Chapter 5: The Wrath of the heavenly will
The atmosphere was dense with tension, as Qiangu Qitian stared right back at this woman in front of him. Cruel intentions underlined with her ethereal beauty shone within those mismatched eyes. His body shook under oppression from her aura, while his spirit refused to bend.
You dare to defy me?" she hissed sweetly, her every word filled with venom. "You mortals and your fragile shells do stand the chance of containing that which is mine to claim.
She reached out a hand, and a wave of dark energy oscillated in the air. Qiangu felt an unseen hand grab his body and pull on the very marrow of the Primordial Yin-Yang Creation Body. It hurt like hell, like each and every one of his cells was torn from his body.
He clenched his teeth tight and refused to let her have the pleasure of hearing his scream.
Qiangu's eyes then blazed with an onslaught of silver and crimson as his attempt was being done to resist the invading force. He mobilized all of his techniques in cultivation, but they were like ants in holding up a flood.
The woman didn't change her expression, her attention completely focused on the extraction of the essence of his physique.
"This is what you cling to?" she mocked. "Weak, unrefined-you don't even understand its true power.
Icy and fiery energies surged in protest in Qiangu's body, acting on the threat. Frost formed on his left, while flames erupted on his right, but the opposing forces were unbalanced and chaotic.
The woman smirked.
"Pathetic."
She closed her grip on the flow of energy, and Qiangu's knees buckled. His vision blurred, and he felt his consciousness slipping.
Suddenly, the sky blackened. A deep rumble reverberated through the forest, and heavy energy built up in the air.
The woman hesitated, her expression changing just a little.
A streak of lightning tore across the sky, casting an area around them in light so amazingly bright. A boom of thunder shook the earth beneath their feet.
Qiangu clung onto her consciousness and looked at the sky: The sky above churned violently and turned into a vortex of storm clouds. Bolts of lightning danced inside, converging into a terrifying force.
The woman frowned and wrinkled her golden eye.
"So, the heavens themselves want to take part in the action," she said drily. "How interesting."
At that moment, the storm intensified further, and a lightning bolt struck the ground, smoldering a crater just meters away from her. Strong enough to send Qiangu flying backward, yet this woman did not budge an inch.
"Do you think this would stop me?" she asked with sheer contempt. She turned upwards then, speaking to the storm as if it was a sentient being. "You have already abandoned this body of mine. Why interfere now?
Another bolt struck closer this time, but she did not move.
Qiangu worked his way to his feet, straining against his aching body. He was aware of the storm-the energy, the pure, raw power at a scale he had never felt.
The woman exhaled heavily, as if in boredom.
"If this is the best the heavens could do, then no wonder it abandoned this broken world.".
She lifted her hand, and the oppressive aura surged around her. The storm answered with another bolt of lightning, but this time she caught it in her palm. The crackling energy coiled around her fingers like a serpent before dissipating.
Her lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Is that all?"
As if to rise to her provocation, a storm of lightning struck from all directions around her in increasingly powerful hits. The earth shook, the trees trembled, even the air hummed to life.
The woman's face darkened.
"Enough," she said in her sharp voice.
In an instant, the waves of energy exploded from her, sending a shockwave that defused the flames and frost around them.
But then something unexpected happened.
Her body flickered, the perfect body rippling like a mirage. Qiangu Qitian watched in confusion as her form began to dissolve, revealing something far more mysterious.
The figure before him changed from a woman into an unimaginably powerful being-a silver-colored dragon of majesty. Her presence was suffocating; her aura was like an abyss that devoured all light.
Finally, Qiangu could hardly breathe under the weight of her presence.
For a single instant, the entire world was silent.
When that white light faded, she was just standing there, looking irritated.
Pathetic," she said, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "Did you really think the heavens could harm me?"
Her voice echoed throughout the forest, carrying with it an air of the highest authority.
Qiangu's heart sank because if even the heavens could not stop her, what could he?
He forced himself to stand up, his silver and crimson eyes locking onto hers.
"You might be stronger than me." he said, hoarse but determined, "but this is my body, my essence, and I won't let you take it.
She arched a brow, and with a spark of interest, a fire lit in her eyes.
"You amuse me, mortal," she said, her tone all mockery. "Very well. Show me the full depth of your defiance, i also want to see, how long you can immune to this."
