As the trees clear, a village of short stone buildings surrounded by a waist height wall come into view. Connecting all the walls, a slightly denser field of various different chi forms a dome. Standing at an opening, a gathering group of people stand armed and poised.
Seeing this, aden gives a half wave and thumbs over to elder Long. “Looks like they already have some ideas about me, I’ll wait here while you talk them out of doing anything foolish.”
With a short bow, “Of course, Aden. I shall inform them of your stature. I will cut down any impertinent myself.”
“You need not necessarily go that far, life is precious. Just convince them through words.”
With another short bow, “I shall see to it.”
As Long and Lin walk off, Aden inspects this new group.
Jian swords, some fancy looking boar spears, a few bows, and…are those mages or something? They are decked out in cheap looking regalia. Oh, looks like they have begun arguing with each other after whatever Long said. They must be priests of a sort. That's a lot of fingers pointing at me for them to be yelling at each other. Maybe a little of that black flame or my blood will settle some of their arguments.
Aden raises his right hand out, pinches his index finger between his thumb and middle finger claws, drawing blood. With the initial spurt of black flames and bubbling bloodsap, he lets it drip onto the ground, slowly forming that familiar tar as it consumes the surrounding mass, getting thicker and thicker as the acid dilutes.
Ah, some staring, some kowtows, some prayers to their necklace idols, less arguing, and yet far more shouting. Perhaps becoming a living idol was a bad idea. Long has his head somewhat straight though, I can just throw him between us. I think that's the signal.
Long turns to Aden and gives a deep nod with a smile. Stepping through the puddle of sludge, Aden makes his way over, keeping an eye on his new zealots.
Yeah…sorry Long, you will have to be my shield. Mega sanpaku eyes are no bueno for me. The ones giving me the death stare seem much more approachable and sane. I am not seeing a lot of chi in any of them aside from the middle aged man in the center speaking with Long. Looks like most are still strengthening their body to step into chi gathering, are still in chi gathering, or are just starting chi condensation. The leader looks to be peak chi condensation, right at the cusp. I suppose until just recently, he and Long were equals.
Reaching within speaking distance of the expectant group, Aden cuts them off. “I will not be speaking to any of you priests, neophytes, or whatever you all are. If you have words for me, go to Long instead. If I spoke with every single follower of mine, I would not have time for anything else.” Looking towards Long and the other elder now, giving Long a nod and then looking to the other. “Good work, Long. So, who might you be? Another elder? You seem to have cultivated faster than Elder Long here.”
“I am called Senior Lin. Elder Long here has lived much longer and is much more experienced. I was simply lucky, despite my few decades, and received great guidance on my path. I could not possibly compare to Elder Long’s centuries of knowledge.”
“I take it back, what I should have said was “excellent” work, Long. You got Lin to drop the pleasantries so quick!”
Long, showing a prideful face just as when he had spoken of their heritage. “Little Lin was always my best student. He achieved chi condensation at just twelve, one of the fastest I have ever seen!”
Is that good? He makes it sound like that, but this place isn’t impressive. “Excellent work, Lin.” So that means he has only made it from the start to the peak of chi condensation after like 20 years? A fruitless genius? That is quite the stagnation. Perhaps Long experienced the same and Lin will be ancient by the time he breaks through. “Shall we go somewhere more comfortable?” Aden says, thumbing over to the growing crowd of worshipers. Oh my god, one of those idiots tried to scoop up my blood. He’s just crying silently through his smile! These people are nutjobs! Never trust sanpaku eyes.
Long takes the lead, “Right away, let us head to my pavilion in the inner walls.”
As the elders begin to walk, Aden traces the direction of their steps with his eyes. Ah, didn’t notice that earlier. What are they, like, 10 feet high? The stone’s color kind of blends well as a backdrop, I suppose. There are also all the lights of chi floating around more densely, further obscuring it from my untrained and overly sensitive eyes. Must be some sort of barrier.
“These buildings are rather…quaint…and the disciples are…weak. I was expecting something a little…more than this. Where are the other elders and seniors?”
Long and Lin eye each other with concerned faces before Lin speaks up. “The other seniors are out on assignments and the elders remain within their pavilions.”
After a moment, Long continues for him. “The others are…no longer with us.” He admits, looking down as if ashamed.
“I do not know what happened, but I am guessing that many died, reducing the state of the cult to what I see now. Whatever happened, you seem to blame yourself. Seeing Lin’s face looking at you now, it seems you need not do that. Is this catastrophe also why Lin’s cultivation stagnated?”
Lin, taking over for Long. “Indeed, my fortune in youth included a myriad of resources. When we were hit, our resources were destroyed with...everyone else.”
“”Were hit?” Like the entire town? A meteor?”
“It was-It…was a tribulation.”
“Who’s tribulation was strong enough to smite the entire town? Why did they not leave temporarily?”
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Long spoke up. “It was mine. It was my fault.” Looking up at the sky with his eyes closed, he lets out a long sigh. “It was my third attempt to break through. I was angry, frustrated. I should have been happy with having survived the previous failures and still managed to push my limits, but I cursed. I shouted at the heavens during my tribulation.”
No one spoke, letting Long work through his feelings to continue while they walked.
“It was my fault. The next strike was all the sky had stored. It was far too strong for me, and far too reaching for my rear garden. For all that effort and all that was lost, I had failed to break through.”
