《SCP Gacha System In A Cultivation World》


 1 A Young Girls Origin.

    The sun was shining high above the skies, lighting nearly every inch of the forest below in a warm refreshing glow. The forest was abuzz with activity. Groups of small birds flying over the trees, small mammals scurrying on the grassy ground, and bugs buzzing their merry way. But amidst all this beauty and serenity, there was a strange anomaly present in the delightful woodlands. A humanoid figure could be seen peacefully resting upon a tree. But if anyone was passing through, they would have noticed that that figure wasn''t there a few moments ago. It was as if they suddenly appeared out of thin air.


    The figure could be seen awakening slowly. They opened their eyes and looked around in their surroundings. They raised themselves from the tree they were resting on and looked down at their current clothing.


    "Why am I dressed like a cave girl?" A slightly high-pitched voice asked.


    The figure had jet-black hair that flowed down to their neck, brown eyes with glasses, a light figure that showed that they weren''t much of an eater but not so much that they would be considered underweight and unhealthy, two petite sized mounds atop of her chest, and a face that didn''t bring much attention to it, or rather at all. They looked young and most likely haven''t reached the age of an adult but aren''t that far off from it. This person could be described in other words as incredibly plain and boring.


    "Where am I¡­? Why can''t I remember anything about me?!" She asked getting increasingly more and more agitated.


    Just as the young girl was about to wander off into the forest and have a panic attack, she was stopped by a sudden sound in her head.


    *DING*


    "What the¡­!?"


    [System has been bonded with the host''s soul!]


    [An unknown entity has latched on with the system!!!]


    [Identifying¡­.]


    [Identifying¡­.]


    [Identifying¡­]


    "STOP IDENTIFYING ME AND LET ME SPEAK TO THE MORTAL ALREADY!" A third voice shouted impatiently, surprising the young girl who was convinced she has gone crazy and subsequently lost all hope.


    "I guess waking up in the forest without any memories isn''t bad enough. I now have other voices in my head as well." She lamented.


    "Pitiful mortal! Listen up because I will not be explaining this again! My master has noticed something about you that intrigues him and has given you a second chance at life! Be grateful! My master isn''t one to share his graces with just anyone! Even I still don''t understand what he sees in you."


    "If I try and ignore the voices, hopefully it''ll go away¡­" She said as she sadly walked aimlessly throughout the forest.


    "My master has recently acquired an interest in a new hobby! And you will be the guinea pig that will test it for him! He calls it the SCP Gacha System!"


    [System is online.]


    [Host has a gift waiting for them! Say inventory in your mind and try and open it!]


    "Now they''re telling me what to do¡­ What have I done to deserve this..?" She muttered before softly saying. "Inventory.."


    An image suddenly appeared in the young girl''s mind. A large number of boxes lined up side-to-side with no seeable limit present. Inside the first box was a purple wrapped gift. It had a purple ribbon on top of the box.


    "What in the world is all this¡­?" She asked in disbelief.


    "BEFORE YOU OPEN THAT HUMAN! LISTEN UP! YOU MUST---" The voice was cut off as the young girl interrupted him.


    "Stop yelling in my head! I got the gist of it already! It just¡­ took some time for me to calm down." The girl ordered as she rubbed her temples.


    "So you''re here to help me right? Answer a few questions for me okay?"


    "YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME IN SUCH A WAY!? YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN INSIGNIFICANT FLEA TO ME! I COULD ERASE COUNTRIES WITH A WAVE OF MY HAND! AND YOU DARE TREAT ME AS NOTHING MORE THAN-----"


    "SHUT UP!!!! I DON''T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU ARE! You''re nothing more than a servant to some higher power that is here to help me understand what the hell is going on with the second voice in my head. And since that higher power or fourth voice that I haven''t heard speak yet wants me to accomplish something for him, I''m pretty sure you can''t do a thing to me." She guessed.


    "YOU¡­.. YOU¡­. YOU¡­..!!!" The third voice was flabbergasted at the lack of face this ant was giving him. It wasn''t even putting his glorious and majestic self in its eyes!


    "Now¡­ Who am i?" She asked.


    "A strange insignificant mortal that has somehow managed to capture the attention of my heavenly and divine master. Jing huh..? What a stupid name." The third voice said pissed.


    "Where am i?"


    "Some ugly forest it looks like."


    "Aren''t you some amazing being? How could you not know where this is?" She asked slightly irritated.


    "Hmph. Try as you might human but you''re only getting the bare essentials from me now."


    ''Maybe I acted too rashly before... but I might as well ask as much as I can even if I don''t get a straight answer.'' Jing thought.


    "Why can''t I remember anything?"


    "Your tiny bug brain is probably too stupid to remember anything." He insulted.


    A vein grew on Jing''s forehead from anger.


    "What is going on with the second voice then¡­?" She spat through her teeth.


    "It is the machine that you will be testing for my master. Now farewell you rude monkey. I hope you perish before making it out of this disgusting place." The third voice cursed.


    [The unknown entity has left! Now updating system to make sure nothing else can latch onto system!]


    "That was useless. I guess I''m on my own on figuring this thing out." She said while mentally picking the gift box in her inventory.


    [Open Starter Gift? Y/N]


    ''Yes.'' She thought.


    [Host has received a Legendary ticket!]


    [Host has received Mysterious Egg!]


    [Host has received x5 Recovery Pills!]


    "Well then.. Might as well just press whatever and brute force my way with this thing." She decided before mentally choosing on the legendary ticket.


    [Host is about to use a Legendary ticket! Are you sure?!]


    "Yes¡­" She said a bit annoyed.


    [Ticket has been inserted into the Gacha!]


    Inside of Jing''s head an image of a gigantic wheel appeared. She was nothing more than a bug in comparison to the size of the wheel. She looked up at the wheel and saw many different words present with a small divider present to separate the choices.


    ''Heavenly Buddha''s Body, 9 Deadly Lightning Strikes, SCP-3812, Undying Demon''s Locking Blade, Destroying Sky Decimating Heavens,SCP-173, Phoenix egg, Blade of an Ancient Titan, God Pill, SCP-343¡­. What even is all this?'' She asked herself as the wheel began slowly spinning.


    The wheel spun clockwise and although it started slowly it quickly picked up in speed and soon everything on the wheel turned into a blur. She continued watching the wheel for minutes until it eventually came to crawling halt and was stuck between two choices. The bloodline of an Ancient God and SCP-914. She watched as the wheel marker looked as if it was going to stay on the bloodline option but the little marker managed to flick past the divider and land on SCP-914.


    ''What happens now?''


    [Host has received SCP-914!]


    Jing suddenly felt a large amount of information being pushed inside her brain. She gripped at her skull as she dropped to her knees and felt the changes happening to her body. She gritted her teeth to deal with the pain and felt like they would soon shatter if she tried gritting any harder. But just as the pain came, it went away just as fast. She slowly rose from the ground and took in the new knowledge she just obtained.


    ''SCP-914 is a machine capable of refinement. It has an intake and an output for taking in objects and along with that, 5 different settings. Rough, Coarse, 1:1, Fine, and Very Fine.'' Jing said as she slowly understood just what happened.


    ''Rough usually destroys the item via laser or extreme heat and rarely is the item usable after being put on this setting. Coarse setting takes the item and cleanly and efficiently dismantles or dissects items, separating them into their base components. 1:1 setting replaces the item with something similar. Fine setting improves the items, rarely with anomalous properties. And the final setting is Very Fine, which improves the item to a great extent, often with anomalous properties.''


    Jing still couldn''t quite believe all this and grabbed some grass in her left hand. She tried to use the abilities of 914 and the grass phased through her hand and went into her body. Jing had instinctual knowledge on how to use her new power. She could choose whether to place the grass on rough, coarse, 1:1, fine, or very fine. Jing mentally decided on 1:1 and now it seemed as if she could manually choose something that is similar to grass in nature or let her subconscious do the choosing. For now she let her subconscious do it, and a few seconds later a small number of bamboo phased out of her right hand and into her palm.


    Jing''s eyes slightly widened and now she had all the proof she needed that she wasn''t crazy and that this was in fact something real happening to her. She gripped the bamboo tightly as a strange smile appeared on her face.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Escape this crappy forest and find civilization!]


    [Rewards: 3 normal tickets, 3,000 yuan, and the title "No Longer A Jungle Girl."]


    [Failure: Death via obliteration]


    Jing''s stomach rang out in a fierce roar. The light covering the forest turned red and orange as the sun was falling. Jing looked up and into the horizon as she stood alone in the forest.


    "I was planning on leaving in the first place.. but I''m not wandering through a forest filled with wild animals at night. And I''m starving. If I don''t find some place safe to sleep, I''ll have to take my chances in one of these trees¡­" Jing stated as she started wandering through the forest, looking for food and places to sleep.


    She saw scurrying squirrels, rabbits, and more as she strolled through the forest. Jing refused to try and catch one of the wild animals. There were a couple of reasons why but the first one would be she didn''t want to kill any animals, the second one was she didn''t know how to properly prepare and cook a wild animal, and the last reason was she didn''t know how to make a fire. So, she continued to walk through the seemingly endless forest and soon found her salvation in the form of a tiny bush.


    Her stomach harshly commanded her again to consume and she crouched down to the tiny bush full of red berries. The berries smelt fruity and delicious. They were around the size of grapes and shined brightly with their red coloring.


    "I should check if this is poisonous first¡­ but I wouldn''t have the faintest idea on how to do that¡­" Jing said to herself as she plucked one of the berries with her hand.


    The berry phased into her body and Jing upgraded it using the very fine setting. The berry phased out of her opposite hand completely transformed in every way. The red berry was turned golden. It grew to the size of an apple and gave off an aroma so appetizing that Jing could barely stop herself from drooling. She placed the berry close to her soft plump lips and took a small bite. Her teeth practically melted into the piece of fruit and Jing''s tongue felt like it a piece of heaven was dancing with her taste buds . It was the most delicious and satisfying fruit that Jing has ever tasted, despite this being the only food she has can remember eating.


    Jing felt her hunger and thirst instantly go away after just one bite! But her craving for heavenly fruit didn''t go away one bit. She ravenously chomped and ate away at the golden fruit till it was nothing more than just a stem. Jing was about to comment on her satisfaction but instead a small burp squeaked out from her mouth and did it for her.


    "Excuse me." She said to no one in particular as she started stuffing more of the red berries into her hand for later.


    Her current jungle woman outfit didn''t really have places for her to stuff the berries with the exception of her chest. She had an assortment of leaves strung together on some sort of item that covered her chest completely like some sort of leaf bra along with a leaf skirt. Besides that, she was basically empty handed.


    The sky was getting much darker now and Jing still hasn''t managed to find somewhere safe to sleep. As she continued to walk through the increasingly scary forest, she managed to spot a clear beautiful pond that was reflecting the moonlight and showering the pond in a mystical and sparkling appearance. Jing took notice of the pond for somewhere to bathe later and continued walking until she finally found an alternative to sleeping on top of trees. An empty cave!


    A wild animal let out a frightening howl that echoed throughout the forest, prompting Jing to hurry inside the cave. It was basically pitch-black inside and Jing had to carefully feel her way inside. Being careful not to trip over any rocks or run into a wall. Eventually she decided that this just wasn''t going to work out and grabbed one of the rocks on the ground. She took the rock into her body and upgraded it on fine. The rock came out of her opposite hand and was now glowing a bright light that easily brightened up the whole cave. Although, Jing had to cover her eyes at first because it was so bright, she had to throw the rock away out of fear of blinding herself.


    "That''s better¡­"


    The glowing rock was still lighting up the entire cave and now Jing finally had a good look at her temporary sleeping place. Most of the cave was filled with pebbles littered all over with occasional large and medium-sized rocks placed around. Besides that though, there wasn''t really anything else inside.


    "I''m still cold¡­" Jing muttered as her body shivered.


    Jing walked over to one of the head-sized rocks and tried to lay down on it but instantly denied that choice of action. She would not be getting any sleep tonight trying to sleep on this cold hard cave floor or the stones.


    "Maybe this''ll work¡­."


    Jing tried to pick up the rock but it was heavier than it looked. Her arms shook from the weight of the rock and she could barely lift it up to where she wanted it.


    The rock fell to the cave floor with a large boom and out of Jing''s hands as her strength wasn''t enough to lift the rock. Anger and irritation could be seen on Jing''s face behind the heavy breaths and shaking almost numb arms.


    "If I can''t lift the stupid thing I''ll just do this instead." Jing declared angrily as she placed her hand on the rock and tried to make it phase through her arm and enter her body.


    Seconds passed without anything happening and Jing got furious with the inanimate object. Jing grabbed the rock with both of her palms and was about to shake it out of rage but soon the stone phased through her arms and finally into her body. A satisfied sinister smile appeared on her face as she set the rock on fine and added an anomalous property to the rock that would make it much more accommodating as a pillow.


    The stone phased out from her stomach and gently plopped on the ground. Jing picked up the improved stone. It looked identical to the other rocks with the exception of its unbelievably soft texture and warm feel to it. Just holding the stone was heating up Jing''s body. A relieved peaceful smile appeared on Jing''s face as she laid the stone down.


    *AWOOOOOOO*


    Jing jumped in fright as she looked towards the cave entrance. There was nothing there but it didn''t relieve Jing of her fright completely.


    "I need something to protect myself... and I don''t think these clothes will protect me from anything either.." Jing said looking around the cave.


    She walked over to one of the large stones and completely hugged it. She wrapped her legs and arms as much as she could around the boulder. The boulder slowly phased into her body and she began setting the rock on very fine and actively shaping it into the weapon of her desire, along with some other additional anonymously properties that would only help her from any dangerous animals inside the forest. An ominous and frightening grin appeared on her face as she reached into her chest and slowly pulled out a sleek smooth and long whip made of incredibly dense rock. She cracked the whip and a large slash etched itself deeply into the cave wall. Despite being made completely out of a hard material like stone, it moved exactly like a leather whip would!


    "I wasn''t even serious with that strike. I doubt anything in this forest can harm me with this pretty thing..." She muttered with a terrifying smile.


    She soon inserted her leaf clothing into herself and upgraded them as well, rendering her naked momentarily as her light soft brown skin bathed in the light radiating from the cave rock. But they weren''t upgraded as much as the boulder was, Jing just wanted to wear something less revealing and primitive. She refined them into a very soft silk-like tunic. The tunic was short enough to let her legs breathe no matter how much she moved around while at the same time was resilient enough to not tear from rocks or knives. It was still green in color but at least now she finally had some proper attire to wear along with comfortable undergarments.


    Jing now completely equipped for any dangerous situations, laid down on her refined rock that felt as soft as clouds in the sky. She moaned in satisfaction from how great it felt and was moments away from falling asleep. But then she remembered something from earlier in the day.


    ''Inventory.'' She thought.


    Jing pulled out a rainbow-colored egg that was around the size of a watermelon and placed it on the other side of the pillow rock and then drifted off to dreamland feeling the most comfortable she ever felt in her entire life. Even if she couldn''t remember any of her life before a couple hours ago.

 2 A New Companion!

    "Hoooo. Hoooo." A tiny voice sounded out.


    Jing could be seen turning over in her sleep from the noise, sleeping so peacefully it was as if she was sleeping on yellow fluffy clouds in the sky. But the noise didn''t go away and she actually felt something on top of her forehead! She quickly smacked her face as hard as she could, causing a painful sting and a fluttery sound. She looked at her hands to see any blood or something of the creature she just crushed but it turns out she didn''t crush anything. She blinked her eye crust away and looked at the baby animal staring into her eyes.


    "A baby owl?" Jing questioned as the owl hopped over to her rock pillow and sunk into it with a look of bliss on its face.


    The owlet had the potential to look quite regal and majestic in the future despite its current state of being a dumb-looking baby. It had sharp yellow eyes and a black beak along with sharp black curved talons. Its pure white feathers and wings were pretty thick even though it was just born and made it look larger than it was. It was pretty large for a baby bird Jing thought. It was around the size of her head and if it opened its wings it would for sure be bigger.


    She looked around in her now sunlight lit cave and everything was exactly the same inside it. Except the rainbow-colored pieces of egg shattered near her pillow. The owl was now sleeping sunken inside the pillow rock and Jing slowly got up and stretched her well rested bones.


    "So you''re the animal that was inside that mysterious egg.. I hope you like berries because I don''t have anything else I can feed you." Jing said as she placed the red berries near the pillow rock and grabbed her refined whip from last night.


    Jing exited from her cave with her whip in hand as she headed towards that pond from yesterday. She spotted a few small critters and avoided a very active beehive as she made her way to the pond without any trouble. Jing chose not to immediately strip naked once she made it to the pond and instead search around the pond in case there was anything dangerous nearby. Thankfully she found nothing but more small animals and insects around the pond.


    Jing then slowly undressed herself while keeping an eye out around the pond and then placed her clothing underneath a tree. She hid her whip underneath the water''s surface just to be extra careful. And now finally engulfed herself into the warm relaxing pond. The water moving along with her figure underneath the surface of the water. It was almost as if it was directing her while at the same time following her. She was the leader and the follower simultaneously. Using her dainty mousy hands to wash any grime, dust, and filth off her body. Her hands moved up and down her figure, leaving no part uncovered and not explored. Jing had a satisfied look on her face as she started on washing her pitch-black hair.


    But as she was washing her hair, she heard the sound of rustling grass behind one of the trees. She quickly dumped herself underneath the water and grabbed her whip. The source of the noise hasn''t revealed themselves yet and Jing continued to hold her breath underwater. She looked out from below the pond. The pond''s clear water easily allowed her to see from beneath the water''s surface.


    ''If this isn''t some dangerous wild animal and not some innocent loud critter, I''m going to be angry..'' Jing swore as her air reserves were getting increasingly low.


    The creature still haven''t revealed themselves and Jing couldn''t hold her breath anymore. She tightly gripped her whip as she burst upward for air. She whipped her hair backwards and out of her face as she opened her eyes and whipped her weapon towards the source of the sound.


    "EEEEEE!" A high-pitched scream sounded out as Jing''s whip wrapped around the mysterious creature.


    It continued shrieking as Jing increasingly squeezed the creature with her whip as she got herself out of the pond and stared at her helpless captive screaming its head off.


    "A stupid monkey? You scared the crap out of me you dumb animal!" She said with her chest breathing somewhat heavily.


    She freed the monkey and kicked it away. It desperately ran away from Jing while hooting and hollering in a panic. Jing placed her hands on her hips before looking up at the tree as she was dripping wet and naked. She grabbed a piece of wood and some leaves and inserted them into her left hand. The two items were refined together and Jing combined them into forming a leaf fan that can slightly control the wind and alter the temperature of said wind. The temperature couldn''t raise or fall to any crazy levels of temperature since this fan was only created dry Jing off. The leaf fan reappeared out of her right hand and Jing grabbed it before fanning the air once and watching as the wind surrounded her and dried her body off.


    Jing could manually control the wind with her mind once she used the fan but the wind she could control couldn''t really be used for anything dangerous or harmful. Even if she shaped the wind into tiny needles or blades, the controlled winds weren''t able to reach speeds dangerous enough to harm a leaf. So, Jing used the wind to completely dry herself off and then used it to bring her clothes. She put on her clothes, shut her leaf fan close and put it into her pocket, grabbed her whip and started heading back to the cave.


    She still had to get her pillow and baby owl before escaping this forest. There was no way in hell that she was leaving her heavenly pillow behind. She doubted she''ll ever be able to sleep on anything else for the rest of her lifetime, that''s how good the refined rock was. Jing had a smooth journey back to the cave and noticed the owlet screeching bloody murder on the ground. She went over to investigate and saw that the owl somehow injured its leg.


    "You''re definitely not walking anymore with your leg bent like this¡­ Uh.. Let''s see if I can fix this.." Jing said unconfidently.


    She slowly and carefully raised her palm towards the baby bird and it phased through her palm and entered inside her.


    "Okay¡­ So it does work.."


    Jing felt the baby owlet inside her and chose to refine it on very fine. The little guy seems like it likes her enough to be her pet. And she was curious how exactly would this owlet turn out on very fine. She had trouble deciding on whether to manually refine the bird or leave it up to her subconscious but ultimately decided on manually doing it.


    ''Let''s see¡­ We can''t have you hurting yourself anymore¡­ So, let''s give you a strong body.. better eyes, ears, organs and stuff, a much smarter brain, and¡­.''


    *SOMETIME LATER*


    Li Li, the new name for the owlet, materialized from Jing''s chest and landed on her lap looking no different from when it was phased into her. However there was a small gleam in its eyes. Previously they looked empty and hollow but now they seem to gain wisdom and light behind them. It wobbled unsteadily and looked very disoriented once it exited from Jing''s body. It shook its head as it looked up at Jing while slowly turning its head completely upside down.


    "You okay Li Li?" She asked.


    The bird nodded its head upside down and Jing let out a giggle.


    "You can understand me?" She asked a little bit excited.


    The bird nodded again and started flapping its wings and taking flight. Making no sound whatsoever despite being right in front of Jing''s face. If Jing wasn''t looking at the owlet, she wouldn''t even have known it took off. And if she couldn''t hear the owl flying when she was right next to it, its future prey would stand even less of a chance of surviving if it relied on hearing.


    ''I don''t think baby birds are supposed to fly this soon either.'' Jing guessed.


    Li Li flew onto Jing''s left shoulder and perched there as she refined her pillow into being able to change its size when kneaded a specific way. She placed the pillow into her pocket and walked to the entrance of the cave.


    "Time to get out of this forest and find some people. And now that you can fly Li Li, you can fly up and show us the way. I''ll wait here. Come back when you spot a place with humans like me and then show me the way towards there." Jing told Li Li.


    Li Li cried out a response and took off into the sky without a sound. The little avian infant was gone within moments and it wasn''t long till it returned back with a live squirrel in its talon and back on Jing''s shoulder.


    "You didn''t just go out to get food and ignore me did you?" Jing asked slightly upset.


    Li Li squawked as it pointed its talon northeast and started swallowing the squirrel whole.


    "Go that way?" Jing asked a little bit grossed out by the live feeding taking place so close to her face.


    Li Li finished swallowing the mammal whole and nodded its head. So, Jing took off in that direction and her journey to civilization with Li Li finally started. The sun was still shining bright and hanging high in the sky when they left the cave. The two passed through the dense forest without any issues. The only problem the two encountered for the most part was Li Li constantly flying off and bringing back a new prey to feed on Jing''s shoulder. The animals that Li LI was bringing back was slowly but consistently increasing in size every time he went off and eventually it hit the point where Jing had enough.


    "Li Li. You can not eat a loud screeching monkey on my shoulder!!!" Jing yelled.


    Li Li used one of its talons and easily pierced through the skull of the monkey and into its brain, silencing it and ending its poor life. Jing''s eyes got somewhat softer after realizing that Li Li thought that she just didn''t like the noise the animals were making and tried to fix that.


    "Okay! But just because its not screaming anymore doesn''t mean you can eat it so close to my face! I''m not saying you can''t go out on your own and hunt for food but I am saying you can not eat anymore animals on my shoulder. If you need to eat just eat and I''ll wait till you''re finished. You know the way out of here after all." Jing explained.


    Li Li flew over to one of the tree branches and started ripping open the skull of the deceased monkey like a chef carefully preparing his ingredients before digging into its brain matter with its beak and swallowing pieces torn apart with its beak. Jing was leaning on the opposite tree still slightly grossed out with all the dead animal guts, organs, and such she''s been seeing for the past couple of hours but has been getting used to it. Not to say she still didn''t like it but she understood that this was just how nature works.


    Li Li finally finished his brain meal and moved on to the second course. He ripped open the chest cavity of the monkey and stuck his leg in and grabbed the monkey''s heart.


    ''Such a picky eater¡­ Couldn''t just eat an arm or something and get it over with¡­'' Jing complained while being slightly happy of her pet for having some taste.


    ''If you''re gonna eat something it should be something as important and great as a heart or brain.''


    Li Li soon finished up and the two continued their journey towards other humans. The two trekked for hours and Jing guessed it was a couple hours after noon. They finally managed to reach a dirt road with the forest on the opposite sides of it. Jing smiled widely as her goal was getting closer and closer before suddenly hearing Li Li hissing. She looked at him and saw his head was turned 180 degrees behind. He slowly turned around as he opened up his wings and turned it downward to look bigger and more threatening.


    *ROOOOARRRR*


    Jing''s body shook in fright from the terrifying creature behind her. Her body started shaking as Li Li''s hissing got louder. Her heart was running rampant as her mind was going in circles.


    ''I have to turn around¡­ What''s the point of me making this whip if I can''t even use it when I need it! Come on body.. Get it together!'' She yelled at herself.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Kill, Tame, Defeat, or Flee from this starving spirit beast!]


    [Rewards: Will vary depending on choice of action.]


    The spirit beast''s eyes were hazed over and drool was dripping from its mouth before it suddenly took off towards Jing and Li Li. Jing heard sounds of movement behind her and screamed as she fell to the ground and turned around to see Li Li flying towards the white furred beast. The furry predator ran on all fours towards her and she gripped her whip tighter despite how badly her palms were shaking. Even if Jing knew that she could easily tear this creature into pieces with her refined whip, that meant nothing to her natural human instincts of fleeing when encounter large creatures intent on eating you.


    Jing was about to close her eyes in fright of seeing what might happen to Li Li but before she could the little owlet avoided the swipes of the white predator and with its refined body dug its talons into the forehead of the large creature the size of a tiger. The creature cried out in pain and tried resist against the impossible strength of the baby bird but the grip of Li Li stayed strong as he tossed the much larger animal into a nearby tree. The impact from the creature''s body against the tree bark caused the tree to crack and break in half before falling and collapsing on top of the creature.


    Jing was shocked out of her mind after seeing little Li Li manhandling the furry animal. Although she did refine him on very fine, the effects of it were far stronger than she thought. She continued to watch as Li Li flew over to the trapped predator and landed on top of its head with 8 holes present on its forehead. Blood steadily flowed from the puncture wounds made by Li Li''s talons and the creature howled and shouted in pain from the tree crushing it. Li Li then started picking at the animal''s head with its beak and easily tore through the fur, skin, muscle, and skull of the animal. The animal howled and yelped in anger and pain before suddenly gaining a new source of strength.


    Refusing to be defeated by a creature so small and pathetic. Refusing to be treated as prey and food by a creature not even 1/10 of its size. The furry creature roared with new strength as it overturned the tree that was on it. Jing finally realized that maybe Li Li can''t handle this on its own. For some reason that thing looked like it got stronger somehow! Her hands stopped shaking as she tightly gripped her whip and headed over to Li Li. Jing snapped her whip towards the animal and her sleek and smooth whip easily tore through the muscles of the animal, causing it to roar even louder from pain. A deep gash that penetrated all the way to the bone could be seen along the arm of the creature but this didn''t stop Jing. Jing continued to clumsily whip the creature, giving it deep gashes and cuts all over its body while Li Li used its talons to claw and swipe at delicate areas on the animal''s body at the same time.


    As the duo continued to fight the animal, a sick smile could be seen slowly forming on Jing''s face as her whip strikes were slowly getting sharper and more precise.


    ''The scared look in its eyes¡­ It''s so different from those haughty and hungry look they had earlier¡­''


    She grinned.


    ''I like it¡­.''


    "Keep squealing¡­ Keep screaming¡­!"


    The creature eventually ran out of stamina and couldn''t hope to contest against the two with the many severe injuries present on its body. It was missing an arm and a leg, its left eyeball was tore out, its spine could be seen from the large bloody gash in its back, and some of its intestines were spilling out from its gut. Jing was covered all over in sweat but besides that a disturbing smile was present on her face. Li Li was perched on her shoulder cleaning its feathers of blood with an indifferent look in his eyes before they suddenly widened after spotting something shining inside the beast.


    *DING*


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Rewards: 10 normal tickets, 10,000 yuan, and 1 spirit stone.]


    Jing was brought out of her trance by the sound and Li Li flew over to the carcass of the animal. Jing went into her inventory and pulled out the spirit stone.


    "What is this thing?" She asked the system.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ''No response huh¡­ Guess I''m on my own.'' She thought as she investigated it more by touching it, feeling it, and even licking it.


    But no matter what method she tried; she got no reaction out of the glowing diamond-shaped blue gem. She chucked it back inside her inventory and looked over at Li Li to see him swallowing a strange glowing red bead.


    "Ah! Li Li! You can''t just eat shining things! What if that was something dangerous?!" She reprimanded him.


    A purple aura glowed around Li Li''s body briefly and the owlet slightly grew in size before chirping happily and flying onto Jing''s shoulder. Jing looked at Li Li conflicted. She didn''t understand what that red bead was, what that purple thing that glowed around Li Li''s body was, and why it made him grow a little bit bigger. But after seeing Li Li looking satisfied, she guessed that it wasn''t anything bad and the two continued on their merry way.

 3 Completing Her First Mission!

    After leaving the bloodied and massacred carcass of the spirit beast behind, Jing had lingering questions about it.


    ''What is a spirit beast?''


    ''What makes it so different from a regular animal?''


    ''Was it that strange red bead inside its stomach that made it different?''


    ''Just what in the world was that glowing bead in the first place?''


    ''Would she change too if she ate the bead like Li Li?''


    ''What was this gem that the system gifted her? Was it just for looks and had no purpose besides its looks?'' She thought as she traveled the dirt road Li Li was leading her down.


    Jing doubted the spirit stone was as simple as a mere gem or ore. The look of pure wanting and the dilation in his eye tubes that Li Li gave it before she placed it inside her inventory made her convinced that it was anything but an ordinary object. But since Li Li couldn''t talk and tell her why he wanted it so much, she had to wait until she could find someone who knew what it was or somehow find the use for herself. This was the basically the same answer she had for the other questions she had on her mind.


    Except¡­ the ones she had about herself. Her state of mind near the end of that encounter made something abundantly clear to Jing. She wasn''t sure if she just repressed the feeling before or never had a way of bringing this type of feeling to the light of day but..


    She enjoyed making that animal suffer. She enjoyed its cries of pain, its whimpering once it realized it was outmatched, and the death throes the spirit beast as it took its final cry of life that nearly took her off her feet from euphoria. She enjoyed the power that welled up inside her body as she took control of the situation and forced her will, her control, her power! Onto the creature.


    She could''ve easily sliced off the beast''s thin muscular neck after she got used to using her whip but she chose not to. She was lost in the sound and feeling of the creature''s suffering.


    ''Now thinking about it again¡­ I need to practice some more on using this thing.'' Jing thought as she started cracking her whip at the stationary trees alongside the dirt path.


    Sometimes going for a completely split through the middle of objects, sometimes trying to wrap around an object, or even trying to whip a certain amount of distance away from a target.


    But as she was practicing her awkward and uncoordinated whip techniques, she continued thinking about how easily she could''ve killed the beast. With the power of her refined rock whip, it wouldn''t have been a hard task for her to decapitate it. But the fact that she didn''t and caused the creature to suffer under the dual attacks of both her and Li Li, made Jing question something¡­


    Just who was she? What kind of person would enjoy something so sick, twisted, and depraved? How would they have found out about something like this in the first place? Its unthinkable to believe that an average person could find enjoyment from causing others to suffer.


    But¡­ Even though Jing was aware of the negative implications of that type of thinking. She didn''t reject it. She loved every second of that encounter. Well not every second. But the part where she and Li Li worked together to maim and kill that spirit beast. Rejecting that type of thinking would be the same as rejecting a part of herself. Even though the encounter was brief, it felt as if it lit up an old kindle to Jing that she has forgotten. She felt as if this was something that could connect her to her true self and not this somewhat blank slate that was created by the higher being.


    "Hmm.. It''s still pretty bright out. It feels like it should be dark already¡­" Jing said before remembering she had tickets!


    Maybe she''ll get something as useful as her current ability! Jing used her 10 tickets she received from completing the system''s mission.


    [Host has received fishing rod, coffee mug, 7 Recovery Pills, and a steel sword.]


    "Well.. more healing pills isn''t bad. I don''t know about this other stuff though. I''ll just keep it in my inventory. I hope I can find a place to sell this other stuff."


    [Host is able to sell unwanted Gacha results back to system for system points.]


    "Oh¡­ So you can talk¡­" Jing said a bit irritated.


    [Only when explaining about the system functions.]


    "Whatever.. How do I go about selling this stuff?"


    [Just place it inside the inventory and just think about selling it to the system!]


    Jing closed her eyes as she thought about selling the coffee mug, steel sword, and fishing rod back to the system.


    [Host has received 12 system points. 1 from the fishing rod, 1 from the coffee mug, and 10 from the steel sword.]


    [To enter the system''s store please go to the system''s menu and select Store.]


    Jing thought of the word ''menu'' inside her head as she continued to practice her whip skills, leaving behind a mess of broken, toppled, and sliced trees in her wake.


    [Menu]


    [Inventory]


    [Store]


    [Missions]


    [Gacha]


    [Allies (Locked)]


    [Group (Locked)]


    Jing chose the store tab and could see everything that was for sale in the system.


    [Fishing Rod: 1 system point]


    [Coffee Mug: 1 system point]


    [Steel Sword: 10 system points]


    [SCP-914: 5,000,000 system points]


    Jing''s eyebrows twitched as she saw the insane cost for her ability. But after thinking about it again, it was a really powerful SCP. The original was a machine that would take extensive manpower to try and move and relocate. Not to add all of the restrictions and the unpredictability of the refined objects placed inside it.


    ''But with the system, I can control the refined objects so that they never harm me. Increasing the value of this ability so much more.''


    "Isn''t there anything else I can buy? Why is only the things I sold here?" She asked.


    [System is only capable of selling objects that have been acquired by the host through the wheel or missions.]


    "Why?"


    [Creator decided that it would be a bit unfun if you knew the possibilities of the world so soon.]


    "Annoying¡­" Jing rolled her eyes.


    Li Li from time to time spotted some hidden insects or animals in the nearby surroundings and with the aura of a master killer, ruthlessly assassinated all his prey. Even though he was born less than 24 hours ago, his refinement from his mom changed him into an entirely new being essentially. Owlets his age shouldn''t even be able to fly, much less, form coherent thought and form opinions. But with his transformed self, everything about him was improved. His instincts were honed to the edge and even further. His feathers were strong, sharp, and as silent as darkness itself.


    Li Li could fan one of his wings and a barrage of feathers that would fly from it could penetrate through the skull of most creatures and objects. His beautiful feathers regrew back in an instant. He could control the growth rate of his feathers and even make his feathers grow as much as he wants, provided that he has enough energy to do so. His ear holes buried beneath his feathers could hear sounds further than 100 meters (328 ft) away, easily allowing him to hear any source of food or danger nearby. And the fact that his mother''s goal is right up ahead.


    "Li Li! We made it! There''s people!" She said excitedly.


    *DING*


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Rewards: 3 Normal Tickets, 3,000 Yuan, Title gained! "No Longer A Jungle Girl!"]


    Jing''s pockets were hefty with dollar bills and she was excited to see what she could spend it all on. But before that she asked the system what did gaining a title do for her.


    [A title can be used to strengthen the host or aid them in a certain way. Go into your inventory and think of using it for yourself. Details about the use of the title will be clear then.]


    Jing leaned on a nearby wall as she went to find out about the title.


    [No Longer A Jungle Girl makes all interactions in regions besides jungles 1% more positive.]


    ''What''s a measly one percent going to change? But I''ll take it since there aren''t any negatives to it.'' Jing decided as a young boy suddenly came up to her. She decided to save the tickets for later.


    "Heya there miss! You look a bit lost. Is this your first time in Yellow Jade City?" The boy asked.


    Jing looked at the young child. He was a head shorter than her and she was 162 centimeters (5''4) in height. Pretty average for a girl. He was dressed in shabby clothes but looked as if he got around quite alright. He had plain brown hair, an innocent childish face with chubby cheeks and a certain mischievous feel hidden behind his eyes. But Jing decided to let the boy lead her. She has absolutely 0 knowledge about anything and this boy seems like he knows enough for her to get a head start.


    "I am a bit lost. Do you mind showing me around?" She asked.


    "No problem miss! Anything for a beauty like yourself! Cool bird by the way!" He grinned with a missing front tooth. Li Li''s eyes sharpened on the boy.


    He had her follow behind him as he started giving her an in-depth tour around the city. He showed her plenty of places while also giving her much needed information she had no idea about. Such as the fact that Yellow Jade City was partnered with the Golden Serpent Sect. She asked what the Golden Serpent Sect was and the boy looked at her as if she was crazy for not knowing. But Jing didn''t let this bother her and let the boy form his own thoughts about her as she got her much needed information. The Golden Serpent Sect was one of the strongest sects around. Anyone apart of that sect would be revered and awed within the city because just joining the sect is like leaping over the moon in a single leap. Jing wanted to know more. What was so different about these people that they were looked upon so fondly for? And the boy finally told her.


    "Cultivators!" He revealed.


    "Cultivators are gods amongst men! They can crush mountains with a single attack, split oceans with just a palm, and fly far above the skies without any issues! No one dares to mess with cultivators besides other cultivators and spirit beasts!"


    Jing then asked what a spirit beast was and why could it match up with cultivators.


    "Spirit beasts have formed beast cores! Beast cores give a wild beast strength beyond its limits and causes it to change into beasts that can use Qi! It is even rumored that if a spirit beast grows strong enough they can transform into humans and use cultivators'' techniques!"


    "What is Qi?"


    "Well¡­ I''m not too sure on what it is but I do know that it is what makes cultivators different from normal people like us Miss. Cultivators can use Qi and it can make them do all sorts of incredible things. Creating fire, ice, breaking through trees with a single finger, Using a leaf blade to cut through flesh, and even lift stones that weigh over 1000 jin!"


    "That''s incredible." She said.


    "You have no idea Miss! The Golden Serpent Sect is even recruiting disciples in 2 days! I plan on going when they come back in a few years. I''m still a little too young and weak to try and join now." He said mournfully.


    "The power to crush mountains and split oceans¡­..? Interesting¡­" She muttered lowly with a strange smile on her face.


    The boy suddenly started shivering once he heard the tone of the older girl. He felt a dangerous and scary aura coming from her after hearing her say that. Maybe this girl wasn''t worth the trouble¡­ He started slowly backing away with his usual trademark smile he uses on all the suckers he goes around to get tips from while rubbing the back of his head.


    "Well it was really nice to meet cha miss! But I think my mom is calling me so¡­ see ya around!!" He tried to dash away but before he could run, a delicate hand grabbed his shoulder.


    That hand caused him to shiver in fright even though he felt that he could easily knock her hand away. She wasn''t even using much force to hold him. He could just shove it away and dash off before she could do anything. But his instincts as a human was telling him that only death awaited him if he resisted. But it wasn''t from the older girl he was feeling this from¡­ but the bird on her shoulder¡­ Any signs of resisting could end in his death¡­


    The bird had him locked in its sights and he felt as if he was being stared down at by a spirit beast of the 7th stage! His body was sweating all over along with his constant shaking. Tears were getting ready to run down his face. A spine-chilling smile appeared on Jing''s face as she took in the boy fright and terror.


    "Before you leave boy¡­ This older sister has a few more questions for you." She said whispering close to his ear and making a certain part of his rise from the close contact with the creepy older girl.


    She hugged him close from behind like an older sister would to a younger brother making his member rise even higher. He felt as if he was being toyed with a giant snake. Captured in between its body as it hissed above his head, capable of swallowing him in one gulp or freeing him. The older girl''s grip on him wasn''t tight or uncomfortable in the slightest, but the terrifying feeling she was giving him was more than enough to make him feel as if his chest was being crushed and the air in his lungs being squeezed empty.


    He tried to use his eyes and signal the nearby people for help but to them it looked like a caring older sister caring for her terrified younger brother. They didn''t know why he was so scared but the boy''s sister would definitely be able to handle it. Cause they sure didn''t want to.


    "I need you to tell me where the sect test is and what this little thing is for." She said pulling out the spirit stone from her inventory and waving it in front of the boy.


    "I-It-It''s in the middle of the city..! Next to the Floating Jade Restaurant and the Beast Pavillion¡­ And that''s¡­" The boy took a big gulp of fright once he recognized it. "That''s a spirit stone¡­! Only cultivators have a use for those! That''s all I know I swear!"


    ''Well what a fruitful experience.'' Jing smiled.


    The boy felt something soft peck against his cheek before having complete control over his body again. He quickly dashed away and never looked back at the creepy girl he wanted to scam. He''d had to find another way of paying off the Darkmoon Gang. Maybe they''ll let him off if he tells them about her.


    Jing grinned at the figure of the terrified boy.


    "I guess being accepted into that sect is a great way of finding out more about this place and how it works. But¡­ just to be safe I should try and get more information.. There will definitely be more people interested in trying the Golden Serpent''s test who have more knowledge than me about certain things." Jing decided.


    "But first. Let''s do some shopping Li Li. My clothes are gaining me too much attention.." She said after noticing the many stares to her clothing and the fact that no one is wearing anything even remotely similar to her tunic.


    ''Not to mention that I''m the only dark-skinned person I''ve seen inside this city so far..''

 4 Exploring Yellow Jade City!

    Jing walked down the populated streets filled with the many different sorts of people around. Listening in to all the useless chatter and peaceful interactions. Learning more and more about the types of people who live here, their worries, and their idle thoughts. Even the negative side of the city was present inside the main part of town.


    As she walked towards one of the more prominent clothing stores the boy showed her, she managed to see a group of rather unsavory individuals bullying a local vendor and a boy. A handsome boy, most likely equal in age to her, was laughing haughtily as the weak, middle-aged man kissed his feet with such desperation you''d think the boy''s feet were made of gold. The handsome youth had a deep fiery red hair and a sheathed sword on his waist. His body was lean and powerful but he didn''t look like the type to train his body. At least to Jing anyway. The young bruised and beaten boy next to them wasn''t thought of at all as he slowly but surely attempted to crawl away from the scene with a look of pure hatred and disgust in his eyes. The boy didn''t look like anything special. He had black hair like a majority of those present now but looked pretty scrawny and small. Probably a couple years younger than herself but not too young.


    Jing was curious. Why would this older gentlemen be lowering himself to such a humiliating degree for this pretty boy? And for what reason did that boy get hurt to such a state?


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Follow and find out exactly where the ordinary youth is heading!]


    [Rewards: Rare Ticket]


    ''A rare ticket? That''s a whole two tiers above the normal tickets I''ve been given lately and two tiers below the highest rarity ticket. Something is fishy about this mission¡­'' Jing hypothesized.


    "Li Li go follow him. Make sure he doesn''t spot you. If by chance anything happens, try and take whatever you believe is valuable and bring it back to me." Jing told him while gently massaging his feathers.


    Li Li took off high into the skies and began observing the boy far from where he could be seen by any normal person. Based on his current path, Li Li could guess that he was heading towards the forest. But for what reason could this normal mortal have for going into the dangerous forest filled with wild beasts and spirit beasts without nary a weapon in sight? Not adding his ugly wounds gained from the motley crew of humans from before.


    Li Li continued to tail the boy from high in the skies as he determinedly headed somewhere inside the forest. Throwing fear, reason, and all hell into the wind to get to his destination.


    ______________________________________________


    Why was this elderly gentleman kissing the feet of the handsome youth? The reason was because this young master was no ordinary youth! He was Tang Wuying! The only son of the amazing and powerful Lian Wuying! The sole ruler of Yellow Jade City! A youth with a great talent and future! Stated to already have reached the peak of the fifth stage of the Qi Gathering realm! His strength reaching over 1775 jin! Easily able to overpower any mortals with just his pinkie finger.


    "Younger Master Wuying!! I had no eyes and couldn''t see Mt Tai! Please forgive my horrendous and terrible actions of offending your glorious self!" The street vendor begged as he kissed the feet of the young master.


    Tang Wuying''s face showed a sneer that was getting wider and wider the more this ugly fool praised him. The sooner these thick-headed peasants get it through their heads that they should be groveling beneath his feet and worshiping the very foot marks he leaves behind, the better their lives would be! His very presence in front of them should make their lives 9x better! And gaining his wrath should make them want to offer their daughters and wives as payment for upsetting his mood.


    But. This ugly¡­. Disgusting¡­. Old fool dares to not sell to him just because some insignificant ant got there first?! He''s lucky his father threatened to cut off his allowance if he killed another mortal from angering him.


    He smirked.


    But he didn''t say anything about beating them like pigs¡­ So, he told his followers to beat the boy who dared not give him what he wanted, showing the surrounding plebeians the consequences of daring to go against his words. The boy who resolutely refused to give up something as meager and pathetic as a simple apple to him of all people! He dared to spit in the face of this young lord''s good gracious!


    ''I even gave him face by giving him another chance of rectifying his words. But no. He refused to kowtow 3 times and call me his father. The nerve of some of these peasants¡­.''


    Wuying kicked the old man off his sandals, completely fed up with this whole situation.


    "Let''s go." He said.


    Leaving the surrounding civilians to murmur and gossip about the young master.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing had her ears fully opened and in work. Learning many things about this supposed young lord.


    "That''s why we never mess with cultivators son. Don''t do anything to get on their bad side no matter what."


    "That young master is at it again with his rampant bullying¡­"


    "And since his father is the ruler of Yellow Jade City, there is nothing anyone can do against him."


    "It isn''t all bad though. I hear that the young master is going to take the Golden Serpent Sect test in two days! So we''ll be free from his tyranny soon!"


    "Thank goodness¡­ He probably has a good shot at passing too since he''s already at the fifth stage of the Qi Gathering realm! He''s a rare talent I hear for reaching that stage at his age!"


    "He''ll be out of our hair soon enough. His father is no help either. Any complaints about "little Wuying" is swept under the rug or the person that made the complaint is gotten rid of."


    Jing decided she has heard enough and entered inside the clothing store to get something that made her stand out less. A standard ordinary hanfu robe looked nice. One of the stores workers came over to her with a smile. A fake one, but professional, nonetheless.


    "Do you need any help miss?" He asked.


    "I''m fine. Thank you. I''ll take this." Jing said choosing one of the cheapest robes on display.


    The look on the worker''s face turned into one of disgust and ridicule once he saw her choice. A visible vein appeared on top of Jing''s forehead from anger but she held in her rage with a smile.


    ''I was initially interested in this girl because of her unique and appealing outfit.. but considering that she can only afford something as trashy as that.. she must have stolen it.'' The worker thought haughtily.


    "You know¡­ if you decided to sell that outfit you have on now, you could afford to buy any one of these amazing options!" He said gesturing to the row of expensive silk robes on display.


    While Jing could pay for them with the 13,000 Yuan gained from her last two successful missions without a problem, she didn''t see a reason to with her ability. To her a piece of wood has the same amount of use as a piece of iron or gold. Spending more cash on something when she could pay less for the same thing would be crazy. So, she refused.


    "No thanks. I''ll take this and go."


    The worker apparently didn''t count of her refusing his "good will" and it was apparent on his increasingly annoyed face.


    "I see¡­ Okay then¡­ That''ll cost you 600 yuan in total." He lied.


    Jing took a look at the price tag for the shoddy robes she chose to pick and it said it only cost 300 yuan.


    "The sign says it costs 300 yuan. Not 600." She corrected.


    "Sorry about that Miss¡­ I seem to have forgotten to replace that old sign. The price had increased due to¡­. an oversupplying demand¡­.." He spat through his teeth.


    Jing''s patience was wearing thin. Why was this guy making so much trouble for her when she just wanted to buy some raggedy clothes? If he continued this nonsense she will decide to do her shopping elsewhere. And maybe in the future a cute little owl can give him some trouble by ripping his clothes to shred in the middle of a public space. Who knows?


    Jing went over to grab a different set of shabby robes that costed 300 yuan and just as she placed the clothes on the counter.


    "I''m sorry but that one has increased in-----"


    Jing threw the clothes in the guy''s face


    "You will regret this!" She yelled and stormed out of the store. Intent on getting her revenge in the future for dare causing trouble for her. She heard him yell something from behind her but she ignored it and went into a less fancy clothing store.


    This store had much more diversity in regards to its type of clothing along with cheaper prices. But the clothes were made out of cheaper material. More rough and uncomfortable compared to the silk outfits in the other store. Thankfully that wasn''t a problem for Jing! She grabbed the cheapest robes, sandals, and sash she could find and brought them to the counter. The employee this type was a nice old woman. She had an amiable and gentle smile that could probably brighten up anyone''s day.


    "That''ll be 330 Yuan Missy." She told her.


    Jing reached into her pocket and into her inventory as she pulled out the necessary payment without any issue. The woman took her money and Jing left with her new items. Her anger has slightly dissipated but her revenge will still come for that annoying guy. But for now¡­ more shopping!


    ______________________________________________


    Li Li has been following the boy for a while now and it seems that the boy was in a dangerous situation. He was followed by a few of those other men from earlier that injured him in the first place and seemed to want to finish the job in the name of their young lord.


    ''How pathetic.'' Li Li thought as he watched from the trees as the men slowly surrounded the boy with weapons.


    But he would not interfere. His mother told him only to watch the boy and to take whatever seemed useful. He didn''t know why his mother thought something of great importance would show up but what kind of son would he be if he didn''t dutifully carry out her commands? So, he continued to watch as the men stabbed the youth multiple times over with glee. They laughed loudly as the boy screamed and yelled in pain as he was stabbed over and over. Tears of blood could be seen running down his eyes. His eyes were full of nothing but hatred, rage, and indignation towards the world. His final words were cursing the entire generation of Tang Wuying and swearing to the heavens if he lives through this he would annihilate his entire ancestry. The amount of soul, determination, and power in his voice oscillated throughout the heavens, scaring the murderers'' very souls. They stopped and took a look at their horrendous deed before turning away and leaving the boy''s body to get eaten by wild animals.


    Li Li felt something in the air. Something powerful¡­ Something ancient¡­. His feathers rustled in agitation and he had half a mind of leaving immediately. His instincts were telling him to fly as fast as he could and get away from this area right now. But he is not a creature of instinct anymore. After being saved by his mom, he has become much more than a simple owlet and so, chose to stay and ignore his instincts.


    The clouds parted in the sky as a purple object came streaking down from above. Li Li saw with his enhanced sight the object that was headed straight for the deceased boy. It was an organ¡­ It was his fourth favorite organ to eat. The two soft meat organs inside the chests of monkeys is what it resembled.


    The purple organ crashed between the dead boy and the living ones. The goons were knocked off their feet from the force of the impact. A small crater was made when it landed and Li Li could see the thing beating. As if it was somehow alive¡­ His instincts were screaming at him even louder as his mind wondered¡­ is this what his mother wanted him to get? He got into position on the tree and flew towards the organ as fast as he could, intent on snatching it up into his talons.


    But the purple beating organ had a different idea. It was as if it somehow knew of Li Li''s intentions and at an even faster speed threw itself into the body of the deceased boy.


    ''Impossible¡­'' Li Li thought as he witnessed the boy''s body rapidly healing and the organ moving itself into position inside his body.


    Li Li was about to tear open the boy''s chest himself and get the strange body part for his mother but he felt a strong overpowering presence warning him. But no matter how overbearing and powerful this ancient force was, Li Li would do anything for his mom¡­ And this was just a corpse not too long ago, how tough can it be?


    Li Li flew towards the boy that was being healed back to his perfect state. He reached him in an instant and tore open the boy''s chest cavity with his talon. His object of desire was staring him right in the face and as he reached in with his talon, a sudden purple force erupted from the organ and launched Li Li far into the sky. Li Li squawked in surprise before quickly realigning himself and watching as the organ''s ancient power seemingly decreased. The organ glowed a lighter color compared to its darker deep purple hue from earlier as the boy''s body started recovering once more but at a much slower pace.


    "YOU DARE TO INTERRUPT ME ONCE MORE VILE BEAST AND I WILL END YOU IN SECONDS!" A booming overwhelming voice shouted inside Li Li''s head.


    ''You are strong unseeable one. But, I can tell that you are weakening. That strange glowing meat will belong to my mother! I can feel strong energy coming off of it and my mother would benefit from having such a strong power!'' Li Li responded back.


    ''Hah¡­.? A first stage spirit beast being able to speak back to me¡­? Being able to survive the force of my aura¡­.? Being sentient enough to form thoughts!? WHAT ARE YOU CREATURE?!!?'' The voice questioned with so much force Li Li almost felt compelled to answer him.


    ''I''m Li Li. The son of Jing! And you will be the meat that makes my mother even greater!'' Li Li declared as he determinedly soared back down towards the almost fully recovered boy.


    Li Li was closing in at fast speeds and just as he was about to rip the boy to shreds, the goons from earlier appeared in front of him with purple glowing eyes. One of the goons picked up the youth nearly completely healed and started running away deep into the forest while the others distracted and held up Li Li. Li Li could only watch as the youth managed to get away from him and keep the glowing piece of meat. Although annoyed with his failure, he was severely outmatched compared to the being inside that meat. Whether it be in experience, intelligence, energy, or age. That person was far above him in everything.


    ''But it won''t happen a second time¡­.'' Li Li swore as he dug into the skull of one of the many goons he defeated and started eating pieces of their brain.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing could be seen dressed in a completely ordinary outfit roaming the streets. If anyone took a look at her they would quickly look elsewhere simply because of how plain and boring she looked. Even if they had a reason for looking at her, they still felt the need to look elsewhere and think of her as nothing special. This wasn''t due to any refinement from her ability or anything. This was just how normal Jing looked, walked, and acted. But she did refine the items she bought earlier but those were for other purposes not really relevant to her current situation besides the one that made them feel like the most comfortable clothing in the world. Even the richest silk in the mortal realm is nothing compared to the clothes Jing is wearing right now.


    "It''s getting dark.. I wonder where Li Li is?" She asked herself as she headed towards one of the inns inside the city.


    Just moments before she headed inside the inn, Li Li returned to her and perched on her shoulder.


    "Well? What did you find out?" She asked.


    Li Li flew to the ground and started etching words into the ground with his talon. Words that Jing remembered.... and somehow knew how to read¡­. The letters were different compared to the writing she''s seen around the city but she still understood it all the same. She wondered how the hell did Li Li know those words as well..


    "I guess we''ll have to watch out for him and his ancient lung if he shows up again¡­" She said looking at Li Li.


    "I''m going to have to teach you about anatomy. You can''t call different organs soft meat this chewy meat that. If it was located right here." She pointed to her left chest and right chest.


    "Those were his lungs. Not strange purple meat okay?" She said.


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Rewards: 1 Rare Ticket!]


    ''Well¡­ It''s good to know that I don''t have to personally involve myself to complete missions that the system wants from me. I''ll save this ticket and those three other ones I saved for the morning. I''m pretty sleepy.'' She yawned.


    Li Li nodded as he flew back onto her shoulder. The two then entered inside the inn and paid for a room for two nights. They didn''t ask for any food because Jing still had some refined berries. But Jing absolutely refused to sleep on the bed before refining it into something that was more suitable for a person of her stature. The entire bed wouldn''t fit inside her but the comforter and covers could thankfully. And that was all she needed as she pulled out her shrunken pillow rock and kneaded it into its original size.


    "I bet you remember this don''t you?" Jing smiled as she looked at Li Li''s face once he recognized the pillow.


    He sunk himself inside the pillow just like he did a few moments after being born and quickly fell asleep after eating one of the golden berries. Jing showed a motherly smile as she laid with Li Li on the pillow and quickly fell asleep as well.

 5 All This Trouble From A Small Boy?!

    It was morning time inside Yellow Jade City and 2 grown men could be seen waiting outside Shell Inn. The two men looked like the unscrupulous type of bunch as they stood posted outside the inn, scaring all those entering and all those exiting. It doesn''t help the fact that they were also glaring at anyone entering or exiting from it or the fact that they were cultivators. The inn''s owners wished the men would go away but they knew that angering cultivators would only bring nothing but trouble to their business. Cultivators reigned over normal mortals with an iron fist. They were nothing more than cattle and insects to cultivators.


    Most of the laws inside Yellow Jade City doesn''t protect mortals much except in terms of businesses. And if there''s a dispute between a mortal and a cultivator, the mortal better hope that he has some sort of substantial background or ally preventing the cultivator from killing him. But then again there really isn''t some sort of organization inside Yellow Jade City that keeps order around the city unless you count City Lord Wuying''s personal forces.


    "When is she coming out?! We''ve been here for most of the morning! We should just rush in there and drag out her."


    "Give her 5 more minutes. A single spirit stone isn''t worth causing that much of a fuss. Especially since it''s a low-tiered spirit stone. But it is enough to pay Lil Qiu''s debts.


    "A low-tiered spirit stone is enough to let a mortal live 5 months without a problem if they sold it! What do you mean don''t make a fuss?!"


    "As cultivators now, something as simple as living like kings among mortals isn''t something we should be aiming for. The leader sure isn''t satisfied with being the second leader of Yellow Jade City. And we shouldn''t be satisfied finally being shown cultivation methods."


    "Screw off.. I''m satisfied being a king among mortals. And since this little prissy bitch wants to waste my time so badly. My little friend here will have to teach her a lesson after we finished getting what we need." He said cuffing his crotch aggressively.


    His partner simply sighed at his crude gesture and narrow-minded friend.


    "Whatever."


    ______________________________________________


    *SMACK*


    "And this is the tongue, this is the esophagus, this is the intestines, small ones, and large ones, This is the liver, this is the pancreas, and¡­.


    A smacking sound issued after each explanation of the organs.


    "Hoo." The bird responded.


    "Good! These are the most vital organs most creatures need to live. The brain, heart, kidney, liver, and lungs. And these are the spots to target when fighting humans. It will severely impact their abilities to fight or just cause them a terrible amount of pain." The human said with a smile on her face.


    A reasonable pep in her voice appeared as she talked about breaking the shinbone, shattering ribs, penile fractures, testicular torsion, jaw dislocation, ruptured achilles tendon, knee dislocation, and¡­.


    Li Li was grasping all this knowledge quite easily but didn''t understand why it made his mother so happy. Sure, sometimes he ate his food alive and had it screaming or squirming a lot but he didn''t really think of what his prey was feeling or thinking. He was just thinking about not being hungry anymore and making sure his food couldn''t escape. Maybe there was something he wasn''t understanding about his mom.


    ______________________________________________


    "And that''s it Li Li!" Jing said with a flushed excited face. "Now you should know how to correctly identify most organs and know which ones to target last! I try and save the vital ones for last. Keeping them alive is so much more satisfying. Especially if they are stubborn and willful. Those types of people just make me¡­!"


    "Aaaaah!" She gushed with an exaggerated moan before noticing Li Li staring at her with his head completely upside down.


    She adjusted her glasses and returned to her usual plain look.


    "Sorry. Talking about this just gets me a little excited. We''ll go get something to eat in a bit." Jing told him with a smile as she sat on the bed.


    ''Time to use those tickets I saved for today¡­''


    Jing mentally went into her inventory and chose to use the 1 rare ticket and 3 normal tickets.


    [Host has received SCP ¨C 222, Farming hoe, 1x Grass seed, and an anomalous pair of dumbbells.]


    "Nice.. Let''s see what this SCP is.." Jing muttered as she went into her inventory and was about to choose it.


    [Host! To see the effects of certain Gacha results just think "Info!"]


    Jing''s eyebrows slightly scrunched up.


    ''But before you didn''t let me find out what the spirit stone was. Why now?'' She questioned.


    [Host! The system clearly said "certain Gacha results" not all! If there are anymore questions then blame the system''s creator!]


    ''How annoying¡­'' Jing thought as she tried to get the information for SCP ¨C 222.


    Seconds went by as she read the information about this scp and a devious smile appeared on her face as she finished.


    "Well¡­ this should be useful once I find my first underling¡­" Jing grinned devilishly before focusing on the second item from her Gacha that interested her.


    "Now what are dumbbells and what makes it so special?"


    She thought about gaining information about the equipment and learned exactly what they were used for and what made them anomalous.


    "A pair of strengthening equipment with no label telling its exact weight but when used by anyone, they will state that it is the perfect weight for physical exercise," She muttered.


    "Useless. But could be useful through refinement somehow. I''ll save it in my inventory until I find a way to refine them into something useful. But the grass seed and hoe can be of definite use to me after refining them. Unfortunately, I don''t plan on succumbing to being a farmer quite yet. I''ll save those for later as well." Jing decided as she chose to absorb SCP ¨C 222''s ability into her body.


    A terrible bout of pain wracked her body all over seconds after she chose to absorb SCP- 222. She curled up on the bed in fetal position as she bit the bed to stop herself from screaming as raw and powerful knowledge assaulted her. Li Li flew over and tried to help her but she gestured him that she was okay by showing a smile even though she was going through hell currently both physically and mentally.


    Li Li obviously knew that his mother was in terrible pain but knew not the reason! He looked all over the room for anything that could''ve caused this but found nothing and heard nothing! Was it possible that his mother was being attacked by something he couldn''t see or hear? What kind of thing would that be!? Since he couldn''t attack anyone or anything for harming his mother, the only thing he could do was stay by her side and comfort her as she went through this painful experience.


    Jing hugged Li Li''s soft velvety-like feathers tight as her body and mind was going crazy with pain. It would only be until her door came crashing down through brute force that her focus was taken off the pain assaulting her body. Li Li hissed at the intruders as Jing gripped her whip from inside her clothes.


    "Don''t cause too much damage alright?"


    "This little bitch had it coming alright?! We''ve been waiting for hours!" The second intruder said angrily as he started pulling down his pants.


    "I meant to the building and at least pretend as if you care about the spirit stone!"


    "Yeah yeah. She''ll be telling us where it is in like¡­ give me 2 minutes." The second goon guessed as waddled over to Jing in his undergarments.


    Li Li loudly squawked towards the two and extended one of his wings outward. To the two men however, it sounded much too squeaky and cute to be threatening in the slightest. They ignored the bird and the second man inched closer and closer to Jing.


    "Don''t kill them Li Li¡­!" Jing strained to say. "I can''t let them get off so easily¡­.!" She told him with fire burning from behind her eyes.


    Li Li understood the secondary meaning in his mother''s words and swung one of his wings at the incoming trespasser, sending numerous sharp feathers to soar towards the two. The calmer goon managed to dodge in time despite his shocked and sweating appearance. He was no simple gangster either! He was a Qi Gatherer of the second stage! That meant his body was tougher than the average mortal but even he knew that he wouldn''t be able to survive without injuries if one of those feathers managed to hit him! His partner on the other hand, merely scoffed and attempted to block all the sharp projectiles with his palm.


    Shunkshunkshunkshunkshunkshunk!


    "AHHHHHHHHHH MY ARM!!!!" He screamed with his hand and arm filled with feathers pin cushioned into his skin.


    He fell over from his trousers being wrapped around his legs and screamed even louder after falling on his arm with the embedded painful feathers. His partner took this chance to take out the dangerous spirit beast. Even though he could sense that the owl was at the first stage of cultivation, those feathers told a vastly different story¡­


    ''This owl must have unlocked a part of its bloodline or¡­. it''s a mutant.. A simple first stage spirit beast isn''t capable of standing against cultivators like us! It''s just impossible!'' The first thug thought as he threw a vase towards the bird.


    Li Li blocked the vase with his wing and it softly impacted against them before falling gently on the bed. The burglar used this chance when Li Li blocked the vase and his own sight, to attack with his knife. Li Li would''ve rolled his eyes if his eyes were capable of moving around. He easily fended off the man''s blade with his bare foot. The shocked expression of the man meant nothing to Li Li as he gripped the blade and crushed it into pieces with his baby owl talons. The man was stunned to absolute silence as his body shook in fright from the might of this infant spirit beast. It seems the bird also picked up on his fear as it began inching closer and closer to him with its sharp gaze. To the man it seemed as if this baby bird grew to the size of an adult bear!


    He thought about fleeing and just forgetting this whole situation entirely but before he could put his plan into action, a whip suddenly grasped around him! He was tied up and couldn''t break free even with his cultivation level! His original target was suddenly free of whatever ailments that was acting on her earlier and she managed to capture him! A mortal with no cultivation whatsoever was somehow able to keep him restrained.


    "Impossible!!! You''re just some little girl! How can you have so much strength!? Have you unlocked part of an ancient bloodline too?!" He asked in disbelief and anger.


    Jing slowly roused herself up and got off the bed. She saw the fainted body of the second goon who wanted to **** her and his shriveled member hanging out. Disgust and pure bloodlust radiated from her body, affecting all those present. Li Li felt like ripping these men into thousands of pieces. The first intruder felt as if he kicked the beehive of the Fire Crystal Hornets, only suffering was present in his near future. And if he was lucky death.


    *STOMP*


    "AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Sleeping beauty cried as a certain friend of his was stepped on. His partner''s little friend immediately shrunk inside itself and he was starting to think that maybe they have messed with the wrong mortal¡­


    "Wanting to use this dirty pathetic thing on me? You should be grateful I didn''t burst your testicles. But its fine. You won''t be needing this thing anymore anyway." Jing said cruelly as her voice got significantly sharper and her aura was becoming more demonic.


