BarbatosLupus008
Certified Not Killer Giant Robot
- Location
- Behind You
It gets a bit harder though when they start fighting in higher dimensions that encompass this meaning of infinity and that.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yeah, but cultivators take thousands or tens of thousands of years to climb that high, as I understand it.
So from the point of view of some bureaucrat in a sect whose senior elders are like, Nascent Soul at best, if you spot a potential protagonist and manage to stay out of their way until they turn into a universe-bestriding juggernaut and bring down your entire planet fifty thousand years from now... Well, shame about what happened to the planet, but at least it happened a very long time after you and almost everyone you knew in life and all the juniors they knew in life have already died. So you generally got to secure peace and quiet for your sect for millennia just by quietly staying out of one mega-destined mega-hero's way.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Sad part that most people can't recognize him, he is genius only born once in [insert very large] number of years.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Well yeah, but the flip side of that is that your sect doesn't derive much benefit, on a century-to-century timescale, from knowing how to stay out of the way of the one-in-an-aeon idiot asshole who's going to accidentally turn the universe inside out.
It does derive much benefit from knowing how to stay out of the way of the one-in-a-century idiot asshole who's going to accidentally turn the city inside out.
...
It's much like my earlier observation that because only freakish outlier cultivators ever get to the really high levels, the population of high-level cultivators is going to be heavily skewed towards the kind of idiot asshole who recklessly pursues high-risk high-reward strategies and then gets lucky. As I said then:
"The cultivator whose eyes at least dimly grasp the outlines of Mount Tai does not go walking around in thunderstorms on mountaintops brandishing an iron spear towards the heavens, and so is not struck by lightning and killed. On the other hand, he also is not struck by lightning and inexplicably blessed with the incredibly rare and powerful Lightning Farting Constitution."
Last edited:
Queshire
Wants a pink flamingo for their lawn.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Nah, the guy actually PM'd me and said he deleted them.
Indeed, one doesn't make it to the very high levels without being the type of person who pursues high-risk high-reward strategies and then gets lucky. We just never see the massive number who try and die in the process. Just because you can roll 128 nat 20s in a row doesn't make it a good idea.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Well, we see some of the idiots who pursue high-risk high-reward strategies and die. It's just that given the scale cultivation settings often run on, it would take a million ChatGPTs a million ages to procedurally generate the stories of all the dead idiot cultivators. 
Spectrum
Tell me a secret~
- Location
- Behind you~
On the other hand, if you don't grasp all the power you can and take reckless risks, there's a non-zero chance every day you exist that someone of a higher cultivation level is going to flex and you're just going to explode simply because you were in their way. This is why all cultivators endlessly need to climb realms forever.
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
Also dealing with all the enemies they made on the way up. Doesn't matter how many enemies you make by taking what you want as long as you can ascend past them, but if you ever stop then not only do you have your current crop of enemies to deal with there's also all the people who start catching up.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Most people don't ascend, and when they do, they are weak for the new realm, which gives you opportunity to murder them in their crib, it does happen, but it is the equivalent of telling a billionaire he should be worried about the kid he was in highschool with and stole the startup from to start his company and get his first million.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Thing is, there's a nonzero chance every day of that happening anyway, because there's always a bigger fish and because those high-risk high-reward strategies for rapid advancement often involve specifically attracting the resentment or hostility of Dangerously Strong Guys (TM).
I suspect that at any given level, the actual real mortality rate among cultivators is highest among the heroic bozos trying to do fancy shit, and the survivors are mostly the unassuming ones inclined to peace out and just enjoy being a Foundation Building street-level superhero in a city that probably won't get exploded within their lifetime. Sure, you eventually die of old age, but the compensation is that you get at least some chance of actually dying of old age, not of having your sadistic archrival personally hunting you down and pulling your arms and legs off because they got ahead of you in cultivation for like five minutes and decided to capitalize on that.
Or, in Bing Meilu's case, of recklessly punching a hole in the cosmos and letting the forces of Oh No flood through like a dumbass.
This is too protagonist-centered to be good advice.
You're describing the situation as a narrative from the perspective of a single person who can always crush any challenger rising to match him (probably him), but who for some reason paradoxically is NOT crushed as he himself rises to challenge stronger competitors.
Now, in a story where reality is created for the sole purpose of being "the adventures of Steve," that kind of thing can seem valid, because Steve can't actually die like a dog for no good reason without the story ending. Most authors aren't interested in that. So while Steve may come into conflict with higher powers, those higher powers will be confronting him in ways he has a chance of overcoming. They won't just crush him on general principles when he's weak and puny compared to them. Or if they do, they'll leave him alive and able to grow his powers, and his loss will just be more motivation for that arc in which he strives all the harder to become the best of the best.
In practice, most people don't get to have this story. They get to have the story of one of the NPCs in the background, who are not protected by plot contrivance from having to deal with other people who are using the same plan they are, but have 10000 years more experience at it.
Great to see this story is back. Excited to see how many Good Decisions are being made already.
Bing continuing to behave like a combination of a day trader and a bored twenty-something attempting to speedrun a game they played as a child is highly amusing.
Bing continuing to behave like a combination of a day trader and a bored twenty-something attempting to speedrun a game they played as a child is highly amusing.
Zhang Yi Interlude 5
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Zhang Yi Interlude 5
This chapter continues from the last Zhang Yi Interlude.
---
Chirp
Chirp
Zhang Yi awakened to the soft songs of sparrows. Dawn light shone down on his gaunt face, through cracks in the dense foliage above. Slowly, he raised his hand to his head, brushing the long, dark locks of his unkempt hair off his face. Groaning he rolled onto his stomach before pushing himself up.
Stretching, the boy let out another groan. Various random parts of his body ached and throbbed. Undoubtedly places of his body was forced to rest on rocks or twigs.
After a minute, Zhang Yi looked around the impromptu camp that the villagers had formed. Dozens of teenagers and children lay strewn about the forest floor around a single large wagon.
Besides him, there were four people already awake, sitting around a small fireplace atop logs that served as makeshift benches. The four chatted in low voices, careful not to wake anyone. Deciding he had nothing else to do for the moment, Zhang Yi approached the group, taking a seat on an empty log.
"Good morning," he said politely in greetings to the others.
"And good morning to you!" replied He Zhao with good cheer from his log.
"Hello," greeted shyly the second of the four, a tall girl with black hair and pale, jade-like skin. Her name was Cao Ya, the adopted daughter of Jiang Cities luxury clothing makers, the Xian family.
"Good morning," Jiang Fang smiled politely, sitting next to Li Renlong, who tersely glared at him.
"So, what do we plan to do for the rest of the time we're waiting here?" Li Renlong complained. "I'm already bored as all hell!"
"There is not much to do," Jiang Fang shrugged. "Just take it as a vacation."
Zhang Yi sat, silently watching the four of them chat. He didn't really have anything to say to them, nor did he really know how to join in one such a conversation. His main experience talking to others was begging for odd jobs from the few shopkeepers who put up with him.
The four of them chatted around the fire, as more and more of the children awoke. Once everyone was awake, the noble boy clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention.
"We'll need some food, so we need a few people to volunteer to head into the city and acquire it."
Li Renlong, Yang Mu and He Zhao all raised their hands to volunteer. Instead, Jiang Fang turned to pointedly stare at Zhang Yi. The orphan boy did not raise his hand, instead raising an eyebrow at the noble boy's look. Did he really expect Zhang Yi to take on the risky job of heading to the city?
"Actually, I was thinking I and Zhang Yi could go," the noble explained. "I'm sure we've all seen him climb like a monkey when being chased by Li Renlong. If we do get attacked in the city, he should be able to safely escape."
Li Renlong snorted at the characterization but said nothing. Zhang Yi could feel eyes turn to look at him expectingly.
'Why should I risk my life to get food for these people?' the boy wondered. 'When they wouldn't spare me a moment of the day back in Jiang City?'
