38. Death and Despair III
Clay opened his eyes confused as he got up and sat on a wooden bed. He remembered the pain and the torture he went through. He hoped it was a nightmare but upon seeing his hands and the fingernails that just started growing, he knew he was still locked on the same dimly lit prison cell. The chair he was tied to was on the side of the wall and he could see bloodstains that dried.
When he sighed, he noticed a weird bittersweet after taste on his mouth. As he swallowed, he felt a warm wave of energy spreading across his body. He just realized the Qi Nodes near his navel has been restored.
Most of his wounds have healed although he could still feel lingering and excruciating pain all over his body. He tried to ignore it and began circulating his Qi but before he could start meditating, he heard a creaking noise that echoed from the hall indicating a door being opened.
When Clay heard footsteps, the trauma of unbearable pain took over him so he ran and hold on to the steel bars of the cellar. He wanted to beg anew.
"Please senior. I am willing to do anything. I can refine pills and.....”
There was a Qi projection knuckles that hit his stomach.
Argggghhhh!!!
Clay fell on the floor and hold on to his stomach. That strike made him unable to breathe he felt suffocated but after ten seconds, he was able inhale and gasped for air.
He still wanted to beg for his life but the moment he was about to get to his feet, the burly man was already inside his cell and summoned a bucket of water and dragged Clay's head into it.
Grgghahh!
Clay looked like a duck that did not know how to swim and after three minutes of his head intermittently being submerged in water, the burly man stopped and kicked Clay again to the stomach.
Clay coughed and groaned and squirmed on the cold floor.
Not satisfied, the man picked up Clay on the neck and slowly applied pressure strangling him. Clay could not breathe and could not muster any strength to free himself. He held on the fingers that wrapped around his neck attempting to loosen it.
“The scheduled soul search is in two days and isn't it better to just drug him until then.”
Clay is squirming to death and was unaware that the burly man was accompanied this time. Her name is Alchemist Dego and she was task to ensure Clay recovers a portion of his cultivation so she brought a warm bowl of medicine to help Clay recover.
The burly man released his grip and forced Clay to sit then controlled his Qi to open Clay’s mouth.
"Elder still wants me to make him talk. Just feed him the medicine. I don't want to be late for dinner."
Dego carefully poured the medicinal soup into Clay’s mouth.
Clay still trying to catch his breath and now he is powerless against the Qi that was applied on to his mouth extending to his esophagus. And after the bowl was empty, his mouth was forced shut to make sure he does not puke.
"I have adjusted the concentration and he should not be able to move tomorrow morning and this is the other half of the medicine." Agda said as she handed a jar.
After the burly man received the jar of medicine, he saw Clay’s dead eyes staring at him. As much as he wanted to torture Clay and hoped to hear a different answer, he stopped himself and made a calculated strike to the chin knocking Clay out.
When Clay opened his eyes again, realized he could not move but this time he was not tied to a chair but motionlessly lying on a wooden bed. He does not know what was fed to him but it felt similar to when the docile rabbits paralyzed him via smoke.
Tears flowed out from his eyes.
Fear and despair began to consume him but no matter how helpless things had become, deep within his consciousness is a will to live.
“Hee…p.” Even his could not move. Clay continued to weep and without realizing, he passed out.
Clay does not know how much time passed and when he regained consciousness, he was greeted by the same dark and cold cell but this time, the paralysis effect had worn off.
As he moved his body, tears ran down his face. Under extreme psychological trauma his body curled with his back pressed against the wall.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
He just stared at the dark empty space before him.
Clocked ticked and after some time, Clay smelled something fragrant waking him up from desperation and causing his sanity to come back.
As he slowly breath, he realized that the aroma is coming from his mouth. He guessed it was probably medicine to help him recover. At this moment, Clay felt Qi within his body and when he touched his ear, the earring containing his spatial ring is still tightly pinned on the upper curvature of his ear.
He could have sworn the burly man sliced his ear earlier but it did not really fall off so it recovered when they gave him medicine. At least the trick worked and fooled someone that the earring looked like a normal ornament.
Clay does not know why they healed him but recalling what the woman said earlier about Soul Search, he has a bad premonition it will be harsher than torture.
Clay wanted to cry again but he clenched his teeth to prevent himself from breaking down.
Clay closed his eyes and checked his meridians. Back when he forcefully expelled the Essence Flame Chung Har’an placed into his body, his cultivation was crippled but now, the broken Nodes and his dantian have already healed. Clay immediately guided his Qi to make the necessary connections and under a minute, his cultivation was restored.
Unfortunately, he no longer has his Essence Flame.