    She saw him in fetal position holding his crushed member and wailing loudly. Jing smirked as she told Li Li to close the door. She repeatedly kicked and stomped the rapist before noticing a particular shiny object in the man''s pocket. She pulled it out and it turned out to be a small knife. Another demonic smile appeared on her face as she gripped the knife in her other hand and freed the other thug.


    He immediately tried to escape through the door but was whipped across the back of the skull by Jing and kicked in the face by Li Li, knocking the cultivator of the second stage in the first realm unconscious.


    "Now Li Li. Let mama show you a more in-depth study session about the human body. Since these pieces of filth gladly chose to step up and help me out." Jing told the young owlet as she used her whip and threw the rapist towards the wall roughly.


    He was about to faint but a swift kick in his family makers interrupted that idea.


    "AIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" His now shrill voice screeched.


    "Class is in session. No sleeping allowed." She cheekily grinned.


    The Shell Inn was forced to listen to a symphony of hellish sounds and noises for hours on end. The sound of a crazy girl screaming, yelling, and moaning loudly throughout the building. Men screaming, shouting for help, and for those unfortunate enough to have rooms next to Jing''s crying. It wouldn''t be till late in the afternoon that Jing finished teaching her class. But this wouldn''t be anything out of the ordinary for the citizens of Yellow Jade City. If a cultivator was in a particular bad mood and a mortal somehow pushed their last button there''s no telling what they would do. The situation inside Shell Inn wasn''t anything new or even rare. But this place did have one of the best breakfast and beds all over town so¡­ Most people just ignored it and were happy that it just wasn''t them involved with whatever was happening.


    The room was absolutely destroyed. The bed was in pieces, covers were torn to shreds, the furniture was all broken, and blood was present all over the floor. Some even spilling beneath the front door. Jing could be seen breathing heavily on the floor with her robe slightly loosened, exposing her smooth nice shoulders, modest sweating cleavage, and nice slightly chubby brown thighs. A barely noticeable trail could be seen slowly sliding down her leg that came from farther up her robes. In front of her, were two still breathing mutilated, bloodied, and passed out figures sprawled on the floor.


    "This¡­ Place¡­. Is¡­ A lot more interesting than I thought¡­." She said speaking between heavy breaths with a bright smile on her face.


    "Bloodlines, Qi, cultivation, Darkmoon Gang, spirit stones, and cultivation stages." She remembered from her intensive questioning.


    She wiped her forehead and opened up a window letting the cool flowing wind inside. She looked over at the trash bleeding out in the corner and finally made up her mind after a long bout of thinking.


    "It''ll be safer if you two don''t bring me any troubles in the future¡­ I don''t know how well liked you are within the Darkmoon Gang but since you told me no one knew about your little mission to come after me, it''ll only be safer for me to do this." Jing said to the unresponsive quivering and whimpering mess of flesh in the corner.


    She placed her hand on the two men and they were sucked into her palms and into her body. She placed them on the rough setting and a few seconds later a small pile of ash exited from her hands.


    "That was a bit easier than I thought¡­ I was kind of nervous killing them directly and trying to hide the body but this is much better. Just suck and ash. There''s a sort of disconnection with it.. Like I didn''t really kill them even though I did. It''s a bit weird." Jing muttered to herself as she dispersed the pile of ash outside the window.


    "Let''s go Li Li. I don''t wanna gain any attention from this. And I''m starving.." Jing said as she stood on the edge on the window.


    Li Li grabbed Jing''s hanfu and flew outside the window with her hanging underneath him. Jing weighed practically nothing with Li Li''s anomalous strength. Normally the sight of a young girl being whisked off into the sky would cause massive attention in the streets below, but no one noticed them at all. Li Li''s silent takeoff and fast speeds ensured that even if someone managed to spot them, they wouldn''t even understand what they saw before it was long gone into the Immortal Forest.


    ______________________________________________


    Li Li flew into an empty spot inside the forest not very far away from Yellow Jade City. He gently dropped Jing onto the dirt path. She staggered about confusedly as she got her bearings back. Holding her head with her eyes spinning, Jing tried to get her sense of balance back and Li Li helped her by forcing her to stand still.


    "Flying¡­. Is not my favorite.. or maybe my body isn''t strong enough to handle those speeds¡­." She mumbled as she shook her head and got herself together.


    "Hoo." Li Li responded.


    "Let''s finally go eat now. I hope I haven''t spoiled my taste buds after eating those berries I improved..." Jing said a little bit worried that she might have to refine every single food she eats in the future on very fine.

 6 The Last Day Before The Test!

    Jing and Li Li reentered Yellow Jade City. Jing didn''t notice any strange looks besides the ones aimed at Li Li. A young girl walking with an owl in the afternoon would catch anyone''s attention briefly. Most people would turn away continue minding their own business once they saw how average and uninteresting she looked though. Children worked in an opposite manner however. They didn''t care how she looked and acted. They only cared about how cool and pretty Li Li looked on her shoulder. Typically Jing would try to avoid the sights of children to stand out less but some moments couldn''t be avoided.


    "Big sister!"


    "Big Sis!"


    "Big sis!"


    Three children surrounded her with sparkles in their eyes. Two boys and one girl. But those sparkles weren''t for her, they were for Li Li. The children looked like siblings. They all had black hair, dirty clothes, and messy hair. Jing guessed they were orphans or were apart of a poor family. If Jing was being honest, she was just glad that they weren''t trying to ask or beg her for money.


    "Big sister where did you find him?!"


    "Big Sis can we play with him?!"


    "Big sis does he bite?!"


    Jing put on a gentle smile.


    "One question at a time." She said in an elder sister-like tone.


    The children all looked at each other before somehow silently agreeing on what question to ask.


    "Can we pet him?!" They asked simultaneously.


    Jing looked at Li Li.


    "Do you want them to pet you?" She asked.


    Li Li shook his head.


    The children''s faces instantly turned sad. Jing had to stifle a giggle. Knowing how prideful her bird is, she didn''t expect anything less. But seeing their sad and almost tearful faces after being denied by Li Li was pretty cute.. She decided to give them a little pet of their own.


    "Don''t be sad kids. While my little owl might not let you pet him, my other bird will." She told them.


    Their faces instantly picked back up. They started hopping around her excitedly.


    "Where?!"


    "I don''t see another bird Big Sis!"


    "Are you playing a joke on us?" They asked.


    "Don''t worry I''ll show you. But first you all have to close your eyes and turn around." She smiled.


    "Is this a game Big Sister?"


    "You''re not going to trick us and run away right?!"


    "Don''t trick us Big sis!"


    "Ah ah ah! Turn around and close your eyes." She told them with a kind smile.


    Although suspicious, the siblings did as she told and Jing got to work. She pulled out one of the recovery pills inside her inventory and inserted into her body. She started refining the pill on fine and soon, on top of her palm laid a small bird. A pure white bird made out of the medicinal ingredients that made up recovery pills hopped around on Jing''s palm. An actual sentient pill currently laid in the hands of Jing. The only sentient pill in the entire world laid in the hands of a young girl with no cultivation.


    "Alright you can turn around now." She said.


    The kids eagerly turned around and saw the small strange bird in her hands. They surrounded her hand with looks of pure innocence and joy radiating off of them. The bird? Recovery bird? Pill bird? Whatever it was, started flying around the three children chirping happily. The kids began playing with the small bird and seemed to forget all about Jing in their moment of happiness. Jing soon wandered away while the children''s attention was still taken and continued onto her original goal, getting something to eat.


    ______________________________________________


    A few more minutes of playing with the soft birds, the eldest sibling suddenly remembered they needed to thank the Big Sister for letting them play with her bird. He let his two younger sibling, Xu Meng and Su Meng, keep playing with the bird while he, Dai Meng, went to thank the Big Sister for her kind actions.


    Dai Meng saw that the Big Sister wasn''t on the bench she was sitting before and was gone! He looked around but still couldn''t find any trace of her. He was forced to return back to his two younger siblings. Xu Meng, his younger brother was petting the baby bird they got from the Big Sister.


    "What should we name him!?" Su Meng, the baby sister, asked.


    "Su Meng¡­ We can''t keep him¡­ We have to return him to that Big Sister." Dai Meng said.


    Tears immediately threatened to spill out from Su Meng''s eyes.


    "Didn''t you just go look for her though? Where is she?" Xu Meng asked.


    "I¡­ couldn''t find her¡­" Dai Meng said slightly embarrassed.


    "So that means until we find that Big Sis again, we''ll have to take care of little Jii." Xu Meng said with a smirk.


    "Yay!!! You hear that Jii!? You get to play with us longer!" Su Meng cheered happily as she grabbed Jii from her hair and cupped him in her small child hands.


    The bird chirped merrily before a small white pellet exited from its bottom and onto Su Meng''s palms.


    "Ewwww he pooped!" Xu Meng exclaimed


    Su Meng shrieked and was about to panic from having poop on her hands but Dai Meng quickly grabbed her hands and calmed her down. He picked up both Jii and his excrement. It seems he recognized something about Jii''s dropping. Su Meng was wiping her hands on Xu Meng''s shabby clothes and he screamed once he realized what she was doing.


    "DON''T WIPE IT ON ME!!!!" He shouted as he moved away from Su Meng.


    "I DON''T WANT IT ON MY HANDS!!!!" She screamed back chasing after him, intent on wiping away all the poop residue on her second brother.


    Dai Meng ignored his two younger siblings as he stared at both Jii and his feces. He sniffed the bird and found it to have a pleasant smell. It was like a mixture of smells that came from plants and herbs from the forest. The scent of the bird was so pleasant his body even felt a little bit stronger after sniffing it. He would investigate that later but he recognized this pellet. This is a pellet that cultivators use!


    ''Why would little Jii poop out cultivator pills? Is he not a normal beast? Did that Big Sister really gift us a spirit beast for free?! Is she mad!? If anyone finds out that we have a pet that can poop cultivation pills, we''ll be killed before we even know it!!!!'' Dai Meng started freaking out.


    He was thinking about killing Jii in his hands now to save his siblings from any future troubles but a voice deep in the back of his mind was whispering to him¡­.


    ''Think of the money¡­.. This could be the treasure you need to change your family''s future for ever¡­ An unending supply of money that loves you¡­. How could you let it get away¡­?''


    Dai Meng was conflicted between his desires and cautious nature. Keeping his family safe but still in their terrible living conditions¡­ or risk threatening their and his own life for a life of riches¡­ Su Meng walked up to him and started wiping her hands on his shirt after not being able to catch her second brother. She saw him in his dazed state and took the chance to get rid of Jii''s poop residue from her hands completely.


    ''I¡­. Have to think a little bit more about this¡­ For now I''ll just take care of him like a normal pet and throw away any pills he makes.'' Dai Meng decided.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing is currently seated inside one of the most popular restaurants inside Yellow Jade City, Viridescent Moon. This restaurant was more popular with mortals than cultivators but every now and then cultivators could be seen entering and exiting the building with pleased or neutral faces. And since cultivators are looked upon highly by mortals, they typically follow the trends set by cultivators or followed by cultivators. This is why most businesses try to kiss up to most cultivators. Even getting a single cultivator to buy something from your business will make at the very least 10 mortals buy the same thing that the cultivator bought.


    Li Li was perched on Jing''s shoulder looking at the menu along with her.


    "Fish Head Tofu Soup, Crowned Cow Steak, Leaf-Eating Eagle Eggs¡­ Do you see anything you like Li Li?" Jing asked.


    Li Li turned his head topsy turvy as he was deciding on what sounded the most delicious to eat. Eventually he chose from the cultivator''s part of the menu and decided on the Gold Shumai. The menu said this was great for cultivators in the early realms. The meat is filled with dense spirit energy and is sure to revitalize any cultivator that eats it and slightly boost their cultivation. But sadly the price was way too high for Jing.


    She could pay for it, but all of her current money would be gone trying to pay for it. So she told Li Li to choose something from the mortal side of the menu and he chose the Dragon Cow Steak. Jing decided on Spicy Flying Shrimp with Twilight Rice. Both items added up to a sum of 7,000 yuan and another night in an inn shouldn''t leave her completely dry before the sect test tomorrow. And once she passed, she wouldn''t have to worry about mortal money anymore anyway! She would be a cultivator once she got inside the sect and learned a cultivation technique.


    Jing handed her menu to the waiter after deciding on her and Li Li''s choices and were now just sitting and waiting for it to come out. She waited patiently while massaging Li Li''s feathers before hearing a loud crash somewhere behind her. She and Li Li looked over and saw that a waiter fell carrying a tower of plates. The plates shattered from his fall and Jing saw a group of people laughing.


    ''That''s the city lord''s son..'' Jing recognized the red haired handsome youth amidst the young group. Boys and girls of similar ages to Tang Wuyin.


    He didn''t seem as pleased as his followers because instead of an amused look on his face an irritated one appeared. He got up and kicked the waiter in the side.


    "Spoiling my good mood will you mortal?! I could have your entire life destroyed without using a single finger! Do you not know what occasion you just ruined?!" He yelled angrily as he continued to stomp and kick the young waiter.


    The young man was whimpering and crying trying to apologize to Wuying but Wuying was having none of it.


    "You just ruined the celebratory party of Tang Wuying!"


    "The genius that has reached the 5th stage in the Qi Gathering realm!"


    "His father owns all of Yellow Jade City and you dare ruin his celebration!?"


    *DING*


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Teach this arrogant young master a lesson!]


    [Reward: 1 epic ticket]


    Jing''s eye brows twitched rapidly.


    ''Are you insane system?! That epic ticket isn''t worth throwing my life away. Even if I somehow managed to defeat or humiliate him, the people behind him can get rid of me without even breaking a sweat! Li Li is pretty strong but not strong enough to make enemies with an entire city force most likely filled with cultivators. No way am I accepting that mission.'' Jing declared as her food reached her table.


    [Mission Declined!]


    [Penalty: Reduced luck in next Gacha.]


    She promptly ignored the system and looked at her food with a small smile on her face. It smelled pretty good, which was always a good sign. Li Li''s Dragon Cow Steak was around the same size as him and caused Jing to giggle at Li Li''s surprised face. Her food didn''t look all that special except her twilight rice was a light purple in color. The red spicy colored shrimp and the twilight colored rice had a strange synergy together. It looked rather strange and otherworldly in her eyes but the smell and texture of the two made her stomach rumble in anticipation.


    She began digging into her food with Li Li. Jing took small careful bites of her shrimp and rice. She tenderly moved her tongue across the food, tasting it in a delicate and steady manner. Critiquing it with the highest of judgments. After remembering the taste of those heavenly golden berries from before, she was quite scared of never being able to eat regular food again. But it seems she was worried for nothing.


    The shrimp and rice tasted well enough. Her taste buds weren''t violently rejecting them like she feared, so she started eating happily along with Li Li who was tearing his Dragon Cow Steak into pieces so his small beak could fit the pieces inside his mouth. She ignored the racket behind her with the city lord''s son and simply enjoyed her high-class meal.


    *ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LATER*


    Jing and Li Li finished their first meal of the day and the sun was slowly lowering more and more. Jing paid for their meal and left the restaurant. As she was leaving the restaurant, she noticed a few more vendors setting up but these were a bit different from the regular vendors she''s been seeing over town. Manly because these vendors were exclusively for cultivators! They had signs over their booths stating exactly what they were selling but also signs on the front of them that stated prices. Not all of them had price signs and Jing guessed that they were open to some haggling but based on what she was seeing, these vendors only took spirit stones.


    Jing pulled out her single spirit stone and chuckled sadly. She couldn''t even buy one black rock with her single spirit stone. One of the black stones on a vendor''s stall cost 5 spirit stones. She doubted she could haggle with the old man and her looks weren''t anything impressive to try and tempt him into lowering the price. Jing left the vendors and started walking towards an inn to sleep tonight.


    Amidst her search for a decent inn, she saw a group of people around her age enter into the city.


    ______________________________________________


    "We finally made it to Yellow Jade City!" A youth exclaimed with sweat dripping down his forehead.


    The youth had a strange split of black and white long wavy hair that reached to the back of his neck. He was the shortest and most thin of the group.


    "We need to hurry and find an inn. The other clans and cultivators are no doubt on their way as well." A beautiful young girl hurried.


    This girl had long beautiful hair and a face that could charm many young men. Some would call her a fairy or princess based on looks alone.


    "What''s the hurry Li? Why don''t I take you out on a beautiful dinner tonight? Yellow Jade City is known for its beautiful streets and fantastic restaurants. We can find some place to rest later." A handsome white haired youth suggested.


    He was easily the tallest and most charming out of all the males present in the group.


    "I need to cultivate tonight. Sorry Brother Song." She bluntly declined while looking elsewhere.


    "Alas, you wound me so Li! You gave me that excuse far too many times to count now. A great cultivator would know they should take breaks every now and then or be will suffer stagnation in cultivation." Song warned with exaggerated motions of pain.


    "Thank you for your warning Brother Song but I believe I know myself best." She said bluntly before focusing her attention on the shortest and thinnest of the group.


    "Brother Fang. How are you feeling about the test tomorrow?" She asked with a smile.


    No one noticed as Song''s face twisted into a deep ugly hatred after noticing the attention and focus Li gave Fang. Song''s life has been nothing but greatness until his uncle one day came home with a child. A child that would threaten to ruin everything that was supposed to be his! A child equal to him in age and status within the Huan Clan. A child that stole the attention of his future bride! And the trash that will be supposedly married to his future bride all thanks to his father losing in a duel to his uncle!


    ''I will kill you Fang! Sister Li will be my future bride and I will become the patriarch of the Huan Clan after killing your father! Enjoy the attention you get from Sister Li now, but soon everything you took from me will belong to me again¡­ Just wait¡­'' Song swore deep into his heart.


    Li Huan went ahead of the group to find a place for them to sleep tonight and Song walked passed Fang, bumping into his shoulder and knocking him down, Song was at a higher cultivation than Fang.


    "Watch yourself trash¡­ Sister Li will be mine¡­" He whispered as he and his "friends" wandered into the city together.


    Fang felt a strong force of killing intent coming from Song. A deep shudder of fear came from his heart and a source of anger and rage as well. Song has always bullied Fang every since they were kids. He never understood why Song has hated him for so long but he imagined it had something to do with Sister Li. He didn''t feel any particular way towards Sister Li besides as a family member. He didn''t understand why Song didn''t believe him when he said he had no interest in Sister Li. But telling him that only made him angrier and bully Fang even worse.


    But even though Song has always bullied him, he never showed such a strong hatred and killing intent before.


    ''If I don''t quickly cultivate and become stronger than Song, I''ll surely lose my life!'' Fang thought desperately as he started exploring the vendors'' booths in Yellow Jade City.


    His adopted father only gave him a few spirit stones for his travels and Fang didn''t want to waste it on something that wouldn''t help him get stronger than Song who was a whole realm above him! He looked around the vendors looking for anything that could boost his cultivation speed before suddenly feeling something strange in his heart.


    He turned around and laid his eyes on a black stone. It was as if the black stone was calling to him somehow¡­ He walked over to the old man''s stand and asked him what was this black rock. The old man shrugged his shoulders but said he felt Qi coming from it and decided to grab it. Fang asked how much was it and the old man told him 10 spirit stones.


    That was all Fang had!! This old man had to be cheating him! But the thumping in his heart and the calling from the black rock was increasing in intensity more and more. It was almost becoming unbearable to the young Fang. He threw all caution to the wind as he gave up all his money to the old man and snatched the black stone for himself. The old man was laughing heartily as he saw the young Fang walking away and tripping over his sandals.


    Fang fell and scraped his finger on the pavement. Blood slowly leaked onto the black stone and an intense light started shining from it before suddenly levitating and rushing inside his body. Pain started to wreck and smash his body to all hell. He screamed out on the ground as he felt his bones being destroyed and reconstructed. The last thing he managed to see was Sister Li rushing over to him.

 7 The Day Of The Sect Recruitment Test!

    *THE NEXT MORNING*


    Jing woke herself up pretty early this morning. She wasn''t exactly sure on when the sect test was taking place today. Just the location. So, after getting herself all dressed up in her mortal clothing that she refined, she decided to finally answer a question that has been plaguing her mind ever since she refined Li Li. She sat on the bed and looked at the peacefully resting owlet sunken comfortably inside the stone pillow. A small smile found itself on her face as she thought how cute he looked.


    ''After I refined Li Li, there is very little he wasn''t capable of. Be it in strength, speed, reflexes, wit, mind, body, and even internal organs. I improved them all to the greatest degree. Making little Li Li the strongest baby owl in the world.'' Jing thought before suddenly retracting her statement.


    ''Wait no.. Since there are cultivators that can destroy mountains and split oceans, there has to be spirit beasts just as strong or even stronger. Maybe little Li Li isn''t as all powerful as I''m thinking.'' Jing decided.


    She looked at Li Li one more time before finally managing to work up the nerves to try what she was thinking.


    ''If I can upgrade other living things and objects.. I should somehow be able to upgrade myself as well then..'' Jing gathered.


    Before she attempted this though, she made sure to think of all the refinements she would want for herself. If she left it up to her subconscious then who knows what sort of monster she would be refined into. So, she started listing all the basic upgrades she would want for herself after trying her ability on herself.


    ''Better skin, brain, heart, hair, lungs¡­..'' Jing started to list off many of the things she would want to improve about herself using the amazing powers of SCP-914.


    Before finally attempting to use her powers on herself on very fine.


    ______________________________________________


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ...


    Jing''s mind blanked out. She was no longer inside her room and could see nothing and hear nothing but complete darkness. She couldn''t feel any part of her body and couldn''t move at all. Fear was slowly permeating into her mind. She couldn''t even scream out in terror. She was completely paralyzed¡­ She started to feel as if maybe this was how it was meant to be in one part of her brain. While the other wanted her to continue fighting and screaming. Refusing to assimilate in this state for any longer and gain complete freedom for herself once more. The space she was in was completely dark. And the darkness seemed to give her a sense of familiarity and peace. But Jing didn''t want peace. She didn''t want to stay here and rest inside this dark space and she refuses to.


    As time went on very slowly¡­ Jing could feel once again. Her arms, legs, face, and all!


    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" She screamed in freedom as she got complete control over her body and senses once more.


    With her newly regained senses, Jing took a second look at her newfound surroundings and herself. She was completely nude and the place she was in was just as dark as it was when she couldn''t see earlier. But there was something else in the space with her. A white floating gaseous sphere. The sphere felt comforting and soothing to her as if it were another part of her and always belonged to her. She walked over to the floating thing and attempted to touch it. The thing passed through her fingers and felt very cold to the touch. But despite this coldness, Jing didn''t feel as if it was unpleasant. It was similar to the feeling of getting inside a cold body of water and then slowly getting used to that temperature and enjoying the body of water in all.


    Much different from the feeling from earlier that wanted to whisk Jing off into an endless and tranquil sleep. She started to think.


    ''Could I use my ability here as well?''


    She tried to touch the wispy object again and refine it using SCP-914 but before she could reach it, her mind was suddenly taken away.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing was back inside her room at the inn inside Yellow Jade City. Li Li was standing on her thigh staring deep into her eyes. Jing''s brain felt as if it just got done being scrambled and shaken up. She grabbed her head as her eyes tried to focus on Li Li staring at her.


    "Whoa¡­ I''m back¡­ That was strange¡­ but I feel¡­. better¡­ better than before¡­" She mumbled as she took off her glasses.


    The clarity and improved focus in her eyes nearly caused her to gasp. She could finally see! She hurried over to the window and looked outside into the streets below.


    "I can see!!!" She exclaimed in a surprising voice that finally matched her young teenaged age.


    She started bouncing all over the room squealing in joy at all the new things she could feel, hear, see, and more.


    Li Li flew onto his pillow, confused as ever about what''s happening to his mom. A few moments ago, she was just staring into the wall without moving or breathing in the slightest. She didn''t even blink! Li Li did everything he could to wake her or make her move again but nothing worked! He couldn''t even hear her heart beating a few moments ago. It was as if she suddenly died and everything stopped working. But Li Li knew that it was impossible for this to happen naturally. It was all too quick and her body wasn''t reacting like a dead body should. He should know when she spent most of yesterday morning teaching him about the human body and more.


    But then all of a sudden, she started changing in front of him. The first thing that went was her skin. It changed from its regular appearance into something much smoother and amazing. It was as if her light brown skin decided to become perfectly flawless. Along with the rest of her body! Her skin was the first thing Li Li noticed that started changing, the next was her hair, and then her insides! Li Li could hear the sounds of his mother''s innards changing and moving around as well.


    He didn''t understand in the slightest what was happening to his mom and frankly didn''t care once he heard her heart beating up again. He was so happy she was back to normal that it didn''t matter what happened to her before. So, he watched as his mother expressed happiness and joy in something other than causing other humans pain and suffering. He didn''t understand why she was so happy but he felt just as happy just because she was and started flying around chirping and whistling in jubilation as well.


    "Li Li! You''re happy for Mama''s rebirth as well!? You''re the greatest son a mother could have!" She hugged him tightly.


    It wouldn''t be until 5 or 10 minutes later that Jing would finally settle down and take in her refined self. She looked no differently outwardly due to her desire on keeping her plain appearance besides her very smooth skin and beautiful dull black hair that reached a little bit pass her neck. But there was far more hidden within her basic and small figure. And if she was being honest, she was a little excited on finding out just how much better she became. If she was refined to the specifications she made before she upgraded herself, then she believed she had almost nothing to fear among cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm.


    She''s already capable of seeing a small group of ants traveling along a tree branch over hundreds of meters away from her window and her hearing was nothing to scoff at either. She could hear everyone inside this entire building if she wanted to, but thankfully she could filter certain sounds out pass a certain distance from her.


    ______________________________________________


    "Well Li Li. It''s time we take our first step in becoming cultivators. Let''s go pass that test!" Jing said confidently.


    "Hoo!" Li Li responded even though he has already reached the first stage in cultivation for spirit beasts.


    The two left the inn together and Jing finally realized that maybe this recruitment test wasn''t as simple as she thought. The streets were littered with people all over. People of all shapes, sizes, ages, and even colors! There were various groups wearing green clothing, red, blue, yellow, purple, and more! From what her ears could pick up, these were the many different cultivation clans that sent their youth to try and be accepted into the Golden Serpent Sect. These youths were typically dressed in their clan''s symbols. And most of the cultivators she saw were spending spirit stones to purchase many different items from the vendors she saw setting up yesterday. Spirit beast eggs, strange pieces of paper, swords and sabres, colorful ores, and more!


    The rest were either wandering cultivators that wanted to join a highly famed sect or normal mortals just like Jing and wanted to see if they had what it takes to become a cultivator and become more than just mortals. It didn''t need to be said that a majority of mortals typically wouldn''t try to become cultivators through sect recruitment tests. This was because not even cultivators themselves were free from death when trying to get accepted into a sect. Most sects that decided on recruiting new people to enter their sects typically have to pass a dangerous and life-threatening activity before making it in and many were sure that the Golden Serpent Sect was no different.


    There was plenty of gossip about what the Golden Serpent Sect was planning on doing for their test this time around but no one knew anything concrete. Some said they would have their talents measured and if you passed a certain measurement, then you would get in. Some said they would have to go through a physical gauntlet to show off their physical prowess to get inside. Others said they would be forced to meditate and see how much potential they have in sensing Qi based on how much Qi they could sense.


    All in all, none of this helped Jing figure out exactly what to expect up ahead. So, she waited in the very very long line of people that stretched a few blocks ahead towards where the members of the Golden Serpent Sect were waiting. With her enhanced sight she could see three important figures with a group of youth behind them. They were wearing a white robe with golden streaks running down them. A golden serpent was laying bare on the front of the robe in an S shape. The three figures could be seen in a square formation laying down small pieces of paper with one of the youth that came along with them. The first of the 3 figures was an elderly man. He had a long white beard and a wrinkly face like any old grandpa. The second figure was a buff muscular middle-aged man. His muscles seemed strong enough to frighten bears and lions without problems. And the last figure was much younger than the other two if we were comparing looks alone. She had the face of a young adult with the appearance of a beautiful woman, capable of toppling kingdoms and empires with just her face alone.


    The pieces of paper that they laid down suddenly flashed with a bright light before shooting out a purple gas. The purple gas rose a few meters into the air before forming itself into a square. The pieces of paper burned up in a purple flame after the gas shaped itself. One of the old guys walked into the gas and disappeared inside of it, confusing Jing even more. He then popped out a few seconds later and nodded to the other two before they started the recruitment process in whole. Jing saw as they motioned the waiting people to enter inside the purple gas.


    ______________________________________________


    Waves of excitement and nervousness splashed over the long line of people. No one knew exactly what laid inside that purple gas. Apparently it was called a formation, from what Jing gathered. A formation is made up of talismans, which was the pieces of paper she saw, and could hold certain techniques or Qi inside them to do many different things. One of the things she heard they could do was form a Qi barrier and block off attacks, form a formation that could make anything step inside it be poisoned by an invisible gas, or even kill you by gathering lightning Qi from the sky and shooting it towards anyone who stepped inside the formation.


    Jing didn''t know what lightning Qi was or that there was something besides just Qi itself. She chose to file that information for later when she joins the sect and ask more questions there. But for now, she''ll just stay in line and wait until it was her turn to go through that purple gas.


    ''Tang Wuying¡­ I swear to the heavens as Xun Liuxian that I will destroy everything you ever loved and owned¡­ But first¡­ I have to get stronger¡­ And the Golden Serpent Sect¡­ is my first step to gaining the power needed to kill you and your entire ancestry¡­'' A demonical handsome youth vowed as he glared in the direction of the red-headed striking youth surrounded by those who nearly ended his life. It was taking his all to not lunge at him and eviscerate them all into pieces.


    With dark purple streaks in his hair and a lean body with densely packed muscles hidden underneath, this boy has completely transformed himself from what he looked like 2-3 days ago. Every breath he took seemed to radiate an ancient power and force that didn''t match his age in the slightest. His entire body was slowly bathing in that force every so slightly, every time he breathed, becoming infinitesimally stronger by the second.


    Tang Wuying wasn''t aware that someone was currently glaring holes into his back and was instead focused on something else entirely. The beautiful fair-skinned icy beauty in front of him. She was Xiao Hong! A prodigy on the same level as himself and has even unlocked a part of her ancient bloodline! The Ice Giant bloodline was a feared bloodline amongst cultivators due to their bloody and terrible history. Most cultivators that managed to live long enough with that bloodline would be capable of toppling kingdoms and eradicating sects with just a wave of their palm. Historic accounts of those cultivators always say that they leave a frozen wasteland behind them wherever they go.


    And a gorgeous beauty such as her that had an astonishing potential like that, was made for someone like him! A rich, attractive, and talented young man with the bloodline of the Titanic Tortoise. Sure he hasn''t unlocked even the tiniest portion of his bloodline but that doesn''t mean he won''t in the future! His Titanic Tortoise bloodline is a powerful and ancient one that has had numerous historical accounts across the world. Those with his bloodline have undying bodies that can''t be harmed through any means once one reaches a certain cultivation. Even if their bodies were reduced to a pile of blood, they would come back even tougher! Even if their hearts were crushed into dust and skulls flattened into the dirt, they would come back with even stronger hearts and skulls! Now what a perfect couple made by the heavens would they be once they got together!


    And Tang plans on courting her with all his heart and soul! For she is the only woman that is good enough for him!


    ______________________________________________


    "Are you sure you''re alright Brother Fang¡­?" Li, from the Huan clan, asked worriedly.


    "Yes Sister Li. I''m perfectly fine. You''ve asked this 5 times now. I feel even better than before if I''m to be honest." Fang answered looking completely different compared to how he looked yesterday.


    He seemed to have grown quite a bit last night after passing out on the street. He now reached a little bit taller than Song in height and also a few other additions. His body seemingly grew muscles over night but not to the point where his clan''s robes were stretched to contain them. His face was sharper and more lean and handsome compared to yesterday. And a strange black ring could be seen resting quite snugly on his right index finger.


    Song couldn''t hide his shock and envy after Fang''s miraculous transformation and knew that he must have encountered some treasure or item that changed a person so much. The trash even dared to look down on him! He just had to find out what it was and steal it from Fang''s body, dead or alive¡­.

 8 Golden Serpents Test!

    The day has finally come for Yellow Jade City. The Golden Serpent Sect''s recruitment test only happens once every 5 years and every year mortals and cultivators alike get just as excited for this event. It would be nearly impossible to find anyone not in high spirits for this.


    Business was booming from the event and the revenue gained for the city was higher than it has ever been before. This is one of the reasons why mortals are so ecstatic when the Golden Serpent Sect comes to the city. People were lined up on the streets just to watch people go up to take the test. Some of them were families who were encouraging their children that were in line and were wishing for them to pass and bring good fortune, riches, and protection to their families.


    This was the first time Jing saw this side of Yellow Jade City and was properly shocked. Even though it has only been about 2 or 3 days since she''s been here, she has never seen the city so lively, festive, and joyous. It was a completely different atmosphere from how it is usually. And if she were to be honest, deep down she felt like this situation would be so much more entertaining if this festival was somehow ruined and turned into complete chaos.


    Why did she feel that sort of way? She didn''t know but felt like there was more to her than she even knew herself. Just what kind of person was she?


    Jing was finally about to enter inside the purple smoke with Li Li and meet face to face with the three examiners from the sect. Jing hoped that she would feel something once she met them up close, but they didn''t give off any special feeling. They just seemed like really conceited adults. No special feeling in the air around them that made you think twice about trying something or "Wow! So amazing!" She was slightly disappointed but didn''t let it show on her face. She figured that it was probably because they weren''t trying to be intimidating or awe inspiring at the moment.


    Jing entered through the formation made by the four talismans and entered inside a completely different realm. Inside the formation was a giant white space filled to the brim with cultivators and mortals alike. Thousands of eyes laid on her before quickly looking away in disinterest or switching to look at Li Li.


    "A mortal beast master? Interesting¡­"


    "She probably found it in the forest and raised it since young."


    "But it''s in the first realm! It has to have killed a spirit beast to do that!"


    "Yeah¡­ and she doesn''t look wealthy or beautiful enough to have food for spirit beasts to eat on the regular."


    Jing calmly walked to the side and out of view from the majority of people as she waited in the sea of people as well. To pass the time, she stood around others and listened to everyone.


    ______________________________________________


    "Did you know that Gong Jun is here as well?!"


    "The Jun clan''s prodigy!? The one that''s been said to have reached the seventh stage and can already use qi through his blade?!"


    "The Jun Clan that is said to have connections to the royal family!?"


    "I also heard that he''s engaged to Liu Lan! The super beautiful princess of the Jianhong kingdom! She''s reached the sixth stage and already has unlocked a part of her royal bloodline!"


    "WHAT!? The famous bloodline of the Blazing Tyrant!? The man that has been said to have turned entire countries into ash!?"


    "WELL NO! The bloodline is actually from the race of ancient people called the Firebringers. It''s said that the royal family made that rumor of the Blazing Tyrant being the source of their bloodline because it sounded better."


    "That''s kind of embarrassing."


    "Yeah but don''t let any members of the royal family hear you say that to their faces or you can kiss your entire family lineage goodbye."


    "Oh okay. But seriously Gong Jun and Liu Lan huh¡­"


    "The gifted are truly blessed¡­"


    "It''s a match made in heaven. I guess they do deserve each other after all with their backgrounds and appearances."


    "Did you guys also hear that the city lord''s son is also here?"


    "Yeah! He''s a 5th stage Qi Gatherer at the age of 14!"


    "Isn''t he even more talented than Gong Jun then!? Gong Jun is 17 years old and at the seventh stage! "


    "I don''t know¡­ But don''t let either of them hear you comparing them or you can consider your life forfeit!"


    "Isn''t that Tang Wuying walking up to Gong Jun now!?"


    "What!? No way! Let me see!!!"


    ______________________________________________


    A large majority of the crowd circled around the two devilishly handsome youths. One with wild fiery red hair and the other with calm serene blue flowing hair. Gong Jun stood a whole head above Tang Wuying due to his age but Wuying''s confidence didn''t make it seem as if he was being looked down on at all. It was as if these two were equals. In Tang Wuying''s eyes of course. Gong Jun had an amused sneer on his face as he looked down on the boy.


    Tang Wuying didn''t like that in the slightest. He was brought up being told he was the best and was treated just as such. When he heard that someone could possibly be better than him, the treasured son of the heavens, he couldn''t believe it. So, he went over to see for himself just how much he matched up to Gong Jun. Tang Wuying already knew of the rumors of the Jun''s family genius but rumors were simply rumors weren''t they?


    Sweat visibly ran down the face of Tang Wuying once he felt the dense and powerful qi emanating from Gong Jun''s body. A certain number of cultivators and mortals merely fainted from coming in contact with that thick qi and Wuying was having trouble keeping himself together. Even Jing herself felt her knees go wobbly after wanting to feel this aura for herself. Excitement filled Jing''s body as she thought about conquering and bringing this strong prodigy to his knees and enslaving him for herself. Even after her own refinement, she didn''t think it would be so easy to defeat Gong Jun. His qi was so overwhelming, Jing was forced to step away or she''d ruin her outfit.


    ''He''s merely two stages higher than me! There can''t be such a gulf between us! It''s impossible! Is his cultivation method truly that superior?! It has to be higher than the stellar ranked cultivation technique I''ve been using!'' Wuying cursed deep in his heart with envy.


    The sneer on Gong Jun''s face seemed to be increasing as he saw Wuying getting weaker and weaker from his aura. Wuying''s body was shaking in both rage and fear, making him even more outraged. With so many people watching him, there''s no way he can back down now. Especially with his future wife, Xiao Hong, staring as well. Wuying glared into Jun''s amused eyes and gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.


    "This isn''t over Gong Jun! You may have had more resources and a higher age than me¡­ But it won''t be like this forever! Once I prove my talent to the Golden Serpent Sect, they''ll reward me with resources great enough to match against your clan''s! I''ll challenge you to a proper duel in three months time!" Wuying swore before storming off.


    *DING*


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Help the arrogant young master regain some face! Train Tang Wuying till he''s capable of fighting evenly with Gong Jun or surpassing him in strength! Or weaken Tang Wuying by the time of the duel that he loses all popularity and credibility.]


    [Rewards: Group tab is unlocked, martial technique: Snake Fist, 3 rare tickets.]


    Jing was slightly confused about this sudden mission. Not too long ago the system wanted her to teach Wuying a lesson, but now it wants her to aid him? Jing didn''t understand what angle the system was playing at by trying to manipulate her with these mission quests, but it was doing a fairly good job at targeting her greed for power. She''ll have to do some planning and a lot of thinking, but for now she plans on somehow passing this mission.


    A wicked and purple haired youth could be seen delighted after seeing the embarrassment of Tang Wuying.


    "I''ll be waiting." Jun said with an entertained look on his face before turning around and looking towards the entrance of the white room.


    ______________________________________________


    One of the elders from outside walked inside. No one but a few cultivators managed to notice him entering. He realized that not many noticed him walk inside and he coughed into his hand.


    That cough seemed to have echoed throughout the entire room and into the bodies of everyone. Jing felt a chill enter her heart. That chill told her to turn around immediately or get away as fast as she could. She chose the former and saw the old man examiner from the sect. That feeling he sent through her completely betrayed his innocent wise old man look. Jing felt like this old man could erase her without even looking in her direction.


    Jing''s breathing began to get slightly heavy.


    ''So these are cultivators.... I have much to look forward to in the future¡­.'' She said with a devilish smile hidden on her face.


    "I''d like to explain the first portion of the test. Please listen up." The old man announced.


    "You all will soon enter inside a dangerous realm. Your only goal will be to survive. Farewell." He said as he pulled out a talisman from his robe and had it ignite in between his fingers.


    "What do you----"


    All the candidates vanished from the room and the only one remaining was the elder. Two more figures entered inside the white plane and stood next to the first elder.


    "Did you notice any good ones Elder Chang?"


    "Hmm...Perhaps¡­" He responds mysteriously.


    "None for me so far. Maybe I''ll find someone interesting during the test." The muscular elder says.


    "I see. We''ll let''s see how they do." The female elder said as she threw a talisman on the floor.


    The talisman ignited and the floor shifted into a bird''s eye view of the testing area.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing suddenly found herself surrounded by thick trees, colorful vegetation, and buzzing insects all around. She felt the hot and humid air clinging to her skin. A displeased expression appeared on her face as she looked up into the sky and didn''t notice anything unusual from the place she was transported to.


    *SMACK*


    Except the large number of bugs trying to blemish and eat away at her skin. Jing was about to start exploring before suddenly being mentally assaulted.


    *DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING*


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Survive! Don''t get killed during the test!]


    [Rewards: 3 rare tickets, 100,000 yuan, 5 spirit stones]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Gain one or more allies during the test!]


    [Rewards: Allies tab will be unlocked in system''s menu.]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Steal 20 items from other competitors! Additional rewards will be given every 10+ more items stolen after mission goal has been reached.]


    [Rewards: Storage ring, ???]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Kill over 500 competitors during the test!]


    [Rewards: Title: Rising Prodigy of Death, Legendary ticket, 1 High-tiered spirit stone, Utility martial technique: 9 Revolving Suns]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Pass the Golden Serpent Sect''s test and become an official disciple! Additional rewards may be given depending on how well you stood out amongst the competition.]


    [Rewards: Basic Cultivation book, ???]


    ''This test is a lot more important than I figured if the system is willing to give me this many missions right at the start. Something big has to be happening for the system to want me to be accepted in this sect this badly..'' Jing thought as she looked over the missions once more.


    "I guess I''ll aim for the easiest one first.. Li Li. We''re going to get our first ''ally''" She smiled before suddenly hearing a scream a few distances away from her.


    "There he is¡­."

 9 Our First Ally is a Fatty?!

    After hearing the high-pitched feminine scream, Jing started moving towards her first ally. Jing got on top of the trees and started jumping from tree branch to tree branch. With her newly refined body, she could easily focus in to where the sound is coming from. So, reaching the source of the screaming didn''t take long.


    Jing looked down and saw a large boy running for his life from a dangerous looking boar. The chubby boy was breathing roughly as he ran with all his might. The sweat coming off from every part of his body and the tears running down his face proved that he wouldn''t be able to keep this up for long.


    "Please...! Anyone...! Help me!" The boy yelled before tripping over a tree root and rolling on the ground.


    The boy realized that he''s was going to be gored by this pig and his pathetic little life would end so tragically so. He succumbed to fate. His muscles were pushed farther than he''s ever pushed them before and he could not move a single inch even getting air into his lungs was painful right now. The boy closed his eyes as the bloodthirsty boar was about to gore him. His only regret was not being able to find a gentle cute girlfriend before he died.


    "SQUEEEEEEEEELLLLL" A high-pitched cry erupted from the pig.


    Just before the cow-sized boar could spear the fatty, Jing cracked her whip towards its robust leg and made it trip. It violently crashed on the ground squealing in pain as she sliced a chunk of its fat off next. She soon decapitated it with her whip and stood in front of the fat boy currently peeking through his fingers at his savior.


    "MY SAVIOR! I GIVE YOU ALL MY THANKS- GUK!" A whip wrapped around his thick throat as Jing stared into his eyes.


    The boy felt as if he''s just been captured by a demonic empress. The look in her eyes that made him feel as if she was looking at mere trash. Why him!? All he wanted was to become a famous cultivator and live a lavish free life! He could only curse his luck. Out of the fryer and into the frying pan. Tears of misfortune ran down his chubby cheeks as he gave up all hope of ever fulfilling his dreams.


    "Pig. Become my slave or die." Jing commanded with a fierce tone, betraying her completely plain and weak appearance.


    The whip was getting tighter and tighter around his throat. This demoness really wasn''t kidding around! He will really die if he doesn''t become her slave! He couldn''t even cause the whip to budge as he tried to pry it from his throat.


    "I submit...! I will follow you to the grave empress! Pleas-" The whip tightened itself to the point where he couldn''t speak any further before suddenly feeling the whip release itself from his neck.


    He started coughing a few times once he was released. Then he began to greedily suck up the air while rubbing his sore throat. The whip left a defined red mark around his neck and he could feel it with his chunky fingers. The boy began to think whether living as the slave of a demon is better than dying as a just innocent youth. The world of cultivation is truly cruel and unjust... His first experience out into the real world and he''s already enslaved. Just what will he tell his parents when he sees them? Will he ever get to see his parents again?


    ''I hope my little sister will marry a good man. All the bad luck I have in my life I wish for my family to have only good luck.''


    The boy looked at Jing to fully take in her appearance. At first glance she looked like an unimpressive girl even a bit ugly if he would say so himself. If her skin was lighter, she would look a bit better but after experiencing what she just put him through, he couldn''t look at her any other way besides an actual demon. Jing looked at him with a sinister smile before kicking him across the face and launching him away.


    Jing grabbed a piece of bark and placed her palm on the corpse of the boar before sucking the two into herself and refining them. She merged the boar corpse and the circular piece of bark together into forming a small shield. The shield exited from her chest after being refined on fine and Jing took in its appearance.


    The shield had two small tusks on the front that resembles small spikes, it looked as if it was a shield made of bones rather than an actual shield, and had a small circular indent around the shield face. Jing threw the shield over to the fatty along with 2 recovery pills. He wouldn''t be any use to her the way he is now. With that shield, he should be able to live a bit longer to prove his worth. Why just a shield and not a sword or spear? Because Jing felt like it would be crueler to just give him a shield by itself. She also isn''t a fan of the swords she''s seen here so far. If she was to ever make a sword, she would make it interesting.


    "Slave. Heal yourself up and use that shield or die." She told him.


    He didn''t question why she kicked him across face. How could he expect any common sense from a demoness? Who knows what type of teachings they have in the demon realm? He must have done something wrong to anger her without knowing. He looked up to the heavens to bless him on his journey with this demoness. He doesn''t believe his body will be able to last long on this path.


    He swallowed the two recovery pills. The pills tastelessly dissolved as soon as they touched his tongue and began healing his body at an accelerated rate. He slipped his hand through the strap and held it up to get a feel for it.


    "Thank you empress for your kindness! This one known as Ai Bing will always remember your grace!" He quickly spat out, lest he look ungrateful and gets physically abused once more.


    A small smile appeared on Jing''s face before she turned around and started walking. He''s learning.


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Gained access to the Ally tab!]


    Jing pulled up the system''s menu and went into the Ally tab. The only one present was her new slave. She guessed that Li Li didn''t count as an ally for some reason. Maybe it was because he was an animal. Jing couldn''t know for sure. So, she mentally chose her slave''s name and it pulled up a screen.


    [Name: Ai Bing]


    [Rank: Qi Gathering 2]


    [Occupation: None]


    [Techniques: Flattening Gorilla Palm]


    [Cultivation Method: Book of Qi]


    [Loyalty: 30% (Scared to death of you but is also curious about your origins.)]


    ''Almost completely worthless. I''m curious about that technique though.'' Jing thought to herself.


    Jing figured that the technique Bing had was a martial technique. These are things only useful to cultivators and can only be acquired by cultivators. Jing saw a few martial books with the vendors but with her measly one spirit stone she couldn''t even think about purchasing it. So, she gave up on it and decided to wait until she got accepted into the sect before starting on her path to cultivation. It isn''t like becoming a cultivator now is any different from becoming one later.


    Haste becomes waste and Jing has no reason to hurry herself. She''s not in any danger nor does she have any enemies. So, for now she plans to complete a few of the missions the system set for her, get some use out of this slave, and gain information. And luckily, she can solve all three without bringing much attention to herself.


    Jing, Ai Bing, and Li Li traveled through the thick jungle together. Bing taking the lead with his shield and Jing and Li Li calmly walking behind him. Bing''s senses were being stretched taut as he was forced to be on the lookout for any beasts or cultivators wanting to ambush them. The round boy was constantly looking around with sweat dripping down his forehead. Every single noise was a possible attack for Bing. His shield was moving in all directions as he continued to freak out at every single thing inside the jungle despite them not encountering anything besides some bugs and the pig from earlier.


    Jing heard Li Li hoo into her ear, signaling her to look in a certain direction with his talon. Jing focused her senses and realized what Li Li was pointing out.


    "Head east." Jing commanded.


    Bing jumped at the sound of her voice but didn''t question her. He simply did as he was told and continued to lead the way forward. As they kept going, Bing eventually heard some shouting. He looked back to see what Jing wanted him to do.


    "Make sure to steal everything they have. I''ll be watching." Jing told him before kicking him in the chest towards the group and hiding atop a tree to watch the situation.


    ______________________________________________


    "Who the hell is this!? A sneak attack!?"


    "No! Look he was attacked by something!"


    "Yeah right! You tried to mount a sneak attack on us to get rid of the competition! KILL THEM!"


    "You want to kill us!? WE''LL KILL YOU FIRST!"


    Ai Bing slid across the jungle floor till he found himself in the middle of both groups. He was dazed from his empress''s kick and had trouble catching his breath. He didn''t think that with such a frail and meek physique she was able to make him fly so far! He''s not light in any sense of the word!


    ''She''s definitely has to be from a famous clan! There''s no way someone so tyrannical and powerful could ever stay low key!'' Bing thought before seeing a dangerous shine above his eyes.


    ''A sword!? Someone''s trying to kill me!? I can''t die without having a single wife!'' He screamed inwardly.


    Ai Bing panicked and quickly brought up his shield to protect him from the blade. He heard a sharp scraping sound, as the blade slashed off and couldn''t penetrate his shield. A relieved grin accidentally found itself on his face after he realized he wasn''t dead.


    "YOU''RE MOCKING ME YOU FATTY!? I was originally going to give you a painless death, but now you don''t deserve anything of the sort. Curse your own fate for being so arrogant." The swordsman cultivator began hacking at Ai Bing.


    Ai Bing quickly rolled to the side to dodge the crazed cultivator, inadvertently knocking over two more swordsmen who were fighting by rolling into their legs.


    "Ah I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to-" His apology was cut short as the two men swore to flay his flesh with their swords and feed it to dogs.


    Not to soon after, the three men began chopping and slashing towards Ai Bing. In his fright, he pulled up his shield and blocked each slash from all the men in front of him. He couldn''t afford to close his eyes in fear. He couldn''t afford to block out the insults, threats, and sounds of combat around him. If he doesn''t give his everything, his poor little life will come to an end right here!


    His eyes watched exactly where each of the swords were headed. It was as if the world was slowed down for Bing. He could feel his Qi circulating throughout his body, improving his strength and senses as the fight goes on. Is he going to have a breakthrough in the middle of a fight? Is he secretly a genius?


    "I GOT YOU NOW FATTY! Taste my Crushing Wind Slash!" One of the cultivators managed to charge enough Qi in his body to temporarily infuse it into his blade while Bing was distracted.


    He slashed down from above with his blade and Bing could barely react in time. He was forced to defend directly above or risk getting sliced in half! He blocked the technique with his shield and was now contesting in strength with the swordsman.


    "What kind of shield is that...? It doesn''t even split from my sword martial arts!?" His attacker asked in disbelief.


    "Haha thanks for the distraction! Actually, we have him now!"


    "Aren''t you ashamed to gang up on a single Qi Gatherer on the second stage!? I never did anything to offend you this badly!" Bing reasoned.


    "This is how the world works fatty! Next time hope to reincarnate into a more fortunate life! Now die!"


    The other two cultivators used this chance to plunge their swords right into Bing''s big stomach. Bing''s eyes widened once he realized the situation, he was in. He consciously surged his Qi to flow through his body even faster, making him slightly stronger than before. Normally he wouldn''t do something as dangerous as this. No cultivator would do such a thing unless they were in dire straits.


    Increasing the speed of the Qi flowing throughout his body is normally only used when a cultivator is breaking to the next realm. The increased speed will help ram against the barrier to the next level of cultivation and eventually break through it. But Bing is using his Qi to make his body stronger instead, wasting the Qi he''s built up so far and will soon be left without any Qi in reserves to continue fighting.


    Ai Bing used his increase in strength to shove the first swordsman''s sword to the side before quickly bringing his shield to defend his stomach. The other two cultivators'' blades couldn''t pierce through his shield and he knocked those two swords down into the dirt. The two swordsmen''s blades were stuck in the ground as Bing ran straight towards them with his shield. If he didn''t look so messy and pathetic, one could say he even looked like a majestic charging rhino.


    The two swordsmen refused to let go of their weapons and suffered the price for looking down on a fellow cultivator. Bing might not look like your typical cultivator but his strength was no lesser than any other Qi Gatherer of the 2nd stage. He had enough strength to contest with a snow bear! Ai Bing used his shield and bashed the first guy in the face, breaking his nose and instantly knocking him out. The second swordsmen just smirked at how weak the other guy was and calmly tried to dodge Bing''s attack for him. Unfortunately, this Bing wasn''t the same Bing from earlier. This Bing was using all the qi he had to strengthen himself, increasing his power, speed, and toughness.


    Ai Bing slugged his shield into the second swordsman''s jaw, completely shattering it and knocking the cultivator unconscious. Ai Bing''s breathing was haggard, sweat covered his entire body, his eyes seemed to faze in and out. He looked as if he was an ancient bull preparing to trample and spear everyone that entered his sights. Which so happened to be the third swordsman who attempted to kill him with his martial technique.


    The third swordsman saw what happened to the other two and quickly dropped his sword and put his hands up.


    "I SURRENDER!"


    Ai Bing stared at him with eyes that made the cultivator think he was being looked at as nothing but prey. His body began to shake in fear of the death coming for him.


    "I''LL GIVE YOU ALL I HAVE! PLEASE DON''T KILL ME!" He pleaded as he pulled out multiple pills, a mortal-ranked sword martial art, and his own sword that he tried to kill Bing with earlier.


    Bing slowly walked over to the surrendering cultivator and swiped all his offerings and ate a few of the recovery pills and Qi pills, bringing him back to mostly perfect health. The swordsman ran away after he took his items and Ai Bing let out a breathe of relief. Taking from others made him feel powerful... He''s never been the one in the position of power before and it was such a new experience. An experience he wouldn''t mind getting used to..


    Ai Bing looked over at the remaining fighters with a more confident and cockier look in his eyes. This shield was a lot tougher than he thought. Maybe it is the time for the rise of the hidden genius Ai Bing! He was started to charge into the group of fighting cultivators like a piggy rushing to a feast.

 10 The Tragic End Of The Huan Prodigies.

    Jing was looking over her new slave with a faint surprised look in her eyes. She didn''t expect him to be such a menace. After narrowly surviving the 3 cultivators, something inside him changed it seems. Or maybe he was just too weak to really show his strength before. But with the shield she made, his confidence rose to levels she was sure he didn''t even know were possible. She originally thought she would have to step in and save him before he died with her shield but here he was taking on a group of cultivators with just a shield. At first it was basically a group fight between 2 groups but after seeing him knock out and severely injure more and more cultivators, everyone decided to team up and eliminate him. If he wasn''t careful, Jing might have to step in and save him. He is proving to be useful so far so, she doesn''t mind saving him this once if the situation calls for it.


    She looked on as he was surrounded on all sides by the cultivators.


    "Don''t you bastards have any honor?! Ganging up on a 2nd level Qi Gatherer! How shameless can you get!?" Bing shouted indignantly.


    They actually couldn''t reply after taking a look at themselves surrounding this one boy at the 2nd level. But they knew it was too dangerous to leave competition as monstrous as this fatty alive after what they''ve done to him. There is no going back now. Either they kill him or get taken out by him. There are no other options.


    "Fine then you cowards! If I''m going down, I''m taking you bastards with me!" He charged like a bull towards the person closest to him.


    The cultivator saw what happened to those that fell victim to this fatty''s charge beforehand. They were either overpowered and trampled under his feet or bashed to death with his shield. He wasn''t going to turn out like them so, he ran. He ran away faster than Bing could run and left everyone behind as he secured his life. This caused the other cultivators who were scared to fight against Ai Bing to see a way out. A few others started to run away as well, leaving Ai Bing alone with 4 cultivators who were just as confused as him before quickly hightailing it out of there as well.


    "I WILL REMEMBER THE FACES OF EVERYONE WHO ATTACKED ME! I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN AT THE SECT AND DEAL WITH YOU THERE!" Ai Bing roared before all his exhaustion hit him at once. He promptly fell over and fainted.


    No matter how many recovery pills and qi pills he used to heal himself and refuel his qi. No person can go on with just adrenaline and qi alone. They are still human after all. Jing finally exited her watching place and began taking the items of those that were defeated by Ai Bing. Li Li flew on top of Bing''s body and started taking out the items he pocketed.


    "This mission wasn''t as hard as I thought it would be. But maybe I got lucky that none of them were above the 4th level. Who knows if anyone else decided to team up with others? I only did it because of the mission." Jing shrugged her shoulders before hearing a familiar ding.


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Gained Storage Ring]


    Jing pulled out the storage ring from her inventory and briefly thought about selling it to the system. She would be able to buy multiple storage rings in the future if she did so but, she was sure there was much to gain right now that she wouldn''t be able to carry. She also didn''t know what type of absurd pricing the system might set to it either. She dismissed the thought of selling it as she tied her hair in a ponytail with the ring, making it hard to take notice of. She could always sell it later. She didn''t need to do it now. She then put all the items of the fallen cultivators inside it, gaining some mediocre but bountiful loot.


    Jing walked over to the peacefully sleeping Ai Bing. Slob was slowly falling from the side his mouth and he had a stupid smile on his face. His creamy white skin and short figure made him look like a dumpling. His light blue hair was strange though. But then again this wasn''t the first time she''s seen someone with colored hair. So, she didn''t think much of it as she wrapped her whip around Bing''s leg and started dragging him along the jungle''s floor without any issue. With her refined body, his weight wasn''t anything to her.


    As they journeyed through the jungle, Jing saw many different types of plants and herbs. She didn''t have the slightest clue on what type of ingredients they were but since she saw beasts and spirit beasts either fighting over it or defending it, she decided to take as much as she could. Li Li also had a greedy look in his eyes whenever he spotted the herbs. She didn''t think the little gourmet was interested in anything but meat.


    Jing felt that if these herbs were valuable then Li Li could be her little treasure detector. Jing killed any beasts that dared attack her as she was pilfering the plants. Bing was still sleeping peacefully even though he had numerous bugs, mud, and dirt all over him. She guessed he really did give everything he had to survive back there. If he managed to not let any of them get away, Jing was even thinking of rewarding him.


    She did feel that he did well enough though. While she was thinking this, Li Li pointed towards another direction with his talon. Jing went that way and soon after discovered a dark hole in the ground. There were human foot steps outside the hole, so she imagined a few cultivators already went inside to investigate as well. She had no reason to not go in herself and was about to head straight down into the mysterious tunnel but she felt Li Li shaking on her shoulder.


    "Are you scared Li Li?" Jing asked a little bit surprised.


    Li Li nodded and Jing took him off her shoulder and hugged him.


    "Don''t worry. The dark isn''t as scary as it seems. There''s nothing in the dark that can hurt you with me here anyway. I''ll protect you." Jing whispered into his ear while holding him across her chest.


    Li Li''s body stopped shaking as he gave in to his mother''s warm embrace and the trio headed down inside the dark tunnel. Jing''s hair suddenly started to lengthen and wrap around the whip''s handle. Her hair dragged along Bing as she held Li Li in her hands. Thanks to her refinement, Jing was capable of doing something like growing hair at will! There were more changes she made but, she wouldn''t ever share them with anyone.


    Jing and Li Li could see perfectly fine in the darkness thanks to their refinement and had no issue finding their way around. If it were anyone else, they would need a torch to light their way because it was pitch black once they made it far enough from the entrance. Inside the tunnel, it seemed like a straight path with nothing but stone walls around them. As they continued their way inside, soon they began to see something different. A dead body was slumped against the wall. He had a sword sticking out of his chest and seemed to have died not too long ago. The blood was still fresh. Jing wondered if the murderer was in a hurry because the corpse still had his belongings on him. She placed his stuff in her storage ring and Li Li decided to have a quick snack as he opened the chest of the cadaver and swallowed his heart whole.


    "You were scared like a little kitten earlier but not scared enough to have a quick bite?" Jing teased.


    "Hoo!" Li Li responded.


    "Mhmm.. Okay mister. Whatever you say." Jing held him like she did before and continued down the path as if she was on a morning stroll.


    The trio eventually reached some stairs that descended further underground. Jing really hoped this treasure down here was worth it because this is a lot of walking she''d rather not do a second time. Ooh! She could have her slave carry her back. That''ll solve her problems.


    Jing sadly couldn''t drag Bing''s body down the stairs or he''d fall all the way down and die. It would also be troublesome to try and carefully drag his body down the stairs. So, she released his leg from her whip and stood over him before kicking him in the side of the face.


    He quickly rolled over and bowed towards Jing. A nice recovery. Quick and not too exaggerated.


    ''Good.'' She thought.


    "You need of me, my Empress?" He asked politely as if he wasn''t just sleeping like the dead for hours.


    If Jing wasn''t so sure he was really sleeping from exhaustion, she would''ve thought of him as faking earlier. But he learned his place quite quickly. This gave Jing a satisfied look on her face.


    "Do you want me to kick you down the stairs or walk down them?" She asked.


    "Stairs? Why can''t I see anything? Empress have you blinded me!? Everything is dark!" Bing started weeping.


    "Empress how could you blind me in my sleep... you already taken my freedom... were my actions from before not enough to please you?"


    Jing kicked Bing in his chin, knocking him on to his back and stunning him momentarily. Jing took out an iron sword from her storage ring and inserted it into herself. She refined it on fine and soon the sword phased through her stomach and into her hand. The sword now glowed with a white aura around it, lighting their nearby surroundings easily.


    "I can see! Empress, you didn''t blind me! I always knew you were so merciful and forgiving." Bing sucked up as he exaggeratedly bowed up and down towards at Jing.


    "Use the light and follow me already before I truly knock you down the stairs." She ordered.


    The trio descended down the stairs at a leisure pace.


    "Why are we in this dark scary place Empress?" Bing asked.


    She turned around and looked at him with a stare that said "Did you really just ask me such a stupid question?" Bing understood that this question was beneath his demonic empress and he should shut his mouth and just wait. No need to give her an excuse to beat him even further. The glowing sword was strange though. He wondered where she got it from. He didn''t believe that his Empress had somehow acquired a spirit weapon. You have to know that only cultivators who reached the 7th level in the Qi Gathering stage can barely bring out the potential of a spirit weapon. Bing couldn''t even feel the smallest of qi from his Empress so it had to be impossible for her to own a spirit weapon. Even the scary little owl has qi emanating from it.


    Spirit weapons are weapons made out of spirit metals. Metals that has been bathed in qi or a certain type of qi for a number of years. Usually it takes hundreds of years before an ore can change into a spirit ore which makes them very valuable and rare. Sects will go to nearly any length to find an ore mine to turn it into a spirit mine. Even if it isn''t guaranteed that they will still thrive within a hundred years, it''s still an asset that can be used only for one''s benefit. A spirit weapon in the hands of a skilled cultivator can cause him to face those above his own realm if they didn''t have a spirit weapon of their own.


    But now that he thought about it... Why couldn''t he feel any qi from the demoness? It was almost as if she wasn''t a cultivator at all and was still a mortal through and through. But that was impossible! She''s too strong to be a mortal. Unless... She unlocked a bloodline that makes her stronger than others! That has to be it. There was no other explanation he could find that would explain her mysterious strength and lack of qi. To think he would find himself underneath someone who holds a special bloodline lineage. If her temperament was better and her skin was lighter, he would be blessed to be underneath such a cultivator.


    By the time Bing was done with his silly thoughts, the trio reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a place that could only be described as a ruin. The ruins were well lit and torches were hanging on the walls. With all the light in this place, Li Li felt comfortable enough to go back onto Jing''s shoulder. Jing and Li Li heard fighting up ahead and went to investigate. Bing followed behind the two with his shield at the ready. This place gave him the creeps.


    As the three of them went forward, they saw more and more corpses lying around. It seems they all died from in-fighting or some sort of group battle. Jing ordered Bing to take all their stuff so she could put it inside her ring before moving on towards an open doorway. Inside, were other cultivators fighting. They stood outside the door and looked in on the situation.


    ______________________________________________


    "Fang! Your life will come to an end here! Give up the treasure you found and I will make your death painless!" Song Huan promised.


    He was a Qi Gatherer of the 4th stage.


    "It doesn''t have to be this way cousin! I know you are in love with sister Li! I will not impede you in any way! We can both help raise the clan into a better one." Fang Huan said desperately.


    He was a peak 3rd stage Qi Gatherer.


    "Shut up trash! My life won''t be as great with you trying to take away the spotlight from me! I''m the genius of Huan clan! I''m the future patriarch of the clan! You can only blame yourself for not resigning to your fate as trash and lusting after a swan as a mere toad." Song used his qi to strengthen his upper body as he and his minions attacked Fang at the same time.