The longer he waited to speak, the harsher the looks became. He wanted to refuse but could feel it would be a bad idea. After a long moment, he shrugged. "Fine."
Zhang Yi clasped the long knife he had gotten yesterday, strapping it to his thigh. Jiang Fang grabbed a bag of coins for the loot-wagon, and the two boys silently stalked off from the camp.
As the two walked in silence, the orphan boy couldn't help but inspect Jiang Fang. Where Zhang Yi was wiry and thin from missing so many meals, Jiang Fang was well-built and fed, a layer of soft fat hiding his muscular form. Where Zhang Yi was always on edge, nervous and skittish, Jiang's pale face seemed permanently calm and unbothered. Where Zhang Yi's skin was clammy and sickly from malnourishment, Jiang's was pale and smooth from a life of luxury inside.
"Like what you see?" Jiang Fang teased, noticing Zhang Yi's intense gaze.
"...No, I don't think I do," Zhang Yi said, with a harshness in his voice that surprised even him. Jiang Fang too blinked in surprise at the naked contempt.
"Why?"
Zhang Yi snorted and failed to answer, turning to look ahead at the light streaming into the forest. An ember of anger was steadily building up within him. "How far do you think we'll have to go till we reach the city?"
"An hour or so. Shouldn't be long before we reach a landmark."
'How dare this bastard ask me to sacrifice for all these people when they scorned me my whole life? How dare he seems so calm and unbothered when we all nearly died? How dare he seem to not fucking hate me after what his family did to me! It's like I don't even matter enough for him to remember why I would hate him!'
"I hate people who seem to think the world owes them something," Zhang Yi spat. "I hate people who walk around like everyone owes them respect or obedience. I hate rich brats and nobles, I hate the Jiang family, all thieving tyrants and most of all I fucking hate bastards who don't seem to care about anything at all!"
Zhang Yi inhaled shakily, eyes wide as if even he was surprised by his angry outburst. Jiang Fang's calm expression cracked slightly, his brow furrowing. He didn't seem to know what to say.
The atmosphere was thick enough with tension you could cut it.
"You know, you're the second person in my whole life to insult me to my face," Jiang Fang eventually said. "Most people are too scared of my background... I think I like you."
"Well, I don't like you!"
"Hmmph, give it time. I'm sure I'll grow on you."
"You'll grow on me as much as a tapeworm grows when feasting on the innards of a fat man."
"I...I don't even get that analogy."
---
The two robed boys arrived at the outskirts of the large city. A stench like rotting meat, rancid feces and burnt coal filled the air. They walked through a backstreet, out into a large alley filled with clothing shops.
The boys continued exploring, Zhang Yi dazzled by the hustle and bustle, Jiang Fang seemingly unimpressed.
Eventually, they caught sight of a street vendor, hawking friend meat skewers. Jiang Fang approached the man.
"How much for your entire stock?"
"Huh? Oh, it's five copper per stick, so 23 silver for everything I have on me today?"
"You have change for three gold?"
"Uh- yes?"
Jiang Fang quickly made the transaction, receiving a large box filled with meat skewers. As the man only cooked a few at a time on his grill, they were raw, but that was fine, as they could make fire at camp.
"You got ripped off," Zhang Yi complained. "That shouldn't have been more than 3 copper for two skewers."
"The time cost to find a good deal would be larger than any money we can waste," Jiang Fang explained. "Time is money after all."
It didn't sit right with the orphan, but he didn't have the fire in him to keep arguing, so he stalked silently through the streets with Jiang Fang.
A tall, thin man stepped up from the side of the street, blocking their path. He stared greedily at the copper sword Jiang Fang had taken from the immortal's corpse.
"That's an expensive-looking sword for a little boy!" he said with a slimy voice. "As a responsible citizen of Ember Refining Port, I cannot in good conscience let you walk around with that dangerous weapon. Why don't you hand it over to me for safekeeping?"
The people walking through the street around them paid no mind to the scene. It was commonplace in the slums of the city for such shakedowns to happen, and any idiot walking around with so much money visible deserved what they got coming.
"No," Jiang Fang said, drawing the sword.
Out of nowhere, a bulky, muscular bald man charged out of the darkness of the alleyway, tackling Jiang Fang to the ground from behind.
'He was a distraction!'
Zhang Yi dropped his meat-box, and reached down to grab his knife, only for a large hand to seize the collar of his robes, harshly tugging him backwards.
He could hear Jiang Fang and the man tussling on the ground behind him. Zhang Yi spun around, punching the face of whoever had tugged at him. His child-sized fist smacked ineffectively at a scarred man's face. Scarred face grabbed his sides, lifting him up and slamming him onto a wall on the side of the alleyway.
"Let's see what you got on ya boy!" Scarface chuckled.
'Nine Heavenly Stances of the Immemorial Palace Gate - Prosperity'
Out of nowhere, the scarred man's eye bulged, and he cried with a high-pitched scream, releasing his hold.
Zhang Yi fell to the floor, scrambling to unsheathe his long knife. He caught sight of a bony, starving dog, whose teeth had clamped around the scarred man's genital area, blood dripping out across its maw.
'Heavens-'
Zhang Yi didn't let the horrific sight distract him, as he lunged forward, burying the wicked sharp edge of his long knife straight into Scarface's throat. His blade sheared through flesh and cartilage, biting deeply into the bone.
Zhang Yi pulled back, a spurt of high-pressure blood hitting him in the face. Scarface gurgled, blood, pouring from his legs, before he collapsed, the dog still gnawing at his flesh.
Zhang Yi jumped over his corpse, to where Jiang Fang and a bald man were in a scrambled battle on the ground. The knife-wielded orphan pointed his blade down and stabbed, his knife smashing into the man's back, stabbing straight into his heart.
Several people had stopped to watch the fight in the overcrowded street. Zhang Yi turned to look for the man who'd distracted them, but he was long gone.
Jiang Fang rolled out from under the bald man's corpse, his robe soaked in blood. He sighed, calmy.
"Let's get out of here."
The orphan rolled his eyes.
--
The boys arrived back at camp, carrying a large box of meat skewers. Li Renlong ran out to gree them.
"Hey guys, Noble Jiang is back!" Li Renlong shouted.
The tall boy blinked at the sight of the two's blood-stained robes.
"What happened?"
"Just a little scuffle," Jiang Fang yawned.
"It was not just a little scuffle," Zhang Yi snorted, shaking his head. "If I'd been a little slower, he could've snapped your neck or something."
"I would have handled it," Jiang Fang shrugged. "I had him right where I wanted him."
"Laying on top of you, choking you out?!"
The three walked back to their camp, setting down the box of meat. The other children quickly gathered as Jiang Fang began to distribute the meat. There was enough for everyone to have a skewer, with a few left over.
They tossed large logs into the embers, growing it into a steadily burning bonfire they could roast their meat in. Zhang Yi sat next to He Zhao, who he had a good impression of.
"So what happened during the trip?" he asked.
Zhang Yi began to explain.
---
It was nighttime, and Zhang Yi and Ling Shuren were on watch. Once more, the boy had fallen asleep. Being the only one awake, Zhang Yi gingerly made his way back to the tree he'd buried the scrolls.
He quickly dug them out, unfurling the first scroll.
'Copper Shell Breathing Method'
It was time to become an Immortal!
This chapter continues from the last Zhang Yi Interlude.
---
Chirp
Chirp
Zhang Yi awakened to the soft songs of sparrows. Dawn light shone down on his gaunt face, through cracks in the dense foliage above. Slowly, he raised his hand to his head, brushing the long, dark locks of his unkempt hair off his face. Groaning he rolled onto his stomach before pushing himself up.
Stretching, the boy let out another groan. Various random parts of his body ached and throbbed. Undoubtedly places of his body was forced to rest on rocks or twigs.
After a minute, Zhang Yi looked around the impromptu camp that the villagers had formed. Dozens of teenagers and children lay strewn about the forest floor around a single large wagon.
