Chapter 12: The Mad Priest
The seas churned and boiled, the surface of the ever-shifting waters bubbling under the brilliant rays of the sun-star. Just below the surface, enormous schools of brightly coloured fish swirled in the warm morning light, their scales releasing beautiful reflections.
Further below those shallow surface waters, vast forests of coral grew, stabbing out of the ground and standing proud in the sweeping currents. Many colourful creatures lived and died within these jungles of rock and sand, untold generations that would never leave the safety of the reef.
Past even that, in the shadowy underbelly of the ocean swam massive behemoths of astounding size, enormous whales and giant squid and ancient arthropodae that all fought for dominance of the vast sea and its bountiful riches.
Yet farther still, in the deepest, abyssal fathoms of the ocean floor lay chambers of festering black seawater that had remained untouched by the light of the sun for uncountable eons. Places so cold and dark no life could exist within them, save for the strangest of nightmarish abominations.
One such creature lay at the bottom of an ancient fissure in the earth, its thousand jagged-teeth laden mouths gulping down the rot-filled waters. The body of the creature, a smooth blood-red bag of flesh and veins, rippled with each gulp of black water, swelling grotesquely. Slowly the body of the creature would expand until it entirely filled the crevice, flesh swelling into each tiny crack and hole. Only then would it release the water it had imbibed, filled with trillions of sperm and eggs that would seek out new cracks and fissures to colonize.
Sadly for the creature, it was not alone inside of this crevice and it was fated to never accomplish its desire. Kneeling at the bottom of the trench was a tall man clad in the pristine white robes of a priest. His long ebony hair and white robes slowly swirled in the ever-twisting waters. As the creeping bloody flesh expanded towards the man, his closed eyelids raised, revealing the empty sockets where his eyes had once been. A strange, archaic symbol was carved into the flesh of his eye sockets, glowing with bright golden light that exploded from his eyes, dispelling the darkness of the crevice.
Immediately, the creature shrieked, a thousand screams from a thousand mouths that unleashed torrential jets of water. Its red flesh began to smoke, melting into black soot as the golden light burnt it away. Slowly, the priest's eye lids shut once more, the golden light fading away and the darkness creeping back in.
Then, the priest looked downwards. A harsh golden light suddenly erupting up from the floor of the crevice, millions of small symbols that had been carved upon the surface of the rock floor lighting up simultaneously. Each of the symbols was the same as the symbol burnt upon the priest's eye cavities. Only the most knowledgeable scholars and historians would recognize this as an ancient symbol that signified 'Heaven'.
A wide grin split the priest's face and he opened his eyelids once more, the golden light from his eyes mingling with the light from the carven symbols.
"I see... Then, Heaven has spoken. The Moon-Crying Swan Palace must be destroyed."
For the first time in ten thousand years, Haishen Yu would have to make an appearance.
---
Bing Meilu wasn't sure if there were enough numbers in existence to count the number of cultivation manuals she knew. Meanwhile, Bing Meilu did not have a single dress with her until Xia Xuefeng had given her one.
"But before I do so, tell me," Bing Meilu continued. "Why do you cultivate?"
Back when she had founded her sect, The Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace, Bing Meilu would personally interview each recruit and this would be the first question she asked them. Not only did it allow her to better understand her subordinates, but it allowed her to vet out those with detestable goals. Naturally, she had later deferred this duty to subordinates as the sect swelled exponentially.
"Well... I am from a mortal background," Xia Xuefeng began after a moment of hesitation, her eyes flickering around nervously at the admission. "We were bakers, my entire family. I don't know for how many generations, but at least since the time of my grandfather's grandfather. From the moment I was born, that was my... destiny, in other words. My father raised me to one day become a baker, just as his father had raised him. I never really liked cooking, but I never hated it either. I suppose you could say I was just content with it. The idea of doing something else had never occurred to me at all."
"Then, one day I took a trip to my great-uncle's house in a far-off town. He was getting old and he needed someone to take care of him until he passed away. Not long after I arrived, I was cleaning the attic when I discovered an old wrinkled looking scroll. I decided to read through it and found it was some kind of meditation guide. I started following the instructions within it and a few days later, I stepped into Qi Condensation."
'That's probably solidly above-average talent, at least for the Bird Talon Continent,' Bing Meilu thought to herself. 'I only took a moment, but as far as I can remember, it was quite common for the average person to take a week or two.'
"It didn't take long for me to notice the benefits. I felt stronger, healthier, bolder. I started showing off my newfound strength, lifting huge rocks, winning races, beating people in spars. I quickly became a local celebrity. When I went shopping stores started giving me discounts and when I was walking in the streets strangers would recognize me. It was something I had never experienced before, and it was amazing. Then, my Great-Uncle died and it was time to go home. To go back to just being a normal baker's daughter. That was when I realized I was no longer quite content with that anymore. It might sound silly but... I don't want to be just an ordinary person anymore. I want to be the kind of person who does something notable, the kind of person people study about in history books."
Bing Meilu nodded her head in understanding. Fame was a fairly common motivator for people to cultivate. Indeed, the glory and renown one gained from slaughtering enemies and dominating the land was something all cultivators sought. Bing Meilu herself had been very well known for destroying so many sects. When most sects won a battle or war, they would usually just subjugate the enemy or tax them. There were certain unwritten rules about 'not going too far' and 'allowing an enemy space to retreat'. Naturally, there were some good reasons for this. Sects usually held dangerous trump cards held in reserve for only the most desperate of times, and no one wanted a Pyrrhic victory.
However, Bing Meilu had always belonged to the school of 'cutting the grass and pulling the roots'. If an enemy attacked her, the only option was to eradicate them and their power base to ensure they never had the chance to take revenge. Perhaps the Deathless Domain would have been more peaceful if more people followed her philosophy. It seemed every week some sect would declare a war of vengeance over a slight a billion years old.
"A perfectly reasonable motivation," Bing Meilu replied. "Then, let our deal be concluded. I will write down the instructions to a strong cultivation manual. Follow it zealously and you will have a bright future."
After spending so much time studying Xia Xuefeng's Qi aura, Bing Meilu felt she knew the type of constitution she had. She was someone with a decently powerful affinity for Yin, which was rather common amongst women. However, less common was Xia Xuefeng's clear affinity for blood-Qi. If Bing Meilu had been her teacher, she would have immediately begun to teach her a cultivation manual centred around that attribute.
Now, exactly which cultivation manual should Bing Meilu give her? First, she considered the Ruptured Veins Frozen Skin Manual. It was a technique left behind by an ancestor of the Moon Crying Swan Palace, though it had long since been forgotten to history, save for Bing Meilu who had found it in the Palace Master's treasury. However, after careful consideration, Bing Meilu dismissed the idea. Xia Xuefeng did not have the physical constitution required to cultivate such a manual.
The Mantra of Gulping Flesh? A Cultivation Manual only a hair's breadth away from Immortal, the Mantra seemed fairly well suited for Xia Xuefeng. Of course, only those who really enjoyed eating human flesh could master the Mantra to its fullest. Any form of mental hesitation or remorse would water it down.
"How do you feel about eating raw flesh? What about human flesh?" Bing Meilu questioned, looking at Xia Xuefeng.
From the flash of confusion and disgust on her face, Bing Meilu received her answer. That too was dismissed.
Finally, The Butcher Sage's Legacy Tome came to mind. After a moment's thought, Bing Meilu could not identify any problems with it. It wasn't quite as strong as the Mantra of Gulping Flesh but it was still pretty powerful for a technique that could be found on the Bird Talon Continent.
"I think I have a manual perfect for you. Go fetch me some ink and paper and I will write it down for you," Bing Meilu commanded.
"...What was that about human flesh?" Xia Xuefeng finally asked, looking quite worried.
"Nothing much, I was just thinking," Bing Meilu said, waving her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it."
"... Uh-huh," Xia Xuefeng nodded, slowly turning around. "... I think I'll go get the paper now."
"Of course," Bing Meilu replied, walking back into her tent. "Then I shall wait for you."
Once inside, Bing Meilu grabbed the wooden bedside table, moving it in front of the bed and sitting down while she waited. Nearly ten minutes later, Xia Xuefeng returned, carrying a wooden box. She stepped into Bing Meilu's tent, bowing her head respectfully.