    Fang didn''t know whether to cry or laugh. His cousin he grew up with wanted to kill him out of jealousy and fear. When all he wanted was for their clan to prosper. Is there a need for this betrayal and bloodlust between family members...? Even if they aren''t blood related, their hearts are both set on making the Huan Clan more prosperous. There has to be a way to end this without killing him...


    Fang took on a strange martial stance and closed his eyes. One that made him look like he became one with his surroundings. As if a simple breeze could knock him over but a large wave could never move him. As his attackers closed in, he took a deep breath and once they got close enough, his eyes shot open. He had a sharp focused look in his eyes as he calmly dodged the strike meant to behead him and palmed the branch member in the stomach. The branch member was sent flying like a kite without strings but Fang wasn''t done just yet.


    After countering the first attack, the second branch member sent numerous hasty slashes towards his upper body. Fang''s torso was like a leaf blowing in the wind as he slipped through the slashes and struck the second branch member''s chest, knocking him into the air and flat on his face. The only one left was his cousin whose eyes were set on stabbing him straight through his heart. A sad smile appeared on his face as he charged forward and slipped past his cousin''s stab.


    Song was shocked and couldn''t believe this trash could improve this much! When they were younger, they were equals in talent with Fang a little bit higher than his. But a few years ago, all of a sudden Fang''s cultivation stagnated and actually regressed! They hired many physicians and doctors to inspect Fang''s body but they couldn''t find out what happened. Rumors started to go around about Fang being a waste and trash and soon that was his identity inside the clan. Everyone started to forget that he used to toted as a genius and had talent similar to Song himself. But now that his body somehow was cured, he''s showing strength that is even better than his!


    Even if Song cannot obtain whatever heavenly-defying treasure Fang found, he has to kill him or he''ll never find peace within himself! But it seems this is the end for him. Song watches as his cousin''s palm heads straight for his heart.


    "Ripping Black Palm!" Fang shouted as he struck towards Song''s chest.


    Maybe he could''ve reigned his ambition and greed for power and his life wouldn''t have come to end. Perhaps he could''ve been believed Fang when he said he had no romantic feelings towards sister Li. If they were closer, maybe, Fang could''ve even tried to support him in his conquest for sister Li. A hollow laugh escaped from him. He never had a chance with sister Li. He saw how her eyes turned into hearts whenever she looked at Fang. Besides cultivation and the clan, the only other interests she had was in Fang.


    He should''ve gave up from the start and got rid of this foolish love that''s lasted since childhood. He should''ve been happy for Fang when he found a way to fix his body and cultivate again. He should''ve done a lot of things different now that he''s about to die. But there is no pill for regret nor is there one for bringing the dead back to life. He closed his eyes in anticipation of death.


    But death would not take him yet. Fang redirected his palm and merely struck his stomach, launching him into the roof of the ruins and falling harshly to the ground.


    "I cannot kill you cousin... Even if you hate me so much you want me dead... I don''t hate you.. And I can''t kill my own family.." Fang said as turned away from Song.


    "Why...?" Song moaned.


    "Don''t misunderstand me cousin. I am not afraid to kill. But I understand why you tried to do this. You simply wanted the best for yourself and the Huan clan. I want the best for the Huan clan as well. But your greed is simply too much. You can try another attempt on my life but I won''t kill you cousin. You''re like a brother to me..." Fang shared with a tear falling from his eye before walking towards the exit with a second new ring on his finger.


    ______________________________________________


    "Sorry about this but orders are orders." Ai Bing said as he bashed his shield over the head of Fang, knocking him unconscious.


    Ai Bing began stripping the boy of all his belongings including the rings on his fingers and then gently grabbed his neck with his thick fingers and...


    SNAP!


    "Hey! What... What did you just do...!" Bing heard a voice say to him from inside the room.


    "You just killed the patriarch''s son! The son of the Huan clan! The Huan clan definitely won''t let you off! He''s a cultivator at the Core Preparation stage!" Song yelled in complete fear and deliriousness.


    He can''t believe that his cousin of 15 years just died right in front of him.


    "I guess I better make sure they don''t know it was me who killed him." Ai Bing responded in a meek voice and a small laugh.


    He ignored the voice as he committed the thievery under the eyes of the Huan clan and ended the lives of everyone still alive. The demoness told him to take everything inside this room for her and to get rid of the witnesses. He was just happy she didn''t order him to do it when they were still fighting. Even with the shield she gave him, he doubted he could take on a Qi Gatherer of the 4th stage and a 3rd stage that could compete with a 4th stage Qi Gatherer. So, the least he could do was rob these guys while they were weak as thanks for not sending him into that dangerous battle they were watching. He didn''t mind killing them either. A cultivator has to kill if they wish to advance in this world. Even a weak person like him knows it''s a kill or be killed world.

 11 The Spoils For The Victors!

    Bing walked inside the large room with a giant statue of a humanoid figure with 4 arms. The figure had small horns on top of its head and a long pointy tail. In each of its hands laid a different weapon made out of stone. One trident, one sword, one axe, and a bow. The statue seemed to ripple with strength and power but Bing was sure that was just his imagination. The figure did look imposing and powerful but he had a strange feeling in the back of his head that maybe this statue wasn''t so simple. That weird feeling wasn''t just coming from the statue either. One of the rings he took from Fang gave him a similar feeling to the statue.


    Bing felt as if the ring wanted to get his attention.


    "Haha what the hell am I thinking? I''d certainly get whipped to death if I tried to hide anything from the demoness." He said to himself before exiting the room and meeting with Jing.


    He showed her all the goodies he got from the Huan clan members.


    "Alright set it on the floor so I can have a good look. There had to be something of worth inside that room since all these people are dead out here." Jing said.


    A majority of the items were just different types of pills but amongst the items there were some mortal-ranked and earth-ranked martial arts and some more swords. She left the rings alone due to Li Li signaling to her that there was something strange about them.


    "What is with the obsession with swords? Aren''t there other weapons being sold?" Jing muttered in annoyance as she put the 20th sword inside her ring.


    "Swords are seen as the king of all weapons, my Empress. The number of famous cultivators that use a weapon that isn''t a sword can be counted on two hands." Bing informed.


    "How boring." Jing commented as she put on the first ring.


    Jing''s mind was suddenly pulled inside the ring and she was taken into a whole new place. It looked as if she was inside a royal palace. There was an empty throne in front of her and luxurious and fancy designed furniture all around her. Art pieces of wonder and amazement littered the walls. Jing wondered where in the world has she been brought to and was about to start exploring this place but suddenly a mysterious old man appeared in front of her.


    He was dressed like a servant and seemed to be staring at her with hate in his eyes.


    "Leave immediately!" He roared.


    Jing felt a fierce wave of qi smash into her. She was unable to keep her feet grounded and was sent flying into a painting on the wall. She smashed into the picture frame and fell to the soft velvety rug. Anger and annoyance rushed to her face. If she doesn''t teach this old man the true meaning of pain, she wouldn''t be able to live with herself.


    Jing got up off the floor with no discernible injuries present on her. Her body healed them too quickly for her to even notice it.


    "I will not teach you any of my martial arts you disgusting thief! You killed my heir and I will never forgive you." He announced.


    "I don''t need your permission! If I want something, I''m going to get it regardless of who stands in my way." Jing retorted.


    "I''d like to see you try. Now leave my heirloom!" He shouted once more, this time forcefully making Jing exit from the mental plane.


    Jing returned back to the ruins with Bing and Li Li. She blinked her eyes a few times before a pissed off expression painted her face. Bing immediately bowed in submission while Li Li looked around for any threats.


    "I''m fine. Don''t mind me. Bing stay in that position for a moment." Jing said.


    Jing inserted the ring inside her hand using 914''s ability and started refining the ring on 1:1 mode. She consciously switched the ring out with a similar one without the powerful old ghost inside. The ring exited out of her opposite hand and she pulled it back inside herself and refined it on fine this time. The old man said he wouldn''t teach her any of his martial arts but she didn''t need his stinking techniques in the first place. She couldn''t learn them even if she tried anyway because she wasn''t even a cultivator yet!


    Martial arts can only be utilized through qi. Something Jing does not have quite yet. Maybe she could make some for Li Li though. With 914''s ability, she could certainly make something that doesn''t exist, like for say a martial arts technique for birds. She''d have to experiment a few times once she reaches the sect, but for now she''ll just put it on her to-do list.


    Jing refined the ring on fine and made it so that a copy of the wearer would be able to request certain types of martial arts that the old man knew and show them step by step how to perform them and master them. The ring exited her opposite hand and she placed the ring inside her storage ring. This could be quite a good gift for one of her future underlings. Bing has been doing a good job so far, but this type of reward was far too good for him right now.


    Jing then tried on the second ring and mentally braced herself to enter another weird plane but found out that she didn''t feel anything. Nothing special happened when she put on the ring this time.


    "Li Li, you said this one was strange too?" She asked.


    Li Li nodded and Jing was confused.


    "Empress, it might be that the ring needs qi to properly function. Some artifacts are able to bond with people through blood or qi." Bing suggested.


    Jing used her nail to cut into the back of her arm. Her nail sliced her flesh quite easily and blood dripped on the ring. The trio waited for any sign of something special happening and still no success.


    "Put this thing on and shoot some qi into it." Jing ordered.


    "May I raise my head?" He asked carefully in case this was a trick question for her to just physically assault him.


    "Hurry up and put it on."


    Bing raised his head and struggled to put the ring around his fat index finger but managed to squeeze it on. Since Bing was a 2nd level qi gatherer, he wasn''t able to infuse his qi into objects quite yet but he could use his qi to empower his body and strike the ring. Allowing the ring to take in his leftover qi from the attack.


    The ring began to light up, blinding Bing. Li Li and Jing were fine due to their refinement. Bright lights couldn''t blind them. The two of them saw a four-armed figure flashed on the surface of the ring as a light blue aura started flowing into Bing''s head.


    "Is this what qi looks like outside the body?" Jing questioned as she had no idea what else this blue stuff could be.


    She tried to touch it as the blue gaseous stream was flowing into Bing''s head but felt nothing as it passed through her hand without any change. She didn''t feel a change in temperature or any type of feeling as her hand move straight through it. The qi just continued to flow into Bing''s head. Jing wondered what the hell was even happening right now but the only person who could was currently knocked out. Bing''s eyes were rolled to the back of his head and his mouth was gaping wide open.


    This ghastly state didn''t last long though. The ring stopped whatever it was doing and Bing returned back to his normal state. He was a bit out of it though but that didn''t stop him from forming a smile on his face once he realized what kind of treasure he just gained.


    "I''m waiting." Jing said.


    Bing suddenly snapped out of it once he heard Jing''s commanding tone and relayed what gains he just obtained.


    "I''ve just been given 3 techniques Empress. One auxiliary, one body, and one movement martial arts." Bing shared.


    "Go on show me." She said with interest in her voice.


    "I won''t be able to move much afterwards Empress if I go through all three of them. My qi will be mostly empty and I will barely be able to walk."


    "We have pills. Hurry up and show me."


    "Very well..." Bing said with nervousness in his voice.


    The techniques he''s just gained knowledge of will be very beneficial to him. They are all sky-ranked martial arts with the potential to rival heaven-ranked ones! As long as he trains diligently and continues to advance in his cultivation, his rise to the top will only be a matter of time and effort!


    Bing had Jing and Li Li follow him back into the large room before. He told them to give him some space and they did as he prepared to use the first technique he''s gained. Devil''s Arms, the auxiliary martial art. Most auxiliary martial arts utilize a special breathing pattern. This auxiliary skill in particular was special because if one trained this technique to the peak level, they would be capable of materializing hands the size of the heavens and more numerous that stars in the sky.


    All martial arts have levels to them. Elementary, Initial, Intermediate, Advanced and Mastered. Training to the mastered stage of a martial arts is very rare unless you were the creator of the technique. The only way one can train to the peak of a martial skill is by fully comprehending the technique with their body, mind, and soul. If one can''t comprehend a technique with all 3, they will forever be stuck at the high rank for the skill. Even if they spend 1000s of years practicing, it''s all futile if they can''t comprehend with their entire being.


    Bing infused qi throughout his body as he performed the correct breathing pattern. Jing watched as Bing''s flesh began to shift and move across his belly. The area beneath his arm pits started to flesh out and form into two secondary limbs. The fat on Bing''s belly began to spread into the second pair of arms he''s gained. It looked as if the fat was somehow turning into muscle as the second pair of arms looked very muscular in comparison to Bing''s original arms which were flabby and smooth.


    Jing watched Bing''s new lean figure trying out his new arms.


    "It feels completely natural..." Bing muttered.


    "What else can you do besides have 4 arms?" Jing asked.


    "Well.. I feel like I can move all four of them differently without any problems and I don''t think I have a dominant arm anymore. I feel like I can move them all the same." Bing said as he put his shield in each hand and tried out different moves with them.


    ''There has to be something more to it than just growing arms...'' Jing thought.


    "Alright get on to the next one." Jing said.


    This second martial art was called Devil''s Physique. It was a body martial skill which meant he had to circulate qi throughout his body in a special pattern. If this skill was trained to the mastered stage, it is said that the user will be able to roam throughout the heavens with their body without an equal and crush all that oppose them. If he circulated his qi the wrong way, he could risk crippling himself or failing the skill entirely. The higher ranked the martial arts, the more precise and complicated the patterns are.


    Bing took extra precaution in performing this skill. He sat in a meditative pose and closed his eyes. Fully focused and concentrated on moving his qi in the correct pathways through his body. To Jing, it seemed that this skill was much harder than the one before it. Sweat was dripping from every inch of Bing''s body. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated on moving his qi exactly how he wanted. Flowing through his blood, beautifully coating his muscles, weaving through his bones. His qi traveled through his entire frame enhancing his physique.


    Bing exhaled the impurities inside his body from his mouth in the form of a black smog. He calmly rose up from the ground and began flexing as he felt a newfound source of energy surging throughout his body.


    "I feel like a whole new Ai Bing!" He said with glee and excitement.


    To show off his new strength he stomped the ground with as much force as he could, causing it to shatter beneath him. Jing nodded with a satisfied look on her face.


    "Block this." She said as he kicked towards his face without holding back much.


    Bing was still frightened of the demoness but with the technique he just gained surely, he should be able to defend himself now shouldn''t he? To be extra careful he cross guarded with all four of his arms against Jing''s kick. The kick landed onto his arms and a pained expression appeared on his face. The weight behind Jing''s kick was far more than he was expecting! He felt like his bones were on the verge of cracking from that single blow alone. She was definitely holding back on him earlier when she physically abused him or he''d be crippled by now!


    The sadistic grin painting her face made Bing''s face pale. She wasn''t going all out in the slightest. She was toying with him, putting him in his place so he doesn''t get too big a head from this. Saying that even with 3 sky-ranked martial arts, she''s still his Master. With a sullen but understanding look, he dropped his guard and bowed his head.


    "Smarter than you look. You''re impressing me more and more. Now quickly show me the last one so we can leave this dirty place." Jing said with a pleased smile on her face.


    "Yes Empress." Bing responded.


    The final sky-ranked martial skill he was given was called Swift Devil. It was a movement martial art that gave the user the speed of a devil. If trained to the peak level, one could move with enough force to shatter mountains and split oceans. Bing was most afraid to try movement technique. This was because he had no idea how fast he would be moving. He just hoped his body technique was strong enough to protect him from any serious damage.


    Bing moved to the far end of the opposite side of the room as he ate a qi pill and used the qi for his technique. He flowed his qi through his lower body in the pattern listed for the technique and braced himself as he felt a surge of strength rushing from his legs. He hoped the demoness would be ready with recovery pills in case this turns out horribly. Or at the very least has enough humanity to catch him before he crashes into something. With her strength, catching him should be easy enough right?


    "Hurry up!" Jing ordered.


    Bing''s clothes were already soaked in sweat. He doubted he could sweat any further. But orders are orders...


    "Swift Devil!" Bing shouted before vanishing from his previous spot.


    Jing watched as her slave''s speed increased to the point where it was almost hard for her to notice him. If she wasn''t focused on him, he would definitely be nothing more than a blur. This skill could be very useful. As a sneak attack and a method of getting away. Jing would have no chance of catching up to Bing if he used this consistently. But she''s sure that he wouldn''t be able to get very far based on how he looks right now.


    Bing managed to stop himself just before he collided with the walls of the ruin and was breathing heavily. It seems his movement technique takes more on his body than his actual qi to work. He was crouched over taking big gulps of air. He was secretly pleased that he was able to control himself and be aware of his surroundings while he was using the skill.


    "Alright let''s go back up. Carry me." Jing ordered as she placed her thighs around Bing''s neck.


    Her smooth brown legs hung across Bing''s chest. Li Li stayed perched on her shoulder and Bing slowly got up after catching his breathe. He stopped using his auxiliary technique and returned back to his original round appearance. He would be in heaven right now if a girl that wasn''t the demoness did this. Her body is simply too lacking for him to find any small pleasures in this. He would never show his dissatisfaction on his face though, he was positive she would break him apart if he did. So, Bing carried Jing and Li Li all the way back to the surface with a goofy smile on his face.

 12 Stairs To Heaven!

    Once they made it back to the surface, the ground beneath them started to shake. The wild beasts, insects, and birds escaped as fast as they could. Bing couldn''t keep his balance and fell to the ground while Jing and Li Li stood completely fine as the violent shaking had no effect on them. The entrance to the ruins they just came from started to close up.


    "Is it an earthquake!?" Bing asked.


    ''I thought those ruins were part of the test, but maybe they were something else...'' Jing suspected.


    The entrance fully closed up and soon the shaking stopped. Jing started blindly walking through the jungle. Bing hurriedly got up and followed after her.


    "What just happened?" He asked.


    "How should I know?" She answered.


    "Oh. Where are we going now?"


    "I accomplished my current goals. All that''s left is to wait until this portion of the test is over." Jing told him.


    "So, no more fighting to the death with others...?" Bing asked hesitantly.


    "Not unless I tell you to." Jing replied.


    Bing wiped his forehead full of imaginary sweat.


    "Thank goodness..." He muttered.


    The trio enjoyed a peaceful walk through the jungle since most of the wild creatures fled earlier. Jing was satisfied with her haul so far. She can use a majority of them to build a stable and firm foundation once she gets accepted into the sect. Jing doesn''t currently know what the situation is like at the Golden Serpent Sect but she plans to rise up and take over it for herself or stay behind the scenes and rule it. But if she was being honest, she''d rather stay in the background for a while until the time was needed for her to show herself.


    She doesn''t mind gaining attention but it wouldn''t be as fun and interesting to her. Jing just feels like it isn''t in herself to show off her abilities and let everyone know how capable and dangerous she is. Bing is an exception because he''s her slave. The only people she plans to show her true self to are those she can control and those she can trust.


    So, until the perfect situation comes where her fa?ade is no longer needed, she will become no more than just someone who fits in the background. The perfect normal. The average schmuck. Ruling behind the scenes, getting rid of those who will choose to stand in her way, and building her own faction inside the sect.


    Jing''s plans for the future were suddenly interrupted by a loud thunderous voice in the sky.


    "THE FIRST PORTION OF THE TEST IS OVER! THERE IS NOW AN ACCEPTABLE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FOR THE SECOND PORTION! PREPARE YOURSELVES!" A loud boisterous voice informed.


    Jing, Bing, and Li Li watched as their bodies started to vanish slowly.


    "My hand!" Bing shouted in fright as his left hand was completely gone.


    Jing looked down and saw her legs vanishing in a white light. She could still feel the connection to her legs though, so she didn''t freak out as much as Bing was. Li Li pruned his feathers as if the situation didn''t faze him in the slightest.


    Soon the three of them vanished from the jungle and reappeared in a whole new area. Jing confirmed her body was still in one piece before noticing her new surroundings. Around them were hundreds of other cultivators, similarly confused or still in survival mode. Besides the cultivators though, they seemed to be standing inside a large arena ring. Around them were audience stands and in front of them were stairs ascending to the sky. The stairs had an ethereal look to them. Light blue, solid but seemingly not, and transparent.


    "You bastard dog! I''ll kill you for killing my cousin!"


    "Don''t be so upset trash! I''ll send you off with your little cousin soon!"


    "Oi! Is this waste messing with a member of the Shang clan!?"


    "Rip his intestines out of his skull!"


    Situations like this happened all around and it seemed like this portion of the test was going to quickly turn into a giant battle. Jing gripped her whip''s handle inside her outfit in preparation and Bing nervously stood in front of Jing with his shield at the ready.


    "CALM YOURSELVES! There will not be a single blood split right now or I''ll fail you this instant!" The same thunderous voice from before threatened.


    Jing looked over stands and saw the elders and cultivators from the Golden Serpent Sect sitting in the stands watching them. The one shouting at them was the buff elder she saw before she entered the test. After his threat, all the cultivators with grievances shut up and silently swore to deal with those that crossed them later.


    "Good. It seems you all aren''t all a bunch of fools. You can worry about your grudges later but for now listen up. You all will climb those stairs till you aren''t able to move up anymore. Those who can make it in the top 300 will move on to the next portion. Those who can''t will fail here. Any questions?" He asked.


    "What happens if there are multiple people on one step?" A random cultivator asked.


    "You shove them off till you''re the last one on that step." He answered with a grin.


    He waited a few more seconds to see if there were any more questions.


    "Well BEGIN!" He shouted.


    ''It''s time to put on the show.'' Jing secretly smiled to herself as the event began.


    A mass majority of cultivators started to rush up the stairs. They shoved, punched, and kicked anyone who was in their way. They''re getting to the top of these steps and won''t let anyone stop them. The elder didn''t say there was a prize for who made it to the highest step, but he didn''t say there wasn''t. There had to be a reason why only 300 people were passing this part when there were over thousands of cultivators here.


    Bing was one of the cultivators who were rushing up the stairs. He had a pathetic desperate expression as he ran like a boar through the crowd. Numerous cultivators were knocked aside or up in the air from his piggy charge. He was going to show his worth no matter what. Jing couldn''t be the only one who knew that this wasn''t a race. She looked around and saw a small number of people taking their time as they walked towards the steps.


    ''So, there are some people who realize this isn''t a race.'' Jing remarked.


    But Jing wasn''t one of those people right now. She was an extra! A normal! She pushed up her glasses and ran at the same pace as everyone else was towards the stairs. She put on the same desperation in her actions and expression as everyone else was. But a bit more pathetic than theirs. Everyone else had desperation, excited, and fighting spirit in their actions. She had meekness, desperation, and fright in hers. She decided to act like a meek and weak girl on the surface.


    Jing was in the lower part of the sea of cultivators while Bing was near the front surprisingly. Jing could still hear his piggy squeals from where she was and she was being knocked all over the place. That sky-ranked body technique made Bing much stronger than a regular 2nd level Qi Gatherer. Jing was starting to think of how she could use Bing in the most optimal way once they made it into the sect but that thought had to wait as she finally understood what was so special about these steps. Jing took her first step and felt a tiny breeze on her body.


    She looked backwards and noticed that someone else that took the same step stopped directly in their tracks. She saw them urging every ounce of power in their body to move forward, veins popping, muscles straining, and yelling but no matter what they did they couldn''t move past that first step.


    "Heh.. Trash couldn''t even get past this level of qi?" She heard one of the cultivators say as he passed her.


    ''Qi? This doesn''t feel like qi... That old ghost from before was much stronger than this. That qi felt like going against a natural disaster.'' Jing thought to herself before returning back and rushing up the stairs.


    The force of qi didn''t increase much as she climbed the stairs but she could see the effect it had on others. They tried to force their bodies to go past its limits, cry and beg to let them to make it a few more steps up, or just accept the fact that they are going to fail here and walk down the steps.


    It wouldn''t be until Jing made it to her 500th step that she began to feel something more than just a tiny breeze. Now she felt something a little bit more than just a breeze, but it wasn''t enough to make her expend more energy than usual or anything. If anything, it felt like a light cloth was over her body and trying to prevent her from moving forward. The view to the top was still not clear enough though. About 400 people were still in front of her, so she had 100 more people to pass before she could stop. 300th place would be a fantastic stopping place for her. She does plan on looking weak and untalented. What better place would a person like her be if not completely last?


    Jing inwardly smiled but didn''t forget to act as if she was struggling against the force of qi acting on her. Once she passed #310, she even started crawling up the steps to add some authenticity and character to her actions! She was determined to make it to at least 300th place and if she has to do it on her hands and knees she will! Despite being a frightful, weak, and cowardly girl, she still has determination when it counts! It''s all part of the act.


    Li Li was riding on her back, confused entirely. She may have forgotten to let the little man know what she was doing before she started this plan because he was inspecting her body all over wondering if she was sick or something. She had trouble keeping herself from laughing as Li Li worried about her physical state.


    Once she finally passed the last person she needed to. She made it to 300th place. She was covered in sweat and breathing as if she just ran across the whole Yellow Jade City. With her refinements, manually causing herself to sweat isn''t an issue. Not that temperatures really could affect her much in the first place. She could walk naked through a blizzard and still feel like she is at room temperature.


    So, Jing firmly placed herself in 300th and watched as Bing was doing the same act she was doing earlier! He was crawling up 2500th step miserably. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth, his body was soaked in sweat, he was breathing like an overworked race horse, and his face was bruised and swollen from all the blows he''s taken. Jing quickly counted the number of people and saw that Bing was actually the 75th position. He must have ran out of qi to fuel his martial arts.


    ''What a surprise! Those martial arts can really change a person. Not too long ago he couldn''t even fight a wild boar.'' Jing thought in amazement.


    But she may have spoken too soon. Currently behind Bing was a young girl. She was just as tired and out of breath as everyone else but she seemed determined to past Bing or at least make it to his spot.


    ______________________________________________


    "I have to do this... for the Huan clan..." She muttered.


    Bing''s ears perked up.


    ''Huan clan?! Another one!? What if she finds out I murdered those other Huan clan members?! That one guy did say they had an elder at the Core Preparation stage. No wait how would she ever find out those guys'' blood are on my hands? I got to calm down." Bing let loose a breath of relief.


    ¡­..


    ''But... getting rid of one possible source of trouble would be nice... I seriously don''t need something like a cultivator at the core preparation stage breathing down my neck. I''m already a slave. Wait that reminds me where is the demoness at?'' Bing started looked ahead of him at the 74 other people above him but didn''t see Jing anywhere.


    ''Eh? That''s impossible right? She''s way stronger than me. There''s no way she could''ve failed this part.'' Bing questioned.


    He started to look below him but still couldn''t find her anywhere. Maybe... just maybe... she somehow failed...? Tears of relief and happiness were threatening to flow from his face but he quickly slapped his chubby cheeks, making them shake and gaining a red mark.


    ''It''s too earlier to get happy! Let''s wait until the next test before thinking that she failed.'' He told himself.


    The Huan clan girl finally made it to his step and soon realized that she couldn''t move any further up. They locked eyes. One with awkwardness and one with determination and fierceness. She entered a martial stance and waited for Bing to get in his. Bing was thinking that maybe fate was on his side...


    "I''ll move down a step. I wouldn''t want to hurt a girl in the first place..." Bing said nicely with his hands up in a surrendering pose.


    The girl''s face turned angry at his comment and she kicked straight towards his chest in retaliation! Bing''s eyes opened wide in surprise as he slid towards the edge of the steps. He turned around to notice exactly how high he was in the sky right now and nearly pissed his pants from fear.


    ''I almost died! She almost killed me! All I said was I didn''t want to hurt her and she tries to kill me over it!?'' Bing panicked.


    Bing managed to balance himself before he could tip over and watched as the girl kicked towards him again.


    "Just a girl huh?! I''ll show you not to look down on me you weakling!" She harrumphed.


    Bing used his shield and threw it at her. The girl wasn''t able to dodge with so little space and limited ground they had. She was sent flying off the edge with Bing''s shield in her gut. Bing''s shield swerved around in the air after knocking the girl off the edge and returned to his hand. Bing could only hear the sounds of the Huan clan girl screaming as she fell to her death. Around him were eyes judging his previous actions.


    "I uh... was protecting myself! You all saw her try to kill me!" Bing defended himself.


    "Scum..." He heard someone whisper.


    "Who said that!? I''m not scum I just didn''t want to die!" Bing fiercely protested.


    "Should''ve just went down a step in the first place. The Huan clan will definitely get revenge on that fatty now. They have a large group inside the sect I hear." He heard another gossip.


    Bing felt outraged. Those bastards wouldn''t just watch as a girl tried to kill them either! Trying to act all superior. Scumbags... Bing snorted in anger as the second portion of the test seemed to end.


    "It seems like everyone are happy with their spots or can''t move any further. And with this the top 300 have been chosen to move on. Everyone else will return to Yellow Jade City."

 13 The Final Test!

    Everyone started to vanish again. Jing wondered what the third test would be. The one they just went through was even easier than the first one but there wasn''t much to gain in this one so she liked the first test better. There was still far too much information about cultivators that she lacked at the moment. Completely unacceptable for her goals for the future. But it isn''t as if she could go around asking questions without a care in the world, it wouldn''t fit her current character. She''ll have to ask Bing at a later date.


    For right now though, Jing and the other 299 participants who made it through the second test have been transported into a large spacious room. There were three doors that were separated inside the room. Jing didn''t know what laid behind the doors but would know soon.


    The three elders and official disciples of the Golden Serpent Sect stood in front of them in awe imposing stances. The youngest-looking and most beautiful of all the elders stepped forward.


    "I am Elder Ru. I am in charge of this portion of the test." She introduced professionally.


    Elder Ru had vibrant violent hair running down her back. Flawless white skin, lean and slender figure, and a jaw dropping impressive bust. Her face looked as if it was crafted by immortals with her red full lips, small nose, and stern strict eyes. That heavenly fairy staring at them with those eyes that glared at them as if they were nothing at all to her, made many of the cultivators present fall in love with her instantly.


    That cold stare that froze them to their core but also heated up their deepest desires, the cultivators couldn''t wait to get started on this portion of the test to impress Elder Ru. Jing had no feelings about the lady. Everyone she''s seen so far have been handsome or beautiful to her. The young people, the old people, the adults. Even Bing is quite the catch if you can get past his belly.


    But she still hasn''t found a single person dark skinned like her. Maybe she was in the wrong region to look for people with her skin color. It wasn''t as if Jing wanted to relate or connect with people with similar skin tones to her. It was just that it would be easier to not be treated strangely or like an anomaly because of her skin. Jing could''ve altered her skin color by using her 914 ability but deep in her heart she liked her skin and didn''t want to change it. Even if it could help in lowering attraction and staying low key, Jing felt that her skin color was another vital part of her just like her unnatural attraction to causing others to suffer and wanting to control over others.


    "For this portion of the test, we will be testing your skill for comprehension. A cultivator without any talent for comprehension will not make it far in their journey to break into the heavens. No matter which occupation they strive for. Pill Refiners, Array Specialists, Martial Artists. All of them require comprehension to advance. And this exam is exactly that, comprehension." She explained.


    "Follow me." She said while walking towards the first station in the room.


    At the first station were a number of objects. A tall and imposing bookcase filled to the brim with books, wooden humanoid dummies for practicing, a crate filled with qi pills, and a large mat.


    "This is for those who wish to test their comprehension in martial arts. You will take a scroll and attempt to comprehend it before the time limit runs out. If you take a mortal-ranked technique, you must comprehend 4 others to initial rank to pass. If you take a stellar-ranked technique, you must comprehend 2 others to initial rank to pass. If you take an earth-ranked technique, you must comprehend 1 other to initial rank to pass. The training dummies are there for a reason, use them. The mat is for comprehending and cultivation."


    Techniques can further be separated into even more stages than just mortal, stellar, earth, sky, and heaven. Depending on how skilled a martial artist is, they can have certain accomplishments in a technique. Everyone starts off in the elementary realm when practicing a new martial arts. Then it goes on to the initial realm, intermediate realm, advanced realm, and then completion.


    After explaining what laid behind the first door, she brought them into the second door. This area had large thick books on its bookcase, multiple medicinal ingredients, and numerous small pill cauldrons. Jing recognized some of the herbs. She collected a few of those in the first portion, but those thick books kind of scared her. She is definitely not choosing this station no matter what.


    ''I wouldn''t have an issue learning whatever this station was intended for but someone trying to stay low key can''t be seen doing something like that for sure. Even the most untalented person in that field had to be intelligent to some degree!'' Jing thought.


    "This testing area is for those who wish to test their comprehension in pill refinery. Look through any recipe inside the books on the shelves and attempt to make it. Anyone who manages to make a low-grade pill or any ranking of pill will pass this portion. If you can''t make a pill, you can also take one of the test sheets and check your knowledge. If you manage to get more than 50 questions right, you will be eligible to pass."


    It was at this explanation someone asked a question.


    "How is that fair? The requirement to pass is way higher for martial arts practioners!" A 4th level Qi Gatherer remarked.


    "Good observation skills. However, the sect has far greater need for pill refiners than martial artists. Martial artists are a dime a dozen while pill refiners are too few and far between, their value is naturally higher than a simple martial artist." She clarified with arrogance.


    "Now are there any more questions?"


    Everyone stayed silent as to not upset Elder Ru any more than she already is. Getting on the bad side of an elder before even joining the sect is one way to get yourself into a life of hell.


    Elder Ru, seeing that no one has any further questions, moved on to the last door. This area had a desk filled with blank pieces of small paper, paintings of strange intricate patterns on the wall arranged in a tower shape, crates filled with ink bottles, brushes, and a large mat. Jing guessed this was for those who wished to create talismans. This didn''t look too hard at first glance. It looked like in this area all she had to do was take one of those papers and brush, copy the paintings onto the pieces of paper and that should be it.


    "This is the final testing area. This is for those who wish to test their comprehension in arrays and talisman creation. For those wanting to pass this portion you have two different ways to pass. You will need to successfully make 10 mortal-grade talismans or 5 stellar-grade talismans or 1 earth-grade talisman. The other way of passing this area is by creating any type of array formation in one of the paintings near the top. Though, I doubt any of you could unless your family is well versed in arrays."


    A few murmurs of unfairness moved through the crowd, but no one directly spoke up about it. Elder Ru simply stared at them before having them returning back to the starting area.


    "You all will have 12 hours to pass this final test and then you will officially become disciples of our Golden Serpent Sect. We will be watching. Those who pass will return back here after they''re finished. Now begin."


    Jing headed straight towards the array area and saw Bing headed towards the martial arts area. Out of the 300 people here, only about 24 headed towards the array area, not including Jing. 100 cultivators went towards the pill refining area, most likely because of Elder Ru''s looks and not because of actual interest. And the rest of the 175 participants filled up the martial area.


    Jing wasn''t really surprised at how this turned out. If anything, it went exactly how she expected it to. She knew that Elder Ru''s beauty would make a good number of people want to try out pill refining to try and impress her but this is their future after all. One woman isn''t enough to decide their whole future upon, no matter how stunning she looked.


    "So why did you choose to come over here?"


    "This looked the easiest out of the three. I mean all we have to do is copy some pictures, right?"


    "Yeah that''s what it looks like. I never really seen an array master in combat before but I heard they are all tricksters and cowards!"


    "What! No way! I can''t be looked at in such a way. Can I change my mind and try out the martial area?"


    "I don''t know. Go ask. We do have 12 hours after all."


    Jing watched as the boy left the room and never came back. Everyone took notice as the boy freely went from one area to the next and kept it in their mind if their chosen area appears to be more difficult than they expected they can also switch. Jing thought it was nice of the sect to allow them to do that even though you''ll be stressed for time to pass if you do switch over. She didn''t plan on switching areas but she does plan on struggling a little bit to stay in character.


    How could a clumsy, weak, cowardly, and not talented girl pass on her first try? That wouldn''t make sense unless she was actually talented! Which she is, but no one has to know that. Jing doubts that she could ever have a problem with anything related to learning. With her one-of-a-kind refining abilities, she basically gave herself a superior brain the likes of which no one could ever have. Well, besides Li Li. She made him plenty smart too.


    And speaking of his smartness, this little curious owlet is trying to learn how to make his own talisman ahead of her! After Jing went over to the desk and grabbed 10 blank rectangular papers with the brush and ink cup infused with qi, she sat down on the mat ready to begin. Li Li took it upon himself to try and mimic what the others were doing. He took a small blank talisman with his talon and placed it on the mat. He then grabbed the brush and dipped it in the ink, infusing it with qi before finally looking at the most complicated painting up on the wall. The high-ranked spell, Blinding Lightning Burst.


    "I can''t believe they think that one of us would actually be able to make a talisman for blinding lightning burst. If we were capable of doing that, we would''ve already been snatched up by a powerful sect."


    "I heard that this spell is so powerful that anyone under the Qi Consolidation stage would turn directly into ash even if they weren''t hit directly by the talisman!"


    "It''s true! Even peak cultivators at the Qi Consolidation realm would be severely injured by this talisman! That''s why it costs around 5 high grade spirit stones just to purchase one!"


    Blinding Lightning Burst is known for being one of the most popular and powerful spells used by cultivators. And Jing''s innocent owlet of just a few days was attempting to make it all on his own, unaware of the dangers of shaping talismans. Just one wrong stroke of the brush, and the talisman could backfire on you. Depending on the ranking of the type of spell you''re trying to create, also depends on the power of the backlash. And once you started to etch the spell''s pattern into the talisman, you could not stop until you were finished.


    Low rank or mortal ranked talismans will at most burn up if too many mistakes are made. Middle rank or stellar ranked talismans will create a backlash with a small portion of the spell''s power on the talisman. High rank or earth ranked talismans will make a backlash with half of the spell''s power on the talisman. Top rank or sky ranked talismans will cause the talisman to explode with all of the spell''s power. It is unknown what happens when a peak rank or heaven ranked talisman would do because no one in all of the continent has ever witnessed the creation of a heaven ranked talisman. But it is hypothesized that the talisman would explode with twice as much power as it would from a sky ranked talisman. An explosion of that size would be enough to demolish any large kingdom!


    Jing, in her inexperience in this world, had no idea of the repercussions of forcibly halting the formation of a talisman. But she did know that Li Li would easily be able to recreate the pattern in the painting. So, she stopped him in his tracks as he was just a quarter of the way started.


    "Hoo!?" Li Li squawked as the talisman started to light up in Jing''s hand.


    Jing quickly stuffed the incomplete talisman in her storage ring and unknowingly saved herself from the incoming backlash.


    "I''m sorry Li Li. I''ll let you practice with talismans later but for now I need you to just watch me okay?" Jing said nicely.


    Li Li sadly put away the brush and paper before returning to perch on Jing''s shoulder.


    "I promise I''ll let you play all you want later. Don''t be sad." She said while gently rubbing his feathers.


    Li Li''s head raised slightly but Jing could tell he was still a bit down. She really wanted to let him try it but the attention they would gain would throw everything she''s working for into the mud. She''s never seen Li Li sad before and it was really pressing on her heart. She''s raised him ever since he was an egg. This was a hard for both of them but Jing hoped he would be a little satisfied just by watching for now.


    Jing grabbed a blank paper to get started on. She dipped the brush and got started on one of the mortal ranked spells. The spell she got started on was called qi shield. When used by a cultivator, this spell would create a barrier made out of qi. It''s a one-use item and could only create a barrier as strong as the person using it. So, if a qi gatherer of the 5th level used qi shield, it would create a barrier that was as strong as a qi gatherer at the 5th level. It was a common but popular item to use by cultivators of all realms.


    Jing''s initial start on the talisman was flawless. Her slender and feminine arms moved without haste. Her hands were as steady as a rock and as fluid as a river. The complicated spell patterns didn''t stand a chance against Jing''s superior mind and dexterity. The almost completed talisman looked flawless so far.


    The right amount of ink used without dipping to much on to the talisman or too little, the perfectly curved ink patterns, and the professional posture she sat with. All made it appear that this first spell will be done without any issues! Jing was just about to finish up with the spell but suddenly just before she finished the last dot, she amateurishly scrawled across the talisman, completely ruining it and causing it to burn up in a purple flame and into ash.


    "Awh dang it..." She said out loud so everyone could see that she failed.


    "SHHHH!" Someone shushed her.


    Everyone was too busy concentrating on their own talismans or watching the more skilled people create their talismans. She made her face turn red from embarrassment before she focused back on making talismans.

 14 Gaining Attention? What Kind Of Beast Is This!?

    10 hours have passed since the start of the final test. The situation has turned into chaos and pandemonium for the less talented of the people present. Once they realized the remaining amount of time and their lack of progress, they begun to run around from station to station in a panic. If they weren''t talented in martial arts, then they''ll try pill refining. If they aren''t talented in martial arts and pill refining, they will try arrays. If they aren''t talented in martial arts, pill refining, and arrays, then they will head back to pill refining to learn as much as they can to try and pass the knowledge check sheet. These people have good prospects for becoming apprentice alchemists.


    Passing the pill refining test sheet was the only chance for those not gifted in any of the paths to pass this final portion of the test because it was not based on talent at all and rather intelligence or the ability to retain knowledge. In the martial area, Bing was diligently practicing with the mortal-ranked martial arts. He rose 3 of them so far to the initial realm and only had two more to finish.


    Compared to the sky-ranked martial arts he''s already learned, these mortal-ranked ones aren''t that difficult to learn in comparison. The only issue he had so far was that his competition was pretty tough. The martial area was filled with scary and dangerous cultivators. Everyone was either glaring at each other or focusing on practicing the techniques. All the cultivators remaining were far above him in cultivation. The only one close to him in cultivation was one frightening looking boy with purple streaks in his hair and a strange qi presence. He was a qi gatherer at the third level but felt like he could definitely battle with those above his level.


    The rest were above the 3rd stage and those above the 4th stage had large backgrounds. Bing avoided the eyes of everyone and just focused on practicing these last two martial arts to the initial realm. Even with his sky-ranked techniques, he doubted he could even stalemate against these guys. Thankfully, no one tried to find trouble with him. He guessed they were too busy trying to pass themselves to mess with him. They did have only 2 hours left.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing wiped some sweat from her forehead as she just finished her 7th mortal-ranked talisman. Her face was focused and determined as she grabbed another piece of paper and got to work on number eight. She had to keep up appearances after all. Anyone could be watching her.


    Which is also one of the reasons why she''s only been working on with the qi shield spell. Jing thought that it may make her look more talented if she was able to create 10 different talismans and being talented wasn''t her goal. So, she faked earnestly working on the qi shield spell over and over. She''s failed dozens of times to show off just how average she was. She didn''t finish her first talisman until they were 2 and a half hours in and even after that she still made mistakes from time to time.


    Taking these extra steps would take a lot of patience from a person but Jing didn''t feel tired at all. She felt as if this wasn''t the first time she was acting out a character and wondered once more just what kind of person she was in the past. It made her curious to an extent, but it wasn''t as if she would try and find out at all costs exactly who she was. She didn''t care about her past that much.


    She just had a little interest because it was so far from the average person in terms of personality. She''s sure she''ll find out more about herself as time goes on. There isn''t really a need to investigate and such. She wouldn''t even know where to start in the first place.


    "Are you still working on such a basic level spell? Even my 3 year old sister would be able to finish such an easy talisman." A sudden youth stated from behind her.


    "I''m¡­ doing the best I can." Jing responded in a small voice.


    "You''re doing it all wrong! Your hands are shaking, you''re barely using any spirit ink, and you can''t even draw a straight line!" He berated her with his eyebrows creasing.


    "I¡­. I¡­." She wasn''t able to finish as the gazes and whispers of others reached them.


    "What is the array prodigy Shang Zhai doing talking to that ugly girl?" A nearby group of girls gossiped.


    "A cultivator like him that came from a long line of famous array geniuses wouldn''t be talking to someone like that of his own free will."


    "Maybe she asked him for help after she saw him form the qi barrier formation and passed within the first hour. "


    "Someone as ugly as her thinking she can take Zhai from us? Nothing but a toad listing after our glorious swan."


    A downcast look appeared on Jing''s face but she didn''t let this stop her. Although disheartened and shamed for no reason, she continues to attempt to pass the array portion of the final test. She went to grab another ink bottle and dipped her brush into it before trying to redraw on a whole new slip. Her concentration was all over the place as more insulting comments washed over her ears.


    "Hmph now she''s trying to act all high and mighty. I bet she won''t even pass and get accepted into the sect."


    "Look she only finished with seven talismans! How untalented can one be?!"


    ______________________________________________


    Shang Zhai''s face seemed to grow even angrier after noticing her reaction to the negative murmurs and the whispering in general. He shot a quick glare at the gossiping cultivators, shutting them up instantly before sitting right next to Jing.


    "I will only show you this once. Don''t think too much of it! I am only doing this out of pity because of your horrible skill." He told her.


    Shang Zhai ripped her talisman into ash as he pulled out a blank slip from the storage ring on his finger. He placed the slip down and used his qi to harden the brush. The hardened brush allowed Zhai to have a more accurate stroke and deeper press, making it easier for him to follow the spell design to perfection and finish the talisman.


    Shane Zhai prowess in arrays started to show nearly instantly. His hands flowed as fast and as smoothly as a river. Amongst any of the youth present in the room, those that can be said to have a higher skill than Zhai in the path of arrays is none. The way he seamlessly drew an exact replica of the spell pattern after only taking a single glance can be said to be nothing short of perfection.


    "I''m sure that Shang Zhai is the only one who could complete a mortal-ranked spell in less than 15 breaths."


    "It takes me a good hour to create a half decent qi shield! The Heavens are truly unjust!"


    Shang Zhai finished up and looked over at Jing.


    "Hmph. How was that? Did you learn anything?" He asked with a smug smile on his face.


    He looked over to see Jing with a confused but amazed look on her face. He nearly face palmed but realized that maybe he went a little too fast. He went slower a second time, showing her some basic drawing techniques for drawing perfect lines, curves, and more. After finishing this time, he saw a more responsive appearance from her. It seemed like she got something out of it. Not even realizing that he just went back on the words he said earlier.


    "Thank you so much!" A bright innocent smile radiated from Jing that was a complete antithesis to her personality as a whole.


    The array prodigy had a small blush appear on his face that Jing managed to catch before he turned around and hid his face with his sleeve.


    "I''ll take my leave now. The sight of you struggling over something so simple was irritating to say the least." He said while still hiding his face.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing was confused but amused at the young genius. He seemed cute to her. She had no idea what he saw in her but she planned to take advantage of it. Another person that can used by her is never a bad thing, especially when it''s an innocent young boy who seems to have issues expressing himself honestly.


    At first, she believed he was just coming to make trouble with her based on the first words he said to her.


    ''I mean who starts a conversation by insulting someone?''


    But as she watched the way he reacted to the negative words about her and him showing her basic talisman drawing techniques, she knew that he had an interest in her. Jing herself doesn''t help anyone unless it can benefit her in some way. So why would someone else help without also expecting something in return?


    Did he want her body? Did he want Li Li? She couldn''t exactly find his angle in all this at the beginning but by the end she knew exactly why he came over. A sinister smile almost leaked from Jing''s face as she thought of using this boy to her whim. His youthful innocence and high popularity made her excited for the future.


    A future that will only be possible if she passes this recruitment test. She only has about an hour left before the last test is over. Jing started to work on talisman #8 and showed much more careful deliberation and used the techniques taught to her by Shang Zhai. Her attempts at replicating the techniques were laughable but worked and although the finished product was a bit crude, it was good enough to successfully create the spell for qi shield. But unlike the last times where she made it look like she took a short break to give her hand a break, she continued onto talisman #9 and then to talisman #10 before finally passing with only 10 minutes to spare.


    She looked around to see those that have yet to finish in a frenzy and those that have passed returned to the starting area near the disciples and elders of the Golden Serpent Sect. She got up off the mat and moved over there with a relieved smile on her lips. She saw that Bing was surrounded on all sides with a frightful look on his face. He was avoiding the eyes of everyone and just kept his eyes to the ground.


    A few more participants managed to make it before the 12 hours was over. But overall it accounted to about 100 people left that managed to pass the Golden Serpent Sect recruitment test.


    "More people passed this year than the last 5 years. Not bad¡­" Elder Ru told them as their bodies started to vanish for the last time.


    Jing reappeared at Yellow Jade City. The elders all brought out a talisman and sliced them in half simultaneously, causing it to burn into ash from purple flames. Jing looked around wondering what did they just do while everyone inside the city was looking up at them with excitement, expectation, and amazement. Jing and all the others who passed looked up as well before noticing a huge shadow overtaking them.


    A giant golden winged serpent soared in the skies above Yellow Jade City. The cheers of the mortals below nearly managed to stir the new disciples out of their shock but it wasn''t enough. The sheer aura of a beast on this level was enough to freeze even the most talented of new disciples. Whether it was Tang Wuying, Xiao Hong, Gong Jun, Shang Zhai, or Liu Lan they were all unable to move a single inch.


    Jing and Li Li were fine though. Jing guessed the aura everyone else was feeling wasn''t qi and was something else that she didn''t know about. Because if it was qi the snake was radiating, she would perhaps be as frightened as everyone else. But this didn''t stop her from at least acting like fear struck her soul! Jing was shaking and sweating just as worst as the other cultivators were and even fell down on her butt to stay true to her cowardly and frightful nature. Li Li stared at the beast as if he was ready to battle any second.


    Although the more talented disciples couldn''t move, they didn''t give up. They continued to fight against the fear in their heart. They continued to struggle to regain control over their body. To fight against the shackles placed over them and to keep resisting no matter what!


    The members of the Golden Serpent Sect laughed in amusement while a few elders gave eyebrow raises to those still trying. The winged Serpent cane flying down towards them.


    "Mommy I don''t want to die!"


    "Shut up fool! We''re not going to die!"


    "I think I soiled my robes¡­"


    "I''ll give 10 low spirit stones for anyone''s clothes!"


    An amused grin showed up on Elder Mo''s mouth.


    "Riding this amazing beast is how we are getting to the sect." He explained, causing a few disciples to faint.


    "Come on. Chop chop. We don''t have all day. Jump on and make sure you hold onto her beautiful scales tight. If you fall, that''s your fault for being so weak." He rushed them.


    No one was willing to take the first step.


    "Did we accidentally pass a whole group with no spines?" One of the current disciples asked with a snigger.


    "Hah¡­. What a shame. I had such great hopes for my new junior martial brothers and sisters. If they can''t even ride a tamed beast, then they surely can''t make it far on the journey of cultivation." Another disciple added.


    These comments deeply stabbed into the hearts of the new disciples. Prompting them to will any courage or pride inside them to force them into leaping onto the golden serpent. The snake was long enough for everyone to ride and a few hundred more even. It took a few moments but eventually all 100 new disciples got aboard the flying snake.


    Jing and Bing were amongst the last ones to hop on. Jing glared at Bing, prompting him sit ahead of her. He jumped in fright from her gaze while secretly crying in his heart that she passed and his life at the sect will be ruined. Jing smiled in satisfaction, seeing Bing dutifully following her commands.


    Now that everyone got on and gripped tightly to the beast, it started to flap its wings and take off into the sky. Jing expected to feel a powerful gale of wind to attempt and blast her off but felt no wind at all. It was a pleasant surprise, but also unexpected. She guessed that qi was being used to block the wind coming at them because they were moving very fast in the sky. They were flying above the clouds and everyone who had the guts to look around were amazed by the fantastic sight.


    "If you''re shocked by this just wait till we get to the sect." One of the senior disciples said smugly.


    "The scenery there will blow you away." Another one added.


    Jing figured now would be the best time to explain things to Bing. She couldn''t have him calling her Empress, master, and the such in public. It would destroy her character in one fell swoop!


    "Slave." Jing spoke into Bing''s ear.


    His heart nearly jumped out of his chest from the closeness of her demonic voice. Adding the fact that were currently soaring the sky at speeds unknown, just what insane demands could she possibly ask for right now?


    "Empress...?" He responded.


    "Once we arrive to the sect, we will be nothing but strangers. You will not refer to me as anything but Jing and you will treat me no differently than you would anyone else."


    Ai Bing couldn''t believe the words he was hearing right now. Was the demoness really giving him his freedom? Was he finally free to live his life as he wanted from now on? Can he see his family once again in the future? Find a beautiful cute gentle girlfriend. Get married and have dozens of children...


    "Wipe that disgusting smile off your face. Don''t be mistaken fool. You are still nothing more than my possession. I am telling you this because I don''t wish to gain attention by anyone in the sect. I will be acting like a sheep while being the tiger. I think that''s how you people would describe it." Jing explained.


    Tears slowly fell from Bing''s eyes. It was too glorious to be true.


    ''How could I be so na?ve?''


    A demoness will forever be an incomprehensible being. He didn''t understand why a vile she-demon like her would want to act low key but has he understood anything about her so far? The thoughts of a demon can''t be comprehended by the mind of a simple human like himself.


    "I will find a way to get in contact with you once we get settled in the sect. Until then, you are free to do as you wish." Jing told him as she went back to acting nervous but also excited and wowed by the sights they were seeing in the sky.

 15 Useful System Rewards!

    On her journey to her new home, Jing was relaxing with Li Li as they flew above the skies. She looked down at the endless color of green below her. The Immortal Forest reaches much farther than Jing originally thought it did. She was certain that if she didn''t have Li Li when she first came here, she could have been stuck in that forest for the rest of her life! Even when they were so high up, she still couldn''t see any end in sight to this forest. It is said that some of the truly strong beasts that inhabit the deep parts of the Immortal Forest are strong enough to go to head with the current sect leader of the Golden Serpent Sect.


    But this was just a rumor that Jing heard amongst her fellow martial peers. Not that she could really imagine the power that the sect leader has nor the beasts that live deep in the Immortal Forest. The strongest thing she''s felt so far was the old ghost in the ring that she got rid of back in the ruins. The second would be Elder Change, the elderly looking examiner. The long white beard and hair tied up in a pony tail, wrinkled skin with a sharp gaze, eyes filled with such wisdom and strength. He''s an array elder as well. So, Jing might have to call him master in the future.


    She looked over to see Bing enjoying the view on top of the winged snake like a majority of the others. She also sensed a particular gaze directed at herself from up ahead on the beast. This wasn''t the first time she felt someone''s gaze on her since they began flying. Most of the time it was because of Li Li and trying to figure out who could be the owner of such a handsome spirit beast, but this time the gaze stayed on her longer than usual. Just about as long as the time when she was talking to Bing earlier.


    She innocently looked over and briefly met eyes with Shang Zhai. He immediately turned his head and looked off into the distance. Jing inwardly smirked before going back about her business of relaxing and petting Li Li''s unbelievably soft feathers.


    *DING*


    [Multiple Missions Completed!]


    [Rewards: 3 rare tickets, 100,000 yuan, 5 low-quality spirit stones, Book of Qi]


    [Mission Failed!]


    [You failed to kill over 500 competitors during the test!]


    [Penalty: None]


    [Mission Reminder!]


    [Help the arrogant young master regain some face! Train Tang Wuying till he''s capable of fighting evenly with Gong Jun or surpassing him in strength! Or weaken Tang Wuying by the time of the duel that he loses all popularity and credibility.]


    [Rewards: Group tab is unlocked, martial technique: Snake Fist, 3 rare tickets.]


    Her mission rewards automatically transferred into her system''s inventory. When she went in to look she noticed the familiar lock symbol on the bottom right of the tickets, indicating that she can''t bring it out of her inventory and can only be used through the system.


    ''The being that made this system is pretty sharp. I planned on taking the tickets out of my inventory and refining them into legendary tickets but it got one over me instead by not allowing me to have contact with the tickets at all.'' Jing smiled at being checkmated by the system''s creator.


    ''It seems they do not care about what I can do with the other rewards though or the limits I can raise with the others aren''t worthy enough to be acknowledged by the system''s creator.'' Jing guessed.


    The money would be useful once she returns back to the city for whatever reason. She found out one way to never be broke again by using 914''s refining abilities. But that can wait till later, she has no use for monetary needs as of right now. The book however, was a name she recognized. She went to the system''s menu and went to the ally tab before clicking on Bing''s name.


    [Name: Ai Bing]


    [Rank: Qi Gathering 2 Peak]


    [Occupation: Martial Artist]


    [Techniques: Devil''s Arms (Initial Realm), Devil''s Physique (Initial Realm), Swift Devil (Initial Realm), ... ]


    [Cultivation Method: Book of Qi]


    [Loyalty: 40% (Scared to death of you but has come to terms that his life of freedom is now forfeit.)]


    ''Ah so it was a cultivation technique... And considering that it''s the same one Bing has it must be the most common or weakest one there is.'' Jing figured.


    She was not too worried about the ranking of things though. With 914''s ability, even a pile of dirt could turn into a pile of diamonds! So, this common cultivation method has the same value as a rare and one-of-a-kind cultivation book! The advantage Jing has over others can''t even be considered to be fair. If the standard cultivator was said to be on stage 5, then Jing would be on stage 100! To even try and compare her to those around her would be the first mistake to make!


    Jing decided to wait till she got settled at the sect before officially becoming a cultivator. There''s no reason to gain attention here by breaking into the first realm. She''s gained enough by attracting the feelings of Shang Zhai and somehow passing the ridiculously difficult recruitment test without even being a cultivator. Even by doing the bare minimum, she still caught the eye of the elders and some of her fellow peers. But as far she knows, they only believe her to be an incredibly lucky mortal with a tamed spirit beast.


    ''It''s good enough for now. The only other way I could''ve attracted less attention was if I didn''t have Li Li or was already a cultivator before I took the test.'' Jing thought before going into her inventory.


    She decided to use her 3 rare tickets. She didn''t think there was much of a point of waiting till later to use them. It''s not as if her luck would increase if she decided to wait to use them until she was in trouble. That''s just wishful thinking and naivety. The world doesn''t go the way you wish it to just because you''re in a tight situation.


    [Warning!]


    [A Penalty Is In Effect!]


    [Reduced luck in next gacha spin!]


    ''Reduced luck? I guess that means I''ll most likely get some worthless items.'' Jing was about to shrug her shoulders and continue to use them anyway but suddenly stopped herself.


    ''Next gacha spin? Doesn''t that mean if I use only 1 ticket right now, then it would only lower my luck with that ticket instead of all of them?" She asked herself.


    Jing realized that only she could answer her questions. The system sure wasn''t responding to her. So instead of using all 3 rare tickets together like she originally planned, she used only a single ticket.


    [Host has received Cerulean Venus Flytrap seed]


    She then used her next 2 rare tickets together.


    [Host has received Tiger Boomerang, SCP ¨C 4820]


    ''Another SCP? How lucky...'' She commented with a content look on her face.


    She doubted she was going to find much use out of the seed and boomerang but it wouldn''t feel right to her if she doesn''t use everything in her disposal to their fullest. Jing believed that everything has some value and with 914''s ability inside her, that belief was enforced even more. Didn''t she have a mission to help Tang Wuying win some duel in a couple months? She could think of some situation where she could give it to him but to get him proficient enough in wielding it to the point of not get wiped out by Gong Jon, the genius martial artist that made her knees quiver even after her refinement. She''ll have to do some planning to get everything just right.


    Jing didn''t plan on weakening Tang Wuying and having him lose horribly. In fact, she plans on recruiting him to her side in these few months. Even though making him lose would be easier and she would still get the mission rewards regardless of what she does, having the only son of Yellow Jade City''s ruler on her side can only bring benefits to her. His personality might be horrible but it isn''t like she plans on being friends with the boy, just using him until he has no further use to her.


    Her first gacha spin could be used if she grows a garden, she could place the Cerulean Venus Flytrap seed inside to defend it from thieves and pests. She still had numerous plants and herbs inside her storage ring that she could plant so, making a garden isn''t such a bad idea. She''d have to learn how to take care of a garden though. Hopefully there''s a book or place inside the sect where she can learn about it.


    Her final reward made her hesitant. She was deliberating over whether to sell this back to the system or not for the 50,000 points it would give her. She personally had no use for this SCP but then again there was nothing inside the system store she could really get even if she sold it. The only thing inside the store was a mug, steel sword, fishing rod, recovery pills, a mysterious egg, and SCP-914. She couldn''t even pay half of what SCP-914 was worth with 50,000 store points. It costed a whole 5,000,000 store points!


    But then she realized that keeping it wouldn''t be such a bad thing either. According to the system, she could gift her allies SCPs in her inventory once their loyalty has reached 100%. And having an undying ally would be pretty useful. So, Jing chose to keep it instead of selling it to the system.


    "We''ve arrived!" Elder Mo shouted with pride in his deep burly voice.

 16 Jings New Home!

    Jing and the rest of the new disciples were lined up together once they made it inside the sect. It felt like they were a local attraction because everyone in the sect was staring at them. The numerous elders of the Golden Serpent Sect were standing in front of them to see if any of them were talented enough to become their personal disciples. The elders who watched over the recruitment test had first pick to choose anyone they had their eye on.


    Jing hoped none of the elders chose her. It would completely ruin her future goals and plans right now if she was to gain anymore attention. She doubted than anyone would find something special about her but there was always a chance of something going wrong. All she can do right now is just wait and see.


    It was clear to Jing that the elders already made their choices on who they wanted for their personal disciples. They were just doing the courteous thing of making it seem like everyone had the possibility of being their disciple by walking up and down the line while looking at everyone. In the end, the examiners chose their disciples. Elder Mo, the martial elder, picked Tang Wuying and Gong Jun as his students. Elder Ru, the pill elder, chose Xiao Hong and Liu Lan as her disciples. Elder Chang, the array elder, chose Shang Zhai as his sole disciple. After choosing who they wanted, they quickly exited the scene with their new students.


    Then the rest of the elders had their pick of the rest of the litter. If it didn''t seem so ridiculous to her, Jing was pretty sure she would burst out laughing. It doesn''t even seem like they''re being treated as people and more like animals to adopt! This method of choosing disciples is laughable at best. If it was up to her, she would definitely think of a more efficient way of situating the new disciples.


    ''Did that old bastard just scoff in my face? I''ll remember your face in the future. The others at least had the decency to ignore me completely but then you¡ªAnother elder just mocked me! Is this how they run things here?!'' Jing inwardly blew up at the disrespect and mockery that was made of her and a few other disciples.


    Jing wasn''t chosen by any of the remaining elders and was one of the unlucky few to be ignored by all of the elders in the sect. She and a few others were just left there on their own with no further instruction on what to do. So, she waited. She was still in character right now and couldn''t just take the first step and leave and do whatever she wanted. Since everyone else was just as confused. It wasn''t until a few disciples walked over and started to explain things to them.


    "It looks like this is the trash pile of our new martial brothers and sisters." An outer disciple said with a smug look on his face.


    A few of the newly arrived disciples took offense to this statement.


    "What do you mean trash?! I''m part of the famous Zhuo clan!"


    "If you weren''t picked by any of the elders, your talent for the future is trash or you offended the wrong people." He said with a shrug.


    "Im...Impossible! You are only messing with us! Let''s go everyone. We''ll prove we''re not trash!"


    "Go where? Do you even know how things work around here? You just got here. I''ll be willing to show you around for a price..." He said while holding up a single finger.


    "You''re charging us for something like this!?"


    "That''s too much!"


    "Now now... No one said you had to take me up on my offer. You are free to leave and do whatever you please. No one is going to force you to accept."


    The lack of support and guidance from the sect really surprised them. It feels as if they were abandoned and treated as wastes, a completely new experience for most of these youths who were treated as geniuses and prodigies by their clans. Those who were used to being treated as untalented and nothing special quickly forked out a single spirit stone. Jing used this time to look very indecisive and ashamed at her lack of talent. It wasn''t until a good half of the remaining youth here forked out a spirit stone that Jing also gave a spirit stone to the outer disciple she''s going to call guide boy.


    "Ahaha alright! Let''s get this going then everyone. If anyone who hasn''t paid tries to follow us." He turned his eyes to the few that refused to pay.


    He sent a wave of killing intent towards them, knocking a large group of them to the floor in a fright. This show of strength surprised nearly all of the new disciples. He didn''t even use qi, but he could still show off his powerful strength without it! Making all the new disciples know that this guy is not just any random outer disciple. Those who were planning to follow without paying quickly reconsidered and scampered off.


    Jing and Bing were not a part of that group and were dutifully experiencing the tour of the Golden Serpent Sect. The guide showed their group around and told them everything they needed to know. Guide boy was even polite enough to answer questions without charging for them. Jing''s view on him slightly changed a bit. She expected him to be a greedy bastard but he turned out to be a pretty decent guide.


    She learned of her current responsibilities as a newly outer disciple, her new place of residence, the places she''s allowed to go to, places she''s not allowed to go to, and the rules of the sect. It was quite an eye-opening experience to Jing at all the sights she saw during her tour around the sect. Once she arrived in her home that can only be described as a lowly shack, she began to consolidate all her findings today. But before she did that, she would have to fix this place up a bit.