Besides him, there were four people already awake, sitting around a small fireplace atop logs that served as makeshift benches. The four chatted in low voices, careful not to wake anyone. Deciding he had nothing else to do for the moment, Zhang Yi approached the group, taking a seat on an empty log.
"Good morning," he said politely in greetings to the others.
"And good morning to you!" replied He Zhao with good cheer from his log.
"Hello," greeted shyly the second of the four, a tall girl with black hair and pale, jade-like skin. Her name was Cao Ya, the adopted daughter of Jiang Cities luxury clothing makers, the Xian family.
"Good morning," Jiang Fang smiled politely, sitting next to Li Renlong, who tersely glared at him.
"So, what do we plan to do for the rest of the time we're waiting here?" Li Renlong complained. "I'm already bored as all hell!"
"There is not much to do," Jiang Fang shrugged. "Just take it as a vacation."
Zhang Yi sat, silently watching the four of them chat. He didn't really have anything to say to them, nor did he really know how to join in one such a conversation. His main experience talking to others was begging for odd jobs from the few shopkeepers who put up with him.
The four of them chatted around the fire, as more and more of the children awoke. Once everyone was awake, the noble boy clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention.
"We'll need some food, so we need a few people to volunteer to head into the city and acquire it."
Li Renlong, Yang Mu and He Zhao all raised their hands to volunteer. Instead, Jiang Fang turned to pointedly stare at Zhang Yi. The orphan boy did not raise his hand, instead raising an eyebrow at the noble boy's look. Did he really expect Zhang Yi to take on the risky job of heading to the city?
"Actually, I was thinking I and Zhang Yi could go," the noble explained. "I'm sure we've all seen him climb like a monkey when being chased by Li Renlong. If we do get attacked in the city, he should be able to safely escape."
Li Renlong snorted at the characterization but said nothing. Zhang Yi could feel eyes turn to look at him expectingly.
'Why should I risk my life to get food for these people?' the boy wondered. 'When they wouldn't spare me a moment of the day back in Jiang City?'
The longer he waited to speak, the harsher the looks became. He wanted to refuse but could feel it would be a bad idea. After a long moment, he shrugged. "Fine."
Zhang Yi clasped the long knife he had gotten yesterday, strapping it to his thigh. Jiang Fang grabbed a bag of coins for the loot-wagon, and the two boys silently stalked off from the camp.
As the two walked in silence, the orphan boy couldn't help but inspect Jiang Fang. Where Zhang Yi was wiry and thin from missing so many meals, Jiang Fang was well-built and fed, a layer of soft fat hiding his muscular form. Where Zhang Yi was always on edge, nervous and skittish, Jiang's pale face seemed permanently calm and unbothered. Where Zhang Yi's skin was clammy and sickly from malnourishment, Jiang's was pale and smooth from a life of luxury inside.
"Like what you see?" Jiang Fang teased, noticing Zhang Yi's intense gaze.
"...No, I don't think I do," Zhang Yi said, with a harshness in his voice that surprised even him. Jiang Fang too blinked in surprise at the naked contempt.
"Why?"
Zhang Yi snorted and failed to answer, turning to look ahead at the light streaming into the forest. An ember of anger was steadily building up within him. "How far do you think we'll have to go till we reach the city?"
"An hour or so. Shouldn't be long before we reach a landmark."
'How dare this bastard ask me to sacrifice for all these people when they scorned me my whole life? How dare he seems so calm and unbothered when we all nearly died? How dare he seem to not fucking hate me after what his family did to me! It's like I don't even matter enough for him to remember why I would hate him!'
"I hate people who seem to think the world owes them something," Zhang Yi spat. "I hate people who walk around like everyone owes them respect or obedience. I hate rich brats and nobles, I hate the Jiang family, all thieving tyrants and most of all I fucking hate bastards who don't seem to care about anything at all!"
Zhang Yi inhaled shakily, eyes wide as if even he was surprised by his angry outburst. Jiang Fang's calm expression cracked slightly, his brow furrowing. He didn't seem to know what to say.
The atmosphere was thick enough with tension you could cut it.
"You know, you're the second person in my whole life to insult me to my face," Jiang Fang eventually said. "Most people are too scared of my background... I think I like you."
"Well, I don't like you!"
"Hmmph, give it time. I'm sure I'll grow on you."
"You'll grow on me as much as a tapeworm grows when feasting on the innards of a fat man."
"I...I don't even get that analogy."
---
The two robed boys arrived at the outskirts of the large city. A stench like rotting meat, rancid feces and burnt coal filled the air. They walked through a backstreet, out into a large alley filled with clothing shops.
The boys continued exploring, Zhang Yi dazzled by the hustle and bustle, Jiang Fang seemingly unimpressed.
Eventually, they caught sight of a street vendor, hawking friend meat skewers. Jiang Fang approached the man.
"How much for your entire stock?"
"Huh? Oh, it's five copper per stick, so 23 silver for everything I have on me today?"
"You have change for three gold?"
"Uh- yes?"
Jiang Fang quickly made the transaction, receiving a large box filled with meat skewers. As the man only cooked a few at a time on his grill, they were raw, but that was fine, as they could make fire at camp.
"You got ripped off," Zhang Yi complained. "That shouldn't have been more than 3 copper for two skewers."
"The time cost to find a good deal would be larger than any money we can waste," Jiang Fang explained. "Time is money after all."
It didn't sit right with the orphan, but he didn't have the fire in him to keep arguing, so he stalked silently through the streets with Jiang Fang.
A tall, thin man stepped up from the side of the street, blocking their path. He stared greedily at the copper sword Jiang Fang had taken from the immortal's corpse.
"That's an expensive-looking sword for a little boy!" he said with a slimy voice. "As a responsible citizen of Ember Refining Port, I cannot in good conscience let you walk around with that dangerous weapon. Why don't you hand it over to me for safekeeping?"
The people walking through the street around them paid no mind to the scene. It was commonplace in the slums of the city for such shakedowns to happen, and any idiot walking around with so much money visible deserved what they got coming.
"No," Jiang Fang said, drawing the sword.
Out of nowhere, a bulky, muscular bald man charged out of the darkness of the alleyway, tackling Jiang Fang to the ground from behind.
'He was a distraction!'
Zhang Yi dropped his meat-box, and reached down to grab his knife, only for a large hand to seize the collar of his robes, harshly tugging him backwards.
He could hear Jiang Fang and the man tussling on the ground behind him. Zhang Yi spun around, punching the face of whoever had tugged at him. His child-sized fist smacked ineffectively at a scarred man's face. Scarred face grabbed his sides, lifting him up and slamming him onto a wall on the side of the alleyway.
"Let's see what you got on ya boy!" Scarface chuckled.
'Nine Heavenly Stances of the Immemorial Palace Gate - Prosperity'
Out of nowhere, the scarred man's eye bulged, and he cried with a high-pitched scream, releasing his hold.
Zhang Yi fell to the floor, scrambling to unsheathe his long knife. He caught sight of a bony, starving dog, whose teeth had clamped around the scarred man's genital area, blood dripping out across its maw.
'Heavens-'
Zhang Yi didn't let the horrific sight distract him, as he lunged forward, burying the wicked sharp edge of his long knife straight into Scarface's throat. His blade sheared through flesh and cartilage, biting deeply into the bone.
Zhang Yi pulled back, a spurt of high-pressure blood hitting him in the face. Scarface gurgled, blood, pouring from his legs, before he collapsed, the dog still gnawing at his flesh.
Zhang Yi jumped over his corpse, to where Jiang Fang and a bald man were in a scrambled battle on the ground. The knife-wielded orphan pointed his blade down and stabbed, his knife smashing into the man's back, stabbing straight into his heart.
Several people had stopped to watch the fight in the overcrowded street. Zhang Yi turned to look for the man who'd distracted them, but he was long gone.
Jiang Fang rolled out from under the bald man's corpse, his robe soaked in blood. He sighed, calmy.
"Let's get out of here."
