Story 8 - Tribulation Troubles (12 ?)
There was one last person I had to talk to before I left and I managed to catch him as he took a break under a tree outside where the peaks of the sect blocked the horizon. Beautiful forests crawled up the mountains and a few of the sect's buildings brought color to the landscape. It was an all-around peaceful moment.
It was a shame I had to interrupt his break. But I would make it quick.
"Nephew Peerless Resolve!" I said, passing him the details. "I'm going on a sect mission."
After reading the jade slip, the corner of his lips turned down.
"I thought this would give you enough time to take care of those demonic infiltrators without worrying about my safety."
"I doubt that I'll ever stop worrying about your safety, Great Aunt Lin."
I rolled my eyes.
"Is this something you need to do?"
I grinned. "Unless you have a few hundred flag sticks made from Golden Thunder Walnut just lying around to give to a poor disciple."
He sighed. "I heard about the tree rot. It's gotten to the point where it's even affected our sect's stores. The Formation Masters are all furious. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives."
"Those are either flimsy or they're too expensive." I pointed out.
"They work well enough for most students. But you aren't one of them." He tossed me a jade token. "Break this if you find yourself in so much danger that you can't handle it by yourself. The Indomitable Will sect will always have your back."
I grinned and threw the token into my spatial ring.
"I hope you're not using this as an excuse to put off your tribulation."
Did he just suggest that I was a coward? I puffed up my chest. "Of course not. By the time I return to the sect, I'll have every item on my list."
"So, you'll call down your tribulation when you get back?"
I cleared my suddenly dry throat. "I may take a few days to organize things. But, soon after I get back, I'll definitely go through it."
He nodded sagely. "Cultivating your own path is a very personal matter. While I can help you here and there with resources and nudges in the right direction, it's your choice how and when you face your tribulation."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
***
After I collected Little Spring and Clear Eyes, we headed out of the sect. Of course, I didn't trust my enemies to let us be. I used the first few hours of our journey to employ every method I could think of to lose anyone following.
Maybe because of my paranoid precautions, but neither assassins nor young masters that deserved to be bullied showed up. Our trip was so quiet that I spent most of it discussing Nascent Soul techniques with Ghosty. I even recommended a few he could practice in his spirit orb. One was a shielding technique called the Bloom of the Night Flower that could even, for the smallest of moments, protect a Nascent Soul from an attack from an Immortal Bone Creation expert. Of course, it would make the practitioner nearly helpless for months afterwards, but it could save their life.
If Ghosty had learned it earlier, he wouldn't have become a McGhostFace.
A few times during our trip, I even managed to sneak away to finish collecting the spiritual latex. The vulcanization process would have to wait since the white goop needed to soak in spiritual spring water to clear all the impurities.
Unfortunately, at the cautious pace I'd set, it took us all seven days to get to the opening to the forest instead of the five the black market dealer suggested.
When we reached our destination, the massive stone tiger head, the forest's namesake and only entrance, had yet to open its maw. A messy line had formed, containing cultivators from all over the continent who weren't shy about declaring their group's allegiance through their uniforms.
A few Nascent Soul practitioners waited in front of the entrance. The crowd gave each of them at least six feet of space. I even noticed a Nascent Soul from our Beast Tamer Peak, Shadow Gopher standing up front with several other Nascent Souls from different clans and sects. Well, his name actually translated closer to Dark Mole, but I preferred my version better for obvious reasons.
Clear Eyes stopped at the back of the crowd where other Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered. Here, there were teams wearing the uniforms from various sects, including some from the Untenable Sword, and the Three Leaves Swirling who liked to pretend they were our rivals.
To the side were a large number of groups ready to take advantage of the situation. I didn't know who they were but they'd worn brown, dirt-stained clothes. Obviously, these orthodox practitioners had attempted to look like rogue cultivators. Their guise was, frankly, offensive. Did they think Rogue Cultivators didn't know the cleaning technique?
There was also a three-man mercenary team dressed in blood red who studied everyone with narrowed eyes. These guys took their jobs seriously. The younger two were twins at Foundation Establishment. The older one, who was at the beginning of Golden Core, had a pale scar across his neck.
With all of these representatives from nearby sects, clans, and mercenaries, this looked like the perfect place for a main character to accidentally start some trouble. Exactly where we didn't want to be.
"You see all these people?" I gestured to everyone in front of us.
Mad Tongue nodded. "It will be hard getting past them to get deep into the forest."
I snorted. "Who said that we're stopping here?"
With the confidence of a once near-immortal, I strode past all of them. Since he was used to me, Little Spring calmly followed without question.
Clear Eyes, on the other hand, bent over as if trying to sneak across a theater. "Senior Lin!" he whispered. "We're getting weird looks and making everyone angry. Shouldn't we stay back there?"
I raised a brow at him. "If all these people go ahead of us, what will we find when we make it in?"
"Plants?"
I gave him a grim look. "Not the ones we're looking for."
He sighed with exasperation. "We can't just cut in line."
"What does everyone say about the Indomitable Will sect?"
"That we have each other's backs."
"That's right." I walked right up to Shadow Gopher and grinned.
The man looked thoroughly confused and stroked his beard while trying to place me.
::Greetings Junior.::
He coughed. ::Great Martial Aunt Lin?!::
"I knew you were smart." While he never reached Immortal Bone Creation in my past life, he had been one of the Peak Masters for a short time. Idiots rarely ended up in that position.
He straightened his back and looked around him to see if anyone was watching. "This isn't a good time. I won't be able to babysit you."
::I'm sorry Senior, but the Cunning Mountain sect is here, and we can't allow them to find the treasure our diviners told us about.::
I chuckled. ::Don't worry. We're just having you drop us off along the way.::
::What treasure are you looking for?:: Little Spring asked.
Gopher's stressed eyes relaxed when they saw the kid. ::I'm not sure myself. I was only told that it would appear deep in the forest. Whoever finds it will become an unprecedented powerhouse unknown to the mortal plane.::
Huh. I hadn't actually remembered anything like that in my last life. But all of those so-called unbelievable treasures the diviners predicted would throw the world into upheaval were just somewhat useful trinkets. I knew that because Bloodsword usually got his hands on them. He always showed them off to me. I didn't know why since I'd always glance at the amazing treasure, then create something better or more cost-effective within a decade.
Of course, by then he had the next powerful ancient tool.
Sometimes I thought Bloodsword may have tried to kill me on purpose because I frustrated him by always making his hard-earned scores obsolete within a few decades of obtaining them.
Well, that didn't matter anymore since I had to deal with Little Spring and not that soul-fucked donkey brain.
The eyes of the tiger head suddenly burned with golden light. Its jaws shook. Small rocks on the side of the cliff dislodged and fell down. Inch by inch, its disturbingly realistic rock maw, opened. Our rivals stirred.
"Where do you want me to drop you off?"
"Just towards the middle of the—" I was going to say outskirts, but Shadow Gopher grabbed us with his spiritual energy and ran so quickly that cracking sounds came from my body-cultivation-enhanced skeleton and the light dimmed.
Since even my vision darkened, it didn't come as a surprise when Clear Eyes passed right out.
Little Spring blinked rapidly, obviously trying to fight the impossible. Since he only had one form of body cultivation, I guessed he wasn't fairing as well as myself.
Then we suddenly stopped and Shadow Gopher vanished from sight, leaving us surrounded by tall trees and grasses.
Goddamn it. Where were we?
I spread out my divine sense and immediately realized that he dropped us off close to the middle of the forest. We were thankfully still on the outskirts.
