Blue... that was all Shula saw before a feeling of weightlessness filled her mind and heart. Her chest ached as her heart pumped with adrenaline and fear, she was falling and fast approaching the big blue mass of deep waters. In that instant she kind of regretted dashing straight in without a plan or any preparation.
Seconds turned into minutes and the watery surface drew closer and closer, Shula positioned her body in a canon ball style and then, she slammed into the waters with a loud splash. Fortunately she knew how to swim, struggling back to the surface, Shula kicked her legs and padded her hands enabling her to reach the surface gasping for breath.
Looking around, she wondered which direction to take, unlike the other trials this one seemed not to give her a line to follow but the catch is, the line is there. Ju Tian, the poor worried ancestor, wanted to warn Shula earlier that this trial required one to activate their Qi. If she had spoken to him he would have lent her his Qi temporarily but alas, fate has a way of making things hard.
Shula began to swim, she just chose the direction randomly and it happened to be slightly away from the setting sun which could be either north or south. What she did not know was that she was actually swimming away from the line and deeper into the sea of the formation where there is no control over what can or cannot approach you. As she swam freely, leisurely actually... deep in the waters below where the highest mountain peaks are drowned and where the sun rays are absorbed into nothingness, a rumble was heard.
The sound was deep, like a low timbre of an organ and the sound was spread across a vast region yet it was dispersed by the deep waters before it could reach the surface hence Shula heard nothing. The great fish of the sea and even the predators who crowned themselves king of their territories were shaken by the sound and hid in their deepest caves and shells. In that darkness, a wave appeared forcing the waters to part for it and bearing the deep sea pressure like child's play.
I feel the presence of a strong creature. It is swimming on the surface... let's see what it is.
The waters that had been parted were once again thrashed about creating gusts of water and waves that swept the unsuspecting creatures away smashing them against the rocks and against the sea floor. The ones hidden in their shells and caves had to run away as their homes were getting swept up by the waters. If they could express themselves it would probably be utmost dissatisfaction with the creature that roused the Great One's attention.
Shula who was above the surface belatedly felt the movement of the water beneath her. It was a small wave stirring beneath her but she did not dismiss it, waiting a few more seconds another small wave touched her feet before dissipating. This caused her to raise her vigilance after all she had no idea what was awaiting her in this trial. A few hundred thousand miles away from her was a vast sea of purple, the beauty of it was reflected when the sun rays bounced off the purple sheet of light. Beneath the beautiful purple sea was millions of tendrils all swaying in a unique manner almost mesmerising to the eye.
And yet, no creature could admire this beauty because it was a but calamity of death. Small sparks of electricity could be seen moving about amidst the millions of tendrils and beneath them lay a mountain of bones, the bones were of different sizes and different density, but still bones nonetheless.
I felt it, a few hundred thousand miles away, that stupid abomination moved and has stepped into our boundaries. Previously we wounded him so much that he had to make a chimera version of his arms. That was the last warning today he shall die! Move out! .
As though the sea came to life, the purple sheet in the sea began to move revealing the long forgotten blue of the ocean. They sank into the deep waters disappearing from the surface of the ocean like it was never there in the first place. This vast purple sheet was a colony, an army or more so a kingdom of the deadliest sea creature...
Jellyfish.
Electric Jellyfish.
They were purple due to one thing and one thing only, their ability to manipulate lightning with immense ease and finesse. As though responding to the call of their owner, peals of thunder could be heard from all around as the clouds moved with the now submerged purple kingdom. Shula who was still unaware of the two great dangers still swam freely on the surface hoping to find a small island in which she could rest. Having not spotted a single bird, she knew she was still far from land.
Seconds turned to minutes and minutes into hours and Shula was exhausted, taking a breather while floating she wondered what next .. is it death by drowning? My arms and legs are sore, my body is freezing as the weather gets cooler. I regret coming here in such a rush maybe if I took time to plan instead of just jumping in I would not be in this mess. For the rest of this journey.. I hope I make it to the end.
Lost in her thoughts she did not notice the gathered storm clouds above her and that beneath her a Great War was about to occur. Deep below where the light never shines and the hidden unknown dwell and thrive, the colossal creatures met but the fight did not start immediately.
'Hey you stupid Tako, why did you come to our side?'
'Did you not sense the powerful presence above us you flabby jelly'
'How dare you call this queen flabby?! I sensed her but she is but a child, dormant not awake.'
'Who cares I want to eat her and you won't stop me you spineless midget'
'I don't care, if you win you may eat her and me but before that you have to pay!'
The colossal octopus was a beast of great size and strength, an ancient beast that was brought here into the formation while it was young one, raised for the sole purpose of challenging the heir of the formation. The last one to ever fight with these two beings was Ju Tian and he won hence conquering the 3rd step and owning it.