    Her pride will not allow her to live in such a disgusting hobble. So, she got to work on fixing up the place. Once you walked in the door of the hut, you would see a small uncomfortable looking bed, a dirty dusty wooden floor, a small broken wooden table that was low to the floor, and no windows. Jing reached into her robes and pulled out the leaf fan she made when she first woke up. The small amount of wind this thing could control wasn''t nearly enough to clear this place full of dust. To fix that, Jing refined it on very fine and made it so that the wind it controls erases all traces of dust, dirt, and anything else that wouldn''t please Jing.


    Jing lightly swung the leaf fan and a large gust of wind erupted inside her room. Her clothes and hair were blown in all sorts of directions as the wind crazily danced all around the room, erasing all traces of dirtiness. Jing watched with a content smile as the place was fixed up almost instantly. Unfortunately, the things the wind counted as trash wasn''t exactly the same as her idea of trash. The table got erased by the wind as well. No future tea time for her or any guests anymore.


    But it wasn''t all bad, this place looked completely spotless now and Jing had no trouble with touching anything inside here anymore. Who knows how many people lived in this hobble before her? And what kind of things they''ve done inside here. Jing refused to believe that someone cleaned these places for them. That would be far too optimistic.


    Jing sat on the newly cleaned bed with no further reservations and got to thinking about her current responsibilities as an outer disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect. The first thing she should do is go claim her monthly spirit stones. All disciples are given a monthly amount of spirit stones. Certain disciples can get more spirit stones depending on their ranking or status within the sect. Outer disciples get 5 low-ranked spirit stones each month. Inner disciples get 5 middle-ranked spirit stones each month. Core disciples get 5 high-ranked spirit stones each month.


    Rankings is a system where each disciple can prove their worth to the sect and receive benefits based on that worth. Each court has its own ranking system. Outer court is the most numerous, Inner court is the fiercest, and the Core court is the most popular. To enter the rankings all you have to do is challenge someone already ranked, it doesn''t matter if you win or lose.


    Jing doesn''t plan on entering the rankings anytime soon. She has no reason to! Even if she did enter, she would have to reveal that she''s stronger than 9 thousand other outer disciples before she could receive a reward anyway. Entirely counter intuitive to her goals as of right now.


    Anyway, as an outer disciple Jing will have to complete 5 tasks set by the sect each month or she will not be able to receive her monthly spirit stones and if she continues to not accomplish any tasks set by the set, she could get kicked out of the sect if she''s lucky. There are rumors that something terrible could happen to disciples that refuse to do the tasks set by the sect and that they will never be seen again. Some of the rumors range from being used as an ingredient in a cauldron to being a training dummy for certain personal disciples to use.


    There were a good number of requests given by the sect that no matter what kind of talent you had as long as you had functioning limbs and could follow instructions, it wouldn''t be hard to find tasks to complete. Guide boy told them that most disciples choose easy non-time-consuming tasks so that they can get back to cultivating to try and improve their rankings to get more resources. But those who want to push themselves further will choose challenging tasks to gain more contribution points. Contribution points can be used to exchange for items within the sect. Items like pills, talismans, weapons, and the like.


    Guide boy said that earning contribution points is one of the vital ways of advancing inside the sect. Especially for talentless cultivators like them who were abandoned by the elders. Since they had no talent for pill making, talisman designing, or martial arts then they would have to rely on resources to gain advantages. He also added that since they have no important backgrounds to not get on the bad side of anyone who does. That''s how most disciples end up dead or suppressed.


    ''What a terrible way of running a place...'' Jing thought at the time.


    Contribution points cannot be traded amongst disciples. This helps makes sure that those with a lot of contribution points can''t help someone else just starting out by gifting them a lot of contribution points to quickly advance within the sect. However, contribution points can be betted with and on through duels, challenges, tournaments, and ranking matches. Most people won''t accept a challenge for a ranking match without the person sending the challenge offering a good number of contribution points or something else of value. This is only for the top 1000 though. If you are ranked below 1000 then you are forced to accept all ranking matches.


    Most disciples who tend to cause trouble with the wrong people quickly find themselves fighting till their deaths and they won''t be able to refuse the challenges unless they get into the 1000s. There are countless number of untalented disciples that would do nearly anything to get on the good side of those that have a solid background within the sect and killing someone isn''t much. Of course, not everyone can challenge just anyone. You must be in the same cultivation realm or 1 step below it if you wish to challenge someone.


    So, all in all the information she gained for the price of a single spirit stone wasn''t bad at all. She still had 5 left over. Jing decided to finally begin her path into cultivation. She pulled out the Book of Qi cultivation technique, refined whip, multiple martial arts within her storage ring, a spirit stone, and a steel sword. She had quite a few things to do with all the knowledge she''s acquired so far. And the first on her list was to update her arsenal.


    Jing absorbed the cultivation technique within her body and refined it on very fine. She left it up to her subconscious to refine the book since she didn''t have the greatest understanding of cultivation techniques. Typically, her subconscious seems to have greater knowledge than her about most things she refines. Jing doesn''t know if it''s because of who she was before she woke up here or if it''s something else but it doesn''t matter too much. It hasn''t done her wrong yet.


    The book exited from her chest and landed on her lap with a completely new appearance and title. Originally, the title of the book was drawn across the top of the book and had a plain brown look and was quite small in size but now it was thick enough to need both of her hands to carry. The cover was now purple and the title has changed to "Empress of Pain''s Tome". Jing smiled at the name and flipped open the book.


    She quickly flipped through the large number of pages within the book. It took her around an hour before she completely finished flipping through the entire book and once she was done, she closed her eyes to take in everything she read. Li Li took it upon himself to peacefully rest in Jing''s lap as she was doing whatever she was doing and wouldn''t wake up until 3 hours later when Jing finally opened her eyes bursting with an entirely new feeling around her.


    The aura around her figure would prompt those with weak wills and minds to immediately bow down on the ground and praise her lest they want to suffer the wrath of the endless suffering. Jing felt the qi running through her body as she broke into the first stage of cultivation. She was now a Qi Gatherer at the 1st level. The feeling of qi felt intoxicating to her. She felt like going wild and testing her new strength immediately but quickly reigned herself in. It would not do to lose control over herself. What is she, a child who just got a new toy and can''t wait to show it to everyone?


    No, she has more self-control than that. She took a deep breath as she explored this new found power within her. According to the tome, this cultivation technique is built on the principal of causing suffering to others and gaining from their pain. To enter the initial realm, she must master torture techniques to the point where she can cause someone to beg for death just by the feeling of her aura and once she can do that she will be able to drain the physical attributes from her opponents and become even stronger. The book gave plenty of interesting new ways of torturing which made Jing quite happy and excited for the future. She was surprised it even showed ways to torture creatures other than humans. In the tome, it''s said that if she could reach the completion realm with this technique, just by making eye contact she could even torture the soul and bend it to her will.


    Excitement was an understatement for what the current Jing felt right now, but she wasn''t finished just yet. That was just first item on the list of things she needed to refine tonight. She reabsorbed the Empress of Pain''s Tome and refined it on rough, causing ash to exit from her palm.


    ''Keeping that around wouldn''t be helpful anyway. I''ve already stored every single page to memory.'' Jing thought.


    After taking care of that, Jing refined her rock whip on 1:1 to switch it with a regular whip to use around the sect. She couldn''t carry a whip that could slice through nearly everything without attracting some attention. Next was the many palm, fist, body, and sword martial arts she got from the bodies during the first test. Guide boy took them to the martial pavilion during their tour and when she went inside, she couldn''t find any martial technique for whips! The only fighting martial arts inside were hand, sword, spear, and bow martial arts. She scoffed in ridicule. These cultivators were much too lacking and traditional for her taste.


    So, to fix that she decided to make her own martial arts. She just proved she could do it with 914, so there was nothing left to stop her. She grabbed one of the palm martial arts and refined it on 1:1, changing it into a leg martial skill. She figured that cultivators also didn''t fight with their legs because she didn''t see any leg martial arts that weren''t movement arts. Jing reabsorbed the unnamed leg martial art and refined it on very fine, once again leaving it to her subconscious to deal with the vital stuff. The reason why she didn''t choose a fist or palm technique was because she wouldn''t be able to use those while she was wielding her whip.


    While her legs would be completely free to use while she''s using her whip to fight. A content smile appeared on her face as the leg martial arts finished its refinement on very fine. She quickly flipped through it and gained the necessary knowledge on how to utilize it and how to practice it before turning it into dust on the rough setting. Jing pulled out her stone pillow and placed it on the bed so that Li Li could rest while she does all this.


    Li Li gladly sunk into the unbelievably soft pillow and soon fell into a blissful slumber. Jing got up from the bed and stood up before stretching her body. Jing turned her body to the side, slightly bent her knees, shifted most of her body mass to her back leg, and relaxed her arms and shoulders. After getting into the correct martial stance, she strengthened her core and attacked! Jing let loose a flurry of high-speed kicks with only one leg. The whooshing wind from her kicks was enough to rustle the sleeping Li Li''s feathers. It''s unknown if those kicks were to land on a person would they shatter the bones on contact or momentarily stun them because of how light and thin her legs look.


    Jing sadistically grinned before imagining a human body in front of her and doing the rapid kicks once more but this time focusing on the most fragile parts of the body that wouldn''t fatally injure them but would surely cause them to scream out in pain. This technique is called L¨¦ij¨ª or lightning kick. It was only the first move out of many within the unnamed leg martial art. Jing would love to practice some more but she still has more things to refine before the morning comes.

 17 The End Of The First Night!

    Jing grabbed one of the sword martial arts called Furious Wind Blade and her whip. She didn''t know if this would work but all the other times she''s tried combining things it has worked out fine. Even though she has only made 2 combined objects in total, that''s still a good enough track record for her. Jing placed the book in her hand and held her whip in her other as she absorbed them into her body. She cranked the setting on very fine and felt as the two items inside of her were being combined into the way she wanted.


    If she wasn''t careful, she could accidentally make some sort of weird book whip weapon instead of a whip art like she wanted. The refining process doesn''t take more than a few seconds and Jing''s wanted item soon exited from her chest. This one also didn''t have a title on the front of the cover but was covered entirely of animal fur. Jing opened the book up and quickly stored all the knowledge inside her head. Flipping through page after page, with her enhanced mind it didn''t take long for her to completely swallow everything the book had to offer. She soon reinserted the book inside herself and placed it on rough, destroying it entirely.


    The whip martial technique she just learned seems quite powerful. On the surface it will look like an average and low-level martial art but to a fighter with good eyes, they will notice that this whip technique isn''t as simple as it seems. The way it always seemingly strikes at a vital area, the way the wielder''s whip moves and attacks as if it was alive like a breathing snake and could sense the best place to attack, and the way it could strike hard and fast like lightning made this whip technique a superior martial art! Jing would have to practice her control with the whip first though. Only through training and hard work can Jing truly show off the greatness of this skill.


    Something she plans to do at a later time as she''s still not done yet with the refining for tonight. Just two more items and she can train till the morning. Jing grabbed the spirit stone and held it in her hand. Spirit stones have another use besides just having monetary value. Jing found this out quite some time ago after she took care of those two cultivators from the Dark Moon Gang. Qi can be extracted from the inside of spirit stones and once all the qi is extracted, the spirit stone will crumble into dust. This qi can be used to help cultivators attempt to break through to the next realm or replenish their qi.


    Jing had a single reason for bringing out this spirit stone and that was to get rich! Jing took in the spirit stone and refined it on the fine setting. The enhancement she added was to have it create another spirit stone every 5 seconds. With this spirit stone, Jing feels like she will have more money than the entire sect within a few months! Even if it''s the lowest valued spirit stone, it will still accumulate in value! Jing could even trade in 100 mortal-ranked spirit stones for 1 stellar-ranked spirit stone at the Exchange Hall.


    Jing placed the money-making spirit stone inside her storage ring and left it there till it completely filled the ring up. She''ll have to think of something later on what to do when her storage ring gets completely filled up with spirit stones. Her current thoughts right now were to randomly bury the large supply of the spirit stones somewhere in the sect and anonymously let a rumor flow throughout the sect about it. A sinister smile slowly showed on Jing''s face as she thought of the resulting chaos due to something like that.


    ''That would be quite the entertaining spectacle to watch...'' She thought while making a mental note to definitely do that later.


    Jing grabbed the final item to refine tonight, the steel sword. She planned to use this to replace her whip. Her whip from before wasn''t really working out for her. When she first made that whip, she was only planning to use it to defend herself from any wild creatures. But this time she has a different idea in mind, something a bit more suited towards her personality.


    Jing refined the sword on the 1:1 setting and replaced it with an iron whip. She then reabsorbed it and upgraded it on very fine. Adding a few new anomalous properties to it that will make fighting so much sweeter. This new whip will cause those to get hit by it to be wracked with an insufferable amount of pain. Even if it''s a slight cut across the cheek, it''ll feel like lava is bubbling beneath their cheek. But that''s not the only thing she added, anyone who is hit by this whip won''t be able to faint or relieve their pain no matter what they try and do unless Jing herself personally grants them reprieve from the pain. Jing can mentally control whenever she wants this effect to activate.


    This is so that she can use this whip normally when she''s out in public. It wouldn''t benefit her to not have a way of deactivating the special properties of this weapon.


    "I''m glad I got SCP-914 as my first SCP. The resourcefulness of this ability is absolutely overwhelming." She giggled.


    Now that Jing was finished refining everything she needed to refine, she spent the rest of the night practicing her whip and leg martial arts. Without any need to rest, Jing was perfectly fine training throughout the night until dawn. She didn''t choose to practice her cultivation technique though. This is because Jing didn''t know how long the average cultivator takes to break through the first realm into the second realm and she sure wasn''t going to bring attention to herself when there is no need to. In public, she''s an untalented cultivator and plans to keep it that way.


    She was sure it wouldn''t take her long to break through into Qi Gathering stage 2. Right now, she felt like she was overfilled and bursting with qi! The barrier inside her dantian felt like it could tear from the slightest touch of qi from Jing so she didn''t plan on pressuring it until the time was right. Jing wasn''t sure if it was because of the Empress of Pain''s Tome or the fact that she refined a cultivation technique on very fine that her qi was so powerful and formidable. If she was to be honest, it was difficult to control herself from choosing to disguise herself and going around to terrorize her martial brothers and sisters in the middle of the night just to test her strength. But how weak would she look if she let a little power go to her head so soon? Hmph, she''d rather serve as Bing''s maid for a day than allow herself to be look so pathetic.


    While she was thinking all of this, she was also practicing her leg technique that she named Flowering Domination. In the midst of her practicing, Jing heard multiple noises outside her humble abode and figured that it was morning time. She stopped practicing and took the time to pet the peacefully resting Li Li. He didn''t need to rest either but something about that rock pillow just forces you to drift off into dreamland. Even she wasn''t exempt from its overwhelming power.


    Jing''s first plan of business was to go get her monthly spirit stones. After that she''ll take a little stroll through the sect. She is going to be living here for a while so, it would do good to know of her the situation inside the sect. After taking a look at how the sect is run, she''ll then decide on what she plans to do because besides her current mission given by the system, she has no real set plan for her future here yet.

 18 Its Time For A Takeover!

    Jing left Li Li inside to rest as she headed out to the Exchange Hall for her monthly stones. Even if she didn''t need the stones personally, it would certainly cause suspicion if anyone decided to investigate her later on. If she was sending someone out to find information about someone, the first thing she would tell her men to do is to take notice of any abnormalities or uncommon actions they do. Why would anyone not take their monthly spirit stones? Having an excess amount of spirit stones is never a bad thing unless you are too weak to keep hold of it. The only reason why someone would not go and get their spirit stones is if they had something to hide of course!


    Jing did have something to hide and didn''t need anyone finding out till she had a stable foundation and the strength necessary to protect her secrets. And speaking of strength... Jing was currently watching someone without sufficient strength right in front of her show one of the outcomes of lacking power. Jing was a bit annoyed since they were having this show right in front of the Exchange Hall but decided to wait and watch till they got out of the way.


    "Hurry up and give up the stones you blind fool." One of the youths demanded.


    "An old withered fossil like yourself has no need for these anyway. Do you really believe you can still breakthrough at your age?"


    "Hahaha! You''ve already missed your time for greatness. You''d be better off turning into dust already."


    "Here you go, but may I be selfish enough to keep just a single stone for myself young lords?" The uncle asked in a polite tone with his eyes closed.


    "Hey look at this! His eyes are already useless and body withdrawn of all potential and yet he still believes that he can fly into the heavens as a cultivator!" The main leader of the four youths cackled as if he just heard the greatest joke of the century as he walked closer to the uncle.


    A resounding sharp slap echoed throughout the area as the blind uncle was now on the ground gripping his cheek. A surprised look appeared on his face before slowly transitioning into a sullen and hopeless one. He held out all his spirit stones and the slappy youth snatched them from his palm with an arrogant smile on his face. He then walked away happily with his little group.


    Jing stared into the eyes of the hunched over old man. She didn''t see a single look of hatred, anger, or any type of negative emotion inside him. Either the old man is one of the most forgiving people on the planet or exceptional at hiding his emotions. But for what reason would he have to do that?


    Jing looked around to see that no one else was paying special attention to this little situation. They glanced over before going back to doing whatever they were doing as if this event wasn''t anything special or worth causing a fuss over. Jing was confused to say the least. Isn''t a sect like an educational institution? Is this place really so lawless to where such harsh bullying can go without a care in the world?


    Jing did something that was quite unlike her and thought optimistically for once. Maybe that was just a rare situation where none of the elders or disciplinary members were around to punish those people because none of them saw it. Jing didn''t care about this because she felt sympathetic towards the uncle or the humiliating experience he just went through, but the fact that the sect possibly allowed things like this to happen. There''s no way this could be a normal affair.


    Jing walked on pass the uncle and secretly dropped a spirit stone behind her before vanishing inside the Exchange Hall. She heard a loud voice callout from outside the building and promptly sped up her pace into the line of cultivators waiting to get their monthly stones. It didn''t take long for the uncle to come inside and frantically look around with a distinctive red mark on his cheek. Jing didn''t even need to try and hide.


    Jing did have to give the uncle credit though. He didn''t give up on looking for the owner of the spirit stone for a while. He was so dedicated that he even received a few hits for bothering people.


    The reason why she gave him the spirit stone wasn''t because she pitied him. It was actually because she was interested in him. For a man his age to be treated like that without a single ripple of anger or hatred is something special. If Jing didn''t just see it for herself, she would have actually believed that it was impossible. That''s if he isn''t acting, but Jing was almost certain he wasn''t hiding his emotions.


    She might revisit the old man at a later date. He could be useful to her. But for now, she''s got her monthly stones, it''s time to go. She left the Exchange Hall while the uncle was still asking people who dropped their stone. She was now on her way to the Martial Pavilion to borrow some martial techniques or at least look as if she was going to. She still needed to get an auxiliary, body, and movement martial arts but with her current strength didn''t see the need for them quite yet. If she was to rank herself right now, she''d say she''s strong enough to contest with Gong Jun from the first portion of the recruitment test. But that was just an estimate, she wouldn''t truly know unless she battled him.


    Jing soon arrived at the entrance to the Martial Pavilion. She walked up the stairs and inside the building to meet with the elder behind the counter.


    "May I take out a few martial arts?" She asked


    "You have 5 minutes. You can only explore the first floor. You have to return the books within a week or you will face disciplinary punishment." He told her.


    "O...Okay.." She responded with fright in her voice at his strict tone and look of disgust at her.


    Jing walked away and started to look through martial skills.


    ''Eight Tigers Maneuvering, Splitting Water Palm, Iron Body, Floating Fairy Steps... Quite a diverse choice of options I got here.''


    All of these martial arts sounded pretty much the same to her. Their names sounded big, impressive, and showy but Jing thought this sounded kind of fake. Well, it doesn''t really matter to her. It''s not like she''s going to actually learn these mortal ranked skills in the first place. She just needs to take some out. And if anyone questions why she isn''t using them in battles, she''ll just say she hasn''t comprehended them yet.


    After getting what she needed, she started to head back to the librarian to check out these 3 books: Silent Breath, an auxiliary martial art, Jade Skin, a body technique, and Floating Fairy Steps. But on her way to the counter, she heard the whispering of two senior disciples on the upper floors.


    "Have you heard about that arrogant outer disciple that''s all the talk inside the inner court?"


    "You don''t mean Hu Tao do you?"


    "Yeah him! I heard that he''s even managed to defeat and embarrass some of the disciples from the inner court! Even though he has yet to reach the Qi Consolidation realm!"


    "He''s surely a genius. Only those blessed by the heavens can skip levels and realms to defeat other cultivators."


    "You know what he just said yesterday?"


    "No, what!?"


    "Hu Tao claimed that if anyone managed to best him in one on one combat, he will be willing to serve as their slave for the rest of his life!"


    "Such arrogance! What about the outer court disciples who are within the top ten on the rankings?"


    "They aren''t powerful enough to best Hu Tao. Even though he''s only ranked 10 in the outer court rankings, not even the #1 ranker can defeat him without serious injuries. He''s also not willing to fight seriously with Hu Tao because he''s known as a fighting maniac."


    "Fighting maniac?"


    "He fights every battle as if his life is on the life and doesn''t hold back no matter who he is fighting. Instead of fighting like a human, he fights more like a wild beast!"


    "How scary! Let''s make sure we avoid him!"


    "We don''t have anything to worry about. I heard a rumor that he''s interested in the same side..."


    "No way!"


    Jing has heard enough gossip and checked out the martial arts. On her way home, Jing was suddenly another witness to rampant bullying on sect grounds! Although this time she got to appear in the middle of it, instead of seeing it from the beginning. The incident was happening in front of someone''s front yard.


    An orange haired attractive beauty was knocked to the ground by one of the 5 girls surrounding her. Blood was leaking from her lip and her face was twisted in rage and defiance as she gripped the spirit stone with all of strength.


    "Don''t think you''ll get away with this...!" She groaned.


    "Know your place trash! The Yue family is nothing anymore, you are just a lowly bug that is meant to grovel beneath our feet."


    The Yue girl could only grit her teeth and glare at the group of girls.


    "Still got that annoying look in your eyes! Girls get her!"


    The girls began kicking and stomping the orange haired girl on the ground. Jing watched as the girl didn''t stop fighting back even when it would invite more trouble and pain to her. She bit, clawed, and pinched any piece of skin she could get a hold of until she was beaten to the point where she couldn''t move anymore.


    "Crazy freak!" The head bandit screamed as she and her group of bandits left with more injuries than they probably expected.


    Once again, Jing saw no one raising any fuss of such a situation happening in broad day light. If anything, such behavior seemed to be encouraged. Anyone she saw passing by who saw the scene either looked on in entertainment or quickly walked by without a care in the world. This... could be used to her advantage...


    A discreet smile appeared on her face as she walked over to the barely conscious girl. She looked around to make sure no one noticed her before dragging the girl into her home. Jing heard some mumbling coming from her but ignored it as she dragged her on her rug. She then crouched down and lifted up the girl''s chin. She stared into her scorching bright orange eyes.


    "Eat this."


    Jing slipped a refined recovery pill inside that would completely restore the girl''s body back to normal. The effect was basically instant as the girl''s wounds healed up in seconds. Her eyes widened in shock but Jing kept her hold on the girl''s chin to refocus her attention back to her.


    "What''s your name?" Jing asked.


    "Ying Yue... And get your hands off of me!"


    She attempted to slap Jing''s face to release her but only managed to swipe at the air as Jing grasped the side of her face.


    "How would you like to gain the strength necessary to restore your fallen family and pay back the debts of those that embarrassed you?" Jing asked with an even wider smile.


    Jing could see the slight waver in her soul from the question.


    "Don''t mock me... You''re nothing more than just a 1st ranked Qi Gatherer. How could you possibly give me enough strength to do such a thing?" She tried to spit in Jing''s face.


    Jing let go of her face and let her drop to the ground, only managing to spit onto her own rug. She then got up and stared down at the orange haired feisty mess of a girl.


    "I will only ask you once. Join me and you will gain all the power you need and more... but the only catch is you must serve me loyally for the rest of your life..." She held out her hand.


    It looked as if a dark purple aura was being emitted from Jing''s figure. Her terrifying qi was being subtly released from her body, unnerving Ying Yue even more. It must be known that Ying Yue is a Qi Gatherer at the fourth level you know! While Jing is only at the first level! Gone was the plain and unassuming look that she always had. What took its place was something more ominous, frightening, and enticing...


    ______________________________________________


    Yue didn''t want to believe it. She couldn''t believe it. But for some reason, her instincts were telling her to grab onto that hand. That hand that''s promising everything she''s always wanted to hear ever since she''s joined the Golden Serpent Sect. Nothing about this situation made sense to her! Who is this mysterious girl?! What kind of dreadful cultivation technique is she practicing that would scare me!? Even my grandfather''s sky-ranked cultivation skill doesn''t give me the same feeling as this girl''s!


    ______________________________________________


    ''Everything about this is confusing and wrong... but... if I say no... Will I even manage to escape with my life?'' Yue wondered.


    Jing felt Yue place her hand into hers.


    [New Ally Gained!]


    [Name: Ying Yue]


    [Rank: Qi Gathering 4]


    [Occupation: Martial Artist]


    [Techniques: Green Crystal Blade (Intermediate Realm), Blazing Steps of Mystery (Intermediate Realm), Physique of the Inferno (Initial Realm), etc]


    [Cultivation Method: Burning Eruption (Initial Realm)]


    [Loyalty: 70% (Doesn''t entirely trusts you but trusts her instincts that trust you. Is curious about your background.)]


    "You''ve made a smart choice Ying. If you refused, I don''t know what I would''ve done with you." Jing said nonchalantly.


    Ying couldn''t respond.


    "I''ll give you a few things tomorrow. Make sure you''re free. For now, I will return home. What I saw today has really opened my eyes, I have a lot to think about."


    Jing walked outside the home and returned home. As she walked in the door, she almost expected Li Li to charge into her. But the little rascal was just doing a happy little shake on the bed once he saw her. What was she expecting...? He isn''t a dog.


    She did play with him in the meantime though. He''s still just a baby after all. Babies need attention no matter how super smart they are. And she is his mother. What kind of mother would neglect caring and playing with her child? A terrible one that''s who.


    So, as Jing played with Li Li, she began to think of what exactly she wanted to do in this sect. After her meeting with Ying, she''s got a general idea of what she wants to accomplish inside the sect. She''s going to take over the Golden Serpent Sect from the bottom and fix this lackluster and pathetic excuse for an organization. Her inner feelings didn''t feel comfortable in a group with such terrible management and rules.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Take over the Outer Court either by number of supporters, strength, or influence.]


    [Rewards: 3 epic tickets, Soul Lantern, Restriction on Qi Consolidation Realm will be unlocked.]


    A small smile appeared on Jing''s face. It''s nice that the system is on board with her plan and is actively encouraging her with rewards. She may not know what goal the system has, but as long as it doesn''t directly go against her, its fine. But she will need a few things if she plans on taking over the Outer Court. First is information, second is a disguise, third is manpower, and fourth is strength.


    ''Luckily I know a person who might know a lot about the sect... So let''s start with him first...''

 19 A House Visit! / A Present?!

    A barrage of knocks rapped on the door of a sleeping youth. The door was shaking from the impacts of the hits and looked as if it was going to break down if this continued. From the sound of the knocks, it seems that whoever is outside has urgent business with the person inside. Surprisingly, it seems the loud knocking isn''t enough to wake the slumbering disciple. He was just peacefully sleeping with a wide silly grin on his face. His hand was scratching his big belly as he murmured the words inside his wonderful dream.


    "I will always love you my beautiful gentle sweet wife... Your tits are perfect just the way they are...."


    Bang! The resting youth instantly awakened as his front door was just broken into. He grabbed his shield laying by his bed and stared at the intruders who barged into his home.


    "Who... who are you!? What do you want!?" Bing asked with his heart beating rapidly.


    "Did you not hear us knocking!? Would it take the roar of a beast in the Qi Consolidation stage to wake you!?"


    An embarrassed blush appeared on Bing''s face.


    "I apologize. I''m a heavy sleeper... but was it necessary to break down my door? I''m sure I''ve never offended any of you." Bing said while looking at their faces.


    A grin appeared on the head intruder.


    "You may not have offended us personally, but we heard a little rumor that you''ve killed a member of our Huan clan."


    "And we need to teach you a lesson for not putting our Huan clan in your eyes fatty."


    Bing has realized that these thugs have only come to cause trouble. They aren''t interested in any excuse or logical explanation for his actions. The only thing they want is to hurt and humiliate him. It''s a very irritating reason to be awoken from such a sweet blissful dream.


    "My fellow martial brothers... Is there any need to have such violence between us? If need be, I can get on my knees and apologize to all of you." Bing said with fear in his voice while getting in front of the four men.


    An even wider smile appeared on their faces as they relished in bullying the weak-sounding Bing. He was only a 2nd stage Qi Gatherer while they were in the 3rd and 4th stage. There was no possible way they could see Bing getting out of doing exactly what they want and they loved it. The leader of the four pointed to the ground.


    "Well? Hurry up and bow pig. We''re waiting." The men started to laugh as they watched Bing slowly lower himself to the ground.


    They still planned to beat him half to death for possibly killing one of family members. It would be a good idea to use him as a message to the other new disciples that just joined that their clan is not one to mess with. Dealing with this fatty can only bring benefits to them, why wouldn''t they try and increase their influence within the sect by doing this?


    But before Bing''s knees reached the ground, his body suddenly buffed up! The fat that was present all over his body turned into pure muscle. The strength radiating through his body was enough to squash any 2nd stage Qi Gatherer with just his pinky! All this strength going through Bing''s body was aimed towards the thugs invading his home. He was in crouching position with his shield faced towards them. He grinned as looks of confusion and mockery appeared on the Huan clan members'' faces.


    "Are you seriously planning on resisting fatty? You might as well-" His words were cut off by Bing''s shout.


    "Swift Devil!" He yelled as his body was being strengthened by Devil''s Physique and Devil''s Arms.


    The sound of wind breaking was the last thing the Huan clan bullies heard before feeling the worse pain they''ve ever felt in their lives. Bing crashed into the lined up men like a bull charging to gore a predator. They were launched outside of Bing''s home and spiraled across his front yard. They felt like all of their bones were simultaneously shattered and their organs were upside down and all over the place.


    "I can''t feel my... anything..."


    "Mother... I''m not ready to die yet..."


    The Huan clan youths could only helplessly twitch on the ground. All control over their body was gone and their mind was jumbled. Wasn''t that fatty just a Qi Gatherer at the second level? How did they end up in this situation? They might not be talented within the sect and their martial arts isn''t anything special but shouldn''t their cultivation difference be enough? And if that wasn''t enough, they outnumbered him as well! The only thing going through their brains right now was regret for choosing the wrong person to mess with.


    Unforunately for these disciples, the difference in strength within the Qi Gathering realm doesn''t really start until 7th and 9th stage. Before that though, the only difference is in pure strength. Breaking through the realms in the Qi Gathering realm will only increase your strength by 200 jin every breakthrough. Things are different in the Qi Consolidation stage though. The strength of one''s fist becomes less important unless the cultivator is focusing on becoming a body cultivator instead of a qi cultivator.


    "I was taught not to leave future troubles by my master. You can only blame yourselves for trying to bully and take advantage of the weak when you''re only as strong as this." Bing stated as he slowly swaggered outside his home with killing intent radiating around him.


    The meek and peaceful looking fatty from before turn into a terrifying behemoth of death and ruthlessness! One by one, Bing''s thick fingers slowly grabbed hold of their heads and with a ruthless snap. The lights within their eyes faded forever. They tried to plead and beg for Bing to spare them after witnessing their leader perish but Bing was not dissuaded in the slightest. He isn''t so dumb to believe these types of people will let him off so easily. If anything, being crippled would be the most forgiving of things they probably planned to do with him.


    After finishing off the last person, Bing dragged all the bodies back inside his home. He still had some business left with these four. He checked to see if they had any valuables on their bodies and could only frown in annoyance. They were poor! Not even a single spirit stone or anything on them!


    "How could these guys have the gall to bully anyone being as poor as they are!?" Bing asked in astonishment.


    "Thankfully, I have a technique that allows me to gain something from you all." He snickered.


    Bing placed his hand on the chest of one of the corpses. He began breathing in a deep sinister tone and activated his Devil''s Arms technique. Normally when using this auxiliary martial arts, Bing''s body would use his fat to create a secondary pair of arms under his arms and strengthen them with qi. But this wasn''t the only way of using this technique. It would be a mockery of a sky-ranked martial arts if it was only able to make him grow arms. The name of these martial arts isn''t just because it sounds cool either. The user''s personality will gradually become more twisted and devilish as they practice these techniques to the peak before they transform into a complete devil in all but appearance.


    Bing''s hand gradually started morphing a mouth in the middle of his palm. It had razor sharp teeth and a long forked tongue inside the mouth. The hand licked the flesh of the corpse and stabbed into it with its tongue. The skin, muscle, tissue, and all began to be sucked into the mouth of the hand. Bing''s strength was being improved the more his hand ate. If he were to check his natural body''s strength, he would notice that he''s already left the threshold of a 2nd stage Qi Gatherer and firmly planted himself at the start of the 3rd stage with his body alone!


    The only things left unsucked by the hand were the bones, blood, and clothes. It was a grisly disgusting sight for any normal person but Bing was not disturbed all that much.


    For one, he had complete control over the hand. It was somewhat similar to having a pet and being the owner of said pet. It had its own desires and feelings but completely obeyed him. Two, the world of cultivating isn''t something that he''ll be able to get far in if he can''t stomach something like this. And lastly, it would be a waste of his martial arts if he didn''t use every opportunity to get as strong as he can.


    Bing slurped up the other 3 bodies and was left with 4 skeletons and a large puddle of blood inside his home. The smell was a bit much and Bing had to pinch his nose as he brought his bone shield he got from the demoness over the blood. He dipped the bottom of the shield in the blood and watched as the blood gushed forward inside the bones.


    "What kind of shield is this anyway...? I''ve never seen such a strange weapon before or heard of anything like a weapon that drinks the blood of its victims." Bing muttered to himself as he watched the bones on his shield become glossier and whiter.


    "Just what kind of place could produce such a mysterious person...?" He wondered as he carefully slid his finger across the rim of his shield.


    "I should go see if they have any shield martial techniques inside the Martial Pavilion." He decided as he left his home and went towards the library.


    ''Fighting with this thing feels so different from using a sword. It''s so much easier to fight with and less stressful. At first, I thought the demoness was just being cruel to give me only a shield to battle with but as I got used to using it in battle, I slowly felt more comfortable and familiar with it. Far more than I ever had with the blade even though I was taught since young the ways of the sword.''


    Bing arrived inside the Martial Pavillion and walked towards the counter.


    "Excuse me Elder Zhong, I was wondering if there are any shield martial arts inside that I could borrow." Bing asked.


    Elder Zhong''s eyebrows furrowed in irritation.


    "Of course we do! You think that the Golden Serpent Sect would be lacking any kinds of martial arts?! What a stupid question child. Of course we have..." He suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech.


    Elder Zhong suddenly exploded in anger after realizing what Bing just asked.


    "A SHIELD!? Why in the world would anyone use a shield?! Are you making fun of me boy?! Get out of my sight this instant before I force you out of it!" He roared.


    Bing quickly scrammed outside the library after unintentionally angering the elder. He heard laughter from inside the library most likely aimed at him and slowly grew bitter.


    "It''s just an innocent question. No need to raise such a fuss about it. If you didn''t have any shield arts you could''ve just said so." Bing curled his lip. "A sect as great as the Golden Serpent Sect and they don''t even have a single measly shield technique. How pathetic." he muttered as he looked around his surroundings.


    Maybe the demoness could help him somehow... With her mysterious background, she probably knows of a few shield martial arts or at least if they exist! Then all of a sudden, memories of Jing physically assaulting him ran through his mind. His body shivered and him wanting to ask the she-demon of anything was halted in its tracks.


    "I''ve been doing fine without a shield art so far... I''m sure I can go a little bit longer without asking the Empress for help just yet..." He nervously chuckled as he went towards the Mission Hall to work on some tasks for contribution points.


    ______________________________________________


    A young orange haired girl was pacing back and forth inside her home. This young girl was Ying Yue. She was close to tearing her hair out over the crazy deal she made yesterday. She wasn''t completely against the idea of serving the girl and that''s the part that was making her so crazy! She didn''t know what kind of background that girl has nor does she know anything about her. She doesn''t even know her name! Even if her life was at stake, she would never willing become someone''s slave.


    It would be easy to just try and avoid the girl or refuse to become her ally but this went against everything she stood for. If she would promise to do something, she will do it no matter what. What kind of person would she be if she went against her word? One that isn''t fit to revive and lead the Yue family into prosperity again that''s for sure. She let out an exhausted sigh.


    Stressing over this situation isn''t going to make anything better. Might as well charge forward and deal with the problems as they come. Not much else she can do at this point. Ying also doubted she could best the girl even though she was 3 small realms ahead of her in cultivation. The qi she felt from her was no joke. It felt like a bottomless ocean was standing before her and she was nothing but a small sailboat rocking on top of that ocean. Being crushed into nothingness would be the only outcome if she tried to fight against her.


    Ying has never backed down from a challenge. No matter how many enemies there are, no matter how talented they are, and no matter how strong they are, she wouldn''t surrender in willpower! But can you even fight against something like that...? Something that made you feel as if you were nothing but an ant in comparison to it. Even when she witnessed her grandfather facing off against another Qi Transformation stage cultivator, she didn''t feel as helpless as she did under the qi of that girl.


    It''s inhuman. It''s impossible. She''s a monster...


    Knock! Knock!


    Ying jumped up like a startled kitten. Who would be at her door? She doesn''t have any close friends. Could it be her...? A shiver went through Ying''s spine at the thought of the girl. Her feet were rooted to the floor and she couldn''t move an inch. The fear radiating through her mind was enough to overpower her body remembering that feel of that person''s qi.


    Another knock on the door riled Ying from her frighten state.


    "How pathetic! Come on! You are Ying Yue of the Yue family! Fear is nothing to a member of the Yue family! Fear is nothing but pain leaving the body! Move!" She told herself.


    Her feet unwillingly freed themselves from the floor and she walked towards the door. She slowly turned the handle of the door and outside it, stood a pure white owl with a storage ring in its beak. She looked around to see if there was anyone else and as she did the owl loudly hoo''d at her, bringing her attention back to it.


    It looked somewhat annoyed as it threw the ring at her and flew away. She caught the ring in her hand and went back inside her house to find out what was inside. She sat on her bed and sent some mental energy inside the ring to see what was inside. Ying nearly choked when she saw what was inside.


    "What kind of gift is this!?" She screamed.

 20 Doing Errands and Recruitment!

    "Just what kind of monster have I gotten myself involved with...?" Ying asked herself as she pulled out all the items within the storage ring onto her floor.


    A heavy crash sounded out as her house shook from the weight of the items or item she should say. Ying had full confidence now that the girl she met yesterday was no ordinary person. Besides the strange abnormal qi, what she has just been given is enough to prove that. In front of her laid multiple objects, the first one to catch her eye was also the one staring back at her and caused her house to shake from falling onto her rug.


    It was a colossal monstrous sword! Its length was taller than any man. The size of it made it seem as if it was meant for hunting dragons and giants! Just staring at the blade, made it felt like her heart was already severed in two by the curved sword. But the craziest thing was the human eye fixed at the base of the sword staring directly at her as if it was alive!


    Her eyes were forced to meet directly with the sword''s eye.


    The strange abomination, that which should not be but is, the unexplainable.


    Her soul felt captured in its gaze. Being caressed and gently molded the longer she stared. Ying''s body moved without her permission.


    Before she knew it, her hand was gripped around the sword''s handle while the eye was still staring deep into her inner palace. It was studying her, learning from her soul. Ying attempted to release her hand from the sword''s handle but her body only strengthened her grip on it. It was only a matter of time before she lifted this cursed sword and lost all control over her body.


    But what she expected wasn''t how things played out.


    "I can''t lift it..." She murmured.


    Her thin delicate arms couldn''t even make the sword budge. She willed all the qi within her body and tried again to lift the demonic looking sword but still no movement.


    "YOU PIECE OF JUNK! WHY ARE YOU SO HEAVY!? DIDN''T YOU WANT TO TAKE OVER MY BODY OR SOMETHING!?" She exploded in embarrassment.


    She felt the sword''s presence around her soul feeling embarrassed about its weight. An extra vein appeared on her forehead.


    "YOU''RE SAD THAT I CALLED YOU HEAVY!? I''M A FOURTH STAGE QI GATHERER AND I CAN''T EVEN GET YOU TO BUDGE! I''M THE ONE WHO FEELS LIKE CRYING IN THIS SITUATION!"


    Trying to lift the giant slab of iron forged in the shape of a blade took all of her energy. She couldn''t even stand up and was now sitting on the floor with her hand still gripped around the sword''s handle. She looked over at the other "gifts" she was given and honestly hoped they were nothing like this thing.


    Ying felt a wave of sadness wash over her from the sword.


    "Oh, shut up!"


    Thankfully, the rest of the objects inside the ring seemed normal. A white letter, 35 spirit stones, and a book. She grabbed the letter first and opened it up to read it.


    ''Gather these things for me. I will need a mask, a basic talisman kit, a book on formations and talismans, and a watering can. Use the stones I gave you to pay for these items and keep the rest for yourself.


    The weapon and the book are so I can stay true on my part. With those two, gaining the strength you wish is only a matter of time. So, make sure you don''t disappoint me.


    Signed Jing''


    The final words of the message sent shivers through her body. The most positive outcome she could imagine from those words was the sword and sword art being taken away from her. She didn''t wanna think of the scarier possibilities.


    Not to mention that she can just fork out 35 spirit stones without any issue. It would take her 7 months to get that amount unless she took on only dangerous tasks for 4 or 5 months. Ying didn''t know if it was a good thing or worrying thing that Jing was rich. It just added more mystery to her background. She was only a 1st stage Qi Gatherer. Shouldn''t she use these stones to quickly cultivate through the ranks?


    "Jing huh... The name isn''t as mysterious and frightening as I thought it would be. I better get started on getting this stuff for her then. No point in delaying the inevitable."


    Ying got up from the floor with her hand still gripped around the sword. She glared at the sword and her hand. The sword sent feelings of happiness and excitement. It seemed excited to be going out with her.


    "Are you out of your mind!? I would look like an idiot trying to lug your heavy self around this place!" She yelled at it.


    Ying tried to release her grip from the blade but soon felt a strange feeling go through her hand and spread throughout the rest of her body. She stared suspiciously at the eye sword. It looked at her happily and expectantly as if it wanted her to try something. She tried to lift the sword again while using all of her qi and noticed that she managed to slightly lift it off the ground this time. She used both of her hands to try and drag it behind her.


    The sword was constantly sending waves of glee at her as she just proved she could carry it around.


    "I move as slow as a freaking turtle! Just because I can drag you around now doesn''t mean I should!"


    Ying was barraged by the eye sword''s feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and sorrow. She angrily let out a sigh. She could swear she even saw a tear fall its eye.


    "What are you a freaking child...? Fine, you can come with me but you better keep doing whatever you did earlier to make me lift you. If I''m gonna be carrying you around, you better make it worth my time." Ying conceded to the child-like blade.


    And once again she felt the happiness of the sword trying to drown her. She rolled her eyes and unconsciously let out a small smile. Ying grabbed the letter to remember what she needed to buy and put it in her pocket. She left the spirit stones inside the storage ring and started dragging the heavy hunk of metal outside her door very slowly.


    Her muscles were strained to the limit as she dragged the blade through the sect. Sweat visibly flowed down her body as she used all the power within her body to lug this thing around. Looks of ridicule and laughter plagued her as she headed towards the Exchange Hall.


    "Hahahaha! Look at that dumb girl! Are you putting on a show!?"


    "If a normal sword isn''t good enough for you, why don''t you try something more ladylike!?"


    "BWAHAHAHA! I CAN''T BREATHE! CAN YOU EVEN CALL THAT A SWORD?!"


    Ying would''ve already decapitated everyone making fun of her by now if she could even raise this stupid blade higher than the heel of her foot. Giving up wasn''t in her blood and she sure as hell wouldn''t start now. Even if her arms stopped working, she''ll carry this damn thing in her teeth if she has to.


    But this thing was full of mystery and abilities, so it looks like it wouldn''t come to something as drastic as that. Ying found out that when she was nearing her body''s limit, the sword would send that strange energy into her, giving her newfound strength and power to keep trekking forward. The increase was gradual and slow but the sword made her feel as long ?as she kept her grip around its handle, it wouldn''t stop coming.


    And isn''t this exactly what she wanted? Sure, she''d like if it was more of an instant noticeable boost in power but Ying isn''t one to shy away from hard work and painful things. Especially if it can give her the power she needs for her goals. Her cultivation technique was one known for its dangerous possible side effect of burning the user into ash if they couldn''t control the wildness of the fire qi brought forward by the technique.


    But despite that dangerous drawback, it would give the user nearly unmatchable power if they could master the fierce uncontrollable fire qi. Ying is only in the initial realm with the technique and could only use the fire qi to ignite herself at this stage. Once she reaches the intermediate realm, she''ll be capable of unleashing burning flames at a distance on her enemies. Only cultivators at the Qi Consolidation stage and above can use qi to attack from a distance which is why this cultivation method is considered to be above the rest during the Qi Gathering realm if you didn''t include the possible drawbacks..


    So, Ying who chose such a vicious cultivation method can be said to have great courage and a fearless spirit or simply a fool who doesn''t know her limits. Only time will be able to tell which kind of person she will turn out to be.


    "Finally... I made it to the Exchange Hall..." She said with relief in her voice as she haggardly caught her breath.


    She flipped her sword onto its side so that its sharp tip wouldn''t cut into the floor of the building and slowly but surely dragged herself inside. She received even more stares and whispers but ignored them as she was halfway finished with her errand. The snide remarks and mocking laughs aren''t something new to her. Xiaohui and her little pack of bitches try and make her life a living hell every week.


    Just wait till she''s gained enough strength to get payback. She''ll show those arrogant pieces of crap why you shouldn''t mess with a Yue! The Yue family doesn''t know the meaning of forgiveness! And to think all of this started because of a stupid boy. She would laugh at this situation if her life wasn''t made a living hell because of it.


    Cheng Chi. The 5th ranked disciple in the outer court and also the boyfriend of Xiaohui. One day, while she was getting her monthly stones, apparently she caught the eye of Cheng Chi. Xiaohui claims that he was staring at her ass and Xiaohui has placed her on her shit list out of jealousy. After that day, she and her pack of bitches have bullied her ever since.


    Thinking back on it just riled Ying up even further.


    "GOD DAMN IT, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SO HEAVY?!" She screamed.


    Her mood calmed down after letting out some of her bottled-up emotions and she step by step made it inside the general store inside the Exchange Hall. Inside were items similar to those that would be sold by normal mortals. Books, clothes, accessories, household items, furniture, and more. Ying went over in the accessories area and looked for a mask that would perfectly match her image of Jing. There were some pretty general and standard masks but the one Ying chose was much different from the rest.


    The mask she picked was a demon''s mask. It had two large overgrown canine jutting from its mouth, red skin, two small horns on its forehead and a wide evil grin.


    "It''s perfect!"


    Ying grabbed the mask and a watering can to purchase at the counter. She paid 1 spirit stone for both and placed them in her storage ring. She then traveled to the Formations and Talismans store 2 shops down 10 minutes later. She asked for a brush, 5 jars of spirit ink, and 100 talisman slips.


    "I can give you the first 3 items but I cannot give you a spell book. Only Array elders can give spell books out. You would have to apprentice under an elder that specializes in talismans if you want to be taught spells and formations."


    Ying didn''t expect something like this. She also doubted Jing knew about this rule either or else why would she ask for her to buy it when she couldn''t. Ying was a cultivator on the martial path so, she knew little of the ways of an array master. She fought some from time to time on the ranking but they usually didn''t pose much of a challenge towards her to get much of an idea on them besides being helpless and weak.


    "Is there any other way I could purchase spells?" She asked.


    "You could exchange for them with contribution points."


    "Goodbye."


    Ying immediately left after paying for the brush, ink, and paper. She could not afford to use her contribution points on mortal-ranked spells that costed 10 contribution points each. She only had 100 this month! Maybe if she took on some dangerous tasks for the sect, she could save up for next month but for now she''ll just tell Jing what the clerk told her.


    It took Ying almost an hour before she returned home. Before she walked in through her door, she noticed that the door was slightly cracked open. Her grip tightened around her sword handle.


    ''I swear if those bitches broken into my home, I will cut off their legs!''


    Ying gathered power in her legs and kicked open her door. Only to see the familiar figure from this morning staring at her from on top of her table.


    "Hoo?" It cocked its head completely horizontally


    A relieved sigh exited from her lips. She wouldn''t actually be able to back up her words from earlier if they really were in her home.


    "It''s just Jing''s messenger bird."


    Ying noticed that it had another item in its mouth. It was a letter. She opened up the letter and read it.


    ''Place what I told you to buy inside the storage ring and give it to Li Li. He will bring it to me.


    Signed Jing''


    Ying did as the letter commanded and was left inside her room with the eye sword, 15 spirit stones, and the sword art. The sword was staring at her and then at the sword book and then back at her as if it was expecting her to start training with it right this instance.


    "Are you crazy?! I can barely lift you off the ground right now! Forget practicing how to use you, I can''t even wield you like a normal blade! And you better not get sad! We''ll talk about practicing the sword art once I can finally wield you like a normal blade." Ying sternly said.


    The sword eye couldn''t help but be a little bit sad after being yelled at but it wasn''t too sad. It was happy Ying wasn''t planning on throwing it away and was still holding it while cultivating with one of the spirit stones.


    ______________________________________________


    It was late at night, the moonlight was reflecting off the surface of the pond. The water was shimmering in a beautiful light, exposing all the fish in a serene divine-like light.


    Plop!


    A fishing lure fell inside the water with squirming bait pierced onto the hook. The echoing splash caused all the fish to quickly dash a few meters away from the source of the impact. About 3 seconds later, they all forgot about it and one of the fish decided to investigate the flailing insect trapped on the hook. And the only way fish know how to investigate things is by putting it in their mouths for a quick taste.


    "Caught one." A gentle voice said with some satisfaction in his voice.


    The fish tried to free itself by quickly swimming as far away as it could but the size of the pond was limited and it couldn''t go very far. It was forced to dash around in circles before tiring itself out and unwillingly being caught by the man with his eyes closed. He held up the hook with the fish and felt the flopping body of the fish.


    "Now that''s a healthy fish isn''t it? Good size on this one."


    What he didn''t notice however were the small discreet steps of a young girl. She was standing behind him as he was grinning at his catch.


    "Why yes it is..." She agreed.


    The blind fisherman didn''t jump in surprise or suddenly pull out a hidden blade but instead turned in her direction and smiled.


    "I didn''t realize anyone else was here. I apologize if I bothered you with all the noise."


    Jing just stared at the simple uncle.


    "I don''t have any spirit stones if that''s what you''re after. I used mine for this month already." He lied with a slightly sad expression.


    Jing smiled as she noticed his lie. Still no feelings of hate, anger, or such appeared on his face.


    ''What a kind older man. Really interesting...'' She thought.


    "I''m not interested in any external belongings of yours."


    "That''s good to hear. I don''t have much of anything really." He smiled in relief from not being robbed or beaten tonight.


    "I do want to know something though..."


    "Sure. What would you like to know young lady?"


    "If you had the strength to get back at those who wronged you, would you?"


    A sad smile appeared on his face as he was lost in thought. Jing respectfully gave him time to think and answer her question.


    "I wouldn''t."


    "Why not?" Jing asked even more interested than before.


    How can there be such a pure and kind man in a world like this? It makes no sense. She has to get this anomaly on her side. Even if he doesn''t have much use now, she can easily change that. His strange benevolent attitude is worthy to keep by her side. He may be the only one of his kind.


    "I realize that the world we live in right now is not how it should be. Human nature isn''t as ruthless and unforgiving as it may seem. We can be far more than just animals in human skin. The law of the jungle should only apply in the jungle not to the entire world. The ones who treated me wrongly don''t believe that it was wrong to treat me in that way. They were taught that if you have strength, you can do whatever you please to those weaker than you. It''s not their fault they were raised in such a skewed and misguided way. Maybe if they were taught to treat others with respect and kindness growing up, they would have grown into honorable young men."


    ''That type of thinking is far too pure.''


    "What about those that have done inexcusable actions then? Will you forgive those that would dirty your daughter, kill her, and then laugh and mock her while drinking ale later?" Jing asked.


    "I may be a patient and gentle man but even I know when one deserves punishment. A monster who would do something as terrible as that doesn''t deserve to be treated as human."


    "I see... Well then. Would you like to join me?"


    She could see the old man was taken aback.


    "Join you? What do you mean?"


    "To help me make this sect a better place. I''ve seen the horrible and disgusting ways this sect treats its disciples and frankly I''m not impressed. I plan to change this sect from the bottom up and I will need people who I believe also share that vision. Will you help me?" Jing asked.


    "I... I... I would love to help you but... I don''t see how I could help with such a big goal. I''m blind, I have no talent, the only things I own are the clothes on my back and this fishing rod of mine."


    "All I require of you is your loyalty and body. If you follow me exceptionally well, I can even aid you in your dream of teaching the world how to be just human."


    The fisherman chuckled as tears starting dripping from his eyes.


    "Look at me... getting teary-eyed eyed like a baby. How shameful. Still having such childish dreams at my age. It''s silly right?"


    "Not at all. Immortality isn''t something that is only coveted by the young. Plenty of people wish for immortality."


    "Immortality huh... I only wanted to be a cultivator because cultivators always amazed me growing up. The strength to fly through the skies and cut through anything with divine strength but as I grew older, I realized that maybe being powerful isn''t all it is cut out to be. I''ve seen plenty of cultivators endlessly chase after power and strength at many costs. Losing their friends, family, morals, bodies, and even souls all in the search of more power. In the end they either die or become nothing more than cruel heartless husks."


    "How would you avoid such a fate then if you were given such strength?"


    "Get a hobby." He answered simply.


    Jing let out a loud genuine laugh at his answer.


    "You''re pretty interesting you know that? What''s your name?"


    "Lei Zhi. What about you young lady?"


    "Jing. So, what do you say about my question from earlier?"


    "I''ll join you. I still don''t see how I could be of any help but I''m here if you need me."


    "Good. I''ll leave some stuff for you. I''ll get in contact with you when I need you. Farewell Zhi." Jing told him as she refined a few stuff right in front of him before dropping them on the ground for him to grab later.


    "Goodnight Jing. Nice meeting you."


    [New Ally Gained!]


    [Name: Lei Zhi]


    [Rank: Qi Gatherer 3]


    [Occupation: Martial Artist]


    [Techniques: Flattening Gorilla Palm (Initial), Tricky Fox Steps (Intermediate), Bronze Skin (Advanced)]


    [Cultivation Method: Book of Qi]


    [Loyalty: 85% (Has a good impression of you and is happy and willing to follow you improve the sect.)]

 21 Team Up Between Sword and Shield!

    "I realized that you won''t have much use if you''re just slinging that thing around like a dumb monkey. Take this and go find out where Tang Wuying and Gong Jun live. Find out their cultivation realms, if not expect hell. You''ll be meeting up with an ally at the Mission Hall. I haven''t told you much of anything yet but I''m gathering influence within the sect. The only thing you need to do is follow my instructions and don''t tell anyone about your relation to me. I''ve let the others know as well to not reveal any information about me." Jing commanded to the kneeling Bing.


    She threw a shield martial art in front of him and then placed on a simple white wooden mask on her face. The mask had no mouth hole and only two eye holes. She soon disappeared silently.


    "Thank you Empress..." He said with a sob as his future was now 100% set in stone as a follower of the demoness.


    ______________________________________________


    Bing got up as he felt Jing''s presence disappear from behind the tree. He started flipping through the shield art with a wide grin on his face as he walked towards the Mission Hall.


    "Who knew there were really martial techniques for shields?" Bing asked to no one in particular.


    He didn''t even believe there were shield arts. He''s never even seen anyone use a shield besides mortals in wars with other mortals. He didn''t know why but apparently shields are seen as cowardly and weak tools and should only be used by mortals. The mocking comments and constant laughter, he experienced while carrying his shield throughout the sect was not a small number. It wasn''t all bad though. Bing could ignore those comments without any problems. The cowardly weakling title placed on him helped him avoid being challenged and bullied by anyone strong.


    It has been 2 months since he''s disposed of those Huan clan members that broke into his house. He hasn''t had any more encounters with the group ever since then. He didn''t know if they didn''t know that he killed those that broke into his home or they were biding their time to strike him at his weakest. And if it was the latter...


    "Hehehe..." He sniggered looking at the potential of his new martial art.


    ¡­


    Bing arrived at the Mission Hall and was waiting for the other person the demoness definitely forced under her rule. As he took in the enlightening text inside the shield art, he started to hear whispers.


    "There she is again!"


    "Doesn''t she know that she only looks like a fool?"


    "Hahahaha! There''s a fine line between stubbornness and retardation! Guess which you fall in line with!"


    Bing looked up to notice a young girl coming towards the Mission Hall. If it was just any girl, he''d pass a quick glance and then go back to what he was doing but this girl was far from your average girl. First of all, the big freaking blade she was dragging around caught his attention more than her beautiful looks! It contrasted her gentle and weak look completely! And that annoyed angry grimace on her face also didn''t help her Bing''s first impression of her. Not to mention how she just punched 2 of the cultivators making fun of her and made them collapse into an indignifed heap of pain and weeping.


    ''Dangerous. Definitely not my type of girl. Seems like the type to try and slice me in half for staring at her breasts. She does have very nice breasts though. Large and shapely just like how I like em.''


    As he was lost in thought thinking about the types of girls he likes and how excited he was to start training with his shield art, the girl suddenly popped up in front of his face!


    "Oi! You there?" She asked waving her hand in his face.


    "Ah! Sorry. Hello? Are you the person I''m waiting for?" Bing guessed.


    "Are you the person I''m waiting for?" She asked back with a little bite in her voice.


    "I''m uh.. I was told to wait here for an ally. Are you them...?" He asked a little bit frightened. Her aggressive disposition and higher cultivation level and big weapon were intimidating.


    Bing recently reached the Qi Gatherer stage 3 and has been training diligently with his devil techniques ever since he came to the sect. He''s been feeling unstoppable ever since he''s met with the demoness. If he was to be honest, he feels as if he''s changed ever since coming in contact with her too. He''s done things he would never imagine himself doing before being enslaved by her during the first test.


    He''s murdered and didn''t feel that horrible about it. He relished in grievously injuring and mocking those who fight him. Training and cultivating are becoming more fun and less tedious as it was in his childhood. Causing trouble to those who don''t like him. He''s completely changed from the cowardly, nervous, and gentle boy he used to be.


    "Yep. Let''s get moving..." She dragged waiting for him to say his name.


    "Bing. Ai Bing."


    "I''m Yue. Ying Yue. I can tell you''re a bit surprised by this guy here but don''t worry he doesn''t bite." Ying grinned while rubbing the surface of her blade.


    "That is uh.. A big sword..." Bing said unnerved by the eye glaring into his soul.


    "Your shield also looks interesting. Did Jing gift it to you too?"


    "You''re saying the Empress gave you that monstrous thing...?"


    "Don''t insult him!" She yelled.


    "Sorry!" Bing jumped from the strength in her voice.


    "He''s very sensitive and I have to feel all of those emotions whether I want to or not."


    "You mean that thin- sword is alive?"


    "Don''t you see the moving eyeball?" She asked as if seeing a living sword was a common thing in the world.


    Bing just rapidly nodded so that he doesn''t get on the bad side on this violent girl.


    "I''m sorry for yelling at you. My nerves have been bad lately and I''ve haven''t really found a good outlet yet. I didn''t mean to turn that on you."


    "It''s fine. Let''s go find Tang Wuying and Gong Jun."


    "Let''s go."


    Bing started to walk away from the Mission Hall towards the higher ranked outer disciples homes. Those with higher ranks can afford better homes to live in if they defeat those living in the homes in a ranking match. These homes are much nicer, bigger, and well-maintained than the shacks the lower ranked disciples live in. They even get a servant to clean their homes.


    "Hey wait up!"


    Bing looked back to notice that Ying was still near the top of the stairs while he was already at the bottom. He hoped he didn''t seriously have to walk at such a slow pace the entire time but watching at her drag that colossal thing down at the speed she was going. Life is truly unfair to him.


    ¡­


    "Why do you think Jing wants us to find stuff out about Wuying and Jun?" Ying asked while still strenuously dragging her eye sword behind him.


    Bing shrugged his shoulders. He honestly had no clue what could possibly going through the she-devil''s head. He hasn''t been able to understand her ever since he met her.


    "You think she plans on taking them out?"


    Bing shrugged his shoulders.


    "You do know they are having a duel by the end of the week, right? Maybe she''s planning for something to happen before then. What do you think?"


    Bing shrugged his shoulders once more.


    "You definitely aren''t popular with girls." Ying muttered.


    "What!? What does that have to do with anything!?"


    "You don''t know how to talk to people."


    "I can speak with people perfectly fine. It''s just the questions you were asking were bad questions!"


    "Yeah blaming the girl, real manly of you."


    "I''m not blaming you! I just meant to say that I don''t know what goes on in the Empress''s head."


    Ying snickered once she heard him call Jing, Empress.


    "Did you just call her Empress again?"


    "Yes. What about it?"


    Ying bust out laughing. Bing''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "I don''t see what''s so funny."


    "I''ll admit that Jing is terrifying even for me but Empress?! Hahahaha! That''s a bit too far don''t you think?"


    "Hmph." Bing turned his head and started to quickly walk forward.


    "Ah come on! I wasn''t laughing at you, I was laughing because you called her Empress."


    Bing kept walking ahead.


    "You''re pretty sensitive too aren''t you. Come on man don''t leave me behind! We''re partners!" Ying yelled while still snickering.


    Bing suddenly stopped in his tracks but not because of his own free will. Three people appeared in front of him. One girl and two guys. The guys were both 5th stage Qi Gatherers while the girl was a 6th stage.


    "You''re Ai Bing right?" She asked.


    Bing tightened the grip on his shield. He doesn''t know anyone and no one should be looking for him.


    "Nope. My name is Lin Feng." He lied with an straight face.


    "Lin Feng huh..." She dragged while narrowing her eyes.


    "Give me a description of Ai Bing." She ordered to the guys behind her.


    "He''s fat, at the 3rd stage, carries a shield, and looks stupid."


    She looked at Bing and smirked.


    "Looks like you''re our guy."


    Ying finally managed to catch up to Bing


    "You actually waited for me. Thanks. I won''t make fun of you anymore okay? Are these your friends?" Ying asked not aware of the tense situation.


    "I don''t know this Ai Bing but like I told you I''m Lin Feng. Will you stop blocking my way now? I''m on my way somewhere right now."


    "Quite a mouth on you for someone just at the 3rd stage. Boys beat him half to death for talking to me in such a way."


    The two guys grinned as they slowly walked towards Bing.


    "Before this escalates, tell me something first. Are you from the Huan clan?" Bing asked.


    She only smiled in response to his question. By this time, the two thugs dashed towards Bing. Ying was confused but realized that these guys were after Bing for some reason. She looked at the girl before grinning wildly. She pointed towards the 6th stage cultivator and crushed her hand.


    Her entire being burst into flames. Her orange hair brightly burned as it flowed in the wind. A layer of flames surrounded her figure and her great sword turned into a wide mass of flames.


    "If you''re picking a fight with my teammate, then you''re picking a fight with me!" She gestured with her finger telling the girl to come at her.


    "You dare pick a fight with the Huan clan!?" She asked.


    "I dare it alright. You punks aren''t nothing more than a bunch of losers teaming up to protect yourselves. Now come at me already! This Mama doesn''t have all day you chicken!"


    "You... You... You will regret this! I swear on my name as Qing Huan that I will teach you a lesson!"


    "Bla bla bla. Are we gonna fight or are we just gonna talk!?" Ying said with her body still blazing.


    Qing took out her sword and angrily charged towards Ying. Her speed was fast and basically unseeable. At moments it looked as if there were multiple versions of her. When faced with a speed like this, any normal cultivator would lose their head before even being able to find where Qing was. It was how she made it near the top 100th ranking in the Outer Court. Most opponents wouldn''t be able to follow her speed before being defeated by her.


    Ying leaned on her sword and yawned as Qing was nearing her. She looked at her with a cheeky grin. Even the sword was watching Qing''s movements as it intensively burned on ground. Qing couldn''t believe it was possible for some 5th stage Qi Gatherer to possibly follow her movements. It must be her imagination. It''s impossible. She would''ve recognized this girl if she had any talent or was a genius.