Fuck, couldn't Shadow Gopher have waited for me to finish my goddamn sentence? At least we weren't in any danger yet.
I also sensed two of the spiritual plants to the east that I needed to pick up.
And there! Further east from those and a little to the north was a beautiful, ancient Golden Thunder Walnut tree. Its canopy stretched so high and wide that I should be able to chop off a few of its branches to make flag sticks.
But before we left, I had to fix a problem.
The kid gently rocked Clear Eyes. He did not wake up. Not giving up, he shook the sword cultivator so hard that he made the grass flatten.
"Move," I said, getting my junior brother to withdraw.
I pulled out my acupuncture needles, dipped them in spiritual spring water and placed them on top of his head, on the back of his neck and between the thumb and forefinger.
Then I removed them and counted backwards from ten.
Right after I said one, the teen sucked in a huge breath and sat up.
"Ah!"
I flicked his glabella. He scowled at me.
"Relax. You're not dead."
He rubbed his forehead. "Where are we?"
"Far enough that we made everyone eat our dust." I ignored the confused looks they gave me. "But we can't wait around here. We're too close to the middle of the forest."
I jumped onto a massive nearby stump, put my hands behind my back like the cultivation master I was, and addressed the Little Spring and Clear Eyes. "The location of the two spiritual plants we need is on the path to the Golden Thunder Walnut tree. They are hot items for Foundation Establishment level alchemists so, if we want this trip to pay for itself and more, then we'll have to grab them as we go. That said, speed is more important. If we can't get them quickly, then leave. The tree is our primary goal."
"What if we get separated?" Little Spring asked.
"Use this map. We'll rendezvous at the big tree."
Using the same telepathic transmission technique I used for speech, I sent both of them a detailed map of the area. It appeared similar to the navigation programs from my past-past life, only this one showed trees and plants instead of buildings. I'd added a line showing the fastest route and a separate circle around the largest tree nearby.
Little Spring closed his eyes to review the information internally. Mad Tongue, on the other hand, had his wide open along with a gaping mouth.
What an awkward teen. It wasn't like I didn't send... wait... this was the first time I'd sent him a map. It was Fairy Swift Dove who received it during the Demonic Vine and we hadn't needed one for the Crab Mission.
I coughed delicately and gave him more time.
"If you're done reviewing, let's move. We can't let our headstart go to waste."
Then I used Consistent Step, Impossible Leap to follow the line I'd mapped out. The others quickly joined me.
***
The first plant we were collecting was a Sapphire Fire Orchid. It only grew in shadowy forests like this one. Ironically, it required a lot of sun to grow, so not only did it need to be surrounded by large trees, it also had to be in a place where the light regularly broke through the canopy. In this instance, that was near the root of a thick pine tree.
Clear eyes stopped and looked around, likely making sure no enemies were nearby.
I pulled out my weapon and delivered a few slashes of sword Qi to the ground around the roots. When that was done, I sent it into the space.
Mad Tongue coughed. The disbelief on his face was priceless. "Ah, Senior Lin, shouldn't we use a jade box?"
Actually, seeing my Black Market Dealer's bag that could carry spiritual plants had given me an idea. Before the mission, I'd messed with a storage bag to make it feel identical. It didn't actually have those properties, but it would feel identical. "I created a bag that can transport spiritual plants without encasing them in jade. It's like a Beast Tamer's transportation box."
The teen looked curious. I knew that look. That was not a good expression for this too-observant guy to have, so I quickly pointed toward the next flower and started to run.
He caught up. "Can you make me one?"
I eyed him. "Can you afford it?"
He opened his mouth, then probably realized he couldn't afford it and stayed quiet. Thank fuck!
I swear, if we one day got caught with Little Spring's space, it would be by this sword cultivator.
Story 8 - Tribulation Trepidations (13?)
Thunder rumbled from the depths of the forest. Birds scattered. There was something going on over there, but it was something only the Nascent Soul cultivators could deal with. Plus, the chances of it traveling over here was minimal.
Little Spring, Clear Eyes, and I ran past large trees and clusters of bamboo toward the next plant on our list, Resplendent Red Rhubarb. A rare spiritual herb used in several heart injury prescriptions. I'd heard that immortal chefs considered its stem a tart vegetable, but using it in a dish seemed like a waste. Of course, spiritual beasts would sometimes eat the core-strengthening vegetable once it ripened to 100 years or more.
For this task, a sect alchemist requested the whole plant for 5000 contribution points. Even after being split three ways, it could help cover the ridiculously expensive wood I'd need if I couldn't get the walnut tree.
I sent my divine sense out to a quarter mile away to a small clearing between two massive trees where I originally sensed the rhubarb to check if it was still undiscovered. Unexpectedly, A team of three fought a tiny but vicious rabbit-type spiritual beast while nearing the vegetable. They were the red-robed group that included the twins and the neck scar guy.
If those three oblivious idiots didn't stop soon, they would step all over my rhubarb! We had to hurry.
::Senior Lin! Do you see that?:: Clear Eyes said.
I frowned. ::Get ready to protect the rhubarb if we need to! We're going to collect this one as quickly as possible.::
We landed in a circle around the red-stemmed plant just as Neck Scar Guy sent a stab of spear Qi at the rabbit and in our direction. The bunny dodged, leaving the attack to carve a path toward the delicate rhubarb. With a swipe, Clear Eyes deflected the energy away, then faced the plant.
Each of us slashed into the ground around the rhubarb while avoiding the roots. Once the dirt separated from the ground in an upside-down pyramid, I sent everything into the space to the place I'd prepared for it.
This all took less than a second, not even the time it would take to light an incense stick. Then we were once more running towards the walnut tree, leaving the group behind to continue fighting as if we'd never been there… aside from the hole, we didn't fill.
::Senior Lin,:: Clear Eyes said, ::You realize that we just stole that plant from under those cultivators' noses, right?::
::They would have had someone guard it if it had been their goal. They also would have taken better care to not send an attack toward it.::
::Unless they weren't being careful enough because the rabbit was too strong.::
::Or they thought they were the first ones here,:: Little Spring cut in.
::Doesn't matter. Out here, whoever gets the treasure owns it.:: I grinned.
::And if they come after us?::
::I doubt they'll run after us over rhubarb, even one as rare as this. The beast they were attacking was likely a Three Winds Dynamic Rabbit, worth four times what this plant is. I'm more worried about what their presence this far into the forest means.::
A grim expression flashed across Mad Tongue's face.
::Our tree might already have some greedy cultivators looking to slice it up for their own formation flag sticks! We have to hurry.::
***
Rather than risk more trees getting infected, it would be better to save the whole thing and use its seeds to plant more in the future. With that in mind, I planned out how we were going to collect it into Little Spring's space. The only issue was that the Golden Thunder Walnut usually had deep roots. I never thought I'd want Shovel Qi until this moment.
Whatever. As long as we kept it away from its roots, sword Qi would continue to work fiiiine.
I half expected someone to stop us, but we closed in on the tree with no issues. When it came into view, its shimmering yellow hue stood out in the deep green forest. Well, that wasn't exactly accurate. It was more like the tree was coated in a golden gloss.
At this size, it was at least 500 years old. For a tree this large, its root system would travel about half the distance of its crown. Knowing that, I stepped under it, and sent my divine sense into the dirt. A lot of its roots were closer to the surface than normal, showing that this tree had experienced many tough droughts in its life. It also made it easier to find them.
I marked out the locations of the roots and had each of my minions... I mean, Little Spring and Clear Eyes, use their sword Qi to cut a circle around them. Meanwhile, I dug out a twelve-foot deep hole beside the tree's roots and stored the dirt so I could fill it back in later.
