40-41
Chapter 40 - A Sight Shy of a Goal
The world was hell, that much Yu Minge always knew--it was today, however, that he learned the sheer capacity for it.
Almost the entire Holy Blade Sect lay in ruins. The beautiful, gold-topped pavilions were pulverized into rubble, the majestic library was missing its top half, the medicinal hall had so many holes in it, it was more a passage than a building, and the countless homes of the Disciples and Elders were now just one pile of ash.
That, however much it hurt, was merely a monetary loss--it was temporary. The loss of life, however, was permanent and far more hurtful. There were so many bodies, and so many of which were disfigured, that it was difficult to even identify everyone.
On top of everything, Hae had lost both his eyes, Dark Night had their dantian cracked ever so slightly (even that little crack, however, was enough to set a cultivator back decades without immediate help), while Shen Rong lost both his legs. At least they were lucky to be alive, if nothing else; hundreds were sprawled on the ground, and those were just the ones they could see.
The attackers' bodies, almost immediately after they would die, would melt into a pool of blood and evaporate mysteriously, leaving behind no trace.
"Do you know who that kid they were chasin' is?" Hae asked, seated atop the rubble, recovering his Qi slowly.
"No," Yu Minge replied. There were simply too many guests--even if he could keep track of a lot of things, he wasn't omniscient. "How many got out?"
"Five, I hear," Dark Night replied. "Do you think...?"
"... the line was broken," Yu Minge sighed, rubbing his temples. All of his Sect's future was there, and if they died... "There is at least one Soul Ascendance devil among the pursuers. Even if they got a head start of a few dozen miles, they'll have at most bought thirty minutes. Tong." Yu Minge walked over to the withered, old man. While the loss of legs was crippling, what hurt far more than that was the sight of a body the man was 'kneeling' besides. It was a familiar face, one Yu Minge had seen countless times before--that of Shen Yu, the Sect Master of the Bloodmoon Sect.
There was a hole in his chest and the visible lack of heart therein; somebody had literally reached in with their fingers and ripped it out. No matter how strong and resilient a Soul Ascendance Cultivator was, they were still of a mortal body, one mailable by all ails as any other. Though they've had their fair share of differences and skirmishes and even wars over the years, Yu Minge felt a knot tie up his throat as he stared at the pale face of his old 'friend'.
"That attack," Shen Rong mumbled, his voice hoarse. "The cleaver. It was... it was an Immortal, wasn't it?"
"... not a fully realized one, but yes," Yu Minge confirmed.
"I thought there was a treaty, that everyone above Nascent Soul wasn't allowed to enter the Lower Ashlands."
"There is."
"Then... why?! How?!!" the old man exploded with grief and rage. Though Yu Minge wanted to give him answers, he didn't have any either. Somebody dared breach the treaty--if they were caught, it wouldn't matter that they were an 'Immortal'--they would be stretched by their limbs and ripped apart publicly, as to dissuade everyone else in the world from doing the same thing. "There shouldn't be any power that even has three Soul Ascendance bastards. And there was that pair of weirdos that roamed among the Disciples. That brute and a boy. What the hell is this?"
"..." Yu Minge had a thought, but he kept it to himself. Whether it was true or not, this was neither the time nor the place to share it. Though he wanted to leave and quickly go after the kids that escaped, he couldn't. Though he was the least hurt of everyone, he was also nursing quite a few broken bones, and just a barely functioning meridian system. "I apologize, everyone," he said. "This all happened under my watch. When I am done with repairing and reinstituting the Sect, I will offer my cultivation as a payment."
"Save your sophistry for the old and broken who care," Shen Rong growled, turning toward him. "And use that body of yours to avenge all that was lost today.
The world was silent, nursing the wound that would never truly heal. Living Disciples, most of which were either those at Qi Condensation or a few at Foundation Establishment were roaming the Sect's grounds and searching for survivors, quickly carrying them over to the 'medicinal hall' where the few remaining alchemists were working like mad to try and concoct enough healing pills for everyone.
Those present knew that today would be permanently etched into the annals of history as one of the greatest tragedies to ever happen, and when the news broke tomorrow to the rest of the Lower Ashlands, the ire and fury would mount tall enough to eclipse the sun.