"I've brought what you wanted, Young mistress," Xia Xuefeng said.
"Hand me the box," Bing Meilu instructed, gesturing with her hand.
Xia Xuefeng nodded apprehensively, gingerly placing the box in Bing Meilu's hands. Considering the box was not very heavy, Bing Meilu wondered why the girl seemed so nervous, before turning down to open the box.
Within it was a stack of bamboo paper, a brush and a few bottles of ground ink. Bing Meilu grabbed a sheet of paper, setting it down on the bedside table. She lifted the brush from the box, dabbing it in the ink bottle. Then, Bing Meilu brought the tip of the brush down to the surface of the paper-
"Young mistress," Xia Xuefeng suddenly exclaimed, looking up at Bing Meilu with a fiercely determined gaze. "I've thought deeply about this but... Please take me with you to the Moon-Crying Swan Palace!"
Chapter 13: Chances
Bing Meilu halted her writing, looking down at Xia Xuefeng with a raised eyebrow.
"You want to come with me to the Palace?" Bing Meilu asked.
"Yes," Xia Xuefeng nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask but, I'm willing to repay you."
"And what exactly do you plan on repaying me with?" Bing Meilu asked dryly.
Xia Xuefeng gulped but quickly replied, having clearly prepared her answer in advance.
"I can be your servant!" Xia Xuefeng replied. "I am literate and capable at math, so I could be your scribe or accountant and I also know how to cook and bake."
Bing Meilu hummed to herself in consideration. She did not particularly care about Xia Xuefeng's mortal skills like baking, but the girl was not untalented in terms of cultivation. Furthermore, Xia Xuefeng was someone without much prior knowledge of the cultivation world, meaning she would be easy for Bing Meilu to mould. In Bing Meilu's experience, people like that generally made the best minions-subordinates.
'As my master always told me, never turn down the chance to recruit followers unless there is a very good reason,' Bing Meilu thought.
The only risk was that Xia Xuefeng would expose the fact that Bing Meilu owned multiple cultivation manuals, tell people that Bing Meilu had claimed to be a sect disciple well before she had officially entered it or somehow otherwise betray her. If Bing Meilu was going to accept her as a follower, she would need an assurance she would not betray Bing Meilu.
"If you want to serve me, give me some of your blood," Bing Meilu replied impassively.
"... My blood?" Xia Xuefeng asked, taken aback. "Why do you need my blood?"
"Swearing oaths over blood is still a common practice with the mortals on this continent isn't it?" Bing Meilu asked, frowning.
"O-oh, of course," Xia Xuefeng said, nodding in understanding. "That's what you meant."
Of course, that wasn't the real reason Bing Meilu wanted her blood. In truth, she simply needed a way to ensure Xia Xuefeng wouldn't end up betraying her. There was a near-endless array of curses, hexes and afflictions that could be placed on a cultivator using their Essence Blood. No cultivator with any degree of knowledge would ever give that out to anyone, even their closest friend or lover. It would effectively give that person total control over your life or death.
In short, the perfect preventative measure against betrayal that Bing Meilu could do at her current cultivation.
"So do you agree?" Bing Meilu asked.
"Yes, of course!" Xia Xuefeng responded firmly.
Bing Meilu nodded, smiling slightly. She opened her palm, blue light rapidly swirled above her hand, gathering into the shape of a shimmering ice-knife.
"Stay very still. This will hurt," Bing Meilu said, getting to her feet and walking up to Xia Xuefeng.
Bing Meilu took the blade, pressing it to the skin atop the bridge of Xia Xuefeng's nose. In terms of acupuncture, this was the Ancestral Cavity, where the soul resided. The blood here was given the special name 'Essence Blood' because its proximity to one's soul gave it powerful spirituality.
A small cut was sliced into Xia Xuefeng's flesh, from which a single drop of blood began to slide out. Bing Melu raised another hand, forming a small bottle out of ice. Bing Meilu pressed the bottle against Xia Xuefeng's skin, catching the blood inside and capping the bottle.
"Consider this drop of blood as the signature of our agreement," Bing Meilu said. "From now on, you must loyally serve me."
"Yes, young mistress," Xia Xuefeng responded bowing her head. "I swear, you won't regret giving me a chance!"
Bing Meilu nodded, stepping back over to the bedside table where she had been in the process of scribing the instructions to the Butcher Sage's Legacy tome. It was rather strong- for the Bird Talon Continent, but not exactly what Bing Meilu would want her personal servants cultivating. Now that Bing Meilu had the assurance of Xia Xuefeng's loyalty, she had no reason to not give the girl a much stronger cultivation manual.
What was the strongest blood-type cultivation manual Bing Meilu had ever come across?
As Bing Meilu thought that, a distant memory flashed in the back of her mind, of a crimson red moon shining down upon a desolate battlefield littered with the corpses of gods and devils.
Bing Meilu had scavenged many treasures from that place but none came close to what her close friend Ruan Hua had discovered.
Smiling slightly, Bing Meilu grabbed the ink brush as she began to write down the instructions to the Blood-Moon Spectral God's Anthem of the Crucified.
Xia Xuefeng kneeled patiently at the foot of Bing Meilu's bed, watching her boss write for hours on end. Eventually, Bing Meilu set down her brush, lifting the stack of papers that contained the Mortal-Realm portion of the Anthem of the Crucified.
"Here you go," Bing Meilu said, handing the papers to Xia Xuefeng. "Diligently cultivate this manual and you will definitely make a fine subordinate. If you have any questions you may come to me for advice."
Xia Xufeng grabbed the papers, standing up from her kneeling position.
"Thank you, young mistress," Xia Xuefeng said. "I definitely won't disappoint you."
The young girl turned around, stepping out of Bing Meilu's tent. Bing Meilu sighed slightly, closing her eyes.
Now, it was time to cultivate.
---
Zhang Yi sat in an alleyway, slowly nibbling on a small piece of dry bread. His hair and clothing were matted with dried sweat from days of martial arts fighting, but the comfortable weight of coins in his pocket left him feeling inordinately satisfied with the results of the last few weeks.
For the first time in his life, Zhang Yi had a skill he could consistently leverage for real money. Using the martial arts Teacher had taught him he would challenge others to fight, betting money on the results. When he inevitably won he would take in large sums of money, dozens of times higher than what he used to make doing odd jobs.
As for losing, well... Zhang Yi made sure not to lose very often.
Already the young boy had begun to build up some bulk from finally being able to consistently afford food. It wasn't quite a cure for years of malnutrition, but Zhang Yi was still pleased with the progress.
As he ate, the young boy began to hear excited cheering coming from somewhere in the town. The sheer volume of the noise made it clear that at least several dozens of people had gathered.
'That's strange. I wasn't aware there were any festivals or events this month,' Zhang Yi thought, the pale-skinned boy standing up from where he had been kneeling on the mud-covered ground.
Curious, the boy walked towards the source of the cheering. His search quickly led him to the edge of the village where a large crowd had gathered.
Merchants, peasants and even city guards all filled the crowd, all excitedly talking over one another. Zhang Yi strained his neck to see what the crowd had gathered around, but the boy, though tall for his age, was unable to see above the tall adults.
Quickly Zhang Yi scampered up to a mid-sized house near the crowd. Digging his fingers into the cracks between bricks, he agilely climbed his way up to the top of the building. Years of running from bullies had left him quite skilled at climbing.
With his newfound height advantage, Zhang Yi turned back to the crowd, finally able to see what the cause of the commotion was. In the center of the crowd stood a tall, well-muscled man dressed in extremely expensive-looking copper-coloured robes lined with gold filigree. His skin was clear and unblemished and his hair was a strong, dark black. A long copper blade hung at his side, dimly reflecting the light of day.
"Perhaps some travelling nobleman," Zhang Yi questioned.
As Zhang Yi watched, the man's mouth moved, though Zhang Yi was well too far away to make out what he said. However immediately the crowd went wild, cheering and shouting in a crazed fashion.
Curious as to what was going on, Zhang Yi climbed down the side of the house he had been standing upon, running closer to the crowd until he could just barely make out individual voices.
"-ank you, Great Immortal!"
"Please, my son is-"
"-uy you a drink at the-"
Zhang Yi arrived at the edge of the crowd, tapping the shoulder of a man in leather clothing. It was a butcher that Zhang Yi used to do chores for in return for discarded slices of meat.