Once we were all finished, I pointed at Mad Tongue and gestured to the pit.
He scowled.
"Only you have the strength to slice into the ground that far."
He just looked at me like he was sure I was crazy.
I grinned. "I know you've secretly been practicing a technique to slice through dirt better ever since the incident with the vine plague. This is your chance to show it off to your seniors."
"Fine!" He jumped down. A puff of dust rose from the hole. "Do I angle it down?"
"Crouch low and try to make the cut as flat as possible."
"You better be impressed!"
My divine sense showed me how the teen, almost like a goat, awkwardly gripped the steep walls with his feet. He pulled out a knife.
Good, he'd correctly deduced that an actual sword would be too big for the space I'd made. He crouched low, created a seal with his offhand, and sent a long thin slice of Qi across a large section of earth.
"Thousand Tons Dirt Eating Blade!"
"Excellent form and deduction skills, junior!"
"That's impressive!" Little Spring said. "I never knew you could look so cool!"
He jumped out of the hole easily. Then he flicked the tip of his nose with his thumb, pretending that what he'd done was nothing special. His red ears gave him away.
If he kept learning these kinds of attacks, I might be able to convince his master to rename him to Dirt Eating Swordsman... actually, never mind. That was worse.
I pulled out a handkerchief, placed it on the ground we'd separated, then touched it with two fingers.
"You know," Clear Eyes said while looming over me, "I'm surprised nobody has come after us yet."
It took me a moment since, for an object this large, I had to first wrap it in my divine sense before throwing it into the space, roots, dirt, and all.
Of course, with the tree gone, we had a perfect view of Neck Scar Guy and his two buddies.
One of the twins pointed at us. "Hey! They're the ones that grabbed the rhubarb."
The entire group looked like they were about to pull out their weapons to attack us.
Well. Fuck.
I sent a glare toward Clear Eyes and his damn crow's mouth. That was a trope I used to laugh at until I repeatedly experienced it.
To establish myself as the brilliant, immortal child I was, I tossed my chin up and clasped my hands behind my back. "Are you willing to make enemies with the Indomitable Will Sect over a spiritual plant?"
The three looked at each other, considering their options. They likely looked at our ages and cultivation base and thought they could take us. However, they knew we were part of the continent's largest sect, and that we were friendly enough with a Nascent Soul that he gave us a lift. What was the point of being in the largest and most successful sect if its reputation couldn't allow us to throw our weight around a little? It was one of the major reasons I joined the Indomitable Will sect.
Neck Scar Guy stepped forward. "Maybe we could come to an agreement? A single 100-year-old rhubarb stem is all we need for our mission. If I remember correctly, there were several."
"Unfortunately, the alchemist in our sect requires the entire vegetable for a pill."
Little Spring stepped in front of me. "However, our task doesn't specify how old it needs to be. If you find another, we can exchange it for some compensation."
"I don't see a problem with exchanging it like that," I said. It wasn't like I was the one who wanted the plant, and I'd get my contribution points regardless of its age.
The three didn't look happy. Considering they would have blasted the rhubarb if Clear Eyes hadn't protected it, I had no sympathy for them. We took the plant first while they were too busy fighting a spiritual beast. In fact, the monster they'd fought was likely worth more.
"We agree," Scar Guy said. "If we can't find one of the same quality, we'll contact you outside the forest."
Suddenly, I sensed a large team of cultivators closed in on our location. Just perfect. A mission just couldn't be peaceful while a main character was around.
"Incoming!" I said.
The now visible group darted through the trees. Their dirty, offensively-fake rogue cultivator attire was easily recognizable. Without pausing, they threw several hidden knives both our way and towards the red-robed team as well. Their blades flew at us, wrapped in spiritual energy. I drew my sword, sidestepped one, and slashed another out of the air.
Then I sent a hundred cuts toward them, but my attack fizzled out against their protective tools.
Shit. We avoided one pointless fight, only to get tossed into another. But this one was way the fuck more dangerous. The question was — were these guys after us or the red robes?
The assassin group had about ten cultivators that mostly ranged from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment. However, they also had a single Golden Core in purple who threw a crimson rope at Neck Scar Guy. The red-robed cultivator pulled out a spear and batted the rope away with a spin. Next, he slashed a blade of spear Qi at the other man's face.
Two of the Foundation Establishment cultivators ran after the twins. One twin created a hundred ice darts and sent them zipping toward a fake rogue in orange, the other started throwing whips of fire at another.
This left us to fight the seven other cultivators. They threw several more hidden daggers our way. I punted the ones that came toward me with a casual swipe of the blade and returned their attacks with carefully calculated stabs. One of them blocked it with a shield spiritual tool made out of internal energy. Because of course, they did. These guys may look like penniless rogues, but they definitely were not.
Little Spring pulled out a defensive talisman and allowed the darts they threw at him to ping off his protected body.
"Are they serious right now?!" Clear Eyes said while slashing at the three Foundation Establishment assassins who had ganged up on him. They jumped over the blade of Qi. One conjured spiritual energy in the shape of a flying leaf. It zipped toward the teen's neck. He barely dodged out of the way before more leaf-type attacks followed.
Meanwhile, Little Spring and I sent double spiritual fingers at the four Qi Condensation cultivators, pushing them back several feet.
"Who sent you?" the kid yelled.
He must have realized that these weren't actual rogue cultivators but assassins sent by someone targeting our team.
Instead of answering, the four Qi Condensation cultivators pulled out a set of familiar talismans and braided them together.
Not good! I grabbed the kid's arm and Clear Eyes' collar, used my enhanced strength, and sent us into the massive hole we'd made for the tree. A massive spiraling blast of flames burned the air several feet over our heads. Before it could burn my hair, I grabbed a handful of the protective talismans that I kept having to restock and plastered them onto everyone's arms. Then I directed everyone to rush to the other side of the massive hole.
Once we cleared the fire, all three of us sent sword attacks at the seven cultivators. Three Qi Condensation assassins couldn't dodge in time. They must have run out of protective talismans because, when the attack struck, they fell. Likely dead. This left the fake-rogue with the shield spiritual tool.
Now, as long as the red-robed group didn't escape, there were four to go. Considering how intense their fight was, I guessed that this team had two targets.
Mad Tongue used the Thousand Tons Dirt Eating Blade to send a wide slash toward the three Foundation Establishment fake rogues. It was so quick and powerful that it cut down several trees as it sliced a path forward.
One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators pulled out a protective tool to survive getting hit, but the other two weren't able to react in time and fell. I grimaced at their imitation of those poor trees. That was one impressive attack. Judging by how pale the teen became after using it a second time today, it wasn't one he could repeat in the near future.
Even as I blocked another hidden dagger from one of the Qi Condensation cultivators, I spread my divine sense around to check for other concealed enemies.
That was when I noticed another group of mostly Foundation Establishment assassins heading right towards this location. This one with twice the amount of cultivators, most of them carrying bows.
A couple paused and loosed spiritual arrows. With controlled stabs of Qi, I knocked them out of the sky. But this was just the beginning. More began raining down.
I glowered up at them. It was time to show off my arrow dodging skills from the rope bridge trial.
Frankly, saying that this situation was bad was a fucking understatement. Even if I could take down every bolt that neared me, we still had to retreat due to the number and increased power of these attacks.
Also, how the fuck did they know we were here? Not in this specific location. Obviously, they'd seen Shadow Gopher bring us in this general direction. With strong enough divine sense, they would have been able to track our movements. What I didn't know was how they knew we were coming towards this forest. To hire this many assassins required a ridiculous amount of spirit stones. Since this stupid Xianxia world was insanely big — many times the size of Earth — no one could afford to send out this number to a single location without knowing where I planned to go and when I'd be there.
