A distant scream knocked on my ears, making me turn my head.

“Wasn’t that from the cobblestone dome’s direction?” I questioned and watched as the violet mist opened in that direction. My gut sank as a nagging thought surfaced in my mind that caused chills down my back.

That couldn’t possibly be someone I know, right? I still had time until the full moon, right? Right!?

“Was the bramble chimera just a diversion meant to keep me away? If they are already starting to….” I gripped my sword and rushed in the direction of the scream.

“…idiot…” Gou Jing told me for the umpteenth time.

“Be quiet! I’m the idiot? People could be dying out there right now.” I yelled.

Gou Jing’s fragmented voice responded.

“…only…single scream…”

I paused my rushing steps and planted the sword in the ground for a second as I strained my ears. But Gou Jing was right. There was only the echo of a single scream.

“So what if it's just a single scream? That could be the start of many more!”

“…trap…” Gou Jing warned.

My lips pursed together in frustration, but Gou Jing made a valid point. Now that I think about it, it was strange that I could hear something from the cobblestone dome when I was so far away.

“Am I being led into a trap?” I questioned myself. Were more bramble chimeras waiting for me once I got to the cobblestone dome?

“…overcome...trap…unleash...sword...”

I paused a second and hesitantly spoke out.

"Are you trying to kill me, too?"

“…GO…” Gou Jing’s voice haunted me.

“Fine! Fine. It's what I was doing in the first place. As for this unleashing sword business, you’ll teach me how to do that, right?”

Silence loomed in the air as Gou Jing ignored my teaching pleas. I grunted in dissatisfaction as I heaved the sword onto my shoulders and took off in a jog.

…

Screech!

The vibrations travelled through the sword perfectly.

In fact, the vibrations didn't just travel through the Mountain Sealing Sword; they amplified in intensity as they travelled through the blade. This sword seemed made for my Earthen Heart Vibrations. It was honestly incomparable to the cheap dagger from before, which could only vibrate at around 70% vibrations before crumbling into pieces. That was before I held a higher cultivation base, too.

I felt the full strength of my vibrations echo inside the Mountain Sealing Sword. Whatever this sword was made out of seemed like it liked the vibrations passing through it.

Now if only it didn’t have a nagging resident inside of it, it’d be perfect.

“…idiot…”

The sword sang with a clear note as it sliced through the many bramble bats, carving a path of graceful carnage.

…

The grounded feeling of a mountain.

Maybe this was just the added weight from swinging the sword, but the Mountain Sealing Sword kept me on my feet, despite taking a full brunt leap from a bramble dog. Instead of my usual sidestep, I confidently tanked the claws that headed my way by placing the Mountain Sealing Sword before me. The tip sunk into the ground, and the sword vibrated alongside my Earthen Heart Vibration, forming a thin shield of sorts as vibrations rippled out from the blade.

Shink!

The bramble dog’s claws didn’t stand a chance as they shattered against my sword, leaving it open to a slicing attack.

Yelp!

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

…

The vitality of the earth.

This ability was one that I already possessed. It was the basic ability of the violet mist to heal me. But if before, the violet mist jogged to heal me, it now sprinted at me as it tackled my wounds.

It made battling through multiple enemies possible. Though, I didn’t dare test how many horned bramble beasts I could face.

Yet.

*****

I arrived at the cobblestone dome with tension in the air. I didn't hear any more screams as I approached, which meant that Gou Jing was likely right; no sacrifices were happening, at least for now.

But then, what screamed? The root inside the cobblestone dome had cried out when I punched it, but those cries died off sometime during my rampage back to the violet pool cave. A regular bramble beast wouldn’t let out a screaming sound like that, either. Was there another variety of bramble beasts?

There was only one way to find out.

I jumped from the nearest vantage point and latched onto the cobblestone archway, reminding myself that the ominous drop into the ground beneath me wouldn't kill me... right?

My eyes stayed glued above me as I climbed onto the cobblestone pathway, noticing at the top that the floating platform at the end wasn’t present.

“Good,” I whispered to myself. If there wasn’t a platform there, then that means that everyone was still above. More importantly, none of the Gou brothers should be here.

I'm not sure how powerful I had become, but if memory served right, Gou Da had stopped a bullet with his bare hands. Could I do the same?

"...idiot..."

"Oh, be quiet. This is a covert operation!" I whisper-shouted to the sword strapped on my back.