"Butcher Ren, what's going on?" Zhang Yi asked straining his voice to be heard over the crowd.
"Oh, if it isn't little Yi," the man remarked turning around. "Well, it looks like a real immortal from an immortal sect has come to recruit talented youngsters!"
Zhang Yi's eyes widened. A real immortal? As with all children, Zhang Yi had grown up hearing stories of mighty immortal Daoists who could do all sorts of wondrous things, like flying on swords, concocting mystical pills and controlling the elements.
Suddenly, a thought occurred in Zhang Yi's mind.
'I wonder if he would accept me? Could I become an immortal too?'
As Zhang Yi watched, the crowd split open, the Immortal stepping forward. His copper robes shimmer with metallic light, blowing in the wind.
"The test will be held tomorrow right here. Anyone below the age of fifteen may take the test to join the Copper Egg Sect and gain the chance to pursue immortality!"
Suddenly a cloud of smoke exploded under the feet of the man. When the dust settled, the man had disappeared!
A trace of determination and admiration appeared in Zhang Yi's eyes. That was a real immortal! Zhang Yi would definitely pass tomorrow's test. This was his chance!
As Zhang Yi thought that, the Copper coin hanging from a chain on his neck vibrated imperceptibly. A great destiny had begun to unfold.
---
Bing Meilu sat deep in meditation, scintillating blue light shimmering around her as she cultivated. Her weeks of travel had left her little time to cultivate which left Bing Meilu more delayed than she'd like.
The sound of approaching footsteps knocked Bing Meilu out of her meditation, the girl opening her eyes to stare annoyed at the intruder.
"What is it?" Bing Meilu asked, sighing.
"We're all ready to set out now," Xia Xuefeng said from the entrance of the tent.
Bing Meilu nodded, standing up. It was time to enter the Flesh Mountains.
Chapter 14: Unexpected Fortune
The two girls stepped out of the tent, the noon sun shining down upon them. The camp had completely transformed from the day before. The massive bonfire was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a pile of charred ash. The dozens of tents had been removed, revealing the desolate black soil below.
Nearly a hundred mortals stood in a long caravan line along with dozens of large wagons filled with cargo boxes. Bing Meilu could see crates of berries and fruits stacked next to cages brimming with animals and large sacks of gemstones. All of them were products that were common in the north but would be considered rare, exotic and most importantly, expensive in the south. The merchants exporting the cargo would make a small fortune. No wonder that small bandit group had been able to seize so much money robbing travellers coming to and fro the flesh mountains.
At the head of the caravan stood the man with the silver axe from whom Bing Meilu had bought her ticket. He was joined by the other cultivators she had seen sitting at a table the day before. After a moment's thought, Bing Meilu began to swiftly stride towards the head of the caravan, Xia Xuefeng trailing behind her.
"Good morning, young mistress," the man greeted once Bing Meilu arrived. "I hope you're pleased with our accommodations."
"They were adequate," shrugged Bing Meilu. "But right now I'm more interested in how you plan on ensuring my safety."
"Don't worry about that," the man responded. "I'll assign our strongest employee, Zhang, to be your personal protector for the duration of the trip."
"That is comforting to hear," Bing Meilu nodded.
She turned her head, looking over at the tall, sickly looking Zhang. He had changed from the white robes he had worn the day before into a shimmering golden fur coat that seemed to glow with an inner light. The man stepped forward, giving Bing Meilu a slight bow.
"Greeting young mistress. Do not worry about your safety. As long as you are our patron, nothing will happen to you," the man said, his voice unnaturally deep, almost like the sound of crunching rocks.
"Now, Xuefeng, go guard the back of the caravan-" the man with the silver axe began, only to be quickly interrupted by Bing Meilu.
"She says with me," Bing Meilu cut in. "I've accepted Xia Xuefeng as my servant. She will be coming with me back to my sect."
"...Is that so?" the man asked dryly, his eyebrows raising. "I don't suppose you plan on poaching any of my other employees?"
"Just the one," Bing Meilu responded lightly. "You should be honoured."
The man stared at her silently for several seconds before sighing and shaking his head.
"Very well. Zhang, I'll leave these two in your hands," the man said before turning to address the rest of the caravan.
"Alright everyone, time to head out!" he shouted. "Make sure to stick with the group! Protect your tickets as they are the only way for you to relocate the caravan should you get lost! Now, let's begin!"
The other employees split apart from the man, each heading to guard a different part of the caravan. After a few minutes, the man turned around, head facing the Flesh Mountains. He began to walk, the mortals immediately following behind him. Merchants began to push forward their wagons, the wealthier sitting atop horse-drawn carriages. The sound of chatting humans, walking feet turning and wheels immediately spread through the air as the caravan geared into full speed. Bing Meilu began to slowly jog forwards but Zhang's voice quickly stopped her.
"Wait just a moment," the man said, gesturing for her to step to the side of the caravan.
Bing Meilu frowned but acquiesced, stepping out of the caravan with Xia Xuefeng. The two watched as Zhang began to slowly walk forward until he was nearly a dozen feet ahead of Bing Meilu. The caravan churned along next to them, people and carts slowly passing by. As Bing Meilu waited, Zhang raised his left arm into the air, splaying his fingers widely. A whirlpool of scintillating golden light began to swirl around him. It gathering in his palm, forming within moments a bright golden star that hung above his palm, burning brightly.
Then without warning, the golden star exploded outwards, releasing a wave of light. The wave of light rapidly expanded, bubbling outwards into the shape of a translucent, spectral lion. Dozens of tiny stars seemed to glitter atop the surface of its mane like a starry night sky hung around the lion's neck. The beast of light was massive, standing meters tall. Huge gnarled claws stabbed from its paws, completing the image of a ferocious predator.
Xia Xuefeng's eyes widened slightly as she stared at the lion, shocked and impressed. Bing Meilu sighed slightly. It was clear her servant was still too inexperienced if she was impressed by such paltry magical arts. Transforming as Zhang had was a highly common skill even on the Bird Talon Continent.
As the two watched, the lion bent downwards, resting on its hind legs. Its head turned to stare back at the two young girls speaking with Zhang's gravelly voice.
"Climb on."
Ready to continue her journey, Bing Meilu immediately moved, running up the back of the lion and jumping high into the air. With a slight bounce, she impacted atop the shell of light that made up the lion's exterior. It was nearly jello-like, deforming elastically under her weight. After hesitating for a moment, Xia Xuefeng followed her mistress, leaping onto the lion's back and taking a seat.
Once the two were firmly seated on its back, the lion rose from the ground, resting on its four huge feet. Then the beast began to bound forward. Its massive claws tore through the topsoil as it moved, leaving huge gouges in the dead black soil. In moments they had caught up with the front of the caravan, Zhang slowing down to match its pace.
As the group steadily walked, the incline of the ground grew steeper, rising up the entrance of the Flesh Mountains. Hundreds of the flesh tubes Bing Meilu had seen running throughout the outskirts of the area converged at the mouth of the Mountains. The desolate back soil disappeared as they neared the edge of the mountains, blood and soft tissue poking up from under the soil cover.
Soon they arrived at the mouth of the Flesh Mountains proper. In front of Bing Meilu swirled red and purple fog that marked the edges of the forbidden ground. From the corner of her eyes, Bing Meilu could just barely catch flashes of ghostly faces appearing in the fog, twisted in expressions of rage and despair.
Then, Zhang's lion stepped forward and Bing Meilu entered the fog. A shiver ran through Bing Meilu's body as the miasma engulfed her. A bone-chilling cold permeated Bing Meilu's entire body, her eyes widening.
As expected of one of the continent's strangest places!
This dense fog was saturated with incredibly potent and pure Yin energy. It was pure to such a degree Bing Meilu had never expected to find something like it anywhere in the Bird Talong Continent.
Furthermore, the caravan had only reached the furthest outskirts of the Flesh Mountains. How strong would the Yin chill be in the central depths of the mountains?
A pleased grin began to spread across Bing Meilu's face. She hadn't expected to come across something so good! Truly, Heaven rewarded the virtuous!
To most cultivators, such powerful Yin would render the Flesh Mountains a cursed place where no cultivation could be done, but to Bing Meilu, it was holy ground!