Shit. Was the reason we weren't followed after we left the sect because they were setting up this ambush?
While it was possible that a demonic cultivator within the sect used my movements to discover where I was heading and sold that information; I had a better suspect. And I would confront that fucker later.
I really wanted to know who paid them off. The people behind the Zhang Clan? Violet Pill Fairy? The demonic cultivators?
Maybe my information was given to all three?
Story 8 - Tribulation Trepidations (14 ?)
I moved left to dodge an arrow, then sent a spiritual hand forward to block several more. Since the attacks were from Foundation Establishment cultivators, they easily pierced through my technique, but their trajectory had changed enough to avoid us.
Little Spring and Clear eyes dodge the few projectiles that avoided my technique. The assassins in the lead attacked while the archers took potshots at us.
Suddenly, the thunder from the middle of the forest grew louder as if it was getting closer. That wasn't supposed to happen.
I grimaced when an arrow pierced my sleeve.
This was no time to become distracted by Nascent-Soul-level problems. I had to solve this issue or get us the fuck out of here; especially if, whatever that was, came near us.
I split my mind into so I could focus on the fight while simultaneously considering our options.
I immediately threw out the possibility of calling down my tribulation. While it was a classic Xianxia trope, it only happened when it was going to be a normal size. If I called down my overpowered one, it would see all these cultivators as people trying to interfere and turn from a near-deadly tribulation to a nuclear bomb that would flatten half this forest. I wasn't the type of person to needlessly destroy the environment when there were easier ways.
We could hide in the space, but I decided against that. As much as I liked Clear Eyes, the space was not mine to expose to him. And I wouldn't abandon him while we had other options.
I could ask the Neck Scar Guy to help us in exchange for the rhubarb... which would only work if he wasn't battling for his life against a Core Formation expert. Sadly, his fight was still very much in progress.
Our best option was to call Shadow Gopher back over. Unfortunately, that would be embarrassing as fuck. I'd told him that he wouldn't have to babysit our asses. It hadn't been more than two hours since we left his side! But, I could deal with a little embarrassment if it kept us alive. Fortunately, he likely wasn't too far away.
Even as I cut several arrows out of the sky, I sent a secret sound transmission to Gopher, "Are you busy?"
"Oh! Senior Lin! Everything is a mess over here. There are two massive Spiritual Tigers who have been fighting in the deep forest, but recently they've been heading toward the middle ring. If you're still around there, please escape to the entrance as soon as you can."
Goddam it! Shit just kept getting worse.
The loudest thunder we'd heard yet echoed through the air and the ground rumbled.
I stretched my divine sense out. A massive creature came tearing a path through the forest like a giant, unstoppable meteor.
Mother fucker!
"Run!" I yelled.
I wasn't the only one who noticed. Several of the Foundation Establishment assassins made a run for it. Then all three red-robed cultivators took this distraction and ran away. Ah, there went my chance to offer Neck Scar Guy the Rhubarb. Whatever.
A few more arrows rained down on me while a leaf attack from a Foundation Establishment enemy aimed toward my face. These assholes really wanted us dead. With a special hand seal and a push gesture, I created a spiritual shield that blocked those strikes. Unfortunately, it destroyed my technique. My throat soured and I coughed up a mouthful of blood from the backlash. I stepped behind Clear Eyes, downed a bottle of spiritual spring water and a Qi Recovery pill, and returned to fighting.
Here we were being attacked, and now we had to deal with this massive beastly disaster!
I ducked under a Qi Condensation cultivator's hidden dagger and sent a slash into his face. He fell and didn't get back up.
The path I sensed the beast take through the forest looked familiar. Actually, I'd been to this forest a couple hundred years in the future. A long, unnatural depression twisted through the forest. I hadn't thought much of it since it had been covered by trees and grasses. If it was the place I was thinking of then, I knew the path this monster would take.
If I estimated correctly, this was our chance to escape these fuckers!
Grinning, I punted away two leaf attacks from a Foundation Establishment cultivator who'd wrongfully assumed I was the weakest target. Then I grinned.
I sent Little Spring and Clear Eyes the updated map with the path where the beast would land.
::We're going to use this monster as a distraction to get the fuck out of here.::
::Yes, Senior Lin!::
I swiftly slashed toward our enemies while using four consecutive Thousand Cuts to force the remaining assassins back. This drained a significant portion of my remaining energy, but it gave Little Spring and me enough time to turn and run. We put thick trees between us and them.
Clear Eyes Sent one final powerful slash at the Foundation Establishment cultivators he'd been fighting. His lips looked bloodless as he joined me. While he was mostly uninjured, his energy levels were significantly depleted.
We practically flew, interspersing impossible leaps with our continuous steps to make it more difficult for the assassins to come after us. Just as we crossed the place I'd indicated on the map, a giant black and white ball came visibly barreling toward our location. The ground and trees flew away from the beast as easily as a child's finger creating a mini trench through the sand.
The Golden Core cultivator sent his long, stretchy crimson rope after us. I dodged it, but it wrapped around Little Spring, who had been trailing behind me by a single foot.
His eyes widened and he suddenly flew backward toward the path of the beast. "Sister Lin!"
Faster than I'd ever cast it before at my current stage, I sent a spiritual hand grasping towards the kid. Before my huge fingers could grab him, both my technique and Little Spring were hit by the gigantic creature. I coughed up another mouthful of blood from the backlash of my technique getting obliterated. The noise it caused as it barreled through the forest was deafening. If the kid made a sound when struck, I couldn't hear it, but I saw a vague figure flying off to who the fuck knew where.
What had once been flat ground had turned into a small wall of dirt and fallen trees. This would briefly separate us from our enemies as I'd planned. I had even guessed that the beast's energy would hide our own, aiding our escape. But that wasn't important. Because I couldn't believe what had just happened.
Then I mentally checked the space to see if he'd entered it. The kid wasn't there.
Fuck. I thought the brat had been training to use it in an emergency!
"Excuse me, Senior!" Clear Eyes picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and bolted away. I tapped his back to get his attention.
"You're going in the wrong direction! We have to go grab my martial brother!"
"Do you honestly think he survived that?!"
He was the universe's favorite. "Of course he did!"Somehow. But that didn't mean he wouldn't need help. But he would be alive. He had to be. This world could not exist without him.
"You're delusional! Wake up! If we don't run away right now, they'll come after us. If he's not dead, he'll be in a far safer place than we are!"
That was when a massive orange tiger, a spiritual beast of at least the low end of the 6th stage, strutted toward where the giant alabaster ball crashed.
The air crackled with energy. Storm clouds spread through the forest.
The head of a white tiger rose above the treeline. It roared. The sound sent everyone to their knees, including Mad Tongue, who was carrying me. A strange feeling came over me that I never would have picked up if I hadn't been at the peak of the world. This was the feeling of watching a dragon and a god fight. These two tigers looked similar, but they were completely different species.
It struck me that there really were things that even my jaded thousand-year-old ass hadn't seen.
Regardless, if we didn't get out of here, we would be beyond fucked.
Mad Tongue struggled to a standing position, then began running again. ::Even if he isn't safe, we can't help him where we are!::
Why the hell did this clear-eyed teenage motherfucker have to be so goddamn right?! If we wanted to save our own asses, we had to reach a defensible location, or some place the assassins couldn't find. Somewhere that could shield us from this fight between two monsters.
It was my responsibility to take care of myself and my junior first.