The orphan rolled his eyes.
--
The boys arrived back at camp, carrying a large box of meat skewers. Li Renlong ran out to gree them.
"Hey guys, Noble Jiang is back!" Li Renlong shouted.
The tall boy blinked at the sight of the two's blood-stained robes.
"What happened?"
"Just a little scuffle," Jiang Fang yawned.
"It was not just a little scuffle," Zhang Yi snorted, shaking his head. "If I'd been a little slower, he could've snapped your neck or something."
"I would have handled it," Jiang Fang shrugged. "I had him right where I wanted him."
"Laying on top of you, choking you out?!"
The three walked back to their camp, setting down the box of meat. The other children quickly gathered as Jiang Fang began to distribute the meat. There was enough for everyone to have a skewer, with a few left over.
They tossed large logs into the embers, growing it into a steadily burning bonfire they could roast their meat in. Zhang Yi sat next to He Zhao, who he had a good impression of.
"So what happened during the trip?" he asked.
Zhang Yi began to explain.
---
It was nighttime, and Zhang Yi and Ling Shuren were on watch. Once more, the boy had fallen asleep. Being the only one awake, Zhang Yi gingerly made his way back to the tree he'd buried the scrolls.
He quickly dug them out, unfurling the first scroll.
'Copper Shell Breathing Method'
It was time to become an Immortal!
Chapter 27 - The 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Faction
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 27 - The 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Faction
---
The Former 'Red Dragon Faction' all sat in silence, circled around their new 'master'. She sat, silently inspecting all of them. Jiang Hu, the former faction leader knelt before her, bandaged.
"Good day to you all. As you know, I have defeated your faction leader and assumed control over this group. Are there any objections?"
No one spoke up and several shook their heads. While she would lose against all of them, she was stronger than any one of them and had proven that by defeating Jiang Hu. Satisfied her rule was accepted, she continued speaking.
"I am Bing Meilu, a personal disciple of Prime Elder Hai Yu, of the Former Moon Crying Swan Palace. I was selected by her due to my unique talent and potential. However, the Moon Crying Swan Palace has been destroyed so I am temporarily set back. I've entered this section from the same starting position as any ordinary disciple despite my background. As you might guess, with my talent and high-level cultivation method, rising to a much higher level is all but guaranteed."
She could begin to see gears turn in the heads of her subordinates, smiling politely.
"If one person achieves immortality, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
This famous idiom described how if even one person became successful, all those who had helped them would benefit. If Bing Meilu really was set to do great things, wouldn't being her early followers be a huge boon later on?
"I will be dissolving the Crimson Dragon Faction and forming my own faction. Who amongst you wishes to follow me?" Bing Meilu asked, raising her voice.
"I do!" "I'll follow you, Boss Meilu!" "Count me in!"
The members of the Crimson Dragon Faction cheered and roared, shouting their allegiance to her. Bing Meilu nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well then. I welcome you all to the "Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves" Faction!"
There was a dead silence. One of the Foundation Establishment Lieutenant spoke up awkwardly.
"...You're not really calling it tha-"
"Are you questioning my authority?"
"Um-"
"Because if you are, I'll make what I did to Jiang Hu look like a pleasant vacation day by comparison."
"I for one think it's an amazing name! It perfectly described how we plan to faithfully serve you!" one of the Qi Condensation disciples suddenly spoke up.
"Good. This one understands. What's your name?" Bing Meilu smiled
"I am Li Ji, Boss, a Private at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation." I'm an accountant for the former Crimson Dragons."
Li Ji's Qi Aura was shoddy and thin for his stage, a 'unique' take on Yin Metal Qi attempted by someone who had no clue what they were doing. A case study of why creating one's own path was usually restricted to only the greatest geniuses.
"Well, Private Li Ji, how would you feel about being the head accountant in my new faction?"
"Oh- I would be honoured, Boss Meilu!"
"Good."
Bing Meilu calmly sipped on a cup of tea as the rest of the crimson dragons swore themselves to her, proudly proclaiming themselves "Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves" Faction Members.
"Jiang Hu, tell me everything I need to know about the former Crimsons Dragons, as well as the other factions at Snake Port!"
---
Bing Meilu sipped her tea, as she thought. She was seated upon the throne formerly belonging to Jiang Hu in the rented dorm room that served as the home base of the former Crimson Dragon Faction.
The 'Port Snake' they were based at was actually the 70th Port Snake, one of many hundreds of 'Port Snake's that served as the Outer Sect portion of the 'Snake Fleet'. There were Twelve Zodiac Fleets, each in charge of a different portion of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada's territory.
Snake Fleet was in charge of the western side of the tip of the Bird Talon Continent, especially suppressing the demon beasts from the Deep Star Ravine, a danger zone of high importance.
In Seventieth Port Snake, there were many dozen unimportant factions ranging from containing Foundation Establishment Liutenants to Core Formation Captains.
Only four truly mattered, each backed by a Nascent Soul Commodore. It turned out that the factional infighting was actually a proxy war for the infighting of these four Commodores, the equivalent of an Outer Sect Elder.
Seventieth Port Snake existed for the 3rd Division of the Pirate Subduing Strike Force. A Division was headed by a Transcending Impurity Division Commander, the equivalent of an Inner Sect Elder. The third Division had four Squadrons, each one headed by a Nascent Soul Commodore
Blackheart Squadron headed by Commodore Daoist Black-Heartflame, Liyang Squadron headed by Commodore Liyang, Rampage Squadron headed by Commodore Rampage-Sword, and Tang Squadron, headed by Commodore Tang.
It turned out that the Division Commander was close to breaking through to the Saint Realm and would soon have to start grooming one of the four Commodores to be his successor, so the competition between each of the Squadrons was high, as they each attempted to gain the upper hand in authority to increase their chance of a promotion.
The various dozens of factions were almost all aligned with one of these four blocks, though in a loose sense. The Crimson Dragon Faction, for example, had been allied with the Rampage Squadron Faction. Though they mostly did their own thing, when the annual Faction Competition was held, they were expected to join in on the Rampage Faction's Side.
"So long as you have two or more people, politics comes into play," Bing Meilu complained. "I'll have to navigate things a bit more carefully since the situation is so tense. "
Would she continue to be allied with the Rampage Faction, as the successor to the Crimson Dragon Faction? Or perhaps hitch her cart to a better faction?
Well, all could be decided later. For now, she would focus on turning this ragtag group of failures into a force strong enough to be worth a damn.
All was going to plan.
---
Xia Xuefeng shook in fear as she was dangled over a deep black hole by two guards.
"Have fun in the Shadow Pit, filthy Demonic Cultivator!" one of them chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be quite popular."
Their grip released and she fell, screaming. She slammed into the bottom of a near completely lightless pit. Hundreds of feet above, a metal hatch was sealed with a hiss.
'You've got to be fucking kidding me! Why me?!'
Xia Xuefeng fearfully looked around, finding it hard to see even with her Qi-enhanced eyes. Moss and fungus choked the granite walls of a cave. Slugs lapped at the tiny slime moulds sitting atop rotting vines. Dozens of bones and human skulls adorned the floor.
'Heavens-'
She heard a chittering laugh in the distance, slowly heading toward her.
"Well, well well. Fresh Meat."
---
"No, you moron. When you cycle Qi through the seventh to the twentieth meridian, you have to keep it blocked off from the nineteenth. Why? Why else even have a circuit if you're just going to leak it back into your entire meridian channel!"
"Is that really your spear intent? My four-year-old brother has a more threatening will. Stab harder!"
"Did someone blackmail you into cultivating a manual this crappy or are you just stupid, Private Ji!? Cripple your own cultivation base and recultivate entirely!"
"You four! Why in the name of all that is holy would you use a Five Phases Elemental Formation with only four members? You couldn't find a wood cultivator? Either find a wood cultivator or you'll find my sword seven feet up your ass!"
Bing Meilu strode through the eighteen members of the 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Factions, correcting them as they trained.
