A fairly straight forward action chapter...
Day 3 – Pig in a Bind
(Narrator)
Mr Bristles due to the innate treasure of his kind, his tusks, sensed the danger immediately. The black arrow was a deathly threat, leveled at his snout.
As Mon De, the immortal cultivator hurdled the sandpit trap he drew his dearest treasure bow from his interspacial ring and fired. The pull of the bow infinitesimal, as it was a purely spiritual attack, the skulls carved into the body of the weapon twisting as if watching to glimpse the suffering of the enemy. The arrow of darkest energy sailed at the pig, the hatred of the bow's cursed souls and the owner merging into a truly ferocious attack.
A wall of stone and earth rose to block the arrow, but the boar's earth control could not stop something spiritual with something physical. Very few cultivators under the god realm had this ability, to mix the tangible and the intangible into an attack or defense. It was something only those who understood a Dao to near perfection could use.
The monster pig readied his Skin of the Spear Breaker technique, funneling his qi into this natural technique of pig monsters in an attempt to mitigate the attack. This technique had little chance of actually defending against this form of attack, as it's primary usage was for physical defense, hence the name. The only real benefit aside from the main use, the technique also raised the user's life-force. This rise in life energy was equivalent to a composite buffing technique increasing all bodily aspects, including intelligence and willpower by enhancing the brain; it was only a minor aspect of the technique but for a god level boar monster this would raise a skilled user by a full power rank, so they effectively became 2nd rank as soon as they broke into that higher realm.
This technique was an application of qi circulation throughout the body as a whole. There were many forms in the wide world, but the Skin of the Spear Breaker boar method was ranked in the upper range in terms of usefulness. The only drawback was that it was species limited. Like most monster techniques.
Mon De had faced many monsters in the past, hunting them for their demon crystals and the natural treasures they grew. He was aware of the technique, had seen it in use in several variations. He knew it was nothing that could stop an arrow from his deadly bow.
The boar was a full realm lower than those who had effectively survived a hit from this arrow. It was overkill from the start.
So to the surprise of the man the arrow didn't kill, in fact it didn't even strike, shattering a full foot away from Mr Bristles as he prepared to tough it out. The pig was startled, but quickly recovered it's wits. It had no clue what had happened, but it had felt an unusual roiling of it's qi. If it wasn't harmful, ignore it. This was was the pig's attitude to life.
Treating the incident as a one-off the boar retreated deeper into the forest, trying to break contact with the little fellow chasing like an angry hornet. Using the foliage and underbrush to slow him down the boar, with his defense technique and sturdy body simply plowed through thickets and stinging vines using brute muscle.
Falling back as far as it could, the pig moved deeply into unfriendly territory. It could still smell the man struggling to keep pace in the dense woods. This was a tactical decision few monsters of his level could make; with his higher than average intelligence the boar monster was feared by hunters of the same level.
Normally monsters possessed strength and stamina comparable to human cultivators... enhanced by their natural advantages over a human. Because of this, rule of thumb was to only hunt monsters a level or two lower than yourself depending on the creature in question. Only ambitious idiots or genuine human monsters dared to fight an even match against a monster. Crafty tools and high level techniques could level the playing field but rare few cultivators had both, like this furious little human.
This man obviously wasn't in the same realm as Mr Bristles from his aura but his baseline power output was higher than the average for someone twice his level. While most of this seemed to be his own cultivation technique's advantage his body was also superior to normal. The running technique alone was extremely high level. Add on superhuman strength and endurance, it was like the human was equivalent to a tool using monster. Because if there is one weakness that most monsters have; it is that they have only a limited number of treasures they can carry. Humans on the other hand carry more than most packrat monsters.
The pig wondered if it could use one of those rings to store food. The interspatial rings seemed useful even to the animal-like monster.
A second arrow was fired futilely from a distance, but it was blocked... not by the unnatural turmoil of qi but instead the plant-life in the way. Even plants have life-force and souls, weak ones usually but with so much foliage in the way the arrows simply dissipated.
However the underbrush was only a small area and gradually began to thin, as the boar reached the depths of the forbidden territory at the heart of the forest.
Mon De staggered out of the bushes in ragged and torn clothing, his body covered in dark scales and white bone protuberances, horns, spines, fangs and hooked claws. Tangled onto his clothing and hardened body parts were vines and thorns. His white robe stained green from various plant juices.
“Damn pig! Die!” [Cultivator growling an inarticulate threat]
Finally he had a clear shot and since he couldn't stand feeling like a complete fool anymore, he let loose with his bow techniques. A rapid fire attack which drained internal energy swiftly to cause tremendous spiritual damage... enough to cripple a low level god.
As Mon De's greatest attack it was brutal technique that would, if allowed to continuously hit home, tear a living soul apart at the seams. The Soul Killer Bow Art was an evil attack of such viciousness it had been taboo for millions of years. To kill a person by taking their memories, motivations and beliefs and turning those inward until the soul tore itself to pieces due to insanity was a forbidden Art so reviled the creator was deliberately erased from existence.
Applied to his necromantic bow, it had the added effect of tracking the target. Few below god level could evade an arrow like this, never mind several a second.
Yet the arrows were blocked forcefully again by the pig's strange energy technique. Or at least what Mon De thought to be a rare spiritual defense technique of the highest order.
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(Mana Spirit POV)
I don't really know why those pulses of pure hatred are being fired from a bow and lead to the target by feeble ghost-like things... I do know the ghosts really can't take a punch.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
I hum Eye of the Tiger as I mercilessly beat down all these cruel looking old guys swarming at me.
