"So, we're all in agreement?" Gu Yue looked at her team. She was the acting captain while Wulin was gone.
Ironically, the group thought Karni should be the captain for a while, as his own strategizing abilities, as well as Soul Skills were most suitable for leadership.
Except Karni was going away tomorrow, which gave them a bit of a shock.
"Be as fast as possible." Gu Yue looked to Karni.
Karni nodded. "Like I said. Two weeks. Maybe more. I should be here for the semi-final at least."
The plan was simple. The Shrek Team had decided that they would continue on in the group stage. The goal was to win in Tang Wulin's name as a sign of protest. There were plans on how to deal with certain enemies in the future as well as the inclusion of Karni's own plan.
The future Shrek Seven Devils were not too keen on working with the Monster Academy, but with some convincing, they recognised that Karni's plan had merit and was the best way to deal a public blow to the Empire. Yueyan even hoped to use it to legitimise his hold on the throne—a way to capture the hearts of the public.
If everything went to plan, Karni would return stronger to mess up the situation, all in preparation for the protagonist to return and offer Long Yue his Final Solution.
Now that the plans were settled, it was time for Karni to finally go on this journey to findi his new Spirit Soul. He was excited to find out what kind of creatures he would find. Hu Jie had kept his mouth shut about it the entire time.
He checked his storage ring. The only thing Hu Jie mentioned was the fact that it should take about two weeks' time to get back. Because of that, Karni packed up as if he was going camping, just like back then with Siduo.
… … …
"Excuse me?" Karni blinked at Hu Jie. "Well, what did I prepare all those food reserves and a tent for?"
Hu Jie just smiled. "Maybe I should have been more exact. We won't be travelling that long. We'll be staying there for a week or two as well."
Karni breathed a sigh of relief. "So, all my prep won't go to waste."
"Ehhhh. There's a cottage for Tang Sect members to stay at."
Karni looked at his master… not mad; just disappointed.
Hu Jie tapped his chin. "You can always sleep outside." He pointed his finger up as if it was a great solution to Karni's problem.
"I won't consider it. Thank you." The two finally sat into the Soul Car. "So how long will we actually travel for?"
"Should take a full 10 hours of driving. It's why we're starting so early. With breaks every now and then it shouldn't take less than 12 hours."
The two went off, a long journey ahead of them. Hu Jie slimmed down a little bit so that the car could support him. Karni could imagine it was quite tiring to keep that up for a long time. It was probably why they needed breaks in between.
"Now, Karni. Do you mind filling me in on your little plan?"
… … …
"To think even the crown prince got involved. Haaa. I'll have to talk with that boy later."
Karni looked at Hu Jie, slightly confused.
"Mm. I've been a secondary mentor to him since he was young. If he got involved, it will actually make thing easier for me. Truth is, the Tang Sect has been quite annoyed by the Royal Family since that incident with Tang Wulin. We're thinking of pushing for our power in the Empire. To have dominance over the Spirit Pagoda. It is the easiest place to do so."
Karni thought about it. Right. His teacher was known as a ruthless person in the original. He was the reason why the Tang Sect had more influence than the Spirit Pagoda in the Star Luo Empire in the story. It seemed that Karni had found the reason as to why.
"Our blow needs to be swift and decisive. If the young generation starts it, it makes our job easier. Especially so if you do it in the name of justice. Mm. Yes, yes." Hu Jie chuckled to himself. "Yueyan will like this as well."
"So, you'll help out when Yueyan and I strike?"
Hu Jie shook his head. "No. My blow will be immediately after by a simple matter of talking to the Emperor and that old bastard. En Ci has had an influence on the throne for decades now. His ways have also bothered me a bit. The man is strong… but he only sees strength. It is why he helps his student but doesn't truly stop the pain that boy feels while progressing. He only makes sure it's the right amount."