Bing Meilu took a deep breath, drawing the Yin filled fog into her lungs. She slowly guided the frosty energy into her Dantian, and smiled even wider.
Immediately, Bing Meilu's Dantian shook, devouring the energy. A slight shudder ran through her as Bing Meilu suppressed her desire to cackle madly.
This was even more wonderful than she had thought!
Bing Meilu immediately began to ravenously devour the Yin energy, drawing in more and more of the fog with each breath. Soon Bing Meilu felt her cultivation erupt forward. The Qi stored within her seventy-two apertures began to thicken, condensing as Bing Meilu broke through.
Third Tier of Qi Condensation!
A greedy glint appeared in Bing Meilu's eyes. Perhaps the Flesh Mountains were not as bad as she had expected.
Zhang Yi Interlude 1
Perched atop a building, Zhang Yi watched with curiosity. Upon the wide grassy field had gathered a large crowd of youths and their parents. Bakers, farmers, merchants and even the goddamn Jiang Family. Nearly every family in the village had come to have their children take the Immortal's 'test' to join the Copper Egg Sect. After all, regardless of one's wealth or status, the chance to become an Immortal was something absolutely invaluable! If one's child managed to join an Immortal Sect, it would be just like the old saying of A carp jumping through the Dragon's gate.
In fact, even teens above the age of fifteen, whom the Immortal had said would not be allowed to take his test, had come and joined the crowd. Perhaps they hoped to slip by unnoticed, but Zhang Yi would be surprised if the Immortal lacked the power to tell someone's age or weed out those too old.
This was an Immortal after all, and his means were likely far beyond what any of them could imagine.
After spending some time merely observing the gathering of villagers, Zhang Yi quickly scaled down the back of the building he had stood upon. Digging his fingers into the gap between the bricks as he descended, Zhang Yi soon neared the ground. Letting go of the wall, Zhang Yi's wooden sandals smacked against the sandy yellow soil as he landed.
Then, Zhang Yi quickly walked into the back of the mass of people, slowing bobbing and weaving through the crowd until he reached its front.
For several minutes the young boy waited silently. Then, a few dozen feet from the crowd exploded a large cloud of thick, purple smoke. As the fog cleared, the silhouette of a man appeared. The tall, well dressed Immortal from yesterday strode forth powerfully from within the crowd, his copper-coloured robes swirling in the wind.
The Immortal's eyes flickered over the large crowd, silently assessing it. A pleased grin crept across his face for a moment, before it was wiped away in place of a dignified and solemn expression. The Immortal raised his sleeve over his mouth, clearing his throat.
"Enough waiting, let's cut to the chase! You are all here for one reason! You all wish to gain the chance to cultivate, to transcend the bounds of mortality and become Immortal! However, my Copper Egg sect doesn't accept just anyone. I will be conducting a trial, and only those who pass shall be allowed into the sect. Before we start, I will need to ask each attendee some questions. Answer me honestly, because those who do not shall regret it once the trial begins!" The Immortal shouted.
His voice was loud and rich, reverberating across the open field. The Immortal seemed to possess an aura of power and charisma that Zhang Yi had never felt from anyone before. The boy gulped, feeling the burning ambition within him flare higher. Soon the trial would begin!
"Now, all attendees, all of you get in a line!" the Immortal declared, swishing his arm with regal decorum.
Zhang Yi and the youths immediately followed his orders, stepping forth from the crowd and lining up before the Immortal. Once the line had finished forming, the Immortal strode towards the head of the line. The copper-robed man arrived to stand in front of the person at the front of the line, a tall girl with black hair and a fair complexion. Zhang Yi recognized her as the eldest daughter of the Xian family, tailors who catered to the village's richer elite.
"What is your name?" the Immortal asked first.
"My name is Cao Ya, honoured immortal," responded the girl nervously.
''How old are you?" continued the Immortal.
"I am thirteen, honoured Immortal."
"What you are skilled at?"
"Oh... well, I know how to sew and knit. I also know how to make dye and some basic medicine."
"What is your family background?"
"My family are clothing makers. We've lived here in Jiang city for four generations."
After the girl finished answering the Immortal nodded to himself, reaching into his sleeve and retrieving a thin notebook and a strange utensil. The utensil seemed to be a long, thin rod of silver metal whose tip dripped with black ink. The Immortal began to scribble in his notebook with the utensil, quickly marking something down. Once finished, he looked back at the girl.
"Hold out your wrist girl," commanded the Immortal
Cao Ya complied, lifting her arm into the air and holding it outwards. The Immortal leaned down, pressing the tip of the utensil against the bare skin of her wrist. He quickly inscribed several markings with the black ink dripping from the utensil's tip.
Zhang Yi craned his neck to get a good view of what was written, frowning slightly. He could not see very clearly from this distance, but he thought it looked like a special type of merchants shorthand used commonly by traders in the east that his grandfather had shown him. Perhaps the Immortal was a foreigner because Zhang Yi had never known anyone from the northern area to use it.
Having finished asking his questions, the Immortal moved onto the next person in the line, repeating the process. He would ask them their name, age, skills and family background, quickly writing in his notebook before marking something down on the wrist of the person. Soon it was Zhang Yi's turn and the Immortal looked down upon him with a piercing gaze.
"What is your name?" asked the Immortal.
"I am called Zhang Yi, honoured Immortal."
"How old are you?"
"I am eleven years old."
"What are you skilled at?"
"I am well versed in martial arts. I have much experience doing all sorts of odd jobs, like gardening, upkeeping tools and such. I know how to tend to a shop and handle finances."
"Family background?"
"My grandfather was a shopkeeper, but I am orphaned."
The Immortal nodded upon hearing Zhang Yi's answer, scribbling a little in his notebook.
"Hold out your wrist," the Immortal commanded.
Zhang Yi followed the man's instructions, holding out his arm. The copper-robed man bent down, gripping Zhang Yi's wrist tightly and scribbled upon it with his strange utensil. After marking down several things, the Immortal released Zhang Yi's arm from his tight grip and moved on to the next person.
Once the Immortal was several feet away from him, Zhang Yi raised his arm up, staring down at the characters inscribed upon it. As he had thought, it really was the eastern merchant's shorthand.
Zhang Yi's grandfather had been in the process of teaching Zhang Yi to read it before dying, but Zhang Yi only knew a few basic words and the numerals. There were several words he could not read, along with two numbers. The first read 'eleven' and the second read 'fifty'. Zhang Yi furrowed his brow in thought. He could guess that the first number probably referred to age. Zhang Yi was eleven years of age and had received the number eleven. However, the meaning of the second number was more inscrutable, though Zhang Yi did not have the time to dwell on the matter since the Immortal had finally finished inspecting everyone in the line.
"The test begins now! Follow me!" the Immortal shouted. "Parents, stay here. Any attempt to interfere with the test will result in automatic expulsion for your child."
Turning around the Immortal began to jog away from Jiang City. The line of children immediately broke apart, every individual rushing to catch up with the Immortal. Zhang Yi followed nimbly bursting into a run.
'Is this perhaps some test of endurance or speed?' Zhang Yi wondered internally as he ran.
Pushing the thoughts away, Zhang Yi focused on running. Without stopping for nearly half an hour, the Immortal ran. He lead the children from the wide, grassy plains that Jiang City sat upon into nearby woodland where tall trees filled the air with their branches. By now several of the youths were visibly exhausted, sweat dripping down their overheating faces. The sons and daughters of the richer members of the town, these were the people who had probably never done real physical labour in their entire lives.
Ignoring the weary children, the Immortal continued running, leading them deeper and deeper into the woodland until they arrived before a massive, wide river that gently streamed through the woodland. The Immortal finally stopped running, turning to face the attendees who slowly gathered towards him.
"Great. Now the real test can begin!" declared the Immortal.
The tall man reached into the sleeve of his robe, pulling out a large leather sack. As the Immortal opened the bag, a rich medicinal scent drifted outwards. The Immortal dropped the bag to the ground, turning to look at the waiting children.
"All of you come up and grab one of the green pills inside the bag," instructed the Immortal.
Following the Immortal's instructions, Zhang Yi quickly walked up to the bag, leaning down and grabbing a pill from it. Though he was first, the other test-takers were not far behind him, all quickly crowding around the bag to grab pills of their own. Soon every boy and girl held a pill, milling about in waiting for the Immortal's next instruction.