    Qing appeared behind Ying and aimed to slice her neck off with one strike. For daring to challenge her and acting so arrogantly in her presence. Refusing to put her beautiful self in her eyes, is only punishable by death! And this first and last attack will finish this.


    Smack!


    Ying casually backhanded the 6th stage cultivator in the face. Qing was sent flying as if she was just smacked by a giant! Bing and the two cultivators she brought along, eyes enlarged like flies as Qing''s body flew past them in the middle of their fight. After seeing Qing crash along the ground, they looked over to see Ying, not on fire anymore, checking her nails as if she didn''t just battle with someone an entire stage above her.


    Bing took this chance as those two were distracted and attacked! He used his shield and uppercutted one of the Huan clan members away in an arc. The other one tried to stab him in the side but he managed to block with his shield as the last remaining guy unleashed a flurry of sword attacks upon him. Bing blocked the slashes with his superior physical strength from the joint use of Devil Arms and Devil''s Physique. His constant blocking only made his opponent attack with even more power and haste.


    He could see his opponent tiring out and getting weaker and slower. He was waiting for his chance to turn this around in one swift move like a patient lioness waiting for the perfect chance of pounce on her prey.


    And there it was! He was planning to strike down and cleave Bing in two with his blade from above.


    Shing!


    Bing''s shield was slashed down upon and during this moment, Bing deflected the blade to the side, causing the swordsman''s sword to stab into the ground. Bing raised his shield high in the air before bringing it down painfully on the back of the cultivator who didn''t expect his attack to be deflected.


    Crack!


    He dropped to the ground with a painful yell.


    "So... do you have a death grudge these guys or...?" Ying asked as she held her foot on the guy Bing knocked away.


    He could be seen struggling to remove Ying''s foot but it was as if she weighed as much as a mountain! He couldn''t move her leg even with all of his strength! Just what kind of freak did his clan get involved with...? A fair-skinned beauty with the strength of a giant and attitude of a ferocious beast.


    "Hmm... Leave them alive. I''ll personally deal with their clan in the future. It seems they just won''t leave me alone, so I''ll handle it myself." Bing told her.


    Ying removed her foot and let the last Huan member scamper away in fright. Bing walked over to Ying and the two continued their task given by Jing.


    ______________________________________________


    A youth could be seen inside his lavish and well-furnished home. That youth gave off a wild and powerful type of feeling to anyone that saw him. He was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer and one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Court. He himself would claim the #1 spot in the Outer Court but only to goad the actual #1 into fighting him. The pussy bastard''s too scared to fight him with everything on the line. He''s definitely hiding some secret technique or item that he doesn''t want people knowing about.


    Unbeknownst to him, a figure appeared behind him. They wore a white wooden mask with only eye holes present. They let their qi flow out and spoke.


    "Are you Hu Tao?" The masked feminine figure asked.


    "And just who in the fuck are you? How did you get in my house? If you''re looking to get fucked by me to improve your standing in the sect, fuck off." A wavy white-haired shirtless youth said lazily lounging on his impressive couch.


    "I heard about you becoming the slave of whoever manages to defeat you."


    "And you think a shitty 1st stage Qi Gatherer like you can do that? I don''t know what kind of special technique or object allowed you to sneak in my house without me noticing but if you keep wasting my time, I''ll kill you."


    The figure smiled beneath her mask.


    "An untrained mutt is a useless one. Come along doggy. Let this Mistress teach you some manners."


    All of a sudden, in front of her eyes, was Hu Tao punching straight towards her face! A normal cultivator wouldn''t have been able to spot the moment Hu Tao left his couch! Much less clash with him and suffer no injuries from his surprise attack!


    "What the hell...?" He muttered as his punch and Jing''s kick were evenly matched in strength.


    "Just who the hell are you!?" He roared as a crazed smile found itself on his face.

 22 Jing Vs Hu Tao

    A purple aura manifested behind Jing, towering over the 9th stage Qi Gatherer. A sick perverted smile was painted on her lips as she stared down the riled up beast. Hu Tao roared out a howl that caused the air inside the house to flee in the form of shockwaves. This howl seems to be an auxiliary martial art! Hu Tao''s qi manifested into the form of a black fiendish beast that seemed no less fearsome than Jing''s own!


    Hu Tao got on all fours and pounced towards Jing intent on slashing her to pieces with his hands. His figure blurred and in no time, he arrived in front of Jing. The powerful qi and savage look in his eyes would unnerve any normal cultivator around his stage. Just looking at him would make anyone of a normal mind to be paralyzed in fear and accept their inevitable fate to be struck down by this creature.


    Jing, however, was not like most cultivators. Her first reaction to feeling this type of presence was excitement and worry for her undergarments getting soaked afterwards. It''s not every day she can feel something like this. It pulled on a hidden feeling, deep within her heart that made her want to turn loose and reign this mad dog under her control. And she fulled intended to let that feeling surface.


    Jing got into her martial art stance.


    "L¨¦ij¨ª."


    Jing unleashed lightning fast kicks that struck Hu Tao all over! Each strike seemed to hit a weak point on Hu Tao''s body, causing so much pain to him that he was forced to howl out from the pain as he was knocked away by a final kick into the couch. Hu Tao crashed into his couch and knocked it over as he got back on his feet before he could crash into the fire place. He locked eyes with Jing as the pain running through his body was something he''s never felt before or to this level at least.


    He grinned.


    "This might actually be fun." He stood up, stretching his muscles and cracking his bones.


    He slammed his knuckles together and his qi seemed to double in power! The beast behind him increased in size and savageness. He leapt towards her with a leaping kick and Jing was forced back when she contested with him in strength. He somehow increased his strength after being blown back earlier!


    Jing fully expected him to be suffering from pain spasms while writhing on the ground after hitting him with her L¨¦ij¨ª. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. L¨¦ij¨ª is an opening move that allows Jing to follow up with other attacks in her Flowering Domination martial art. Those other attacks could either be used to finish the enemy, defend against any incoming projectiles, or just cause more damage with another special move in the kicking technique.


    After reading the Empress of Pain''s tome, she''s learned all the right ways of hurting humans. Her kicks should''ve caused him to be unable to move at all after kicking him in all the right nerve spots. So, either he has a way of shutting off pain entirely or his fighting will can''t be broken through pain alone.


    She smirked.


    ''I guess we''ll see how long you can last doggy.''


    After kicking Jing backwards, Hu Tao landed on his feet and followed up with multiple vicious claw attacks. Jing met him for every blow with her kicks, slowly getting overpowered more and more. Realizing, that facing him head-on isn''t working, Jing dodged one of Hu Tao''s slashes and slide kicked toward his legs.


    "NICE TRY BITCH!" He yelled.


    Hu Tao leapt above Jing, completely dodging her attack and with his clawed hand stretched out, dived at her.


    "Or was that my plan all along?" Jing smirked.


    Hu Tao''s face was still grinning as he was assured in his victory as he was diving towards Jing, ignoring her comment entirely.


    ''There''s no way she can avoid this attack with all my might! I''ll snatch her by the throat and force her to tell me how did she get so strong! It has to be a sky-ranked treasure or even a heaven-ranked one! There''s no way a 1st stage Qi Gatherer could ever contest with a 9th stage one. Even if they had one of the greatest bloodlines in the world, the gulf in strength between those two stages can''t be shortened like this.''


    Jing flipped onto her hands and did a handstand before pushing off the ground and kicking Hu Tao in the jaw with her toes, knocking him through upstair''s floor and into the second level of the house.


    "WHAT THE FUCK!?"


    Jing giggled before slowly walking up the steps and into the luxurious bathroom. As soon as she opened the door, Hu Tao punched with a rising fist towards her jaw! This attack would surely break her jaw into pieces if it landed! Jing leaned her head backwards to dodge the attack and with an accurate kick to the chest, caused him to momentarily pause in his movements. After stopping his surprise attack, Jing quickly went on the offensive! She landed kick after kick on Hu Tao''s body, causing him to be slowly beaten back.


    But it wasn''t going all that smoothly for Jing. Jing could see despite having the advantage in technique, Hu Tao was slowly getting used to her movements. She could feel that her kicks weren''t landing completely. If she doesn''t finish this soon, he''ll no doubt be able to dominate her in strength and technique.


    After kicking him across the bathroom, Hu Tao ended up with his back to the wall. Jing did a rising high kick aimed straight at Hu Tao''s chin.


    "NOT!" His dazed eyes suddenly opened clear and wide as he swayed his head to the side and grabbed hold of Jing''s leg.


    "HAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed as he spun her around like a top and threw her through the wall into the bedroom.


    Jing crashed her head into his mahogany desk near the king-sized bed and lost sight of Hu Tao. She was sure if her body wasn''t refined, her head should''ve exploded like a watermelon or at the very least knocked her into a deep coma from that throw. The power from that throw was not something just anyone could produce!


    "You''re mine now!" Jing heard in front of her.


    Jing back flipped out of the destructive charge attack from Hu Tao that would''ve left an average 1st stage into nothing more than a mist of blood. She landed on the ceiling with her feet and dive kicked towards the exposed back of Hu Tao. He just grinned as he charged elbow first towards her foot, knowing he held the edge in power.


    She used the force of Hu Tao''s attack to launch her across the room.


    "Is the foreplay over yet mutt? Are you ready to take this seriously yet? Your future is on the line you know?" Jing reminded him as she took out her whip.


    "AWOOOO!"


    Hu Tao howled as his figure became even more animalistic along with the beast manifesting behind him. It grew two additional snarling heads and enlarged in size. The teeth were fanged and razor sharp. He was on all fours once more and two red shadows of himself formed next to him, mimicking his stance. His hands grew a dark bloody aura around them along with a reddish wolf tail made of qi. The pupils in his eyes disappeared and he looked nothing more than just a feral mindless beast. But even with all this, Jing still felt like Hu Tao was still in control.


    He smirked.


    Then vanished before her eyes. Jing fully released all of her strength as this battle got into its second phase. Boom! The bedroom was destroyed as Jing and Hu Tao released everything they had. If anyone were to witness such a fight it would be impossible to not label these two as once in a thousand-year geniuses. The way Jing kept Hu Tao out of her personal bubble while also keeping him at a certain distance with her whip. If he dared to make even one mistake, it would be the last mistake he ever made in this fight. Each time she sliced the air with her whip, it aimed at one of Hu Tao''s critical points. Jing had her whip''s anomalous effect active and fully intended on using it to subdue this wild dog.


    But Hu Tao was no slouch either! Swaying his head at the most crucial of times to dodge Jing''s fierce rapid whip slashes, not even taking a single cut as he clawed at Jing and her whip with the quickness of a tiger. The wind distorted from the speed of his attacks and sliced at Jing''s clothes, nipping at her skin and causing blood to flow.


    ''Interesting!''


    His wind slashes are strong enough to tear through flesh and cut through bones. The last time he used this he accidentally cut a sorry bastard in half from the waist. Hu Tao didn''t think that the sack of shit would be weak enough to die from something like that. He was pissed for hours before taking his anger out on one of the weaker disciples.


    This would have to mean that the body cultivation technique this girl practices is at the very least earth-rank or higher. Just who is this bitch anyway? He searched all over the Outer Court for any strong fighters. He has never seen anyone like this chick. Hu Tao still can''t believe she''s in the 1st stage. It has to be an auxiliary martial art that somehow masks her true stage.


    But his gut was telling him that she wasn''t something that could be understood with normal thinking. He felt like she was a monster in human skin. Even his qi was having trouble picturing her as just some girl. Hu Tao felt like her true form was something indescribable and unclear to the mind. Feeling that endless deep powerful twisted feeling qi... It simply can''t be human.


    "Just what the fuck are you!?" His face still sporting a battle-crazed smile.


    His red shadows broke through Jing''s zone after Hu Tao knocked her whip into the ground and kept her from recovering it. Her strength is great enough to take back her whip but not fast enough to avoid the attacks of the shadows. They appeared on each side of Jing ready to swipe her innards out with their claws.


    Jing felt a slight trickle run down her upper thigh as she was caught in this dangerous situation. Her lips turned up unconsciously as she was forced into the defensive position constantly with this mutt. Ever since the second start of this battle, Jing was unable to go on the offense. Even if she tried one of her offensive whip techniques, Hu Tao would be able to handle it himself or with the support of his two clones.


    ''I''m still too wet behind the ears. This is my first real battle after all. Even if I have all the teachings to memory, putting them into practice is a whole different matter. Even with my refinements, this is something that I''ll have to solve by gaining experience. This''ll be great training to get used to my whip and leg arts.'' Jing thought, forgetting her original goal of just ending this by getting a single cut on Hu Tao''s skin and forcing him to be her slave or forever undergo the pain of unending suffering.


    Jing twirled her body upside down and did a split before kicking her legs around in a whirlwind motion. The two shadows of Hu Tao were unable to predict Jing doing such a strange move and were sucked into her tornado. Jing''s legs kicked the two shadows multiple times without them being able to escape the pull of her technique.


    ''J¨´f¨¥ng!'' Is the name of this technique.


    This move is normally used to give the user some breathing room when surrounding on all sides by enemies but with Jing''s abnormal body, she is capable of using this technique to new heights! The power of her spin was powerful enough to suck in the two shadows to kick them for as long as she could spin while in the air. They couldn''t escape the power of her attacks and were forced to dissipate into nothingness after being attacked so many times.


    A sharp light shined from Hu Tao''s eyes as he witnessed the defeat of his shadows. He wouldn''t be able to summon them again unless he wants to use up all his remaining qi and that would be no fun. There''s no way he''s going to stop this battle so soon when it''s getting so fun! She''s showing him so many interesting things that he never thought he''d see in the Outer Court.


    Hu Tao lunged after Jing. Jing has long got back on her feet and whipped towards Hu Tao. Hu Tao with the reflexes and flexibility of a wild beast, twisted midair and dodged the whip before landing right under Jing.


    "This is how you use it right?!"


    He began spinning his arms in a cyclonic manner with his claws stretched out. The entire room was swept up in a sharp cyclone that surrounded both Jing and Hu Tao. Jing was forced off her feet as she used her whip to block the claw attacks of Hu Tao. The strength in his body was even more than Jing''s. His spinning claw attack was launching her higher and higher towards the ceiling and she was suffering more and more damage from the wind and his claws.


    Since the whip isn''t so great at defense at close range, she was helpless against his assault. He''s only getting stronger as the battle goes on! Having him in her forces is a must. But first she''ll have to get this dog to submit.


    Jing dropped her whip and let Hu Tao claw deep across her torso as she went flying through the floor back towards the living room of the house. Her clothes were in tatters and blood was all over it. She didn''t feel any of the pain though. She has long turned off her pain receptors. As she slowly got up, her clothes began to fix themselves anew along with the injuries on her body. Jing felt as if her understanding of her current whip and leg arts were slowly improving. After using them in this fight with Hu Tao, Jing was slowly on the verge of a breakthrough into the initial stage of her martial arts. She closed her eyes to try and consolidate her understandings. A faint yellow aura appeared around Jing''s legs.


    Hu Tao lunged at her from above with a wicked smile on his face as he watched. He was glad that it wasn''t over yet. He still hasn''t even shown everything he''s got yet! If she was finished before he could give it his all, his balls would ache! But thankfully this fight can keep on going!

 23 Successfully Tamed & Some Trouble?! 18+

    "Rending Cross Slash!" Hu Tao shouted with his arms crossed in an x shape as he swiped at Jing from above.


    Jing looked up to see a large crisscross shaped qi attack headed straight for her! Even if she tried to dodge, it would be no use. The encapsulating technique trapped her inside like a rat to be sliced and diced up into millions of pieces. North, south, east, and west were all blocked off. The only choices she had was to submit to her fate or counter with her own attack.


    "F¨£ngch¨¥!" Jing responded in kind.


    Jing spun like a graceful pinwheel as Hu Tao''s attack reached her. The purple qi enveloping her body allowed her to fight against the dominating slashes. The more she spun, the further it was pushed back by her spinning kicks.


    "You gotta be fucking with me!" Hu Tao exclaimed.


    He watched as Jing was pushing back his claw technique and couldn''t stop himself from grinning. Hu Tao broke through his own technique and started spinning like a windmill towards Jing, taking her technique for himself! It took no more than just a few seconds for this prodigy to figure out the workings of Jing''s technique. Calling him anything but a monster would be doing a disservice to the creature known as Hu Tao! His talent is truly abominable!


    The two spinning figures fought against each other. One purple and the other dark red. Slowly pushing each other back but none taking the advantage.


    ''Is she getting stronger too!? I should be ripping her into pieces by now! What the hell is going on with this freaky bitch!?'' Hu Tao thought.


    His instincts warned him to immediately disengage and flee to a safe distance. Hu Tao''s instincts have never done him wrong. Every battle, every encounter, every dangerous situation he was in, counting on his instincts is how he''s managed to stay alive. If it weren''t for these instincts, he would already be dead inside a ditch and forgotten to the world.


    "FUCK THAT!" He responded to his instincts as he urged all the qi in his body to completely tear Jing apart.


    Jing swiped her foot to the left. This stopped both her and Hu Tao''s spinning. Making them both hang in the middle of the air but with Hu Tao completely off balance. Jing slammed her foot into the stomach of Hu Tao, making him spit up a mixture of blood and saliva from the power of her unrestrained strength. She held him up in the air with her leg completely raised and Hu Tao''s hung on her foot.


    "This is the end doggy."


    Jing struck Hu Tao with her other foot and began to rapidly kick him with both of her feet. Each kick slightly stronger than the last and each leg getting faster and faster. It didn''t take long for her feet to turn into nothing but a blur as Hu Tao''s body was lifted higher and higher. He was as helpless as a small pup that fell into a wild river. He could only submit to the force of nature that was Jing''s power.


    Jing continued to unleash lightning speed kicks until a spark could be seen from her legs that soon ignited her feet on fire! Her excitement was through the roof. The joy she was feeling couldn''t be topped. This power! This strength! The powerless dog beneath her feet! His looks of anguish and torment! His defiant eyes that still haven''t completely given up.


    "Yes!!!!" She couldn''t stop herself from grabbing her breast and squeezing.


    She reared both of her legs back and latched them around Hu Tao''s neck. The two of them began spinning wildly as they fell back down towards the floor. A sickening wood-splintering crash was the only sound heard from Hu Tao''s house once they reached the ground.


    "Mhmm..." Jing''s pupils looked as if they turned into hearts.


    Her hand was delicately moving inside the lower parts of her robe as she relished from the sight of Hu Tao''s head trapped in the flooring and his miniscule and desperate attempts of struggling to get back up. But no matter how much pain he was feeling nor how passionately his willpower was burning, he couldn''t will a single jin of strength to rise.


    A purple aura could be seen dragging Hu Tao''s black beast into its body as the three-headed pup tried to claw itself away. Jing was too lost in her ecstasy to even notice that she has long broken into the initial realm for her cultivation technique. If she was paying attention, she would have realized that when she was kicking Hu Tao in the air that was when she gained enough understanding to break past the elementary stage for the technique.


    Jing''s eyes were focused directly on Hu Tao''s lower robes as her fingers started moving faster and her breaths became more rapid. She walked over and stood over his feeble body. She used the tip of her toes to stroke the masculine imprint on his robes, intensifying the feeling sparking through her entire body. Whether Hu Tao was conscious or willing didn''t matter to Jing at all right now. The only thing on her mind was giving herself to the pleasure that was plaguing her body and mind.


    In between her toes, she could feel Hu Tao''s little friend growing as she rubbed at a faster pace. Her moans were unrestrained and she could feel herself nearing the edge. She raised her leg back and struck Hu Tao in the chest, making him weakly cry out and crash into the wall. That cry was all she needed left, as her body erupted in a wave of pleasure and caused her body to shake uncontrollably.


    But she wasn''t done just yet, her fingers continued moving in and out as she repeatedly kicked the slumped over Hu Tao. His whimpers and small acts of resistance by trying to grab her leg only aided her in her moment. She couldn''t stop herself from screaming loudly as it felt like multiple lightning strikes raged through her entire body in a ripple of heavenly satisfaction.


    It would only take her a few seconds before her mind cleared up and her body returned back to normal. She looked over at Hu Tao''s knocked out body. This turned out better than she thought it would. Recruiting Hu Tao has only brought advantages for her.


    She''s reached the initial realm in her leg and whip art and cultivation technique. She''s gained some valuable combat experience. A powerful tool at her disposal. The only thing she needs to do now is refine some things for him to use as she did for the rest of her followers. She''ll also need some new stuff for herself.


    After having that battle, she''s realized that she needs something more than just relying on her whip and body. She''ll need a movement art, an auxiliary art, and a body art. There is no reason for her not to go all the way and gain herself a full set of martial techniques. She won''t be gifting her followers with much though.


    She''s not their mother. If they want better martial arts or resources, they should go take it for themselves. She plans on having them all meet each other once this business with Tang Wuying is finished. It wouldn''t be bad if they all realized the purpose of her gathering them and got to know each other. She''ll be regularly sending them out in groups of two or three so, some bonding or introductions will be needed.


    ______________________________________________


    Spash!


    The fishing lure gently fell into the small pond. The fisherman''s eyes were closed shut and had a serene and calm disposition to them. It was Lei Zhi. He was peacefully fishing to past the time while also reading through the gifts Jing brought him.


    Any normal person who knows of Lei Zhi may be confused watching him in his current state. How can a blind man read? He was just pressing his fingers across the pages inside the book but was also somehow able to understand it? What nonsense is this?! No one could read just by dragging their finger across a page.


    But Lei Zhi could! This is all because of Jing''s strange auxiliary martial art she gave him. Just by making physical contact with the strange technique, his entire view of the world erupted in a magnificent explosion! Previously his entire vision of the world was nothing but blackness and sounds, but after coming in contact with the martial art, the world quite literally started to come alive around him.


    He could see! His surroundings were being built inside his mind as his enhanced senses took it all in. His smell, hearing, touch, and even taste became so much more now. He didn''t even need his vision back anymore! With this auxiliary martial art, he can see far more than he has ever seen in his whole life.


    He can ''see'' the fishes swimming in the pond. He can visualize an outline of their entire bodies and even tell the difference between each fish swimming in the pond. He can feel each character within the Xiangqi martial technique with just his finger and based on faint ink impressions can read the entire manual without an issue! He can even hear the heartbeats of the 4 gentlemen behind him!


    Wait what?


    Lei Zhi turned his head towards the unexpected visitors. They suddenly froze in surprise. They must have not expected him to have known they were behind him. The middle one coughed and started speaking.


    "You have better ears than I thought fool, but that doesn''t matter much. Give us the stones you have." He spoke rudely.


    Lei Zhi recognized this voice. It was the voice of the misguided youth who slapped him and stole his spirit stones before. It seems they have yet to change their ways but then again why would they? It isn''t as if they have a respectable role model or figure to look up to. Not in this sect anyway...


    "I''ve already gave you my stones. I can''t give you anymore until this month is over." Lei Zhi responded politely.


    "Kek!" The leader of the youths laughed and soon after the 3 others started laughing along with him.


    Lei Zhi tilted his head in confusion.


    "You think we''re stupid you blind fossil!? We know you have some hidden around here. Otherwise there would be no way you would have made it to the fourth stage."


    "You take Young Master Sying for a fool?! It seems we should give you more than just one slap this time around for daring to lie!"


    "I''ve had some fortune in my cultivation last night young lords. Please believe me." Lei Zhi said with a small smile. He was indeed lying. Jing gifted him a nice number of spirit stones along with the martial techniques she left.


    They didn''t like that answer. He could see their faces scrunch up into a knot realizing that they might have wasted their time here. He slowly got up and faced the four young lords.


    ''Perhaps they will just let it go.'' He thought hopefully.


    "Beat him half to death and then search the area." Sying commanded.


    "Yes sir!" The three cackled like a pack of hyenas as they menacingly walked towards Lei Zhi.


    Lei Zhi watched as they cracked their knuckles and smashed their fists together before suddenly attacking him 1 at a time. Lei Zhi calmly dodged the leaping punch of the first youth. He heard him land behind him and looked at him with an expression of shock. All of them were shocked at this.


    "There''s no need for violence. We can solve this without needing to harm one another."


    "DIE!" The young man who missed his punch tried again with the same strategy as before and missed once again.


    "What the hell is going on!? Aren''t you blind!?" Sying asked with confusion and rage.


    "Correct young master Sying. I am blind. Now, can we agree to stop the violence and make peace with each other?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "Attack him all at once! I don''t believe that he can avoid all of you at the same time." Sying ordered.


    Lei Zhi was surrounded on all sides. The rowdy youths may not understand how he''s able to dodge attacks while being blind but they know that he can''t avoid all three of them at the same time! They leapt towards Lei Zhi together. A sad sigh exited from the older gentleman.


    ''I suppose a humiliating experience should be enough to get these wild kids under control.''


    Lei Zhi''s figure became blurry and mysterious. It was as if a white haze was covering him as he disappeared from the three-way pincer attack between the youths. They couldn''t fathom how exactly did that old blind fool get away from them and before they could react, they all crashed into each other and fell into an undignified heap.


    "What are you idiots doing?!" Sying yelled.


    They quickly scrambled themselves free of each other and tried to locate Lei Zhi. He appeared right in front of them with his fishing pole behind his back.


    "This movement art is called Xiangqi. It''s a complex and mysterious art that''s meant to lead your opponents exactly where you want them without them being any wiser."


    "No one asked! Just die already!"


    The rude young man took out his sword and charged towards Lei Zhi. The feisty youth slashed at the blind old man without restraint. Lei Zhi weaved and dodged around the blade with a calm exterior. Not a single drip of sweat appeared on his forehead as he avoided the sharp steel. While his opponent on the other hand, was dripping with sweat.


    "Got you now!" Lei Zhi heard behind him.


    One of the other young lords appeared behind him with his sword raised high, ready to cleave Lei Zhi in half! While the other was ready to pierce straight through his chest with his blade.


    "I think not." Lei Zhi responded as he disappeared and appeared behind the third youth.


    "WATCH WHERE YOU''RE SWINGING THAT THING!"


    The two young lords that Lei Zhi left alone, clashed blades once he vanished from his previous spot. Lei Zhi kicked the third youth in the behind to the other young lords, making them crash into each other once more and fall to the ground.


    "Useless! All of you! I''ll deal with you myself." Sying said as he ran towards Lei Zhi.


    Sying was a 5th stage cultivator. One stage above Lei Zhi. Normally when facing a cultivator at a higher stage than one''s self it''s regularly recommended to retreat or don''t battle at all. The only exceptions to this rule are when the lower ranked cultivator is a genius or has treasures capable of protecting themselves.


    Depending on how you look at it, Lei Zhi could be one of these exceptions. If you count the pink fishing rod given to him by Jing. The only reason he knew it was pink was because of the teasing comments made over the past 2 weeks when he walked around with it. Even though he could ''see'', he still couldn''t see colors. Lei Zhi wasn''t disappointed about that though, he was just grateful he could see anything at all.


    He couldn''t possibly fathom how such a pretty sounding young girl could produce such a strange thing though. The baffling and cryptic rod was anything but normal. Lei Zhi has lived a relatively long life for an untalented cultivator and he can say that this rod is nothing like the many treasures across the Evergreen continent. He didn''t know if he could classify it as a spirit weapon or a spirit tool because it functioned as both a spirit weapon and a spirit tool.


    Lei Zhi was perfectly confident in being able to hold his own in a battle with just his fishing rod without even using its hidden abilities. Apparently, there were fishing martial techniques in the world. Strange thing wasn''t it? Lei Zhi wouldn''t have believe it either if he didn''t read the book for himself. That little girl held more mysteries to her than most her age.


    "Stop avoiding me and fight you coward!" Sying shouted as he attempted to gut straight through Lei Zhi''s stomach with his martial art, Iron Eagle''s Steel Talon.


    Lei Zhi refocused his attention back to the battle. Avoiding Sying with Xiangqi wasn''t a good idea in the long run. His qi reserves were average at best and looking at the vigorous stamina this young man was using to try and reap his life, it wouldn''t be long before all his qi was drained and his innards are scooped out by the young master.


    Lei Zhi hopped away from Sying and pulled out his fishing rod. The sharp barbed hook hung in the air from the fishing line. Its pinkness shined in the sunlight as a mystical aura seemed to take hold of it. Sying''s eyes sharpened once he saw Lei Zhi taking it out. He also chose to get serious as a silver aura glowed around his claws. It wasn''t as if he was talking Lei Zhi seriously when he brought out the fishing rod, it was just that he was fed up with him running around like a little weasel.


    "Do you truly wish to not just walk away young lord Sying? You will not be young forever and soon the karmic retribution of your unforgiving actions will come to pay back the evil you have done to others." Lei Zhi asked.


    "Shut your mouth you senile blind bat! With my brother and uncle behind me in this sect, I''m basically untouchable. You should''ve just rolled over and gave me what I wanted. Now you''ll have to die for your stubborness." Sying ran towards Lei Zhi with a crazed glint in his eyes.

 24 Making Future Troubles & Meeting Another Ally!

    Lei swung his fishing rod towards the rushing bloodthirsty youth. The fishing hook flew with surprising speed and soared directly towards Sying.


    Sying smirked.


    He casually swayed his head out of the way and was inches away from ripping out Lei Zhi''s throat with his stellar ranked martial art. The look on Lei Zhi''s face was not shaken in the slightest. As if the beastly claws of Sying were nothing but the claws of an unruly kitten. His face still held the calm and gentle appearance they had since the start of the fight. Although with a slight sadness tinged to it.


    "I got you now!" Syring exclaimed with villainous glee.


    But just before his talons reached around Lei Zhi''s neck, his body came to an abrupt stop. He couldn''t shorten the distance between his hand and Lei Zhi''s exposed windpipe. His face scrunched up in confusion and anger. Why couldn''t he move!?


    His question was soon answered as his body began flying backwards and away from Lei Zhi at fast speeds. His bewildered screams were the only noises heard from him as his body was launched into the air. Lei Zhi expertly controlled his fishing line to cause Sying to fly uncontrollably through the sky. It turns out that Lei Zhi didn''t miss his attack in the first place! He wasn''t aiming to skewer Sying with his fishing hook but actually capture the youth before he could harm him!


    Sying was somehow unable to resist against the pull of the fishing rod as it took him on a wild ride through the sky. His stomach was all over the place and his brain was smashing against his skull several times. The humiliation and suffering he''s going through by the hands of this old blind trash was seeping into his blood, bones, and soul. Even if he couldn''t form a single coherent thought as he was toyed with, he will never forget this experience. Even if he has to humiliate himself in front of his older brother, he will get his revenge.


    After 10 minutes or so, Lei Zhi figured that the boy has had enough discipline shown to him. If he went on any longer than this, he''s sure that some irreparable damage might happen to the misguided young man. Unaware that the irreparable damage has already happened in another manner.


    The followers of Sying have already fled once they saw Sying being flown around like a retarded kite by the blind grandpa. If Sying couldn''t deal with him, then they sure as hell couldn''t do anything. Even if they might have to be tortured as punishment for leaving, it''s better than the torture that Sying was going through. If their eyes weren''t mistaken, they were sure that Sying even pissed himself!


    Lei Zhi gently placed Sying back on the ground. Sying couldn''t even stand! His legs were like jelly once they touched the earth. He instantly collapsed to the ground and started puking his guts out. Lei Zhi watched as the young man puked for 10 seconds straight and then recovered for a few moments before going back to puking again. It would take him around a minute and some before Sying would stop vomiting.


    He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he slowly turned his head and met eyes with Lei Zhi. Even if Lei Zhi wasn''t blind, he was sure he''d still be able to see the seething hatred in that glare. It seems this manner of doing things turned out to be ill found. Humiliation is not the way to humble youths but instead fire them up.


    "You-----!" Sying quickly covered his mouth as he felt the bile rising to his throat once more.


    With a sickening audible gulp, he resigned to just glaring at Lei Zhi before running away. Lei Zhi was troubled. Without a doubt, he just made things worse for himself. Didn''t he mention a brother and uncle? The only other uncles besides him are without a doubt are the sect elders. Another sigh escaped from his lips.


    "Well. This is the path I chose. Even if the first step was met with failure, it doesn''t mean that I am wrong in trying to guide today''s cultivators into better humans. It only means that I need to try harder and do better next time." Lei Zhi encouraged himself before walking away from the pond and to his home.


    ______________________________________________


    Two figures were walking together. One round while the other attractive and carrying a large object behind her. Their pace was quite slow but the looks on their faces were positive. It seems that something good must have happened for the both of them.


    "I guess people weren''t kidding when they said those two were geniuses. It has only been a few weeks since they got here but their progress in cultivation has soared." Ying commented.


    "I''d say. They were only 5 and 7th rank when we were taking the recruitment test but now, they are already about to breach through the Qi Gathering realm. With Tang Wuying at the 7th stage and Gong Jun knocking at the door of the 9th rank. The gifted are truly enviable." Bing sighed.


    Ying rolled her eyes.


    "Hmph. Being jealous of them only makes you look pathetic. There''s nothing in life you can''t take with enough effort and determination." Ying said with confidence.


    "If you say so Yue." Bing responded carelessly.


    This weak answer displeased Ying. She casually shot her fist towards his ribs. Bing''s eyes widened in terror. He quickly brought up his shield and was sent sliding back some distance from her.


    "Please Martial Sister Yue! Spare my poor life and control your temper!" Bing pleaded as he saw the smallest imprint of a dent on the surface of his shield.


    "I don''t want to hear any cowardly words like that if you''re gonna be around me. Seeing how you managed to react to my attack, you''re not as bad as you think you are. Be more confident or I''m going to beat you to death until you do." Ying threatened with a playful smile.


    "I don''t think I could change my attitude if I''m dead Martial Sister." Bing pointed out before standing next to her again with his shield slowly fixing the small dent on itself.


    Ying reared her fist back at this smart comment. Bing hid behind his shield like a frightened turtle.


    "Don''t think that shield will protect you forever Bing. We''ll find out one of these days which is stronger between my sword and your shield." Ying promised.


    "One day, I hope that never comes..." Bing muttered.


    The two eventually reached Jing''s home and Ying knocked on the door. Ying and Bing heard a disgruntled masculine voice from inside and were promptly confused. Did they come to the wrong shack? Jing''s shack is indistinguishable from all the other lower ranked disciples so it is possible that they come have come to the wrong place.


    The answer to their festering questions was soon answered as a shirtless young man opened up the door with an annoyed look on his face.


    "What the fuck do you two weaklings want?" Hu Tao asked.


    Hu Tao''s unbelievably handsome face and muscular lean body was the first to greet the two. The large wild wavy white colored hair that reached to the middle of his back was one of his defining traits in the sect. The thing that was new with him was that his body was wrapped in black chains. From around his neck to all the way down to his feet. A metal ball twice the size of someone''s head could be seen being dragged behind his feet that was attached to the metal chains.


    To respond to his rude greeting Ying punched straight out towards Hu Tao''s face. Bing would''ve been surprised if he had not just spent the entire day with this beautiful young girl with a predisposition for violence. If anyone slighted her, she was sure to pay them back double. No matter the difference in strength. If she couldn''t defeat them, she was sure to cause some sort of pain no matter how little.


    Hu Tao easily caught her fist but was also pushed back a little.


    "Ooh. You aren''t as weak as I thought. Are you a body cultivator? Your strength doesn''t match your realm." Hu Tao said nonchalantly.


    "I''ll show you just how weak I really am." She threatened as her orange eyes blazed with a fighting intent.


    Ying grabbed her blade and slowly hoisted it high in the air, ready to completely cleave Hu Tao in two. The ends of Hu Tao''s lips started to stretch upwards. The chains around his wrists began to spin rapidly as he reared his fists back.


    "Hoo!" A majestic white owl screeched before kicking Ying''s blade into the ground and flying in between the two.


    Li Li looked no different than when he first arrived at the sect along with Jing. But in the two weeks that have passed he has changed in another manner. He was already at the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering realm. Not even the most ancient of beast cubs could ever match Li Li''s cultivation speed. Unless they were being fed creatures higher than their own rank on the regular for 3 meals every day. The little owlet no matter what bloodline he had or how much dilution was absent it would normally allow him to progress so quickly yet, this baby owl had something that no one else in the world has the pleasure of owning. A mother called Jing!


    Jing created some martial techniques exclusively for Li Li with SCP- 914! She went all out for her little son and gave him a full set of martial arts. Fighting, cultivation, movement, body, and auxiliary. And since his entire being was refined to something nearly on par with Jing''s, gaining mastery in all of those skills was nothing but a breeze for the baby. Jing would even say that he''s stronger than her, seeing that she still hasn''t made herself a movement, body, and auxiliary art yet.


    "Li Li?" Ying questioned before looking behind Hu Tao and seeing Jing staring at the three. "I guess we did find the right house."


    "Come in." Jing told them.


    Hu Tao grinned at Ying as she and Bing walked inside. She attempted to throw a quick jab as she was passing by but missed just barely as Hu Tao dodged with a teasing smile.


    "Did you manage to do what I asked of you?" Jing asked.


    "Yes. We managed to find out where they stay. According to rumors, they don''t go out much and usually have everything delivered to them by servants. They have been training intensively for the upcoming duel in a few days and both have improved greatly. Tang reaching the 7th stage and Jun reaching peak 8th stage." Bing relayed.


    A smile fitting that of a wicked queen appeared on Jing''s face.


    "Well done you two. I''ll handle the rest. You are free to do whatever you please until I call for you again." Jing told them before throwing two storage rings towards them.


    They caught the rings and looked inside to see around 20 mortal-ranked spirit stones. Ying''s eyes turned into pink hearts as she looked at her new found tool for increasing her cultivation. Bing''s expression was not so different in the way he greedily gazed at the stones within the ring. With this many spirit stones, he may be able to deal with the Huan group within the outer court faster.


    "Who is this guy by the way?" Ying asked pointed towards Hu Tao who was picking his nose without a care in the world.


    "Your new teammate." Jing answered.


    Jing saw that Ying wasn''t happy with that answer. Her pretty face scrunched up as she saw him mocking her. She was having a hard time controlling herself from crushing him into the ground.


    "You wanna go princess? If you''re anything like her, I''ll even consider marrying ya." Hu Tao said while pointing at Jing.


    "How did you know I was of noble birth?" Ying asked.


    "I didn''t. You just seem like a spoiled brat." He laughed.


    That was the straw that broke the camel''s back. Ying needed to punch this jerk in the face. His stupid handsome face deserved some punishment with such a crass mouth. She sent a straight punch towards Hu Tao''s face and he continued laughing as the chains on his body formed a net in front of his face and caught her fist.


    "Try taking me on once you aren''t so weak. The difference between our ranks isn''t little Princess. Even if you used that strange blade, you wouldn''t be able to cut a single thing on me."


    "You wanna bet asshole?" She spat.


    Jing watched with an amused smile on her face but she couldn''t have these two fighting inside her house. Nor did she want them showing off their strength in public so soon but for some reason she didn''t believe that she could hide their power for long. Their personalities aren''t suited for a task like that. Especially Hu Tao. The wild mutt can''t go 2 seconds without trying to annoy someone into fighting him.


    She needs a way of contacting them without putting her identity at risk. So, that means not having Li Li sending them letters nor having them all meet at her shack. She''ll have to figure something out when she''s on her way to meet Wuying.


    "Hu Tao, save it later. Ying, understand your limits. Bing, go increase your cultivation."


    "Whatever..." Hu Tao responded.


    "But he! I... Understood..." She responded like a reprimanded child.


    "Yes Empress."


    "Now all of you get out of my house. If I need you, you''ll find out."


    The trio left Jing''s door and stood in front of her yard together.


    "So, what''s up with you two? How did you meet her?" Hu Tao asked.


    "None of your business." Ying responded coldly.


    "I guess you can say she saved my life in a way...." Bing answered.


    "I look forward to fighting you two in the future. Don''t make me wait too long though. I hate teases." He said with a special look toward Bing.


    Bing''s entire body shivered from that gaze. It was as if he was being stared at as nothing more than just a piece of meat.


    ''Weird....''


    "See you later then weaklings. With all these spirit stones, breaking into the Qi Consolidation stage will be a piece of cake." He laughed while throwing a storage ring up in the air and catching it repeatedly.


    "That guy''s such an ass." Ying shared.


    "He is... something..." Bing agreed.


    She wasn''t satisfied with his answer but decided not to argue with him about it. It''s been a long day. They said their goodbyes and went along their way back to their own homes.


    "Tiger Boomerang..." Jing muttered as she spun the sharp hand sized boomerang around her finger.


    She inserted the boomerang into her hand and refined it on Very Fine. This little thing will be her bargaining chip against Tang Wuying. Once he gets a taste of this baby, he won''t be able to live without it. Especially with his face on the line in this upcoming duel. The last time she''s seen Tang Wuying it seemed like he cared a lot about face. Jing''s planning on using that to her advantage tonight.

 25 Tang Wuying

    A handsome youth with attractive deep red hair was slashing away inside a large room. Every swipe and cut with his blade was accurate and oozed of viciousness. For the average cultivator, just by watching him practice they would feel the very air around them being turned against them. As if his blade transformed into the air around them and was threatening to slice them at any moment. It wouldn''t just stop there though, the way the aggressive youth slashed through the air resembled a raging tempest. All it took was one slash to get him going into an unstoppable typhoon of steel.


    The youth flicked their blade and sheathed it on their back. He was now finished with his sword training for today and would spend the rest of it cultivating back inside his room. Although the red-headed youth had other martial arts he could also practice, he chose to focus on what he could before the duel. If he wasted time practicing the new martial arts his master gave him, he wouldn''t be prepared in the slightest for his duel in the coming days. While they are high in rank, with the time he has left it would be crazy to believe he''ll be able to progress fast enough to try and contend with Gong Jun with them.


    So, Tang chose to focus on his Tempest Fang sword martial art and his Azure Burning Dragon cultivation skill. Only with superior strength and power will he be able to defeat Gong Jun. His other skills will only be supplementary in his duel with Gong Jun.


    Tang started walking out of the training room. As he opened the door to leave, a servant was there waiting for him.


    "Master Tang, Master Mo has called for you. You are to receive him in the main stairwell." The servant finished with a bow.


    Tang Wuying didn''t respond but acknowledged the servant with his eyes before wiping his sweaty body with a towel and heading towards the stairwell. Master Mo had all of his disciples reside in the same house. It was quite large and Tang frequently found himself lost through the many long hallways and similarly looking intricate furniture. Even though he''s spent two months in this place, he dares not say that he has fully learned every part of it. But large and complex homes are nothing new to someone like him. He has gotten lost in his own home more times than he cares to admit. He''ll eventually find his way to the main stairwell.


    His Second Senior and Third Senior are quite the loud bunch when paired together. They are like a dragon and tiger, cat and dog, man and demon. Can never get along and are rarely seen agreeing with one another. His Second Senior''s shouting should reach his ears soon enough and then all he has to do is head towards that direction.


    "YOU INSUFFERABLE FOOL! DO NOT MENTION ANOTHER WORD OF SUCH A DISCIPCABLE TOPIC OR I''LL END YOU MYSELF!"


    And there it is. Tang Wuying headed towards his Second Senior''s shout and within minutes found himself at the main stairwell. His master was standing powerfully at the bottom of the stairwell with all of his Senior apprentice brothers waiting in front of him. It seems he was the last to arrive again. How infuriating...


    "Aha there he is! Our favorite Junior Brother late again! Did you get lost again Junior?" His Third Senior teased with an annoying smile.


    He didn''t bother replying and ignored Third Senior before also arriving in front of Master Mo. His Second Senior looked at him with a strange gaze. Tang didn''t know what to make of his Second Senior as of yet. They rarely talked so far but he hasn''t treated him negatively. All of their past interactions were simple greetings. His Eldest Senior was the most mysterious of all his Senior Brothers. He rarely speaks and spends most of his time training or going on dangerous tasks for the sect to gain contribution points. Even just standing near him made Tang Wuying feel inadequate, as if he was standing next to an immeasurable mystical mountain. Not even his master made him feel that way! Tang Wuying was confident in passing his master in strength in the future but with Zihan, his Eldest Senior, it feels like no matter how hard he trains it would be impossible to surpass him.


    That pissed him off. He, Tang Wuying, feeling inferior to another? He should feel ashamed of ever calling himself a treasured son of a heavens if so! No matter what it takes, he will find a way to catch up to his Eldest Senior. Even if he has to take alternative ways to gaining strength, he will find a way to match him.


    "If you need help finding your way around the manor, I wouldn''t mind spending some time to come look for you Junior Brother." Gong Jun''s look towards him was very similar to Third Senior''s. That bastard was looking down on him again!


    ''He may be a whole rank higher than me but I''ll show him! I''ll wipe that filthy smirk right off your mouth with my blade in good time.''


    "I don''t need any help. Mind your own business and stay out of mine." Tang Wuying barked.


    Gong Jun teasingly smiled as if Tang was nothing more than an unruly child rebelling against his parent.


    He could barely control himself from lunging at his Fourth Senior and slicing him in half.


    "Uh oh First Junior, it looks like you made little Tang upset. He''s gone bright red in the face. I think he''s about to start crying." Chao, Third Senior, stated with false concern.


    "Oh, dear Little Tang. Please please forgive me for my harsh words. I did not mean to hurt your feelings so!" Gong Jun added with his own mocking voice.


    "I''LL KILL YOU BASTARDS! DON''T MAKE FUN OF ME!" Tang Wuying slashed out with indignation.


    His blade roared towards the two older disciples with a horizontal swipe. Chao casually leaned his head back and dodged the furious steel while Gong Jun blocked with his qi. Seeing how easily his attack was handled by the two only served to fuel Tang Wuying''s anger even more. He slashed towards the two with no further reservations to wipe those mocking smiles off.


    "Third Junior! Master Mo has yet to tell us why he has gathered here. Show some respect and wait till he''s told us what he needs to before acting so unruly." Jian, his Second Senior, ordered.


    Tang Wuying''s body was frozen by the glare of his Second Senior. His sword aiming for the throat of Chao was stopped. Like he planned on simply threatening his Third Senior instead of chopping his silly head off. The power of his Second Senior''s stare was unbelievable. Is he truly the weakest out of all his fellow disciples? A sudden realization rained over Tang Wuying. He reigned in his anger and sheathed his blade before bowing towards Master Mo.


    "I apologize for my actions Master."


    A grin appeared on Elder Mo''s face.


    "That''s alright you little brat. Just remember not to do it again." Elder Mo said.


    Tang Wuying nodded and soon Elder Mo began telling the five of them his purpose for gathering them.


    "Alright brats, as you know the sect''s Treasured Plains are being opened up in a few months'' time," He began. Looks of interest appeared on everyone''s faces but Zihan. "Get as many benefits as you can during this time because after the opening of the Plains, the sect''s Grand Tournament will be coming soon. Work together to maximize the gains. I won''t accept any fighting between you brats in the Plains. The stronger you become in the following months before the Tournament, the better your rewards will be in the Tournament. Having a good ranking within the Tournament will allow you brats to progress much faster. Normally the top 10 disciples are rewarded by the end of the battles with the top 3 being allowed into the top floor of the library to choose a sky-ranked martial art along with some other great rewards."


    "What kind of treasures are in the Treasured Plains Master?" Gong Jun asked.


    "Almost anything you can think of. Spirit weapons, spirit ores, rare spiritual plants and herbs, the blood, skin, organs, and bones of strong spirit beasts, and naturally forming treasures. If you want it, you''ll find it in the Treasured Plains. Well that''s if you have the strength to take it and keep it until the end."


    "Why do we need to have a good ranking in the Grand Tournament?" Tang Wuying asked.


    "Our Sect will have our competition with the Nine Swords sect and Blossoming Water Palace sect that takes place every 5 years. We can''t have our disciples make us look too bad so that''s why we''re fattening you up with the tournament and the Plains."


    "Master. Will Elder Ru''s, Elder Change''s, and Sect Master''s disciples be going against us?" Jian asked.


    "Yes. If you can try and kill them without leaving any evidence in the Treasured Plains. If you can''t, beat them till their spirits are crushed. Do not cripple them under any circumstance, you''ll bring trouble my way and won''t be able to escape punishment from their masters."


    "Very well. I''ll do some careful planning. Is there anyone we should focus on taking out?"


    "Sect Master''s disciples have the most potential. Focus on eliminating them out of everyone else. Anyone else is just cherry on the top."


    "Understood." Jian said with an evil smile on his face.


    "Also keep an eye on Elder Zhong''s newest disciple, that old fool usually stays away from taking in disciples but when he does, they are unusually talented. Besides that. You all are to get as strong as you can in these following months. If you need anything just ask me. You''re all dismissed."


    "Yes Master!" Four out of the five disciples shouted while Zihan simply nodded with his eyes open.


    The five soon dispersed and Tang Wuying had one of the servants escort him back to one of the training rooms. After taking note of his strength compared to his Senior Brothers, he will have to train even harder than he already has. Tang Wuying refused to be inferior to anyone. His pride, blood, and talent couldn''t allow him to stay as complacent as he was before he joined the sect. Back in Yellow Jade City, he was the top prodigy around. None was his equal in terms of age and even some above were below him in talent. But ever since joining the sect, he''s been constantly forced to accept that he wasn''t as great as he thought and there were more people just as amazing as him or even better. He was nothing but a toad in a well before. But not anymore! He will take his proper place as a treasured son of heaven and show everyone else just how superior he truly is.


    ______________________________________________


    The sun has completely set. The darkness floating around the sect would allow any scheming individual to sneak around as they wish. There were no signs of anyone patrolling around to apprehend or warn such individuals from staying out in such darkness. Why would no one be patrolling around the sect? The answer to such a question may be ''Why would anyone even dare try and trespass into the Golden Serpent Sect?'' Surely, they must be asking for death by doing such a thing. The Golden Serpent Sect is not one to take lightly. They are known for their ruthlessness. One such individual was standing above the classy manor. This individual was wearing a shabby wooden mask painted white. The mask only revealed the silhouette''s violet eyes while their figure was masculine. They wore a simple black robe that did little to hide the strength hidden beneath them.


    The mysterious man suddenly appeared on the balcony. He walked towards the closed drapes with nary a sound in his footsteps. He gently opened the drapes and walked inside the black room. Those dark orchid colored pupils locked on to the crimson haired youth peacefully resting in his bed. The sound of liquid flowing could be heard from the masked man''s body. At his feet, water began to flow from underneath his robes and slowly shape itself into chair. Once it fully formed, the man took a seat before bringing his palms together with a sharp slap.


    Tang Wuying jumped from his bed with his eyes burning in rage, thinking that this was another prank by his Third Senior. He''s surely going to tear his clothes to pieces if he can''t cause him to bleed to death. Tang Wuying reached for his blade next to his bed before meeting eyes with the masked figure.


    "Who are you...?" He asked with his guard up.


    "I have a proposal for you Tang Wuying." The seductive voice floating around Tang''s ears.


    Tang Wuying''s hand gripped his blade''s handle.


    "What could I of all people need?" Tang asked curiously. If this stranger says some nonsense, he plans on decapitating them immediately.


    "Your upcoming duel. You and I both know you are not strong enough to best Gong Jun."


    Tang Wuying angrily furrowed his brows. His sword was slowly slipping from its sheath and revealing its glimmering exterior.


    "You, a mid-staged 7th rank Qi Gatherer, while he''s a peak 8th rank Qi Gatherer. There''s no chance of you besting him..."


    "Enough of your tongue! I''ll defeat him regardless of rank! I''m a genius! You''ve now said your last words intruder, die!" Tang Wuying leapt towards the defenseless man and aimed to separate his head from his neck with his sword.


    Shlorp!


    "What the!?"


    Tang Wuying''s blade was stopped by water. The masked man hasn''t even moved a finger to defend himself and it seems he didn''t have to. Water from his chair stretched out to defend him from Tang Wuying''s attack and effortless stopped the vicious sword.


    "Unless.... I help you." He interlocked his fingers together.


    The masked individual smiled as confusion found itself on Tang Wuying''s face.


    "Help me?! How could you possibly help me!? Do you even know who my master is? He''s one of the head elders of Golden Serpent Sect. Are you saying you possess more resources than even someone of his standing?"


    "Yes, I do and oh so much more. The things I can show you are far beyond your current understanding. Not even your master can compare to the wares I hold."


    Tang Wuying couldn''t respond. Staring into those devilish eyes, made him feel irritated yet tempted. What if the nonsense this guy was spouting wasn''t just empty words? What if he could truly help him gain the power he needs? He can''t sense anything from this guy. Not his realm, strength, nor background.


    "Give me something that''ll make me the strongest disciple within the sect.


    "GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" The masked man busted out with unrestrained laughter.


    Tang Wuying''s eyebrows immediately furrowed and his grip on his sword tightened.


    "I apologize Tang for that rude outburst but you see I just couldn''t help myself. But anyway, no I cannot make you the strongest disciple within the sect..."


    "Then what use are you!?" He spat.


    "I might not be able to make you the strongest disciple however... I can make you one of the strongest disciples in the sect." He grinned.


    "I don''t believe you." Tang bluntly responded.


    "Well how about I show you one of my wares? I''m sure you''ll change your mind in no time my dear boy." The masked man flicked his wrist and suddenly the appearance of a large boomerang thumped on the floor.


    Tang looked for any signs of a storage ring on the masked man''s fingers and couldn''t find one. So how did he just... No more importantly, just what kind of weapon is that? Just what is that strange energy surrounding it? It isn''t fire qi, water qi, lightning qi, nor any other type of elemental qi he''s felt before. Tang Wuying felt an indescribable connection with the weapon that appeared from thin air. It was calling to him. It wanted him. It felt like it belonged to him and only him. That it was meant for him and no one else in the whole world.


    "Grab it." The masked individual commanded with a deeper tone of voice.


    Tang Wuying disliked the tone the man had with him but felt compelled to listen to him. Not because of his mysterious nature or strength but because of the weapon itself wanting him to. He placed his hand on the weapon and soon felt a rush of qi surging within him. Yellow arrow-like markings began racing up his skin and all over his body. This power... This qi... These memories!


    "I''M FEELING IT!!!!! LORD TYANIR! I FEEL YOUR BLESSING RUNNING THROUGH ME!!!" He exclaimed joyously.


    With the Apostle''s weapon, there is nothing that could stop him from becoming an immortal. Without it, he is nothing. He is less than nothing. If he continues the same path he was heading without the boomerang, then at best he would only reach the Qi Transformation stage. How could one of the treasured sons of heaven be content with a measly Qi Transformation stage? NO! Tang Wuying refused to be satisfied with such a thing! He''s going to rise past the heavens and show everyone that he''s the greatest genius that has ever lived! And the first step... Is getting the First Apostle''s weapon into his hands.


    Yoink! The masked merchant caused the Tiger Boomerang to vanish and looked at Tang with a jolly look in his eyes.


    "Well young master Tang?" He asked despite fully knowing that he''s already succeeding in getting Tang Wuying in his palms.


    "What is your price for that weapon?" He asked with much more civility.


    "All I ask of you... is for... your partnership."


    "Partnership? What could I have that could possibly catch your eye?"


    "Don''t question me boy," He answered with force behind his voice. "So what do you say? Yes or no?" He asked with his voice returning back to the whimsical tone it had before.


    "I accept..." Tang responded while not making eye contact.


    The masked man snapped his finger and the giant human-sized tiger painted boomerang appeared once more. Tang couldn''t stop himself from immediately connecting with the divine weapon. He felt his connection with Tyanir increasing along with the blessing transforming his body into a more suitable one as a follower of Tyanir, the Lord of Acceleration. The markings crawled all over his body and soon settled there, permanently etching into his skin along with the special energy of Tyanir devouring and replacing his old qi element.


    During this transformation, he didn''t even notice the mysterious merchant exiting from which he came while crazily laughing to himself.


    "With this blessing, taking out Gong won''t even be an issue! Of course, I''ll have to faithfully practice with the Apostle''s weapon and get used to it. Such a rare and ancient weapon is bound to take time to master. Hopefully it''ll be enough to at least contest with Gong equally." He muttered to himself.


    "Hehehehe.... First Senior... You are no longer just a dream but now a goal...."

 26 Li Lis Breakfas

    "Hoo."


    Li Li stood over the resting Jing. He gently rubbed his face on hers to wake her. She tiredly giggled from the heavenly feel of his feathers on her skin.


    "Alright Li Li. Be careful out there okay? If you find yourself in trouble make sure to fly away as fast as you can." She warned him.


    "Coo coo." He responded as he turned the door knob and flew outside the house.


    Without a sound, he soon vanished into the skies at high speeds. Li Li was on his way to eat some breakfast in the Immortal Forest! With his realm being at the 9th stage, he could go past the outer edges of the forest and into the middle area. The middle area of the Immortal Forest is where spirit beasts of the Qi Consolidation stage and Core Preparation stage stay, with the latter being closer towards the edge of the inner area of the forest.


    Today will be the second time he''s entering this part of the forest ever since reaching the 9th stage. Li Li was excited to see what other delicacies existed in the middle area besides the Iron-horned Deer and Fatty Koi Fish. The Iron-horned deer had the best tasting meat of all the four-legged animals he ate so far but their innards weren''t as tasty so, he usually left those alone. The same was with the Fatty Koi Fish except all of it tasted good.


    "Skree!!!!"


    Li Li heard the cry of a bird far above him. This bird was huge compared to himself, who was still just a baby. It was large enough to grab adult humans in its talons and tower over them standing up. It was in the same realm as Li Li and figured he would be good for a snack. Looking down on him will be its greatest mistake. Li Li hasn''t tried the meat of this one yet and since it is gladly offering itself up for him, why not take a bite?


    The bigger bird, Lightning-Wing Falcon, soared down towards Li Li. Li Li answered the challenge and flew towards the falcon. Li Li could feel the arrogance of the bird above him. It probably thought he was giving itself to him without a fight but he''ll show him who''s the snack. The falcon attempted to swallow Li Li in a single bite.


    "Caw!!!!" It cried out.


    Li Li kicked it across the face with his foot and sent it clumsily flying further into the sky. Li Li smirked as he looked at the spiraling bird of prey. He waited as it recovered and looked at him in disbelief. Comparing sizes alone, Li Li was nothing but a bug in comparison to it. If the Falcon could get Li Li in his grip then it would barely be 1/10 the size of one of its talons. The Falcon saw the confident and cocky look in the owlet''s eyes and grew enraged.


    It gathered the qi within its core and opened its beak wide as it shot out a bolt of lightning straight towards Li Li. The infant avian scoffed. He turned away as he also willed his qi from his beast core. A purple manifestation of an Iron-horned deer charged towards the lightning bolt. This manifestation was ethereal in appearance and ghostly in nature. It was one of the souls of an actual Iron-horned deer that Li Li ate yesterday.


    An Iron-horned Deer''s horns were thick metallic branchy spears of death. Being on the receiving end of this creature''s charge usually doesn''t have a pleasant end. Thankfully, the only dangerous thing about this spirit beast is their horns. So, most cultivators usually take them out from afar with a talisman, arrow, or ranged technique. The risk in dealing with their horns isn''t worth risking with their body. If a cultivator is unfortunate enough, the Iron Deer could gore them through any defensive treasure or qi shield. Not even body cultivators dare take on one of these horned creatures.


    The sound of the deer''s horn and the lightning bolt clashing was a sharp piercing sound. Any normal cultivator nearby would be clutching their ears in pain as the deer deflected the lightning bolt with its horns. The metal-like nature of its horns combined with its spiritual body easily allowed the Iron Deer to redirect the lightning bolt elsewhere as it continued clopping through the air towards the falcon.


    The falcon screeched as lightning started to arc all over its body. It soared towards the Iron Deer. The lightning increased the creature''s speed up an entire level! The Iron Deer was cleaved in half by the giant bird''s wings. Despite being able to redirect the lightning bolt earlier, this was only because of its great horns. Lightning qi actually has a purifying effect on yin qi, which is what the materialized Iron Deer is created out of.


    Li Li, with his back still turned around towards his prey, yawned. The falcon was infuriated with the arrogance this small prey was showing it. If there is one thing it must do today, it is eating this puny little bird. The falcon soared towards Li Li. Its fury was blinding it, making Li Li the only thing in its sights. It didn''t give any thoughts to how this small creature was able to reach the 9th realm in the Qi Gathering stage, all that was on its mind was an annoying ant that deserved to be eaten.


    "SQWAK!!!!"


    And before it knew it, it was filled with sharp spears stabbing through its body. A herd of Iron Deer had their horns impaled in the falcon''s body. Blood flowed from its body and drooped to the ground below like a small stream. The beast was tethering on the edge of life and death and Li Li could see it within its blurred eyes. Its soul was just about to unlatch itself from its body and linger on filled with regrets and resentment for Li Li.


    But just before it could leave its container, Li Li flew in front of its fading sight and smirked.


    "Hoo." Li Li gloated to the dying spirit beast.


    Its soul grew a deeper purple as its resentment for Li Li rose to unknown heights. It dares to mock him as its dying? It dares belittle and low down on him?! Even if it can''t do anything to the small infant, it can curse him with all its dying breath.


    Which Li Li thanks him for. Thanks to that final parting message, its soul has become fully ripe and worth keeping. The Lightning-Wing Flacon''s soul has turned a blood red and could easily allow him to break into the Qi Consolidation stage and probably to the peak of the first stage. The feeling of soul devouring and rising through the cultivation ranks is the feeling every beast instinctively craves. There is no spirit beast that wouldn''t immediately try and break through at all times.


    No spirit beast except for Li Li... Li Li is more than just a spirit beast thanks to his mom''s refinement. He is more than a creature of simple instinct and craving for strength and as such, he has enough control to not swallow this delicious, tasty, fresh, enticing soul right now. Even if he really really really wants to.


    ''No!'' He tells himself.


    His mother told him no more eating souls without her consent. His qi, however, was already wrapping around the resisting soul of the falcon like a snake about to gulp its prey whole. As if his hesitation meant nothing to it. He struggled to gain control over his predatory yin qi as his desires were overpowering his reason. The taste, the surge of strength, the strengthening of his soul and qi... How could a baby bird of prey resist!?


    ''Li Li!''


    His qi halted. He imagined the look on his mother''s face once he returned after disobeying her wishes. It caused a gripping pain on his heart. He couldn''t disappoint his mom. Not for something like this. Seeing her sad face, he just couldn''t go through with it. He''s never let his mom down before and he doesn''t wish to start now.


    Li Li stored the vengeful soul within his body and around his soul palace along with the many other souls he''s collected. He dematerialized the herd of Iron Deer and flew down with the corpse and started eating.


    Thanks to his mother''s special ability to take things into her body and take them out completely changed, Li Li was gifted his own cultivation and auxiliary technique.


    His cultivation technique is called the Soul Devourer. It allows him to witness the world of the dead and swallow any lingering souls that he wishes. Swallowing souls quickly raises his qi and lets him speed through the cultivation stages. Besides raising his qi, it also strengthens both his qi and his soul. His mother warned him not to abuse this ability though. She said that if he breaks through ranks so quickly, his foundation will be unstable and future potential will be limited.


    Li Li didn''t really understand what she meant but he did understand that his mother didn''t want him to eat too many souls and use them to increase his cultivation. Ever since she warned him, he stopped eating the souls and would wait till his mother gave him permission to advance.


    His other technique was called Legion of Souls. This auxiliary art is what gives Li Li his control over souls and spirits. He can summon, store, command, absorb, and take control over the departed. At his current rank with the skill, he can only store a max of 10 souls to use as he pleases. If he needs to make room with a particular soul he finds, he can sacrifice the soul of it to any other souls in his storage or just eat it.


    This support martial art isn''t all-powerful though. If the soul is particularly strong, then it can wholly resist Li Li''s attempts to eat, store, or manipulate it. If Li Li wants to reach the pinnacle of this supplementary technique, he must reinforce and iron his will to completely control any departed soul. Sadly though, neither him nor his mom knew how to make his will stronger.


    Li Li has now rendered the flesh of the Lightning-Wing Falcon devoured and left only the bones behind. His ears perked up and a majority of the middle area of the Immortal Forest was opened to him. The sounds of running water, swimming fishes, slithering lizards, crawling rodents, and numerous fighting spirit beasts. Among all those sounds, he also heard something strange. A deep powerful breathing filled with ancient power that he''s felt before.


    ''Strong Lung!'' He recalled.


    This qi presence was the special lung he wanted to get for his mother! Although he doubted she still needed it ever since coming back from the dead in Yellow Jade City, it could be a nice present to give her since he wasn''t able to get it before.


    Li Li silently took off towards this qi. With his feathers, he''d only be a giant target in this forest of green. He flew above the clouds and with his superior sight, watched from above. His eyes located the source of the familiar energy and focused in on him. The youth was meditating alone in a forest clearing. The very air around him seemed to bend to his will and give off that powerful energy that can''t belong to any normal youth.