“We do not blame you, master. Any of us would have been so angry, and who would have know the heavens to respond as such.”
Aden, breaking in. “You broke through recently though, did you not? You recovered from your injuries in record time and finally broke through. Every cultivator knows the risks they are taking. I think they would be proud of you, would they not? Now let us move on from the negativity, lets talk about fun things. Lin, do you have any questions for me?” I am sure this senior understands when a distraction is needed, and he certainly has to have questions about me.
“Are you really the apostle of Angahina?”
“No? Damn it, Long.” Trying to pinch between his non-existent eyebrows and failing, “Alright, just look at me as an outsider, but related. Like an uncle. A god uncle, if you will. Does that make sense?”
“I…do not understand…”
“You don’t need to. Just do as I say and things will get better.”
Long, intercepting to help Aden. “He carries the blood of our god and his dao comprehension is inconceivably greater than ours. Even ancestor may spend centuries comprehending but a fraction of his wisdom. With just a few words from him earlier, it feels as if an invisible weight has lifted from me, opening bottlenecks I did not know I would have in the future.”
Lin, finally looking a bit surprised. “If what you say is true, we have no way we can possibly reward Aden for this. I do not know how we can repay you.”
“I will just be perusing your scriptures, perhaps studying your resources too. Nothing more is needed for now. Besides, I have not even begun to earn your debts. I will be taking over, well from the background. I would like to avoid those zealots, my patience may last eons of sleep, but would only last seconds with them.”
Almost losing his temper, “What do you mean by taking over? Long, did you sell us out!?”
“Calm yourself, Lin. Where did that quick study of mine go? Aden will just be providing us guidance. Something we all need. Did he not just say he would be earning our debts? He is going to be helping us, and far more than what he has done for me. All of our knowledge may as well be children’s books to him, and our resources as toys. Why would we be averse to exchanging such things for profound wisdom?”
“My apologies, master, Aden.” After adjusting himself quickly. “You are right. I cannot even detect Aden’s stage. It is as if he is without cultivation, and yet he has such supremely dense chi. Even the ancestor pales in comparison to this endless death chi and all consuming fire chi.”
“Of course you can’t determine my cultivation, I haven’t started yet. This is just the body that was made for me to exist in this world.” The best lies are also true. This should elevate myself in their eyes.
Elder Long gains a sterner face but manages to keep himself calm this time, but Senior Lin finally opens his eyes fully and stops, standing still, staring at Aden. Not saying anything.
Long breaks the silence. “I do not mean to question your wisdom, Aden, but perhaps that was too much for Lin to know.”
“Nonsense, it is quicker this way. They will all know at some point my experience with godhood.” Experience with godhood is not a lie.
The trio slowly begin to walk once more, but Lin seems to be struggling internally, keeping silent.
“Aden, may I ask of your body?”
“Ofcourse, Long. What would you like to know?”
“How does chi flow…like that, without cultivation?”
I..have not really thought of that. Uuuuh…well I guess its like electronics, kinetics, or thermodynamics. Like the transfer of protons. Everything follows a path with the most affinity for it. Ah, its like how formations worked in my game, but without divine will reading the imbued lines to produce an effect. The surrounding energy just follows the path.
“Like water through a pipe. These pipes happen to be composed differently to carry other things, that is all.”
“And your dantian, I do not understand. Through the surrounding chi, I am able to make out that there is a space there. It is like there is nothing at all, and yet so much death chi flows from it.”
“To call it a dantian would be both right and wrong, since it is materialized and merged with my flesh directly. I believe you are unable to see into it because it is sealed.” I don’t think I should explain what a phylactery is considering that should be my weakness. He could cut through my arm, so he should be able to just strike my core, instantly killing me.
“Such immense power, and your dantian is sealed!? Truly, the work of a god. You say it is one with your body?”
“Yes. I suppose that is something you can strive for too, but it is just another path you can take. Ultimately you are just your soul and whatever is a part of it.”
Stroking his beard in contemplation. “Mmmmm, many paths indeed. I feel a new bottleneck, one not in cultivation, but in decisiveness. Such a myriad of paths.”
“There is no need to worry for such things. Choose the path you will persevere on the most. They all lead to the same peak anyways, and you will master everything in the end. To master any one thing, you will have to master all. So it will help if you can get a leg up first with your favorite paths.”
“That is most reassuring. I feel once more that my eyes are opening up for the first time.”
Reaching the gate of the inner wall, two guards in low chi condensation open the doors while another two stand near. Walking through the gate, a plaque depicting a coiling snake hanging from Long’s waist belt glows faintly for a moment and the dense chi surrounding the gate lets off until the trio walk through.
“Intriguing mechanism, I’ll have to study that another time. Are the details written down somewhere?”
“Yes, we keep as much as we can in the scripture pavilion.” Long responds while looking back at Lin with an eyebrow raised.
“Don’t worry about him, he is just going through an internal struggle, probably with your cult’s religion. So, is that your pavilion over there? Not too shabby, looks-” Ah, of course it’s new, his old one probably got decimated. “-well made.”
“Thank you, I strengthened the wood myself. Those brats were trying to build it without me looking!”
Coming to the doors, another plaque at his waist glowed and the elder pushed them open to reveal a reception hall. Quite direct, I guess that's how they squeezed the necessary rooms into the building. It doesn’t seem too large from the outside.
“It is meager, but please, do make yourself at home.”