**
Lya stopped reluctantly. Even though her instincts were screaming at her to run, she couldn't--they had to stop and take a breather. Even Senior Brother Xiang was breathing somewhat heavily, having had to carry Song all this while. Senior Sister Qiu Mei also seemed barely conscious, and Elder Xiaoling was no longer able to keep up the façade.
Strangely, the young, Qi Condensation Ling'er was doing the best besides Lya, but largely because she was simply unhurt, unlike the rest.
Luckily, the road between the Holy Blade Sect and the Nameless Forest was largely flat, composed of plains and an occasional hill. There wasn't exactly a paved path, but the grass never grew taller than their knees, and as it was now past the dusk, the temperature was nicely cooling.
The group collapsed as Lya started taking out some water from her storage ring, handing it out to everyone. Despite being uncomfortable with being put in charge, she knew now wasn't the time to face those grievances. They were still at least half an hour away rushing from the Nameless Forest, and they seldom had a minute to spare.
"So, we really are going to the forest, huh?" Elder Xiaoling said and looked at her, prompting Lya to look away in shame. "Ha ha, don't be like that. The Sect is still in your heart, considering you are taking us there."
"... I, I don't know whether... we'll be helped," Lya said. She didn't want others putting complete faith into her, and wanted them to know that there was a chance this entire journey was for naught.
"There's hope, however faint," the Elder said, smiling faintly. "And so long as it remains, it will be the wind in our back. We have rested enough. Here," she tossed two pills to Senior Sister Mei and Senior Brother Xiang. "They're Qi-rush pellets. Took me an arm and a leg to buy those two, but it's no time to be a scrooge. I have an odd feeling in my chest, and that usually means there's death at our heels. So, chop-chop. We gotta speed it up."
They barely rested two minutes before they were back up on their feet, beginning their rush again. Having taken the pellet, complexions of the Senior Brother and Sister pair improved, but it was just a temporary measure. Soon enough, they will have spent themselves again, and their speed would decline.
Running so fervently reminded Lya of that day, when Song and her were being chased. They ran the same way then as they were running away now. Though she knew that a life of a cultivator was never calm and steady, she wondered whether she was cursed or something considering how quickly her life was endangered again.
It was bitter, the taste of death, and she swore if she survived this ordeal, she would become one of those 'indoors cultivators' as they were called, the ilk that locked themselves up in isolation chambers and spent years, if not decades, just cultivating. Even if the world was rife with opportunities, she had to be alive to take any of them.
When Lya saw the thick canopy of the trees appear at the horizon, she all but squealed. They were right there, and, as if per fate's design, they would be entering from the same point that Song and her did when they first came here. It seemed, luck was on their side.
Thus, she seemed to have jinxed them.
Everyone came to a screeching halt, including Elder Xiaoling, when immense pressure descended upon them like a tidal wave. The Qi in the surroundings churned and defied their wills, as there was a much greater force than them commanding it. They all collapsed in the end, unable to endure it.
Glancing back, Lya saw a figure appear behind them--it was a middle-aged seeming man draped in black robes. He had long, windy, crimson hair and a pair of red eyes. His forehead was aglow in red, a strange symbol etched into his skin. His face was thin and gaunt, nose long and ever so slightly crooked.
There was a strange grin on his face as he approached them.
Soul Ascendance Realm!!--it wasn't just Lya who realized that, everyone did. Beneath that pressure, they felt like tiny little ants. Perhaps, if she were at her peak, Elder Xiaoling might have been able to offer a bout or two before falling, but as she was teetering on the edge of absolute exhaustion, she could just barely keep her head up and meet the man's gaze.
"My oh my," the man spoke in an eerie, low tone. "How much trouble you kids have made me go through. And to think you've almost made it. I will have to exorcise some of the demons you've sown into me, so as to avoid them haunting me at inopportune times. Soon enough, you will wish you stayed behind with the rest of your cohort, choking on your fears and blood."
Chapter 41 - Edict of the Eternal
Yue was trembling, clutching at the feather between her fingers with a terror rising in her heart. On her way back to the Nameless Forest, she got caught up in an insane situation. Luckily, she remained unnoticed by either of the parties.
On one side, there was a single cultivator who just arrived and immediately locked down the entire area. The fluctuations were clearly of someone at Soul Ascendance Realm, meaning that he was one of the strongest people in the Lower Ashlands.
