Sections of this chapter will be translated from traditional MC speak into truth... for no real reason beyond my own bias.
Regards,
Greydragon
Day 3... the worst day of a young (1) cultivator's life...
(Narrator)
The cultivator roared in fury, leaping to his feet. The looked at the fallen remnants of the Heart wistfully. It was the greatest humiliation and loss he had ever suffered (2).
His scream of anguish and roiling qi terrified the denizens of the forest, sending weak monsters and beasts running for their lives. Even stronger monsters paused at the sensation, skin crawling.
As an immortal practitioner he was of a low level in terms of cultivation; a mere third grade of the Spirit Realm. This was however a trick of perception as his physique (3) could easily overwhelm significantly higher realm individuals and his soul techniques, bolstered by his unique training methods (4) could overwhelm those a full realm higher than his own in direct confrontations.
The furious cultivator screamed his anguish as the shock of his loss finally hit him.
“On the Dao of Life if I swear I shall avenge you, Grandpa!!!! I Mon De swear this!!” [Cultivator]
A burning hot sensation swept through the forest in all directions as the cultivator used his immense soul's perception to seek out the culprits. He found only two people. Immediately he activated his Steps of the Wandering Horror foot technique.
He sprinted toward them at a pace that would rival a lightning attribute monster of peak Qi Culmination level.
Sliding to a halt nearby he rushed to the door of the wooden cabin and threw it open, sending the timbers flying as splinters.
“I shall rip out your clan by the roots, I shall kill every man, woman, child, dog and cat you own, down to the lice in your hair. I will slaughter your family if it takes me a thousand years to hunt down your most distant relative!” The cultivator cried, showing every ounce of mercy he owned by not adding torture.
“Hoh? It's just us two. Will it really take that long?” A tired looking beauty replied from within, an inscrutable power fluctuating in her wake.
“What?” [Cultivator]
“I don't know why you're here but, besides my son I don't have a single relative alive today. Is this some kind of mistaken identity? I don't really see how we could have offended you... unless... Darling, did you steal my medicine? I think that fellow is here looking for it's payment.” [Mother] “Your tough guy act is really quite cute, young fellow.” She added to him with a smile.
“Mooom...! I paid for it upfront from a traveling merchant, it isn't about me.” [Young boy calls from the back]
“I'm sorry, I seem to be confused. Who are you and why do you want to kill us, exactly? I don't believe we know each other~.” [Mother]
Screeeeeeonk
They both turned as a loud noise interrupted their conversation. On the edges of the forest out trotted a porcine monster covered in long spines, it's deep rust-red body bigger than a draft horse.
Now normally such a monster was a cause for deep concern to ordinary folks, but the woman in question just gasped and shouted “Ahhh no! It's going for the garden again! Shoo pig, shoo!”
For the cultivator it wasn't a threat of any significance, although he was slightly surprised by the woman. This is after all an unscrupulous omnivorous creature that will eat absolutely anything it can. So hearing she dealt with it previously without being eaten was already shocking, if she was a normal human.
Regardless she and her son would be dust in moments, the monster was just a distraction. Although he was starting to have doubts, seeing how brazen she was in front of a death threat. He had suspicions she was hiding her true strength. He couldn't fathom why she destroyed the Heart of the Dark Wyrm Tyrant, a treasure of the highest magnitude. He was certain she had the abilities to do it though, from her aura.
Oink, oink...
The pig monster undeterred had already entered the small orchard and was busy gorging on fallen fruit.
Distressed the mother finally called out to the porcine invader. “Go away ugly pig, that's mine!”
The pig ignored her as absolutely as it would an ant. Snuffling contentedly in the leaf litter for more fallen fruit.
The cultivator was off put by the lack of threats and insults from his entirely logical and tyrannical statement of purpose. He didn't see anything wrong with the tyrannical part, as long as it was him doing the terrorizing (5).
There was also a disturbing lack of people scowling while saying 'You're courting death!' It was almost like he was in the wrong here.
The loss of the Heart was truly only a minor setback, he already had dozens of treasures of equal value that could aid his future cultivation in similar ways, it was just that the red crystal heart had been his first true stroke of fortune. The old man within had watched his growth from childhood and whispered esoteric truths (6). This old man lead the cultivator into becoming an unstoppable force, he had been imprisoned inside the bead and thus killed when it shattered (7).
The cultivator paused to think about his sorrow, all he had done for the past few decades had been to refine (8) the shredded remains of literal millions of innocent souls torn asunder by dark magicks and condensed into a medicine... what had he done to deserve this punishment?
Besides going against the will of the heavens (9).
Wait...
The boy...
The cultivator finally having focused on the youngster arguing with his mother over her demands he chase off the pig realized the child was very formidable.
Mon De didn't understand this illusionary strength... the child's foundations are lower than mud, but then how did he manage to amass that impressive qi? Some kind of special body?
“Damn, if he were a girl I could have...” [Cultivator]
The mother looked at him with a slightly dubious expression...
He was just pondering the child's nature, not sizing him up for unspeakable things...
“Stop looking at me like that!” [Cultivator]
Wait...
“I'm planning to kill them both, why do I care what she thinks of me? I don't know which of you did it but I'll kill you both to be certain!” [Cultivator]
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“Did what?” [Mother]
“Destroyed my priceless treasure and killed my grandfather!” [Cultivator screaming]
“It wasn't us.” The little boy looked at him slightly confused.