Some had a good foundation and simply needed to be pushed harder, such as the Spear Cultivator Private Xi Fu.
Some were close to success and needed slight alterations, like the 'Elemental Quad'.
Some were abject failures who needed to abandon their entire fighting style and start from scratch, like Private Ji, who somehow thought cultivating a method intended for Spirit Dogs would work on a human.
"Li Ji, how much in the way of resources do we have?" Bing Meilu asked her accountant.
"Ahh- we--aaah, have -uuh- seven- ahh- hundred-ahh spirit- aaaaaaah! Stones!" Li Lu gasped, body covered in sweat, as flames licked at his skin. "Can I- ahh take a break?"
"Not yet. We need to warm up your Metal Qi so it's malleable enough to be rerouted through your meridians. Unless you want to be stuck in Qi Condensation for the rest of a meagre and pathetic life, you'll put up with the flame."
"It huuuurts!"
"Pain is just weakness leaving the body... Except for when it isn't."
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 27 - The 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Faction
---
The Former 'Red Dragon Faction' all sat in silence, circled around their new 'master'. She sat, silently inspecting all of them. Jiang Hu, the former faction leader knelt before her, bandaged.
"Good day to you all. As you know, I have defeated your faction leader and assumed control over this group. Are there any objections?"
No one spoke up and several shook their heads. While she would lose against all of them, she was stronger than any one of them and had proven that by defeating Jiang Hu. Satisfied her rule was accepted, she continued speaking.
"I am Bing Meilu, a personal disciple of Prime Elder Hai Yu, of the Former Moon Crying Swan Palace. I was selected by her due to my unique talent and potential. However, the Moon Crying Swan Palace has been destroyed so I am temporarily set back. I've entered this section from the same starting position as any ordinary disciple despite my background. As you might guess, with my talent and high-level cultivation method, rising to a much higher level is all but guaranteed."
She could begin to see gears turn in the heads of her subordinates, smiling politely.
"If one person achieves immortality, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
This famous idiom described how if even one person became successful, all those who had helped them would benefit. If Bing Meilu really was set to do great things, wouldn't being her early followers be a huge boon later on?
"I will be dissolving the Crimson Dragon Faction and forming my own faction. Who amongst you wishes to follow me?" Bing Meilu asked, raising her voice.
"I do!" "I'll follow you, Boss Meilu!" "Count me in!"
The members of the Crimson Dragon Faction cheered and roared, shouting their allegiance to her. Bing Meilu nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well then. I welcome you all to the "Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves" Faction!"
There was a dead silence. One of the Foundation Establishment Lieutenant spoke up awkwardly.
"...You're not really calling it tha-"
"Are you questioning my authority?"
"Um-"
"Because if you are, I'll make what I did to Jiang Hu look like a pleasant vacation day by comparison."
"I for one think it's an amazing name! It perfectly described how we plan to faithfully serve you!" one of the Qi Condensation disciples suddenly spoke up.
"Good. This one understands. What's your name?" Bing Meilu smiled
"I am Li Ji, Boss, a Private at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation." I'm an accountant for the former Crimson Dragons."
Li Ji's Qi Aura was shoddy and thin for his stage, a 'unique' take on Yin Metal Qi attempted by someone who had no clue what they were doing. A case study of why creating one's own path was usually restricted to only the greatest geniuses.
"Well, Private Li Ji, how would you feel about being the head accountant in my new faction?"
"Oh- I would be honoured, Boss Meilu!"
"Good."
Bing Meilu calmly sipped on a cup of tea as the rest of the crimson dragons swore themselves to her, proudly proclaiming themselves "Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves" Faction Members.
"Jiang Hu, tell me everything I need to know about the former Crimsons Dragons, as well as the other factions at Snake Port!"
---
Bing Meilu sipped her tea, as she thought. She was seated upon the throne formerly belonging to Jiang Hu in the rented dorm room that served as the home base of the former Crimson Dragon Faction.
The 'Port Snake' they were based at was actually the 70th Port Snake, one of many hundreds of 'Port Snake's that served as the Outer Sect portion of the 'Snake Fleet'. There were Twelve Zodiac Fleets, each in charge of a different portion of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada's territory.
Snake Fleet was in charge of the western side of the tip of the Bird Talon Continent, especially suppressing the demon beasts from the Deep Star Ravine, a danger zone of high importance.
In Seventieth Port Snake, there were many dozen unimportant factions ranging from containing Foundation Establishment Liutenants to Core Formation Captains.
Only four truly mattered, each backed by a Nascent Soul Commodore. It turned out that the factional infighting was actually a proxy war for the infighting of these four Commodores, the equivalent of an Outer Sect Elder.
Seventieth Port Snake existed for the 3rd Division of the Pirate Subduing Strike Force. A Division was headed by a Transcending Impurity Division Commander, the equivalent of an Inner Sect Elder. The third Division had four Squadrons, each one headed by a Nascent Soul Commodore
Blackheart Squadron headed by Commodore Daoist Black-Heartflame, Liyang Squadron headed by Commodore Liyang, Rampage Squadron headed by Commodore Rampage-Sword, and Tang Squadron, headed by Commodore Tang.
It turned out that the Division Commander was close to breaking through to the Saint Realm and would soon have to start grooming one of the four Commodores to be his successor, so the competition between each of the Squadrons was high, as they each attempted to gain the upper hand in authority to increase their chance of a promotion.
The various dozens of factions were almost all aligned with one of these four blocks, though in a loose sense. The Crimson Dragon Faction, for example, had been allied with the Rampage Squadron Faction. Though they mostly did their own thing, when the annual Faction Competition was held, they were expected to join in on the Rampage Faction's Side.
"So long as you have two or more people, politics comes into play," Bing Meilu complained. "I'll have to navigate things a bit more carefully since the situation is so tense. "
Would she continue to be allied with the Rampage Faction, as the successor to the Crimson Dragon Faction? Or perhaps hitch her cart to a better faction?
Well, all could be decided later. For now, she would focus on turning this ragtag group of failures into a force strong enough to be worth a damn.
All was going to plan.
---
Xia Xuefeng shook in fear as she was dangled over a deep black hole by two guards.
"Have fun in the Shadow Pit, filthy Demonic Cultivator!" one of them chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be quite popular."
Their grip released and she fell, screaming. She slammed into the bottom of a near completely lightless pit. Hundreds of feet above, a metal hatch was sealed with a hiss.
'You've got to be fucking kidding me! Why me?!'
Xia Xuefeng fearfully looked around, finding it hard to see even with her Qi-enhanced eyes. Moss and fungus choked the granite walls of a cave. Slugs lapped at the tiny slime moulds sitting atop rotting vines. Dozens of bones and human skulls adorned the floor.
'Heavens-'
She heard a chittering laugh in the distance, slowly heading toward her.
"Well, well well. Fresh Meat."
---
"No, you moron. When you cycle Qi through the seventh to the twentieth meridian, you have to keep it blocked off from the nineteenth. Why? Why else even have a circuit if you're just going to leak it back into your entire meridian channel!"
"Is that really your spear intent? My four-year-old brother has a more threatening will. Stab harder!"
"Did someone blackmail you into cultivating a manual this crappy or are you just stupid, Private Ji!? Cripple your own cultivation base and recultivate entirely!"
"You four! Why in the name of all that is holy would you use a Five Phases Elemental Formation with only four members? You couldn't find a wood cultivator? Either find a wood cultivator or you'll find my sword seven feet up your ass!"
Bing Meilu strode through the eighteen members of the 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Factions, correcting them as they trained.
Some had a good foundation and simply needed to be pushed harder, such as the Spear Cultivator Private Xi Fu.
Some were close to success and needed slight alterations, like the 'Elemental Quad'.
Some were abject failures who needed to abandon their entire fighting style and start from scratch, like Private Ji, who somehow thought cultivating a method intended for Spirit Dogs would work on a human.
"Li Ji, how much in the way of resources do we have?" Bing Meilu asked her accountant.
