My gaze landed on Hei Mao, who was trying to act nonchalant. Too nonchalant.

His ears twitched slightly, betraying his feigned indifference.

Seeing staring at him, Hei Mao sighed and finally took on a more serious expression. “I’ll behave.” He hesitated, then added, “I only wish to know why my family was targeted years ago.”

I nodded. That much, at least, was fair.

We made this trip for him, but that didn’t an Hei Mao could act so shalessly he’d do whatever he liked. Hei Mao understood that. If anything, this kid was raised right.

I turned back to Ren Xun. “Is there any decorum that must be followed on how to greet them?”

Ren Xun looked… confused. “…Senior, it should be fine to at least announce your presence.”

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air.

Then, I roared.

"Esteed mbers of the Shadow Clan!

"We co as guests, not foes.

"We seek an audience with those who govern these waters.

"May the path be opened to us, that we may speak with courtesy and respect!"

My voice thundered across the lake, carrying my greeting to the Shadow Clan.

It wasn’t just any roar—I had used Lion’s Roar, a sound technique I had read about. It was an entry-level technique, but that didn’t an it lacked power. Considerably, the power behind my roar was mostly supported by my stats alone. My voice surged outward, a martial technique and a sound technique combined.

The effect was imdiate.

The fog shuddered as if startled, montarily thinning under the force of my voice. Even the lake itself trembled, its surface rippling outward in a wide radius.

But the fog was stubborn.

A few seconds later, it regenerated, closing in again like a living thing.

I exhaled, watching the lake settle. "Hope they appreciate the effort."

Gu Jie blinked. "Master… was that really necessary?"

I shrugged. "Would you prefer I knocked? Where do I even knock?"

Ren Xun sighed. "Senior, I don’t think that was knocking. That was more like… kicking the door off its hinges."

Dave chuckled. "A grand entrance is befitting of His Lordship."

I smirked. "Exactly. Gotta make an impression."

Lion’s Roar was the closest thing I could find to Battlecry and Warcry from the War Path. I had always envied those abilities in lee classes back in LLO, so when I saw this technique, I thought, why not? Unlike cultivation thods, physical techniques seed fair ga for as long as my stats could support them. Sound techniques were skirting the territory of non-physical techniques though.

A tense minute passed.

Then, finally, a response.

The lake shook again.

This ti, the fog peeled away, parting to reveal a narrow, winding path leading toward an island hidden within.

At the sa ti, I felt sothing press against — it was Qi Speech.

“The impudence!”

I noticed how the pressure behind the Qi Speech was making it difficult for the rest of my party mbers to breath. Trying to assert dominance, huh? I shrugged the pressure and then cast Bless on the rest of my party mbers.

It enabled them to withstand the pressure.

A voice resonated through the mist—deep, asured, and brimming with authority.

"Guests of unknown origin, you have called upon the Shadow Clan. The path has been opened. Step forward with respect, or turn back now."

The words carried an undeniable force, pressing against my chest like an invisible hand testing my strength. It was… ticklish…

But as the last syllable faded, the lingering echoes of my Lion’s Roar still danced across the lake, sending ripples through the water. It was a bit awkward.

There was a mont of silence.

Then, a different, fainter voice muttered in the distance, as if coming from sowhere within the fog.

"...Did they just overpower Elder Yuan’s Qi Speech?"

Another voice, more urgent, "Shut up! Do you want him to hear you?"

I blinked.

Gu Jie glanced at , her lips twitching. "Master… I think you just embarrassed them."

Ren Xun let out a tired sigh. "Senior… That was unnecessary."

Dave, on the other hand, was grinning. "My Lord, that was very Paladin of you."

I raised an eyebrow. "You an loud?"

"I an righteous."

"...Right."

Even Dave was cracking jokes now. The world must be ending.

Shaking my head, I focused back on the cleared path. The fog had parted, and a dark and foreboding island lay ahead.

I gestured forward. "Keep sailing."

Ren Xun lowered the Floating Dragon onto the lake, its bulk settling just by a small wooden bridge that served as a harbor. The vessel barely made a ripple as it touched the water’s surface—a testant to Ren Xun’s control.

Waiting for us by the bridge was a lone old man, dressed in black and purple. His robes were deep in color, lined with faint, intricate patterns that seed to shift under the dim light. His posture was relaxed, his hands hidden in his sleeves, but I wasn’t fooled—this wasn’t soone to underestimate.

And he wasn’t as alone as he liked to present himself.

With my Divine Sense, I felt multiple presences lurking—so hidden beneath the lake, their qi faint as if they had rged with the water itself, while others skulked in the shadows of the nearby trees, their forms blending unnaturally well into the darkness.

Before I could say anything, Gu Jie stepped forward, her brows furrowed.

"Master, I detect no danger," she reported, her tone carrying an odd note of doubt.

I turned to her, raising a brow. "None?"

"None," she confird. "Not a single ounce of… misfortune. It’s peculiar."

That was indeed peculiar.

Gu Jie had survived calamities that even made balk, things that should have turned lesser cultivators to dust. Her instincts and senses were razor-sharp, refined through trials of blood and fire. And yet, she was detecting nothing.

Either the Shadow Clan had perfected their stealth arts to an absurd degree, or they genuinely didn’t see us as threats.

I glanced back at the old man. His eyes were calm, studying us with an unreadable expression.

Then, he cupped his fist in greeting.

"This one is Hei Yuan of the Shadow Clan. May I ask whom I have the honor of welcoming?"

His voice was deep, but it held a certain fluidity, like silk over steel. His cultivation… from what I could sense, he was sowhere between Jiang Zhen and the fragnt of the Heavenly Demon—which put him at Sixth or Seventh Realm. Maybe even lower.

I returned the gesture, my own fist eting my palm.

"I am Da Wei."