    He was a 7th stage Qi Gatherer. Much Weaker than Li Li thought he would be but perhaps Li Li was the cause of that. Li Li checked the surroundings for any signs of anything else before he charged in to take the boy''s lung and saw nothing that could interrupt his hunt.


    Li Li sliced through the air like a noiseless comet. His prey was within his sight and he doubted it could react before he attacked.


    Reality is often filled with surprises though. The youth managed to sense Li Li as he neared 10 meters from him. He hurriedly hopped out of the way as he made eye contact with Li Li who landed where he previously was. Li Li could tell the boy was initially panicked but a calm look soon took his face.


    ______________________________________________


    Xun Liuxian immediately understood that he was no match for this spirit beast and that it wasn''t just any simple beast. The look within its eyes tell a much different story than any other spirit beast within this part of the forest. He was now regretting stepping foot into this part of the Immortal Forest when his cultivation isn''t so high but he couldn''t resist the chance of getting weaker by staying with those weak beasts in the outer area. If he doesn''t push himself, how will he ever gain the strength needed to end Tang Wuying and his lineage?


    He may have gotten himself into something he can''t get out of. With the speed he sensed earlier from the spirit beast, running away is a pipe dream within this clearing. He has to think of something while the creature is still just watching him.


    Xun Liuxian slowly breathed in and out. The wind around him began picking up as wind swirled around him. The 9th stage spirit beast watched him in curiosity. Just maybe he can get out this situation with all his limbs intact.


    Swoosh!


    The beast flew towards him. His senses could barely react but thankfully his body did it for him. He used the air he conjured earlier and blew himself through the air. The bird was still faster than he was but at least the situation has changed. He''s now surrounded by numerous trees so the bird can''t fly as easily as it could in the clearing.


    The spirit beast was close enough to snatch his eyeball out from its socket. Xun Liuxian painfully palmed his own stomach, releasing some of the qi-strengthened air within his lung. This action used because of a life-threatening situation managed to save Xun Liuxian from the jaws of death! Literally!


    He managed to separate himself a necessary distance from the maw of another beast as the previous 9th stage bird was swallowed whole. Xun Liuxian watched as a Dragon Worm erupted into the sky from beneath the earth. It was a 1st stage Qi Consolidation spirit beast. He figured it sensed the qi of the bird from before and used his perilous situation as a chance to advance its cultivation.


    The sweat dripping through his pores, soaked his clothes. Even when he was running for his life from Tang Wuying''s goons, he didn''t sweat this hard. Just what kind of spirit beast was that bird? He''s never heard of anything like it. His master even gave him a book on beasts that frequent the Immortal Forest. That''s why he knew the name of the Dragon Worm. It was a gargantuan sized worm that frequently preyed on large sluggish creatures or beasts that grouped up in herds.


    After those close encounters with death, Xun decided that maybe it''s time to go home for today. He''ll make sure to stay out of the middle area until he''s gone past the first cultivation realm. Today''s experience has been enlightening to him to say the least.


    "KHREEEE!"


    Xun covered his ears from the thunderous cry of the Dragon Worm. He looked up to see the serpent-like beast uncontrollable waving through the air. It looked like it was in pain but how could that be? Xun focused his sights on the living meat tower.


    "That cannot be!"


    A red slit started revealing itself on the worm''s body. All the way from the mouth to the middle of the beast''s torso. Blood shot out with the rage of 1000 storms. In Xun''s eyes, it covered the sky. A tidal wave of red washed Xun away. Not even with his gift could he escape this incoming disaster. His body was at the mercy of the dying spirit beast''s liquid.


    If anyone else were in his situation they would find themselves quickly running out of breath and at risk of drowning but Xun Liuxian is not just anyone anymore. Ever since merging with the Ancient Immortal''s lung, his body has become fundamentally different than a standard human''s. One of those differences is that he can hold his breath for an indefinite amount of time. Well as far as he''s tested anyway. He went a whole 20 hours without breathing through his mouth or nose once. He would''ve tried for 24 hours but he can''t control his breathing when he''s sleeping.


    So, Xun is forced to be washed away in this blood sea against his will but it''s better than facing whatever killed the Worm Dragon. Even a person like him would have to use all of his hidden cards to get away from something as dangerous as a Worm Dragon. Don''t even mention trying to kill it without trying. That''s just a pipe dream at his current strength. Hopefully he''ll be washed far away from what killed the worm. If not then, his poor little life is over before it even began.


    ______________________________________________


    ''Stupid bug!'' Li Li angrily thought as he was cleaning his feathers of the blood. He was perched on a branch of a tree.


    Li Li has already captured the soul of the big bug that ate him and stored it for later. Having a peaceful death after ruining the gift for his mother is dreaming too big. Strong Lung managed to get away from him once again. How annoying... But at the very least, he didn''t gain nothing from this hunt.


    The body of the Worm Dragon was Li Li''s and he planned on eating it whole. He flexed his qi outwardly to ward off any scavengers looking to steal his meal as he started to take apart the Worm piece by piece. It would''ve been convenient if no predators came during Li Li''s feeding but the little owlet seemed to have forgotten that he was a simple 9th stage Qi Gatherer inside the middle area of the Immortal Forest. An area where beasts of the Consolidation and Core Preparation stage frequently feed. If anything, his qi presence was nothing more than a fart to the predators in the middle area.


    The aftermath of those beasts ignoring Li Li''s cute territorial mark, was being swallowed whole by the soul of the Worm Dragon. With each spirit beast swallowed, the strength of the Worm Dragon increased. Leaving Li Li to peacefully eat his humongous meal in peace. If the sight of a blood red owlet, feasting on a carcass many times bigger than it was wasn''t strange enough then the fact that it could continue eating for hours without any signs of exploding from too much consumption surely would! Li Li ate the entire Worm Dragon without so much as a bulge showing from his stomach nor an increase in his size. The sight of it can only be constituted as unbelievable and impossible! It could only be said that Li Li was no mere beast but the embodiment of hunger itself! How else could one explain its infinite capacity to eat?!


    ''Worm Dragon might be my new favorite all time bug...'' Li Li declared after finishing his meal.


    He soon flew away back home as the sun was starting to set in the sky.

 27 Finding A Master!

    After seeing Li Li off, Jing was fully awake. Her mission involving Tang Wuying and Gong Jun''s duel in two days is ready for completion. With the refined boomerang she gave him, if he still couldn''t get the best of Jun then he would be a giant waste of her time. Besides that, she has another matter to accomplish today.


    Becoming an apprentice spellmaster. The required time for her to participate in a ranking match is coming soon and she can''t go out as she is now. She has shown herself to be an untalented cultivator with a subpar talent at being a spellmaster. So, she would continue to play the part. But first, she needs to actually be practicing the art of formations. She needs to find herself a master that is willing to take someone as untalented and average as her in and keep her despite her horrible talent that she plans to improve to average talent in time.


    Jing left her humble abode and proceeded to the Mission Hall. Inside the Mission Hall, there is a place where disciples can request to apprentice under elders. If they are lucky, they can meet in the same day they requested to meet with them. If they are unlucky, it could be several months until a meeting could be made. The latter only happens if it is a powerful and popular elder within the sect. Some say that those that have tried to meet with the Sect Leader have been waiting for years to meet with him.


    Jing arrived in the Mission Hall filled with her fellow disciples. Most wearing the standard robe given to all disciples upon arrival in the sect. They were wearing white robes with golden streaks running down them. A golden serpent was laying bare on the front of the robe in an S shape. While Jing was walking towards the request desk, she looked around to see many disciples offering their own missions. If you had enough contribution points, you could use them as rewards for something to fulfill a request of your own.


    If the mission giver didn''t have the contribution points promised, they would be stripped from ever being allowed to give missions again and receive 100 lashing by one of the elders that run the Mission Hall for besmirching the good name of their hall. Even if you were one of the elder''s blood and flesh, they''d still be unable to go easy on you. The rules of the Mission Hall are not meant to be broken or ignored.


    "Selling talismans! I''m willing to sell each one for 10 spirit stones!" An apprentice spellmaster shouted.


    "Selling Recovery Pills, Qi recovery pills, blood replenishing pills, and bone strengthening pills! Open to bargaining!" An apprentice alchemist yelled into the crowd of cultivators.


    "Selling the hide of a Furred Anteater and the bones of a mysterious beast at the Qi Consolidation stage! Willing to accept spirit stones or mortal-ranked mystic treasures."


    "Willing to give 50 mortal-ranked spirit stones for anyone that manages to kill Ying Yue or Ai Bing! Just bringing back their head is enough! 50 stones for each head!"


    Jing had to stop herself from giggling after hearing that Bing and Ying had a bounty on them already. Just what fun activities have those two been doing without her knowing? Making enemies with someone in the sect without even telling her? If she was a bit more childish, she would want to tell them off for not including her. She does enjoy some chaos and mayhem. Maybe she''ll try and make things a bit more chaotic in the future by sending the Huan clan a little message on the behalf of Bing. Jing is his master after all.


    "Hello there. What can I do for you?"


    "I''d like to apprentice under a spellmaster. Can I see a list of all available elders?" Jing asked.


    "No problem. Here you go." The average looking disciple gave her a book filled with the names of all the elders who practice formations and talismans.


    Some of the names were crossed out, Jing figured that they were unable to take her as an apprentice and skipped those names. But most of the talented elders already had disciples and had their names crossed out, forcing Jing to pick from the worst of the bunch. She didn''t know why no one wanted to disciple under these elders but would surely avoid the ones that had a skull marked next to their names.


    ''Elder Lang huh... I guess you''ll have to do.'' Jing chose.


    There were about 4 other names she could have chose that didn''t have a skull marked next to them or were crossed out but she chose Lang simply because her gut told her to. She handed the book back to the receptionist and asked where Elder Lang stayed.


    "You can find Elder Lang on Crescent Mountain. He''s usually the only one up there but sometimes he comes down to fill up on supplies or meet with the other spellmaster elders."


    "Thank you." Jing said with a friendly smile before walking away.


    Jing headed towards Crescent Mountain without delay. She was interested in seeing what type of person Elder Lang was. Is he going to be an arrogant old blind idiot like the rest of the elders she saw on her first day here or is he going to be different? If he discards her with a single look, she definitely isn''t letting him go peacefully. With her latest martial arts she learned, she has been looking to test it on someone.


    Hu Tao has been caught up in something along with the rest of her followers. Bing and Ying have a bounty out on their heads. Lei Zhi has gotten caught up in a duel just like the situation with Tang Wuying. Just what kind of troublemakers has she recruited to her cause? How is she going to be able to call herself their leader if she doesn''t even know what the hell is going on in their lives? She wants to get involved in dangerous and crazy situations or at the very least know that they are going on.


    Not only because she wishes to make them even worse. Her followers do need some better martial arts and items. What better way of getting stronger is there than stealing from those better off than you? She''s doing them a favor once she finds out the exact situations, they found themselves in.


    Knock! Knock!


    "Hello? Elder Lang?" Jing rapped on his door.


    Crash! Jing heard inside the medium-sized home the sound of something very heavy crashing to the floor.


    "Oh geez. Dang it all to heck!" He loudly whispered. "Be there in a second! Just give me a moment!" He responded.


    A playful smile crawled on Jing''s face but she quickly drowned it back where it came. Deciding to toy with this man she doesn''t even know based on their first interaction is too hasty. Let''s see how things progress at first before deciding to mess with Elder Lang. She still hasn''t even asked if he could be her master and teach her about formations.


    The door swung open to reveal a scrawny, messily dressed, weak looking young man? His robes were wrinkled something fierce and weren''t tightened completely. He had a kind smile on his face despite him and his home looking like a wild animal ran through them. Jing wanted to check if he was using a technique to hide his true age but she wouldn''t know the first way of doing so.


    "Hello." He greeted.


    "Are you Elder Lang?"


    "Yes, that is me. Did you make a mistake in choosing a spellmaster elder or did someone play a prank on you by looking for me?"


    "I don''t believe I made a mistake... Will you be my teacher in all things related to formations and talismans?" Jing asked kindly.


    "Are... you sure...?" He asked dumbfounded that apparently someone would want to apprentice under him.


    "Yes!" Jing answered with small determination behind her voice.


    "Please come in then. Ignore the mess. I''ll get it later."


    Jing entered inside the messy home filled with talisman slips, books filled with spell patterns or different techniques, jars of spirit ink, brushes of varying sizes, and bookcases to hold those books. She wanted to be polite and not step on the things on the floor but saw Elder Lang just ignoring them completely so she did the same. He told her to wait at the small table while he went to go and make some tea for them.


    ''Lang must be quite the dedicated spellmaster. This type of mess doesn''t come without a lot of research and practice.'' Jing praised.


    His demeanor obviously needs some improvement but she''s excited to see how good of a spellmaster he is. Maybe he''s a hidden dragon. How else could he have become an elder at such a young age? Well if he isn''t hiding his age with some technique. Then he''s even more pathetic than she would have thought.


    "And here we go." Lang returned and placed their tea on the table.


    Jing took a sip and it wasn''t bad. Based on how he''s living, it doesn''t seem like he gets visitors often. So, this tea is better than she thought it would be.


    "Thanks. It''s nice." Jing told him.


    A visible look of relief showed up on his face after her compliment. Oh dear.


    "Before I accept you as my pupil, I must ask you a few questions if you don''t mind."


    Jing stared at him with acknowledgement.


    "Do you have any experience in the arts of spellmastery?"


    "Little."


    No change in his expression with this answer.


    "Are you aware of my background or status within the sect?


    "No."


    Surprise filled his eyes at this answer.


    "How far are you planning to pursue in the path of arrays?"


    "I wish to reach the peak of spellmastery!" Jing shouted weakly.


    A peaceful smile appeared on Lang''s face.


    "Then I have no reason to not accept you as my disciple. From this day forth you can now refer to me as Master Lang."


    "Thank you for accepting this disciple teacher. Discipline Jing."


    "Fair warning... You are my very first disciple so, if you have anything you wish to say about me or my teaching methods please feel free to share with me your thoughts."


    ''Oh god.'' Jing thought. "Will do teacher." Jing responded.


    "When you said you have little experience with spellmastery, what have you worked with so far?" He asked.


    "I''ve created 10 talismans with the spell Qi shield."


    "That''s a good start. How long did it take you to finish?"


    "Around 12 hours."


    "Very good! Much better than my first time. It took me over 3 days to create 10 talismans."


    ''I think you''re just untalented...'' Jing shared with herself.


    "Is the Qi Shield spell pattern the only one you know?"


    "Yes. It was the only one I could even hope to finish..." Jing meekly smiled.


    "That''s normal for all beginning spellmasters. Being able to etch spells takes time, focus, and patience. None of those are things that most youths are good at dealing with. So, it''s understandable to be not so fast at the start, and besides speed is never something a spellmaster should focus on unless they are in battle. We won''t get into how spellmasters fight for a while though. You must learn to crawl before you can walk."


    "Yes teacher."


    "To begin, let''s have you make a qi shield spell again." Lang grabbed one of the hundreds of blank talisman slips on the floor along with a jar of spirit ink and a normal sized brush.


    He placed the items in front of her and nodded to signal her to begin. Jing remembered the advice Shang Zhai gave her and slowly but surely started painting the qi shield pattern. She made sure to frequently look at the qi shield pattern every time she made the slightest movement so that it looked like she doesn''t have it burned into her memory quite yet. It also made her look cautious and unconfident. She glanced at her master from time to time only to see him with a reassuring smile.


    "You''re doing fine Jing. Take your time. Your speed is the last thing I''m concerned about."


    Jing made it look as if his words made her less tense. Her strokes became steadier and slower. She finished up the spell within 50 minutes and gave it to her master to look at it.


    "Perfect work! Now let''s test it."


    Lang injected his qi within the talisman and threw it on the floor. The talisman lit with a purple flame as it attached itself to the floor. It burned into ash and from its ashes, a wide barrier made of qi appeared. Jing smiled in relief that her spell worked. Lang smiled along with her as he destroyed the barrier he made with his sword.


    "Good! Your drawing style is fantastic. Who taught you how to draw like that?" He asked.


    "A friend?" Jing replied unsure of her own answer.


    "Well what a nice friend you have to share a drawing technique like that. Usually you only see those types of styles with families that has a deep history with making talismans."


    "Oh!"


    "For the rest of today, I can have you look over all these other spells. Most spellmasters choose a certain type of spells or formations to work with their fighting style. If they choose to become fighters that is. Some spellmasters choose to only sell their works and make a profit from them while others use them to fight. I''m guessing you would like to use your talismans to protect yourself and not make a profit right?"


    "Yes master." Jing said with some sadness behind her eyes.


    "No problem! The world is dangerous after all. Filled with all sorts of beasts and evil characters. Take a look through this spell book and tell me which category of spells you would like to focus on."


    Jing grabbed the thick leather book and opened it. Elder Lang used the time to drink his tea. Jing could''ve flipped through this thing in around 30 minutes if Lang wasn''t watching over her. It only takes her one glance to burn an image in her head. She could tell he was waiting for her to ask any questions and then answer her like a diligent master should.


    Inside the book was hundreds of pages of spells and formations. They were separated into four types: Harming, Supportive, Trapping, and Movement. The harming one really made her insides tingle at the possibilities but she''ll have to save those for when her master isn''t with her. To tie in with her current personality, she''ll go with trapping and movement. If her master wasn''t around, she''d learn all four with a focus on harming and trapping.


    "Is it okay if I choose two focuses?" Jing asked softly.


    "That''s no problem at all Jing. As your teacher, I''m here to help you with whatever you wish to accomplish. Which two are you interested in?"


    "Trapping and Movement arrays."


    Her master smiled.


    "For some reason, I''m not surprised those are the two you picked. I can tell you''re quite the kind and gentle person Jing."


    "Pfft!" Jing had to cover her mouth to stop herself from bursting into laughter at the nonsense her master was saying. Such an easy and innocent fool.


    "Are you alright?" He asked concerned.


    "Ah yes. Sorry I had a strange lump in the back of my throat." She lied.


    "Which one would you like to start with first? Trapping or movement? It''s commonly known that trapping is one of the hardest array types to utilize. It''s constantly debated within the spellmaster community over which field of arrays is the most difficult with trapping and supportive being the only contenders. Harming and Movement are considered the easiest due to the simple nature of their creation and function to most spellmasters."


    "Trapping!" Jing determinedly shouted.


    "Very well. Let''s start with the basics of all trapping formations. Creating a qi field."


    "How do I do that?"


    "You''ve already done it. Well, in theory anyway. What I mean is... a qi field is four qi shield spells formed into a formation."


    "How do I make a formation?"


    "To create a formation, you need to have a base to connect your spells to. Most cultivators use a sword as a base for their formations but really it would work with any material that can conduct qi well. Even chopsticks can be used as a base for a formation but it wouldn''t be very durable and could shatter the formation if hit even once."


    "So, what''s stopping someone from breaking my base?"


    "Good question and the answer to that is you are."


    "Me?"


    "You are the only defense for keeping your formation going. Without you, your enemy would destroy your base and do whatever they want to you."


    "I still don''t understand how I''m supposed to make this base and have it connected to all of my talismans."


    "Watch me."


    Lang grabbed four qi shield slips from his storage ring and set them on the table. He grabbed the spell book and moved each slip to each corner of the table. He then pulled out a 5th slip with a spiral pattern etched on it.


    "What spell is that?" Jing asked curiously.


    "This is the spell that connects your spells together: Conduit. You activate it by sending some qi through it and attaching it to your base." He taught while also showing her how it worked.


    He sent his qi through the Conduit spell and slapped it on the spell book. The spiral pattern slowly manifested onto the surface of the book.


    "Once the Conduit symbol has appeared on the base, it means it can now connect spells together to form a formation. Like this." He tapped each qi shield talisman with some qi.


    The slips burned with a purple flame as they all turned into ash. From that ash, a bluish white barrier made of qi rose to the ceiling of the house. The qi barriers formed around the spell book in a square shape. Jing placed her hand on the barrier and found that she couldn''t penetrate through the barrier. Not that she was trying to, of course but still, it was quite amazing to witness.


    "Normally we would not be using a qi field formation to defend our base because that''s the spellmaster''s job not the formations but this was to answer your questions on how to form formations."


    "Thank you, Teacher Lang!" Jing said like a grateful disciple. She then put a finger to her chin. "Is there a time where a spellmaster would use a formation to protect their base?"


    "Not usually, but yes. During times of war or large scaled battles in which a formation cannot be destroyed or the battle would be lost with the destruction of the formation."


    Jing nodded as she learned of another use of arrays and soon would spend the rest of the day learning the most basic of trapping spells and formations from her master. Well not learning how to use them but learning how to draw them with a brush successfully. It wouldn''t be till the sun was lowering till she was dismissed and sent home. With her ranking match next month, she should learn enough by then to pass by as an apprentice spellmaster and not get kicked out of the sect.


    Participating in a ranking match is required every 3 months or expulsion from the sect on the account of being too much of a weakling and coward to be a disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect. Effective way of keeping your disciples on their toes but Jing would change it to every month rather than 3 months. Just because it would add more pressure to the disciples. Seeing them frantically train just so they could stay inside the sect would be an amusing sight to witness.

 28 Sword and Shield Together Again!

    Knock Knock!


    A series of gentle hits landed on Bing''s door. The round youth was in the middle of cultivating with his eyes closed and legs crossed upon the floor. He opened his eyes and wondered who could be at his door this early in the morning. He hoped it wasn''t more of those annoying Huan disciples. But if it was... He hoped these ones at least had some goodies worth taking besides their bodies.


    "Who is it?" He called out.


    "It''s me! Open up!" Ying answered.


    Bing wondered what his friend? Could he call her that? They''ve been hanging out basically all week but can you call someone a friend just because of that? What about partner? Nah that one didn''t feel right either. He shrugged his shoulders before standing up and opening the door.


    Ying stood there in her oh so familiar glory. Terrifyingly huge monstrous looking sword that doesn''t fit a girl of her beauty, a boyish gleam in her eyes, and that straightforward headstrong nature of her.


    She grabbed his arm.


    "Great! Follow me! I''ve haven''t been able to stretch my body out much and needed more contribution points to buy a crystallized fire sac for my cultivation technique."


    "Wait! I need to get dressed! I don''t have my shield! I haven''t even eaten breakfast!"


    Ying looked down to see Bing still in his underwear and indeed ill-equipped for the task she had at hand.


    "Hurry up and get ready pervert! No one is trying to see your nasty thing in the morning" She pushed him back into his house.


    "You are the one that dragged me outside!" He complained rightfully as he heard his door slam behind him.


    Bing started to pull out some comfortable clothes to wear. He disliked wearing the sect''s robes because it didn''t feel all that comfortable to fight in and when hanging with Ying, there was rarely a day where he doesn''t fight. He doesn''t blame her of course, not entirely anyway. Their fellow disciples loved to make trouble when there isn''t any need for trouble! Ying doesn''t go around looking to fight someone despite saying things that might indicate such a thing.


    Ying just doesn''t put up with any disrespect unless she disrespects someone first. Bing wishes she could just learn to ignore the taunting and mocking comments but that''s an impossibility knowing her. He sighed in preparation for the many fights that are guaranteed to happen today. Bing grabbed his shield that was slowly getting bigger and bigger every day. When he first got it, the shield was no bigger than his head but now it''s large enough to protect his entire stomach.


    "Are you done yet!?" Ying yelled from outside.


    "One moment!" Bing responded back.


    Bing made sure he got everything he needed before walking outside and locking his door.


    "Let''s go!"


    "Can''t we go eat first?" Bing asked.


    "You can eat once we get into the forest!"


    Bing grumbled unhappily as they slowly made their way towards the Mission Hall.


    "What task did you plan on picking?"


    "Killing the Violet Horned Chameleon Queen."


    Bing groaned.


    "Do you even care about cultivation realms? That''s a task that a cultivator at the early stages of Qi Consolidation would struggle with!"


    "It was the weakest one that would give me enough points to get the crystallized fire sac."


    "We could''ve done easier tasks that are more fit for cultivators of our stages till we got enough contribution points to get your sac."


    "You''re just scared of a challenge aren''t you Bing?"


    "When my life is at risk of being snuffed out, I wouldn''t call it a challenge. A challenge shouldn''t be something that puts your life on the line!"


    "That weak type of thinking is why you''re still a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer."


    "No! I just started on my path later than most!"


    "If you pushed yourself, you would already be at my rank."


    "I feel like I''m progressing pretty fast though."


    "Physically yes, but cultivation wise no. You''re going down the same path as me since your cultivation technique is so weak."


    "It''s not like I had a choice in my cultivation technique! They aren''t the easiest things to just come across you know."


    "Why didn''t you go to the Martial Pavillion to get a better cultivation martial art?"


    "I didn''t feel satisfied with any of them. None of them seemed like they really fit me."


    "Then you should be going out on tasks to get the really good cultivation arts in the Exchange Hall."


    Bing couldn''t respond back to this one. He hasn''t even looked inside the Exchange Hall yet. The only tasks he has been going on are easy ones that don''t take much time or effort. So, his contribution points are meagre compared to Ying who regularly goes out on hunting tasks.


    "There they are!"


    Bing and Ying looked over to see a dozen or so disciples looking their way as they were a distance away from the Mission Hall.


    "THOSE 100 SPIRIT STONES ARE MINE!"


    "None of you bastards better take their heads before me!"


    "Let me flay the Fatty alive! I wanna see his insides!"


    The group of bloodthirsty disciples rushed towards them. Bing couldn''t stop himself from sighing again. The day just started! Why does trouble always have to find a way towards him? Ying was just as confused as Bing but she wouldn''t turn down a fight. She got in a fighting stance with her sword resting behind her on the ground.


    "If you can take one hit from my blade, consider it your win!"


    Ying slowly raised her large sword and rushed towards the incoming disciples with a single leap. She intended to slice them all in half with a single horizontal swing from her blade. Bing doubted those in front would be able to survive against that blade. In a few moments, the entrance to the Mission Hall would be filled with the numerous bodies cut in half.


    Or it would be! If a passing elder didn''t see the ground and decided to intervene. He appeared in the middle of both sides and used his qi to blast away both sides. Ying wasn''t foolish enough to try and kill an elder of the sect. She willingly let herself be blasted away back towards Bing while the disciples after their heads was blasted towards the Mission Hall. Bing roughly caught Ying''s body and gently let her down. That sword is much heavier than he thought. He almost fell over trying to catch Ying and her sword.


    "Thanks."


    "No problem."


    "If you little rascals wish to cause trouble, please do it outside the sect or at the very least challenge them to a ranking match. Do none of you have any self-respect? All this for a single girl and a fat boy? Disgraceful." He scoffed before slowly walking away.


    Shame hung around the heads of the disciples but their greed for the spirit stones overpowered the words of the mysterious elder. They kept their eyes on Ying and Bing but didn''t choose to attack them.


    "I think we should cancel today''s plans and save it for another time..." Bing suggested.


    "Nope. We''re killing that Queen Chameleon. If those weaklings dare to follow us, we''ll just kill them and the chameleon!" Ying grabbed Bing''s arm and forced him to follow behind her.


    "What if that isn''t their entire force! What if someone took the chameleon task!? I still haven''t ate breakfast!!!" He cried as they entered inside the Mission Hall.


    ¡­


    Ying and Bing arrived outside the sect. Ying accepted the task for killing the chameleon queen and now they were walking through the Immortal Forest. The chameleon queen was said to possibly be near a village that lives inside the Immortal Forest. A spirit beast of that level shouldn''t be hanging around the outer area of the Immortal Forest. It''s their job to kill it and stop its offspring from harassing the village that''s under the protection of the Golden Serpent Sect.


    This job would be a lot simpler if they didn''t have a large group of disciples following behind them wanting to kill them. Ying was leading them towards a large opening within the forest so they could get rid of them. If they wanted trouble, she''s glad to give them what they want. Bing was more annoyed with the situation than Ying was. He planned on finding out exactly who placed a bounty of 100 spirit stones on their heads and getting payback.


    Ying found an open clearing.


    "COME ON OUT YOU COWARDS! I HOPE YOU ALL WRITTEN YOUR WILLS BECAUSE NONE OF YOU ARE MAKING IT BACK TO THE SECT ALIVE!" Ying shouted.


    She heard them cackling as they came out into the clearing. Lust, greed, and killing intent radiated from their group. The battle was close to starting and all the fighters were getting ready. Bing''s flesh began shaping itself into muscle as it used his qi to strengthen his body. An extra pair of arms formed from the side of his torso. The ground beneath his feet started to sink from the strength of his body martial art. His cold eyes stared at his opponents as his fortified and built body radiated with strength.


    Ying smirked as she saw this side of Bing. If he acted this cool all the time, she was sure she would fall for the fatty. But she wouldn''t let him take the spotlight! Ying''s body ignited in flames. The fire took hold of her body and transformed her. Her orange hair turned into a hair made of flames, the eyes within her head burned with a small flame, and her sword transformed into a giant mass of fire.


    "KILL EM!!!!!"


    The group charged towards the two and Ying took a single swing with her blade.


    Fwoosh!


    A giant blade of fire qi flew towards the incoming disciples. The strength of that attack refused to leave any survivors. It cut through the bodies of the attackers and burned their remains into ash. Bing stood there blinking blankly.


    "What a bunch of weaklings!" Ying mocked as she returned back to her normal form.


    "I guess I shouldn''t have been so worried after all." Bing smiled while rubbing the back of his head.


    He returned back to his round physique.


    "They better increase our bounty after this. If anyone''s going to come after me, they need to at least be able to stand a single attack of mine."


    "I''d prefer not to have any bounty at all..." Bing said softly.


    "Let''s go take out that Chameleon!"


    It would take a few hours until the two could find any trace of the chameleon queen. The two were exploring near the village that sent in the information about the queen and got attacked by one of the children of the Violet Horned Chameleon Queen. The tiger-sized reptilian suddenly appeared atop a tree and shot its tongue out towards Bing. Bing barely managed to react in time to the ambush attack. He blocked with his shield and engaged in a tug of war with the large beast. He was able to overpower the beast as it had yet to form a beast core and was unable to use qi to strengthen its body. He pulled the chameleon towards him and punched it into the ground underneath him.


    Ying finished the beast off with a single downward swing and smiled at Bing.


    "Teamwork."


    "Ah yea... Teamwork." Bing agreed, still not over being surprised about the chameleon attack.


    Bing was about to use his Devil Arm''s martial art on the fallen beast to strengthen his physique but the duo soon began hearing multiple hissing sounds all around them. They got into defensive positions with their backs touching. Numerous chameleons started revealing themselves while staring at Bing and Ying.


    "That is a lot of chameleons....." Ying commented.


    "Chameleons are solitary beasts! They never group together! The Queen must be nearby!" Bing said.


    "Any ideas!?" Ying asked.


    "Just one!"


    Bing pulled Ying close as the hissing reached its peak and the chameleons all shot their tongues towards the two.


    "Bone Dome!" Bing let his blood drip onto his shield and slammed it into the ground


    The two were seconds away from being submerged chameleon tongues and slowly melted alive from their acidity saliva. But just as close as they were to death, a large amount of bones shot up from the ground and encompassed Bing and Ying in a circular mound. The sphere of bones rattled from beasts'' attacks but did not crumble and break. Even the melting liquid from their tongues had no effect on the bones.


    "I knew we shouldn''t have taken this task..." Bing whined.


    "Shut up ya big baby. We might have almost just died but that doesn''t mean we should give up!"


    "No one said anything about giving up...." Bing murmured.


    "Then quit yapping and give me some room. Doing this move takes a lot out of me but I don''t see how else are we gonna get out of this situation without it."


    "Fine..." Bing gave Ying as much room as possible and crouched down low with his shield held close to his face.


    Ying closed her eyes as she gathered her qi. She slowly started spinning with her greatsword. The temperature started to rise from her body as her speed began to increase. Bing felt the fierce heat from blazing from Ying and gritted his teeth.


    "Ring of Flames!" Ying yelled.


    Fire qi shot out from Ying''s giant sword in a circular form. Bing demolished his bone dome just when Ying released her attack and the ring of fire flew towards the chameleons surrounding them. The beasts couldn''t escape in time and were forced to burn alive with terrible screeches. Ying smiled with relief as she dropped to the ground, low on qi.


    Bing looked around to see their surroundings being nothing but flames and burning carcasses.


    ''Seriously... How terrifying.''


    He got up and saw that Ying was on the floor.


    "Feed me a Qi recovery pill please." Ying asked.


    Bing was about to do as she said but before he could reach into her pocket, he felt a terrifying presence staring down on him. He looked up and saw the target of their task. The large purple reptilian mother that was larger than the trees that used to be around them. It seems she wasn''t pleased with Ying killing her offspring nor Bing trying to help the killer of her children. The murderous intent emitting from her body made Bing shiver uncontrollably. But he knew if he didn''t do something, both him and Ying would die. The Queen struck without warning.


    Bing hastily raised his shield and blocked the immense power of her tongue strike. It took most of his power to remain standing in front of Ying. He knew he couldn''t withstand another attack like that without being blown away and leaving Ying helpless. He has to get this thing away from Ying.


    "Swift Devil!" He blasted towards the 9th stage Qi Gathering spirit beast.


    He knocked it and himself a safe distance away from Ying and managed to bruise its side.


    "I''ll distract it for as long as I can! Try and recover before I die please!" Bing shouted as he used his auxiliary and body martial art to increase his physique and defensive power.


    Ying gritted her teeth in anger. The stupid queen just had to attack when she was at her lowest. If she and Bing were at full strength and ready for her they could''ve easily taken her out. Most beasts can''t withstand a single swing of her blade. She doubted a spirit beast like the Violet Horned Chameleon Queen could take her sword either. Ying struggled while reaching into her pocket for a qi recovery pill. Her sword was sending her emotional waves of concern before a feeling of curiosity and hunger overcame it. She was confused.


    The feeling she got from her sword told her to feed it one of the leftover bones from Bing''s dome. She grabbed one of the bones and angrily looked at her sword.


    ''How the hell am I supposed to feed a sword!?''


    The sword rapidly blinked at her and she hesitantly moved the bone shard towards the eyeball. The eyeball opened up to reveal a set of human teeth behind them that chomped the bone shard with relish. Ying was normally not one for screaming but seeing such an abnormal and terrifying sight made her gasp with shock. She saw that her sword was starting to change in form. The previous silver steel started to change into something thornier and bone-like. Bone spikes began jutting out from the blunt side of the blade as it turned into a large bone sword with the eye still at the base of the sword.


    ''Since when could you do something like this you dumb sword!?'' Ying questioned.


    The sword sent her a feeling that made her smack it in anger. It says it forgot.


    "Ying! Anytime now please!" Bing shouted towards her with his muscled body covered in blood.


    Ying used her sword as support to stand up. She lifted her sword with careful precision and slashed down towards the queen. The queen''s tongue was stuck to Bing''s shield as he grasped her tongue with three of his hands to keep her still. Ying''s slash produced large bone spikes out of the ground that rushed towards the immobile Queen. The queen could see the incoming bones and desperately tried to free herself from Bing. Bing doubled down and used all of his qi to keep his hold on the queen. He ignored all the pain he was feeling from the acid-like saliva burning his hands and slammed the Chameleon Queen into the ground.


    She cried out as Ying''s bone spikes punctured through her body. Blood flowed throughout the numerous holes in her body. Bing dropped to the ground breathing heavily. His extra pair of arms vanished and his belly reappeared. He reached into his pocket and ate a recovery pill to heal his burned hands and internal injuries.


    Ying saw that her sword transformed back to its normal state and cursed. She swallowed a qi recovery pill and walked over to Bing.


    "See, I told you we could handle it." Ying said joyfully.


    Bing stared at her with a deadpan expression.


    "Haha! Cheer up Bing! I promise to be more careful next time." She used her storage ring to absorb the dead body of the Queen Chameleon.


    She could see his dissatisfaction.


    "Okay what if we find you a better cultivation technique? Nothing less than an Earth-ranked one either! Even I only have one earth martial technique!" Ying suggested.


    "Fine. Let''s just get back to the sect already. Facing life or death situations is just something I''ll have to get used to as a cultivator anyway..."


    "That''s the spirit!" She smacked Bing on the back harshly, causing him to wince in pain and try and massage his back.


    Ying laughed like an innocent young girl while running on ahead as Bing cried out in pain from her slap. He couldn''t reach his back with his short and thick arms.


    "Grah!!! Can''t you control your strength!?"


    "I''ll think about it!" She stuck her tongue out as she turned and playfully skipped away.


    "NEXT TIME I''M PICKING THE DANGEROUS TASK!" He shouted at her.

 29 The Old Man & The Rowdy Youth!

    "Big Brother you have to show that blind fool whose boss or else he''ll be spitting on our family name!" Sying pleaded.


    "You little! You think I haven''t heard how you disgraced our family by losing to said, "blind fool" I heard that he toyed with you and completely embarrassed you." Ming angrily smacked his brother.


    Sying''s plead was caught in his throat. It turns out one of his followers told the news to his big brother before he did. Those little pieces of shit! Next time he sees them he''ll kill them without a proper burial! The stinging pain on his face only fueled his anger towards the old blind fool.


    "But Big Brother can''t you see that he doesn''t put our family in his eyes if he''s willing to do such a humiliating and violent thing to me? You have to show him a lesson if not for me, then for our family name."


    This caused Ming to ponder. His name was pretty popular within the Outer Court given that he was 7th ranked disciple. There couldn''t be anyone that didn''t know of his name. So, this fool who showed his little brother a lesson must have known he would eventually hear about it. They must really have some balls then.


    "Fine. You may be pathetic but you are still my little brother. Let''s go find this blind fool. Bring me to him."


    Ming got up from his chair and allowed his weak little brother to take him to the one that doesn''t have their family in his eyes.


    ______________________________________________


    "What a strange beast..." Lei Zhi commented as he held out his hand to feel the skin of the floating spirit beast.


    The beast''s skin felt very smooth and leathery. It was much larger than him and would have no problem swallowing him whole. The beast seemed to have hands instead of fins like most fish do. The scariest part of this shark-like monster besides the teeth was the complete lack of any eyes. It was blind just like him but Lei Zhi felt as if this creature would have no problem searching for any type of prey.


    He could feel a connection with this fish he reeled out with his fishing hook. It would listen to any commands he gave it and wouldn''t even mind dying for him. Just like the other aquatic creatures he pulled out from his fishing rod, this one could somehow breathe on land and float as if it was swimming in water. Just what kind of spirit tool was he given? How did she get her hands on something like this? And why would she gift it to someone like him?


    Lei Zhi sighed. This was all a bit much to take in considering his life was anything but whatever this is. He would have to take this all one step at a time. Being hasty would benefit no one. Lei Zhi rubbed the skin of the shark monster and suddenly sensed 2 figures outside his shack. He casted his fishing hook back into the unknown and ordered the shark to go back home.


    The shark swam inside the multi-colored slit and disappeared from Lei Zhi''s home just as his door was broken down by a familiar face.


    "Show yourself senile bat!" Sying ordered.


    "Ah Young Master Sying, welcome to my home." Lei Zhi kindly smiled.


    Ming''s face scrunched up.


    "I''ve gotten my big brother here to show you a lesson you''ll never forget!"


    "Hello Young Master Ming, how are you?" Lei Zhi greeted.


    "I''m not here for pleasantries you blind git. I heard you thoroughly embarrassed my little brother. He may be a disappointment in the family but he is still part of our lineage. I''ll give you a chance of living if you kowtow 3 times to him and apologize for not putting our bloodline in your eyes." Ming commanded.


    Lei Zhi was a bit confused on how this situation was going to play out but at least it didn''t dissolve into violence immediately. Not to mention that Ming was a peak 7th stage Qi Gatherer! Lei Zhi would stand no chance against him without sufficient preparation.


    "I must apologize Young Master Ming, I cannot kowtow and apologize for no reason. I''ve done nothing wrong that I feel I should apologize for." Lei Zhi politely said.


    Boom! Ming outwardly blasted his qi towards Lei Zhi. Lei Zhi smashed into his wall from the force and fell onto the floor. He gripped his fishing rod to defend himself if any further attacks come.


    "Don''t be stubborn and save yourself the pain. You are already on the floor, start apologizing." Ming ordered with an air of superiority.


    Lei Zhi slowly stood up with his back straight. He looked into the eyes of Ming.


    "I refuse."


    "You really are just a blind fool. No one will miss you anyway I suppose." His flared his qi once more, intending to do more than just knock Lei Zhi into the wall this time.


    Lei Zhi attempted to fish in an aquatic ally but the force from the qi didn''t allow his hook to fly. He was helpless against this show of strength even with the gifts he was given by Jing. The only thing he was feeling was sorrow for not being able to live up to Jing''s expectations. But that wouldn''t mean he would go down without at least trying. He didn''t get to this age by luck alone! He flared all the qi in his body to fight against the powerful qi of Ming and fish in a helpful beast.


    "Is there a fight I smell?" A figure popped his head in from the hole in the wall made by Lei Zhi.


    The figure was wrapped in black chains along with a large metal ball dragging behind his feet. Did someone lose their prisoner? What was this guy doing here?! Who the hell even was he?!


    "Hu Tao!?" Ming exclaimed in shock before reeling in his qi.


    "Are you bastards in here fighting without me?" He grinned widely.


    Ming rapidly shook his head as sweat began to rapidly pour from his body.


    "So, I''m stupid now little Ming is that it? You''re calling me a braindead fucking retard is it?"


    "No sir I would never! I wouldn''t be caught dead calling you anything of the sort! Not even if I was given a sky-ranked martial art!"


    "That''s what it''s sounding like you''re calling me because I''m sure someone was fighting in here!"


    "What was happening was just a simple training exercise between me and my junior disciple brother. Nothing even remotely similar to a fight Hu Tao! I promise you!" Ming rapidly spat out.


    "Hmm..." He looked towards Lei Zhi and then his fishing rod.


    "Was you fighting here old man?"


    Lei Zhi didn''t understand what exactly was the relationship between Ming and Hu Tao was but he has surely heard the many rumors of Hu Tao throughout the sect. The boy was the 10th ranked disciple in the Outer Court. He was known for fighting anyone and everything without a shred of passion or mercy. His rise to prominence through the ranking matches were so brutal, many refused to challenge him and surrendered immediately if they had to face him. With so many challengers giving up, Hu Tao was forced to find other ways of making people fight him. Which was usually annoying them to death.


    "Not anymore thanks to you, young man." Lei Zhi responded.


    "So, there was a fight!" Hu Tao whipped his fist out.


    The sound of metal meeting flesh entered the ears of everyone inside the shack. Hu Tao''s metal ball crashed into the face of Ming and sent him flying into the fishing pond outside. Several teeth were knocked down his throat and his face looked dented in but Hu Tao was sure he was still alive.


    "Next time you lie to me, Ming I won''t go easy on you like I did today." Hu Tao warned.


    Lei Zhi and Sying''s eyes widened in shock. That was considered going easy?! They didn''t dare want to see what going all out looked like. Sying stood at the door shivering in fright while Lei Zhi was also a bit frightened by the youth. He has heard many horrifying stories involving the boy. Sying ran away towards his brother before he soiled his clothes out of terror.


    "Hey old man where you get that fishing pole?"


    "It was a gift..."


    "From who?"


    "I cannot disclose that information, I apologize."


    Hu Tao walked up to Lei Zhi. Lei Zhi was taller than the boy but the strength difference made him seem like a child compared to Hu Tao. He glared at him while slowly releasing his qi. Lei Zhi was having trouble breathing. His lungs felt as if they were being slowly choked by Hu Tao and his body felt weak. He could barely stand or breathe but he couldn''t give away Jing''s identity. That was one of the rules he was given by her. Even in the face of death, he was to not give away who gave him his fishing rod or she would personally bring him back from the reincarnation wheel and make him regret ever revealing her.


    "I cannot tell you Hu Tao. No matter how much pain you put me through." Lei Zhi could feel his blood rushing to his throat.


    He smirked.


    "It''s Jing ain''t it?" He asked without a shred of doubt.


    Lei Zhi is not a fool. He didn''t act as if he recognized the name at all and simply kept the same determined expression as before. He didn''t live this long without a few tricks. If he slipped up at her name, he''d be the biggest fool around.


    "She made you one of her followers too huh? I guess she ain''t picky when she can get stuff like this." Hu Tao''s chains sparked before turning into lightning.


    "What kind of spirit weapon is that!?" Lei Zhi asked shocked.


    "Amazing ain''t it? That sadistic bitch has some good shit. I don''t know where she gets it from but she''s interesting enough." He smiled cheekily. "I guess being her underling isn''t so bad if she''s giving this stuff away like candy." The lightning reverted back to a metal ball and chain.


    Lei Zhi was now 100% sure that Hu Tao was on the same side as him.


    "Yes, I got my new fishing rod from her. She gave it to me once I agreed to join her in changing the sect for the better."


    "She kicked my ass and that''s why I joined her." Hu Tao casually stated before sitting on Lei Zhi''s bed and twirling the metal ball with his finger.


    "I appreciate you helping me out there."


    "Who said I was helping you oldie? I was just looking to see if there was a fight for me to join before I entered the Inner Court."


    "I still appreciate it nonetheless."


    "So, what can your rod do? I know it just doesn''t make you a better fisher."


    "It''ll be easier if I show you. Follow me outside. I can''t really control how big or dangerous these fishes can be. It''s all random." Lei Zhi said.


    Hu Tao followed Lei Zhi outside. Lei Zhi reared his fishing pole back before throwing his hook into the universal slit.


    After casting, he stood up straight and ready. He''s only done this a few times so far and every time he was amazed at the type of fishes he''s caught. He''s seen things he''s never seen before or even heard about. It was so amazing, that each catch made him feel 30 years younger.


    He felt a tug on the line. Lei Zhi squared his shoulders and braced his legs before using all the strength in his body to pull out the mysterious beast. Hu Tao watched in mild interest. The aquatic animal came out head first and boy did it look angry. The eyes seemed to be in a perpetual state of indifference or rage but the beast wasn''t thrashing wildly or attacking as its full body exited from the slit. Lei Zhi''s fishing hook was hooked into the claw of the creature.


    It was a giant crab. The large powerful claws of the crustacean looked strong enough to pincer a small mountain in half! The frightening mouth lined up with sharp teeth that would stab and slowly drag its prey deeper into its mouth would make any average person faint just at the sight of it! Its glowing four eyes lit up with a certain level of intelligence hidden behind them. This creature was anything but a typical crab!


    Lei Zhi was slightly distressed at the size of the creature. It was taller than the trees surrounding this part of the area. One of the elders might investigate if they see this thing. It seems the crab sensed his discomfort. It started shrinking in size till it reached the size of an ox. It skittered over to him with its 6 crab legs and looked at him with interest.


    "A crab huh? I wonder how strong this thing is." Hu Tao questioned.


    "Anything I fish out has the same cultivation as me but I found out that just because it has the same cultivation as me doesn''t mean it''s as strong as me. I usually find out that they are much stronger than their cultivation suggests. You can try fighting against her if you want." Lei Zhi informed.


    "You can tell that''s a girl?"


    "I just kind of know." Lei Zhi said, not sure of how it works himself.


    "Let me lower my qi to a respectable level before I do this warmup." Hu Tao said with an air of confidence.


    He lowered the strength of his qi to the level of the average 4th stage Qi Gatherer before pouncing towards the crab. Lei Zhi could still keep up with Hu Tao''s movement with his senses but he doubted he would be able to react with his body. Even if he lowered his qi amount to a 4th stage, his natural body strength can''t be reduced to the same level of strength as a 4th stage. In a normal cultivator''s eyes, Hu Tao just disappeared right in front of them!


    The crab hammered Hu Tao into the ground before it could reach it. Once it saw that he was immobilized, it quickly started pounding away with its huge meaty claws. The grin on Hu Tao''s face got wider and wider each time he was hit further into the ground.


    ''Now this is it!''


    Hu Tao kicked out with his legs, knocking the crab''s claws up into the air. He dragged his body out of the dirt and his chains shot out to wrap around the claws of the crustacean. The crab skuttled backwards out of the way and rushed to charge into Hu Tao.


    "Come on ya damn beast. Just try and take me on!" Hu Tao jumped forward with a rising knee.


    The hardened and shining red shell of the crab clashed against the mighty strength of Hu Tao. At first it seemed equal in strength between the two but this stalemate didn''t last long. The crab was slowly overpowering Hu Tao!


    "Hahaha you son of a bitch!" Hu Tao''s chains started to wrap around the large crab.


    The beast was unable to resist as the chains infinitely extended from Hu Tao''s body and wrapped up the claws of the crab. It tried shaking the chains off before realizing that wasn''t going to work. Hu Tao smirked and gave the spirit beast one last chance before he ended this. The crab smashed the chains against the ground and it only tighten them around its arms.


    "Times up!" Hu Tao grinned.


    He pulled the chains and lifted the hefty crustacean in the air. The ox-sized beast soared in the air before being dropped down harshly on the ground and then lifted up again and smashed into the ground once more. Hu Tao was visibly impressed. He didn''t see a single crack or dent in the shell of the crab no matter how many times he threw it into the ground. He just found his third training buddy!


    Hu Tao jumped high into the air. The crab was lying on its back and the soft underbelly was all too visible for Hu Tao. The crab hasn''t given up though. It used its legs to protect its underside and cut off all chances for Hu Tao to take advantage of its innate weakness.


    "That won''t protect you little crabby! Awooo!!!" He howled.


    Two red shadows made of qi split from Hu Tao''s Body. They resembled him perfectly and got in sync with him. The three held the metal ball above their heads and surged qi into it. Hu Tao''s metal ball enlarged into a size greater than the crab! His shadows'' balls matched the original''s and they all slammed it into the crab below them.


    "No fucking way!" Hu Tao shouted excitedly.


    The crab''s legs held up against his attack and quickly flipped the situation. After defending against the triple attack successfully, the crab''s sharp pointed legs pierced and punctured his clones before attempting to impale him as well. This fucking crab wasn''t a joke! He couldn''t play around with this thing if he wanted to end this.


    Hu Tao''s chains protected him from the crab''s fearsome legs and knocked him away. It rolled itself over and back on its feet. It looked at Hu Tao with a calm look in its eyes. There was no anger, no hunger, no impatience within the spirit beast. Only the thought of dealing with the enemy was within its eyes.


    ''This beast is smarter than I thought it was. No... She is smarter than I thought she was.'' Hu Tao corrected himself.


    Hu Tao''s chains snaked towards her. She rushed towards him and as soon as his chains were about to grab her, she shrunk in size and ran along the chains to get Hu Tao.


    "You fucking bitch! Hahaha! You''re kidding!"


    She leapt above him once she got close enough on the chains and grew back to ox size. She raised her claw as she attempted to hammer him into the ground. Hu Tao madly smiled as he smashed his fists together and punched towards the incoming claw. The impact of their clash knocked them both away but not out of the fight.


    Hu Tao sighed.


    "If we go any further, I wouldn''t be able to hold myself back. Let''s end this here old man. I wouldn''t wanna kill someone as fun as this when she hasn''t even grown to her full potential."


    Lei Zhi smiled. He went over to his crab and she shrunk in size till she could fit on his shoulder. He rubbed her head and she clapped her claws together in pleasure.


    "I hope you two had your fun. It was nice meeting you Hu Tao. The rumors about you paint you out to be much worse than you are."


    "Nah that ain''t it old man. I was just told I couldn''t treat any team mates like I wanted unless I wanted to get killed by Jing. See ya around."


    Hu Tao left Lei Zhi and his new companion behind. Lei Zhi was glad that guy was on his side. He is truly fortunate that someone like Jing decided to take him in as a follower. Without her, he''s sure that he himself would still be wasting his life away in this sect without any chance of advancing. He will make sure to live up to her expectations and succeed in the dreams he had no chance of accomplishing alone.


    "I''ll have to give you a name don''t I? What do you think about the name Xiurong?" He saw her rubbing her claws together.


    He didn''t know what that meant but took it as an agreement.

 30 Tang Wuying VS Gong Jun!

    The sect was quite active this morning. Jing saw crowds of excited disciples rushing over to the dueling rings. The hype of two geniuses battling was rather large apparently. The only time she saw crowds even remotely close to this size was at the beginning of the month when it was time to get monthly stones.


    Li Li was perched on her shoulder like usual. It seemed he picked up the excitement in the air and also couldn''t wait to see the fight. But he was still just a child, it was easy for him to get affected by the emotions of those around him. She rubbed his excited feathers to try and calm him.


    She followed the crowd and acted just as excited as they were. She also managed to sense Bing and Ying within the crowd. They were walking together while talking about who they thought was going to win.


    Jing figured they must have wanted to see the fight for themselves after she ordered them to investigate where Tang and Gong lived. It could also be that they just wanted to see a fight. Which is the reason why she thought Hu Tao was here as well. She doubted he had any personal interest in either Tang or Gong, they were both weaker than him after all.


    Jing made it to the dueling ring where the two would be fighting each other. The sect graciously built enough stands for people to sit knowing that this duel wouldn''t be ignored despite how recently the two prodigies joined the sect. Jing randomly picked a seat without much consideration. Not too far down and not too high up. Right in the middle of the wooden bleachers. The perfect spot for someone like her.


    But it wasn''t long until something decided to ruin her plans of watching this fight as an unassuming normal. That something came in the form of three familiar persons. One on her left, one on her right, and the last one sitting behind her with an annoying grin. Did these idiots know they were compromising her identity!?


    ''What if someone decided to investigate the fact that you three decided to sit next to me?!''


    These three better not talk to her all casually!


    "Hey there Jing." Hu Tao grinned.


    "Do not speak to me so familiarly or I''ll break you." Jing warned under her breath.


    "Ooh yeah. You didn''t want anyone to know that you were gatherin---"


    Jing back fisted Hu Tao with such speed that even Ying and Bing could barely see her arm move and they were sitting right next to her! Hu Tao lurched backwards from the force of the punch and had a bloody nose. With his head launched back, he started laughing loudly as if the pain was nothing but a joke to him.


    "Alright, alright, I was just kidding you know. No need to get so sensitive about it." Hu Tao smiled.


    Ying and Bing didn''t want to get hurt like Hu Tao and silently agreed to completely ignore Jing and not to say a single word to her. They didn''t know if they would be able to shrug off a punch from her like Hu Tao. Don''t let it be forgotten that Hu Tao has reached the 1st stage of the Consolidation realm either! A punch from a 2nd stage Qi Gatherer made someone like that back off!


    "Haven''t you heard about Tang Wuying?!"


    "No, what happened?"


    "He''s like a completely different person now! Now no one knows who could possibly win in this fight anymore!"


    "What do you mean he''s different? Did he learn some sky-ranked martial art or something?"


    "He had a fortuitous encounter and became a completely different person! It''s rumored that he has found an ancient treasured weapon that functions both as a spirit weapon and a spirit tool!"


    "If its just a rumor then I don''t believe you."


    "Just wait! It''s a weird weapon! I saw it for myself! It''s said that he is never seen without it!"


    The seated crowd suddenly started cheering loudly. Jing looked over to see the main stars approaching the dueling ring. Tang walked towards the ring with a confident smirk. His handsome face paired with his new tattoos made him look dangerously attractive. The large boomerang strapped to his back did invite many curious looks. Many of those watching have never seen a weapon of such size and shape like that one. Some even wanted to get one of their own just because of how cool Tang Wuying looked holding one on his back.


    Gong Jun walked towards the ring with a kind smile. The type of smile that made you think that he was only doing this because his junior asked instead of an actual duel meant to be taken seriously. His contrasting appearance to Tang''s made him look like an elegant regal prince in comparison. He also had his own fan club within the sect that was trying to scream over Tang Wuying''s fan club.


    Their master was also walking behind them. Is he going to be the referee for this duel? It would make sense if he was. Those two are talented young geniuses, he would no doubt wish for them to both come out of this alive and not crippled. Elder Mo''s other disciples were also following behind him. They sat closer to the ring than anyone else. The strength on those three were quite impressive. Jing doubted her followers could hold a candle to them for a while. Even Hu Tao who was her strongest underling couldn''t take that easygoing looking boy with the spear.


    Elder Mo wasn''t the only head elder present though, Elder Ru and Elder Chang were also here with their disciples to watch. Even the head librarian was here to watch the duel between the two. Jing doubted that Tang Wuying and Gong Jun warranted this much attention. There has to be something else going on here beneath the surface. She just has to look deeper into it.


    ____________________________________________________________________________________


    Tang Wuying arrived on stage with his Fourth Senior. They stood across from each other and he could see his Fourth Senior smirking at him. That bastard''s still not taking him seriously! He hasn''t ever taken him seriously and Tang plans on forcing him to recognize that he is a threat to him. Even when they first met, he looked at him with those same condescending eyes, telling him that he''ll never be on his level and he will always be beneath him like an ant.


    "Are you prepared to be humiliated Fourth Senior? Ready to see that I am more talented than you are? Ready to see that I am more powerful than you? Ready to acknowledge that I am not just a brat and I''m better than you!?"


    "Little Tang, I have always believed in your talent." Gong Jun responded with that disgusting fake smile of his.


    "Don''t joke around at a time like this! If you even think about holding back, I won''t be able to help myself if I accidentally kill you." Tang said wickedly.


    "If I died from sparing with you little Tang, I would be able to perish in peace. Please spare me from such a fate so soon though." He said with fake sincerity.


    "Keep smiling. Just wait till I wipe that filthy smile off your face and show you just how strong I really am." Tang muttered.


    "Are you two brats ready?" Elder Mo asked, standing in the ring.


    "Yes, master." They both responded.


    "Begin!"


    They vanished from as soon as the match started. Tang leapt towards Gong with his boomerang in his hands. Gong rushed towards Tang with his sword. Tang swung down towards Gong''s neck. If something the size of that boomerang landed on Gong, then he could surely say goodbye to his head. Especially with the unbelievable speed that Tang just shown to everyone.


    "I can''t believe it!"


    "Where did they go!?"


    "Third Junior has definitely improved in his training." Jian complimented.


    "You can say that again. It''s going to be harder to tease him if he keeps this up." Chao laughed.


    "DIE!" Tang shouted.


    "No thanks Little Tang." Gong responded as he clashed with Tang''s weapon.


    It seemed that Tang had the edge in strength. His boomerang was inching closer and closer to Gong''s neck but Gong didn''t look worried in the slightest. This unnerved Tang but he didn''t let it stop his momentum. He continued forward and didn''t back down from whatever his Fourth Senior was planning.


    "Flowing River Style: Yellow Water Blade." Gong said.


    Gong shifted his blade to the side, causing Tang''s boomerang to slide off his weapon and smash his boomerang into the floor. A small chunk of the arena was broken upon impact with Tang''s weapon. His Fourth Senior took advantage of his current moment of weakness.


    "Flowing River Style: Blue Water Blade."


    Gong Jun stabbed forward with the momentum of 10 raging rivers. Water flowed around his blade like a majestic serpent. The strength of this attack caused many within the audience to gasp in shock. This attack would easily kill any average 8th stage Qi Gatherer and threaten the life of weakest 9th stage Qi Gatherers! He used such a powerful move on his own Junior Brother!


    "Don''t look down on me you bastard! Wild Tempest!" Tang shouted in retaliation.


    A golden aura flowed around Tang and his body spun around just in time to match Gong''s attack but this didn''t end up like the first clash. Tang continually spun with his boomerang and attacked Gong. Gong was forced to slowly lose ground from the onslaught of attacks. Each attack from Tang seemed to get stronger every time he turned around to attack him, Gong, being the prodigy that he is, immediately figured out his next plan of action.


    "Flowing River Style: Yellow Water Blade!"


    Tang''s endless storm of fierce attacks was rendered useless by the defensive style of Gong''s blade. Each swing of his was harmlessly deflected away by the sword. His Fourth Senior''s body was stronger than he thought if he could handle the strength of his attacks so easily. His arms should be shaking or on the verge of dropping by now if it wasn''t.


    "You can''t block forever Fourth Senior! I can keep this going forever!" Tang boasted.


    His speed and power was ramping up with every spin. Soon, even with Fourth Senior''s strong body, he wouldn''t be able to handle him. Tang Wuying kept his eye on any signs of his senior breaking.


    ''There! His legs are shaking! Just a couple more swings before I can crush him!''


    Tang managed to break through Gong''s defense and his body was unguarded! Now''s his chance to strike!


    "This is the end!"


    He swung his boomerang down towards Gong''s head with elation. This is it! He will show his Fourth Senior he''s not a joke! He is even better than him! He''s stronger than him! If he won''t take him seriously, he''ll be forced to with this loss!


    Gong Jun suddenly grinned.


    "Flowing River Style: Red Water Blade."


    Gong ducked under Tang''s attacks and slashed at his unprotected stomach.


    "Impossible..." Tang muttered as the blade was coming towards his waist.


    "It was all a lie Little Tang."


    Everything slowed down for Tang as he saw his Fourth Senior''s sword coming for him. How could he fail? Even with the blessing of Lord Tyanir? Is it really his fate to be so weak and powerless? Even with all this power, he couldn''t rise above his Fourth Senior? He couldn''t even force him to take their duel seriously. Is this the end of Tang Wuying? Dying as a weakling braggart? Dying without any achievements nor pride?


    No. No, no, no, no! He will not accept this! He will not accept such an end! Dying in such a shameful embarrassing way is unacceptable! He can''t die this young! He can''t die without fulfilling a single dream of his! He cannot die without taking Xiao Hong as his wife!


    Tang''s qi surged with the fury of 10,000 suns. The yellow markings on his skin glowed brightly. A visible golden aura wrapped around his body and weapon. Tang Wuying bent his torso with enough speed to dodge the blade of Gong Jun. Once he landed, he rushed towards Gong with his weapon and uppercutted him in the air with the edge. Gong couldn''t react to his movement but Tang could already feel the strain of whatever is happening to him. His body is slowly getting heavier, his qi is being drained rapidly, and his vision is getting blurry. He has to finish this while he can.


    Tang jumped at the airborne Gong and whacked him multiple times with his Tiger Boomerang. Drove his weapon into his side, smashed it against his torso, knocked it into his jaw. Gong was helpless against the assault, Tang was simply too fast, even for him currently. Tang smashed Gong down towards the ground and before he could crash into the ring, appeared under him with his boomerang ready.


    "Dragon''s Cyclone!"


    Tang threw his boomerang towards the falling Gong. The boomerang altered the air around it and sucked Gong into its self-created mini tornado, attacking him multiple times with the boomerang. Tang dropped to his knees as he saw his Fourth Senior crash down in the ring. His boomerang swung back towards him as he was drained of most of his strength. He used the remaining amount to catch his boomerang and strap it to his back.


    "Ha...Ha...Ha..." Tang struggled to laugh.


    He was in monumental pain but he could ignore that for now. He''s shown his Fourth Senior whose boss! He''s shown him that he''s better than him! He won! Lord Tyanir hasn''t abandoned him in his time of need. Even though he doubted he could raise his body and stand, he has bested his Fourth Senior!


    The crowd was stunned speechless. A majority of them couldn''t even see how Tang Wuying just won. He was moving so fast that they couldn''t even see a blur on the stage. Regardless of how he did it, the most important thing was that he did it! Gong Jun laid defeated while Tang Wuying was still standing! The odds for his victory was 20-80 and he still managed to pull through despite such odds!


    "GONG JUN LOST!?" The crowd began cheering for Tang.


    "HE DID IT! HE REALLY DID IT!"


    "Wasn''t he about to lose earlier? How did he possibly escape from Gong Jun''s trap?"


    "I guess we have another dark horse to look out for in the upcoming tournament."


    "Maybe you do. Little Qi Consolidator. I don''t have to look out for anything but his senior brothers."


    Elder Mo reentered the ring and checked on Gong Jun. His forehead scrunched up but he soon fed him a recovery pill before announcing Tang Wuying as the winner.


    ____________________________________________________________________________________


    *DING*


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Rewards: Group Tab is now unlocked, Martial technique: Snake Fist, 3 rare tickets]


    A very pleased smile formed on Jing''s face. It seems her worries about this duel was pointless. Tang Wuying didn''t let her down. If he somehow had lost with one of her weapons, she would''ve killed him herself tonight, if Gong hadn''t. The look on her followers'' faces were of enjoyment. It seemed like they had a good time watching the fight.


    "I''m going to call for you all tomorrow. Free up your plans." Jing told the three before leaving with the rest of the crowd.


    Bing, Ying, and Hu Tao remained seated, wondering what Jing could possibly have planned for them tomorrow.


    "What do you guys think she wants?" Ying asked.


    "Probably another task for us. Hopefully this one doesn''t involve any killing..."


    "She sends you guys on errands!? What the hell!? I''ve been bored out of my mind and she''s been giving you two fights?"


    "It''s not like she wants us to go out killing or fighting anyone. It just sort of kinda happens..." Bing told him.


