49. Death Qi and Demonic Cultivators
In some parts of the world, there mysterious cracks in space which spews outs dark mists. For normal people, they call it miasma but cultivators call it Death or Black Qi.
Unlike the natural Qi energy which can be cultivated and is beneficial to one’s well being, Death Qi has an opposite effect.
Cultivators and majority of herbs can easily expel and negate it from their system but many Magic Beasts are susceptible to its effects.
Depending on the amount of Death Qi a Magic Beast had absorbed, they become aggressive and in worst case, they become an uncontrollable disaster spreading their corruption within their surroundings.
According to ancient records, a particular specie of Elven had managed to discover a technique of incorporating Death Qi into their cultivation which in turn makes their bodies more resilient to physical attacks and boosted raw power but at the cost of mercurial and belligerent temperament.
They say that such practice gave birth to demonic cultivation and such practices today are prohibited by majority of Elven colonies due to the unstable behavior it causes.
However, time passed and humans emerged. Their greed and ambitions knows no bounds.
During the early stages of practice, humans at Early Qi condensation would gain physical strength rivaling a Foundation Establishment Expert and it looks well and good but after a few months, the cultivators retrogress. They become mindless devourers that if their hunger is not satiated, they resort to cannibalism.
Antebellum transcripts suggests that at some point in time, many sect allowed these types of cultivators but after the Great Unification War, it had become forbidden that anyone found guilty of being involved to such practice is punishable by death. Some demonic sects are of course exemption as they used these cultivators for experiments.
In today's time however, a few humans would still resort to such practice but it is not for lowly reasons. Majority of them are victims of severe violence and atrocities who wants vengeance.
Death Qi cultivators are usually challenging to spot during the first three to fifth month but on the sixth month, they will all turn into hideous monsters with hairy dark skin.
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“I said, cripple your cultivation and I will let you live.”
Clay is holding his shirt as he looked at the disgust in Onus’ eyes. He still can’t believe that only a second ago, they were on friendly terms but who would have thought Onus will not hesitate to kill him for unknown reasons.
“Don’t blame me for your actions.”
Clay remained silent as he watched the naked Onus drew his sword and lunged towards him.
CLANG!
Clay calmly summoned a Qi Projection Hand and adjusted its power to the 3RD Degree deflecting Onus’ strike.
CLANG!
When Onus’ first strike failed, his hand slashed again in reflex but after a split second, he realized how terrifying Clay actually is so he somersaulted backwards.
“You demon!” Onus shouted alerting his comrades then activated his wings and retreated further.
For moment, Clay thought Onus would be capable of releasing the mysterious power of the sword but it looks like he was too cautious. He could have easily killed Onus but he is curious what made this man turned hostile.
Swish!
Clay extended his Qi Projection and in a blink of an eye, Onus was caught like a mosquito and was forced to kneel a few feet away.
"I have a few questions and if you do not cooperate, no one will leave here alive. And tell your men to stay away."
"Go away. It is only a friendly spar. Those who disobey will be punished." Onus shouted in fear.
Clay could tell that at least seven people who were rushing towards the area stopped their tracks.
"This friend. You can have me as your slave. Please young sir, I have a two sons waiting for.."
"You said my symptoms are on its early stages. Tell me about it." Clay interrupted the proud leader who suddenly turned into a pathetic bootlicker.
"Young master, the beast transformation from Death Qi usually starts with discoloration below the wrist or above the ankle, but I have no idea why it started from your body. It is probably due to your superior cultivation."
"I am quite interested on the levitation technique you displayed." Clay interrupted again.
The leader immediately summoned a book and even removed his spatial ring and meekly offered it to Clay while on his knees head down.
"It is only a low level technique my lord. But if you allowed me ten days, I will use all my riches to buy you a .."
Clay took and stored the book into his spatial ring then retrieved a sword and stabbed it on the ground in front of Onus then turned around.
"That is the sword of a strong enemy who wanted my end life. Let this be a warning."
Clay had the urge to silence Onus and everyone around, but seeing that pitiful face reminds him of his own powerlessness. On top of that, he felt an inexplicable guilt just by the thought of killing someone. If he doesn’t leave now, someone might do something stupid forcing him to eliminate someone.
Since they only saw his dirty face and long hair, he trusted that by cleaning himself would make a completely different appearance.
His priority now is to find a safe place to study the levitation spell and head towards the city to gather more information about beast transformation and Death Qi.