Opposite of him was a band of six people, none of whom she recognized. There were four women--two kids younger than her, a girl her age, and one seemingly in her thirties--and there were two boys, one about her age, and the other a younger kid.
Though she didn't recognize anyone, she did recognize the garbs they were wearing--bloodied and torn though they were. The group of six was made up of people from the Holy Blade Sect, the sovereign of the area and the ultimate dream of every young cultivator, including her own younger brother. She, too, had dreams of joining the Sect a long time ago, but even as one of the weakest Tier IV Sects, they still weren't in the business of accepting mediocre talent.
That 'feeling', she recalled, must have really been something serious, as the composition of the group wasn't that of ordinary Disciples--there were a pair of kids younger than her that were at Core Formation. They seemed to be about sixteen-seventeen, and if they truly were, that would make them one of the most talented people Yue had ever seen in her life.
Furthermore, even the pair of older ones wasn't lagging behind--the young woman was at the same stage as Yue herself, while the man seemed to be at Peak Core Formation Realm. It was very likely that all of them were quite important members of the Holy Blade Sect--save for perhaps the girl in Qi Condensation Realm.
And as for who the man on the other end was... it was impossible to guess. Though Yue knew of some cultivators at Soul Ascendance Realm, to her--and, indeed, to her Clan as a whole--they were transcendental figures, and none of the 'descriptions' she ever heard matched the man's appearance. Regardless, she was torn on what to do; it was very unlikely that the disciples did anything untoward and were being 'punished', but she also didn't exactly know why they were being hunted.
Furthermore, it was just outside the Nameless Forest of all places. Whether by coincidence or by design, she wasn't certain. Even if she could save the Holy Blade Sect disciples by using the feather, she still had reservations. Though the fluctuations might be covered by the mere proximity to the forest, there were still the six people that would know, and exposing not only her Master's existence, but feather's, too, was extremely dangerous.
So, she waited, staying as silent and as still as possible, using a 'mantra' of sorts from the cultivation method that her Master gave her to make herself essentially invisible to the Divine Sense. Though she was confident in it, she didn't really expect it to work on even Soul Ascendance Realm cultivators.
"Who the hell are you?!" the oldest of the group of six asked. The woman stepped forward and readied herself, as though preparing for death.
"To think that all this could have been avoided had you just let us take the girl," the man cackled strangely. "Alas, now you must suffer. To answer your question, however, think of me as... ah, right, think of me as Death. That would be swell, no?"
"Do you really think you can get away with this?!" the same woman asked again. "You will be hunted down like dogs until there are none of you left!"
"Pfft, ha ha ha," the man broke out into hearty laughter. "Hunted, hunted do--ha ha ha, oh, ha ha... haah, wow. I haven't laughed like that in a while. Just for that, I will let you suffer a second less than I wanted. You really don't know anything, do you? Tiny little frogs hopping around their perfect well, shielded from the world. You are all just... so worthless, do you know? Irrelevant. And this is where your stories end, at the edge of the world. Buried far and away from any eyes, forgotten soon and quickly."
**
Lya was in despair.
They were so close--perhaps just ten seconds longer, and they would have entered the forest. But they've come up short, and were caught--and by someone at Soul Ascendance Realm, no less.
Was this truly it? The end? Would this be how her life ended? With her not even getting the chance to prove herself? She loathed the thought, yet it seemed to be real. Though they were outside the forest, she was certain that the Senior could see everything that was happening. If he so desired, it would be extremely easy to kill the man in front of them and save her group. But... would he do it? Even if she pleaded with her knees on the ground and her forehead splattered with blood from kowtowing, would he help?
He had no obligation to do so, after all.
Perhaps, to him, this wasn't even worth glancing at--just a mere struggle between children, something that he had seen a thousand times before.
And yet, Lya hoped that wasn't the case--she hoped, if she reached out to him, that he'd answer. Her fingers curled up into fists, and she spun toward the forest. Injecting Qi into her lungs and throat, she roared as loudly as she could, hoping that her voice was loud enough to carry her intentions.
"SENIOR, PLEASE HELP US!!"
Her voice startled everyone, including the old man who found them, but it remained contained within the prison he'd made. Lya didn't care, though--no prison could stop the Senior from seeing if he wanted to see.
**
Yue felt her heart leap into her throat.
