He had escaped danger for now thanks to <
He laid in the ditch under the tree considering his options, he could just remain here and keep using the technique to hide, but he didn't know how much longer he could bear with it, it was a physically and mentally demanding technique to keep up and he was already in a worn-out state.
The technique didn't have its disadvantages either, he understood from the moment he used it that he couldn't move while using it, he would turn in to nothing more than an object and an object couldn't move, his concentration would break the moment he tried to do so.
In the end, his two options were, bank on them not looking in the same place twice, or escape.
'I wonder if they'll find me…' He said, his hand reaching into his robes, touching a certain item as he breathed heavily.
In the end he waited for another hour, based on his estimations, in another couple of hours it would reach the early morning and the sun would rise up, removing many of the shadows he could use for cover, he needed to move soon.
But just as he was thinking that something happened.
He picked up a scent travelling downwind, his nose twitched as he exited the hovel he laid in, his eyes shaking slightly.
'Is that… smoke?'
It smelled like someone had lit a campfire nearby and the smoke was drifting to him, but then he realised he was wrong, the smell was far too strong.
He grit his teeth as he climbed at nearby tree, injecting his Qi and using <
"Shit!" He couldn't help but exclaim.
On the horizon, around where he first descended the cliff… was a wild blaze that consumed the forest, the wind wasn't too strong today, so the scent had taken a couple minutes to arrive where he was, yet more than 25% of the forest had been consumed already!
'It hasn't rained for a couple weeks now, so this place is dry as a bone' He cursed the weather, if it had rained it wouldn't be this bad.
He could see a larger pillar of flame walking near the centre of the wildfire, using his territory he could make out a figure in the centre of it, surrounded by a maelstrom of flames as his dull eyes were fixed forward as he walked at a brisk place.
'They're burning down this entire area just because I'm here?! They're insane!'
He looked around, getting a better look at the area he was in, it was a wide forest, yet he realised that the terrain here wasn't quite normal, it was like he was sitting on a slope with two walls at the sides, ending in a pit at the large cliff where he fell initially.
The cliffs were smooth and made of brittle rock, he wouldn't be able to scale them.
'Did they plan this out from the start?' Shu He felt a tinge of fear, he imagined that he was just dancing in someone's palms.
But then he shook his head.
'Stop it, you'll just get yourself in a bad mindset'.
He hopped down the tree, clenching his fists.
'Either way, I can't stay here, I have to move!'
He kicked off, weaving between the trees while remaining in their shadows.
…
By now, more than 50 percent of the forest patch had been turned to smouldering ash and flames, multitudes of animals and insects were running and flying away trying to escape the blaze causing a small-scale stampede towards one direction, the mouth of the pit.
Among these was Shu He, who was near the exit, perched in a tree as he looked outwards while listening to the cries of the animals passing him below.
'Sorry, this is my fault' He silently apologised to the animals that had lost their homes.
He used his territory like a radar, extending its range as far as possible while rotating it to get a better view of everything, he was close enough to the mouth of the pit that he could scale the sides fairly quickly since there were barely 5 meters tall, so he could escape in a full 200 degrees radius… but they also realised that.
Behind him was the blazing man, he wouldn't stop until the whole place was toast, it would be another 10 minutes or so before he arrived at the far side of the forest.
To the left was the younger masked man, he was waiting at a vantage point near the cliffs so he could see both the forest exit and the rocky face.
On the right, it was the same thing, except the girl, he could feel a silent rage bubbling from her figure.
'If I went straight, both of them would catch me in a pincer movement… I can't go back, so I need to choose one of them… I need to create a instant for me to escape…'
The girl used earth techniques, if she wanted to stall him she could do so easily, he could try to capitalise on her earlier injuries and encounter but that was just wishful thinking.
'Then… you!'
He dashed towards the left hill exit, scaling the short mountain would be too dangerous, and soon the young man was in his sights, under the cover of the shadows he waited until the most ideal moment-
Then he struck!
With a charged blow, he flew at the young man that reacted quickly, their two blades clashing under the moonlit sky.
"So, you'd come right at me!?" The man yelled, his voice backed by Qi, alerting his allies.
Shu He didn't relent, he twisted his blade and let loose a kick towards the man's abdomen that he blocked with his leg before knocking Shu He away with his shoulder, then following up with an upper slash.
Shu He blocked the blow with Enduring Edge, but the strength behind it lifted him up slightly, making his footing loosen.
The man then redirected his sword, slashing once more, Shu He managed to block it once more but his weakened footing sent him flying to the side.
As he flew, he loosened some seeds that planted in the ground-
*SHIIING*
They grew explosively into sharp bamboo like plants, like spears growing from the earth and piercing towards the young man, but he created a riptide of wind around his blade that he then slashed with, cutting through the piercing plants!
Just as he did that, Shu He managed to take stance again, except this time he held the Enduring Edge with both hands, the blade resting above his shoulder as he channelled Qi into the blade.
A mocking smirk grew below the mask as the younger man took stance, ready to receive the blow.