I tiptoed to the cobblestone dome doors and gently parted them enough to squeeze through. The space would be a tight fit for me, but… You know, I never actually checked after the last breakthroughs; maybe my body fat has—

“Let me help you with those.”

A hideous voice leaked through the slit between doors, and suddenly, roots the size of my torso barreled against them, forcing them wide open. Along with them, I tumbled back, trying not to fall off the edge of the cobblestone walkway. I quickly dashed back to the center on the walkway, a decision I would soon regret.

I stumbled to my feet and witnessed a hooded figure step out of the shadows of the cobblestone dome. It moved unnaturally smooth as they rode the curling roots.

“You know, you’ve surprised me, fatty. The violet mist usually does an amazing job of ensuring the people I want dead, stay dead.” The hooded figure started to speak as my eyes shifted around the area. The roots, which I traced back to the enlarged sleeve on the hooded figure's arm, were snaking around the cobblestone frame and making a domain that released red particles into the air.

"...beware...roots...behind..." Gou Jing's voice echoed in my mind, but I was focused on something else.

My eyes stopped as they latched onto the looming figure's sleeves, and my mind prodded at my worst memories. That sleeve held embroidered rings of thorns. From what I had seen, only three people had those designs on their robes.

Gou Da, Gou Jia, and that arrogant psychopath, Gou Hui. Unless… was this The Matron?

“Young Master Shit Stain, is that you?” I questioned aloud, earning a glance at the red irises that poked out from underneath the hood.

The hooded figure forced a thin root from the looming bundle, which latched onto his hood. With a slow gesture, the root pulled back the hood, revealing a face I no longer recognized. In fact, it was a face not even a mother would recognize. But, in my humble opinion, only one person could be so ugly.

Gou Hui.

“Your attempts to make me angered are worthless, like you. The Matron has blessed me with a power you could only dream of. A power capable of rivalling a violet earth warrior like you.” Through the slits of his pupils, Gou Hui stared me down, trying to intimidate me with his appearance.

It was working.

But likely not in the way he wanted it to.

Gou Hui's skin was blotchy with red colouring, and his hair was falling out in a gross mess. His facial features, which were at least natural before, were beginning to droop as his face took on a twisted expression.

“My brothers don’t believe in me. They’ve left me here to die, but they don’t know what I can do. I’ll show them that I, Gou Hui, am not someone to be trifled with!”

Gou Hui’s eyes locked onto me as he cackled.

“And it starts with a worthless cockroach like you!”

At Gou Hui’s command, the roots snaking along the cobblestone lunged at me, forcing me to backstep as they coiled against each other. My eyes thinned as I shifted back again, dodging the roots aiming at my back. But then, another set of roots managed to impact my side. With a slicing momentum, the roots took a small chunk of my arm.

There were too many to deal with at once.

“Yes! Devour him!” I heard Gou Hui shriek from behind the attacking roots.

“Quite the carnivorous plant,” I spoke under my breath. Suddenly, the sword in my hand slashed upwards as I backflipped from the roots attacking me from all angles.

I had to get out of the center of this platform.

My eyes drifted around as I flipped, taking in my surroundings in a way that was impossible before becoming a cultivator. It was still blurry from the speed of a backflip, but I could make out which spaces weren’t filled with roots.

I landed on the cobblestone as the sword in my hands sliced through the root lunging towards me. Like a sharp knife cutting against paper, the Mountain Sealing Sword ripped apart the root and severed a piece from the rest. I leapt off the falling piece and rolled over the cut root.

A mistake.

The hardy outer edge of the root split apart, releasing a dozen baby roots that attempted to wrap around my limbs. I felt the baby roots tighten as they tried to restrict my movement, but I wouldn't let them do that. The vibrations emitting from my body blasted outwards, releasing me from the baby roots and allowing me to slip past onto a ledge of cobble…

I looked below as the root I ran on suddenly shifted away.

My eyes widened as I realized that no cobblestones were beneath me anymore and that I was getting the exact wish I wanted. I was getting out of the center of the platform.

Though, it wasn’t exactly my intention to get off it.

A cackling laugh sounded from a very annoying source.

“Fall to your death, cockroach!” Gou Hui laughed.

“You bastard!” I yelled as the enhanced gravity in the area forced me down faster than on Earth. Very soon, I intimately hugged the ground with my body.

Slam!