"Hmm. Pain does make one grow, I suppose." Though something didn't feel right to Karni in this scenario. It was one thing for harsh training to be done, but…
"But Long Yue is different." Hu Jie put Karni's thoughts in order. "The pain actually serves to damage his mind if done incorrectly. You already saw how imbalanced he was. This could have been prevented with correct early cultivation. En Ci knows this as well. This wasn't the first time one of his students went rampant. Though, to be fair, that was quite a different situation." Hu Jie sighed.
Hu Jie might have been in the Body Sect once, but years of being in Tang Sect had changed him, particularly in his values. Might was still important, but how one got to it was important to him as well.
"Which makes it all the more important that you succeed. Neither you or the prince should hold back, and honestly, if you want to beat him at what he's best at, you're going to need practice. It's why we're staying for an additional week." Hu Jie seemed motivated, which somehow scared Karni more than just Hu Jie wanting to train him.
… … …
After four hours of driving, and losing topics to talk about, the conversation steered in an odd way.
"So you see. That was the final nail in the coffin for me. I could understand that I am not the most pretty looking man. But even her… I learned the body manipulation technique in hopes that she would find me prettier… yet still she married my younger brother." Hu Jie sighed. "It hurt me. I even raged and caused a scene, but I realised soon after that no one can control the hearts of humans. So I left and got here."
Karni felt sorry for his teacher. He had heard the story before, but never from his master. Especially not in such detail.
"I kept in touch with her son however. Mu Ye. It's why the lad owes me so much. If only he wasn't such a maniac for Mechas. Hah." Hu Jie smiled. He seemed fond of Mu Ye, despite all the past.
"In some way, I feel sorry for the Body Sect, and in other ways… I feel they got what they deserved. If I were the sect master now the sect would not have been in such a sorry state. I'm rank 98 after all. No wonder some split from the sect ten thousand years ago." He bellowed a deep laugh, yet a laugh that was also nostalgic. The type a person does to cheer themselves up and fool oneself to think the situation is better than it actually is. Though Karni was curious about the group that split away. He didn't remember anything like that in the original stories.
"Mm. I could really use some lemonade right now." Hu Jie suddenly said as he noticed the sign for a rest stop.
Their first break after four hours of driving. The two of them didn't speak constantly, so Karni also spent a good while playing video games until this conversation. The little Gameboy thingy that Jianyu made for him.
Karni got some interesting entertainment when Hu Jie stepped out of the car… as his body immediately became twice as large, and the car bounced around. Hu Jie breathed in deeply, satisfied.
The two settled down at the highway coffee shop and ordered some drinks. Hu Jie really did order lemonade. He even cringed when he was offered coffee. He was a lemonade guy. Ice cubes, lemons and one of those decorative tiny umbrellas on the glass people got.
Karni on the other hand, of course, ordered some cocoa.
After they got their orders, Hu Jie seemed to return to his regular mood. "Karni. Don't ever give up on that Wu Siduo of yours. You'll see her soon enough."
Karni couldn't help but chuckle. That came almost out of nowhere, but Karni could see how Hu Jie got to it after their previous conversation. "No worries. I've had some frustrations, but… let's just say that they were released during the match with Long Yue."
Hu Jie bellowed a laugh. "Good. That's good. I wish for no one to go through what I did."
Karni coughed, not wanting his master to fall into that nostalgic mood again. Though he was glad that his master opened up, it didn't feel healthy to get caught up in a loop of talking about it.
"Master. What exactly does the place we're going to look like. Any hints on what my Spirit Soul is gonna be?"
Hu Jie sipped his lemonade with satisfaction, before nodding to Karni, finally leaving the previous conversation behind. "I'm curious. What do you think we'll find."
"Well, environment wise? No clue. Could be anything. But, I'm guessing the Spirit Soul should be suitable for me?" Karni eyed Hu Jie, who nodded.
"In that case my guess is that it's a type of Panda. No clue what, but probably some sort of one connected to nature. Since it's a Panda… the most natural conclusion for Panda's is usually that they live around Bamboo. Hell, my own Martial Soul has a Bamboo Stick, so there's that…" Karni thought for a while more, but couldn't really deduce anything more. This was his best guess.