    "If she sends you two to do something, you can bet your ass I''m coming along. The only thing I got to look forward to these days is the ranking matches in the Inner Court." He grinned.


    "Be my guest." Bing responded.


    "Oh yeah you did reach the Qi Consolidation realm. How large is your qi pool?" Ying asked.


    "Large enough. I''ve been saving spirit stones for a while to break through. I didn''t wanna break through until I could beat Manchu but the pussy bastard has been avoiding me.


    "Are you talking about the #1 ranked disciple in the Outer Court Manchu!?" Ying asked with stars in her eyes.


    "Yeah that little coward is hiding some secret technique and doesn''t want anyone to see it. He knows if he gets in a fight with me, he''ll be forced to reveal it."


    "Psh. Like you''re any match for Manchu. He''s what every disciple in the Outer Court inspires to be! Powerful, Gentle, and Handsome." Ying listed.


    "That little wuss ain''t none of those things. We''ve already fought 4 times already but each time it was stopped before it could get really good."


    "I bet you loss all 4 times didn''t you?" Ying asked.


    "You know for a princess you sure do got the mouth on ya. What are you one of those fucking idiots that want Manchu''s dick? I can give you something better you know." He gestured by grabbing his crotch.


    "Disgusting!" Ying punched towards his face with all her power.


    Hu Tao only grinned as he casually caught her fist. Bing sighed. He could see where this was headed already.


    "If you wanna fight princess meet me in the ring and I''ll show you a good time." Hu Tao''s erection was visible through his robes.


    "Shitty pervert!" Ying grabbed her sword and with a circular swing, aimed to slice Hu Tao in half.


    Bing ducked low so that he doesn''t get bisected by the blade and could only see Ying''s body flying towards the ring. Hu Tao thumped her forehead with enough force to send her away. He jumped towards the ring and only grinned at the feisty redhead. She recovered before she could crash into the ring and stared at Hu Tao with anger.


    "Show me what you got princess." Hu Tao taunted as his chains began moving.


    "I''m going to kick your ass!" Ying yelled as she leapt towards the cocky pervert with her monstrous sword.

 31 Preparations and a Trap!

    Ying''s freakishly large sword split the air apart as it came crashing down towards Hu Tao. Hu Tao stood with the same confidence that''s always showing in his mannerisms. He yawned in the face of Ying''s attack. Within the next second, an ear-piercing sound pierced the air. Bing was forced to cover his ears from the sound but didn''t dare stop watching the battle between the two. His future with this group will definitely include many more fights of this nature and with his luck even worse. If he doesn''t take the necessary steps to get as much experience as he can, he will die in no time.


    With the freaks his Empress keeps recruiting, something tells him that things are only going to get crazier as time goes on. He''d have to be a na?ve fool to believe otherwise. He''s already dreading tomorrow with the meet up with the other members. If they are anything like those two, he''s going to have to up his training more than he already has just to keep up with this insane group. Just watching the way Ying swings that enormous sword with such a petite and frail-looking body makes him shiver in terror. It''s just unnatural.


    Hu Tao was something to be frightful of as well. He was able to dodge the wind-slicing swings of Ying''s blade with a crazed smile on his face. If just one of those slashes even managed to touch him, he won''t be coming out of this fight as a whole. Bing knew if he was up against Ying when she''s out for blood, he would have to do everything he could to come out in one piece. Holding back against her just makes her want to try even harder to make you show everything you have. She drags you into her pace, a pace that seemed lower than yours to begin with but somehow near the end of the battle, you find yourself on equal terms or below hers.


    It''s a mystery how she does it but Bing just chalked it up to her being a freak. It''s how he usually classifies those that defy common sense. The fact that she can swing that big thing around with a grin on her face as well and not a single drop of sweat to be found despite that this battle has been going on for around 10 minutes only proves his point. They are complete monsters and they are only becoming even worse as they get stronger.


    ''I will do whatever I can to avoid such a fate. I won''t be like these freaks, no matter what.'' Bing vows.


    The battle, if you could call it that, ended within half an hour. Neither sides had any injuries but only one was out of breath.


    "You little mouse bastard..." Ying insulted.


    "You got more than enough power under your belt princess but you''re still not an opponent for me with that speed. I could spank your ass ten times before you could even graze me."


    "Why don''t you... put your mouth where your money is... Coward." Ying pointed her blade''s tip at him.


    Hu Tao only shook his head and sighed.


    "You''re not my type princess. Big tits and no ass ain''t it for me. I''m an ass man all the way. Gotta have the right shape, firmness, and pop!"


    "Kill yourself degenerate..."


    "I''ll see you tomorrow Princess, Shield Boy. That was a nice stretch. Peace!" Hu Tao hopped off the dueling ring and started walking away.


    "Get back here!" Ying shouted. "Don''t you dare humiliate me like this! Fight me to the end!"


    "Maybe when you get stronger. You''re too weak to be of any interest to me right now. I''ll be looking forward to the future though your highness." He sarcastically bowed before leaving out of their sights.


    Ying smashed her fist against the stage, nearly cracking in half in her anger. Bing arrived on stage and sat next to Ying. He chose not to say anything. He didn''t need to say anything. Getting stronger was a fact of life for any cultivator. Some of those strengths may differ from one another but regardless, it''s a never-ending climb upward for those that choose the path of cultivation. Ying is just lucky that it is an ally that is pushing her for strength. An enemy would kill her before she could gain that determination and future strength. Bing knew he would kill any future threats to his safety immediately in the bud. Life just isn''t that forgiving for those that aren''t cautious.


    ______________________________________________


    "Welcome everyone. For now, this is my entire faction. These are the people you will be working with in the future for any tasks I need you to accomplish or just in general. You are to never kill each other or cripple another in any way. I don''t care if you fight but if I send you on a task together and mess it up by fighting during it, I''ll show you a fate worse than death. Don''t ever get in contact with me unless I give explicit permission or it''s an emergency regarding our faction or me. Don''t even act like I exist if you see me in public. If you are ever captured and questioned about my origins or the leader of this group, do not reveal a single thing about me. Even if you are killed afterwards, I will still find a way to make you suffer for your betrayal. Now any questions?" She finished with a frightening smile.


    "How are we supposed to get in contact with you if we aren''t to visit you or act like you exist?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "I''m glad you asked. Here take these talismans." Jing placed four talismans in front of them.


    They picked it up and looked at it. It looked no different from any blank talisman. Jing showed a small smile before taking out a similar slip. She channeled her qi into it and soon all four of their talismans lit up with words and a slight vibration. The words looked as if they were written with qi but that''s impossible. Qi doesn''t work in a way where you can draw in the air or on materials with it.


    ''Channel your qi through this talisman slip and think of the person you want to send a message to and the message you want to send them. It will only work with those who I gave a slip to. Keep these on you at all times.'' It read.


    "Anything else?" Jing asked.


    "Yeah, when do I get to fight someone? I heard that the princess and shield boy has been getting in fights on every little errand you send them on while I haven''t had anything like that! What''s with the favoritism huh?" Hu Tao asked annoyed.


    "Ah you just reminded me about that. It seems Ying and Bing got a bounty for their heads recently. Mind sharing with the rest of us how you got this bounty?" Jing asked cheekily.


    "There''s a bounty on my head?!" Bing exclaimed.


    "So that''s why there''s been so many annoying pests coming for me." Ying said with her hand resting on her face.


    "Why isn''t there a bounty on my head?!" Hu Tao whined.


    "Your reputation is quite fearsome within the sect Tao. You also have the might to deter any would be foes no matter the spirit stones offered." Lei Zhi informed.


    "I''m too strong for my own good! What a curse it is to be such a god-like young man. If only I could be less handsome, less godly, and less of a genius, maybe I could get a bounty of my own."


    "Shut up you ass. If you want people after you, why don''t you just place a bounty on yourself? Arrogant prick." Ying huffed.


    "Princess!" Hu Tao shouted. "You''re a genius!"


    "You''re not doing that." Jing said.


    "What!? How unfair!"


    "I''ll give you a fight soon. Just be patient till I give the order."


    "Will they be strong?" He questioned dubiously.


    "If you''re not careful, you''ll die. Is that strong enough for you?"


    "Perfect!"


    "What about us Jing? Do we have tasks to do?" Ying asked.


    "For now, no. Just Hu Tao. But besides that, all of you start training for the Treasured Plains that''s opening up in a few months. I will not be giving you anymore techniques and spirit stones. If you want to get stronger, get strong enough to take what you want. I''m not your mother. During the Treasured Plain''s event, I''m going to give you all very simple instructions before it begins and trust you all will accomplish it to my liking."


    "I''ll tell you when the time comes but you''re all free to leave now and socialize to your liking. This will be the last time we''re meeting at my home by the way. Don''t ever come back without my approval."


    "Hey before we go Jing, I wanna know why you are gathering followers in the first place." Ying asked.


    "I dislike the way things are run in the sect. Disciples are bullied with no one caring in the slightest. The strong are free to do what they wish with no repercussions. Elders are arrogant blowhards with little substance and use. Connections are too valued within the sect instead of loyalty and skill. I wish to change it all into something much better. Into a paradise for those who wish to grasp immortality with their own hands."


    The looks on her followers were in contemplation about her words. She guessed she has never really spoke about her ambitions to anyone besides Lei Zhi and Li Li. But it''s good that she got it stated in front of them now. Can''t be leading them completely blind after all.


    "Make sure to frequently share any new information with the communication tags. Information is power, don''t forget that."


    "I think we''re all good Jing. It''s time we end this little meet up so that I can get on with my task." Hu Tao stated.


    "I think so as well. You have a week to prepare for your task Hu Tao. If you aren''t careful, you''ll die."


    "Hell yes!"


    Ying, Bing, Hu Tao, and Lei Zhi soon left Jing''s home for the possible last time and parted ways.


    ______________________________________________


    Ying figured that this reunion would happen eventually. If anything, she''s just surprised that she wasn''t the one to initiate it. The timing of it couldn''t be any better though. Just as she was out on a hunting task for the sect and after successfully killing the spirit beast without slicing it apart, she just so happened to be surrounded by Xiaohui, her bitches, and some weaklings.


    "Took you long enough to find me Xiaohui. I''ve been looking all over for you but you''ve been avoiding me lately. I wonder why?" Ying smirked.


    "Hmph. Of course, I would avoid a mutt like you. Your stench is bad enough to ward off anyone." Xiaohui mocked, causing laughter to sound out from her group.


    "That''s a funny one. It seems you didn''t have any problems with my smell before. Or is it because I''ve gotten stronger that it took you so long to come get me? It''s why you set this little trap for me and brought along more than just your little group.


    "You''re scared of me, aren''t you? I think it''s funny how I used to think of you as one of my closest friends and all it took was a little power to show your true self."


    Xiaohui''s body started shaking. She balled her fists before screaming.


    "No one''s scared of a loser like you! I was never your friend Ying, I was only pretending to be close to you because of your family. Without that, you were nothing and that''s why I stopped acting like your friend!"


    "I see, so you were always this terrible of a person then? Good, I don''t need to hear anymore. You''re going to die here anyway."


    "Kill her and shut her mouth up for good! I''ll put in a good word to Cheng Chi for you all when she''s dead."


    "That''s all I need to hear. You don''t mind if we have some fun before we kill her do you?" One of the 5th stage Qi Gatherers asked.


    "Do whatever you want just make sure she dies!" Xiaohui commanded.


    Ying couldn''t even laugh anymore. It was all just so funny but she couldn''t muster even a single "Ha." Maybe she''s gone crazy with joy and that''s the explanation. It doesn''t matter anymore though. Even if she was surrounded by ten times as many enemies, she would still pay back those that did her wrong. A Yue never forgives its enemies and she wasn''t going to go back on her family''s principles anytime soon.


    A majority of the cultivators gathered for her were either the same cultivation rank as her or one step above it. Ying thought that Xiaohui could have done better if she tried, considering who her boyfriend is but maybe she was looking down on her and didn''t think it was necessary. She''ll make sure to make her regret making that choice. She crushed her fist and lifted her blade from the ground.


    With a single wave of her sword, she already caused those charging her from the front to halt. The ones behind her didn''t get the message and with a twist of her torso, smashed her sword''s blunt side into them. Their cries of surprise and pain only served to frighten her attackers more. She was sure she managed to shatter their rib cages with that hit.


    "What are you waiting for! Kill her already!" Xiaohui screamed.


    They didn''t mindlessly listen to her however. They approached her with far more caution than she''s used to. Well if they won''t come to her, she doesn''t mind going to them! Ying leaped towards those in front of her and frightened them so badly they jumped away as soon as she advanced.


    "Weren''t you going to kill me?! Come on I''m right here!" Ying taunted.


    If this came down to a game of cat and mouse, she would definitely lose. Her speed is impressive but it''s only good for short bursts. The longer the battle goes on, the more she would lose in the long run. She would have to figure something out or they''ll tire her out like a wild animal. She looked towards Xiaohui who had an impatient look on her face.


    ''This''ll work.'' She smiled.


    Ying gathered qi within her legs and ran towards Xiaohui with her blade raised overhead. The huge smile on Ying''s face couldn''t be helped when watching that bitch''s eyes pop like that. She never expected her to go directly after her, did she? Using her head might not be something she does often but when in the heat of battle, any idea is a good one. Well as long as it works anyway.


    Shing! Ying''s blade clashed against Xiaohui''s defensive magic treasure. It formed a qi shield that could stand against her strength. The pale look on the bitch''s face only made Ying''s grin look even more terrifying. She used all her strength against the spirit tool but damn was it strong. It had to be earth-rank at the very least to be able to withstand against her sword.


    Ying ignited her qi within herself. Her body blazed in a crimson flame, starting with her hair all the way down to her legs. It wasn''t just her body that was taken by the flames though, her sword also transformed along with her! The searing heat was bearing down on Xiaohui and her shield. It was cracking! Her head would soon be separated from her body in no time!


    Well, that''s how she thought it would turn out. She managed to shatter the necklace but before she could perform the finishing blow, she was attacked and knocked away. The force of that attack was strong enough to nearly pierce right through her stomach. If she didn''t use her flames to defend herself, she wouldn''t have got off lightly.


    "Who the hell?"


    "Baby?!" Xiaohui exclaimed while heavily sweating.


    "Is that The Cheng Chi!?"


    "The #5 ranked Outer Disciple?!"


    "We''re saved!"


    Cheng Chi has shown up. This wasn''t looking so good anymore. Ying knew her own strength well. It wasn''t enough to match a genius like this without going all out and even then, she doubted she could pull the win from him. He has to have some skills or treasures that he hasn''t shown in any of his ranking matches while she only has her body and martial arts to rely on. This is going to be one of the hardest fights in her life. Surprisingly enough though, a smile still formed itself on her face. This''ll be the first time she can truly go all out in a while.

 32 Yings Desperate Fight!

    "If you walk away now, I won''t kill you for trying to murder my girlfriend." Cheng Chi warned.


    "Pfft! Hahahaha!" Ying couldn''t help but bursting out in laughter at the words of Cheng.


    His eyebrows furrowed at the laughter. Ying could tell he didn''t know why she was laughing. For such a handsome guy, he sure is stupid. No wonder he''s with someone like Xiaohui.


    "What''s so funny?" He asked.


    "It''s just funny how you think you can save Xiaohui from dying today."


    "I won''t allow you to hurt her now that I am here. Like I said before, if you walk away now you can still live a peaceful life."


    Yeah, he''s pretty goddamn stupid. There''s no way that Xiaohui would allow her to live peacefully after this. Next time she''ll try and get some stronger guys to take her out with. Especially since she''s seen how strong she''s gotten since last time. If she doesn''t take Xiaohui out here, her future will be filled with constant troubles by her. Plus, she hasn''t even paid her back for the months of bullying thanks to her.


    "Eat shit and die asshole!" Ying gave him the middle finger as she rushed towards him.


    He pulled his sword from his back and with a simple horizontal swing, attempted to deflect her blade. Attempted, was the key word here. Her sword wasn''t some simple large blade made out of regular steel. It was otherworldly in nature. Since the day she''s got it, she hasn''t seen a single crack appear on it no matter how hard she swung it into the ground. Its sharpness has also never dulled since they found each other.


    Ying realized that he was still looking down on her. It made sense, he was 3 small stages ahead of her after all. Unfortunately for him, she decided to take advantage of him while he was still looking down on her. Ying''s great sword easily overpowered Cheng''s steel sword. Even with his qi strength being at the 9th stage, it couldn''t hold against Ying''s abnormal blade for long. It was even able to cut through qi itself! Given enough time, nothing could hold against her sword.


    Ying sliced off Cheng''s right arm, showering the ground in his blood. The scream produced by the ranked #5 outer disciple, caused Xiaohui and her lackies blood to run cold with fear. Ying''s laughter at all his talk from earlier only heightened her mood as she tried to impale the genius straight through his chest with the giant sword.


    "You piece of trash!!!" Cheng screamed.


    His qi exploded in a shockwave, knocking Ying far away as he took care of his bleeding injury. Ying stabbed her weapon into the ground to recover. Luckily, she managed to cut his arm off in a way that made it fly off into the woods. Now if she can just survive till he...


    He suddenly appeared right in front of her and punched her in the face.


    ''Oh yeah he''s pissed. He''s definitely not holding anything back against me anymore.'' Ying thought as she crashed into a tree.


    The force of his punch made Ying''s insides jumble around. The worst part of that punch was that he wasn''t satisfied after that one hit. After she crashed into the tree, he dashed after her and unloaded all his frustration and rage upon her by beating her with his one good arm till her nose was broken and face was bloody.


    Taking a beating without trying to fight back wasn''t her thing though. As he was wailing on her in his anger, Ying used her legs and kicked wherever she could. Kicking him in the stomach caused him to spit out saliva, kicking him in the thigh made his legs buckle, and kicking him in the nuts made his assault completely stop as he spat blood from his mouth onto her.


    Ying pulled both of her legs back and kicked Cheng away. Seeing the pain he was going through was enough to make her temporarily forget about the pain her face was in. She had to kill him now before he could recover! Ying lifted her sword and was about to leap into the air over towards Cheng Chi but before she could jump, she was stabbed in the back.


    "Guh! You spineless bastards...!" Ying cried out as she faced the one who stabbed her.


    His hands were shaking as he held onto the steel going through her side. Ying pulled her hand back and back handed the weasel, killing him instantly. She slowly and painfully pulled out the sword in her back. With the weasel''s head facing 90 degrees in the wrong direction, anyone else thinking of sneak attacking her were quickly dissuaded by that dead body. Or at least she thought they would be, Xiaohui and her groupies charged while Cheng was downing recovery pills.


    " I''ll take you all on then! A Yue never gives up!" Ying screamed as her body exploded in a crimson inferno.


    The eruption of fire knocked anyone who attempted to get close to be blasted away with burns. Ying vanished with fire trailing behind her figure as she became death itself. Her sword slashed through her enemies like tofu, her fist incinerated them into dust, and her kicks shattered their bones into nothingness. Her strength was undying and her flames were everlasting. No matter how many times she was sliced, attacked, or injured, her fighting strength never diminished.


    "That''s enough! This is the end for you trash!" Cheng shouted as she was inches away from beheading Xiaohui.


    He appeared in front of her with his body glowing in a blue aura. He palmed towards her sword and they clashed. A blue beam of qi fired from his palm. Ying slashed forward with everything she had regardless of what he was planning. Handling everything head-on was what she''s always done. Running away instead of destroying everything ahead of her wasn''t who she was. Whatever Cheng is planning to do wasn''t even a thought in her mind. All she was thinking was of slashing through what was blocking her way. Going forward regardless of opposition could be the words that defined her.


    "Impossible...! Just what kind of spirit weapon is that!?" Cheng cried in fear.


    Her sword was splitting apart his martial arts technique! A martial technique that has even helped him overcome a cultivator at the Qi Consolidation stage. She was actually beating it back with nothing more than just a sword and willpower! Ying''s blade was inching closer and closer towards splitting Cheng and Xiaohui in half but the sneaky bitch pulled out a talisman and activated it!


    Cheng and Xiaohui disappeared from in front of her and her blade split the earth apart. She looked around and found them a few trees away with Cheng wishing that he could tear her apart with just his eyes. He vanished and nearly palmed her in the stomach. Ying barely blocked with the body of her sword as she was lifted off the ground and into the air. He was running on fumes now if she could follow his movements and react to them.


    As she was knocked into the air, Cheng kept on her. Knocking her across the Immortal Forest without holding anything back, Ying could barely hold onto her sword. She knew that dropping it would only lead to her death. She tightened her grip on her hilt as much as she could while enduring the volley of palms. After crashing through one of the infinite trees within the Immortal Forest, Cheng stood above her on top of a branch in a tree.


    His eye fixed in a perpetual state of anger while looking down on her. She grinned even though her body felt like tapping out at this point.


    "All this and you could barely even take out a little 5th stage Qi Gatherer. Ha..." She taunted with blood dribbling down her lips.


    "Those were your final words trash. You can only blame yourself for not walking away when you had the chance."


    His hand glowed in a blue qi. The color around it began to darken and condense around his palm. Ying could only watch and glare at his figure. Her body refused to move any further. She couldn''t even twitch her pinkie. The only thing she could do was grip her sword across her body and stare death in the face. Cheng Chi fired a wave of qi down towards her with his remaining hand, confident that she couldn''t escape death.


    Blue filled Ying''s vision and she grit her teeth at her helplessness. No matter how much willpower and tenacity she brought forth, it couldn''t override her body''s injuries. No matter how much she fought inwardly to twitch even a single finger, her body failed her. But until that attack killed her, Ying would not give up the slightest chance of hope. Only when she''s placed into the reincarnation cycle, will be when her determination dies out.


    Ying''s sword sent her feelings of hope. Ying agreed with it and reassured her sword that she wasn''t losing hope in the slightest. She was just pissed that she was so weak and useless right now. Her sword sent her feelings that told her that it was going to be okay. She wouldn''t die just yet! Ying wondered how in the world was it going to save them from a situation like this but she fully gave it the support it needed. If it has a plan to save them, she was going to support it with all she had. She didn''t really have anything else she could do right now.


    The fleshy eyeball with slit pupils opened itself sideways and behind the eyes laid human teeth that widened and swallowed the blue beam attack whole. The qi attack landed in such a predictable path that it was begging to be ate by the sword. He fired it straight towards Ying''s heart where the eye was protecting. Ying would love to say that she planned for such a thing to have happened but she would just be a liar if she did that. It was the sword that placed itself in that way!


    The sword took in the qi of Cheng and started pumping energy within her body. Her body started visibly pulsing and thumping. Her fatal injuries started repairing themselves from the influx of energy taken from Cheng. Her body returned control back to her and she stood up from the ground. Cheng was in disbelief at the scene. It was as if she literally came back from the dead right in front of him. She was sure that she just advanced to the 6th stage because of what her sword did.


    "You''re a freak... How could someone like you get your hands on a spirit weapon that could bring one back from the brink of death? Something like that should be held by someone like me!"


    "Strange choice for your final words, don''t you think?" She smiled, fully recovered and feeling even stronger than before.


    "If you kill me, the sect won''t let you off lightly. I''m the 5th ranked disciple in the Outer Court. My death won''t be ignored."


    Ying only shrugged her shoulders before disappearing and reappearing elsewhere. The sound of Cheng''s bisected body falling to the ground reached her ears.


    "You talk too much." Ying murmured before dashing off to repay some debts.


    Ying appeared at the fighting site where it all began to find everyone who she hasn''t killed waiting around healing themselves. They shivered and screamed like crazy once she revealed herself.


    "How...? How did you defeat Cheng?! That''s impossib---" Ying decapitated Xiaohui with a blood fountain spraying into the air afterwards.


    "I told you, you were going to die here. Along with everyone else who tried to play a part in my death." Ying looked towards the remaining survivors.


    "We were ordered by Xiaohui to attack you!"


    "She said if we didn''t follow her orders, she''d kill us!"


    "Cheng Chi threatened us to listen to that crazy bitch!"


    Ying chuckled softly before killing them all. Each of them died with a single swing of her blade and painted the ground into a blood pond. She doubted she got everyone while she was off with Cheng Chi, but it doesn''t matter. If someone tries to cause trouble with her in the future, she''ll just deal with it the way she has always done. With an overwhelming assault and relentless spirit.


    But this experience did cause her to understand one thing though. She needs to increase her current training and cultivation. She''s pretty lucky that her current surroundings are filled with bodies that have things for her to take! Especially Cheng''s body back there, she saw quite the shiny ring on his finger that she could use.


    ______________________________________________


    "Is this how I do it Teacher?" Jing asked as she threw the talismans towards the ground.


    He looked over her placements and smiled.


    "You are doing well. With a little more practice, you''ll be able to increase your speed even further!"


    "I still don''t understand if I should focus on getting my trapping formation speed up or my mastery of movement arrays. If I get better at forming trapping arrays, it would help me deal with opponents faster but if I get better at movement arrays, I would have all the time I need to set up trapping arrays and be able to protect myself by avoiding the enemy."


    "That''s a very good question Jing but it is one that you can only find out for yourself. There is no progress in arrays without trying things out for yourself."


    ''Useless mongrel.'' Jing thought.


    "Thank you, Teacher! I''ll make sure to test them both and find out which one is better for me." Jing responded gratefully.


    "Besides talisman making and going over your spell placements, we are done for today. You are dismissed." He smiled.


    "Yes, Teacher!" Jing bowed her head before heading down the mountain.


    The things she''s learning from Lang is quite nice. She''s managed to memorize the spellbook when he had to take a trip down the mountain. But even with the knowledge, someone actually experienced in the field is still useful. That''s one of the reasons why she hasn''t disappeared and left his tutelage yet. The other was because it wouldn''t fit her character she''s shown so far.


    With SCP-914, she''s already refined a couple things for her career in arrays. Replicating blank talisman slips, a spirit brush that doesn''t run out of spirit ink on its tip, and an infinite supplying jar of spirit ink. She embarrassedly chuckled thinking about that one. She didn''t need to refine the jar because the brush never ran out of ink so, it was kind of pointless making it.


    Li Li enjoys making talismans though. It''s like playing with toys for him but instead of dolls and the like, its cultivator''s worst nightmares. He has the most fun creating and activating Harming spells. Jing can understand why he would enjoy them the most. They are the most flashy and colorful spells. Trapping, Movement, and Supportive aren''t as showy in comparison to Harming spells. Some Trapping spells can compete with Harming but just a small portion.


    Playing with talismans is quite fun even if she doesn''t need to rely on them at all. She''s fully capable of fighting without them. She just thought it would be more interesting to learn this rather than going the combat route with the personality she''s chosen to show. But enough of all that. Jing has to find out just what are the factions that are leading the Outer Court so, that she can get a start on her current mission of taking over the Outer Court.

 33 Training with the Team!

    "Alright come at me like you mean it!" Ying shouted as she pointed her blade at Bing.


    "I don''t think I could afford to go easy on you even if I wanted to." He said with his shield raised.


    "Haha kick her ass Tubby! I''m rooting for you!" Hu Tao cheered while lying in the grass.


    "Don''t go too far in your sparring. We only have a few recovery pills between us all." Lei Zhi informed.


    "Shut it old man. I want to see some blood! Tear your shirts off so we can see some titties!" Hu Tao shouted.


    "I''ll crush your balls Hu Tao!" Ying shouted back. He only laughed in response.


    His fellow teammates were all outside his home. They decided together that they should listen to Jing''s advice and train for the upcoming Treasured Plains. Training together would be better than training alone, as suggested by Jing. Lei Zhi agreed with that type of thinking. It is harder to find faults with one''s technique alone. This could also strengthen their bonds as allies at the same time.


    Ying was the most fired up about these training sessions. After a recent near-death experience, it seems she realized that she wasn''t training hard enough lately after getting her sword. She got complacent and couldn''t accept herself being the cause of her weakness. Lei Zhi could understand, she was young. Youth was the time to be complacent, lazy, unmotivated.


    He has watched too many fall from that in his time at the sect. He has trained every single day after receiving Jing''s gifts. Finding ways of using his fishing rod in combat, practicing diligently with his martial arts, understanding his fishing rod''s abilities, and working on improving his cultivation. Lei Zhi has finally been given the chance to improve himself. No longer will he be suppressed and taken advantage of by misguided youths. No longer will he allow his meagre talent to hold him back. He will become someone great and respectable!


    The two tested their skills against each other. Ying started off the battle strong with fearsome aggressive attacks. Bing looked as if he expected this kind of start and was already in position to receive her attacks. He blocked every slash and swipe of her blade with his shield. Ying''s strength was greater but Bing used that strength to his advantage. Every time he was attacked, he let the attack blow him away rather than trying to stand against it and defend.


    Each time he was sent flying, he easily recovered in time to receive the next blow with his shield. It looked like he was a ball being sent flying all over the place in the eyes of Lei Zhi. You''d think that being knocked around like that, he''d look tired or injured or panicked in some way but actually Ying was the one who was working up a sweat.


    "You haven''t thrown a single punch yet! You''re not looking down on me because I''m a girl, are you?" She glared.


    "I believe in equal rights Ying. I would not even think about going easy on a lady. It would go against my principles." Bing responded.


    "Then hit me already!" Ying ignited herself with her cultivation technique.


    "The point of a shield isn''t to hit someone but to defend." Bing said as he activated his own martial art techniques.


    The dirt beneath him sunk and all the weight in his stomach spread across his body into bulging muscle.


    "But I guess I can make an exception this time." He crouched with his shield in front of him. "Swift Devil!"


    He took off towards Ying with exceptional speed. Ying smiled at seeing this. She must be glad he''s finally attacking like she wanted. A powerful release of flames shot out from Ying''s figure, blasting her towards Bing with her sword held out in front of her, ready to pierce through anything in front of her. The resulting clash between shield and sword had even Hu Tao looking excited. Which will be stronger? That which was made to protect or that which was made to kill?


    "We''ll finally see whose weapon is stronger!!!" Ying yelled as Bing just gritted his teeth in anticipation.


    The two met with their weapons and a piercing sound rang out, metal against bone. At first, it looked as if Bing and Ying were equal in strength but as seconds went by, Ying regained the lead in strength. She was slowly pushing him backwards with his feet digging into the earth.


    "Art of Deflection." Bing muttered as he shifted his shield.


    Ying''s blade started shifting to the left instead of the middle of Bing''s shield. She tried to fix it and stab right through Bing''s shield but this only allowed him to alter the blade''s path even more. He deflected her blade into stabbing the ground and followed up by punching towards her with his shield. Ying wouldn''t have enough time to dodge at that distance and it looked like she didn''t plan on dodging either. She straightforwardly headbutted Bing''s shield head on and momentarily stood her ground, blood dripped from her forehead


    Lei Zhi could only imagine the terrible strength of her skull if she could withstand a blow like that and still continue to fight. He shared Bing''s shocked expression as he saw the scene. Ying used this chance to grab her sword off the ground and swing it at Bing''s side. Bing blocked with his shield and was sent flying back towards his original starting spot.


    "Alright! Enough! Seeing you two fuckers getting all hot and sweaty is making me want to fight. Sitting here cultivating while waiting for Jing to call for me is boring as hell." Hu Tao exclaimed.


    Lei Zhi saw Bing look towards Ying.


    "Shut it jackass! No one said you had to be here, you know?" Ying responded, throwing a rock at his lying figure.


    "Oi! What the hell is with this uncooperative behavior princess? Don''t you know we''re all a team here? Be nicer before I fuck you up for the good of the group." He caught the rock with his foot.


    "I''d like to see you try you piece of shit." She balled her fist.


    "You wouldn''t even serve as a warmup at your current strength. Maybe if you teamed up with Fatty you could make me sweat but I don''t like teases. Even if I played with you two at the same time, I would be left wanting more. How would that be fair to me if you two got the fight of your lives and I get stuck not being satisfied?"


    "Grr... Just wait you piece of shit. Once I reach the Qi Consolidation stage, I''m gonna pound your face in." Ying promised.


    "Keep dreaming princess. Unless you get some sky-ranked martial arts like the fatty, don''t even think about coming at me with those sloppy skills."


    "You have sky-ranked martial arts?!" Ying exclaimed.


    "Yes?" Bing responded surprised.


    "How did you get sky-ranked martial arts before me!? What kind of connections do you have Bing?! Have you been holding out on me!? Even while I was looking for an Earth-ranked cultivation technique for you!?" She started shaking him by the shoulder.


    "I found it with Jing. We fell into some sort of ruin and found it. She let me have it because she had no use for them." He explained quickly.


    "WHAT!?" Hu Tao and Ying yelled together.


    "Who doesn''t have a use for sky-ranked martial arts!?" Ying questioned.


    "That bitch has definitely got deep pockets if a sky-ranked martial art ain''t shit to her." Hu Tao stated.


    "What a fortuitous encounter Bing. Congratulations." Lei Zhi smiled.


    "Even I only have 1 sky-ranked martial art but this piggy bastard has 3? The heavens are truly bullshit." Hu Tao complained.


    "It isn''t all that great... It takes longer for me to advance in my cultivation because of them."


    "Are you retarded idiot? Just go take whatever the fuck you need. If you need stones go rob some people out of theirs." Hu Tao told him.


    "I''d rather not make enemies with people if I can avoid it. I''m sure I can go on enough tasks."


    "Tasks won''t be enough. Even if you choose the dangerous ones. The best way of gaining resources is increasing your ranking."


    "Wait! Why wouldn''t tasks be enough?" Ying asked suddenly.


    "Anything could happen during one of those. Some of them are even traps for cultivators. The ranking matches are safer and more reliable. Not that I care about safety. I''m strong enough to handle any traps."


    "That''s pretty kind of you Tao to share this information with us. Even I didn''t know there was a risk in taking tasks besides the unpredictable nature of spirit beasts." Lei Zhi said.


    "All of you owe me one favor now."


    "You think that shitty advice is good enough for a favor!?" Ying retorted.


    "Yep. Now let''s go get some real training done. You three weaklings are going to be fighting in ranking matches until it''s time for the Treasured Plains to open. It''s how I got as strong as I am today. If you don''t include my godly talent." He kissed his biceps.


    "If this doesn''t work, I swear I''m gonna kill you." Ying promised.


    Hu Tao took the group to the ranking rings. It was still daylight, so the rings were active. There was a board that listed the top 100 rankers, then a second board that listed the top 1,000 rankers, and then a final board that listed the top 5,000 rankers. Lei Zhi was ranked 4,995. Ying was ranked 999. Bing had no rank and Hu Tao is placed in the Inner Court''s ranking board.


    "Go look for any weaklings you can fight and do this every day until it''s time for the Treasured Plains to open."


    "You do know we will need to offer contribution points or something else of value to challenge someone right?"


    "You do. These two won''t have to do that until they get on the second board."


    "I need all the points I can get! Why would I offer them to somebody else!?" Ying asked.


    "Don''t tell me the princess is scared of a little fighting?"


    "I''m not scared of anything bastard!"


    "If you''re not scared then just do it."


    "We won''t actually lose contribution points if we win Ying. The rules say when you offer up contribution points to a ranking match, your opponent must have an equal or greater amount to defend their spot. If they don''t have enough to defend their spot, you will automatically take their rank. Upon winning, the winner will take the same amount of contribution points they have put up to challenge the opponent along with their original contribution points betted." Bing read off the board.


    "Oh, and you''re so confident about winning every match Bing?"


    "Of course not. That''s why I''ll be careful and pick opponents who I can defeat."


    "Are you out of your mind Fatty? What would be the point of training if you didn''t struggle? You''re going to face off against the people I picked for you now." Hu Tao declared.


    "Me and my big fat mouth..." He muttered with his head hanging low.


    "Old timer, you''re up first. Choose someone on this list and go beat their brains in."


    Lei Zhi chose one of the available names on the board. He could only choose to battle against someone whose cultivation rank was equal or one stage above his. He picked a person with the same cultivation stage as his and waited till the young man at the counter sent off a bird with a letter in its talon. Bing''s opponent was forcefully chosen by Hu Tao. Ying chose her own opponent. Both Ying and Bing''s opponents were one stage above them in cultivation.


    Now they had to wait till their opponents came. Lei Zhi didn''t do ranking matches often on the account of his terrible talent and weak martial skills. But that was in the past when he wasn''t recruited by Jing. Now, he could fully hone his newly gained techniques without fear. His old bones were shaking a bit in excitement. He felt a little bit foolish getting excited over something like a fight but it''s like he''s got a whole new start at being a cultivator again. Can you blame him for being a little excited?


    Lei Zhi''s opponent took around 5 minutes before showing up. He looked like a normal looking youth inside the Golden Serpent Sect. He wore the sect''s robes and had a sword on his waist. Lei Zhi made his way to their marked ring and met eye to eye with the young man. Lei Zhi smiled politely and the youth glared at him in response.


    "Let''s have a good battle." Lei Zhi told him.


    "Shut up and get ready to die." He ran towards Lei Zhi with his sword.


    Lei Zhi made sure to tell Xiurong to stay hidden in his clothes. He pulled out his fishing rod and swung it towards the young man.


    "A freaking fishing rod? You really do have a death wish don''t you old man?" He knocked the fishing hook into the air with his sword and ran towards Lei Zhi.


    With a horizontal slash that was aiming to decapitate Lei Zhi, he leaned his head back and slipped past the young man.


    "How the hell did you...?" He turned around to face Lei Zhi who got behind him and charged again.


    Lei Zhi had his back turned on the youth. He could still see the young man without even having to look at him. The feisty young man was seconds away from stabbing him in the back but before he could put an end to him, A fishing hook stabbed into his clothes and whooshed him into the sky. Lei Zhi didn''t plan to do what he did with Sying. He has learned from that experience and will not embarrass the youth.


    He slammed him into the ring and knocked him out cold. The disciple referee standing below the ring, called the match and informed Lei Zhi that his ranking will be fixed on the board soon. Lei Zhi nodded with a smile as he walked towards Bing''s ring whose opponent just showed up.


    It was a young lady. Long flowing hair, nicely shaped body, and a small frame. She walked up on the ring and angrily glared at Bing.


    "Let''s have a good fight..." Bing said to his opponent.


    "I''m going to break your bones for wasting my time Fatty. I should be cultivating right now in preparation for the Plains. It''s my only chance of gaining magical treasures and highly ranked martial arts."


    "I''m sorry to hear that..."


    "I''ll show you sorry!" She squeaked as she leapt towards Bing with her palm stretched out.


    Bing blocked her palm strike with his shield. Her attack didn''t even cause him to budge. She scoffed before releasing a furious flurry of palm attacks.


    "Blue Wind Flurry!"


    Bing blocked each strike with ease. Even as she tried to attack him in places where his shield wasn''t defending, his shield quickly followed after. Lei Zhi could see that she was tiring herself out trying to get past his defense. This wasn''t looking good for her if she doesn''t try a new strategy soon.


    "Try and keep up with this then!" She was about to dash away with her qi focusing around her legs.


    "Let''s not instead..." Bing reached out with his hand just before she could activate her martial art.


    He grabbed her shoulder with his thick palm. Lei Zhi could tell that she couldn''t muster any strength under the power of that grip. He slowly increased his strength and she started screaming while lowering to her knees. Once her knees touched the ring, Bing let go of her shoulder.


    "Do you surrender?" He asked her.


    Her eyes were staring into the distance, not daring to make contact with Bing''s. Her body was shaking like a leaf as she muttered something.


    "The referee didn''t hear you. Speak up please." He reached out with his hand towards her.


    "I SURRENDER PLEASE!"


    A gentle smile appeared on his face. He looked towards the referee. The referee nodded and called the match in Bing''s favor. He left the stage without taking a single glance towards the young girl in the ring. Hu Tao only muttered the word weaklings and the group moved over to Ying''s ring. By the time the group made it over, Ying was already finished with her battle. Her opponent was crushed into the ring with their bones in unnatural painful positions.


    "Piece of cake." Ying smiled.


    "Well keep at it! I''m going to find some fights myself to pass the time. Jing is taking too long to call me."


    "When do we stop exactly?" Bing asked.


    "When its night out retard. Who wants to fight when you can''t see shit?" Hu Tao responded.


    They listened to Hu Tao''s instructions as he was the strongest amongst them and had more experience in getting stronger than any of them.

 34 An Uneventful Day.

    [Host has received SCP-154]


    [Host has received a broken sword!]


    [Host has received a cloud seed!]


    Jing was not pleased with the results of the rare tickets. SCP-154 is practically unusable for anyone that wasn''t a complete lunatic. Even she wouldn''t use the bracelets despite being able to bypass its undesirable effects. She couldn''t deny its useful possibilities but she would need someone as tough as Hu Tao or crazier than Hu Tao to be able to use this weapon effectively.


    SCP-154 is a pair of bracelets that if worn on the same arm, the user performs a pose like they were shooting with a bow, an ethereal bow will form and the bracelets will glow slightly. When the bowstring is pulled and released, the bones of the user will be forcibly shot out from the arm holding the bow, traveling at speeds that could assassinate any normal cultivator. The missing bones and damage to the arm will be quickly regenerated and the bow will be able to be fired again. The unfortunate part of this is that the pain is excruciating for the healing process. There is also a small chance of the user''s arm mutating during the healing process and possibly becoming larger, a different color, changing in structure from the original arm, growing extra joints and fingers, or possibly even being replaced with a completely different physical or chemical makeup. This small chance will continue to grow the more the user uses SCP-154.


    For now, she''ll keep it inside her inventory along with the coffin, dumbbells, and SCP-4820''s ability. She might find a use for it in the future. The broken sword was actually useless. It was a standard steel sword that was cut in half. There was nothing special about it in the slightest. She even checked using her qi to see if there was some secret hidden inside it. She chucked it into her storage ring and looked at the cloud seed.


    The cloud seed was white and round in appearance. When she squeezed it, it was soft and squishy to the touch. One of these days, she''ll get around to making that garden but that time isn''t now. She didn''t know how valuable these seeds were nor did she have anywhere to hide them that the higher-ups in the sect couldn''t find. Growing and taking care of them wouldn''t be a problem with SCP-914 but keeping them from sight while using them frequently would.


    Jing walked outside her house and locked the door behind her. Li Li was cutely perched on her shoulder like usual and she took a walk through the sect. Taking a walk through the sect isn''t usually a pleasurable experience. There are very little sights to enjoy within the sect besides the surrounding environment. On a normal day, Jing would see disciples bullying a weaker disciple, disciples fighting each other, disciples nearly killing each other or killing one another, disciples glaring and looking down on one another, and more situations like that.


    Seeing this on a regular basis made Jing wonder if all sects were like this and if her vision of a sect would be something truly revolutionary for these barbarians. She initially thought that sects were kind of like a school or academy for furthering cultivation, building social connections, and improving oneself and environment. But it was actually a dog-eat-dog organization that rewarded survival of the fittest and gaining shallow connections to succeed instead.


    Truly a place that only scum and wastes could thrive in. She''ll have to make sure Li Li doesn''t gain any bad habits from living in this place. He''s an impressionable young boy. There''s no telling what could influence him. His recent hobby of making and playing with talismans could only be beneficial for him though. They''re like toys in a way, it helps his imagination and patience. She''s warned him against using it around people though. An extremely strong cultivator could try and take him if they see him using talismans or rumors would spread about him that would link to her. She is the only person inside the sect with an owl for a pet after all.


    She was on her way to choose 5 tasks the sect sets for every disciple every month. The Mission Hall was strangely quiet today. It''s usually filled with disciples looking for ways of gaining contribution points or bargaining with each other. It looks like since the Treasured Plains is opening soon, everyone has gone crazy to start preparing for it. The goodies inside must be something truly great if it causes this much of an effect. Jing will have to remind her followers to gain as much as they can during it, a chance like this doesn''t come often. Along with causing as much chaos and hell as they can.


    Particularly to the three factions that compete in the Outer Court. The first faction was the Huan Clan that are enemies with Ying and Bing. They are the strongest faction in the Outer Court because they had members from the Inner Court. The other two factions, Fearsome Garden ran by Meihu and Wolfeng Gang ran by Jianyu, didn''t have connections in the Inner Court. This made their greatest strength their numbers.


    The Huan Clan didn''t accept just anyone into their group. Every member was related to the Huan Clan in some way. This was surprising because the number of people in their group wasn''t small. Their blood must be related to some ancient rabbit people or something. They know how to multiple.


    She chose 5 relatively easy tasks at the board and gave it to the receptionist at the counter. He marked her name down for the specified tasks so that once she completed them or failed them it would be under her name. There would be a punishment if she failed and contribution points if she succeeded. The severity of the punishment varied depending on the type of task selected. Most disciples choose easy physical labor tasks for their monthly tasks.


    There''s basically 0 risk and a small amount of contribution points as rewards. Jing chose 5 easy tasks because why wouldn''t she? If the average disciples chooses these types of tasks of course she''ll pick them too. It would be strange if she chose difficult or special tasks that only certain people could accomplish. That would only bring attention to her and she doesn''t wish for that currently. Not until she''s built a strong enough faction within the sect. It would be boring if she just took over using her abilities and forced them all to kneel under her rule without any foreplay or games beforehand.


    And if there is one thing Jing loves, its foreplay. Watching as things slowly spiral out of control and erupt into the ever-sweet destructive climax is such a rush! That''s one of the reasons why she doesn''t just cultivate in her room till she''s strong enough to kill the sect leader and take over. What''s the rush for when she can take her sweet time in playing around with all these different toys? It would be such a waste...


    "Hmm? Do you see anything Li Li?" Jing asked him as they travelled through the forest.


    "Hoo." He responded while pointing with his talon.


    "Oh, you found one of the White Billow Herbs? Thanks." She pocketed the plant from the bush and kept walking.


    Jing had to find 10 White Billow Herbs for one of her tasks. These herbs were common materials for alchemists in stabilizing volatile concoctions. They grew all around the Outer Layer of the Immortal Forest. They were common plants to find in this area. Her second task was to bring back the fur of a Tailed Rabbit without any damage. Their fur was valued for its softness and how easy it was to handle a Tailed Rabbit. Even the 9th stage ones could fall to lesser staged spirit beasts and humans.


    She wanted to deal with this spirit beast as a spellmaster. She hasn''t really tested her spells against living beings yet. She doubted the beast would be able to do much considering it was a stupid rabbit but it''s something. They also lacked survival instincts against humans for the most part and willingly walk up to or around humans. Jing pulled out her refined second weapon.


    This thing will be what she uses in public as an apprentice spellmaster. It was a small satchel covered in an unknown beast''s fur. It was brown and held a simple design. She wore the strap over her body so where the satchel hung at her hips. She didn''t do much when refining this bag. She refined it on very fine and gave it two anomalous abilities. Infinite storing space within and unable to be destroyed. Jing planned to use this thing as a defensive tool for the most part as she pulled out her talisman slips from the bag to deal with her opponents.


    It''s perfect because her enemies won''t be able to get past her bag and if they somehow do, she can just rely on her movement spells to get away while setting up her trapping formation. Its amazingly annoying. It perfectly complements her frightful and passive nature! She''ll either tire her enemies to death or annoy them to death by running away! And get this, most of the trapping formations she''ll set up won''t even be deadly! It''ll be a slow peaceful trap that''ll cause them to spit up blood and wish that they were dead so they wouldn''t have to suffer against such a cowardly opponent who doesn''t even have the guts to kill them. It''s going to be perfect when she has her ranking match in the future.


    "Kyeu." Li Li pointed out.


    There was a tailed rabbit in the bush to the left. Its tail was curled and when uncurled it was long enough to be used as an entire limb. Jing reached into her satchel; inside it laid various talisman slips to use. She pulled out the broken sword from her storage ring and stabbed it into the ground. She slapped a conduit spell onto the hilt of the blade and threw out 4 slips around the furry creature. The rabbit tried to flee after seeing the slips attach to the ground around it but only managed to slam its head against the qi barrier formed from the talismans.


    Since the person who made this task wanted the fur to be intact and in good quality, Jing had to use one of her less deadly trapping formations. Chains made of qi slowly rose from within the formation and focused on the rabbit. They shot forward and captured the rabbit in an instant. These chains started to siphon the qi from the tailed rabbit and wouldn''t let go unless Jing broke the formation or all the qi was sucked from the rabbit.


    This formation was the Sealing Array. A rather basic but very effective trapping formation. It was a more effective version of the Sealing spell. With the sealing spell you have to manually attach it to your opponent and make sure that they don''t destroy the slip before the chains can immobilize them. The spellmaster also has to make sure the chains can actually catch their opponents as well. This formation is weak against body cultivators as the physical strength of their body is often not affected even without qi.


    The tailed rabbit didn''t have much qi within its body since it was only a 2nd stage beast. After sucking the spirit beast dry of all its qi, the chains shattered and the talismans burned into ash from the purple flames. It was easy to take care of the creature now. It laid on the ground barely breathing. Even as Jing stabbed into the ground around it with a sharp stick, it didn''t do so much as twitch.


    Well, it was definitely pleasant to look at its helpless state but her ranking match will definitely be more fun to watch. Torturing small creatures brings no pleasure for her. She snapped its neck and tied it to her waist before moving on to task #3. Her third task was pretty simple. She had to replace the talisman around one of the villages inside the Immortal Forest that keeps spirit beasts and normal beasts from attacking villages. It was a supportive type spell that casted a certain type of qi barrier over the village. This qi was considered foul and unpleasant to beasts so they avoid it at all costs.


    Jing was interested in knowing what type of qi it was in particular but not even her master knew. There were many types of qi in the cultivation world. There was lightning qi, fire qi, water qi, yin qi, yang qi, and many more. But none of those qi were the type of qi that beasts would shy away from. Jing was also curious if the talisman would affect Li Li.


    She reached outside Liu Village and replaced the weakening talisman with her own. Li Li squawked in annoyance but seemed fine with it after a few moments. He acted no different from normal after the initial touch of the barrier on his feathers. Jing shrugged her shoulders. Maybe it doesn''t work on beasts who are too smart or strong. Guess it was time for task #4, Jing left Liu Village behind and started searching for another common alchemist ingredient. It was called a fire blossom.


    It was bright red and usually grown in groups with a fire-type spirit beast nearby. Spirit beasts with a liking towards fire qi eat these kinds of herbs frequently to increase their affinity and strength with fire qi. The marked anteater was a spirit beast that eat these flowers while also deterring any other from disturbing them. Jing found a small area behind a large tree filled with fire blossoms.


    She looked around for any signs of a marked anteater near the tree. No burn marks were present but she could definitely hear something underneath the hole in the tree. She took out a Minor Teleport spell and threw it on one of the fire blossoms. The talisman soared through the air and soon attached itself to the flower before teleporting right in front of Jing''s feet.


    "HNM! HUMH! HNM!" An angry sound yelled out.


    Jing giggled as the marked anteater swaggered out of the hole with fire shooting out of its snout looking for the person that disturbed its food. She walked away before it could spot her and was on her way back to the sect. Her final task could''ve been solved first actually. All she had to do was turn in a Sealing Array to the receptionist at the Mission Hall desk. Sometimes spellmasters can''t make their own talismans and ask for help by other spellmasters. They sometimes use them to trace over so that they can make their own eventually with enough practice.


    "Are you finished already?" The receptionist asked.


    "Ah.. Yes... Here is um the formation for the fifth task..." Jing responded pathetically.


    He grabbed the slip from her and drew checkmarks on the tasks she completed today before giving her contribution points. He smiled after finishing everything with her.


    "Have a good day."


    "Goodbye..."


    Jing left the Mission Hall and a sudden feeling of emptiness filled her. She''s gone an entire day without anyone harassing or trying to bully her in the sect. These Treasured Plains must be something really important if these wastes are training so hard in preparation for it. Maybe she should liven up the place a little bit... What disciple wouldn''t drop their training for a brand-new sky-ranked spirit weapon? Who cares if it horribly destroys your arm and might possibly give you a whole living snake as a new arm by mistake? Cultivators will do anything to get stronger than one another. Not to mention if one person doesn''t want it, someone else surely would.

 35 Jings First Ranking Match!

    Jing cycled her qi throughout her dantian. The barrier preventing her from passing to the 3rd stage wasn''t something that could stand against her qi. Her qi was like an unstoppable force of nature to the barrier. If barriers could feel then it would be shaking in terror right now just by being near her internal energy. Jing willed her qi forward towards the barrier. It obeyed her will without a shred of hesitation. It was a part of her after all.


    Crash! The internal energy destroyed the barrier like an elephant charging down a wooden fence. It was impossible to resist against. It could only shatter under the mighty power of it. Once Jing became a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer, she only felt her body become slightly stronger and the way she could control her qi became a little bit better. It was understandable that it only brought a small boost to her current strength. She was still at the starting stages of cultivation after all. It would be crazy to think that she would gain a larger boost in power when she was refined by something as powerful as 914.


    It was time for her ranking match that she intentionally delayed to the last moment. She got up from her bed and grabbed her refined satchel. Inside of it, was everything she needed for the battle. Li Li was off in the forest for breakfast right now. She would have to leave without him it seems. It would be better since he was absent though, with him being at the 9th stage, she doubted they would allow her to challenge people at her own rank. Not that it would truly matter if they were at the 9th stage or the 3rd stage. Jing could deal with them both with her true strength but publicly 3rd stage was the limit.


    She left her house and walked towards the ranking ring. Since she took so long to apply for a ranking match, her opponent was automatically chosen for her. The disciples who chooses opponents typically pick strong opponents for disciples like her who take so long to participate in a ranking match. It was one of the ways they got their kicks by sending cowards up against lions. That''s why Jing was standing in front of a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer. He glared at her with a frown. If she didn''t breakthrough earlier this would have been an ugly matchup if she was an ordinary cultivator.


    ______________________________________________


    ''So, this ugly girl is my opponent huh? She doesn''t look like she could hurt a fly. I thought they said she was a 2nd stage but I guess she breakthrough before the battle.'' Kuo thought to himself as he glared at her, making her flinch and look away.


    This ranking match will be a cakewalk if he has to face against someone like this. She couldn''t even look him in the eyes without shaking. If her skin was lighter and tits were bigger, maybe he could feel something looking at this pathetic girl but looking at her now just made him disappointed and frankly angry. This''ll take no time at all.


    "You should surrender while you can. It won''t be much fun beating up a girl like you." He told her in hopes of getting her to surrender so that he can go back home and train.


    "I can''t give up without even trying... I''m sorry." She squeaked annoyingly.


    Stop trying to act so cute when you''re so damn ugly! That just pissed Kuo off even more. He ran towards her, intending to end it in one punch. She should be grateful he won''t aim at her face; she''s already struggling enough in the looks department with skin like that. Her small tits and tiny ass aren''t giving her any help either. He aimed a punch towards her stomach.


    She frantically reached into that furry bag of hers and took something out. No matter what it was, it couldn''t help her against him. Kuo was training to become a body cultivator. Body cultivators held the advantage over qi cultivators due to their strong bodies that could nearly resist everything. Kuo himself has been training with the Iron Body martial art to make his body as hard as iron! He has reached the intermediate realm with it thanks to his family''s resources and trained the upper half of his body to be as strong as iron.


    He slung his fist towards her abdomen. He waited for his fist to feel the soft belly of the ugly girl and her internal organs to shift from his punch but only felt his fist strike through the air. Huh? What the hell is going on? Kuo looked up and couldn''t find any sign of her in front of him. He started looking around the arena and saw something flying towards him! He caught it with his hand and scowled at the girl. What kind of technique allowed her to escape from his fist?


    The object in his hand started sizzling and he finally looked at it.


    ''She threw a talisman at me!? Is that how she got away from me the first time!? Wait this damn thing is active!'' Kuo rapidly tried to shake off the talisman slip from his hand but could only watch as it exploded in a powerful force of qi that knocked him to the edge of the ring.


    His head rung from the impact of the spell and he had trouble getting back up. Everything sounded muffled in his brain but his body wasn''t hurt. That was the good part of this situation. At least he couldn''t hear those annoying girls anymore. Screaming about Shang Zhai and whatnot. Who the hell even is Shang Zhai? What was a bastard like that doing watching his ranking match in the first place?


    Kuo shook his head and focused his attention back on the frail girl. She was setting up a formation! He had to stop her no matter what before she could finish it. He didn''t know what kind of formation she was trying to place but knowing just one was set up was enough to get his head back in the fight. He rushed towards her.


    "Get over here and fight me bitch!" Kuo roared.


    The girl ran away with her bag around the stage. She couldn''t run forever and Kuo was not stupid. He made sure she couldn''t run around him and trapped her at one of the edges of the stage. He kept his eyes focused on her like a hawk. He didn''t know how she got away from him earlier and if she tries it again, he''ll get to see how this time. He pounced at her with his arms outstretched.


    She looked about as frightened as a damn cat. There''s no way she''ll be able to escape his hands this time. He was about to grab her throat with his hand and slam her into the ring''s stone floor but before he could even touch her, she disappeared again! Just what in the hell was going on here?! He whipped his head around to see that she was directly behind him and he lunged again.


    She barely managed to roll out of the way and placed another talisman on the edge of the ring''s floor. That''s two talismans he failed to stop her from placing. He couldn''t let her place anymore or what face could he possibly keep by the end of this fight? Just look at the clumsy untrained cowardly mess of an opponent he was facing. She was only getting by through luck!


    ''If she faced me head on there would be no way she could stand up to me!''


    Kuo couldn''t help but roar out his frustration as he charged towards the girl once more. He even heard her squeak as he was coming towards her. She ran away again while digging into that bag of hers again. There''s no doubt that''s where those talismans where coming from! Even if Kuo had no experience fighting spellmasters, he knows enough that they are weak crafty cowards who can''t handle a fight up close. All he had to do was fight her up close and it''ll be his win!


    The strange thing about this situation was that even with how strong his body was, that girl was just a step slower than him somehow! His eyes had to playing tricks on him, there was no way she could be that fast. It had to be a spell or something that is increasing her speed. It won''t last forever though and once he gets his hands on her, he''ll wring her neck for placing him in such an annoying situation!


    He caught her bag''s strap as she was running and lifted it up along with her. A grin filled with all his anger and annoyance shined at her. The damage he plans to give this girl isn''t something pretty. She has run around and treated him like a fool this entire time. If she isn''t at least crippled for wasting his time like this, he''ll make sure to try and cripple her a second time.


    He threw his fist towards her face and she held up her bag to defend against his punch. He could only laugh at her miserable attempts to protect herself. His attack launched her and her bag towards the edge of the ring. She flew through the air and just barely managed to stay in the ring. She crouched near the edge with blood leaking down her mouth and holding her head. He could feel a terrible killing intent focusing in on him from the stands and felt like pissing his pants.


    Did he just mess with some guy''s girlfriend whose way stronger than he is? He looked towards the stands and met eye to eye with the guy who came here with his groupies, Shang Zhai. From what he could sense, he was an 8th stage Qi Gatherer. He was glaring at him with enough killing intent to scare him into his next life.


    ''Yeah, I just signed my own death warrant by getting in a match with this guy''s ugly girlfriend. Why the hell would he care for someone like this when he has so many beautiful girls on his side right now? I would take literally any of those beautiful flawless jade skinned girls next to him over this girl. She literally has no appeal in the looks department!''


    "I did it..." Kuo heard a voice softly mutter. She stabbed a sword into the ground and attached a spell onto the hilt.


    He looked around to see that qi barriers were rising above him before trapping him inside a cube. He banged his fists on the barriers with all his strength to try and get out but only managed to cause ripples on the surface of them. Impossible! Impossible! He only saw her place down 2 talisman slips! A formation takes at minimum 3 to form but this has four sides! When could she have possible had time to place two...


    His brain worked faster than it has ever worked before. It had to have been when she threw that first spell at him! When he caught it in his hand and was knocked to the edge of the ring! He couldn''t see nor hear anything during that time so, she must have used the opportunity to place down two talismans! That sneaky little bitch! Kuo banged on the barriers with his anger and frustration fueling his strength to pound her into a messy pile of meat but it was useless. It''s impossible to break free of an activated formation unless a cultivator is vastly stronger than the spellmaster they are facing against.


    "I''LL KILL YOU! I''LL TEAR YOU APART YOU UGLY BITCH!"


    ______________________________________________


    Darkness filled the formation. Those within the formation couldn''t see anything inside the formation and those from outside couldn''t see anything either. This was the Nightmare Rending Array. Those that find themselves trapped within it will have their senses slowly removed from them and lost in a world of eternal darkness. There is no light, there is no hope, and there is no feeling. Only their thoughts are present in the never-ending darkness. The connection to their body will be lost and soon the only thing they''ll be able to feel is the darkness encroaching on their mind and soul as it lulls them into an infinite sleep.


    Quite the nasty formation isn''t it? It isn''t Jing''s style to torture in such a soft way but then again, is it really soft? It could be one of the nastiest ways of causing someone to suffer. To some physical torture is definitely the better option which is what she would be putting him through if this battle wasn''t public. A simple foolish way of describing this array would be to say it''s the Sleeping Array. It simply puts your opponent to sleep.


    That''s probably why no one really uses it. Even her master looked down on this spell but after experiencing it for herself, she can definitely say it''s much more than just a sleeping array. The mental damage you can put someone through using this formation is especially delicious. It would be so much better if she could witness what they were going through outside the spell, seeing them slowly lose themselves as they are swallowed by the darkness. But no such luck for her. She couldn''t see what was going on inside and could only guess when enough time has passed. That was another one of the negatives of this formation.


    If she faced against someone with an especially strong mind it could be days before they succumb to the darkness. Thankfully, this Kuo fellow was rather weak. He couldn''t last 5 minutes before losing. The formation dropped once it sensed he was no longer resisting and he was curled up in a ball in the middle of the ring. She looked towards the referee and he called the match, prompting Jing to give a victorious fist pump to herself. A cheerful joyous smile to keep up appearances before looking embarrassed and shuffling away.


    She managed to catch a small smile on Shang Zhai''s face and honestly felt like smashing the little love idiot''s brain in. Does he know how much attention he''s bringing to her by watching her match like this? How did he even find out about it?! Has he been watching her since she''s got here? Doesn''t that mean he might also know her relation to her followers?


    ''Will I have to kill him to silence him or can I use his obvious affections for me...?'' Jing thought to herself.


    There was no doubt in her mind that he knew of her followers meeting at her house often. She doubted he would try and use that information against her but there''s no guarantee that he would keep it secret either. If he''s really annoying, he might just go to her followers personally and ask them. She''ll have to think of a way to deal with lover boy eventually. For now, she''ll continue preparing her plans for the Treasured Plains and make sure to avoid gaining attention. It''s too early to have any important eyes on her and with someone as talented and popular as Shang Zhai watching her, he''s bound to bring trouble.

 36 Training For The Plains!

    Bing was tired. All throughout the week he has been on constant nonstop ranking matches thanks to the instructions of Hu Tao. The matches at first weren''t really much of a problem. With his shield, it was very hard to find anyone that could contest with him and make him go all out. If things continued to go this way, Bing wouldn''t be as tired as he is now.


    The issue was that the Huan Clan has figured out that he''s doing ranking matches and has been sending their members after him constantly. Since he was below the 1000th rank, he wasn''t able to refuse any challenges made to him unless he wanted to be expelled from the sect on the account of being ''too weak to survive''. So whenever one ranking match was done, he was immediately challenged by another Huan clan member. It was like the Huan clan within the sect had no shortage of 3rd stage Qi Gatherers and 4th stage Qi Gatherers to send at him.


    He swore after he was done with one, they''d eat a recovery pill and qi pill before challenging him again! Bing refuses to let this go on any longer. They''d definitely sap him of all his remaining stamina and kill him like a pathetic dog soon. Either he would have to start killing them or figure out a less violent way of dealing with this issue.


    "Oi! Getting tired fatty?! We can do this all day till your begging on your knees for forgiveness." His female opponent taunted.


    "Yes, I''m very tired. You wouldn''t mind me taking a little rest, do you?" Bing plopped to the ground as sweat poured down his body.


    She glared at him but he was completely serious. This was his 5th fight in a row today and he was no closer to the second leaderboard than he was when he first started. He just wanted a break from all the fighting and just eat some food. Bing knew how important it was to gain as much strength as you could as a cultivator because he came from a family of cultivators. Not a good one but one nonetheless. This training idea was a great idea and all but even with training it has its limits. Some rest is needed, no matter how crazy the training is.


    Oh, it seems his opponent had enough of him taking a rest in the middle of their fight. She was building up a scary amount of qi in that sword of hers. Bing still wanted catch his breathe a bit more though.


    "Please take a couple more minutes charging up that move of yours. I still need some more time." He said politely.


    "I''M GOING TO RIP RIGHT THROUGH YOUR GUTS FAT ASS!"


    "Ah, please spare my poor ears miss. Your clan is already working me like a slave. I don''t deserve to have my ears bleed as well, do I?"


