~~~
Dim flames illuminate the dark pit where Qu Rou made his last stand. The bodies of the Spirit Beasts he killed are scattered all around. Doubtlessly, they will be a good source of cores later on, but right now, they go ignored in favor of the one who killed them. The seven disciples gather around his corpse. Shock and awe permeate through their bodies.
The Core Disciple once stood proud and mighty. Now, his skin has taken on a gross, purplish hue. His hands clutch at his chest. His face is frozen in pain, his mouth open to let out that one final gasp.
“He is dead,” Wong says. The paleness of his face stands out even in the darkness of the pit. “He’s really dead.”
“I can’t believe it,” says Dong Kuan, a male disciple of the Apothecary. Though far less emotional than Wong, he looks at the product of their work with wide eyes. His shaking knees are noticeable even through his robes.
“That’s Senior Brother Qu Rou,” says Gan Nanfeng, a female disciple from the Apothecary. “We are both from Sweet Blossom City. Everyone hailed him as a prodigy among prodigies. He was a legend.”
“Even within the main sect, the Elders had high expectations of him,” adds Ni Cai. He is from the Medical Pavilion. “He was chosen to go to the Crimson Cloud Tournament! He’s one of the strongest cultivators of our generation.”
“Not anymore,” says Ten Zichun, a disciple from the Armory. “We killed him.”
Those words sober everyone there. Though no one will deny Liu Jin did the bulk of the work, they all contributed to the final result.
Fan Bingbing helped them locate the traps inside the temple and discern their purpose. Ten Zichun was crucial in getting many of them back to working order. Though the more esoteric traps had long since been triggered by previous explorers, many of the ones left were simple but deadly to those who had yet to reach the Heaven Realm. They would not have been able to slow down Qu Rou without them.
Liu Jin, Dong Kuan, and Gan Nanfeng all fiercely worked to create a concoction that would lure the Spirit Beasts inside the temple. They had several animated discussions as they pondered the project’s feasibility and later discussed the best way to use it on Qu Rou.
Ni Cai would say his part was the most superfluous one, as Liu Jin is undeniably the better doctor. Still, the disciple had been in the Medical Pavilion for longer. His experience treating older disciples had been invaluable to work out just how much time they had before Qu Rou weakened enough to confront him.
Even towards the end, Wong’s blue flames, a technique from the Bright Phantasm Sect he claimed to lack skill with, had helped them bring down Qu Rou.
Not a single one of them, not even Liu Jin, could have defeated Qu Rou on their own. Everyone contributed in their own way, however small.
Now, Qu Rou lies dead before them.
No one could blame the least among them for perhaps thinking this might be the most shining achievement of their lives.
A large snake made out of pure poison swallows Qu Rou whole.
“Brother Qing! What are you doing?” yells a surprised Gan Nanfeng. She regrets it almost immediately. His red eyes root her to the spot.
“He’s in the Earth Realm,” Liu Jin says as if that is enough to explain everything.
“Do you really need more than that to understand?” Fan Bingbing asks them when she sees them trade confused glances with each other. She already has her guqin out and is carefully molding her Qi. “We cannot take any unnecessary risks. We are dealing with someone in Earth Realm. It is better to completely dispose of the body. Else, there is a one in a million chance he might come back and take revenge on us.”
The disciples nervously look at each other.
Within moments, their own attacks join Liu Jin’s, striking at Qu Rou’s corpse until nothing is left.
~~~
“I am sorry, Brother Qing.”
Ten Zichun has a solemn look on his face as he presents Liu Jin with the fragments of his broken spear. Qu Rou’s punch broke the shaft in three places, but that is not the worst of it. The leaf-shaped blade is completely shattered.
“Maybe it would be different if I had access to one of the better forges back at the compound, but under the circumstances, there is nothing that can be done."
“Do not worry, Brother Ten. I had a feeling that would be the case,” Liu Jin says, taking the fragments from the older disciple and placing them in his spatial pouch. “It accomplished its job. That is all that matters.”
It may only have slowed down Qu Rou for a fraction of a second, but even that is a lot when dealing with someone so powerful.
“Senior Brother Guo will probably be angry when he finds out,” Ten says. “He was very proud of this spear, Brother Qing. It is not the strongest weapon he has forged, but he said the balance was perfect for you.”
