Turtle Hiding Region Under The Chief's Hands

KACHAAAAAAAAA~~!!!

Heian Ciemnosc arrived before the old man after darkness covered a good portion of the entire Turtle Hiding Region's north. Thousands of billions saw only darkness for a second. A second later, they saw an all-obscuring darkness cover everything differently than the dark dome had just done. It was followed after by a deafening boom, collapsing the Medium City southern walls as Xue Yoler felt the dark whip's grip around her gone. Instead, a dark cage 3 meters tall and 2 meters in diameter surrounded her.

Xue Yoler didn’t place any further thoughts on her cage and stepped forth, grabbing a few dark energy bars. She looked at a Snow Fox flying far into the distance, hit by Heian Ciemnosc’s all-out attack that caused wreckage in the space around their clash.

Tiny butterflies followed the trail the old man left as he was blasted eastwards, taking a strange arched upwards as the land he passed through splashed to the sides like a balloon bursting after being thrown to the ground. His body continued flying for a couple million kilometers before exiting the Region through the eastern cliffed coasts.

SPLASH- SPLASH- SPLASH- SPLASH- SPLAAASSHHH~~…

When the old man’s blasted body arrived at the sea, still flying upwards and eastwards, the water parted to the sides wherever he went. Like a blooming flower struck by lightning, parted into 2. Several kilometers-tall waves spread to the sides, hitting nothing but turbulent water after the old man’s passing.

Even from the distance, at the Medium City, civilians could see the tremendous distance covered by that single hit the old man suffered. The waves that could drown entire cities in one go and in a mere crash stole breaths from their lungs, leaving their bodies pale and frail.

Then, they looked at Heian Ciemnosc, who also followed the old man’s body before grinning. “Heh.”

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHH~~!!! FWUOSH, SWOOSH, WHISSTLE, WOMM…

After a low chortle, Heian Ciemnosc contentedly hooked the left corner of his mouth higher before leaning forwards. He shot towards the old man, followed by various dark Elemental techniques as they roared, surging bigger and mightier as Heian Ciemnosc led them away. The Medium City’s people and anyone else in the Dynasty territory released a sigh.

The dark flames, water, wind, and earth adopted Heian Ciemnosc’s speed, directly enhanced by his dark Vigor Energy as they followed right behind his flying body. They circled and glowed intensely, sometimes showing their ordinary Elemental colors glow, but completely turned dark.

Seeing Heian Ciemnosc and the old man disappear, it didn’t take more than half a minute before another series of ‘PAH– BANG- KACHAAAA’ to sound despite the unthinkable distance. They could feel their ears extra sensitivity to their sound, as if hearing too many of these would deafen them sooner or later.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH… “Miss!” Xue Yoler was awoken sober by a few voices from people that flew towards her. Before she could tell them off, one of them rushed fast and wrapped his right hand with his Vigor Energy before clenching around a dark energy bar.

“UAA-…” The Universal realm 1st stage cultivator barely held the dark energy bar when his right arm shriveled. A moment later, he strained his neck and faced the sky to shout in pain, only to become dark energy particles that joined the cage half a second later. The dark energy cage suffered no change, but everyone just watched a Universal realm cultivator devoured just because he touched the cage. They were too shocked to even question their eyes and just stared at the cage and the person inside it.

“Don’t.” The cultivator wasn’t one of Xue Yoler’s right-hand people, but she still felt the pain of losing a Snow Fox in the Universal realm, despite the plethora of those in the Scintillating Crop of World Universal Land. She closed her eyes in hopelessness and softly muttered in a low voice, “Let me be here, you go back and convince as many as you can to… give up.”

“Miss?!” One of her right-hand people nodded, but she couldn’t help loudly asking. They were terrified. A Third Step cultivator with Fourth Step godly prowess? What kind of hell descended upon them? No matter what, whoever wanted to deny the Crimsonbreaking Faction now could forget about it with the black monster here, existing, living… just being, even.

“Do as I say. It’s your last opportunity,” Xue Yoler lifted her face and sternly looked at them. Her words contained a heaviness they never saw on her. They wondered what horrifying terrors the black monster did to her and couldn’t help but feel their hearts tearing apart. However, yet another ‘KACHAAAAAAA’ sounded, waking them from their pain and sobering their senses.

“We will, miss,” another of Xue Yoler’s right-hand people spoke before everyone bowed to their waist. Xue Yoler nodded and was about to turn around, when a person outside her circle questioned, unconvinced of their uncertain future. The voice was a little cold, and raging, ”Miss Xue Yoler! Are we just giving up? The Flora-Sweet White-Heavens would never fear a Third Step cultivator, not even if he can fight a Godly cultivator!”