Who knew being something without physical form could be so strenuous? At least they're the type of ghost that doesn't have limbs... or any real way to attack or defend. It's the backlash from the arrow shards that keeps getting on me.
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(Narrator POV)
The boar was a cultivator, so it was naturally sensitive to it's own qi and external collection of the natural qi of Heaven and Earth. The boar could feel the entity that rode it now, very clearly as it moved.
The pig wasn't by any means a power in this world, a mere dabbler in cultivation to be honest. Pig monsters had a remarkable talent for one branch of qi cultivation and Mr Bristles was no exception. This form of cultivation was an unusual one because it was actually a popular Human method of cultivation also: The Endless Pit was a favorite human method because it emphasized only one method to grow stronger. EAT! Eat until you cannot eat anymore and then keep going.
Naturally to eat vast amounts for a pig is a good thing, but to eat vast amounts of high quality food even better! So for a pig monster to reach the level of Mr Bristles without actually trying means that he has been lucky and found a place with rare herbs, fruits and mushrooms.
A miraculous natural garden like this is usually cleaned out by a pig monster in a single meal. However Mr Bristles had eaten his fill at this place five years ago. He had been lucky, as the tender of this massive garden had returned as he slept contentedly and only driven him away. It was several grades higher in power; a Peak Culmination Level cultivator.
This was the only other cultivator the boar had ever encountered stronger than himself. This was where the pig had been luring his pursuer.
Bolstered by the aid of the invisible helper the pig monster took this moment to barge directly into the inner sanctum of the creature's garden.
Laughing with a slightly unhinged tone Mon De followed, switching his bow with a halberd of corroded iron.
The human was dazzled as a valley opened up from within an ordinary cluster of trees. Bare rock slopes and a small picturesque waterfall were at the mouth of the valley. Following this down the floor was densely packed with vegetation. Glancing at the plants was all the human needed to understand these were treasures, that this was a Golden Soil Field. An anomaly of earth qi upwelling from underground in dense streams. A hyper fertile field.
Every plant that grew a century in a place like this would be equally valuable as normally grown thousand year old equivalents due to the intense earth qi infusions. However these fields were notoriously unstable, the qi waning in production randomly. Just a glance showed these plants were varied rare herbs, aged well beyond the hundred year prerequisite for this environment.
Mon De rejoiced in his heart, swiftly shoving everything in reach into his interspatial ring the boar almost forgotten in the face of such a massive windfall. He even stripped away the soil, literally worth it's weight in gold.
Wandering down the valley he passed the half way mark before he sensed he wasn't alone.
“Defiler...” [Furious hissing voice] “...you ruin my precious home, taking even the beautiful, tasty dirt in your greed...”
Mon De felt the ground shift at his feet as tough roots coiled around his feet. The halberd flickered in response slicing into the thick woody growths and just barely hacking through. The human growled through his fangs, that had been quite a strong physical defense technique this plant monster used... his feet still hurt from the strength of the grip.
Mon De was slightly torn over attacking with his full power and the bow, trying to destroy the monster vegetable by wildly releasing dark qi would only destroy the field and all the precious herbs in it. Especially as he would have to strike at the soil to unearth the enemy.
His frustrations dimmed as the soil twisted and a flower bud the size of a parasol broke out. It rose high on an extending thick, fleshy stalk and split open to reveal several rows of hooked thorns arrayed to resemble teeth. As it hovered several yards overhead, looking like a viper made from a bright pink flower it repeated itself.
“Defiler. You have dared to trespass and strip my home bare. Leave now or prepare to die and become fertilizer.” [Snake-vine]
Mon De had never met a plant monster before; they were rare and highly dangerous due to their many traits derived from their location, base form and intellect. The fact this one was sentient was troubling. It must have lived in this valley a long time, basking in the abundant earth qi.
Perhaps more frightening was the realization that this monster's personal qi was not inferior to his own. It was a not like the pig, who cultivated by lucky coincidences... the plant had been tempering it's body and power for quite some time.
“The pig monster, that is why I came. Give it to me and I will leave your home alone.” [Mon De]
The plant monster hissed with annoyance.
“I did not ask for terms or make allowances for requests; get out or die ravager!” [Plant] “Otherwise don't blame me for being rude, you insufferably arrogant little prick-le!”
The plant wasn't expecting a fight, the knowledge they were evenly matched in qi was just as obvious to it. If it came down to a struggle, the one to fall would be usually be the interloper. Even a fairly pacifistic monster like the plant would still prepare defenses in the form of magick arrays, seals and traps in advance. It's just common sense when you live in a desirable home.
It failed to understand what kind of maniac had wandered in, however.
With a smooth and gentle gesture Mon De took out his bow and fired at the serpent-flower. The plant was startled and raised defenses in the form of Bark as Steel, but naturally the arrow bypassed that. Also because a certain blob of mana wasn't present there was no further defense.
The plant writhed as it's soul was crushed, withering and then collapsing with the creaking noise of a falling tree. The loud thud of the dead plant hitting the ground brought a smile to Mon De's fang filled jaw in imitation of a crocodile.
With the owner of the treasure site down, he had not just a terrified pig to hunt down but also a valuable little garden to pluck too. It had been a very emotional day, but things were starting to look up.
What we learned:
Soul attacks are OP as hell against physical types.
A being of mana is highly resistant to soul attacks, since he's buffered by his pure mana body.
The dark mana however had some effect from indirect hits.
Mr Bristles is a glutton.
Knowledge is power...