As for Little Spring... I just had to trust that he had plot armor and that all that training I'd given him had done him good.
The kid would be fine! He would be. Even though a Qi Condensation cultivator would never actually survive that.
Fuck, I must have gotten dust in my eyes because they stung.
The tigers swatted at each other and likely sent telepathic messages, excluding the bystanders like us from knowing why the hell this fight was taking place.
Before they started seriously attacking each other, I needed to remember the terrain from three hundred years in the future.
The massive crater where the white tiger originally touched down would later develop into a tiny valley. There was a small hill in the east that would become a plateau. That was where the fight would move.
Think, where did this battle not touch?
The river! It was deeper during that time period, but it never changed course. There also hadn't been any large lakes along it. If we could find a cave near it, then we'd be able to hide within and create a base.
I spread my divine sense out. In the south, the assassins started moving in our direction once again. They seriously didn't give up during this disaster?! Really? Was their boss a brainwashing cult leader? What was wrong with them?
::Follow the river!:: I pointed.
::Are you kidding me? That area is more open. You know they're still after us.::
::What's more dangerous, those two beasts or some scattered assassins?::
::I don't see—::
::Their fight won't reach the water. If we want to have a chance at survival, fucking follow it!::
Apparently, he didn't have to be told thrice and started running.
I needed a deeper look at the area to find a hiding spot. Since I was still stuck using a Golden Core level divine sense, that meant we'd have to move closer.
::Also, you should put me down. I can run on my own.::
::Well, you weren't moving when Little Spring d—::
::—Don't think that. He's alive.:: I couldn't blame him. If I didn't know we lived in a Xianxia story, and that kid was the protagonist, I'd assume he was dead, too.
::Senior Lin... he's only a Qi Condensation cultivator. That beast that hit him was at least a stage 5.::
::Actually, it's probably a stage 3.::
He set me down. ::How can it possibly be that low?!::
::This is my first time seeing one, but I think that white tiger…:: I pointed to the massive fluffy tail, the only part visible from our location. ::…is an Ascendant beast.::
He sputtered. I grabbed his sleeve and forced him to start running.
::A stage 3 Ascendant beast is basically the same thing as a stage 5 or 6 spiritual beast!::
::It's not. The only record of a pinnacle stage 3 Ascendant beast getting killed was by thirty Immortal Ascension practitioners. And after that fight, only a handful were still alive. Meanwhile, it would only take one to three Immortal Ascension masters to slaughter a peak stage 6 spiritual beast. They are not the same.::
"Are you serious?!"
::Save your breath for running. And of course, I am.::
While I could never get a spiritual or mystical beast to like me, I always hoped I could befriend a beyond-human-intelligent Ascendant beast. Or at least, I believed it wouldn't kill me on sight. The only thing was — they were very powerful and impossible to find. This was my first time seeing one.
According to my research, Ascendant Beast babies started out at stage 1 — the equivalent of low Golden Core. Frankly, the records about these creatures weren't clear.
Some said that they could shapeshift. I'd heard colleagues say that it wasn't shapeshifting, but natural defenses that tricked people into seeing a different reality. From the fiction I read in my past-past life, I always suspected that they had the shifting ability but could only take on human form when they reached level 2.
Well, whatever. The kid wouldn't suddenly bring one home. Not when his destined main contract beast was a nine-tailed fox Mystical beast. The one that joined Bloodsword's harem. Wait. Maybe Little Spring would avoid that bitch since he was a different person with an unfucked soul.
Booms echoed through the forest like thunder. Spiritual energy blew around with the wind. The natural laws bent where the monsters fought.
We continued to run, reaching the river and going towards the mountains.
Finally, my divine sense picked something up. A shallow cave underneath a waterfall. Perfect! I sent directions to Mad Tongue.
***
After we entered the small damp stone cave, I had the teen keep watch on our surroundings while I quickly set up an obfuscation array. Next, I put together a defensive formation.
"Done!"
Mad Tongue immediately sat down and leaned against the wall. He covered his eyes with his hand.
By this point, I didn't have the energy to use my cleaning technique, so I sat on a blanket to cultivate. I needed to replenish my energy so I could contact Little Spring and attempt to help him. Before I could get into the proper mindset, the grump interrupted me.
The teen lowered his arm. "Senior Lin. I tried to hold it in, but I can't."
I raised a brow at the sword cultivator. You were wrong. You were so very-very wrong."
Okay, that was it. Once I reached Foundation Establishment, I would kick his ass. "How?"
He glared. "You said it wouldn't be like the crab mission!"
Story 8 - Tribulation Trepidations (15 ?)
I scowled at the teen. "It's not like that mission at all."
The flabbergasted expression on his face was priceless.
"Listen up, junior, we just watched a pinnacle stage 5 beast beat up a low stage 3 ascendant white tiger. During the crab mission, we saw two stage 5 krakens kill each other."
He glared.
I raised a finger before he could interrupt. "We also didn't embarrass ourselves so badly afterwards that we all agreed to never speak of this mission again." I crossed my arms and grinned. "This is obviously different."
"I can't believe you said that when it's become disproportionately dangerous again! This is exactly like the previous two missions!"
I tossed him a bottle full of pills I specifically created for sword cultivators to replenish their energy. He grabbed it and scowled.
"Are you trying to tell me to eat this and shut up?"
"Your intelligence is why I like to keep you around, Little Clear Eyes Mad Tongue."
He scoffed. "Whatever mission you go on next time, don't expect me to tag along." He put a pill in his mouth. His eyes widened as he likely realized that his Great Martial Aunt had good shit. He cleared his throat. "Unless it's extremely profitable!"
I smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."
He huffed and started to meditate.
I downed a cup of spiritual water and used a half dozen spirit stones to refill my own energy within minutes. Now it was time to contact the kid. The low-realm telepathic technique I used worked well only when the person was close by and I knew where they were. This meant that I'd have to use a secret sound transmission to talk.
"Little Spring, are you safe?"
No response. Even after several minutes of waiting.
Not giving up, I kept trying, repeating the same message. Still no response, even after a quarter hour.
I ground my teeth.
He was alive. He had to be! Knowing what I did about the genre, I wouldn't believe he was dead even if I saw his body.
Maybe I could use a more powerful version of the secret sound transmission? One that could even wake the half-dead. There would be some minor backlash since I'd be using a Foundation Establishment technique at Qi Condensation, but if I could get in contact with that stupid Spring of the Universe, it would be worth it.
I should have taught it to Mad Tongue and had him use it before he started to cultivate. Well, whatever. He might have taken too long to learn it.
"Wake your ass up!" A sour feeling spread through my chest. A trickle of blood dripped down from my lips and I wiped it with a handkerchief. This much was nothing.
"Sis—?" His whispered reply sounded like gravel.
I fucking knew he was still alive.
Now that I'd woken him up, I could switch to a regular sound transmission that wouldn't hurt my body. "Where are you?"
"Everything hurts..." His voice trailed off as if he would pass out any second.
Fuck. I shouldn't have wasted all that time arguing with Mad Tongue.
"Don't you dare go back to sleep! Are you in a private enough place to enter your space?"
"Think so?"
"Then move to the treatment room."
"Hard."
How injured was he?
"You do it anyway!"
"Always."
I had to trust that he'd have at least that much energy.
With that taken care of, it was time to set up a way to disappear without that observant teen noticing. I spread my divine sense out to check the dimensions of the cavern. While the area was shallow, there was enough room for a small tent and a meditating person, even though it would be cramped.
While I should have informed Clear Eyes, disturbing him while he cultivated would be dangerous. Unfortunately, if everything and the formation flags were going to fit in here, he needed to move.