“…” Xue Yoler stopped and looked at the person who spoke, also a Universal realm cultivator. Her face was half-indifferent and half-mocking as the cultivator went on, “A call from us and the Dynasty will send their forces to-”

“I can lament the death of the hopeful, but not of those who wish to bring calamity to my people. Those I raised, cultivated, and helped!” Xue Yoler’s cold indifference in her voice startled the cultivator to a stop. Before anyone could react, her right-hand people pushed that cultivator into the cage, getting rid of him without even a chance to scream as he had no Vigor Energy around his body. Nobody was planning to stay near the cage, either. Only the miss was safe.

“If any of you want to try something, do it alone. If your actions involve any peoples I’ve guarded for decades, I’ll end all of you!” Xue Yoler made her value worth. Those outside her circle seemed to remember who was their representative and kept quiet the hell up.

Those dubious became resolute in their stay, but some still thought for a bit before flying immediately away, taking their Fighters out and all. They fled north or east without abandon. Xue Yoler gave her people one last look before sitting cross-legged in her age with her head low.

… Heian Ciemnosc continued chasing the old man throughout the Region. He would’ve wanted to course its entire perimeter if possible, but their speed was still too slow to accomplish that in a day. Thus, after half a day of forcing the Godly cultivator left and right, up and upper, they neared back to the Medium City.

KACHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~~!!

A dark lightning bolt descended upon the old man, who was already bleeding from his mouth and ears. His body was charred and with flesh-devouring worm-like dark water ripples underneath his flesh and even inside his bones from the chest to his feet. The old man looked for a fraction of a second as the dark lightning bolt appeared before his face and struck him.

BAAAAAANG- WHOOOOOOOOOOOSHHH!!! The old man opened his jaw helplessly in pain. His closed eyes began spurting dark liquid as his eyes disappeared, but the old man still had the strength to halt his body with a tremendously loud ‘FUTOMP’ and faced Heian Ciemnosc. He still chased after the old man with dark Elemental bouts several kilometers in diameter, especially the dark wind cascades.

Heian Ciemnosc stopped and looked at the heavily injured old man, just a few tens of meters before him. They were tens of thousands of kilometers from the ground level and the Medium City, but Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Elemental techniques were seen from below by the civilians, let alone the soldier units.

“Is that the black monster’s prowess?” - “A- are you sure it’s black monster and not godly black monster? …Fuck!” - “What is this power? He is literally a God! How can even an army like ours deal with him? We are… so… doomed…” - “Our Godly cultivator hasn’t lost yet! Don’t lose hope!!” - “It’s really over… Just look at the state… sigh…”

With the Medium City losing hope like Xue Yoler already has, Heian Ciemnosc looked at the old man and crossed his arms, easing his cheeky grin to a calm, serene visage with ultimately cold, darkest eyes.

“This isn’t a place for us to fight,” the old man rapidly said, trying to win time to regenerate but not be too obvious about it. “Follow me to space, away from the orbi-”

Bowwbooumb!!- PSHIFT~~!!!

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“!” The old man’s eyes furiously widened. He suddenly felt darkness envelop him, but this time, he was experienced in it. As Heian Ciemnosc unleashed his Myriad Darkness Materialization, a noiseless sound echoed thorough, but the old man was too focused in fighting the darkness to recuperate his senses and power sources in a couple of seconds to notice it.

The old man thrashed about, not willing to let Heian Ciemnosc get close to him like he did with Ogork, and kept sending furious Godly attacks everywhere with his energy and bodily strength. However, nothing attacked him, and after a little while, the dark dome dissipated.

The old man felt strange and returned his gaze to where Heian Ciemnosc was standing before the dark dome appeared. He didn’t feel surprised to see Heian Ciemnosc with his arms crossed in the same place, but when a dark whip immediately moved towards him, directly exiting from Heian Ciemnosc’s stomach, the old man’s eyes widened.

PAH- POFF- SWASH- SWIIIIISHHH- PHHSHK PHHSHK PHHSHK PHHSHK… PHHSHK!!!!

“AAAAAARRRGGHH…!!” The old man saw Heian Ciemnosc disappear as the dark whip seemed to conceal a glint course from Heian Ciemnosc’s previous position to where he stood. His right hand acted quick, and a bout of cold, gold energy emanated brightly. His left hand moved to intercept the incoming dark whip, but at that very moment, Heian Ciemnosc appeared instead of the dark whip’s extreme.

Heian Ciemnosc’s open, left claw met the old man’s left palm, forming a wind that burst for dozens of kilometers before settling down. However, the expansive wave continued for several hundred kilometers, albeit with a wind speed that civilians would find comfortable. As the wind expanded outwards, Heian Ciemnosc’s right knee hit the old man’s neck on a left-sided jugular.