"Ahh- we--aaah, have -uuh- seven- ahh- hundred-ahh spirit- aaaaaaah! Stones!" Li Lu gasped, body covered in sweat, as flames licked at his skin. "Can I- ahh take a break?"
"Not yet. We need to warm up your Metal Qi so it's malleable enough to be rerouted through your meridians. Unless you want to be stuck in Qi Condensation for the rest of a meagre and pathetic life, you'll put up with the flame."
"It huuuurts!"
"Pain is just weakness leaving the body... Except for when it isn't."
Last edited:
- Location
- USA
Always good to see this update
Ah good...drop the blood cultivator in a pit with powerful, blood containing critters.
- Location
- USA
I can't decide if she's gonna eat all of them, or if there will be some leftovers that end up as her servants.
This should probably be "immortality", rather than "immorality".
However, given the moral conduct of the average cultivator protagonist, I feel like this version is perhaps more appropriate. 😅
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Fixed lol
Xia Xuefeng Interlude 3
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Xia Xuefeng Interlude 3
---
"Who's there?" Xia Xuefeng asked, with more confidence than she felt.
The chittering laugh rang out once more and a figure seemed to swell up from the shadows, a man appearing. He looked distinctly savage, covered in crude bone and leather armour.
"Just a hungry fellow…" the savage smirked. There was a leg in his hand covered in scraps of meat, that he gnawed from. It took her a moment to realize it was a human leg. "And I think I might have just found a meal."
She felt nauseous. Human meat? Cannibals? What the fuck was this place?
Demonic, unsettling qi issued from him, chilling her to the bone. This man was without a doubt one of the reviled 'demonic cultivators'... and he was in the fifth stage of Qi Condensation.
Xia Xuefeng blinked for a moment. Then, she began to laugh. The man looked at her in confusion for only a moment.
Her own Qi flared, a bloody red aura erupting around her, followed by the wailing of crucified souls. Eight Stage of Qi Condensation. She stepped forward threateningly. The savage man's eyes widened and he immediately fell to his knees, holding up his palms in surrender.
"Wait! Please, I had no clue I was speaking to a demonic cultivator of such means. I-I was only joking around a little- I wasn't going to do anything?" the man said, eyes widening with each step Xia Xuefeng took towards him. "You wouldn't h-hurt little old me, right? My master can compensate you for sparing me, he's also an eighth-stage cultivator, just like your esteemed self."
This was the first time she was clearly superior in cultivation in a situation like this. It was almost refreshing to be on the other end for once.
'What would Mistress Bing Meilu do in a situation like this?'
"Tell me your name." Xia Xuefeng ordered austerely as if she were some respectable expert and not a scared girl out of her comfort zone. She even clasped her hands behind her back to sell the image.
"I'm called Revenant Boneclub, your ladyship. A servant to Lord Revenant."
"Is that your birth name?"
"Uh… birthname? I guess not, but no one-"
"Tell me your birth name."
"I-I was born Li Fuyang."
"Alright, little Fuyang. Tell me about this place. I find myself in unfamiliar territory."
"Of course. This is the Shadow Pit. It's a holding ground for Demonic Cultivators like us. The Sect keeps demonic cultivators to be used as a challenge for their disciples in various ways. There are three tiers to the Pit. We in Qi Condensation are held in the first. Foundation Establishment cultivators are held in the second, and Core Formation cultivators are held in the final layer."
"Is there a way out of this place?"
"Unless you think you can take on the entirety of Port Snake and plan to kill your way out, no. "
"You said we are to be used as a challenge? Tell me how that works."
"They hold sect entrance trials, which often involve killing a demonic cultivator of a certain rank, in which case they'll grab some of us to do it. Or maybe a certain disciple needs a living human to test a technique against, we would be used as test dummies. Every decade or so they hold a 'hunt' and come in to thin out our numbers, with disciple rewarded for killing us."
Xia Xuefeng felt a headache building up. How could she be sent to such a miserable place? She felt a rising anger at the Sect for not giving her even the slightest chance to defend herself. She was sure there was some kind of misunderstanding. No way had Bing Meilu given her some illegal technique… right?
'This is bad! Even if I survive being in here from the inhabitants, I might still be killed when they hold a sect trial or thin us out!'
"What goes on when you aren't being used as a trial? How do you live?"
"Well, not all that different from any Demonic Sect," Fuyang shrugged. "Cept no one can leave."
'Am I supposed to know what that means? But if I seem too ignorant, I might out myself as not being an actual demonic cultivator!'
"And what are the particular powers and regions I should be aware of? How many demonic cultivators are there here?"
"Our population is probably somewhere in the low ten thousand. Most of us congregate in Night City. and there are also a few large towns and bases. The largest powers include The Samsara Revenants, which I'm a part of, led by Lord Revenant, in the eighth stage. Then there is the Flavoured Tongues Sect, which is headed by a ninth-stage cultivator, and the Xu Clan Auction House run by the old merchant in the tenth stage."
'Given this tier of the Shadow Pit is for only those in Qi Condensation, I'm actually amongst the strongest here. Thank the Gods. Hopefully, I can survive long enough to figure a way out.'
"Well, Fuyang, take me to your boss. If I'm going to be stuck in this pit, I should get to know the people in it."
"Of course."
Fuyang shakily walked through creeping caverns. Xia Xuefeng was utterly lost, as they strode through identical caves, filled with moss, slime and bones. Somehow Fuyang seemed to know where he was going.
Eventually, they reached a barricade, skulls set up with threatening signs painted on the walls in blood.
'Revenant Territory - Progress no further!'
Fuyang strode past the barricade confidently, and the girl followed.
The cave widened into a large waterlogged cavern, almost an underground pond. Glowing algae lit up the water enough to see with the unaided eye. In the center of the pond stood a ramshackle building, made of bones. Three people sat, playing cards by the outside. A man and woman in the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, and what looked to be a young child in the sixth.
Xia Xuefeng and Fuyang strode towards them. The savage waved cheerfully at the three. He suddenly jumped towards them.
"Guys! Attack!"
Xia Xuefeng blinked. Was he really-
A dagger of bone flew past her face as she narrowly dodged. Fuyang and the three other savages all drew their weapons, rushing toward the bewildered Xia Xuefeng.
"Hey! I spared your life!" Xia Xuefeng shouted, shocked at his 'outrageous' betrayal.
The man in the seventh stage, wielding a long sharpened bone sword, slashed at her, cleaving a trail of bloody-red energy through the air. Xia Xuefeng narrowed her eyes, hot embers of anger lighting within her.b
Her body trembled as the crosses within her Dantian shuddered, blood-red qi flooding out of her body and forming a swirling whirlpool.
'Battle Art - Blood Demon's Whirlwind.'
The slash of bloody energy was pulled into her swirling red whirlwind, only growing it in size. The horrifying sound of crucified souls filled the air as Xia Xuefeng's Qi flooded through her body, causing her to glow with a crimson inner light.
Xia Xuefeng exploded forward, ripping through the air. Her foot smashed into Fuyang's face, and she felt his neck snap backwards. Xia Xuefeng was only three stages above him in cultivation, but with a divine-level manual, the difference in strength was like Heaven and Earth.
Blood spurted from his cracked neck, rich with Qi and life essence. A horrifyingly powerful hunger filled her, but she pushed it down. There was no way she'd consume human blood. She was no fucking cannibal.
Decisively she spun around to face the sword-wielding man. He lunged at her, his bone sword glowing white with sharp Qi.
Meanwhile, the bone dagger-wielding woman attacked from the other side. her blades elongated into swords of shadow. Two attacks from seventh-stage cultivators was not something a normal eighth-stage could just ignore.
A normal eight-stage cultivator.
'Battle Art - Red Lotus Dress'
Blood poured from Fuyang's corpse, filling her mudstained robe and hardening. The bone sword and shadow knives slammed into her dress and slid off uselessly.