The octopus had one eye, the other slashed by Ju Tian but that one eye was as large as a ship glowing with malice and anger, it's six tentacles coiled and uncoiled with eerie precision preparing to strike at any second. Its two arms were a mixture of a mantis shrimp and a crab creating a grotesque appearance worthy of the title chimera. The jellyfish feared the two arms more than the six tentacles because these arms were a deadly force to be reckoned with.
Suddenly agitated, the millions of jellyfish moved, it seemed as though an underwater mirage had formed in the ocean or more like purple mist but their translucent gelatinous bodies crackled with lightning painting the ocean in colour. Billions upon billions of thin whip like tentacles pulsed and swayed with bio electric fury, the octopus upon seeing this its body naturally shifted, its skin taking on a deep crimson colour as its chromatophores flared in alarm.
The first wave struck.
Tentacles lashed out capturing hundreds of jellyfish at once, crushing them with overwhelming might and yet as though becoming the epitome of spiritual creatures, they pieced back together as though nothing happened, sending millions of volts into the tentacles. The water shimmered with a bright glow at their discharge but the octopus as though prepared twisted it's giant body with a certain charm belonging only to the giant sea serpent, a powerful jet of black ink filled the sight of the jellyfish.
Having already seen this move before, the jellyfish swam right through the ink filled water only to be met by the beaked maw of the octopus waiting for them with its jagged teeth the size of small mountain peaks. In a bid to escape the maw, the jellyfish summoned more electricity to blind the octopus which didn't work, thousands upon thousands of the gelatinous fiend were swallowed never to be seen again.
At this point, the war between the two had entered a state of no return, when the octopus used the mantis shrimp hand to punch, a mini eruption of water occurred. This one Shula felt because the torrent of water was punched with the force of a nascent soul realm cultivator and it flowed up till the surface. One second Shula was lost in her thoughts, the next she was being punched in the back by large amounts of water and painfully so, because she left the surface of water a few good meters before falling back.
In a state of shock, she coughed up mouthfuls of water before looking down, there she saw the great abyssal war that was taking place.
Aaaah! I need to get out of here!
In a panic Shula began to swim as far as she could and yet these were creatures that spanned for hundreds of kilometres. A second punch came and a bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, I'm so dead... with that thought she felt the push of water from behind.
The pressure was so much that 3 of her ribs were cracked and her muscles spasmed with pain as they tried to protect her spine. Seeing the lightning above her and feeling the weight of water dissipating, she could only hope for a painless death. Falling back into the water, she felt nothing hit her back.... the displaced water had yet to fill up this time and she was headed straight for the sea floor.
Turning around Shula came face to face with the abyss creatures, the jellyfish at this point had captured one of the chimera hands frying it to the point it smelt quite delicious to Shula, the second arm was punching at speeds so high, Shula could only see the water movement not the arm. This is why the water had yet to settle back because these rapid punches continue to displace the water while dealing a lot of damage to the jellys. I better brace myself before I reach the floor.... how long am I going to fall?
As Shula tried to calculate the timing of her landing, the octopus stopped punching because, it's first arm fell off and the jellyfish held the second, a deep rumble was heard and Shula could only cover her ears but still it felt like the sound of this creature was passing through her ears and entering her mind. Blood began to drip from her ears and nose, Shula could also feel her lungs clogging with blood. Just as she was about to black out after hearing the sonic attack of the octopus, the water rushed to fill the gap.
The first wave hit her right side like a wild boar, throwing her to the side mercilessly, the second wave came from her left, smashing into her already cracked ribs breaking them under the pressure. It's like being caught up in an earth iron bull stampede. The waves just kept on coming tossing her up and down, blood escaped her mouth as she tried to breathe only for more water to fill her lungs,
I really should not have come here.
This was the last thought Shula had before she blacked out. The war continued and the jellyfish were on the verge of winning, not holding back they sent millions upon billions of volts into the octopus but these volts also touched upon the waters. Shula who was still a few kilometres from reaching them was unconscious, her body having accepted too much water. When the volts of |electricity reached her, her body jolted feeling the shocks across the fibres of her being.
Shula felt something, deep inside of her. If she was awake she could fully understand what was happening but as of now, it was her subconscious mind controlling what she felt as though she was in a dream. When the volts of electricity continued to hit her and the water grew heavier and the weights of the ocean fell on her shoulders, the little fire hidden deep in her heart's core woke up.
With the first jolt, the small flame was like a will-o-wisp ready to be blown out any second. On the second jolt, the flame seemed to sense something, greedily swallowing up the bio electric energy into itself. On the third jolt, the flame was hungry for more, now it had become a blazing fire thirsty for more energy. The waters around Shula suddenly began to loose their weight, her body was absorbing the Qi filling the waters of the ocean. The flame inside her grew so fast it began to form a small round sphere.
It was like a star, absorbing all that is around it with vigorous want, filling itself with energy taking whatever it wants from the environment. The octopus which was now on its last tentacles of life, felt the energy being sucked into Shula. With one last step of greed it proceeded to capture the floating girl dragging her deeper into the ocean where more Qi was found.
