Finally, Cheng Hao nodded satisfied "This should be enough for the moment. I have to go on now, good luck with your studies! Let me see how much you improved later! Oh, and, if I won't have the chance later, please say hi to your ancestor on my part. Tell him that Butterflies are not Flies that fell into Butter! He will understand!"
The boy gaped when he heard Cheng Hao's words but decided not to underestimate the young boy.
Fang Lu panted as he made his best effort to remember every single thing that Cheng Hao had told him as he hurried to call forth his own Qi. This particular kind of Qi focused on the nine main and sub elements of nature - main being wood, fire, water, metal and wind and sub being electricity, earth, gold and void - the Qi was called the Nine Earthly Retributions Qi, a special Qi unique to Fang Clan members. Fang Lu began operating it to change the nine inscriptions according to Cheng Hao's instructions.
He couldn't believe his eyes as, after just a few slight changes, the scroll's aura changed completely as it grew many times more powerful and mysterious than before. He finished changing everything and then decided to test it out when he felt an aura of invincibility come from the scroll itself.
He lifted his right hand and yelled "A Fire!" As soon as he finished speaking those words, the air trembled and a flame pillar five feet tall exploded upwards from his hand.
Fang Lu paled as he recalled the small, trembling flame that he had summoned in the past using the same words and he smiled excitedly. The flame pillar burned and he felt as if he could keep it going for a whole day before tiring, a feat that would have been impossible just a few minutes ago, even if the only thing he had summoned was the small flame. He lifted his other hand and he laughed as he spoke "A Wind!"
A blade of wind six feet tall appeared, looking absolutely imposing: if that was to be unleashed, even a small hill would crumble under its power!
The scroll contained nine inscriptions. Each had nine tiers, few words that would call upon the power of the scroll. The more words, the highest the Tier, and thus the stronger the power!
These words when called upon, would drain the user's energy to fuel the ability and summon the respective element. The First tier would be accessible easily enough after some training, while the others would need an extraordinary cultivation base to unleash.
Right now, Fang Lu was using power akin to what the Third Tier looked like when he had used it during the battle to slay countless opponents. And this was by only summoning the First Tier of the Fires From Hell inscription! With things being like this, he couldn't avoid being anxious to see what the real third tier would be like!
Before, he could summon four Tiers of each of the five main elements and from three to two of the sub elements. Right now though, that limit had been changed! What the changes in the inscriptions had brought forth wasn't only a massive increase in strength, but also in efficiency! The way the energy was absorbed was that so he needed less energy for more power!
He dispelled the two elements and decided to test his true power: Fang Lu put out his hand again.
"A Fire" the pillar of flame appeared, just as imposing as before.
"To Burn Tall!" The pillar grew to a staggering eight feet in height and two meters in diameter. Everything within the radius of the pillar turned into charcoal.
"A Pillar Of Destruction!" The pillar began to rotate around itself and the temperature rose dangerously, the charcoal turned into dust that then got devoured as well.
"Shall Devour The Land!" The pillar grew in size even more and turned into a gigantic fire serpent more than fifteen feet tall.
The flaming beast roared loudly, scaring even Fang Lu himself, but then the shocked look in the young man's eyes turned into excitement as he felt that he still had the power to continue: this was the Fourth Tier of the Fires Of Hell incantation... This that once had been his limit would now only tire him a bit if he wished to break past it!
He controlled the flame dragon for a few breaths and then determination flashed past his face as he yelled "The Earth, but a Sea Of Flame!" As he said that, the air trembled, the clouds churned as he felt his energy draining at a rapid pace.
In front of him, a sea of fire appeared: countless flaming serpents rose from the ground, ascending to the sky while burning everything in their path. The effort of these countless flaming serpents turned the land in a diameter of a hundred steps from him into an ocean of fire!
The difference between the strength that he was wielding now and the strength that he had before changing the scriptures was the same as the one between the Heaven and Earth!
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Fang Lu felt his energy being drained at an extremely fast rate so he dispelled the technique: around him, black, charred and scorched earth could be seen dozens of steps in each direction from him. The temperature itself also was so high it was unbearable.
He turned to look at the direction Cheng Hao had been walking towards to and he kowtowed "Cheng Hao! I, Fang Lu, swear to live up to your expectations! Thank you for your help, I won't let you down!"
He prostrated on the ground for a full five minutes before sitting cross legged and beginning to meditate, enlightened on the mysteries of the heaven and earth, of Nature itself: the few doubts on the power of his technique, which had created ripples in his heart, in his self-esteem as a cultivator, had long since vanished, replaced by renewed belief in the path that he had chosen!
...