Xia Xuefeng's two hands shot out like vipers, wrapping around the wrist of both enemies. She tossed them through the air, watching as they slammed into the rock walls of the cave with explosive cracks.,
Now she-
Now she should commit suicide.
Xia Xuefeng blinked.
Now she should commit suicide.
Of course. It was the natural next step in the fight. A nail of blood-qi formed in her hand and she lifted it to her throat, smiling. Fuyang had seemed to think he could trick her, but she seemed to be winning this easily.
Now she should commit suicide.
There was hauntingly beautiful music playing, a flute. Listening to such music was almost inspiring. It made her really want to do the right thing. Take her own life.
Her sharpened nail pressed up into the flesh of her neck, pushing through skin and drawing blood. She paused. Something felt off.
"Of course! My dress is in the way."
Her Red Lotus Dress would only get in the way of her committing suicide. She should take it off.
Then why had I put in on in the first place? I mean, a battle skill I learned from a godlike cultivation manual can't be bad, right?
Everyone will feel let down if she didn't die. Is that really the reputation she wanted? She should commit suicide.
Xia Xuefeng's head was ringing painfully. She knew Qi could reinforce the body in all sorts of ways, so she automatically flooded her body with Qi, attemtping to banish the pain.
Her Qi slammed into something near the meridians of her head. A clawing, vile, cold Qi. The Qi attempted to push her back, and instinctually she crushed it, the Thirty-Six blood-crosses in her Dantian erupting with bloody energy that ripped through her meridians like a geyser, pushing out every impurity.
Xia Xuefeng blinked, eyes focusing on the sight of a small child frantically playing his flute. Ghostly Yin qi flooded from it in thin strings, attempting to latch onto her. Looking closer, she could see it was malformed. Not a child, perhaps not even human.
Battle Art - Impaling Nail of the Crucifix
Her nail quietly flew through the air, like a silent punishment from Heaven, it slammed into the tiny midget, nailing his hand to the stone of the cave. It let loose a blood-curdling scream, sobbing, sounding every bit like a small child who had hurt themselves.
She felt a wave of guilt and motherly instinct, she should stop-
Xia Xuefeng once more cleansed herself with her Qi. That was it. Two nails formed in her hands, growing in size until they resembled hellish spears of blood. They ripped forward, stabbing through the air.
The spears slammed into the creature's throat and lungs.
"No more music for you then," Xia Xuefeng spat, eyes burning.
The sword-wielding man and knife-wielding woman were both laying unconscious where she'd thrown them on the wall. Enhancing her sight, Xia Xuefeng narrowed her eyes. Playing dead?
She formed four Impaling nails and fired them, two each, at the 'knocked out' enemies.
They both exploded with motion, jumping out of the way. Hastily the man pulled out a red talisman from his pocket and shattered it.
"Lord Revenant, we need immediate reinforcement. An eight-stage cultivator, Fuyang and Lili are dead."
A moment later, she felt a powerful Qiu in the eighth stage erupt from the building in the center of the pond.
"How dare you interrupt my cultivation?" a voice imperiously shouted.
A man in a tattered black robe jumped out the window of the fortress, body covered in black and white fog. He caught sight of the blood-covered Xia Xuefeng and roared angrily.
"I'll kill you!"
Lord Revenant, who was in the eighth stage of Qi Cultivation, leaped towards her, palms outstreched like bony claw, misty light swirling around him. His qi was spectral and ghostly, like an undead come to life.
Xia Xuefeng lengthened a Nail of Crucifixion into a spear and stabbed it forward. His hands and her spear crashed together, knocking them both back. A moment later she slashed her spear like a staff, blocking yet another frenzied claw attack.
'I'm faster than him,' Xia Xuefeng thought. 'And stronger. But I'm low on Qi from the fight earlier. If it's one on one, I might win-'
Both of the seventh-rank cultivators from earlier charged her, together with Lord Revenant.
Xia Xuefeng knew that the cultivation manual Bing Meilu had given her, the Bllod Anthem of the Crucified, was something very ancient and powerful. The Sealing mark within her attested to its deep origins. If she was at full Qi capacity, she was confident she could beat even these three.
Sadly, she was not. She would have to consume blood to power herself... and the only blood here was human. Xia Xufeng gulped in disgust and unwillingness.
"I guess I am going to be a fucking cannibal!"
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Xia Xuefeng Interlude 3
---
"Who's there?" Xia Xuefeng asked, with more confidence than she felt.
The chittering laugh rang out once more and a figure seemed to swell up from the shadows, a man appearing. He looked distinctly savage, covered in crude bone and leather armour.
"Just a hungry fellow…" the savage smirked. There was a leg in his hand covered in scraps of meat, that he gnawed from. It took her a moment to realize it was a human leg. "And I think I might have just found a meal."
She felt nauseous. Human meat? Cannibals? What the fuck was this place?
Demonic, unsettling qi issued from him, chilling her to the bone. This man was without a doubt one of the reviled 'demonic cultivators'... and he was in the fifth stage of Qi Condensation.
Xia Xuefeng blinked for a moment. Then, she began to laugh. The man looked at her in confusion for only a moment.
Her own Qi flared, a bloody red aura erupting around her, followed by the wailing of crucified souls. Eight Stage of Qi Condensation. She stepped forward threateningly. The savage man's eyes widened and he immediately fell to his knees, holding up his palms in surrender.
"Wait! Please, I had no clue I was speaking to a demonic cultivator of such means. I-I was only joking around a little- I wasn't going to do anything?" the man said, eyes widening with each step Xia Xuefeng took towards him. "You wouldn't h-hurt little old me, right? My master can compensate you for sparing me, he's also an eighth-stage cultivator, just like your esteemed self."
This was the first time she was clearly superior in cultivation in a situation like this. It was almost refreshing to be on the other end for once.
'What would Mistress Bing Meilu do in a situation like this?'
"Tell me your name." Xia Xuefeng ordered austerely as if she were some respectable expert and not a scared girl out of her comfort zone. She even clasped her hands behind her back to sell the image.
"I'm called Revenant Boneclub, your ladyship. A servant to Lord Revenant."
"Is that your birth name?"
"Uh… birthname? I guess not, but no one-"
"Tell me your birth name."
"I-I was born Li Fuyang."
"Alright, little Fuyang. Tell me about this place. I find myself in unfamiliar territory."
"Of course. This is the Shadow Pit. It's a holding ground for Demonic Cultivators like us. The Sect keeps demonic cultivators to be used as a challenge for their disciples in various ways. There are three tiers to the Pit. We in Qi Condensation are held in the first. Foundation Establishment cultivators are held in the second, and Core Formation cultivators are held in the final layer."
"Is there a way out of this place?"
"Unless you think you can take on the entirety of Port Snake and plan to kill your way out, no. "
"You said we are to be used as a challenge? Tell me how that works."
"They hold sect entrance trials, which often involve killing a demonic cultivator of a certain rank, in which case they'll grab some of us to do it. Or maybe a certain disciple needs a living human to test a technique against, we would be used as test dummies. Every decade or so they hold a 'hunt' and come in to thin out our numbers, with disciple rewarded for killing us."
Xia Xuefeng felt a headache building up. How could she be sent to such a miserable place? She felt a rising anger at the Sect for not giving her even the slightest chance to defend herself. She was sure there was some kind of misunderstanding. No way had Bing Meilu given her some illegal technique… right?
'This is bad! Even if I survive being in here from the inhabitants, I might still be killed when they hold a sect trial or thin us out!'
"What goes on when you aren't being used as a trial? How do you live?"
"Well, not all that different from any Demonic Sect," Fuyang shrugged. "Cept no one can leave."
'Am I supposed to know what that means? But if I seem too ignorant, I might out myself as not being an actual demonic cultivator!'
"And what are the particular powers and regions I should be aware of? How many demonic cultivators are there here?"
