Magnum waved his hand as a scroll appeared and he tossed it to Kiso.

On the scroll was written:

“The Heaven and Earth Cultivation Technique”

Chapter Nine –

“I wrote this scroll at the time I developed the method to absorb heaven energy. If you are able to grasp the method to cultivate both energies at the same time, you will be able to reach the black lightning stage of power in a few years.” Magnum said, pride shining in his eyes.

Kiso’s excitement had nearly blown over before he caught himself, he thought to himself, “Separate energies in our cores?”

This was a question he couldn’t answer himself so he asked Magnum plainly, “Elder Sage, just now you mentioned that we have ‘separate energies’ in our cores, however, a while back, in order to grasp the Skyshadow technique of second innate ability, I had fused the two energies in my core together.”

Kiso pondered a bit before continuing, “Lightning energy and darkness energy, fused together, I have been referring to the new energy as storm energy. What do you think Elder Sage?”

Magnum had turned around and was gazing not at Kiso, but at Koho, who was slackjawed and staring back at him.

Koho spoke first, “This.. I… I haven’t even heard of anything like that happening before.”

Magnum shook his head, “Unfathomable, truly bizarre…Kiso, I have no idea what difference that will make, but you should still be able to practice the Heaven and Earth cultivation technique.”

Kiso nodded slightly and sunk deep into thought before excusing himself.

Outside Magnum’s home, the sunlight is fading and the smell of rain is beginning to fill the air. The air is cold as winter is approaching, yet Kiso cannot be bothered by temperature. Those who cultivate experience intense heat throughout their bodies as they absorb nature energy. As such, Kiso has found a pleasant location under one of the gigantic ancient trees to clear his mind and read the scroll Magnum had just given to him.

He sat cross-legged and laid the scroll out in front of him.

On the scroll read:

The Heaven and Earth Cultivation Technique

Keeping it simple as it is simple itself. Absorb the freezing cold energy as well.

“Huh?” Kiso was bewildered momentarily before it clicked.

“So that’s how it is.” Kiso focused his entire conscious on the nature energy entering his body and was able to notice two separate types of energy. That same burning hot energy was prominent and easiest to absorb, but there was another hidden energy. It was that ice cold frozen feeling energy that he felt when he broke through to the higher spiritual pressure stages.

– – – – –

Four years later…

Sitting on a large boulder by that same stream next to Koho’s true body, sat a young man with long dark hair. His body was shrouded in a dark black shadow that let not a single ray of light penetrate it. Occasionally there was a burst of black lightning that escaped the black shroud.

A young woman was currently sitting in a meditative position a few meters away from that shroud of darkness. Waves of strange rainbow colored light were permeating up and down her body as a smug smile never left her face.

Those two youths were Kiso and Yuni, whom have been training with Elder Sage for the past four years straight. Elder Sage had originally thought that they were talented, sure, but who would have thought that in just four years, not only the monstrous Kiso, but even Yuni was able to make enormous strides in her cultivation. She even had a variation lightning energy, never before seen in the history of the clan.

As for Kiso, he had been able to grasp everything Elder Sage was capable of, and more. His current spiritual pressure zone was considerably longer in diameter and could sense everything that happened within. Although he was still incapable of grasping that hidden technique of the Skyshadow Elder, he felt even without it nobody could contend with his power within Thunderblack Valley.

Currently, two men were approaching the Ancient Byuki Forest at an extremely fast pace, a pace only spiritual pressure practitioners were capable of.

“Give it up Rolo! You’ll never escape! Even if you enter the forest I’ll never give up!” A sinister looking old man was chasing a bloody looking middle age man.

That bloodied middle age man, Rolo, was running for his life. He was a proud member of the Thunderblack clan, but only at the blue bolt stage.

Rolo gritted his teeth and dashed straight into the Byuki Forest.

“He actually entered, although I’m sure he’d die if I left him, I suppose I have no choice but to follow him in..” The man following Rolo had no desire to enter this legendary ancient forest, but the order he was given was absolute and could not be disobeyed. That order was one simple sentence: Kill any Thunderblack clan member you come across.

This man was named Nak, he is a famous member of the Ichi clan. The Ichi clan occupies a neighboring valley and are a mid-grade clan known for their earth spiritual pressure nature.

Since the death of Mord, his other sons had been unable to hold the clan together, and the neighboring clans had invaded and slaughtered almost all of the Thunderblack clan over the past four years.

– – –

Just as Rolo entered the forest, Kiso opened his eyes and shifted his gaze slightly to his right. “Two this time, it seems one is being chased and is in bad shape.” Kiso sighed and thought to himself, “Should I help this time?”

Over the past four years, there have been many people attempting to seek refuge in the Byuki Forest, but Kiso had chose not to help them. His guilt was mounting though, since those people without help had all perished to the spiritual beasts.

Yuni seemed to notice Kiso’s spiritual pressure die down, and opened her eyes as well. “Kiso, what is it?”

“Two more just entered the forest, I’m thinking about helping this one. There has to be a reason so many people are fleeing to this place. Elder Sage had said that before us, he had only seen a handful of other humans enter the forest over the previous century, yet in the past two months, there have been over twenty.” Kiso stood up and turned to face Rolo and Nak’s direction.

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“Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Kiso’s body flickered and disappeared from Yuni’s sight.