Cheng Hao walked and walked, seeming not in a hurry at all, a carefree yet fierce expression was plastered on his face. He had crossed many people in his path:
Some of the Protectors had asked for his help in protecting the Sect, even if not with the same enthusiasm and passion as Sou Rou had, but their loayalty towards the sect was all but crystal clear;
The Core Elders of the Golden Tiger Faction also requested for his help, also asking for Lao Jianghu's condition at the same time, or simply bidding good luck to the child, their friend and their last hope.
After a whole hour had passed, the cocoon in the sky had begun to slowly unravel, as it did, eery black light creeped out and an evil presence found its way outside.
Cheng Hao looked up and his expression flickered as he felt the strong power coming from within the object. He gulped and then he took one trembling step forward.
"Ahem" Somebody coughed behind him. Cheng Hao's eyes widened and then his previous fierce expression got wiped away from his face as he smiled "I was just thinking wether you had forgotten about me or not..." He turned "Lil' Sis! Lil' Bro!"
Xiao Wu and Fu Yin grinned and then both hugged him tight.
The young girl was the first to crack up "Brother! I missed you so much! What happened? Could you please tell me why did you have to say such mean things to me back then? I don't understand! At one point we were all happy and clapping, then stuff happened and we fought a huge battle! Then the huge dragon appeared... What is going on? Why do you always have to put yourself into danger for others' sake?" Tears fell down her face.
Fu Yin broke the group hug first and he rubbed his nose as he smiled bitterly "Big Bro... We have been waiting for you, at least we knew that you would come back thanks to the golden thingy-"
"I'm called Blindlight, you idiot twerp!"
"But we soon realized that, while you were gone, we would soon encounter many trials in our path, not all of them being easy to pass..."
Cheng Hao said nothing as an apologetic look appeared on his face and he patted the small girl's head comfortably. He looked down and pain as well as uncertainty could be seen in his lonely gaze "I..."
"But" Fu Yin grinned "We knew it was for our best as well! What happened today proved it as well!"
Xiao Wu wiped her tears as she looked up to the young boy who, in her perspective, was just a few months older than she was.
"We are not stupid, brother. We may be foolish, but we are not idiots, we know what you have been going through. Both I and Brother Fu Yin do not resent you for not telling us..."
Fu Yin nodded "That is right, Brother. We do hate you, on the other hand, for leaving us behind!" He shook his head and glared at Cheng Hao. He then raised his right hand and entered a stance, power concentrated in his fist.
Cheng Hao looked at him bewildered but then he smiled bitterly and shook his head as he sighed "Both your stance and your punch are useless. I taught you the way to read an opponent's moves by their stance, you should know better than most how futile these stances are. And your punch will be unable to injure me with the power of my body-"
Fu Yin didn't say anything and simply punched out while Xiao Wu tightened her arms around the boy's waist, to block his movements. Cheng Hao did nothing to defend himself from the blow and simply prepared to accept it, he even lowered the defenses of his Fleshly Body, all to accept that one punch.
Except, the powerful blow never landed. Fu Yin grinned as he punched the child's shoulder lightly. He twirled a strand of white hair and chuckled "Still, you are our Big Brother! We cannot even begin to count how many times you have saved or aid us, you are simply the best brother in the world!"
Xiao Wu also grinned and let go of the boy's waist and stood on the side "Of course, we know that we wouldn't be any help in the battle you are about to fight so we won't hinder you... But you must promise you will come back alive! If not for yourself..." the girl turned to see that a huge crowd had gathered around them.
Elders, Protectors and disciples alike smiled as they saw the scene that was playing out. Xiao Wu's smiled widened "See? They are all here to wish you good luck! Many of them simply wish to save themselves, but they know better than anybody how much of a help you have been to them"
Fu Yin nodded and inquired yelling at the group of people smiling "Wouldn't it be a shame if the newly appointed Sect Head died just like that a few hours after being appointed as such? So, would you want him to sacrifice himself for the Sect?"
"NO!" The crowd yelled.
Cheng Hao watched the scene unfold with wide eyes and his mouth gaping.
"LORD SECT HEAD, DON'T YOU DARE DIE! "
"Do you hear them, brother?" Xiao Wu asked grinning "Are you going to disappoint so many people because of your selfishness? We are all counting on you!"
Cheng Hao's eyes widened but then his expression turned calm again. He flicked his sleeve and his eyes turned back into their carefree yet vicious look from before he had sensed the powerful evil aura "Who ever said I am going to die? Are you implying that I will lose?" He laughed and the Sect members hurriedly shook their heads when they saw Cheng Hao's expression.
Even though he appeared so vicious on the outside, inside he was crying and laughing to the point of tears and thanking all the people that had supported him at that time.
His aura changed as his right and left eyes turned respectively black and white. His white robes also fluttered and it seemed on the point of shredding from the powerful pressure emitted by the boy.
'Xiao Wu, Fu Yin, everyone... Thank you all!' He said in his mind 'I will never forget that you had been there when I needed it the most! Thank you, I will be sure to repay you one day!'