"Our population is probably somewhere in the low ten thousand. Most of us congregate in Night City. and there are also a few large towns and bases. The largest powers include The Samsara Revenants, which I'm a part of, led by Lord Revenant, in the eighth stage. Then there is the Flavoured Tongues Sect, which is headed by a ninth-stage cultivator, and the Xu Clan Auction House run by the old merchant in the tenth stage."
'Given this tier of the Shadow Pit is for only those in Qi Condensation, I'm actually amongst the strongest here. Thank the Gods. Hopefully, I can survive long enough to figure a way out.'
"Well, Fuyang, take me to your boss. If I'm going to be stuck in this pit, I should get to know the people in it."
"Of course."
Fuyang shakily walked through creeping caverns. Xia Xuefeng was utterly lost, as they strode through identical caves, filled with moss, slime and bones. Somehow Fuyang seemed to know where he was going.
Eventually, they reached a barricade, skulls set up with threatening signs painted on the walls in blood.
'Revenant Territory - Progress no further!'
Fuyang strode past the barricade confidently, and the girl followed.
The cave widened into a large waterlogged cavern, almost an underground pond. Glowing algae lit up the water enough to see with the unaided eye. In the center of the pond stood a ramshackle building, made of bones. Three people sat, playing cards by the outside. A man and woman in the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, and what looked to be a young child in the sixth.
Xia Xuefeng and Fuyang strode towards them. The savage waved cheerfully at the three. He suddenly jumped towards them.
"Guys! Attack!"
Xia Xuefeng blinked. Was he really-
A dagger of bone flew past her face as she narrowly dodged. Fuyang and the three other savages all drew their weapons, rushing toward the bewildered Xia Xuefeng.
"Hey! I spared your life!" Xia Xuefeng shouted, shocked at his 'outrageous' betrayal.
The man in the seventh stage, wielding a long sharpened bone sword, slashed at her, cleaving a trail of bloody-red energy through the air. Xia Xuefeng narrowed her eyes, hot embers of anger lighting within her.b
Her body trembled as the crosses within her Dantian shuddered, blood-red qi flooding out of her body and forming a swirling whirlpool.
'Battle Art - Blood Demon's Whirlwind.'
The slash of bloody energy was pulled into her swirling red whirlwind, only growing it in size. The horrifying sound of crucified souls filled the air as Xia Xuefeng's Qi flooded through her body, causing her to glow with a crimson inner light.
Xia Xuefeng exploded forward, ripping through the air. Her foot smashed into Fuyang's face, and she felt his neck snap backwards. Xia Xuefeng was only three stages above him in cultivation, but with a divine-level manual, the difference in strength was like Heaven and Earth.
Blood spurted from his cracked neck, rich with Qi and life essence. A horrifyingly powerful hunger filled her, but she pushed it down. There was no way she'd consume human blood. She was no fucking cannibal.
Decisively she spun around to face the sword-wielding man. He lunged at her, his bone sword glowing white with sharp Qi.
Meanwhile, the bone dagger-wielding woman attacked from the other side. her blades elongated into swords of shadow. Two attacks from seventh-stage cultivators was not something a normal eighth-stage could just ignore.
A normal eight-stage cultivator.
'Battle Art - Red Lotus Dress'
Blood poured from Fuyang's corpse, filling her mudstained robe and hardening. The bone sword and shadow knives slammed into her dress and slid off uselessly.
Xia Xuefeng's two hands shot out like vipers, wrapping around the wrist of both enemies. She tossed them through the air, watching as they slammed into the rock walls of the cave with explosive cracks.,
Now she-
Now she should commit suicide.
Xia Xuefeng blinked.
Now she should commit suicide.
Of course. It was the natural next step in the fight. A nail of blood-qi formed in her hand and she lifted it to her throat, smiling. Fuyang had seemed to think he could trick her, but she seemed to be winning this easily.
Now she should commit suicide.
There was hauntingly beautiful music playing, a flute. Listening to such music was almost inspiring. It made her really want to do the right thing. Take her own life.
Her sharpened nail pressed up into the flesh of her neck, pushing through skin and drawing blood. She paused. Something felt off.
"Of course! My dress is in the way."
Her Red Lotus Dress would only get in the way of her committing suicide. She should take it off.
Then why had I put in on in the first place? I mean, a battle skill I learned from a godlike cultivation manual can't be bad, right?
Everyone will feel let down if she didn't die. Is that really the reputation she wanted? She should commit suicide.
Xia Xuefeng's head was ringing painfully. She knew Qi could reinforce the body in all sorts of ways, so she automatically flooded her body with Qi, attemtping to banish the pain.
Her Qi slammed into something near the meridians of her head. A clawing, vile, cold Qi. The Qi attempted to push her back, and instinctually she crushed it, the Thirty-Six blood-crosses in her Dantian erupting with bloody energy that ripped through her meridians like a geyser, pushing out every impurity.
Xia Xuefeng blinked, eyes focusing on the sight of a small child frantically playing his flute. Ghostly Yin qi flooded from it in thin strings, attempting to latch onto her. Looking closer, she could see it was malformed. Not a child, perhaps not even human.
Battle Art - Impaling Nail of the Crucifix
Her nail quietly flew through the air, like a silent punishment from Heaven, it slammed into the tiny midget, nailing his hand to the stone of the cave. It let loose a blood-curdling scream, sobbing, sounding every bit like a small child who had hurt themselves.
She felt a wave of guilt and motherly instinct, she should stop-
Xia Xuefeng once more cleansed herself with her Qi. That was it. Two nails formed in her hands, growing in size until they resembled hellish spears of blood. They ripped forward, stabbing through the air.
The spears slammed into the creature's throat and lungs.
"No more music for you then," Xia Xuefeng spat, eyes burning.
The sword-wielding man and knife-wielding woman were both laying unconscious where she'd thrown them on the wall. Enhancing her sight, Xia Xuefeng narrowed her eyes. Playing dead?
She formed four Impaling nails and fired them, two each, at the 'knocked out' enemies.
They both exploded with motion, jumping out of the way. Hastily the man pulled out a red talisman from his pocket and shattered it.
"Lord Revenant, we need immediate reinforcement. An eight-stage cultivator, Fuyang and Lili are dead."
A moment later, she felt a powerful Qiu in the eighth stage erupt from the building in the center of the pond.
"How dare you interrupt my cultivation?" a voice imperiously shouted.
A man in a tattered black robe jumped out the window of the fortress, body covered in black and white fog. He caught sight of the blood-covered Xia Xuefeng and roared angrily.
"I'll kill you!"
Lord Revenant, who was in the eighth stage of Qi Cultivation, leaped towards her, palms outstreched like bony claw, misty light swirling around him. His qi was spectral and ghostly, like an undead come to life.
Xia Xuefeng lengthened a Nail of Crucifixion into a spear and stabbed it forward. His hands and her spear crashed together, knocking them both back. A moment later she slashed her spear like a staff, blocking yet another frenzied claw attack.
'I'm faster than him,' Xia Xuefeng thought. 'And stronger. But I'm low on Qi from the fight earlier. If it's one on one, I might win-'
Both of the seventh-rank cultivators from earlier charged her, together with Lord Revenant.
Xia Xuefeng knew that the cultivation manual Bing Meilu had given her, the Bllod Anthem of the Crucified, was something very ancient and powerful. The Sealing mark within her attested to its deep origins. If she was at full Qi capacity, she was confident she could beat even these three.
Sadly, she was not. She would have to consume blood to power herself... and the only blood here was human. Xia Xufeng gulped in disgust and unwillingness.
"I guess I am going to be a fucking cannibal!"
- Location
- USA
And a real demonic cultivator now too!
Although if she kills all of the demonic cultivators in this level, does that mean she successfully completed an entrance exam for the sect?
Ah yes, I see someone uses the Low Tier God cultivation manual.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Wait, what? How the hell are they getting enough food? How is this city affording to throw away so many citizens? Are they really all demonic cultivators or is this just anyone the local guards don't like?
- Location
- Alice Springs, Australia
its a Xianxia city so utterly huge