“I TAKE IT BACK!”

My mind instantly sharpened as I made a mad dash for the violet pool cave. Maximum-level vibrations filled my legs as I launched toward it in a matter of seconds.

But the Bramble Chimera was faster.

I felt the claws rake across my leg, inflicting a bone-deep blow. Thankfully, I escaped into the cave, safe from the clawing Bramble Chimera that wanted to enter. It wasn’t big enough to fit through the small cave entrance that I could.

Instead of my injured leg, I relied on my hands to propel me backwards, and I unknowingly stumbled into the skeleton in fear. With a crash, the bones scattered all over the place.

“…Idiot…” the skeleton’s voice told me.

Huff, huff, huff.

“What do I do. What do I do!?” I hyperventilated aloud. I could sense the bramble chimera’s power, and it was likely as strong as tens of the horned bramble dogs combined into one.

It wasn’t something I could face.

“…idiot…”

I remained so fixated on the paws and roaring sounds at the cave entrance that I didn’t even realize the magical event going on behind me until the bones on the ground began to rattle. The bones formed together with a newfound violet glow and reassembled as one.

The skeleton lifted its head from the ground and placed it back on its spine as the violet mist swirled around it.

“…”

“…”

“AHHH!!”

“…Be Quiet…” The skeleton’s jaw clattered as the violet mist gradually built ghostly muscles around the bones. Within seconds, the previously bare bones revealed soft violet skin and a beautiful set of eyes were staring at me with disdain.

“How—"

“We don’t have much time.” The skeleton lady spoke to me and calmly pointed to where it once sat.

“Cultivate there and push through. I can sense that you’ve intentionally contained your cultivation. Push through the Qi Condensation stages and hurry up; I won’t be able to stop The Matron’s bramble beast for very long in the state that I’m in. Don’t forget to grab the sword when you come out.”

The skeleton lady didn’t waste another second on me as she reached out her hand. The violet mist gathered around it, forming a sword she gripped onto.

Roar!

The sword swept through the Bramble Chimera’s paw and left a wound that made it retract its hand. Without further time for my questions, the skeleton lady slid through the cave entrance and disappeared from my sight.

“I…”

My questioning finger drooped as I rapidly blinked my eyes.

“Cultivate. Grab the sword. Grab the sword?” I began to question but shook my head.

The skeleton lady was right; I might stand a chance against the bramble chimera if I could reach a higher cultivation stage. I would have to worry about the sword part later.

I did my best to push aside all my distracting questions and focus.

Erupt my cultivation to the higher stages.

On it, skeleton lady.

*****

Gou Hui commanded the bramble chimera to reach into the little cave and pull out the cursed man who refused to die.

“I don’t care if you somehow managed to survive down here. I’ll kill you myself!” Gou Hui screamed.

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The tiny cave entrance was slowly becoming bigger as the bramble chimera loosened stones from the entrance. It wouldn’t take much longer for the entire cave to collapse or for the entrance to widen enough for the beast to get in.

That was when a slice of pain translated to Gou Hui. The bramble chimera backed away as it sensed a dangerous presence suddenly appear.

If before, Gou Hui was surprised by Louie still being alive, then right now, he was growing hysteric at the sight of the woman that dashed into the open.

“…sister?” Gou Hui whispered in overwhelming disbelief.

Gou Hui watched as a violet-skinned Gou Jing stopped and stared. With a questioning tone, she spoke to the Bramble Chimera.

“Gou Jia, is that you controlling that thing? You should be able to see me or at least sense me. You should know that this thing can’t beat me, right? Come here yourself.”

“It’s really you…” Gou Hui recognized the confident tone of his dear sister. Suddenly, Gou Jing’s sword glinted in the violet mist and caused horrid memories to flash across Gou Hui’s mind as he stumbled back.

“But this is impossible! You were dead! Gou Da said you died! He used your heart to step into Gateway Foundation! It’s not you! It can’t be you!”

Gou Hui’s disbelief caused the bramble chimera to shuffle its steps, roaring as conflicting commands appeared within its head.

Fight! Run! Don’t hurt her! Kill her!