The old man felt his neck and part of his jaw crushing under the blow. But his empty eyes remained strong as he rushed his right hand up in time to meet Heian Ciemnosc’s right claw, which was attempting to sever his head with dark Vigor Energy shuddering the tip of 5 dark claws. Their energy clash swiped 2 lines in between that extended above and below their bodies, establishing a complete pair of lines up against each other that elongated far away from them.

After their energies repelled each other’s, Heian Ciemnosc’s right claw continued to dive towards the old man’s neck towards its center. The old man’s right hand was empowered with Godly Energy, but it wasn’t enough, and Heian Ciemnosc’s dark claws rushed down. They entered a stalemate as Third Step cultivators at the Farsighted realm or higher watched with batted breaths.

In the sky, 2 lines thousands of kilometers long, one golden, the other dark, spread farther apart, becoming a little longer. They started disappearing, seemingly losing color and might as Heian Ciemnosc and the old man struggled, one to stab, the other to avoid being stabbed.

Heian Ciemnosc’s right claw trembled as his left claw and the old man’s left hand were in a deadlock, holding each other. They perfectly balanced each other’s prowess as they continued in this stalemate while the 2 lines far from them continued dissipating.

Several minutes later, with Heian Ciemnosc’s right claw and wrist twisted to the right. The old man continued resisting, without letting Heian Ciemnosc’s dark claws’ tips move further down towards his neck’s center. Conversely, the 2 lines were in their last throes.

The golden line was below as the dark one remained on top. With the green hue of the parting afternoon, the world readying to welcome the evening, the golden light gave out a few more moments of strength before dissipating like stars turning into dust. All golden colors and stardust dissipated after 3 seconds, while the dark line became stronger instead.

The old man’s right hand suddenly felt Heian Ciemnosc’s right arm come down on him as their Souls continued tricking and bombarding each other, hidden to others’ eyes and even Spirit Sense. The sensation was comfortable, like a fresh wind gentle burst touching one’s wet, warm sweat spot. But the terror came just like a child who realized they were about to pee themselves.

The old man’s empty eye sockets widened, spitting more blood with a twinge of golden luster. The arm went through his right hand’s grip, and 4 dark claws immediately cut the upper-left side of his neck. The old man instinctively tried to speak, but only his Godly blood with dark Vigor Energy tainting it spurted from his eyes, ears, nose, mouths, and pores in his head.

Before the old man could have the last breath of air into his lungs, Heian Ciemnosc’s last dark claw, from his darkened thumb, searched the old man’s apple and pushed into it before letting its 2 inches length penetrate. The dark claw gradually elongated to its 16 inches, coming out the other side of the old man’s neck as blood spurted from Heian Ciemnosc’s right darkened thumb.

It took a while due to the old man’s cultivation base, but Heian Ciemnosc’s thumb fully penetrated his neck after a few seconds of muscle piercing, and blood devouring. Once it was done, the old man let go of his struggles. As soon as Heian Ciemnosc felt his left claw free, he stabbed it into the old man’s brains, stopping whatever Spirit Sense message trail he was sending towards Heian Ciemnosc before… starting ravenously eating the carcass.

MUNCH, MUNCH, munch munch munch… MUNCH, MUUNNCH, MUUUUNCH…

Heian Ciemnosc scrapped the old man’s skull before starting with the organs, washing everything first with a screen of dark Vigor Energy before eating the shoulders, and the bones, starting with the vertebral column. For a time, strangely loud cracking noses sounded from Heian Ciemnosc’s hands as he broke parts apart and continued munching to his delight.

“Siiiigh…” After the old man’s body dissipated, consumed by Heian Ciemnosc, he threw his head a little backwards and exhaled in delight. After making a few smacking noises with his overly pale red lips, he shook his head and marveled, “Ah~, I never thought Godly bodies would be this tasty. Oh my, I forgot to turn the streaming feature off. It’s my bad, so gory.”

Heian Ciemnosc took his Universal Conveyance out and helplessly spoke before turning it off. Then, he stored his Universal Conveyance as a purplish, holographic, thin trail of smoke drifted back into his left wrist.

WHOOOOSH…

Heian Ciemnosc flew towards Xue Yoler, who was still accompanied by the dumbfounded people who had already completed their goals. They didn’t realize Heian Ciemnosc was approaching until he was already in front of them, between them and their miss.

“Who are you?” Heian Ciemnosc looked at them, floating with his feet on the same level as theirs, noticeably taller than each of them. He calmly asked them, pointing with his right index finger, before Xue Yoler stood up in her cage and hurriedly clarified, “They are my people! My right-hand people. They’ve… helped me pacify others while you… were dealing with another matter.”