"The Chaos Panda?"
Hu Jie shook his head. "No, no. That one isn't even on this continent, and it's too strong for you, it's going to be hard to ever have him as a Spirit Soul. But it is a Panda that you'll be getting. They're called the Brown Lotus Panda. A special species which, instead of Black and White, they're Brown and White. The 'Lotus' part comes from the pattern on their lower legs."
"Shaped like a Lotus?" Karni asked.
"Yes. The fully brown leg fur has white imprints the shape of a Lotus… that, and the fact that they have partial abilities to form Lotuses, and the connection to nature. But all of them have little variations."
"So their abilities are connected to nature!" Karni exclaimed. That seemed like almost a perfect fit.
"Mm. In actual fact, they have some power over Earth and Nature. In their species it developed as a Lotus. An Earthen Lotus that grows on both water and earth. Though they do not directly control Wood and Earth elements. The scientists in the sect have a theory that it all developed due to the environment they live in."
"The bamboo forest? How would that bring forth lotus abilities?"
Hu Jie smiled. "Let's just say that it's a Bamboo Oasis. Not just a forest. You'll see." He sipped the final bits of his lemonade and seeing that Karni had finished his cocoa as well, he called for the receptionist and paid. "Let's go. We've rested enough."
Karni entered the car, waiting for Hu Jie's surprisingly long time to shrink down again. He was excited about it all. Pandas, Bamboo forest, An oasis. Blood. … Blood?
Blood! Karni jumped in his seat, a slightly terrifying memory coming up to haunt him. The shortest vision he had ever had. A simple show of dead pandas, of a forest and an oasis flooded in blood. Or just pools of blood. Being the shortest vision, it was also the most confusing one.
"Everything okay?" Hu Jie sat in the car, fully shrunk back to his not normal self.
"I… I had a vision last time I was here." Karni turned serious. "The images I saw were quite simple… Dead Pandas, Bamboo, and a lot of blood." He turned to look at Hu Jie, who was already frowning.
"You think-"
Karni interrupted him. "I think the reason the vision was so short and unclear last time was simple. It was too far into the future."
"Which means… Now." Hu Jie closed the Soul Car door. "Let's go. No more rests from now on." He turned on the car and started driving.
"Karni, tell me. Can you refocus on the vision. Maybe it can tell you more."
"It might actually be possible." Karni's eyes shined.
Not so long ago he managed to focus on something that he knew would happen in the future. His comprehension of Sound helped with that. Just a few weeks later he had progressed greatly. He had reached the Spirit Abyss Realm and made a major breakthrough in his understanding of Sound.
"Do it then. Tell me anything you can discover… And Karni." He turned to look Karni for a split second, before turning back to the road. "The Brown Lotus Panda are a protected species, native only to Star Luo Empire. They are a kind species, and Tang Sect is their caretaker. They are also intelligent and cooperate with us. They are strong, but… if what you saw comes to pass…"
"I understand." Karni sat in a meditative pose. His mind and Soul Power working at full power. His mind focused on that brief imagery.
His body slumped and relaxed. He worked best when he was relaxed. The Bloodline circulated together with the Soul Power, then joined the Spiritual Power, all of them into one. Karni took out his Martial Soul in Drumstick form and hit the two Drumsticks together.
A clear ring sounded. Still Harmony filled his very senses, further pulling him closer to that magical melody which he always produced but had no power over. The Sound of the beyond.
Finally, his first Soul Ring shined. Golden Insight. Its abilities boosted his ability to sense the future. Of all his skills, he trusted this one to help him here most. It was also the skill he had most control over, as it was a mandatory skill for him to see the future.
He focused and waited. Pandas. Bamboos. Oasis. Blood.
Pandas. Bamboos. Oasis. Blood.
Brown Pandas. Thick Bamboo Forest. A wide clear oasis. A bloodbath.
Gold. Sight. A flow of Sound.
A single Brown Lotus Panda. Struggling on the brink of death, eyeing an enemy.
