Chapter 50

Unearthed Histories

The roots were extremely tough--it took Leo a few swings of a fully-charged strike with his sword in order to chop through one of them. As he was tangled up high, he couldn't see how the kids were doing and, inversely, they couldn't see how pathetic he was. It was a double win, as he could feel himself slowly getting stronger again, constantly spending and replenishing Qi.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the tree, both Yue and Liang were lying sprawled on the ground, gasping not for breath but for life itself. After grueling, demoralizing, heart-pounding, soul-sucking two hours, they managed precisely... one cut.

Yue glanced to the side and saw the cut root lying there, half-tempted to burn it so that she may never look at it again and half tempted to bury it so that she may never look at it again. When Master handed her the task, she didn't think too much of it; it was just some basic gardening. Alas, it was her mistake--she should have known that 'ordinary', in her Master's language, meant 'absolutely soul-crushing' in hers.

Even her 'Junior Brother', as it were, who was at the peak of Core Formation couldn't contend with it. In some ways, he was worse off as his control over Qi was... rather pathetic. He would spend ten seconds just aiming, wasting over half the Qi he gathered, because he was afraid of making a mistake. As such, they got tired at equal rates, with equal progress. Nonetheless, the Master said that there was no time limit--if there wasn't one, they could just take it slow.

"Watch out guys," the Master's voice echoed out as Yue and Liang sat up and backed away from the tree. A moment later, ten roots twice the size of hers rained down and splattered around the ground.

"..." both Yue and Liang looked up, unable to see past the thick canopy, wanting to curse just a tiny little bit. Of course, to him, it was as simple as gardening.

"Another hour or two, and we'll take a break," his voice echoed out once again.

Neither had the courage to utter that they were already taking a break. Luckily, each carried with them a pair of waterskins housing the fruit juice. After they finally started breathing normally, and took a few sips from the waterskins, they all but returned to the peak. The juice was strangely almost like a Qi Pellet, except vastly better as it had no 'poison' in it that accumulated over time, and as it also passively enhanced their cultivation.

Yue garnered that, if it were to be auctioned off outside, it would likely go for about 100,000 Spirit Stones... per a few mouthfuls, perhaps? 100,000 Spirit Stones was a massive sum, the number that Yue couldn't even properly fathom. The entire Lan Clan estate, if it were sold off, might just barely reach that amount, and that included their copper and iron mines. And yet, she was casually drinking the amount that would go for millions... on a daily basis.

Sometimes, she really couldn't grasp her new life. It scarcely made sense, after all.

**

"E-Elder Xiaoling is back!!" a voice erupted throughout the entire Holy Blade Sect.

The sunken halls and the debris scattered everywhere were daily reminders of what transpired less than a week ago. Though the bodies have been cleaned up, traces of blood remained splattered everywhere, and the stench of death ruminated still within the valley's confines.

A dark and desolate cloud hung over the seven mountains, and even a singular ray of sunshine was enough to scatter it ever so slightly, bringing a bit of joy. Thus, when the announcement blared out throughout the Sect, everyone ran out to welcome the returnees. However, they seldom caught sight of them before the Sect Master whisked them off to the top floor of the palace.

Nonetheless, rumors were spread--after all, it was well-known that a Soul Ascendance Realm cultivator gave pursuit, breaking through the rear ranks. Though nobody uttered it aloud, in their hearts the whole Sect felt their most-promising Disciples had likely perished. And yet... they'd returned.

Yu Minge stared at the band of awkward-seeming youths with a faintly flinching lips. The very first thing that Xiaoling said when he moved them here, before even greeting him, was: "Don't ask anything, and I won't have to lie."

Mei, Lya, and Song scratched their noses awkwardly, looking away. By now, he'd be a fool not to understand that there was somebody in the forest who'd helped them. Chances were that it was some sort of Spirit, perhaps disguised as a person, though it could have been anything. He himself had ventured into the forest once, back when he was at Foundation Establishment and desperate for more strength, and had encountered one such spirit who was the reason for all his success, in essence.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

He was warned, however, to never return, as all his gifts would be taken back, and he would be killed. As such, he stayed well away from the place. Now, however, he wondered...

"Fine, I won't ask," he said. "I won't ask how you've broken through, or how your vitality seems to be better than mine, or how all those kids have had their Roots upgraded once again, or where the hell Liang is, or even how you dealt with a Soul Ascendance Realm cultivator. I won't ask any of those things. Can I at least ask what happened to the girl?"

"... she, uh, she became a Demon," Xiaoling replied, prompting Yu Minge to frown. "I don't--"

"--kids, can you please wait outside? I will reward each of you later on."