I gently lifted him with my spiritual energy and dragged him to the very back of the cavern, but still within my protective formation. Considering that he didn't flinch, and his internal energy remained steady, I'd been careful enough that he didn't notice.
Next, I placed my new single person tent exactly where I wanted it. It was barely big enough for me to curl up in but to fit into the cave the supports that held it up had to bend significantly. When a disturbing crack sounded, I knew some of them snapped. Whatever. I could always get new sticks.
As soon as I activated the defensive formations of my tent, I went into the space's treatment room.
I had no idea what its original purpose was. It had been a nearly empty room with some cabinets. I'd cobbled together a bunch of tools, baths and a bed to make it the perfect place to cure a serious wound. This way I could rely on treatment methods I'd documented, rather than just throw a strong pill at every cut or gut wound.
Healing pills became less effective the more a cultivator used a specific type. So, I would often treat a wound first, then use a less efficient prescription. This way, I could save the more potent ones for an emergency.
A bloody pile of rags suddenly appeared on the bed. I stepped back. Wait, that was Little Spring. Shit! Was he actually dead?! I didn't think he would be this bad!
There was a slight movement in his chest as he breathed in. How the fuck was this child even still alive? Why hadn't he taken a healing pill yet?
Ah! He wore Ghosty's necklace. This kid likely survived because I'd taught that old man the technique, Bloom of the Night Flower. He'd used it to save the brat and now suffered from depleted energy. It would take him months to recover from this.
I strode over to the bed and quickly scanned Little Spring with my divine sense. My stomach churned and I clenched my hands into fists. Because it was easier to list the places that weren't damaged.
If I ever met the author of this dumbass Xianxia universe, I would fucking murder them!
No child should have to go through this. This kid's bones were broken. Shattered in some places. His muscles were torn up. His insides were only together because of his body cultivation. While Ghosty's shield had saved his life, it obviously hadn't protected him completely.
Someone had to die for putting my cute junior brother through this pain. Rather than a dumbass author that I couldn't get my hands on, that Golden Core asshole with the crimson rope was a person I could murder if I ever met him again. Normally I liked to wait until I was strong enough and take revenge myself but, didn't we have a convenient Shadow Gopher around here? Yes. I would have to make a deal with my Nascent Soul junior later.
I also needed to lecture this brat to use his goddamn space sooner!
Okay. I had to calm down. He required treatment.
Other than the insane amount of damage that would have killed a normal Qi Condensation cultivator, Little Spring also had some of the White Tiger's residual energy within him. If he'd used a pill, his body would just revert back to this horrifying state, making the healing pointless.
Lingering sword Qi and other types of energy was a classic trope I'd often experienced. Those energies would wreak havoc on my body long after the fucker who inflicted the wound was dead. It was a painful shitty experience, and this poor kid was going through it. On top of that he was dealing with the energy of a fucking Ascendant Beast — something even I hadn't seen in my last life.
I gently grabbed Little Spring's head that, thankfully, wasn't harmed that much. He had several cuts that had bled a lot, making his face look worse than it was. His eyes flew open, and his expression became pained.
"You're lucky your martial sister is a thousand-year-old badass. Because I'm the only one in this universe who could cure you."
He mumbled something, then moaned.
Right. He wouldn't be able to think straight. Before starting the procedure, I had to solve his pain. And I couldn't use a knockout pill because I might require his cooperation. That meant I needed to use one of my semi-failed experiments.
I took out my acupuncture needles and placed them in a formation to block out a significant portion of his nerve receptors. This was a technique I'd developed late in life just to see if I could. It was a combination of medical techniques and formations by using needles as flags. Frankly, I was the only person mad enough to try this. Although awkward and hard to use, I had created a working non-drowsy, non-medicinal anesthetic.
While effective, it wasn't something I liked to use. The energies that ran through it ruined good acupuncture needles and the formation often stopped working once a patient moved. These flaws were why I considered it a semi-failed technique.
Little Spring blinked at me, and I could tell the acupuncture-formation was working.
"Okay, I'm going to need your help here. There is a tiny bit of foreign energy inside you. However, to our weak Qi Condensation asses, even this amount could do significant damage to our bodies and cultivation."
To put it simply, it was like taking a pinch of gold dust, making it 10,000 times heavier and spreading it all over the kid. I had to clear away that hyper dense gold, but I only had a 14-karat scraper. While larger, it was soft and malleable. The denser material could easily go right through it if I wasn't careful. It would be very difficult. However, if two scrapers worked together to share the burden and strengthen each other, it would be possible to extract the dense particles much easier.
It also helped that the energy was thin and spread out. If it weren't, then I likely wouldn't be able to remove it at all.
We also needed somewhere to put it. This was something from a rare Ascendant beast. It would be a waste to toss it away like trash.
I leaned back and called, "Spirit of the Space!"
The golden dragon traveled through the wall, then worriedly made figure eights above Little Spring's head.
"Hey, store this residual energy somewhere."
His eyes narrowed, and he glared down at the kid's injuries. "If you can bring it out of his body, I could just eat it."
"Can you throw it back up again?"
The golden dragon huffed out an annoyed breath. "Or I could put it in the deep storage."
That was more like it. "Let's do that."
"Okay, junior brother. How are you feeling?"
"Can't feel most of my body. It hurts some, but I can think now."
This kid looked really miserable. "Regardless of the pain, I need you to work with me. We're going to remove this residual energy from the most dangerous areas first, starting with your heart."
I sent a glare to the dragon. "As soon as you sense it outside his body, send it into storage. I don't want to risk it suddenly returning to cause more damage."
"Hmph, I would never harm my master."
Since I couldn't use the cleaning technique on Little Spring in this state, I used a clean handkerchief to wipe the blood off his face. "It will be difficult with your numbed senses, but you need to work with your spiritual energy. Rotate it the opposite of mine but move it in the same direction."
I showed him what I talked about by rotating the strand I sent into his body like a little drill and moving it toward part of the foreign energy. Because Little Spring and I cultivated mirror techniques, I could send my energy into his body and easily keep it separate from his.
The kid copied and reversed the drill. Sweat beaded on his forehead and I wiped it away. There, a few weak-looking strands of the dense energy surrounded and pressed down on his heart. Frankly, the fact that this kid was still alive was a miracle. If we hadn't finished our body cultivation meals, he would be dead right now.
I tried to drill it in the middle of the strand, thinking that moving it from its center of mass would be easiest. Unfortunately, while this moved it, it was very slow, and was inefficient. I had us spread out along the string until we came to the third lines. The strand advanced much easier if we pushed it from there. It was almost like Little Spring's energy was positive, mine was negative, and the foreign particle was a magnet getting repelled by our energies.
A minute or two later, we had the first one out of his body.
The dragon moved its small claws, capturing the string and sending it away.
Fuck, this was taking forever, and I didn't know how fast Clear Eyes would finish his meditation and check the tent. Well, we knew what worked. We just needed to get it finished sooner. Since removing one strand at a time would take an eternity, I sent more tendrils of Qi into his torso.
"Sister Lin?"
Once again, I wiped his forehead. "I know you're exhausted, but I need to get this done. The faster we take this energy out of your body, the faster I can heal your injuries."
He mumbled something but complied. We pushed a dozen parts at a time. I watched Little Spring to see if he had trouble keeping up, but he followed my lead perfectly. Meanwhile, the dragon caused the strings to vanish the moment they left, relieving us of a burden.
As soon as we finished that batch, the kid cleared his throat. "Are you angry with me?"