And, once again Shu He shot off with even more force, as if he was putting his all into this blow, and swung down with all his force-
*CLANG*
The two swords intersected and shook, sending a ringing echo through the grasslands.
The mocking smile grew wider.
But Shu He wasn't done.
<
*SHIIIIING*
The Enduring Edge slice right through the young man's blade, into his face and mask, down his neck to torso leaving a giant gash.
Disbelief filled the man's face as Shu He span in one fine motion, kicking his side with his right leg, sending the young man a size bigger than him flying like a bag of trash.
And, without waiting another moment, he ran because his life truly depended on it!
'That went well!' He glanced at the sword in his hand as he ran.
It was an amazing sword that was also simple, it was made with a special ore that grew when it absorbed Qi, so it could repair itself just by absorbing Qi.
But the second, trump card of it was something that capitalised on this trait, <
It also took a large amount of Qi, combined with everything else so far, Shu He was beginning to run on low, yet he had to keep going, at least until he found somewhere safe to hide.
"That's quite a nice sword you have there" A sudden voice came from besides his ear.
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Shu He's mind went blank, sending warning signals as a chill shot up his spine, he twisted his foot, hurting it in the process as he performed a 90 degree turn away from the source of the voice, his body responded before he could think!
He span and drifted in the dirt as goosebumps rose up his skin, his head lifted to get a look at the source of the voice.
Another black cloak, black mask.
But this one was different.
It was like his entire body was cloaked in baleful Qi, sailing through his veins and muscles like it was his blood, the eyes behind the mask were pure black, a twisted amusement plastered on his face.
And around his necklace… was the most horrid bundle of baleful Qi Shu He had ever seen, just being in the presence of it made him want to vomit and scream, the whisperings of the dead laid by his ears and the suffering of thousands pierced his mind.
'I can't! I can't fight him!' Was what every inch of his body, mind and soul screamed at that very moment.
It was like the man's very presence announced the arrival of suffering.
He didn't feel human at all.
*whoosh*
And to make matters worse, the other three had just arrived.
Shu He didn't realise it, but while he was captured in abject horror, minutes had passed as he stood shaking.
It was over.
"Sir" The older man spoke, his clothes covered with scorch marks as he bowed.
"See? I told you fools it wasn't hard to capture him, he's just a piddling Balance Attainment brat that's a bit smart". The black mask walked up to Shu He, staring in the eyes.
Shu He knew, he should be feeling anger towards the lives this man had taken, but all he could feel was one thing.
Fear.
His senses were overloaded by the Baleful Qi like never before, not even Tai Min came close to this man.
He collapsed to his knees, head tilting downwards.
"He's green as well, I'm really surprised you three struggled so much" He said, tutting causing the other three to cower slightly.
The girl supported the young man who was holding his eye that was bleeding with his left hand along with the gash down his torso "Hey! We need a Fleshy Restoration Pill! We used our last one earlier!" she shouted at the black mask who glanced at her.
"You make me do your task for you, and this is what you ask of me?" He said nonchalantly.
"But if we don't give him one soon he will-"
"SILENCE" A dark pressure descended on them, making the girl stumble in fear "We'll deal with this one first, then I'll decide… You, restrain him."
The older man nodded before he kicked Shu He over, placing his hand on Shu He's back as he felt a foreign Qi wrap around him, restraining his movements.
The black mask knelt down in front of Shu He and spoke "You, where are you from?"
"…"
Shu He didn't reply.
He was stuck in his own head.
'What should I have done differently?'
'If I had used my bow there… no, I wanted to escape, and these people are higher skill than me, they would see through my arrows'.
'Was my only choice… the Golden Qi? To throw everything in one basket?'
'Again?'
He was sick of hurting himself to solve the problem.
Could it be that every time in the future he encountered an obstacle, he would need to risk his memories? His identity?
He thought that he had a lucky break this time, that the technique Old Yu had passed to him had a saved him… but unfortunately, a single technique isn't a solution to everything.
'With my Qi sealed now… that's really my only chance'.
He had no doubts that the Golden Qi could break past this seal, it had done so to everything in the past.
It was his last card, literally.
He concentrated, ignoring everything else.
'But even when I use it, will I be able to use it to escape? Or will it be mutual destruction?'
'Maybe not even that, maybe I'll fail and just die pathetically'.
But it didn't matter.
It was his only choice after all.
He might as well do it.
The his Core Flame ignited, the golden hue of the core brightening as his head shot up, satring the black mask in the eyes.
His golden iris' burned with an incandescent light, there wasn't an ounce of fear left in them, just a desire for destruction.
The black masked man yelped and stood up, stumbling back to the bafflement of the other three.
"Never mind- Kill him!" He gave the order instantly, but the older man was slow.
The golden light in Shu He's eyes grew stronger as he glared.
Yet in the next moment that changed, the light dulled and settled.
But it wasn't because something was wrong.
Shu He's gaze became filled with pure surprise.
Pleasant surprise.
And in the next moment.
A silver flash dashed through the masked man's heart.