Checking his spatial, Clay let a long sigh as he confirmed all his spatial materials had been used up and aside from the big headless body of a beast, he found nothing useful for his escape.
He was about to give up but when his divine sense scanned bloody neck of the Flame Horned Lion, he noticed a crystal almost dangling on the area that was cut.
Clay materialized a Qi Projection inside his ring then took out crimson crystal twice the size of his palm. It was at this moment Clay remembered what he did with the snail.
If he could obtain the same similar power, then he may have a chance to escape.
Clay does not know what will happen to him but between waiting for death and gambling his life, the choice was obvious.
Clay took out a set of ingredient for Bloodline Awakening Pill and started unsealing each boxes. Recalling how pills would emit ripples of energy during refinement, he will choose the liquid version time. The other problem is that he no longer has his Essence Flame but thanks to the Fire Crystals Sar Aran gave him, he believes he can brew the potion.
Most of the process is still the same but instead of extracting the Essence of the primary ingredient, the jar of blood will be mixed together with each extracted Essence step by step.
Clay improvised and used a pill bottle and swirled it and after the last Essence was mixed it, the solution created a pungent fishy smell. The manual said the potion should have blue color and since he can barely see within the dim room, he can only rely on the smell. After all, the manual said the stronger the smell, the purer it is.
Clay pinched his nose and poured all the contents into his mouth.
Arrggghhhh
Clay felt like vomiting but he controlled himself and closed his eyes and circulated his Qi.
After around five minutes, Clay opened his eyes in disappointment. He remembered that when he swallowed a Qi Sensing Pill, all his Qi Nodes lit up but this time, he only saw six bloodline Qi Nodes and they are scattered around his body.
For someone to be called a cultivator, they must connect at least nine Qi Nodes and even magic beasts are no exemption. But since there is only six and are not even close with each other, Clay is beginning to think there is a problem with the potion.
Clay stored all his items as he contemplated on his problem and from time to time, he would close his eyes to check if the number of bloodline Qi Nodes have increased but after a few minutes, it still remained four.
Clay is tempted to refine pill but he is certain the burly man will sense the energy from the pill especially that the entire prison does not have Isolation Formation. This is technically his chance to prove that he can concoct flawless but thinking what they did to him and what they will do to him like Soul Search, Clay gets shivers just by the thought of it.
As continued to think if he made a mistake but when he compared himself to the snail, the first thing that surface is Beast Core.
Clay immediately took out the Beast Core of the Horned Flame Lion and activated his Godly Eyes.
“I knew it.” The Core is huge but when analyzed properly, at the center is around nine Nodes and a familiar structure he saw and formed within the snails Qi Circuit.
Using Qi Projection, he formed claws on his fingertips and cracked open the crystal. He then formed a circular barrier at the center and after trimming down the extra layers, what he was left is a tiny crystal the size of small nail’s head.
Clay cleaned the floor again and stared at the small crystal and after a few seconds, he made an incision above his sternum on the area where his clavicles meet. Clay did not have the slight hesitation and inserted the crystal.
Clay waited until the bleeding stopped and when the blood coagulated, he closed his eyes and materialized a strand of his Qi and connected it towards the crystal he inserted below his neck.
Clay was not expecting anything but the moment his Qi connected towards the structure at the center of the crystal, the within his body became chaotic. On top of it, he felt like all his strength left his body.
THUD!
Clay fell on to the floor. He has no clue what happened but when he closed his eyes, he noticed six threads extended from the crystals towards the six bloodline Qi Nodes that was lit up earlier. Not only that, he can as well see multiple Qi Nodes forming. The only problem is that each Nodes that form creates a debilitating and throbbing sensation he felt being electrocuted and at the same, being stabbed all over this body.
No words can describe what he was going through. His tongue and teeth including his is like being pulled forcefully pulled out.
At the same time, Clay’s torturer entered the cell and caught him convulsing.
“Oh… You think acting will work?”
The brawny man grabbed Clay’s then punched him in the stomach. He wanted to torture him again but looking at Clay closely, he can tell that the boy is indeed suffering. It was then he smelled something pungent. He then thought his master came in earlier and gave Clay some beating.
“Lucky you it wasn’t me.” The man tied Clay on chair. He heard that the Core Formation expert they invited is arriving soon so he needed to ensure Clay tightly tied to a chair and cannot escape.
Argggghhh!
Argggghhh!
Even when tied to a chair, Clay is still unconsciously convulsing fluids started to come out on every orifice of his body.
“You disgusting piece of crap.” The man punched Clay on the nose before leaving.