"Concentrate on the task." I grimaced as I continued throwing out more strands of energy. "I'm not upset with you. But I regret taking you with me. You shouldn't have to go through this at your age."
"The world isn't safe. I'd rather face danger with you than remain secure and protected in the sect."
This fucking crazy-ass protagonist. How could he go through something like this and still say that? Was I not teaching him, right?
"I need to train you how to take better care of yourself during a crisis."
"Some things I can only learn by experiencing them."
Well, he wasn't wrong. But was it necessary to go through these things when he was only nine?
"Focus. I'm going to add more tendrils."
"More?!"
"Less talking, more pushing."
Story 8 - Tribulation Trepidations (16?)
At twenty strands every five minutes, removing the lingering energy went faster than I'd suspected. It still took an hour to clear away the foreign Qi and have the dragon store it away.
Even though the bleeding had stopped long ago, because of his repetitive energy usage, Little Spring had developed dark circles around his eyes and his pale face had turned paper white.
"What's next?" His voice sounded lethargic.
"Now it's time for you to sleep so you can wake up fully recovered."
"Don't lie to me. I'm too injured even for your best healing pills, aren't I?"
"I'm not lying." I added in fresh acupuncture needles and took out the ones that I no longer needed. The ones I removed turned black and crumbled into dust because of the wasteful technique. Slowly, I changed the anesthetic formation into the version that put patients to sleep. "Once you wake up, you'll feel like new."
"Can I really recover from this..." his voice drifted off.
"Yes. But I can't promise that your body will be the same when I'm done." It was possible that even with my Lin's Healing Dan, the previous damage would cause issues with his body. It might even affect his cultivation going forward.
Of course, this was a Xianxia universe, so that meant leaving on a decade-long adventure to find a miracle plant. Well, maybe he'd get lucky.
Now that he was asleep, I began using my divine sense as the most perfect x-ray while my spiritual energy placed all the shards of bone back together and realigned tendons and muscles. I was pretty sure surgeons from my past-past life would have paid millions for this ability.
Moving all of his parts to their correct locations took a couple of hours. It was long tiring work that only increased my anger toward that crimson rope guy. That fucker needed to die.
After I double-checked that every part of Little Spring's body was back in place, or as close to it as I could get, I force-fed him a Lin's Healing Dan. Instead of allowing the energy to randomly flow through him, I controlled it, forcing it to travel along the same pathways as his cultivation technique.
That was when a familiar energy appeared within him. This kid's unique physique finally showed up! How long had it been since I'd seen its lock release like this? A year and a half? This new energy traveled behind the medicinal one, strengthening the repaired areas. Seeing this was a fucking relief. It meant that the kid wouldn't have to worry about sequelae after all.
The shattered bone and mended torn ligaments I healed became even tougher. Impossibly strong for a Qi Condensation cultivator. Actually, by the time I was done spreading the energy throughout Little Spring's body, he had a stronger skeleton than I did, and I'd been through two different types of body cultivations!
Well, whatever. I could still kick his ass If I needed to.
Even though he'd been perfectly healed, he still looked like a pile of bloody rags. That was no good. I repeatedly used the cleaning technique on him to the point where his cheeks shined and his clothes were torn in places but spotless.
Next, I removed the acupuncture needles. They all turned black and crumbled into dust, leaving me with a mere half dozen. I grabbed those, dipped them in some spring water, and applied them to the same acupoints I used to wake up Clear Eyes earlier. Then I pulled them out.
"Three, two, one!"
He sucked in a breath and sat up.
"It's alive! It's alive! Muahahaha!"
The brat looked at me like I was crazy.
What? Who didn't want to reenact the first science fiction story?
Then his eyes grew wide. He patted his body as if he couldn't believe it. He blinked rapidly. Then, without saying anything, he gave me the biggest, most adorable grin.
While I had originally learned to cure others in order to heal myself, there was something wonderful about helping someone get better.
"You're perfectly healthy now. Actually, you're better than you had been! So don't doubt me again. Just who do you think your older sister is?"
"Fairy Lin!" He gave me a brief hug. "Thank you!"
"Now that we've taken care of your injuries, I have to get back to Clear Eyes Mad Tongue before he realizes that I'm not in my tent. Why don't you stay here while we make our way to you?"
He tapped his chin. "I think I can leave the space where you are if it helps."
"That... actually makes a lot of sense." I totally should have realized this earlier. "We each carry an entry point to this space. We should be able to exit it wherever the other is."
He nodded.
"But if we used that ability, then Clear Eyes would definitely become suspicious. While he's a good person, I'd rather not test his resolve to keep this treasure hidden."
"Then I'll make my way over to you once I leave from wherever I landed."
"Where are you, anyway?"
He scratched the back of his head. "I only remember bits and pieces, but it looked like some underground maze."
This kid's protagonist's luck was off the goddamn charts. He gets hit by an ascendant beast, heals his body to be stronger than it had been, then lands in the middle of an inheritance.
"Is the entrance still there?"
"No. The place where I entered collapsed behind me. I barely slid inside the corridor before the rest of it caved in."
"Well, chances are you either found another legacy or you discovered a trap of some kind."
His eyes turned serious. "I want to explore it and try to find an exit."
"Alright. But since Ghosty is out of action, you'll be there by yourself. Of course, this heritage doesn't seem to prevent communication so ask me anything at any time."
He nodded excitedly.
Maybe he looked forward to treasure hunting or something. I flicked his glabella. "However, don't allow yourself to become injured again. Next time I see blood on you I'll put you through hell training so difficult that you'll wish you were dead."
His spine stiffened. "Yes, Sister Lin!" He said before disappearing.
I looked at the gold dragon. "Of course, when we get back to the sect, I'm still increasing his training. If he'd used the space sooner, none of this would have happened."
The spirit held up the scoreboard, showing that I'd earned another point.
***
When I exited the space, my tent swayed from side to side. I poked my head out.
Clear Eyes Mad Tongue shook the tent while repeatedly saying, "Wake up, wake up!" A vein ticked at the corner of his temples.
When he saw me his eyes widened. "Were you dead in there? I've been trying to get your attention for hours."
"I was walking Little Spring through how to treat his wounds. They were extremely severe. If I allowed myself to get even slightly distracted, something terrible might have happened."
"He's alive?!"
I nodded.
"How? He's in Qi Condensation and was hit by an Ascendant Beast!"
I grinned at the teen. "There is a reason why you call us Great Martial Aunt and Uncle."
This, of course, implied that we had the protection of an immortal. It was the perfect excuse to get him to stop asking uncomfortable questions.
"Have the beasts stopped fighting?"
"Probably. I haven't heard thunder for the last hour."
I nodded, then I grinned. "Hey, Little Clear Eyes Mad Tongue. How'd you like to see a Qi Condensation cultivator get revenge against a Core Formation expert?"
He coughed. "Senior Lin. You're not saying—"
"Junior!" I interrupted him. "Your martial uncle's injuries were horrific. And you know how old he is. The man with the crimson rope aimed for the kid on purpose. A child of our sect."
It took him a second, but eventually, his expression turned grim.
"Tell me what I can do to help."
My smile turned vicious. "I'm glad you asked."
***
"Are you sure this is going to work, Senior Lin?"
"Well, it's between this or calling Junior Shadow Gopher over."
"He's on a special assignment for the sect. We can't disturb him for revenge."
"Exactly why I thought of doing this!" Muahahaha! And this would allow me to get my revenge using my own skills... As long as we didn't die before my plan succeeded.
"Also, don't forget that you owe me all those mid-tier spirit stones."
"Your Senior always pays her debts. Even if it's through alchemy. Which would be a better deal for you."