As they waited, Zhang Yi lifted the small orb to his nose, taking a deep breath. He inhaled the strong herbal scent of the pill, thinking deeply.
"I recognize this scent!" Zhang Yi suddenly realized. "This is Elder's Rest!"
Elder's Rest was a potent sleeping medicine that, once ingested, would knock someone out cold in moments. It was used commonly by doctors to treat insomnia and nightmares. In fact, Zhang Yi's own grandfather had often taken the pills at night because he had trouble sleeping. However, given the size of the pill, whoever ate it would sleep for several days straight.
"Now, all of you eat your pill!" ordered the Immortal.
All around Zhang Yi, children began to gulp down the pills, but he hesitated. Why would the Immortal want them to eat sleeping pills?
A thought suddenly struck the boy.
'Perhaps the test is to see who is knowledgeable enough to recognize the sleeping pill and avoid eating it?' Zhang Yi thought to himself.
It was a risk, but Zhang Yi's gut told him he was on to something. The boy tightly gripped the pill but did not eat it, watching as the children around him suddenly began to collapse. In seconds, dozens of them had fallen face-first onto the floor. However, along with Zhang Yi, two other remained standing, also having chosen to forgo ingesting the Elder's Rest.
The first was that girl from earlier, Cao Ya, and the second was the Jiang family's heir. The three remaining children glanced at each other. A frown spread across the Immortal's face as he stared at the standing three.
"You three didn't eat your pills. Why was that?" he asked, a subtle undertone of annoyance filling his voice.
"Those were Elder's Rest pills," replied the Jiang Scion. "My guess was that the test involved recognizing the pills and thus not eating them."
"I had the same thought process," concurred Zhang Yi.
"You are incorrect. Eat the pills," ordered the Immortal. "Unless you want to fail my test!"
Zhang Yi frowned. It seems his gut feeling had been wrong. After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Yi lifted the pill to his mouth, dropping the green orb onto his tongue and swallowing. Immediately, a hazy sensation flooded through him. Zhang Yi stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. The last thing he saw before his vision turned to black was the Immortal's cold face staring down at him.
----
Dizzily, Zhang Yi groaned. A horrible throbbing pain filled his head like someone was repeatedly hammering on his head with a wooden mallet. Ignoring the ringing in his ears, the boy stumbled to his feet drunkenly. Zhang Yi blinked as he glanced around his surroundings, his vision horribly blurred. Yet even through his blurry eyes, Zhang Yi could just about make out the sight of black iron bars. The young boy stepped forward, groping at the metal with his hands.
Several moments of inspection later and Zhang Yi had confirmed his suspicion.
He was in a cage.
He was in a cage!
A burst of panic filled him, but Zhang Yi clamped down on the emotion, forcing himself to calm down. The boy took a deep breath and began to think deeply. He had just been in the woods... Taking the Immortal's test!
'This must be the next part of the trial!' Zhang Yi realized. 'Maybe I have to escape the cage?'
By now his vision had cleared up enough he could make out the lock holding the cage door closed. It was a large iron padlock with a strange, circular keyhole. Before Zhang Yi could contemplate further, a nearby voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You're awake. Nice to finally have some company," laughed the voice.
The boy spun around, finding the source of the voice. Within a cage adjacent to Zhang Yi's own sat a scrawny boy. The boy had a long black ponytail that hung behind his back and tanned bronze skin. Zhang Yi frowned as he tried to recall the boy's name.
"If I am correct, you are He Zhao, from the He Family?" Zhang Yi asked.
The He family were the village's only blacksmiths and were fairly wealthy. Zhang Yi knew very little about them, given he had never really had the money to buy anything from them.
"I am. Might I ask brother to introduce himself?" He Zhao replied.
"I am called Zhang Yi," Zhang Yi responded quickly. "Now, do you know where we are or what's happening?"
"Nope. All I know is that after eating that pill I woke up in this iron cage. Shame I didn't bring any tools or I could have picked this cheap lock in moments," He Zhao chuckled.
Zhang Yi nodded. It did make sense a blacksmith would know how to get past a lock. Making locks and keys was a part of their job description after all.
"You seem very cheerful for someone trapped in a cage." Zhang Yi observed curiously.
"I try to stay optimistic," He Zhao shrugged. "It's always better to work on a solution than simply lament about one's circumstances. Do you have any ideas?"
Zhang Yi shook his head silently while glancing at his surroundings. By now his headache and dizziness had mostly cleared up and he could see just fine. Dozens of cages stood side to side within a dank but well-lit cellar. In each cage lay one of the boys from Zhang Yi's village. They had all taken a pill, and they had all ended up in these cages. However, none of the women who had been at the test were present. Perhaps the Immortal had given them a separate test?
The musty scent of wet and rotting wood infused the air, along with the subtle and distant sound of dripping water. The cellar's walls were lined with yellow-wood planks that reflected the light of the lamps hanging from the ceiling. A single door sat in the middle of the wall in front of Zhang Yi, another large lock covering its handle.
Zhang Yi sighed, looking back to his cage with a more critical eye. The cage was made from several inch thick black-iron bars, with a gate at the front. The floor of the cage was made from wood rather than iron, however, and the front gate was locked by a large iron padlock. Those would be the two weak spots.
As Zhang Yi investigated the cage, he heard a far off groan. A few dozen feet away, inside one of the cages, a boy drunkenly stood upwards, rubbing his head in obvious discomfort. Zhang Yi frowned slightly as he recognized the boy. It was the Heir of the rat Jiang Family, Jiang Fang.
"What in heaven is going on?" the boy loudly groaned, blinking his eyes rapidly.
"Looks like another one has finally decided to join us," He Zhao said.
The newly woken boy slowly turned in the direction of He Zhao's voice, rubbing his eyes. His vision was probably still too blurred from the pill to see properly.
"Who said that?" the boy asked sharply.
"It's me, He Zhao. " the young blacksmith answered. "And before you ask, I don't know any more than you do, Jiang Fang. We all just woke up in these cages. I think this must be the next part of the Immortal's test."
"I see..." Jiang Fang sighed upon hearing He Zhao's words.
The next several minutes were spent in silence as Jiang Fang slowly oriented himself and Zhang Yi continued inspecting his cage. He began to knock his fists on the wooden planks at the bottom of the cage. From the dull clink his knuckles made, it was clear there was no hollow space underneath he could utilize to break out. The wooden floor of the cellar upon which his cage's own wooden bottom sat must have laid upon solid ground.
Then, a loud wooden creaking noise came from the cellar's wooden door. Zhang Yi and the other awake boys looked towards the door, watching the copper robed Immortal step through it. Dense smoke drifted from a large incense pot that sat in his hands, filling the room with a pungent scent. Zhang Yi immediately began to cough uncontrollably from the smoke, covering his mouth with his sleeves. As the smoke drifted through the cages, the boys still sleeping began to cough and wake up, stumbling to their feet.
"Honored Immortal, may you please tell us what is going on?" Zhang Yi asked. "Is this the next part of the test? If so, what do we do?"
"Test? What test?" the Immortal said, chuckling.
By now, all of the other boys had fully awoken. The sound of groan and grunt cut through the air as two dozen youths slowly worked through the disorienting effects of the Elder's Rest.
"...The test to join the Copper Egg Sect?" Zhang Yi replied, confused.
"Join the Copper Egg Sect? Don't make me laugh! You didn't really think any of you fucking peons would be joining my sect, did you?"
A sharp silence filled the air as the Immortal's words registered with the newly woken boys.
"...What did you say?" asked one boy in shock.
"I said, none of you fucking peons are joining my sect, and you're deluded if you ever thought that would happen," the Immortal laughed loudly. "No, you're all here for a very simple reason. I need some money to buy pills and selling slaves is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get that money. You should all feel honoured. Aiding me in my cultivation is the most important thing any of you trash will accomplish with your pitiful fucking lives. Now, the slave auction begins in an hour and I need to go wake up the girls. Can't have my merchandise sleeping on me!"
To stunned silence the Immortal turned around, slamming the door behind him.