The Bamboo Forest. Thick with vitality, yet corrupted. Bamboos destroyed all around. Bodies of other Brown Lotus Pandas laying everywhere.
A great oasis. Pure and light blue, reflecting the light which passed through the thick bush of the bamboo. Yet in it, bodies of Pandas as well, except their blood didn't flow, the Oasis remained pure and uncorrupted.
And finally, blood. Pools of blood everywhere, and standing in them, enjoying themselves were people. Laughing, breathing in the smell, looking at… him. Cruel, cruel smiles.
Karni was shaken out of the vision. That smile seemed to reach his very soul. He shuddered.
"Karni? What did you see?"
Karni looked around… He looked at the time. A full six hours have passed. How? His vision never did that before. Was it because he brought it out by force?
"Karni!" Hu Jie almost yelled but was still calm. This mattered a great deal to him.
"Right. Sorry. I saw the place. Crystal clear. Master, the Pandas, almost all of them were dead. The forest was destroyed, laden with their bodies. The oasis as well, though the blood didn't spread through it."
"Of course it didn't. It's a special place of power. Damn it, if you could see it like that, your visions are dangerously real. What else did you see?"
"People. Cruel, smiling people. They… they enjoyed the bloodbath." Karni hated to admit it, but compared to Wulin, he did not have enough experience with Soul Masters killing innocents.
"Evil Soul Masters." Hu Jie sounded angry. Karni's heart shuddered. The Still Harmony was sensitive. Any ounce of power that came from Hu Jie, Karni could hear. Hu Jie's bones were making cracking noises.
"I'll call ahead and warn them. Hopefully we're not too late."
… … …
"Aren't you so soft! Yes, you are. Who's a lil softy fuwwy buwwy." A man was thoroughly hugging a little brown panda. "Yes, you're a cutie- ow. Ow! OW! Little Bei Bei! Stop! Ow!" The panda was nibbling on his ears.
A phone rang, interrupting his cuddle time. "Ayay, ow. Bei Bei, stop. Shen Fa has to answer this, okay?"
The panda looked at Shen Fa. He really liked playing with Shen Fa, he was one of the few people here who let him nibble his ears. But fun time always found ways to end somehow. Bei Bei understood that, so he let Shen Fa answer the phone.
"Yes, Shen Fa here. Gate overseer. … Yes. … Yes, everything is fine. … Enemies? How? Here? Grandmaster, I understand, but… I understand. I will immediately warn the rest. I… Sound an alarm? … … … I understand." Shen Fa's voice changed at the end. He looked at the small Panda, who actually just recently reached the ten thousand mark, yet still acted like a baby and the panda could sense that the fun time would not continue.
"Bei Bei. Go to your sister. Tell her to warn everyone. Enemies will be approaching soon. We must be on high alert."
The cute Panda turned serious, which did not look menacing at all and disappeared in a flash.
Shen Fa immediately pressed the alarm button. He was not willing to risk the safety of everyone here. He picked up the phone, called two numbers. Good. That's the Titled Douluos warned.
He called one final number. Hu Jie, to tell him everything is in order. Yet, just as the phone picked up, he sensed danger. His Soul Rings released. Seven of them, the Seventh Ring shined, and then nothing.
Nothing. Only blackness. And the taste of blood… and cruel laughter which soon turned into that of annoyance.
"Damn it. How'd they expect us?"
"No matter. Fu Juan. Go quickly. Feed. We'll deal with the Titled Douluos."
"Hahaha. Fine." The man's hand turned liquid transparent, into a giant lance. He stabbed it into Shen Fa. The blood slowly rising through the liquid lance and into him.
He breathed, unsatisfied. "Not that pure. Hopefully those animals are better."
… … …
Karni and Hu Jie rode silent. They heard the final little exchange. Damn it all.
"I recognise that laughter." Karni's eyes were filled with fury. It was just like the one from the vision.
"They know about the Titled Douluos as well. They're at least Titled Douluos themselves… Karni. We have four hours still left, but by that time it might already be over. The good news is that our forces there are not weak, they should last a while, but at most an hour. We need to speed up."