Gou Jing halted her advance and watched the bramble beast anxiously pace. She didn't rush to attack since the longer she could delay whoever controlled this thing, the longer the kid inside would have to quickly get stronger. However, when Gou Jing saw how the Bramble Chimera shuffled its steps, she knew precisely who controlled it. She could buy more time with a few words.

“It’s you, isn’t it, Gou Hui? Gou Da would have forced the beast to kill me on sight. Gou Jia would have forced it to find out if I was real. Only you would lose your composure like this for your dear sister.”

The bramble chimera roared louder as the conflicting thoughts grew in Gou Hui's head.

“Is that really you, Gou Jing?” Gou Hui whispered from afar.

As if she could hear Gou Hui, Gou Jing let loose a smile towards the bramble chimera that reminded Gou Hui of blossoming flowers.

“I hope you’ve been well, Gou Hui.”

Roar!

Suddenly, the bramble chimera lost its anxious composure. With a maddened roar, it smashed the ground with its paws and drove straight toward Gou Jing.

“No!” Gou Hui yelled and reached his hand into the air as the connection between him and the bramble chimera was cut off. Immediately after regaining his normal vision, Gou Hui looked toward the root with the blossoming flower and fell to his knees.

The Matron’s angered voice sounded out in Gou Hui’s mind.

“… violet tricks… not real… dead walking… draw close…”

Gou Hui followed The Matron’s command and once more sniffed the flower as it expelled red particles. Suddenly, Gou Hui’s eyes rolled back as he witnessed a battlefield of continental proportions. Countless souls died in a single blast as earthen spires welled up from the ground. In return, flaming vines reduced countless violet earth warriors into nothing but broken bones.

“… violet earth reforms…”

The Matron’s voice whispered to Gou Hui as the image focused on the broken bones. Gou Hui watched as the bones rattled with strength and sank into the earth. Seconds later, the bones resurfaced with earthen flesh, allowing the warriors a second chance at the battle. But even their bones had to break one day, and once the bones were reduced to dust, not even the violet earth warriors could be reborn.

Gou Hui’s eyes blinked back open to the cobblestone dome. Thoughts whirled in his head as his eyes slowly grew resolute.

“She’s no longer my sister.” Gou Hui muttered as he inhaled red particles.

The tattoo of the Bramble Chimera flared to life on his forehead as Gou Hui's vision realigned with the bramble chimera. He could see Gou Jing barely fighting off the bramble chimera.

“The Matron was right. She’s much weaker than before. The old her would have taken this thing down in a single slash.” Gou Hui reminded himself.

Gou Jing was the original genius of the Gou siblings. She had even reached the Gateway Foundation Realm without any of The Matron’s assistance. And when she turned against them, it took all The Matron's might to kill her, to the point where The Matron was still recovering.

Yet, look at Gou Jing now.

“Weak.” Gou Hui spat out and inhaled more red particles floating in the air.

“She’s so weak!” Gou Hui took another deep breath, and the red particles entering his body further clouded his mind.

“Weakness like this is unacceptable! Just die!” Gou Hui yelled, and the bramble chimera roared in sync as it ground its claws against Gou Jing’s violet mist sword.

*****

The force behind the bramble chimera's claws repelled Gou Jing back as she clicked her tongue.

“Guess The Matron got to you too, huh? Figures. You were always the slow one of the bunch; Gou Jia took all the brains.” Gou Jing remarked as she dodged the bramble chimera’s claws.

But she couldn’t keep this up for much longer. The Violet Earth Qi she had been accumulating for months had been used up by the kid inside the cave for cultivation. Even worse was when the kid broke the collecting basin she made with her dying breaths. Fueling her body with the violet mist was a temporary fix, but the energy was nearly used up.

“What’s taking him so long?”

Gou Jing looked back towards the cave, and in her senses, she felt it. A deep heartbeat. The violet mist fueling her body twitched as it resonated with the heartbeat.

“Hey, don’t go taking my energy now!” Gou Jing complained with a smile. She felt the sudden pull on the violet mist in the area as it rapidly flocked to the violet pool cave.

Roar!

Perhaps, the bramble chimera sensed the flow of violet mist too, or maybe, Gou Hui was just angry at being called slow. Whatever the case, Gou Jing was forced to stop the beast before it could get to the kid inside.

He was the only hope left of saving her brothers from The Matron.