Haishen Yu Interlude 1
A single mountain proudly stood tall amidst the swirling snow. The monolith of ancient rock shimmered under the moonlight like a glittering gem-studded into the earth. Down the mountain's side gently flowed a pristine river. Blue and white Koi fish swam serenely through the crystalline waters underneath the shade of brightly coloured cherry blossom trees that poked out of the snow.
To the left of the mountain stood a massive palace, elegant white marble pillars holding up a domed roof ornately carved with images of the moon. Around the palace, tall towers and spires rose, built of resplendent red crystal. Thick walls of solid gold connected each spire, inlaid with beautifully carved patterns. It was within these buildings that the many disciples of the Moon Crying Swan Palace lived and cultivated.
A thousand leagues from the mountain knelt a priest garbed in a simple white robe, his eyes closed. Facing the palace, Haishen Yu slowly parted his eyelids, revealing two brightly glowing golden runes in the space his eyes had once been. Golden light erupted forth from the runes, so hot and bright that the snow and ice around the man, which had gradually piled up over hundreds of millions of years instantly erupted into steam. Two immense rivers of boiling light gushed out of his eyes, racing across the sky towards the Moon Crying Swan Palace.
The moment Haishen Yu's attack was unleashed, a massive barrier sprung into place around the Palace, a shell of glittering blue light formed from millions of floating blue symbols.
It was only natural that any sect of decent size would have sturdy automated defences in place and the Moon Crying Swan Palace was no exception. The Ten Thousand Feathers Formation had protected the Palace for one hundred generations unfailingly, beating back countless armies and legendary enemies. It was among the mightiest of barriers ever created in the history of the Bird Talon Continent.
Not mighty enough to stop Haishen Yu.
Two lances of burning light crashed furiously into the barrier. For a moment there was a world rending screech as the blistering heat of the beams collided with the absolute cold of the barrier. Then, like ice placed under a stream of hot water, the barrier melted away. The rays of light shot forward unimpeded towards their exposed target.
Only millimetres from the palace, a massive mirror of ice suddenly appeared. Haishen Yu's attack slammed into the mirror, suddenly reflecting backwards towards him.
With a snort, the priest's body faded away, moments later reappearing in the sky above the mountain. He craned his neck, gazing over at the huge, charred-black crater that marked the land where Haishen Yu had been just moments prior. Black smoke billowed out of the crater, rising into the sky in thick, swirling clouds.
Haishen Yu turned back to gaze at the Moon Crying Swan Palace, clasping his arms behind his back. As he watched, a single figure appeared in the sky, facing him. She appeared to be nothing more than a twelve-year-old girl, wearing a simple blue dress, yet the swirling cloud of Icy Qi trembling around her body clearly marked her as an incredibly powerful cultivator.
'The Moon Crying Swan Palace has only one Peak Great Sage, meaning this is the previous Palace Master, Yueling He,' Haishen Yu thought.
"Outsider, you have some gall to attack my Moon Crying Swan Palace," Yueliang He declared frostily. "You have ten seconds to leave our sect before you die."
As Yueliang He spoke, dozens of figures appeared behind her, gathering in a line to face Haishen Yu. They were all women, appearances ranging from that of little girls not yet in their teens to elderly women with white hair and wrinkled skin. These were the elite cultivators of the Moon Crying Swan Palace.
"Hmm... Is that so?" Haishen Yu asked mildly.
With a single thought, a boundless aura exploded forth from the Priest's body. The spiritual weight of his cultivation crushed down upon the gathered women. It was like a thousand mountains falling from the sky. Immediately, the weaker ones began to cough up blood, unable to stand the sheer pressure exuding from him.
"What the hell is someone like you doing in the Bird Talon Continent?" Yueliang He asked in shock.
"I've come to exterminate your sect," Haishen Yu replied with a pleasant smile, his tone what one might use when talking about the weather.
"You.. what?" Yueliang He asked, a trace of fear appearing in her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself! The Moon Crying Swan Palace is subsidiary to the Twelve Headed Avian Sect! If you dare attack us, they'll destroy you! Regardless of your cultivation, you can't possibly survive their wrath!"
"The Twelve Headed Avian Sect?" Haishen Yu chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Allow me to clear up misconceptions. You and every member of your sect will die today, and there is absolutely nothing anyone or any sect can do to stop me. However, I am not a man without mercy. If you submit now I will ensure your deaths are painless."
"...Are you serious? You don't actually think you can get away with attacking the Twelve Headed Avian Sect, do you? If so, you're insane," Yueliang He replied, eyes wide.
This time, Haishen Yu did not respond verbally. He simply raised a single finger, pointing it to the sky. At the tip of his finger, a small star of golden light appeared. Instantly, hundreds of attacks shot towards him, rivers of metallic water, spears of glowing ice, bolts of shadowy matter and clouds of ghostly faces. The attacks battered Haishen Yu, only to splash harmlessly off of his skin.
Then, Haishen Yu swiped his finger down.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, with a sky-splitting thunderclap, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens.
The only one fast enough to react to his attack, Yueliang He swung her hand frantically, and a wall of ice surged out of the ground, rising to block the thunderbolt. Yet the lightning seemed to completely ignore the wall of ice, passing through it as if it were not there. Moments later, the thunderbolt made contact with the earth. The world turned white, a second sky-splitting thunderclap exploding outwards.
When the light faded, there was no longer a Moon Crying Swan Palace. A black pit extended a hundred miles into the earth where the building had once been. Countless layers of dirt and rock had been vaporized, rising into the sky as gas. Yueliang He slowly turned her head to stare at Haishen Yu, face white.
"You... You... " she stuttered, eyes wide. "...I'll kill you!"
The little girl shot towards him, face twisted with rage. Haishen Yu leisurely raised a palm, chopping through the air. A red line spread across Yueliang He's forehead, as her body was cut in half. Blood, bile and torn pieces of internal organs splashed out of her falling corpse. A white, spectral fog seeped out of her body, as Yueliang He's soul retreated, only for a thin bolt of thunder to shoot from Haishen Yu's fingertip, shattering her soul.
When it came to cultivators above the Nascent Soul realm, destroying their bodies would not necessarily be the end for them. To truly kill one, it was necessary to destroy their soul.
Having finished off Yueling He, Haishen Yu turned to the other fighters, who had yet to even react, raising a finger to his lip. He exhaled and a great gout of fire erupted from his lips. The flames washed over the women, burning through their flesh and bone. Something reminiscent of the sweet smell of cooked pork filled the air as the women burned away. Haishen Yu waved his hand, dozens of tiny thunderbolts flying out and destroying the souls left behind.
A grin slowly spread across the man's face. He had finally completed his task. Haishen Yu's shoulders shook slightly as he broke into laughter. Suddenly he stopped laughing, looking downwards. The earth at the bottom of the pit that had once been the Moon Crying Swan Palace began to tremble. Cracks spread out across the charred black soil, dirt rising into the air.
What appeared to be a massive white ball rose from the earth, floating high into the sky. The white ball began to slowly swell outwards, before cracks spread out across it. The ball exploded, revealing the majestic form of a massive swan.
The bird had six wings covered in glossy silver feathers. Its beak was pitch black, filled with huge jagged teeth. The bird's pupils were images of the moon, glowing bright silver.
"Oh...? To think there would still be a Moon Crying Swan alive today?" Haishen Yu remarked, surprised. "I had thought that bloodline was extinct."
The silver-feathered swan looked down at Haishen Yu and opened its beak wide. Silver light began to gather in its mouth, forming a massive orb.
Haishen Yu shook his head, before swiftly reaching out with his hand. A shell of light formed around the bird, suddenly shrinking down. As the shell of light shrunk, so did the bird. Soon the mountain-sized demonic creature has been forced into the size of a watermelon. Haishen Yu waved his hand again, and the shell of light flew towards him, landing in his palm. Haishen Yu looked down at the swan, which was desperately struggling against its prison.
"You'll make a fine mount..." Haishen Yu smiled. "Once properly trained."
Chapter 15: The River Ahead
Bing Meilu immediately began to ravenously devour the Yin energy, drawing in more and more of the fog with each breath. Soon Bing Meilu felt her cultivation erupt forward. The Qi stored within her seventy-two apertures began to thicken, condensing as Bing Meilu broke through.
Third Tier of Qi Condensation!
A greedy glint appeared in Bing Meilu's eyes. Perhaps the Flesh Mountains were not as bad as she had expected.