The car started raising all of a sudden. Apparently, this was also a flying car.
"If I drive at full power, it will take us half an hour at most. But you'll take damage. Can you take it?"
Karni looked at Hu Jie. That won't do. If he's not at full power, who knew how it will go. "Knock me out."
"Huh?"
"Knock me out. Then bring me back when you land. To me, it'll only be a second. My mind will be intact."
"But your body-"
"Is the one thing I can damage a bit."
Hu Jie saw Karni's eyes. "Fine."
This way, it would only feel like a second. Karni would be ready to immediately jump into action.
Karni's neck was hit. And everything turned black.
Karni was shaken. And light came back on. He immediately summoned his Martial Soul, before his spirit was almost shaken. The smell of iron was overwhelming. The place of vitality… only red. No greenery.
"Quick." Hu Jie's voice was deep. "I've called reinforcements from the local duke since they're the closes, but they'll need an hour."
They passed the guard. Shen Fa, his name was. Now only lifeless eyes remained.
Karni could hear the Sounds of battle ahead. He guided Hu Jie.
There Hu Jie saw as one person was fighting two. One of the Tang Sect's members. Nine rings alight. No sight of the second Titled Douluo. Damn it. One of theirs had already fallen.
"Karni. Follow that path. Straight. Be quick. From what they said, the target of the other man is there. Go! Now! Protect them!" Karni rushed off, and Hu Jie was left alone.
He blurred, faster than Sound, yet no Sonic Boom was heard. Immaculate control. He intercepted one of the Evil Soul Masters that was about to stab the remaining Tang Sect Titled Douluo.
"For this travesty, you will not be forgiven. You will be hunted. None of you will leave."
His Martial Soul released. He enlarged. Nine rings set pressure to the surroundings. The bamboos which were still standing leaned directly to the ground, as if gravity increased tenfold. Six Black. Three Red.
The Evil Soul Masters faces crunched up.
"Now die."
… … …
Karni ran with all his might. No, he even Shifted, as quick as possible without wasting more Spiritual Power than necessary.
Bamboo was everywhere. But so were bodies. The scene just like from his visions. No… it was slightly less gruesome. More have gotten away. However, it was still bloody, barely any greenery seen. One could only tell it was a forest of bamboo due to the shape of bamboo.
However, the bodies started increasing the further he went.
So many dead bodies of beasts. Of Pandas, small and big. Not a single child was given mercy.
Karni's fury burned. This was a massacre he had not seen before. It was a bloodbath. It was inhumane. It was a tragedy.
Yet the sight suddenly cleared, and he was met with a view which would have been wondrous if not for what filled it. Bodies littered everywhere, now more than before. He could not even walk without stepping on one of them.
The pandas managed to run away ahead of time sure… but they got caught before they could take shelter. The warning wasn't fast enough.
Two Pandas were still alive, fighting. A small one and a much bigger one. Both in their ten thousands, except one was clearly farther in their cultivation.
"Stop." Karni said in a low voice. Sound commanding, affecting the very Soul.
The man stopped and turned to Karni. But when he saw him, he just laughed. He laughed!
That same, cruel laugh. It was him. The man from his vision.
His body was almost fully liquid. And he did not even bother to worry about the Pandas that tried to attack him. He erected a simple liquidy shield that they had trouble breaking through.
Six Rings. Six, bloody Black rings. A Soul Emperor which felt almost like a Soul Sage.
"Oy, little bitch. You told me there would be no disturbances. Deal with this." The man groaned a bit, turned away from Karni, not even looking at his Soul Rings and went back to attacking the Pandas.
Karni heard a rustle from the side. A presence he didn't hear before. Fuck. This person was quiet and sneaky. Then his eyes widened, as he noticed a Tang Sect uniform.
The man looked at Karni up and down and dashed.
Karni cursed. This would be tough. A Soul King which Karni barely heard until focused. A shadowy opponent. And a slimy bastard with an evil laugh.
Two opponents. A traitor and a monster. And he will kill them both.