The octopus opened its maw and threw the girl in, feeling her slip through his teeth because the gaps were big, she fell directly in his stomach.
Hahaha, now that I have her energy I will finish you off jelly fish.
You are stupid. Hope you die in peace.
The jellyfish queen said and suddenly departed quickly from the area. The jellyfish have always been more sensitive to Qi and all its fluctuations, the queen could clearly tell that this girl was awakening and if she was, she would absorb anything and everything around her for she felt the bloodline of a terrifying ferocious beast in her.
Watching the jellyfish swim away, the octopus pursued and yet, not even a mile into his swim he felt it. A searing heat growing in his belly and the Qi stored in his beast core vanishing in seconds. If anyone could see inside of its belly they would see Shula, who was simply floating about, aflame.
Her body was covered in flames, or well it was the flames. The small flame in her heart had grown into a small star, then into a big star and now it was a star on the verge of dying. The star shrank continuously until finally it exploded and what was left in its place was a very vibrant red core and something similar to a black hole surrounding it. The excess energy of the flames traveled through Shula's meridians, awakening the dormant Qi in her. The octopus could only sigh in regret before it was blown apart from the inside with the force of an Imperial Emperor realm cultivator.
Floating once more in the ocean, the up thrust of the water pushed her till the surface and yet she was still aflame, her fire was not getting doused or even extinguished by the water rather it was burning away the water in seconds. All the water that had filled her lungs had already evaporated and so did her clothes, only her hair was left because it seemed to be connected to the flame intimately. The red and orange hues of her hair shone with lustre as though given the best nourishment.
Vapour filed the area around Shula and she began to sweat feeling the heat. As though remembering what was happening before she blacked out, she woke up with shock and readiness to burst open a stomach.
Huh?! How come I'm on the surface? And what's up with my hair? Aaa! My clothes?!
Shula tried to find something to hide herself with when she belatedly remembered she was in water. As she looked around she finally saw it...the line. Happy beyond comprehension, Shula began to swim quickly only to realise that she could touch the water as though it was solid ground. It was only for a second before she once again felt the water flowing. Trying to understand what was going on, Shula tried again to feel the solid parts of the water.
She did not know that she was making the water solid when she touched it with her Qi. It took her about 2 hours to figure it out and another 30 minutes to control her Qi to an extent she could cover her entire body with it. Slowly she stood atop the solid water, one step became two, two became three.. walking became jogging and jogging became running. The wind whipped past Shula, blowing her hair like a beautiful sunset coming to life, her flames stuck to her body not fading or growing with the wind as she tried her best to control it.
When Shula looked back, she realised that she had run a full 5 kilometres but she was not tired at all, she was even glad to run another 5. She did not understand how this came to be but she was happy to run and not spend another second or minute in the water. This event has probably traumatised her of large masses of water, as she ran she followed the line that was now visible to her and finally she saw the end. Jumping across the finish line she found herself on the edge of the fourth step. Before she could turn around a huge cloak slapped her on the face.
"Do not turn until you're properly covered." Ruu's voice could be heard above her. He was currently on the sixth step alongside Koda but the elders could not be seen.
Wearing the cloak Shula looked up and saw that the formation was only the first 10 steps, the rest of the staircase to the top of the mountain peak were okay. Looking back she found her master still with a smile on his face and yet she could feel his anger from here.
"Am I in trouble?" Shula asked meekly with a pout on her lips and unshed tears in her eyes.
"Well ...not you but also part of it? I don't know how to explain but... you and the other elder Latisha fucked up"
" what is fucked up? Is that like a signal for something ?" Shula asked innocently making Ruu to feel shocked, ashamed and then worried.
"Now Ruu is also part of that problem" Koda said while smiling mischievously.
As they were talking the seventh step glowed and only 2 elders appeared, they were Nimrod and Latisha. The third elder Cheon Yoo was not around. After they all came out, the formation stopped, Ju Tian was not happy at all. In fact he was so angry that the atmosphere began to adhere to his anger, small particles of ice had started to form around him.
"First of all, Shula receive punishment of writing ' I am wrong and will never go without a plan' 500 times. Now, Elder Nimrod, your punishment will be administered by the disciplinary hall due to your involvement with the death of Elder Cheon Yoo. Elder Latisha, immediate confinement until your identity is proven or else its death."
Ju Tian spoke, all this while Shula, Ruu and Koda were silent. For Shula this was the first time seeing Ju Tian serious and actually displaying his authority, he wasn't the laid back master or the joking, kind master. He was Ju Tian the ancestor power level of the Ancient Battle Sect. A few seconds after Ju Tian spoke, a man appeared, he looked quite tall but also slender like a ... beanpole? No... he looked like the kind of man you ran away from if you meet at night. His heavy eye bags and dark green eyes did nothing to make his pale face any better.
"New experiments for me?"
The moment he spoke, Shula felt fear deep in her heart, this was a murderous being... he was dangerous. As though sensing something, those green eyes met Shula's.