Needless to say, although the Flora-Sweet White-Heavens Dynasty had billions of late Godly cultivators, it was on her that a Godly cultivator had just perished, when it could’ve been avoided instead. However, it wasn’t completely her fault. She wasn’t trying to trap Heian Ciemnosc. She didn’t even know a Godly cultivator was here.

If Heian Ciemnosc suspected her, he would’ve ended her already and just dealt with the Godly cultivator before returning to the south, leaving the rest to his forces. Thus, he returned to her side after leaving her caged. He wasn’t worried about the enemy. As long as Sara didn’t warn him, he wouldn’t go to a place where he could suffer or die.

“Oh, good news. It’s also good timing, come on.” Heian Ciemnosc opened his left palm, no longer darkened, towards Xue Yoler. Her cage moved. It dissipated as her body flew towards Heian Ciemnosc. She didn’t resist or glance at her right-hand people, letting them see Heian Ciemnosc’s might and the extents of his capabilities after the last minutes of confrontation with a Godly cultivator as a brand-new Universal realm cultivator.

WHOOOOSH. Heian Ciemnosc flew to the Medium City’s center. Along the way, he saw most soldier units no longer wielding their weapons, and some even sat on their bums. They all stared at the evening sky, uncertain of what was about to come. Heian Ciemnosc gave them a last glance before speaking while staring ahead, as if addressing the whole world.

But it did seem that way. His voice reverberated throughout the northeastern territory.

“Your Godly cultivator has perished, deliciously, under my claws… And fangs,” Heian Ciemnosc’s voice thundered everywhere, bringing the last notch that the people in the Dynasty territory required to fall completely hopeless in despair. His voice turned calm, quiet, and soft, but his intent carried ultimate coldness. “Yield or be killed under my forces.”

“… … … …” The northeastern territory seemed to grow completely silent. But within the first minute, just as it was coming to its end, Heian Ciemnosc’s Spirit Sense allowed him to see and hear countless soldier units dropping their armors, weapons, and to their knees. Citizens also let go of their battle positions and specialized weapons.

Not just the Medium City. The entire Flora-Sweet White-Heavens’ forces fell under his words. There were still inhabitant groups and organizations at the cliffed coasts who denied their paths to life, but they couldn’t be of any importance. Roughly 70% of the military forces in the territory yielded to him. They dared not play pretend.

Why? Because anything under a Godly cultivator’s eyes is undisguised. They wouldn’t have bothered to even think about it if it was someone like Heian Ciemnosc’s meal, but it was a Third Step cultivator who dealt with a Godly cultivator like it was their daily prey in the wild.

“Your representative is now safe, thanks to your decision. During the following weeks, my troops will arrive and eviscerate any resisting force. They will now be recognized as enemies, and there is no forgiveness for stupidity,” Heian Ciemnosc’s voice was calm as he spoke. His voice still reverberated throughout the northeastern territory.

With that, screams of sorrow from those who wished to change their mind after Heian Ciemnosc’s words and short pause echoed throughout the territory, shading the obscured, green hue on the horizon slightly red. But Heian Ciemnosc ignored it as a phenomenon where those sorrowful cries echoed everywhere in unison continued.

“Your representative will be under my care, but from now on, you’re no longer belonging to the Flora-Sweet White-Heavens Dynasty. This territory, and its people, belong to the Crimsonbreaking Faction!” Heian Ciemnosc announced, but before Xue Yoler could ask him about this with a frown, his subsequent words left her and the people in this territory feeling breathless.

“All cultivators, no matter your realm and talent or capabilities, will be enslaved for 100 years from the moment this occupation ends. You will be given blood contracts to perform. But it’s now the time to decide whether you want that. When my forces arrive, anyone related with those who renege on their world will be exterminated under execution on the spot. Afterwards, you can choose between remaining as the Crimsonbreaking Faction’s territory, or leave to find a new master. Beware. Don’t try to be smart, although I reckon it might be a little entertaining.”

“…” After hearing Heian Ciemnosc’s last words completely, Xue Yoler’s frown subsided, and she somehow felt alleviated. It was like a slap on the wrist accompanied by an opportunity out of nowhere fell under this territory’s people. Although it wasn’t just this or that territory. It was, from now on, the Crimsonbreaking Faction’s territory.

In a strange notion, she felt… hopeful. Her right-hand people were saddened to leave their homes and loyalty for slavery, but they caught the change of expressions on their miss’s face. They felt at a loss. But then, their heads turned towards Heian Ciemnosc before returning to their miss… Something deep within, like a fresh, comfortable scratch in their throats, called out to them like this was their purpose.

For a short moment, brief today but maybe not even temporary in the future, they felt glad to have lost and fallen under enemy’s hands. Was this okay? Wrong? Or… was it an unknown future they were willing to form part of?

…