"I can't even deny that."
Where we stood had once been a tall, rocky hilltop. Technically, it was still a hill, but the beasts' fight had ripped a massive slice through it, creating a small valley. The floor was covered in debris and tons of jagged grey stones. The uneven terrain could really mess up footwork for those who weren't careful. It was also a great place to hide things.
I tossed Clear Eyes a bottle. "There are trick pills in there. Strong enough to kill a Qi Condensation cultivator, temporarily paralyze a Foundation Establishment practitioner, and slow down a Golden Core." They were something I cobbled together using nearby spiritual plants and my alchemy skills.
I handed him another bottle. "And here is the antidote, in case someone throws it back in your face."
He gave me a look. "Why did I agree to do this again?"
I grinned. "Because they went after our sect's children and you want revenge as much as I do."
The teen nodded grimly. "What should I do if he pressures me with his cultivation base?"
I scowled at him. "You're a sword cultivator."
"So?"
Did I really have to explain it to him? I knew he was smarter than this. Well, it had been a long day. Both of us were exhausted from the hours we spent preparing for my plan.
"Listen, the way of the sword is one of the hardest paths to walk because a significant portion of your cultivation comes from enlightenment."
He nodded, looking very confused.
"But with that insight, you also gain a higher understanding of how the universe works. How laws affect this world."
"But how does that help with pressure?"
"Since you understand the universe at a greater level than your Golden Core opponent, while you'll still feel pressure, your control over the world around you is superior. This allows sword cultivators to overcome what would debilitate the average practitioner."
His mouth opened. "Wait. Is that why we're known for punching up in rank? That's the reason behind it?!"
I grinned. "One of them. The other is obviously your increased strength at lower levels and your tenacity." I patted his shoulder. "While you might not be strong enough to defeat a Golden Core cultivator at your current level, briefly running away from one shouldn't be too hard."
He grimaced but nodded. Then he left the valley as if he were walking towards his death. With any luck, this would be an excellent opportunity for Clear Eyes.
I followed his progress with my divine sense as he ran through the forest towards the first cultivator with Golden Core level cultivation. I'd directed him there because I couldn't tell which assassin of that realm was the crimson rope man. The assassins were currently using some kind of technique to hide their presence. The only way I was able to detect them was due to my higher realmed soul.
This wasn't the asshole we were looking for. The teen backed up and started towards the second energy I felt.
This next person had a fainter presence.
When Clear eyes neared him, he crouched low behind some trees as he made his approach. Then he tossed out several trick pills. The teen slashed his sword at the guy while using his strongest Thousand Tons Dirt Eating Blade. The assassin pulled a rope weapon from his bag and dodged the attack before throwing the tip at Clear Eyes.
The teen ducked under the powerful spiritual rope. It passed over him, slicing into the back of his robes but not actually touching the sword cultivator. Without hesitating, Clear Eyes threw another two pills at the man before retreating in my direction.
It was nerve-wracking how the teen went round after round with this guy, barely escaping each time they clashed. Still, I knew he could do it. And if anyone needed practice fleeing from people who were higher in realm it was that walking disaster mouth.
The sounds of fighting grew closer.
The Golden Core must have told his buddies because several more assassins started toward our direction.
I loosened my clenched fist, pulled my sword from my hair, and enlarged it.
"Senior Lin! Run! They've discovered us!"
The crimson rope guy smirked, likely thinking that we were dumb to lead him right to his target.
"I'm not leaving without you!" I said like a little girl.
Clear eyes threw the last of the trick pills at the assassin, then ran toward me.
And that was when I sent a spiritual energy-infused kick to a specific location in mid-air, activating my illusion-slaughter formation.
The bastard that hurt Little Spring tossed his tip rope at Mad Tongue. The power that it possessed was enough to kill the teen. I had to use my most powerful stabbing sword Qi attack to get it to swerve off course enough to avoid him.
When the assassin went in for a whip-like strike, I grabbed Clear Eyes' belt and pulled him out of the way with my body cultivation-enhanced muscles. Then I picked him up, threw him over my shoulder, and started jumping through my activated slaughter formation while using the Impossible Leap technique.
::Senior Lin! Put me down! I can do it myself.::
::Even if you could, this is easier.::
::Do you know how embarrassed I feel getting carried by an 11-year-old girl a realm lower than me?"
::I'm just returning the favor from earlier. Besides, I'm your senior.::
::Okay. I was wrong. I shouldn't have picked you up without your permission back then.::
::Just shut up and let me get to the safe zone.::
As soon as I reached the flat boulder on top of the hill, I set the teen down. This was the only place within the massive slaughter array where no one would be harmed. Something I prepared because the only way a Qi Condensation cultivator could defeat a Golden Core was by not playing fair. I even used a whole tree branch from the Golden Walnut tree just to create the perfect flag sticks for this!
We both peered down and watched as the crimson rope guy used attack after attack against invisible illusions of us. More of the assassins entered the formation and started lashing out at the surrounding air. Then they began fighting each other, using powerful techniques to kill each other off amid the curved blades of energy that formed within the deadly array.
The crimson rope user fell under the onslaught of attacks from his underlings and my badass formation. I felt zero sympathy for these assassins who went after children.
Clear Eyes' lips thinned.
"Hey. What if this hadn't worked?"
I eyed him. "In what way?"
"If one of them had seen through this trap of ours?"
I laughed.
He raised both eyebrows.
"First of all, I had you strike him that way to fool them. They would believe we were getting revenge by using a sneak attack to make up the difference in realm. Next, I had you lure them here like you were desperately attempting to escape, so they would lower their guard."
He scowled. "I was desperately trying to escape. Do you know how hard it was running from that guy?! I almost died several times!"
I looked him over. His uniform was torn in places, and his face appeared paler than normal. Other than that, he appeared fine. "You're not even that injured."
He huffed and rubbed his side. "I have some internal injuries. They hurt."
I handed him a high-quality healing pill.
"I didn't say that to.… Well, thank you." He put it in his mouth and rotated his cultivation base.
"It's only right for a senior to take care of their juniors."
Color returned to his face, and he opened his eyes. "Okay, you planned for all that. But what if they'd had an arrangement master with them?"
"They likely thought their earlier trap would be successful. But, if they had done their research, and knew I was a formation master, they wouldunderestimate me. I'm too young. If they sent someone, it wouldn't have been anyone decent. And as you can see from my Nine Pillars Illusionary Blade Slaughter Formation, I create masterworks. Once I've turned my array on, no one can escape it unless they discover a path I've left for myself." Muahahahaha!
He opened his mouth, closed it, then said, "Senior Lin... Remind me never to piss you off."
I patted his shoulder. "Knowing you, you'll do it, anyway. But I promise I won't kill you just for being annoying."
***
Once all the assassins in the nearby area had fallen into my trap, I turned the formation off and looted their bodies... for clues. And spirit stones. Powering that array had been expensive, and I needed to pay back the teen.
In one bag, I discovered a manual for a transcendence rank full body disguise technique. While I'd seen face transformation spells, this was the first at this level. It made me tempted to use it. Of course, I'd have to decipher it since someone hid it behind layers of codes and traps.
Other than those, the assassins had nothing else. They were professional enough to not leave any traces back to their employer.
Regardless of how careful they were, Clear Eyes and I collected a decent amount of currency from them. Unfortunately, they'd used up all their talismans in the first fight with us.
The teen picked up the last storage bag and scowled as he took out another dozen stones. "Is this what being a mountain bandit feels like?"
I patted his shoulder. "This is what winning through tactics and plans feels like. Now let's collect the flag sticks and rendezvous with the Kid."