It wasn't by happenstance that the Disciples of the Holy Blade Sect arrived here--it was by design. Apparently, at least that young girl was familiar with her Master, and came here seeking his help. It made sense--whether Master was strong or not, it didn't really matter, all he had to do was point a finger and there'd be an army of impossibly strong Spirits to tear open the world for him.
But... would her Master come out? It was likely that he knew what was happening here, including that she was crouching in the darkness, hiding. He also knew that she still had the feather with her and that it was unused, which meant that she could save them instead of him.
"--ho ho, you scared me a bit, I must admit, ha ha ha!" the man suddenly laughed as the girl's voice faded, not getting a response. "Senior, huh? Are you perhaps expecting there to be some eccentric in the forest to save you? Not bad, not bad. There are always legends of ungodly things betwixt those trees, and perhaps you were hoping that one of them would take pity on you. Alas, those are merely legends, nincompoop. There is nobody to save you."
Yue stayed still, waiting. Would her Master intervene? Would he let her make a choice? No, rather, what was the right choice to begin with? If she entangled herself, she would perhaps be usurping her Master's peace, not to mention likely drawing attention of whatever faction the Soul Ascendance Realm was part of.
Ultimately, the world of cultivation was selfish and self-important, and all those who participated in it loathed extending a helping hand, as it was never certain that after helping someone, they wouldn't betray you. The inner voice that her Clan had groomed for over twenty years was telling her to stay still, hidden, to wait it out and then go and report to her Master, let him sort it out.
But...
He helped her. Against all the teachings of the world of cultivation, he helped her. And, from the sounds of it, he'd already helped the kids here once, too. It was oft noted that only the crowned and untouchable had the luxury of helping others, but was that truly right? The only thing one needed to help was a desire and a smidgen of kindness.
Perhaps it was foolish, perhaps she was simply talking herself into a rather stupid decision, but her heart won in the end. So, she stepped out, clutching the feather tightly.
She was immediately noticed, drawing hope and quiet somberness for ever a moment before everyone realized that she was merely at Core Formation Realm.
"There was somebody here? And I haven't noticed you?" the man arched his brows, seeming more amused rather than scared. "Curious. I'll leave you for last, so that I can figure out why."
"Leave," Yue said, extending her hand and pointing a feather toward him, the Qi less than an inch from the feather. "Otherwise, you won't ever get a chance to."
"... eh? What's with that feather? It's quite good-looking, I'll say, but are you seriously threatening me with some bird's feather right now? Ha ha ha, oh my Gods, what a day today has been! All of you, you are gloriously amusing! Alas, I cannot delay my orders any longer. Trust me, I would want to, but... it is time for you to die."
Yue, emptying her mind, tossed the trace of Qi into the feather.
It vibrated slightly in her hand and, for a moment, nothing happened. She, however, didn't even have the time to doubt its validity before the prison they were all encased in shattered. The man, too, appeared alarmed--however, strangely, he wasn't moving or trying to attack her.
No, it wasn't that... he simply couldn't.
Just then, the space above Yue trembled with reflections of horrors and the membrane parted, giving way to a pair of transcendental eyes. They were as bright as a pair of suns looking over the mortal plane.
Qi began to burn visibly, golden flames appearing everywhere and nowhere, all consuming. Those that touched Yue and the Holy Blade Sect Disciples, however, did not hurt. Rather, they were calming and warm, even furthering their cultivations slightly.
"L-Lord, p-p-please--" the man mumbled as he fell onto his knees.
Just as the pair of eyes above Yue closed and began to fade, the man's frame burst out into a pillar of flames that reached all the way to the heavens. The man's voice escaped from him, drowned in agony, despair, and pain that had Yue shake and shudder.
The pillar didn't last long, merely a second. In its wake there was nothing--just empty space where a man had just been kneeling.
The feather in her hand shook momentarily and Yue watched some of its luster fade.
Just like that, she gasped--a cultivator at Soul Ascendance Realm was... gone. She'd just killed one while at Core Formation Realm. The world, were it hear the tale, would never believe it. In fact, there was a group of six opposite of her who'd just witnessed the entire thing and yet seemed wholly in disbelief.
She turned toward them, specifically the girl who'd called out the Master.
"Master is busy," she said. "So I ask you to please leave."