However, Bing Meilu did not let her excitement get ahead of her. If her cultivation were to rapidly improve, it would surely attract the suspicions of the leaders of the escort company. Worst case scenario, they would decide she had some secret or treasure valuable enough to risk offending the Moon Crying Swan Palace to steal.
If Bing Meilu wanted to safely cultivate, she would need to ensure she remained lowkey. As Bing Meilu broke through, the aura of Qi naturally emitting from her body would strengthen and swell, denoting her increase in strength. However, it was rather easy to simply contract the Qi aura, ensuring it remained at the same size it was before her breakthrough. While this disguise would fail to block the Spiritual Sense of a Nascent Soul level Cultivator, it would work wonders against anyone below that level.
Now confident in her disguise, Bing Meilu returned to cultivation. Fog saturated with pure Yin energy entered her body, flooding into her Dantian where it was refined into Qi and distributed between her seventy-two apertures.
Bing Meilu repeated the cycle over and over again.
And again
And Again
And Aga-
"Raaaaaaaagh!"
A pained scream tore through the air, startling Bing Meilu. She whipped her head around, turning to look back at the caravan behind her.
A dozen meters behind her a middle-aged bald man lay on the ground, clutching at his leg. Some grotesque blob of pink slime had wrapped tightly around the bald man's foot - and from the intensity of his pain riddled screams, the experience was clearly not very comfortable.
Before the man could even scream a second time, a blade of silver light shot through the air, slicing at the man's leg. Blood spurted as everything below his knee was severed from his body. Seconds later a blast of fire shot through the air, incinerating the chopped-off limb and the flesh blob attached to it.
The silver axe-wielding man at the head of the caravan quickly flew through the air, arriving at the man's side.
"I'll take this unfortunate incident as a reminder to inform all customers that should you come across suspicious-looking blobs of flesh sitting on the floor, to not kick it," the man with the axe said, glaring pointedly at the bald man, who still clutched his bleeding leg. "What you all just say was what we call a Clamper. It's a type of low-level Flesh-Demon that latches onto living creatures, spreading flesh-melting poison through their veins before devouring their liquefied insides. Luckily I caught that one early and cut off the poison-filled limb, or this man would be dead."
The bald man who lay on the floor only let out a pained whimper as he clutched at his bleeding stump, tears and snot dripping down his face. The man with the silver axe shook his head disdainfully, before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a pill.
"And while this man was injured completely by his own stupidity, we here at the Blackwater escort service pride ourselves on our customer service. We provide each ticketed customer with one free Full Healing Pill, while our competitors would charge extra for such a premium luxury!"
Having said his piece, the silver axe-wielding man leaned down, pressing the pill into the mouth of the bald man. Instantly, bubbles of flesh and sinew began to extend from the bald man's stump, growing into a full limb. Stunned noises of awe and amazement came from the people in the caravan as they watched the man's leg grow back in full.
"Wow, Company Head Fang Lee is so magnanimous!"
"Only a saint would give out such a wondrous medicine for free!"
"I'll definitely use this escort service exclusively from now on!"
"I only bought a ticket because of how cheap they were, but to think we would get such an amazing service!"
In the crowd, many people began to talk to each other, praising the escort company. However, Bing Meilu only scoffed, turning her head back to look forward.
Full Healing Pill? A Premium luxury? What a total load of hot garbage!
---
Fang Lee internally smirked, hearing the praise of the customers.
'Just as planned!'
He knew it had been somewhat of a risk, to hire an actor to injure themselves purposefully just so that Fang Lee could show off the healing pills and advertise for his business. However, his divinations consistently assured him that the performance would cause many one-time customers to become recurring patrons.
After all, the sight of a seemingly crippled man completely regrowing a limb would be sure to leave a deep impression on his mortal customers who knew little about the cultivation world.
It was slightly deceptive, but how else could a small fish like Fang Lee compete with the already well-established businesses that dominated the market?
If he ever wanted to accomplish his goal of creating a massive, ultra-lucrative business that would print money, Fang Lee definitely had to take every small advantage he could!
Speaking of advantages, Fang Lee glanced over to the Moon Crying Swan Palace Disciple. She sat silently atop Zhang's Star-Mane Lion, face expressionless. A grimace crossed his face as he looked at the girl. He knew the type. She was a rich, spoiled young mistress who had never worked a day in their life, unlike him. The sheer arrogance of someone in Qi Condensation to dare steal the servant of Fang Lee, who was in Core Formation, utterly shocked him. If any normal person had tried that, he would have killed them for the insult.
Regardless of how much face her actions might have cost him, she was a disciple of the Moon Crying Swan Palace, and he was just a humble businessman without backing. If he even touched a hair on her head, he would die a painful death.
At the very least, he was getting far more out of the deal than he had lost. The girl, Xia Xuefeng, was only in Qi Condensation. While it wasn't easy to find cultivators willing to work for his company, it wasn't impossible either.
On the other hand, the great publicity he would gain from advertising that his company had escorted a member of the Moon Crying Swan Palace was invaluable. Even better would be the chance for him to subtly spread rumours his company had secret connections to the Palace, dissuading his competition from trying to attack him.
Sighing, the businessman looked away from the irritating child and gazed across the fog-covered landscape. A shiver ran down his spine. No matter how many times he travelled through this cursed land, he could never get used to the place. Tall bone spurs stabbed forth from the ground, standing tall above organ-like bulges of pulsating purple tissue. In the distance, a red-yellow river of bubbling blood and slimy pus cut across the meat of the landscape.
The occasional roars of far off beasts constantly split the air, accompanied by horrific trembling. Of those present in the caravan, only Fang Lee and Zhang had strong enough senses to notice the distant noise.
'It's almost funny,' Fang Lee mused. 'As a child, I always imagined I'd grow less scared of this place the stronger I become. Instead, it's the other way around. The higher my cultivation grows, the more aware I become of how horrifying this place is.'
A cursed dimension of gore and flesh, brimming with ancient and terrifying demons that had grown fat over the centuries. Only those who had wandered the depths of the Flesh Mountains could describe just how dangerous it was.
'Ironic that such a place would become one of the world's most popular trade routes,' Fang Lee chuckled internally.
Slowly the front of the caravan reached the churning river of pus and blood. Shaking his head, the businessman grabbed the hilt of his Moon-Silver Axe, preparing himself. The most dangerous part of the trip was now about to begin.
Chapter 16: The River's Brood
Slowly the caravan trailed forward, quickly arriving upon the shore of a wide, surging river. Within the river flowed not water but almost black congealed blood so thick it was akin to a gel. The powerful scent of rotting flesh saturated the air surrounding the river, even more so than the rest of the Flesh Mountains. From her high position atop Zhang's lion of golden light, Bing Meilu looked down at the surging stream. The red liquid of the river was so dark it was impossible to see how deep it was with the naked eye. A powerful blood Qi emanated from the river, muddying Bing Meilu's senses. It would be virtually impossible to make out the Qi aura of anything over the river.
"This is the Ten Pustules River," Xia Xuefeng commented, drawing Bing Meilu's eye. "If we can safely pass this area, we'll soon reach our destination."
The entire caravan having trailed to a halt due to the presence of the river, the man with the silver axe slowly flew over the churning stream. Then, arm blurring, he drew and swung the weapon. An arc of silver light erupted from the blade, splitting into hundreds of crescent-moon shaped blades that slashed into the current. Soon after, hundreds of corpses floated to the surface of the river.
There were all sorts of strange-looking monstrosities, such as a long fish with green flesh whose skin was covered in hundreds of long spines. There were brown-furred creatures resembling beavers whose mouths sprouted dozens of jagged white teeth that protruded outwards and tiny white sardines covered in pulsating red tumours. There were even gigantic spiders whose legs had mouths at the bottom and long blue eel whose bodies crackled with purple thunder. Only in the Flesh Mountain would one find such strange demons.
Then, the man replaced his axe, raising his hands and clapping. As he did so, dozens of metal spurs flew forth from the sleeves of his slender silver robes. The metal bars flew over the river, forming a bridge that hovered several feet above the water. White light sprung forth from the bars, forming a wall of tubular light surrounding the bridge.