“We've been home all day. It must be someone else... a wanderer, a bandit...” [Boy guessing]
“You are the only people in fifty kilometers!” [Cultivators]
“Not true, you're here.” [Mother points out]
“Semantics. You are the only people here who could have done it and all evidence points to this...” [Cultivator]
Puhii
The bloated pig seemed quite content from the oinks.
The cultivator had turned an eye to the beast, just to be sure it was where it had been and not breathing down his neck. His gaze stopped dead as he did.
The pig was incredibly content, sitting as if begging like a dog. As the cultivator watched he followed a subtle movement. His brows raised in alarm...
***************************************************************
(Mana Spirit POV)
Phew... my plan seems to have worked.
Behold my glorious scheme to bring the mother and son duo safety.
I call it: Operation Trojan Pig.
Ugh... it was such a hassle actually finding something else in that forest with a decent ripple.
Mister Bristles here is stubborn. The only way to get him trotting was to lure him with fruits plucked from the upper branches of trees he couldn't push down or undermine with rooting.
But now I have him eating out of my hand... literally.
Tall and Lanky there has been stuck on his usual ego induced power trip until just now.
While the mother is indeed an unknown quantity and the kid is hopeless, he has never seen the pair use magic. He certainly could trace power, with all those pulsating veins around his eyes. They stand out even in the manascape, like a gleaming presence. So I give him a show.
As I pluck fruit from the tree and feed a contented Mr Bristles...
I realize half way through his second apple-like fruit I'm wrong...
I shouldn't have interfered. Mr Bristles, I'm sorry! I love you the most!
Puhiii
(Happy grunting)
As I quietly try to lead my big pet away I can already tell; the bad guy is onto us. His eyebrows are raised so high, they disappeared into his bushy hair.
“It was the pig...?” [Cultivator aghast]
I slap his behind, apologizing as I do. He bursts into a trot, on trotters.
“Madam, I am profusely sorry for your inconvenience. Please accept these coins and pills, I am dreadfully appalled by my erroneous suspicion!” [Cultivator] “Now... to find and butcher that pig and it's extended family tree...”
His silhouette remains standing bowed in apology.
“That's really not necessary, no harm done...” [Mother]
The form vanishes like a heat haze mirage...
“...oh? Gone already?” She glances down at the myriad pills and the handful of golden coins in her palms and inevitably can't understand what just happened. “What in the world...?”
****************************************************************************
(Narrator)
Meanwhile...
Puh...puh... puheee!!
The boar monster snorted, alarmed by the figure rapidly gaining on him. The one he suspected just struck him with an attack of intangible energy.
The spines it wore rose in alarm, like the quills of a porcupine. As it ran, they rattled together. However it was not possible to escape from the figure with the speed of a second grade Culmination level Earth element beast.
The Cultivator screamed as he neared the pig: “How dare you?! How dare a mere pig make a mockery of the glorious and great me?!!!”
Mr Bristles didn't understand the human language very well, but he knew anger and hatred from the tone of voice. He heard those a lot from regular human farmers...
He stopped in a dense area of the forest, overhung with ivy. Mr Bristles was a monster, but he was a fairly bright one. The man chasing him was a frightful little fellow whose presence overshadowed his monster cultivation level substantially. He hesitated going to fight head to head against someone his gleaming metal tusks told him was scary.
As the little fellow appeared the pig struck, lashing out with his elemental control over Earth summoning a shifting sand to bog down his enemy.
The Cultivator leapt into the air sailing over the sand trap, his hand suddenly draging a bow made of carved gleaming ebony bone from his inter-spacial ring and nocking a phantasmal arrow of pitch black energy.
“Die pig!”
Truth Footnotes:
1. (TRUTH: 5000+ year old)
2.(TRUTH: 'he had only ever caused the humiliation and suffering to others before this')
3.(TRUTH: generic cheat)
4.(TRUTH: he has literally degenerated into a soul eating demon)
5.(TRUTH: hypocrisy)
6.(TRUTH: brainwashing)
7.(TRUTH: 'was exorcised like an evil spirit should be')
8.(TRUTH: overwhelm, devour and destroy)
9.(TRUTH: will of the heavens = morality/justice/karma...).
What we missed:
Mother: “Darling, guess what? Now we can afford to send you to that fancy magick school, just like you wanted!”
Son: “Yahoo! I'm gonna be the best Magi ever!”
Mon De internally: “I was wrong? That can't be! I'm the Demon King... I mean De Mon... No... WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!!!!!” (throws tantrum)
Treasure Mountain Monthly (summary of artifact/item true usages and origin):
Bow of Deathly Whispers (High Grade Saint Level Armament)
A bow made from the remains of countless master archers, strung with their own regrets. It fires arrows of necromantic energy that are attracted to the energy and souls of the living. These arrows are unblock-able by physical means and possess a dreadful soul crippling effect.
Most people who touch this bow die instantly as the vengeful ghosts that fuel it's cursed nature invade and ravage their souls. Only masters of death magic can hold this weapon; however individuals with incredibly powerful souls or willpower can surpass this requirement. Can be combined with special bow arts...