– – –

Barely any time had passed since Rolo entered the Byuki Forest, before Nak got within range to cast his earthen wall spiritual skill.

Rolo was running as fast as his legs could and had just seen a smoke stack in the far distance leading to a rise in his spirits, when an earthen wall rose a few feet in front of him causing his face to change, before smashing into it.

If Rolo had been paying attention, or hadn’t been running so fast, he may not have been too severely injured, but that was not the case. The wall was rock hard and caused Rolo’s already heavily injured body to be paralyzed, unable to move another inch.

Nak smiled having finally caught his prey and slowed his pace as he approached Rolo’s body quivering on the ground.

Standing over Rolo, Nak smugly inquired, “It seems your luck finally ran out. For such a weak member of the Thunderblack clan, you sure did survive a long time despite being chased by my honorable self. I respect your drive to live, and so I will hear your last words before I end you. Speak.”

Rolo struggled to lift his head so he could look into Nak’s eyes as he was searching for anything in his brain that might allow him to escape this calamity.

Drawing a blank, Rolo could only grunt and ask for a swift death. As he opened his mouth to speak, “Why are you hunting down an honorable member of my esteemed Thunderblack clan?” A cold heartless voice appeared before a dark shroud of energy materialized between Nak and Rolo.

“!!!…” Nak’s eyes widened as he stared at the slowly dissipating dark shroud, revealing a muscular young teenager with handsome, adult like chiseled features. This was precisely Kiso, now staring coldly into Nak’s eyes, pouring out killing intent.

Backing up a step from the pressure he felt coming off this youth, Nak tried to recover his prideful aura before angrily snapping, “Can it be you do not have eyes? Or are you just an ignorant country bumpkin who is unaware of my Ichi clan? Regardless, my orders are absolute, from your words, you too are a Thunderblack clan member, which means by coming here you have sought your death.”

With a cold “hmph”, Nak gather powerful earthen nature spiritual pressure into his arms and legs, as he sprang towards Kiso with his arm raised intending to crush Kiso’s skull in one punch. His speed was raised to his highest level by using earthen energy to strengthen his legs beyond their limit.

As his fist arc’d down, Kiso did not move, rather he stood smiling as he gathered his now boundless spiritual pressure into his fingertips.

“I don’t know your name, but since you are about to die, I will let you hear the name of the one who killed you! My name is Kiso Black of the Thunderblack clan! Now go die!”

Nak’s fist connected with Kiso’s face causing him to be extremely delighted at first, only to discover his fist had continued through the face meeting no resistance.

Kiso’s afterimage flickered as he reappeared behind Nak, raising his right arm, pointing at him. “Any last words scum?!” Kiso’s killing intent alone pressuring Nak into despair.

Rapidly twisting around to face the voice bellowing out behind him, Nak opened his mouth, defiantly laughing, “Hahaha, as if you could really……” A black light flashed before he could even finish his sentence as Nak’s entire body disintegrated, his dust scattering into the forest breeze.

Rolo stared at Kiso’s body, which had black lightning dancing around his outstretched arm. His jaw was powerless to raise itself back up as he was speechless.

When Rolo’s conscious finally settled down he cried out, “Lord Kiso?! Everyone thought you were dead! Where have been the past four years?!”

Rolo’s questions were parading out of his mouth without end before Kiso could even turn and look at him.

“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down, first of all, what is your name senior?” Kiso could tell this man was much older then him and was part of his clan.

Rolo summoned all his remaining strength to circulate his spiritual energy, healing his paralysis only to kowtow at Kiso’s feet. Tears rolling down his cheeks Rolo cried out, “Young master Kiso, this one’s name is Rolo Black! I am a branch member of the Thunderblack clan, or at least whats left of it!”

“What do you mean whats left of it?” Kiso’s eyes were widening as various terrible thoughts flooded his mind.

Rolo, his forehead still dug into the earth, just now realized Kiso was unaware of anything that has happened. Kiso knelt down and lifted Rolo’s face up, gazes meeting, Rolo’s eyes reddened as he began to blubber out words about the past four years.

“Young master Kiso, your uncle Ulquin betrayed your grandfather. He led a group assassins and killed him in his sleep. After which he took control of the clan, intending to lead us to attack the nearby Jua clan’s valley.” Rolo hesitated, as his red eyes flashed with despair.

“But before we could even gather an army, the Ichi spies reported Mord’s death and acted first! It seemed like they knew something like this would happen! Everyone at Thunderblack castle was killed, all your servants, your cousins, even those terrible uncles of yours!” Rolo’s last few words were spoken with a strong tone of disdain.

Kiso just knelt there listening, worry and fury battling each other in his heart, before fury finally won out.

“Rolo, speak, what about my mother and father?” Kiso’s tone was dead and his eyes lifeless.

Rolo’s eyes sunk to the ground, he couldn’t bear to look at Kiso while speaking, “While their bodies weren’t found, the village they had been hiding at was annihilated, they haven’t been seen for three and half years.”

Kiso’s heart broke and his conscious snapped. He stood up, opened a palm summoning a medicinal pill onto it, then dropped it on the ground.

“Rolo, thank you for this information. I’m leaving now, that is a spiritual pressure pill containing medicinal nature, it should be able to heal your injuries.” Before Rolo could thank him, Kiso’s body flickered as he disappeared.

To Be Continued!…