"Uh, y-yes, Sect Master!" the trio, recognizing that they were far too weak to participate in the conversation, quickly departed, leaving only the Master-Disciple pair behind.

"What do you mean she became a Demon?" he asked. "You should know well enough that one becoming a Demon is a process that takes months, at least."

"No, not that kind of Demon," she said. "The mindless sort. I don't know how to explain it. I said she became a Demon, but I'm not even sure that's the right word. Her entire body morphed into this human-like phantom, with black smoke covering her entire figure and red eyes. She went from being at Qi Condensation to just about Avatar Realm at a moment's notice, it felt."

"..." Yu Minge fell silent. His heart, however, was pounding--Blood Demon Vessel.

It was one of the legendary Bloodlines thought to have gone extinct a long time ago. Supposedly, those with it would be born with average talent, never managing to break out and make something of themselves. That would change, however, if they managed to learn a True Demon Mantra, though which one... Yu Minge did not know. As the Bloodline was supposed to be inherited through maternal side of a family, there had never been a time when a bearer of the Bloodline was born on the 'outside'.

If, by some happenstance, they did not get to practice the Mantra at all before turning sixteen, they would become a Berserk Demon--a ghoulish manifestation of rage contained within the bloodline itself. They'd grow exponentially stronger, but with the price that they would lose their minds, and even their lives in the span of a few hours, at most.

At the very least, he now understood who attacked them--True Demons, they called themselves. In reality, they were one of the Ancient Clans, Daeva Clan. They weren't true inheritors of the Blood Demon Vessel as they were far too young of a Clan for it, but they subscribed to the many of the things of the First Demons and have, supposedly, inherited some of the Arts, at least partially.

They hadn't been heard from or seen in just about two hundred years, meaning that they haven't been active during his life at all. The last time they reared their heads, an ugly war broke out called War For Peace, an equally ugly and ironic statement made by historians. Just about quarter of a million of people died, and the war lasted for about six years before they were finally defeated. Not killed, just pushed back into the shadows.

"M-Master...?" Xiaoling brought him back from his thoughts. "Is everything alright?"

"No, it's fine. You can leave too, Xiao'er," he said. "Whatever happened in the forest, I am delighted that you have gotten better. If you need anything, let me know."

"Yes, Master!"

With Xiaoling departing, Yu Minge turned toward his left where the strangely-shaped shadows suddenly moved. From them, a figure emerged--cloaked and hooded, with only a pair of green eyes peering through the slit in the cloth.

"You really think it is them?" Dark Night asked.

"I don't know. My gut feeling says that it is," Yu Minge replied, standing up and walking over to the window, looking over the ruins of the Sect. It would take years, at the minimum, to return to the previous state. At least, however, they survived. Bloodmoon Sect, on the other hand, had a rough time ahead of them... "Regardless, this front cannot go unchallenged. Whether it's Daeva Clan, or some branch remnants of them, they will have to pay. Now that the Immortal has exposed himself, someone from the Central Regions will be sent, most likely a Nascent Realm cultivator. I will hand over day-to-day running of the sect to Xiao'er and go into enclosed cultivation."

"Even if it's you," Dark Night said, doubt in her voice. "It will take you at least a decade to break through to Nascent Realm."

"No, no that," he shook his head. "I will try and complete the Holy Blade Art."

"What?! The last time you tried it, you nearly died!"

"I can't rest on my pitiful achievements, Q'aena," he glanced back at her and smiled faintly. "If the Sect is to survive the incoming storm, I must grow strong enough to defend it. Can I ask you a favor?"

"... yes, I will keep an eye out on your Disciple," she sighed. "Are you really not going to inquire them about the forest, however? These weren't accidental gifts, Minge. You felt it, too, even if you're not saying anything--that sensation from the forest. It was likely what killed the cultivator chasing them."

"It was probably a Spirit," Yu Minge said. "They are oft, however, disinterested in mortal affairs and only ever mingle out of boredom. Trying to weaponize that, in any way, would be foolish. As for why the kids got rewarded twice with such graces... perhaps it is Fate helping out my Holy Blade Sect after centuries of struggle. I will not peer into its inner workings, and simply be grateful that we were chosen. You too, do not go inquiring about that any further, lest you doom yourself."

"I won't," she said. "Do you think that attack was felt in the Central Regions?"

"No," Yu Minge said, but remembered something. "Well, only by him, perhaps."

"Him? You mean your father?"

"That man is no father of mine," Yu Minge said coldly. "Just a wretched soul hanging onto honors long gone."