“If Senior Brother Guo finds out, that means we have reunited with him,” Liu Jin says, turning away from Brother Ten. “If bearing his anger is the price I must pay to have him with us, I’ll gladly do so.”
The full moon shines down upon them, bathing the Eye of the Plains with its light. After many days, the seven disciples have finally left the temple. Not a single one of them speaks. They are all just content to savor the moment and enjoy this brief repose after all they have done. The cool breeze of the evening is a balm to their skin.
In a few hours, the sun will rise, yet another reminder of the challenges they have overcome, for they have lived to see another day.
“Brother Qing,” Ten says after several minutes have passed. “What are we to do now? Will we return to the compound?”
All the disciples wait to hear what Liu Jin has to say. He has led them to victory against a Core Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Not a single one among them even thinks about questioning his authority. Whatever he says, they will do.
“Didn’t I already say it?” Liu Jin replies. “Right now, there is no better place for us to be than this temple.”
That is all he needs to say. They do not express doubt. They do not ask him to explain himself further.
All anyone says is, “As you command, Brother Qing.”
Yes, there is no longer any need for Liu Jin to explain himself.
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Nevertheless, he does.
“Unless some of the Core Disciples were dropped much further away than us, it is likely they have all passed through the temple already. If we try to return to the Eternal Flame Clan right now, there is a chance we might run into a Core Disciple from Lord Feng Shang’s faction. Some may even be lying in wait. Just like Qu Rou was here.”
While there are many routes one can take from the Eye to the Eternal Flame Clan’s compound, all one would need to do to cut them off is wait on the way to Ember City. A few disciples pale as they realize how likely that is.
“This temple will be our home for now,” Liu Jin says. “There is plenty of room, and most of the Spirit Beasts inside are dead.”
Qu Rou’s rampage ended up being quite helpful towards that end.
“We will wait here for our brethren to arrive and welcome them into our number,” Liu Jin continues. “In the meantime… in the meantime, we all need to grow stronger.”
“Stronger? Fan Bingbing echoes, not with doubt but interest.
“We are in a Qi-rich environment, aren’t we?” Liu Jin says to her. “We have multiple Spirit Beasts Cores, three members of the Apothecary, and more importantly, we have time.”
Liu Jin looks towards the horizon.
“Let’s make the best of it before tribulation crosses our path once more.”
~~~
“Isn’t this quite enough?” Feng Zhi asks his brother. Though days have passed, Feng Zhi has yet to leave his position. He still stands behind the line he has drawn, blocking the way out of the cave.
“Never…”
Unlike his brother, Feng Hao is dirty and bruised. Some of his blood drips down from a cut on his lip. It is proof of how gentle Feng Zhi has been with him so far. Regardless of how fiercely Feng Hao attacked him, Feng Zhi always repelled him with the least amount of force, never causing him any permanent or lasting damage.
However, there is one type of damage Feng Zhi cannot avoid, no matter how careful he is.
With every day, the respect and admiration Feng Hao holds for him are chipped away.
“Brother, I am not defeated yet!” Feng Hao says.
“Yes, you are,” Feng Zhi says, “You have been defeated repeatedly over the past few days. Do not mistake your position. ‘I am not defeated yet’ are the words of someone who has something left to try. You do not.”
“Is that so?” Feng Hao breathes heavily as he focuses his Qi. “I thank you for your guidance then.”
Despite his physical state, Feng Hao’s Qi blazes around him. He pushes through the pain and reaches deep within himself. Skill, power, experience. Feng Zhi outshines him in all those things. The only advantage he has is that Feng Zhi is not using his full power against him.
“Precision, Young Master. Precision. Your target is in front of you. You just need to hit it.”
Feng Hao is quite certain this is not the sort of situation his Elder Brother had in mind when he said those words.
Regardless, it is all he has.
Feng Hao’s Qi turns into fire. First red, then blue as the temperature around him rises. Gritting his teeth, Feng Hao focuses it all on his hands. Days of trying to fight his brother have only increased his skill.
“...The more Young Master uses his flames in combat, the easier doing so will become. Eventually, Young Master won’t even need to think about it. Beyond that, the quality and quantity of Young Master’s flames leave nothing to be desired..”
No, they do. Right now, his usual flames won’t do it. They need to be… more.
The fire turns white.
Feng Zhi raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
It is not enough.