"Let's go!" shouted the man, waving his hand. Immediately, Zhang's lion leaped forward, careening through the air to and across the river. Meanwhile, the mortals of the caravan behind Bing Meilu began to slowly cross over the river, dragging their carts and wagons and products as hastily as possible.
Occasionally small demons would jump from the water, attempting to break through the barrier of light and devour the mortals inside. Sadly, they could not and were instead simply killed quickly by the caravan's handful of cultivators whose attacks passed right through the barrier of light.
Around half of the caravan had safely passed through the bridge when one such unremarkable beast leaped from the bloody liquid of the river. It was but a small serpent, skin covered in glossy black scales, and with two small bumps protruding from its head. One of the caravan's cultivators waved their hand casually at the mid-air snake, firing forth a small dagger of rock towards it.
The dagger whizzed forward, smacking into the scales of the small black snake. Yet, instead of being instantly killed by the attack, as all the other demons had been, the snake's body simply bulged slightly.
With a horrible hissing noise, black fog erupted forth from the snake body. Strange noises came from within the smoke, like the sound of bone snapping and the wet noise of flesh slapping against flesh. Seconds after, the smoke cleared, revealing not a small snake, but a massive, towering dragon. It stood fully three hundred meters tall, the body as thick as the trunk of a redwood tree. Its scales were pitch black, to the point they seemed to darken the air around them. Red eyes flickering with a malevolent crimson light, the towering monstrosity stared down at the caravan, mouth open to reveal rows of dagger-like teeth.
Instantly, the form of the man with the silver axe flickered across the sky, swiping his axe with herculean strength. A shockwave of air exploded from him as the weapon slammed against the Demon Beast's neck.
Crack!
Small fissures spread out across the surface of the axe, like a glass window that had been hit with a child's ball. The bald man looked down in shock at his hands as his weapon crumbled into dust.
The black dragon slowly turned its head to stare disdainfully at the frozen man. Its mouth opened and the beast roared. A pressure wave exploded from the dragon's mouth, rupturing through the air. The bald man flew backwards, knocked away by the air blast. Bone spurs that had stood by the side of the river shattered and tumbled over as the shockwave travelled by.
Bing Meilu's fingers flew to her ears, desperately blocking them to protect herself from the booming roar. A wet liquid dribbled out from her throbbing ears, down her fingers and onto her arms. Bing Meilu's eyes flickered to the side, inspecting the fluid. Splotches of dark red blood dotted her arm.
"My eardrums must have ruptured," Bing Meilu said aloud, noticing she could not even hear her own voice.
Forcing herself to ignore the constant burning pain, Bing Meilu turned to look at her servant. Beside her, she could see but not hear Xia Xuefeng sobbing and clutching her head, blood running out of her ears as well.
Then, Bing Meilu looked back up to gaze at the massive black dragon who had begun to devour the people still stuck on the bridge, easily tearing through the bald man's barrier. Beneath her, she felt Zhang's lion burst into motion, hastily bounding away from the river with incredible speed. Behind them, the people of the caravan began to hastily run as well, though they were quickly left behind by Zhang's speed.
---
Aiwa Satsushi stared down at the small figure floating by his neck. He took a single moment to enjoy the simple pleasure that was seeing the bald man's shocked face.
The 'Swordbreaker Scales' perk had been a prohibitively expensive upgrade to buy, but it was worth every point.
Then Aiwa opened his mouth, unleashing one of his favourite skills, 'Rupturing roar'. It was an incredibly useful CC skill that debuffed all mobs in hearing range and he always used it before a farming session.
A bestial roar erupted from him, tearing through the air. The man by his neck shot backwards, knocked away by the power of his roar. Below, the humans of the caravan below let out shrill screams as the debuff hit them.
Aiwa's long neck snapped forwards, his jaw unhinging as he crushed his teeth downwards upon the thin shell of light covering the travelling group. The paper-thin protection shattered immediately before his powerful bite, exposing the juicy prey below.
A powerful suction force emerged from his mouth as he executed yet another of his favourite skills 'Devouring vortex'. Dozens of the small humans flew into Aiwa's opened mouth, and he crushed down upon them. Juicy liquid burst into his mouth, tingling upon his sensitive tongue. Bone crushed and flesh eviscerated, the broken corpses of the small humans slid down his throat into his gut.
Before Aiwa could even open the 'Demon-Beast System' and check how many points he had gained, he felt a powerful blast slam into his neck, knocking his head to the side.
The flying human had already recovered from Aiwa's skill? He must have some special resistance.
Turning around to once again face the bald mob, Aiwa activated his go-to opening attack 'Black flood'. Since it was categorized as a 'Bloodline Ability' and not a 'Skill' it didn't cost any Qi so he could use it as much as he wanted, provided he waited for the cooldown to end.
A pressurized beam of black acid erupted forth from his mouth, shooting towards the man, who dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding Aiwa's attack.
'Once they unlock flying, Humans are so annoying to kill,' Aiwa grumbled to himself, releasing a second blast. 'At least these guys always give me lots of points.'
Perhaps once Aiwa would have been appalled at the idea of killing a 'fellow' human, but that time was long gone. Years had gone by since he had awoken reborn as a small garden snake inside of a strange, fantasy world. Needing to kill humans to grow stronger, Aiwa had long since abandoned any sense of connection to his old race. Besides, there was nothing wrong with eating a human, or two or three or four-
After all, on Earth, humans had eaten plenty of other animals. This was basically the same thing. If they didn't want to get eaten, then why were they so tasty?
Sick of the human dodging his blasts of acid, Aiwa opened his mouth and fired a massive black web outwards at the human. The net sped through the air, wrapping around the small creature. Seconds later, dozens of small black spikes shot from Aiwa's mouth, stabbing into the human with incredible force.
Yet suddenly, he felt a powerful punch slammed into the back of his skull, knocking Aiwa's head into the water. Quickly pulling himself up, Aiwa turned to glare angrily at the man.
'How did he escape my net?'
Aiwa's eyes quickly flicked over to the black net which had landed upon the blood river's shore.
'A clone!' Aiwa realized. 'I should have known he would have something up his sleeves!'
However, Aiwa had wasted enough time on the stupid flying bastard and the rest of the mobs were getting away. Quickly activating several movement-related skills, Aiwa's body sprung into the air, shimmering wings of mist gathering around his slender serpentine body. Flapping his wings madly, he shot towards the fleeing humans, mouth opening wide.
Aiwa's body crashed into the ground and he quickly slid forward across the ground, gobbling up the humans from behind. Dozens of small notification boxes opened up in the corner of his vision as he devoured the humans.
'Why do I always forget to turn on 'Summarized notifications' before a fight?' Aiwa questioned, lamenting.
Noticing the flying human sneaking up behind him again, Aiwa slashed his tail through the air, knocking the bastard out of the sky. His tail rose and fell, dozens of times a second as he both drilled the man deep into the ground and continued devouring prey at the same time.
Having finished off the rest of the humans in the caravan, Aiwa turned his eyes to the massive golden lion, which speedily ran in the distance. Two young girls were sitting atop the animal, as well as one other strong human within it.
Suddenly a popup appeared before his eyes, shocking Aiwa.
Story Quest Unlocked: H̸̒͜e̵̺̚a̵̧̓v̴͙́ẻ̴͔n̴͕͝'̶͙̓s̸̭̍ ̶͕͗R̶̫͆ḙ̸͊t̵̺͑r̶͇̃ȉ̵̼b̷͈́ṵ̸͝ť̷̞i̴͉̔o̶̜̚n̵̦̉
Task: Slay and devour 'Bing Meilu', the young human girl wearing a blue dress.
Reward: Unlock Bloodline 'Crystal Heaven Dragon(Extremely Strong (10))'
Do you accept: Yes No
For a moment, Aiwa simply stood frozen, staring at the quest popup. W-what was this? He had never gotten a 'Story Quest' before! What did that even mean?! And what was with that corrupted quest name? Ignoring that, Aiwa stared at the reward, eyes going wide.
That reward was simply insane! Aiwa's current best bloodline was the Black Acid Flood Dragon, which was rated as 'Very Weak (2)'. How much stronger would an Extremely Strong Bloodline be?
His slitted pupils dilated as he stared at the running lion. If he had not been planning on killing it before, he certainly was now! Body bursting with excitement, Aiwa charged forward.