The oppressive energy of her true form hung heavy in the air, like it could squeeze the life out of the forest. Her shining eyes, golden and black, felt like they were bored into Qiangu Qitian with a mixture of annoyance and intrigue mixed within. Her lips twisted into a cruelly captivating smile as for one end, she couldn't forcefully steal the essence from the Primordial Yin-Yang Creation Body.
"You are stronger than I forecast," she mused, the serenity in her voice laced with poison. "But you remain nothing more than a human at the mercy of every whim of a body which you do not even know anything about. I'll be taking what I came here for, one way or another."
Qiangu Qitian, though battered and weakened, glared at her defiantly. The silvery glow in his eyes flickered but did not fade. His voice was hoarse, yet it carried the weight of his resolve.
"You won't get anything from me," he growled. "This is my body, my essence, and I'll fight to my last breath to keep it."
She laughed softly, the sound melodious yet tinged with malice.
Oh, little mortal," she said, "I don't need your permission. You'll give it to me of your own free will, even if you don't know it yet.
She stepped closer, her aura shifting subtly; the oppressive dominance of her earlier presence gave way to something far more insidious-a warmth that was both inviting and treacherous. Her golden eye seemed to burn brighter while the black one swirled with an abyssal energy pulling at Qiangu's very soul.
"I am from the Dragon Clan," she declared, her voice swollen with pride. "A lineage more ancient than the stars themselves. My Chaotic-Devouring Body is incomparable in assimilation and overpowering. It only strengthens through the absorption of other people's essences, turning their power into mine. But for a physique like yours, that just simply will not do."
Her gaze softened, calculatedly so.
"To take what is yours, we must merge. Your resistance will only make this. more interesting."
Qiangu's heart sank as realization dawned.
"Dual cultivation." he whispered, voice trembling, drawing from some knowledge of the novels he had read.
The woman smiled deeper, her beauty now weaponized to disarm him. She moved closer, her steps deliberate, the faint clinking of her otherworldly armor echoing in the silence.
"You're a smart one," she said, the tone of her voice almost playful. "Dual cultivation is not merely about power but is actually a harmonious union: the ultimate combination of Yin and Yang as one. And that your precious physique just screams for balance, which I am willing to provide while taking all for myself.".
"Although I admired the kind of person who defied heaven, unfortunately he is now dead, and there will never be a second one. As for losing my virginity, it doesn't matter. If I can acquire such a precious thing, I don't care. Hehe, you can even enjoy me, little mortal."
Qiangu stumbled back, his mind racing. He had read about dual cultivation in the fragmented memories of novels from his past life. It was a method of sharing and amplifying energy between two individuals, often requiring complete trust. But in this case, it was nothing short of a trap.
"You think I'd willingly hand myself over to you?" he spat.
For a moment, her face went hard before it smoothed back into its tranquil mask again.
"You have no choice," she said shortly. "Your body is already enervated from the revival of your physique. Yin and Yang inside you are too sensitive. I could knock out the balance with just a single move, but what's the fun in that?
Qiangu Qitian's fists were clenched as icy and fiery energies surged in protest, while the silver and crimson light in his eyes flared brighter as he funneled what little strength remained within him.
"I won't let you take it," he growled out between his teeth.
The woman raised an eyebrow, her eyes genuinely impressed with his defiance.
"Jie. hie. Such spirit," she said almost wistfully. "But spirit alone won't save you."
She suddenly thrust out her hand, and a surge of disorganized energy washed over him. It was not an attack, per se-at least, not in the classical sense. Rather, it was a direct assault on his mind and soul, a subtle yet insidious attempt to erode his resistance.
Qiangu felt his consciousness slipping, the edges of his will fraying under the relentless pressure.
"No!" he roared, forcing himself to focus.
These frozen and burning energies roared in him, forming a defensive shield in his mind. However, the woman's Chaotic-Devouring Body was too violent; its essence burrowed through the cracks in his defenses.
The aura around the woman flared as she prepared to initiate the dual cultivation process. Her body shone with a radiant yet ominous light; the golden and black energies intertwined like serpents.
"This will be over soon," she said, her tone seductive and cruel.
But just as her energy was beginning to merge with his, the heavens intervened.
The storm that had raged earlier now returned with renewed fury. A deafening crack of thunder rent the air, and