This fire will not defeat his brother. It will not even distract him. Fen Hao needs more! Something amazing! Something beyond the temporary!
Something Eterna-
Feng Zhi crosses the line for the first time and punches Feng Hao in the gut. Spit and blood fly out of Feng Hao’s mouth as he’s blown back dozens of yards and crashes into a stalactite.
“Were you born without brains!” Feng Zhi yells, his temper lost. Another first between them. “Do you really think you can connect to the Eternal Flame?! Let alone do so under these circumstances?”
The Eternal Flame?
Feng Hao blinks.
Is that what he almost did?
“I don’t know whether I am a fool or not,” Feng Hao says, slowly standing up. “However, I do know I am not a coward.”
His brother flinches.
“I am trying to protect you,” he says through gritted teeth.
“By hiding me away and hoping the storm passes?” Feng Hao asks. “Brother, what happens if Uncle wins the contest? Have you considered that? What if Aunty starts looking at us like my mother looks at you?”
Though he wishes he didn’t, Feng Hao now understands the tension that has always been present between the two.
“What will you do then?” Feng Hao asks. “Stay here forever? That’s not right, brother!”
Maybe something like that would be acceptable for some people, but they are cultivators who struggle against tribulation! To do nothing is to put their fate in the hands of others!
That can never be their way!
Feng Hao is tired of doing nothing!
“You speak with more emotion than sense, little brother,” Feng Zhi tells him. His Aura flares up to oppress Feng Hao.
However, Feng Hao looks back at him without flinching.
“I may be young and foolish,” Feng Hao says. “But young and foolish as I am, the fire within me tells me that you are wrong!”
~~~
The Dead Plains rumble as a massive creature slowly walks across its surface. It is as tall as thirty men standing on top of each other and three times as long. It has four thick legs and skin like leather. Massive tusks grow from its mouth, and horns that are just as large decorate its head.
It is dead.
There is no light in its eyes. Its rotting flesh has attracted all sorts of bugs. No blood flows through its body, and no heart beats in its chest.
Yet, it moves.
Behind it follows a veritable procession of Spirit Beasts. Most of them small and weak, all of them dead. As they pass, something burrows out of the ground. It is another Spirit Beast, small and rodent-like. Its skull is cracked, and its eyes have long since decayed. A big chunk of flesh is missing from its right side.
Still, it moves.
Another corpse joins the procession.
~~~
The roar of thunder echoes across the Dead Pla-
“Is that the Thousand Steps of the Thunder God?”
Lei Kong stops.
He digs his feet into the ground to counter his speed, yet even that is not enough. His momentum is such that it almost sends him flying. He has to push his Qi in the opposite direction to avoid that.
A stranger has crossed his path.
It is not the man’s ragged appearance that stops Lei Kong, nor is it the fact that he somehow managed to intercept him while he was using Thousand Steps of the Thunder God.
No, Lei Kong stops because this man is in the Fifth Level of the Renegade Realm.
“This Duke has asked you a question.”
“Yes! Yes, it was!” Lei Kong replies, bowing his head immediately after he has gotten over his shock. Making a Renegade repeat himself a third time would not end well for him.
Of course, if Lei Kong had his way, he would have never met a Renegade at all! Even as Lei Kong speaks, his mind is already trying to figure out a way to escape. Unfortunately, the one before him is a Renegade while he is stuck in the True Realm. There is no conceivable scenario where he can get away.
“A member of the Lei Clan. How curious.”
Lei Kong gulps. There is a high chance this man belongs to the Storm Dragon Empire. However, meeting a countryman is not something Lei Kong can find joy in right now. The Lei Clan has done many things to many people. Some good. Many bad. There is no telling where this man falls on that scale.
Especially if this man truly is a duke.
And yet, there is little choice for Lei Kong but to tell the truth. He is not a brave enough man to lie to a Renegade.
“It is as the honored Duke says,” Lei Kong says. “This one belongs to the Lei Clan.”
“I see.” The man closes his eyes and nods. “An auspicious occasion. It has been many years since I met a fellow countryman. Well, since I met a sane one. Reckless cultivators who rush to enter the Renegade Realm make for poor conversation partners. Sit.”
It is not a request. Lei Kong immediately sits down.
“Those from the Lei Clan were always stalwart defenders of the Storm Dragon Empire. I hope that has yet to change. Tell me, how are things back home?”
~~~