    This only made her scream obscenities at him even louder. If he tried to cover his ears, he wouldn''t be able to block this lightning sword slash of hers. He had to be the most unfortunate guy inside the Golden Serpent Sect. All he wanted to do was get a little strong, meet a nice girl with a good body, and live the rest of his life with her.


    That dream was effectively shattered once his life was saved by the Empress. Just like the hopes of this girl wanting to pierce straight through his shield. He stood up before her lightning-clad blade reached him and blocked the attack head on with flesh toughened by his auxiliary martial art. The attack had quite some power in it because he was pushed all the way to the edge of the ring after being hit by it. Even the middle of his shield was darkened from the strike of that technique.


    "That was a great move of yours. I hope you don''t mind if I take a little break after something that powerful. If it was anyone other than me, I''m sure they would''ve died horribly." Bing sat his round butt back on the ground.


    He scooted a bit closer towards the middle of the ring so that if anything unexpected happened he wouldn''t fall over the edge and lose. Bing planned to use this chance while she was out of energy and couldn''t attack to recover his stamina. One of his shield art techniques was based around this strategy in a way. It was called Art of Blocking. This was the first lesson of his shield art and it was focused on having the shield wielder practice on nullifying the most damage from their opponents and wasting their enemy''s energy by forcing them to use high-energy moves.


    It was surprisingly hard. You think it''d be easy to just block and guess that your opponent will go all out to kill you but the instructions were more in depth than Bing would ever guess. There were strategies like forcing your opponent to chase you around, tricking them into thinking their attacks are effective when you''re really just moving along with their hits and not actually taking the full brunt of their hits, and even taunting them until their red in the face and wanting nothing more than to shut you up and kill you.


    Building stamina was a must for shield-wielders. Bing is just now seeing why that is so important first-hand. His opponent wanted nothing more than to slice him up into pieces with that cute glare in her eyes but after using that big lightning move from earlier, she could barely move. She was on all fours breathing heavily. He guessed she didn''t expect that he could take a deadly technique like that head on.


    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"


    "GET UP AND KILL HIM ALREADY!"


    "YOU''RE EMBARRASSING OUR CLAN OUT HERE!" The other Huan clan members yelled.


    Their ''cheers'' managed to give the girl some more fight in her. Bing still wanted some time to rest so he picked up a piece of the stage that broke from him blocking her lightning strike and threw it at her waist. It landed dead on and she dropped back to the stage with a painful groan.


    "YOU CHEAP ASSHOLE!"


    "SHE''S JUST A GIRL!"


    "DON''T YOU HAVE ANY PRIDE AS A MAN?!"


    Bing dug out any earwax in his ears while whistling. He definitely did not hear any criticism towards himself during a ranking match where one''s life is at stake. Plus, it was those scumbags speaking anyway. Any judgement from them was mute based on the fact that they''re trying to kill him for defending himself.


    She was still squirming a bit on the ground which made Bing happy. The referee can''t call the match unless one of the fighters was completely incapacitated, they surrendered, or they died. She still had some fight in her and didn''t want to give up yet. Bing would''ve declared his love for her at this moment if he didn''t feel that she would probably faint out of shock once he said it. He has to manage his stamina well right now.


    "Just give up and let us kill him instead!"


    "Worthless..."


    "You still have a chance. Don''t give up yet." Bing told her.


    She vomited blood and dropped face first into it. Ah hell, it wasn''t a declaration of love that did it but friendly advice? What has the world come to where a man can''t give friendly advice without someone dropping over dead? Here comes the 6th fight of the day...


    "I won''t embarrass myself like this fool." He kicked the girl out of the ring and looked towards the referee.


    "You don''t think it''s embarrassing how your clan is sending so many people after me without letting me catch a single break? I''m only a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer you know. My talent is average. I have no connections in the sect. It''s not a worthy investment at all for your clan even if you kill me." Bing tried to reason.


    "I don''t know why we''re after you either but it doesn''t really matter all that much. You got on the bad side of our clan and that''s good enough reason for me to kill you." He slammed his fists together and rushed towards Bing.


    "Don''t be too strong, alright? I''m only good at fighting weaklings. I''m the normal one in my group after all..."


    "DROP DEAD!" His fist radiated with a frosty aura.


    ______________________________________________


    "That was a great technique young man!" Lei Zhi complimented.


    "SHUT YOUR FACE!" He responded.


    It seems when fighting young people, they don''t seem to like it when they are complimented after not succeeding. They tend to think that you are looking down on them and mocking their efforts. That''s another one to remember for the future. The youthful disciple turned around and slashed his sword at Lei Zhi with a lot of waste in his movements. Even though he was blind, he could see the attacks very clearly. Too clearly, he''s already seen his opponent''s next 3 moves with his ''eyes.''


    Lei Zhi was not a fool though. He knew this advantage isn''t useful against those much stronger than him. His old body wouldn''t be able to keep up even if his eyes could. That''s why he was planning to get a good body martial art and a decent cultivation technique before or during the Treasured Plains. Right now, he could handle it with his movement martial art but if he ever ran into someone vastly stronger than himself, he could only pray and run away. Or he could rely on Xiurong, which is what he''s most likely going to do. She''s pretty strong and pregnant apparently! It must have been before he fished her out of the dimensional slit.


    Lei Zhi calmly slipped passed the angry youth once again and fished up a part of the ring with his fishing hook. He slung the rod forward and sent the stone hurling towards the young man. The stone blocked his opponent''s vision and was the only thing he could see. The energetic youth''s strength wasn''t bad though. He slashed right through the stone material and tried to dash right for Lei Zhi. Unfortunately for him, Lei Zhi didn''t only throw one piece of the stage. The hidden rock lodged itself into the gut of the young disciple and knocked him out of the ring, giving Lei Zhi the win.


    Lei Zhi wanted to give the boy some comforting words but the last few days have taught him that that would only backfire and cause the boy to be even more furious with him. The youth today are different from the youth in his days. Positivity and kindness just seem absent and are actively looked down upon. He will have to try and change that in the future...


    ______________________________________________


    Ying was inside the Martial Pavillion looking for a strong suitable auxiliary martial art that could complement her other fire-based martial arts. She only had enough points to take an Earth-ranked one but all the Earth-ranked support manuals were either incomplete and dangerous or didn''t fit well with her fire qi. She still decided to take a look at the incomplete ones though. Maybe if she was lucky, she could awaken a bloodline and suddenly be able to read the unreadable text.


    The support manual she picked up was called Overbearing Amalgamation of Flames. Quite the powerful name for something only in the Earth-ranked section of the library. The beginning pages of this manual were pretty exciting. Based on what it told her, this support technique had the possibility of matching sky-ranked support techniques and even heaven-ranked ones if she could gather enough Mystic Flames to combine.


    There were numerous mystic flames around the world and very rarely could you see someone able to use these flames. This was because each mystic flame had their own will. If you could not resonate with that flame or dominate it with a superior will, you would be consumed by the flame itself. It was one of Ying''s goals to take a mystic flame for herself but if she had this technique, she would take them all!


    Sadly though, this dream of her would never come to fruition because of the fact that the characters inside the manual were faded and entirely unreadable! Even if she squinted or put the book directly up to her face, she still couldn''t read a single word of it. If Elder Zhong wasn''t watching her right now, she''d burn the useless thing into ash! Hah... How great would it have been to have a skill like that?


    She walked away and sat at one of the tables. Her whole goal for coming here was a bust. She''d have to wait until she''s gained enough contribution points to look at the Sky-ranked manuals to get a useful auxiliary art.


    Hey, what was that guy doing?


    He was quickly flipping through all the incomplete earth-ranked techniques just like she was but when he landed on the support manual she gave up on, he smiled like a dirty creep. What the hell was that about? He took the book to the counter and looked like he planned on taking it home to practice. But that was impossible, the instructions to practicing that technique were unreadable! Could he somehow read that faint ink? No way...


    "You do know the issue with this martial art is right?" Elder Zhong asked him.


    "Haha do not worry Elder! If I can''t get anything out of it, I''ll be sure to bring it back. I''m just going to try my luck to see if I can gain anything from such a technique."


    He shrugged, "Your contribution points, not mine."


    ¡­..


    Ying followed him all the way back to his home. She couldn''t help that annoying feeling in the back of her head telling her that he had a way of practicing that technique. That slimy smile of his reeked of something suspicious. The way he was flipping back and forth through the manual just increased her suspicions against him. He should only be looking at faded characters but it looks like he''s reading a complete martial text.


    "Oi! Fang! We heard that a frog has been trying to taste the meat of a swan. We''re here on the behalf of Gong Jun to beat you half to death!" Some weakling yelled.


    "You''ve been acting too chummy with Princess Lan."


    "We''re sure to get in Gong Jun''s good side by teaching you a lesson about messing with his woman."


    "Hey hey hey! Who the hell brought these barking mutts to my door? You think someone as handsome and as righteous as me would need to take another man''s woman? Think again! Liu Lan has been my woman since I laid eyes on her. Anyone else trying to claim her for their own is just delusional."


    "Has this brat gone insane?"


    "This trash has definitely lost it. He''s only at the 3rd stage and he thinks he can insult us?"


    "We''re at the 4th stage waste! Get ready for your beating."


    "Let this daddy here teach you dumb dogs a lesson about barking in front of my house." He cracked his knuckles and brought forth two flames from his hands.


    He manically laughed as he brought the two flames together and merged them into a deeper bigger flame. He shot the flame towards the three weaklings and burned them into a pile of charred bodies. He definitely has some sort of magic treasure that lets him read that technique. Ying knew she had to take it from him.


    Ying appeared behind him with her sword dragging behind her back.


    "How did you do that?"


    He looked at her in shock before taking a glance at her sword then at her chest.


    "I might be willing to tell you what you want if you spend a night with me in my house, beautiful elder martial sister."


    This pervert has just signed his own tombstone. Ying kicked one of the barely alive bodies towards him as a distraction for her true attack. It flew with enough force to match an arrow shot from a master bowman. She leapt behind the body while watching the perv. His hands ignited in flames and he did a palm strike, smashing the body into the ground. His eyes bulged out as Ying appeared directly over him with her sword raised, ready to cleave him in half from above!


    "YOU''RE FREAKING CRAZY!" His entire body erupted in a light blue flame.


    Ying felt like her blood was freezing to a stop as she felt the temperature of that flame. That was a mystic flame! He was in possession of one of the mystic flames somehow! Now she has no choice but to take everything he has! She continued her swing downward. Her eyes focused in on him as he blasted away from her attack.


    "Give me everything you have or die." She threatened.


    "You''re insane!" He rubbed his silver earring with his left hand.


    A light gleamed in her eyes as she focused in on that earring. She vanished from her previous spot and snatched the earrings and support manual from his body. Her hands were freezing at a slow rate but that was nothing her flames couldn''t fix.


    "What...? Impossible! How did you?!" Ying back fisted him in the forehead and knocked him unconscious, along with snuffing out his icy flames.


    She put on the earring for herself and opened up the manual. The characters were slowly deepening in color and she could actually read what was on the text! How amazing! Imagine what other incomplete manuals she could read with this spirit tool! Maybe she could even find something suitable for Bing with this thing! Ying walked away with a new auxiliary technique under her belt and a free spirit tool that definitely had to be at or above earth-rank. How lucky was she that the person in possession of such a nice thing was pretty weak? Maybe next time she sees him, he''ll have found another useful magical treasure for her to take. It was too bad she didn''t know how to steal someone''s mystic flame.

 37 The Villainous Thug: Hu Tao!

    Hu Tao found himself strolling through the Inner Court looking for a good fight. His thick ,wild, and wavy white hair flowed in the wind and his lack of a shirt showed off his powerful muscles. Jing still hasn''t contacted him about his task and he''s going crazy with all this pent-up energy. Up ahead, he saw a stupid looking weakling walking along with this fat chested slut. She was happily running her mouth while the shrimp just listened and nodded along with whatever she was blabbing about. They both look pretty young to be walking around the Inner Court. Do they got connections with some elders or are they really talented?


    The sides of Hu Tao''s lips turned up. Why don''t he find out for himself whether these two are talented or not? He changed directions and headed straight towards them while whistling innocently. As they were about to pass by each other, Hu Tao suddenly shoulder bashed towards the chick. Stupid bimbo didn''t even feel his killing intent when he was walking up towards them. If anything, she deserves this for being so careless.


    "Whoa, are you okay senior martial brother?" The shrimp actually managed to get in front of the dumb bitch and block his attack?


    "Aha. Sorry about that. Almost tripped." Hu Tao smiled before walking away.


    That look in the shrimp''s eyes were definitely interesting. He was ready to defend her no matter what. Hehe... Let''s see how he handles this. Before he got too far away from the duo, he disappeared and reappeared behind the shrimp with a spinning elbow strike to the back of the head. His eyes gleamed as he imagined the little shrimp''s head rolling on the ground after this attack.


    However, the fucking midget ducked and dodged his attack before grabbing the tits and jumping away.


    "Hey, don''t run away so soon. I was only kidding around you know? It''s not like I''m trying to kill ya!" Hu Tao dashed towards the two and swiped towards them with his claws.


    The brat blocked his attacked with his forearm coated in qi. His claws didn''t even leave a mark on him. That qi was condensed heavily, the brat must have found a sky-ranked or higher martial art that let him condense that much qi. That''s good. Maybe he''ll be able to give him a good fight. But he won''t be able to fight him with that dead weight on his shoulders, he should do him a favor and get rid of it.


    Hu Tao got on all fours.


    "Why are you attacking me!? I have never met you before in my life and I''m sure I haven''t offended you in any way!" The shrimp said.


    "Oh, you offended me alright! Carrying around a hot piece of ass like that all for yourself? How selfish can you be?! Give this disciple a share of the ass too!" Hu Tao pounced towards the shrimp.


    He coated his body in that dense ass qi again but Hu Tao wasn''t an idiot. Just before he reached the shorty, he leaped over him entirely and thrusted his claw out towards the cow''s throat.


    "Shen!" She screamed.


    "No! Meili! You bastard!" The shorty screamed.


    His body erupted in that dense blue qi. Hu Tao was blasted away but he didn''t fail to do what he wanted. He controlled his chain like another limb as he was flying away and wrapped it around the throat of the broad, snatching her out of the shrimp''s hand. She couldn''t even scream out as she flew towards Hu Tao. Hu Tao dragged his claws in the dirt to stop his momentum and saw that the brat was fucking glaring at him like he just murdered his family or something.


    "Now that this useless bitch is out of the way, maybe you can take this fight seriously." Hu Tao roughly slapped her breasts as his chains snaked around her body up and wrapped her up completely.


    "Release her now." His 2nd stage Qi Consolidation aura grew stronger.


    "I like the attitude shrimp but you''re not in the position to be making demands. You save that shit for when you are stronger than me. Follow me. We can''t have a real fight inside the sect.??? Hu Tao hefted the chick over his shoulder as he walked towards the Immortal Forest.


    "I will never forgive you for this..." His tone deepened and his qi got even sharper.


    "That''s what I''m hoping for. Also, turn down the qi flares. If I get a scratch on me because of them, I''m gonna do something you''re gonna regret." Hu Tao pinched the shapely ass of his little girlfriend, causing her to yelp. Hu Tao controlled his chains to cover her mouth.


    He could feel the kid''s anger slowly rising. This was turning out better than he thought. Who knew the first person he''d pick was actually a hidden dragon? He was kinda looking forward to this fight now. He hoped that he had even more to show him. Maybe he should kill the girl before they fight... Would his strength explode even more?


    "Just wait Meili... I promise I''ll save you."


    Hu Tao brought him pretty far into the Immortal Forest. They had plenty of room to go all out and possible destroy a small section of this forest. Small, because he doubted the brat would be able to make him go all out. Unless he was hiding a few magical treasures on him, then Hu Tao believed he could use his full strength.


    "This place looks good enough." Hu Tao casually threw the chick on the ground and cracked his knuckles with a smile.


    "You rea---" Hu Tao was rudely interrupted with a fist to the face as soon as he dropped the girl down.


    He crashed through multiple trees as the shrimp tried to rip apart the chains he left on the girl. Those chains aren''t gonna break no matter how hard he tries. Hu Tao believed that they were actually unbreakable because no matter what he tried with them; this spirit weapon just wouldn''t crack. Hu Tao slowly got up from the 4th tree he just broke in half and howled. Soundwaves from his howl, knocked away anything around his body. He could feel his body and qi getting stronger. That was a damn good hit the shorty got him with.


    He got on all fours and dashed towards him. He was still trying to get rid of the chains wrapped around the cow. Ah, this won''t be very fun if he doesn''t put his heart into it. Hu Tao rammed into the midget with his elbow and gave him a taste of his own medicine. He flew through 6 trees and Hu Tao stood over the girl with the big honkers. He picked her up by the back of the head and waited till the shrimp got back.


    Once he saw him with her in his hand, his qi started building up again. Now this was exciting, it was kind of like fighting Jing that first time. Let''s see just how strong he can really get.


    "You aren''t taking this fight seriously if you got time to worry about this dead weight. Do I have to kill her for you to take me seriously?" Hu Tao put a single nail across the throat of the cow.


    "I will rend your flesh and eat your bones if you dare!!!" He stomped the ground, causing little cracks to form underneath his foot.


    "Don''t threaten me with a good time kid." Hu Tao giggled manically as he slowly dragged his finger across her throat, a red line dripping blood soon followed.


    "AHHHHHHH!!!!!" He exploded.


    Hu Tao''s body was sent flying through 10 trees this time, he made sure to count. The chick also wasn''t in his hand anymore. He was also pretty sure if his chains weren''t wrapped around his body, his bones would be cracked from the impact of that charge. Haha that fucking son of a bitch! He didn''t even get to kill her! Hu Tao howled into the air and even more strength filled his body. The shrimp suddenly appeared in front of him and tried to slug him in the face.


    Hu Tao punched back and clashed with the little freak. The whites of his eyes were visible and his small frame was rippling with muscles and veins now. The shorty pulled back his other arm and tried to punch him with that hand but Hu Tao just copied his same movements and they were back at the stalemate.


    "Don''t tell me all you have is brute force and some strong qi? You''re gonna need more than that if you wanna kill me." Hu Tao unballed his fists and grabbed the shrimp''s fists before lifting him up and throwing him into the ground.


    The midget bounced off the ground from the impact and Hu Tao stomped down on his chest, burying him even further into the ground. He tried to lift his foot but the little freak grabbed hold of his foot and slammed him into the ground. Hu Tao had to go with the throw unless he wanted his ankle broken. He fell into the dirt face first. He could hear the weakling getting out of his hole and quickly followed after his example.


    "Shen! You have to snap out of it! Look! I''m fine okay!?" An annoying voice interrupted.


    Hu Tao could feel the bastard''s qi waning and his pupils returning. No! His fight! She was trying to take away his long-deserved fight! Hu Tao kicked his metal ball towards her mouth, in hopes of shutting her up for good. He saw her attempt to defend against it with some technique but it wasn''t even needed as the fucking brat blocked it with both of his forearms.


    "Get out of here Sister Meili! I can''t defend you and fight him at the same time! He''s stronger than he looks!"


    "Promise me you''ll make it out of this alive!"


    "I wouldn''t dare leave you all by yourself... Now leave!"


    She nodded with tears in her eyes before turning back and running away.


    "Well, isn''t that fucking touching? Once I''m done with you, maybe I''ll have a little fun with her afterward eh?" Hu Tao sneered.


    "Over my dead body."


    "I can fix that." Hu Tao chuckled.


    "Try me." He got into a proper martial stance this time around.


    Hu Tao got on all fours and leapt forward. He rapidly slashed at the shrimp with his claws. The annoying little fuck met him blow for blow, he deflected Hu Tao''s attacks at the perfect moment with his palms and left him in a vulnerable position! The midget aimed a powerful blow at his stomach as he looked defenseless. But was he really defenseless? Did this little fetus really get him out of position?


    Hu Tao grinned as his metal ball moved like it had a mind of its own and smashed into the sissy''s fist, knocking his fist into the ground, and allowing Hu Tao enough time to recover and kick him across the face. He was sent spinning through the air in a spiral and Hu Tao followed after him as he was flying, landing multiple blows all around him as the shrimp was spinning mid-air. Hu Tao finished his assault with a sharp kick to the face from above that kicked Shen 6 feet under.


    He wasn''t done yet though, his chains latched around the foot of Shen and launched him high into the air. Hu Tao crashed Shen into the dirt once more and used his chain to pull Shen towards him at high-speeds. This was getting boring now. It was more fun when that bitch with the tits was still here. Now the little idiot isn''t even trying.


    ''Guess I''ll kill him and then go after the slut next.'' Hu Tao pulled back his arm.


    ???Shen finally reached Hu Tao and Hu Tao plunged his entire arm through his stomach, prompting a pathetic scream to cry out from him. The nearby animals and spirit beasts fled from the sound of the terrible cry. The fucking brat''s qi was strong at first but has only been getting weaker as the fight went on. Hu Tao shook his arm a little while inside Shen to get a couple more screams out of him before taking his arm out and throwing him to the ground like a sack. Shen rolled miserably and could only whimper and wheeze with a hole through his stomach.


    "I hope that titty bitch will be more fun than this pussy was. I''m definitely gonna tear her ass up. Before I go though... let''s see if he had anything good on him." Hu Tao began searching Shen''s barely living body and found a brown martial book.


    He quickly flipped through it and smiled. This was a damn good palm martial art! It had to be at least Sky-ranked from what he could tell. He''s gonna use this for himself till he can find a better one more offense focused. Hu Tao could still hear the shrimp slowly breathing and smacked him on the chest.


    "Haha, just die already pipsqueak. You are only making things more painful for yourself. Oh, and thanks for the Flowing Palms of Judgement kid." Hu Tao got up and started walking back to the sect, leaving behind Shen''s body for the animals.


    ______________________________________________


    ''I''m sorry Sister Meili... I failed you... I couldn''t defeat him...'' Shen lamented as his foe pierced a hole through his abdomen.


    ''He was too strong... I tried everything I could to defeat him. My sky-ranked Flowing Palms of Judgement were no use against him. My heaven-ranked cultivation technique didn''t give me the power I needed when my own life was in danger. I should''ve trained harder.'' Shen was tossed on the ground, causing his already fatal injury to get even worse.


    He coughed up blood and a little bit of his insides.


    ''I should''ve cultivated more diligently... I should''ve done all I could to keep fighting. I should''ve run away once I knew I couldn''t win. Then maybe... I wouldn''t be sitting here, dying. I wouldn''t be passing on knowing that you might be joining me soon. Hopefully, Elder Suyin will protect you before he can get to you. I know that she is stronger than she claims to be. Her origins are not as simple as most people think...''


    "...Gonna tear her ass up."


    ''No...! Meili! I have to... get back up. I have to keep fighting... For Meili. I can''t let him near her... I can''t let him hurt her...! Body please respond to me! Even if it''s just a finger, let me poke his eyes out at the very least! Come on work you useless body!'' He could only wheeze as his body was robbed by that monster.


    ''WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK! WORK..." His heart responded to plea as Hu Tao faded into the distance.


    His vision was fading as well but his regrets were too strong. His will to live was overwhelming. His heart bumped and thumped every time he repeated himself. His body glowed in a faint blue light. The hole in his gut responded positively to this light. This light produced by his undying wish and unstoppable will to live. His ancient hidden bloodline responded to his hope. His bloodline that was has never shown a trace of itself until this day, when he needed it most.


    One of the rarest bloodlines across the Evergreen continent. The Azure Dragon''s bloodline. Those who were said to wield this bloodline were said to have the blood of kings and tyrants! They were born to rule with fierce power that couldn''t be matched! It has been 1,000s of years since another member of this bloodline has awakened. What will this spell for the future of the Evergreen continent?


    Shen''s body was being destroyed and reconstructed by the blue light. Becoming something infinitely tougher than the mortal body he was born with. It wasn''t just his body either that was being reformed, his qi, organs, and even cells were all being refined into a body suitable for a descendent of the Azure Dragon''s bloodline. By the time the transformation was finished, 5 months would have passed with him not being aware of the change that has happened to him.

 38 The Calm Before the Storm! 18+

    Leng Huan leisurely sat in front of his fire place. He was at the 4th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. His strongest and most loyal men were kneeling before him. They had important information to share with him. If they didn''t, they wouldn''t be intruding on his alone time right now. His fellow clan members knew just how upset he gets when his personal time is interrupted. Some of the newest members that were accepted into the sect were punished because of it.


    "Our fellow clan members are cultivating diligently for the Treasured Plains coming soon. As you ordered, our goal will be to acquire as many resources and take as many magic treasures we can get out hands on to strengthen our clan even more." Bingwen relayed. He was a 2nd stage Qi Consolidator.


    Leng Huan nodded his head. The stronger their clan gets, the easier it will be to become a solid faction within the sect. He can''t afford to give them resources unless he wanted to drain the group''s funds dry and weaken them. Right now, they must acquire resources on their own to advance. But after they take the Plains, he''ll be free to arm his clan members and make them stronger than any other faction regardless of talent. After that they can finally go all out to eliminate those fools that dare to resist against his clan.


    "Meihu''s faction has been silent lately. Most of their members are cultivating in their homes or gaining contribution points. Not even willing to start fights with our clan or Jianyu''s group. Even if we taunt them, they run away." Chaun informed. He was a 1st stage Qi Consolidator.


    Leng nodded. That silly woman must be planning something. It''s just like her to be scheming something and hiding away like a mouse. But that''s expected of a woman. No matter what she''s planning, his clan will be able to handle it without any issues. They are the strongest in the Outer Court and after they succeed in strengthening themselves in the Plains, he plans to fully annihilate both of their groups along with the smaller factions wishing to take advantage of their battle and rise from the conflict.


    "Elder Ru and Elder Chang have been seen frequently leaving the sect. We suspect that they may be obtaining magic treasures or resources for their disciples to cultivate with. Elder Mo hasn''t left his abode along with his disciples. Their actions are a mystery but we believe they are being trained personally by Elder Mo." Chun shared. He was a 3rd stage Qi Consolidator and the second strongest within their clan.


    The Head Elder''s disciples are going to be the biggest obstacles to his clan''s rise to power. For now, they should avoid making enemies with them. They have too many powerful cultivators that could squash his clan at its current strength.


    "Tell this to the rest of our clan, do not make enemies with the Head Elders'' disciples under any circumstance. Even if they insult our clan and lineage, we cannot afford to go head to head with them. Or it will spell the end for our clan at the Golden Serpent Sect." Leng told them.


    "Yes!" They responded simultaneously.


    "Is there any other information that needs my attention?"


    "Librarian Zhong has gotten a disciple recently and Elder Ru has taken in a male disciple. They are both still in the Qi Gatherer realm so, I didn''t believe they were worthy of attention." Bingwen said.


    "Elder Ru taking in a male disciple? Everyone knows she only accepts girls as disciples. Investigate that male disciple under Elder Ru. He must have found some secret about Elder Ru to have her not reject him."


    "Hu Tao has recently been accepted into the Inner Court. All the factions in the Inner Court is trying to recruit the Fighting Maniac to their side or kill him before he becomes too strong of a threat." Chun told him.


    "Oh, that so-called combat genius from the Outer Court? He''s reached the 2nd realm already?"


    "Both him and Manchu have."


    "Is there anything we need to be wary of from these two or are you suggesting we ally with them?"


    "Both Manchu and Hu Tao have impressive potential, I suggest we try and get on good terms with them rather than trying to kill them."


    "Hmph. Afraid of a few commoners Chun? I expected more out of my brother. What can two commoners do against our clan? No matter how good their talent is, our clan is known for producing talented cultivators! Chun, you have to learn to see things for what they really are. Both Hu Tao and Manchu don''t have the right mindset to become truly strong cultivators. Both are too arrogant for their own good. You can only climb up in this world with the right connections."


    "Yes brother..." He replied weakly.


    Chun may not understand it now but he will see that those two are nothing to worry about. One is a crazed beast that bares his fangs at everyone. The other has too much pride to truly get ahead in life. Neither have the brains to even see what kind of battlefield this sect truly is in the first place.


    "You''re dismissed." His fellow clan members left his home.


    ______________________________________________


    "How are our preparations?" Meihu asked.


    Three of her strongest followers were bowed in front of her. Each one was dressed in extravagant robes that highlighted their alluring and attractive figures. These three young women were one of the most attractive ladies in the Outer Court and among the strongest as well. They all followed under Meihu''s leadership. Her faction was called the Fearsome Garden and they were the dangerous Roses under her.


    "All is going to plan my lady." Lam replied sweetly. Lam was an 8th stage Qi Gatherer.


    "Good. By now those two should be worrying and trying to investigate our plan. Make sure none of the Petals are taken advantage of and continue to strengthen yourselves. The Treasured Plains is our biggest chance of finally getting ahead of those two."


    "Yes, my lady. I will inform the Petals to stay alert and stay together if they go out." Ruo replied seriously. Ruo was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer like herself but weaker.


    "What of the Head Elder''s disciples? Any new information regarding them?"


    "Shang Zhai is rumored to have fallen in love with a beast master. Xun Liuxian has reached the 9th stage. Xiao Hong and Liu Lan have reached the 8th stage. Gong Jun has entered the 9th stage and Tang Wuying has reached the 8th stage." Song relayed. Song was the 3rd 9th stage Qi Gatherer within the Fearsome Garden.


    "Who is the beast master that he''s fallen in love with? Can we somehow get her on our side?"


    "Not much is known about her but I could find out a few things. Her name is Jing and she is an apprentice spellmaster, has a spirit beast at the 9th stage, and has recently joined the sect a couple months ago. She doesn''t seem to have any connections with anyone but my investigation has just started. It''s too early to decide if she has any allies."


    "Recruit this Jing into our faction and treat her well. If she really does have Shang Zhai around her finger, then she''ll be useful to keep around. We may even be able to get on good terms with Elder Chang''s other disciples..."


    "As you wish my lady." The Roses gracefully exited her home.


    ______________________________________________


    The loud moaning of the female disciple bouncing on his dick nearly distracted Jianyu from what he just heard from one of his men. He thrusted his hips up once and caused her to start convulsing on his dick. This shut her up and let him hear what the fuck his men wanted to tell him. In his large grand bedroom, laid multiple naked young women lying in exhaustion after being fucked senseless by him. He threw the dumb bitch that was on top of him off and stuck his thick long rod inside another woman.


    "Ahn! Please Jianyu, I can''t handle anymore! Ahn! Ahn! Ahn!" He looked at his men to tell them to continue telling him whatever the fuck they wanted to tell him.


    "What are we going to do for the Treasured Plains?" Dong asked. Dong was one of his strongest men but also the dumbest. He was an 8th ranked Qi Gatherer and one of the most brutal fighters in his gang.


    "We''re going to do what we always do, you fucking idiot. Take what we want, kill what we want, and do what we want."


    "With everyone hiding in their homes to prepare for the Plains, what should we do in the meantime Jianyu?" Wenling asked him. This slut was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer like him but weaker. She just broke into the 9th stage and was one sick twisted bitch.


    "Go fucking do some tasks for the sect or break into some of those fuckers'' homes if you''re so bored. I don''t care what you do just don''t bring any trouble to the rest, you hear? No fucking with weaklings who got connections with people stronger than us and don''t fuck with anyone stronger than me." The slut Jianyu was plowing just dropped unconscious from pleasure. He didn''t even get to cum before she decided to stop moving like a dead fish.


    "I will be training the others until it''s time for the Treasured Plains to open. I''m not satisfied with how we''re progressing as a group. The newbies don''t seem to really understand what the Wolfeng Gang is really about. I''m gonna crack some skulls open till they get what we''re about and get a little muscle on their bodies while I''m at it." Guotin said. Guotin was like a brother to Jianyu. He was his right-hand man and they''ve been together ever since they became cultivators. He was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer and almost equal to himself in power.


    "It''s fine to kill a few of them if they can''t handle it. We don''t need any weaklings in the gang." Jianyu grinned as one of the beautiful girls climbed on top of him and lowered themselves onto his hard cock.


    "Don''t worry Brother Jianyu. I''ll turn them inside out just to see their insides squirming."


    ______________________________________________


    Jing was on her way back home after leaving Teacher Lang''s place. In front of her was a bunch of girls that didn''t look like they had good intentions but then again no one ever had good intentions in this sect from what she''s seen. They were glaring at her like she was their worst enemy or something. She wasn''t worried about her safety but was curious to why they decided to stop her of all people. She hesitantly walked forward with a weak demeanor.


    "Hey ugly!" The possible leader called out to her. "I don''t know what kind of trick you used to get Shang Zhai''s attention but stay away from him or else!" She balled her fist.


    "What do you mean?" Jing asked weakly, making the girls sneer.


    "Shang Zhai is interested in you for some unknown reason. We''re warning you to stay away from him. Shang doesn''t like plain girls like you." She flared her 6th stage Qi Gatherer qi.


    "But I didn''t do anything..."


    "And we''re saying to make sure it stays that way! Don''t even look in his direction or you can say goodbye to your peaceful life in the sect ugly."


    "I??m sorry..."


    Jing tried to walk past them without any conflict coming to pass but one of the girls stuck her leg out and caused Jing to trip and fall on the ground. She coughed from the dust on the ground getting in her mouth and all over her clothes. She heard the girls laughing at her while walking away.


    "Can''t believe we were worried about that pathetic girl."


    "Maybe Zhai likes weak girls..."


    "You think so?"


    "Well it''s not like she has anything else that could catch his attention. That disgusting color of skin and she looks like a boy from the front and the back!"


    Jing heard a few more unsavory comments about her but they have traveled pretty far away from her by now. She got up and continued her way home covered in dirt. She could sense one of Shang Zhai''s servants watching her. It took her a while to finally identify his servants but once she realized who they were, she made sure to be careful in her actions. If he wasn''t watching her, she would''ve took out her leaf fan to clean herself off.


    But that can wait till she gets home. A little bit of dust and falling on the ground isn''t really much to handle. Jing walked back home looking as miserable as she could. Not too miserable but miserable enough that anyone could see that she wasn''t having a good day. Of course, no one would care in the Golden Serpent Sect. Most of the disciples are selfish and wouldn''t even think about helping someone unless they could benefit from the situation themselves. Jing wouldn''t even put it past her fellow disciples to join in of bullying of another just because they saw someone weak being taken advantage of.


    Jing made it back home and as soon as she locked her door, she pulled out her leaf fan and cleaned herself. Any dirt, dust, and anything of the like were erased from her body and she was as clean as she could ever be. It was now time to start a little fun and chaos throughout the sect. She grabbed her refined mask that only showed her eyeballs along with SCP-154. The mask effectively erased all traces of her. As far as she knows, the only possibility of someone spotting her is if she wants them to notice her while wearing the mask. It hides her cultivation realm as well now. After her fight with Hu Tao, she refined it again on very fine to hide all traces of qi as well. Even when she was using a martial art technique, her opponent wouldn''t know how powerful it was until it hit them.


    Jing waited until it was dark out before she went to set her plan into motion. She opened her door and started running into the Immortal Forest. None of the dangerous spirit beasts even noticed her passing by. Not even the spirit beasts known for their excellent hearing, vision, or smell could notice her. Jing made it to the middle area of the Immortal Forest. The area where spirit beasts of the Qi Consolidation stage and Core Preparation realm hunted. She started looking around for the perfect spot to place these two bracelets.


    The ground beneath her feet started to grumble and shake at the footsteps of some powerful beast. A grin found itself on her face as she sensed the qi of that spirit beast. Perhaps this was a bit much of her to do but the Golden Serpent Sect disciples are all tough young men and women, aren''t they? Surely, they can handle a little Golden Panda that''s an 8th stage Qi Consolidator, right? It may be a mutant version of the Giant Panda spirit beast species but who cares? Just because it''s highly attuned with yang qi and has a powerful body that most spirit beasts can''t harm in the middle area doesn''t mean the Golden Serpent disciples can''t handle it. And because it''s a mutant it can most likely fight with spirit beasts one stage above it without an issue. With her sect''s disciples having courageous and stubborn personalities, taking these two bracelets from the cave where its golden cubs are laying won''t be an issue.


    After placing the bracelets in the Golden Panda''s den, Jing returned back home without any issues. Neither the mother panda nor her cubs could sense her while she was near them. Now the only thing she has to do is spread the rumor of a powerful spirit weapon inhabiting the middle area. She''ll have to give little hints that will pinpoint the location of the bracelets or those idiots will be dying for nothing. She wondered what rank SCP-154 would even classify as. Would it be an earth-rank, sky-rank, or heaven-ranked spirit weapon? If she ignored the downsides and only focused on the positives, she would say it would be around a high or peak sky-rank. Possible heaven-rank if they could get lucky with a complete chemical or physical change that is beneficial to cultivating.


    "Well. Let''s have a little enjoyment before the Plains begin next month."

 39 Back With The Gang!

    Ying stood on the square ranking ring with her opponent. Her sword was hung over her shoulder with one hand and her posture was casual. It was another Huan clan member she was facing off against. He glared at her and she smirked back. These weaklings from the Huan clan are a good source of contribution points, pills, and training. With the bounty on her head, there''s no small number of opponents to challenge her in a ranking match.


    The amount of resources she''s gained thanks to fighting against them has improved her mood about these ranking matches. At first, she thought that this would just be a waste of time when she could be doing tasks to gain resources instead but this is a far better way of getting contribution points. Especially since she has a bounty on her head that seems to get higher every few weeks.


    When she first started fighting in these ranking matches, she only thought about ending it quickly but as time went on, she started using it to train her martial art techniques. Even if it meant prolonging the fight, she would use the techniques till she felt like she understood how to use them better. If she was being honest, she actually got the idea from Lei Zhi and Bing. After watching those two battle in their ranking matches, she wondered why didn''t they just crush their opponents from the start?


    They both talked about how they should use the chance to improve their skills for the Treasured Plains. Bing said that it isn''t often that he''s able to train his martial art skills on an actual opponent that isn''t just a spirit beast from the Immortal Forest. That made Ying think, she never really trained with her martial arts on humans either. They either died from a few swings or she nearly dies. The spirit beasts in the Immortal Forest also weren''t the best to test skills with because of how simple they were.


    The referee started the match and her opponent ran towards her with a normal blade. He was one stage above her at the 7th stage but as far as she knew, he was an unknown. If he was unknown that meant he wasn''t special and had no fame. Ying didn''t expect this battle with him to help her progress in any meaningful way. As he came close, he slashed down with his sword to split her in half from her shoulder to her waist.


    Ying countered with her own sword slash and knocked the boy away with just pure strength. He was sent flying across the stage and had to stab his damaged sword into the ring just so he didn''t fly out. His sword snapped in half but he managed to save himself from falling out of the ring.


    "For someone at a higher stage than me, you sure are weak. I barely used any strength in that swing and you''re already done." Ying said.


    "I''ll show you to mess with the Huan clan, you gorilla bitch!"


    He ran towards her with just his hands. Ying scoffed at the disarmed disciple. She halfheartedly swung her sword, already picturing him headless and spilling blood all over the ring. Her sword''s tip made a deep gash on his face but didn???t take his head off like she expected. He had a bit more skill than she thought he did because he managed to place a talisman on her stomach during that exchange as well. She struck out with her foot and kicked him in the gut, making him roll away like a wheel.


    The talisman was already lit. There was no point in trying to avoid the impossible. Ying used her cultivation technique and set herself ablaze to defend against the spell. The talisman exploded into a giant water bubble with her trapped inside. She was floating in the middle of the bubble and was forced to hold her breathe as her opponent was setting up a formation while she was trapped!


    Ying could barely move her sword around. This guy wasn''t like the others from the Huan clan. This was made specifically for her and her fire martial arts. Ying would have to give actual effort in this fight if she didn''t want to rely on sword. Fire qi is weak to water qi and very rarely could a cultivator that practices fire arts best one that practices water arts. However, Ying didn''t care about things like that.


    With enough strength, nothing can stand in your way. If she wanted, she could handle this water spell with just her sword but this time, she decided not to rely on her weapon. Ying''s body started heating up. The water around her started bubbling as she used her qi as fuel to increase the heat even more. Steam began to spread out across the arena as the bubble rapidly decreased in size.


    Ying''s qi was basically gone by the time she freed herself but she didn''t need her qi to defeat her opponent. All she needed was one good hit. Spellmasters are known for not being able to take a hit. The steam surrounding the arena was a problem but it didn''t take much to get rid of it. With a final wave of fire blasting out from her body, she was able to spot the weasel hiding inside a qi barrier. He must have not been able to handle the heat of her steam and fire.


    Her qi was gone but her physical strength wasn''t. She lifted her giant sword up and took off towards him with great speed. Ying''s blade struck against the barrier like a mallet, ripples violently shook on the surface of the barrier and it started to crack.


    "Impossible... Just what kind of spirit weapon could destroy my qi barrier!?"


    Ying didn''t even spare him a single word. She swung her sword down and destroyed the barrier with ease. The Huan clan member couldn''t even try and resist against the mountain-like pressure her sword gave off as it was coming down. It crushed him like a bug and caved in the arena. The referee called the match after seeing her opponent still barely alive but only barely. She did use the back of her blade but only because he made her try just a bit harder than usual.


    ______________________________________________


    "Heh. I heard you''ve been giving our clan a bit of trouble have you Fatty?" Bing''s opponent smashed his fist into his palm.


    He was only a 4th stage Qi Gatherer. Bing had no idea why he was so cocky. He seemed no different from any other Huan clan member he''s fought against. He should be cautious and careful in this upcoming battle then. They should know his prowess and strength by now after all these fights he''s had against them. He must be a secret weapon, really talented, or an idiot. Bing was really hoping for the last one.


    "That''s incorrect. Your clan is the one that actually giving me trouble. I never really asked for all this conflict."


    "Shut your ass Piggy! Get ready to die for causing my kin so much trouble!" He charged just as the referee started the match.


    Bing guarded his punch with his shield. His strength wasn''t anything to take note of. He was watching for anything strange about his opponent. His speed was good but not something to be wary of. Just what was it that he was so confident about? Watching the Huan clan members in the audience with sneers on their faces and laughing at him, only made him even more cautious against this guy.


    Bing used his shield to block his aggressive attacks. He controlled his breathing and focused on the Art of Blocking style from his shield art. He was ready to flee at a moment''s notice or strengthen himself for any attack. Will his secret ability be something he should run from or defend against? He could only find out when his opponent wanted to reveal it himself.


    "Stop blocking and fight me coward! What kind of cultivator uses a shield as a weapon!? Aren''t you ashamed of yourself? Where are your balls?!" His opponent shouted while attacking him.


    Bing didn''t even give him a response as he continued his strategy of only defending. A punch towards his face? Raise his shield just before it connects. A kick aiming for his privates? Lower his shield and block the kick. A grab towards his face while his shield is still blocking the kick? A carefully timed sway of the head and a jump back for some distance.


    "You''re pissing me off Piggy! Why won''t you just fight me and stop running!? Do you think this is a joke? A game? This is a fight! Treat it like one or just surrender already!" His qi flared up.


    Bing knew exactly what he was doing right now. He isn''t an idiot. Any normal person wouldn''t fall for the taunts of their opponents. That''s how you fall into their pace and lose your advantage. But maybe he could use this to his advantage...


    "Fine. You want me to fight. I''ll give you a fight!" Bing''s body started to shape into muscle.


    His fat was being dispersed throughout his body and strengthened with his qi. The flesh on the sides of his ribs were shifting and pulsating before two additional muscled arms popped out. The air around him turned dangerous. A simple flick of the wrist seemed to cause the air around him to follow in its movements. It looked like if he wanted, he could punch the air and shoot out a fist made of air that could do as much damage as a normal punch.


    "Hahaha! That''s what I''m talking about! Now come on! Fight me Tubby!"


    "Swift Devil!" Bing shot off like an unstoppable arrow.


    His opponent used his fists and moved his hands in a mystical way in front of him. Inside the strange circle made from his movements came a bright orange light made of qi. The light was shaped into the characters for the word Counter. A huge grin was on his face as Bing headed straight towards the strange technique. So, this was what he was counting on and from the sounds of the people in the stands, this had to be the special move they were hoping to take him out. It''s a shame that their hopes would be dashed.


    Bing stopped himself just before he made contact with the technique. It was nearly going to scrape the tip of his nose and the amount qi coming off this technique was enough to make him want to pee his pants. It seemed like his opponent couldn''t move during this skill and was actually hurting him. Blood dripped down his nose, eyes, and mouth as he kept the move going for some strange reason. Could it be that he couldn''t drop this technique without suffering some terrible backlash?


    "Sorry to disappoint you all but it was a bait. I wanted to see what your trick was to deal with me. That''s why I made it look like I was going to attack you." Bing could see the fury in his eyes. That glare is in the top 10 glares he''s seen so far in these ranking matches.


    Bing calmly walked around the frozen boy and cupped his face with his muscled hands.


    "You seem kind of dangerous. I don''t know what kind of special ability that was but seeing how so many of your allies were counting on you to defeat me makes me scared for my future. Plus, those eyes of yours look like the type I''m most afraid of. The type of eyes that would stoop to any lengths just for revenge."


    "You...coward... you won''t get away with this..." He spat blood through his teeth as the veins all over his body was completely visible.


    Crack!


    The beloved Huan clan member''s head was twisted 180 degrees behind him. The sound of the bones in his neck snapping was all too audible for anyone nearby. His orange technique shattered and his body dropped to the ground with his eyes open wide. Seeing one of their own dying right in front of them sent the Huan clan into an uncontrollable rage. The referee glared at the Huan clan from the ring, daring them to break the rules of the sect and intrude in the middle of a ranking match. But he was nothing but a simple 6th stage Qi Gatherer. On the stands were Huan clan members of various stages with not too few being above the 6th stage.


    "Would you mind calling the match Referee?" Bing asked as he took out a movement talisman from his robe.


    He nodded and called the match in Bing''s favor. Once the match was officially over, they pounced like wild animals. Bing already lit his talisman once the referee made him the winner and just before those savages could get their hands on him, he was already more than 50 steps away. Now he would have to be much more careful in the upcoming few weeks. Buy a few more Lesser Escape talismans, cultivate to increase his stage, and plan his movements to avoid being caught in a bad situation. He just had to last until it was time for the Treasured Plains to open. Once he could get his hands on the treasures inside, dealing with the Huan clan one by one won''t be much of an issue. It would take some time but their leader is only in the Qi Consolidation stage. With enough resources, getting there shouldn''t take too long, even with his average talent. If worse comes to worst, he can always rely on his freakish teammates to help him.


    ______________________________________________


    Hu Tao chuckled as he stood over the body of another weakling trying to recruit him into their little political group. With his throat torn out from Hu Tao''s final attack, he breathed his final gurgle. With only being one stage above himself, he still wasn''t good enough to make Hu Tao go all out. How could a weakling like this ever expect to make him follow his lead? Now a monster like that bitch Jing was the only leader worthy of following. Even now with him being 1 full stage above her, he still couldn''t find himself any closer to making that sadistic freak fight with her life on the line. It seemed like as time went on, she only got stronger and stronger.


    ''Good! Anything less than that would be boring! I will defeat that strong bitch one day and when it comes, I will make sure it''s the greatest fight that I could ever experience! I wouldn''t even mind if we both died by the end of it!''


    ______________________________________________


    Lei Zhi was fishing outside his home into the small pond full of lively fishes. His current thoughts were on what type of cultivator should he strive to become in the future. Although he knew that he couldn''t control what fate had in store for him, he could still ponder. Becoming a body cultivator like Bing and Yue didn''t seem like it would fit best with his current martial arts. That strength would only be a small boost to him. Becoming a qi cultivator could be a small gain or a large gain depending on what type of qi he would have the fortune of gaining. Becoming a balanced type like Hu Tao wasn''t possibly with his talent. Hu Tao had fearsome strength and terrifying qi techniques with neither of them lacking in the slightest.


    Perhaps he should become a lesser known type of cultivator. With the fishing rod Jing gave him, it was hard not to think of becoming a Beast Master. She herself claims to be a beast master along with a Spellmaster. Lei Zhi had no luck with those occupations. Becoming a pill refiner, blacksmith, or a spellmaster was impossible for him. He had no talent for any of those fields and could only produce trash. Even in his youth before he was blind, he attempted to join each one of those occupations and was kicked out not even 2 weeks before joining.


    He would have to think of something to explain how he has so many different type of beasts eventually. For now though, he''ll keep his mouth shut and let those curious simply wonder. He has no reason to tell anyone of his abilities and his ways. Lei Zhi might be considered a hopeful kind na?ve fool but he didn''t make it to this age on luck alone!

 40 Having a Little Fun!

    Jing watched as the Inner Court disciples stampeded through the Immortal Forest. It seems the rumor has finally circulated in the Inner Court and now they were on their way to obtain the mysterious sky-ranked spirit weapon. The value of sky-ranked spirit weapons was a lot more valuable than she thought. It only took about an hour and some before they started running out of the sect like a bunch of greedy hyenas.


    She was wearing her refined mask that hid her presence and standing on the trees to get a good look at all the high ranked cultivators below her. She may even find someone worthy enough to join her faction amongst the Inner Court. She has only searched within the Outer Court for members. But that was all in due time, for now she''ll just remember any interesting characters or abilities. Along with taking note of the factions and strong cultivators from the Inner Court.


    Jing hopped from tree branch to tree branch, following the herd of disciples below her without anyone noticing her. The fighting has yet to start between the disciples but Jing has no doubt that it''ll happen sooner rather than later. This many youthful and greedy cultivators in one place? A fight starting out is a natural outcome from such a large group of potential immortals. A few might work together to find SCP-154 but those alliances will only be short-term at best. Once someone actually gets SCP-154, Jing is pretty sure it''s going to turn into hell within moments.


    "LOOK OUT! A STONE KOALA IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!"


    "IT''S AT THE 4TH STAGE OF THE QI CONSOLIDATING REALM!"


    Stone Koala''s were very territorial spirit beasts. If interrupted during their 22-hour naps, they will chase whoever awoken them from their sleep and kill them no matter what. Unless they are killed first but getting past their rock-like skin and terrifying strength is no small task. They are also known for not being afraid of death unlike most spirit beasts. They don''t even mind dying as long as they managed to kill the one who has awakened them.


    "Yi You! We have to run! We can''t waste our energy fighting this thing before we even found the bracelets!"


    "Okay brother! Let''s go! We can''t let them get ahead of---" His words were stopped in his throat as the stone koala grabbed him out of the air.


    He screamed to his brother for help and his brother paused. He looked back at his captured sibling and then at the others catching ground up ahead. They were both 2nd stage Qi Consolidators. The two brothers locked eyes, one pleading with tears pooling around his eyes and the other with hesitation. He turned around and ran. Seeing his very own brother not even try to help him escape from this beast destroyed him. His eyes turned into despair and blackness.


    Jing couldn''t help but laugh at the selfishness and cruelty shown only a few moments into this event. That delicious look of hopelessness before he was crushed in the hands of the stone koala made Jing''s heart jump with amusement. Seeing that angry little tree bear going around crushing disciples like ants was oh so enjoyable. The cries, tears, and shouts for help as it tears them apart, Jing regretted not doing something like this sooner!


    She swung her legs back and forth in the air like a little girl on the tree branch high above. She could''ve watched this little massacre go on for hours but someone put an end to her fun. A long-haired handsome young boy running by saw the good rampage the stone koala was doing and sliced it in half from the torso. Jing focused in on this boy. He was 2 stages below the spirit beast but managed to kill it without even trying. The average cultivator couldn''t pull off an achievement like that.


    If a spirit beast and a cultivator were at the same stage, 7 times out of 10, the spirit beast would take the victory if they fought. The way spirit beasts cultivate is inherently different from cultivators. They are able to cultivator their qi and bodies at the same time without lacking in either group. Unless that cultivator is highly talented and able to cultivate both their body and qi, the spirit beast should defeat the cultivator in most situations.


    "Who was that?! How did he kill the Stone Koala with a single swing of his blade?!"


    "I don''t know who that is! I''ve never seen him in the Inner Court before!"


    "There''s no way someone that powerful could stay lowkey with his strength!"


    "It doesn''t matter who he is! Get going! We have to find that spirit weapon before the top rankers come!"


    Jing casually hopped from tree to tree, following behind the unknown talented boy and his ally. They were the same rank but the girl didn''t seem as interesting as the boy. The boy was taking care to avoid any dangerous beasts in front of them and constantly watching his surroundings. The girl looked like she was following the boy without any care in the world.


    "Brother Kun Lao, are you sure it''s safe to trust that rumor?"


    "With so many disciples out here, it has to be real. If it wasn???t the sect elders would definitely intervene to prevent a bunch of us disciples from killing ourselves for no reason."


    "You''re so smart Brother Lao!"


    "Thanks Sister Dai Yu. Now let''s hurry up on ahead. It was said to be in the near the center of the middle area."


    Jing moved on ahead of the couple. She could hear some conflict and was more interested in finding more notable disciples within the Inner Court. Up ahead a group of disciples could be seen fighting against one another. She sat atop a branch and looked down on the two fighting groups.


    "Nightwing clan! Who allowed you to be so bold to ambush us?! Do you not fear death?!"


    "From a clan of cowardly assassins like you, that threat doesn''t hold up much! My Daybright clan will exterminate you for our ancestors'' honor!"


    "Honor my ass! Who put you up to this?! Was it the Spider Mistress?!"


    "Keep guessing you honor-less dogs. We''ll never tell you. Now die!" The two groups went at each other again.


    A group battle from the Inner Court. While it was interesting, it wasn''t suspenseful enough. These fools weren''t fighting for the sky-ranked weapon, they were just killing each other for a worthless reason that has nothing to do with SCP-154. That wasn''t very interesting. Jing looked around in her surroundings for something that could spice this little fight up. To her left was a camouflaged Horned Serpent napping. She leapt from her tree branch and landed next to the invisible snake. It was at the 3rd stage as a Qi Consolidator. Jing used her whip and wrapped it around the neck of the spirit beast. She then threw it across the forest into the middle of the battling factions.


    A few members of the Nightwing clan and Daybright clan may have gotten crushed to death from the large size of the snake but oh well. Maybe it''ll get their adrenaline going a bit faster.


    "Everyone, retreat! We will recover our strength and forces to exterminate the Daybright clan in the future!" Nightwing clan leader shouted.


    ''Hey, I just got that worm. It wouldn''t be much fun if you ran before even trying to survive against it.'' Jing turned off the properties of her mask and appeared in front of the fleeing cultivators.


    "Who are you?!"


    "Just a passing cultivator..." Jing used her auxiliary art that she gained from SCP-914.


    It was called Idliragijenget''s Blessing, this martial art allowed her to generate water through qi and control it freely. Jing created a whip of water and lashed it out in a horizontal swing. The speed and surprising length of the whip managed to knock all the Nightwing cultivators back towards the Horned Serpent. The snake smashed a few of them into the ground with its tail. It was unknown if they were still alive or not but the battle has now turned into a fight to survive for all parties!


    The Daybright clan couldn''t handle both the Nightwing clan and the Horned Serpent at the same time. They also noticed Jing and saw how she was keeping the Nightwing clan members from escaping. Jing wondered what was he planning. Did he think that she was on his side or just a third party with unknown intentions?


    "Kill the Nightwing cultivators! Ignore the beast the best you can!"


    "Do not let yourselves be killed by our enemies! Survive and make sure to get strong enough to pay back for this attack!"


    Now this was what she wanted to see. Swords stabbing through the backs of others, the snake swallowing humans in a confused rage, opportunistic killings, and futile attempts of fleeing thanks to her whip. Anyone trying to run away was captured by her water whip and thrown towards the Horned Serpent. The serpent swallowed them in a quick lunge whenever she threw a disciple in the air. It was almost as if she was its master and was feeding it treats for being a good snake.


    "KILL THAT GIRL! SHE''S THE ONE CONTROLLING THIS SPIRIT BEAST!"


    "IDENTIFY YOURSELF BEAST MASTER!"


    They charged her together. Jing smiled behind her mask. She was going to have some fun with these Qi Consolidators. It''s been a while since she could have a little innocent fun. Jing will have to take care not to break them too soon. She might scare away the others from attacking her. Jing fully unleashed her qi. Her 3rd stage Qi Gatherer qi that was enhanced monstrously thanks to her cultivation technique given by SCP-914. Taking on a few cultivators 1 realm above her won''t be much. If it was 2 or 3 realms above her then she''d be unsure. She hasn''t gained any information about anyone in those realms yet nor has seen their full strength.


    A cultivator slashed towards her with his sword. Jing struck against his blade with her water whip and cleaved right through the steel weapon and took off some of his hair. The shocked look in his eyes as his life was almost snatched from him within seconds made Jing laugh in amusement. She wrapped her whip around his throat and brought him to the ground underneath her foot. She stomped on the back of his head with the heel of her foot and grinded his head into the dirt just to add a little more humiliation.


    Another cultivator tried to stab through her chest with his sword while his ally came at her side with his fists. Jing sliced off the sword user''s arm and without even stopping her whip''s movements, grabbed the bare-handed cultivator and pulled him towards her in an arc. The sword cultivator screamed and dropped to his knees. The fist user flew above her and Jing struck with a powerful kick to his stomach. He spat out blood onto her mask from the kick and was roughly dropped to the ground below Jing.


    Jing stomped on his elbow and broke it, causing him to cry out miserably. Seeing her ruthless nature, the other disciples paused in their movements to try and kill her. This wasn''t the smartest of plans as there was still a raging 3rd stage Qi Consolidator spirit beast behind them. Another cultivator of the two groups was smashed underneath the tail of the snake. Jing was taking her time slowly crushing the bones of the fist user and hearing him pathetically cry out for help.


    She could feel her erect nipples brushing against her robes.


    "Come on, scream louder boy. If you yell hard enough, maybe I''ll consider keeping you alive after this. Go on scream for me." Jing shattered his femur with a sickening crunch of her foot.


    The scream from that break was by far the juiciest one. Jing''s panties were a little damp after hearing it. She was sure that anyone within 50 steps around them heard that scream, it even echoed out. It was too bad that he fainted afterwards but she still had two more bugs to play with. One teetering between consciousness and one trying to free himself from the dirt.


    She decided to choose the livelier one. She helped him out of the ground by creating a bubble around his head filled with water. Water began filling up his nose and mouth. His eyes were wide open in terror as he clutched his throat trying to breathe. The water was filling his lungs, he should be feeling a terrible burning pain on the inside of his body but it would be boring if she just made him drown to death. No matter how painful it was, it was too simple. To make it a bit more arousing for her, she grabbed a nearby stick and covered it with her qi.


    She started making light cuts all over his body as water filled his lungs. He could only gargle and put on a hopeless expression as the lights in his eyes were going dim. Jing popped the bubble and he started to violently puke out all the water from his system.


    "Make sure to take a deep breathe this time." Jing told him.


    He looked at her with terror in his eyes after catching on to what she meant. She wasn''t done with him just yet. He was going to have to go through that horrible experience again and he couldn''t do anything about it. She was stronger than him! He desperately tried to run away like a dog but Jing stabbed her stick into his leg, going completely through his leg and the ground below it. He screamed out for help. Anyone to help him or kill him before Jing could get to him. Jing couldn''t help but laugh at the sight of the adorable little bug.


    "No one here is capable of saving you from me..." Jing rubbed his face with her foot as water slowly headed towards his head.


    ______________________________________________


    "Do you really believe you can kill me Li Qiang?" Wan Qing asked.


    "Heh, I''m not here to kill you." He waved his hand. "I''m just here to make sure you don''t get the spirit weapon before Ping." Li Qiang said casually.


    "A sissy like you won''t be much of a problem. You may be talented but you are also alone. Something a freak like you deserves." Shan spat.


    "I am not ashamed of what I chose to be, nor am I willing to take insults upon my character lightly. Prepare to die for your disrespect Shan." Qing Wang pointed her sword towards Shan.


    "You think I''m scared of some freak who thinks he''s a girl? No wonder they didn''t let you in the Blossoming Water Palace sect, you''re crazy too!" Shan viciously said.


    Four butterfly wings made of qi shot out from Wang''s back. She flew directly in front of Shan with her sword ready to slice his head off. Shan was shocked by her speed but managed to defend with his spirit weapon in time. His gauntlets blocked Wang''s attack and Li Qiang moved in to attack her.


    She clicked her tongue and flew away to get some distance. Handling these two won''t be impossible but with their fighting styles they''ll definitely be able to delay her long enough for the other top rankers to get the sky-ranked spirit weapon. Her pride didn''t allow her to flee either, especially after Shan''s insults. His fate is already set in stone to be killed by her.


    Qing''s long flowing black hair fell past her neck. It was the type of hair that couldn''t have been taken care of without meticulous care. Qing was the type of cultivator that could be recognized in a large crowd due to her handsome appearance. Her lean and slender body with flawless jade skin only made her stick out more in the Inner Court. She had no breasts but was blessed with curvy hips and a voluptuous behind. Seeing Wan Qing from behind, many would expect her to be a girl with a figure like hers. But just because she wasn''t born as a female, people think it is fine to disrespect her, look down on her, and mistreat her because of her choice to identify herself as a woman despite being born a male.

 41 Hu Taos Hunt!

    "This crazy bastard! He isn''t even interested in getting the sky-ranked weapon! He''s just here to pick us off!" A badly injured cultivator complained.


    "Defend the Miss with your life!"


    "Hu Tao! I''m going to rip your heart out of your chest and feed it to dogs for daring to come after our Miss!"


    Hu Tao only laughed in response to that threat or was it a promise? Hu Tao was also interested in that little rumor that had most of the Inner Court disciples running off like lemmings. Not for the spirit weapon itself but to enjoy himself with a few fights that he normally wouldn''t get the chance to have. Some of the top rankers that have been hiding like a bunch of scheming weasels sent some of their best men to get these bracelets. Hu Tao wanted a piece of these guys for himself but he''s been a bit caught up with fighting anyone that he thought was interesting.


    Like the girl running up ahead. She was at the 4th stage as a Qi Consolidator but had 3 servants all at the 3rd stage? Something smelled fishy and Hu Tao loved that tantalizing smell most of all! If things didn''t add up right that meant someone had something to hide and when people have things to hide, they always try and protect it when someone comes sniffing around. That someone is Hu Tao and he expects to find out something very interesting about that pig-tailed brat after catching up to her.


    But first, he has to deal with these three weaklings in front of him on the verge of death. He called them weak because he hasn''t even had to use his full strength to overwhelm them. For a bunch of guards, they sure don''t have any experience in fighting. What a letdown honestly, he was hoping that they could manage to get a second wind or break out some dangerous technique to try and take him down but nope. His hopes for a good fight from these three was dashed the moment he nearly killed the first one trying to take out the pig-tailed blondie.


    "Hey who is that dumb blonde you''re working for? Is she some sheltered princess from some hidden clan?"


    "We''ll never tell you anything!" He spat.


    "Hey come on Weakling #1, I''m just curious you know? It''s not every day you can catch something like this. If you don''t tell me, I might just kill her by accident and never find out." Hu Tao grinned.


    "Heh! We''re not the only guards of the Miss! Even if we die, the young miss will still be fine!"


    "You may be a talented fighter Hu Tao but you''re only at the 2nd stage of the Qi Consolidation realm! Know your limits you wild monkey!"


    Oh... Is that so? So, there''s an actual fighter waiting for him and he was just wasting his time with these fucking losers? It was good to know there was a real fight waiting for him but he didn''t want to find out this way. He should''ve killed these guys sooner and saved the surprise for himself. It would''ve been more exciting that way.


    The three weaklings ran at him together with their swords. Since Hu Tao understood there was a real fight somewhere else, he didn''t play around with these weaklings anymore. His chain moved like a flash of light and his iron ball was sent flying towards the three. It was lodged into the ribs of the first servant and his body was sent crashing into the other two, piling them in a heap on the ground. Hu Tao jumped with a mighty leap and stomped down with a single foot on all three with his terrible strength!


    They didn''t even have time to scream before dying from his powerful stomp. The killing force was sent all the way from the top weakling down to the bottom weakling in the pile. Hu Tao didn''t even dignify their death with respect as he knocked the pile of weaklings down and left them as corpses laying in the dirt. Weaklings don''t deserve something like a proper death.


    To catch up with that blondie, Hu Tao would have to run at full speed. He lowered his center of gravity and crouched down low like an animal. He took off like a starving wolf chasing his prey. Prey that he couldn''t afford to miss out on. His surroundings have turned into nothing but a blur at his current speed. As long as that pig-tails was still moving at the same speed as she was earlier, Hu Tao would be able to catch up in no time.


    Hu Tao weaved through the forest easily, running on all fours with the agility better than a beast''s. He ignored all the spirit beasts near him in favor of his chosen prey. That blonde midget won''t escape him. He can already see her figure far ahead still moving slow as all shit. Hu Tao looked around for any signs of the hidden guard but couldn''t find anything. Those shitheads better not have lied to him.


    He was in a good enough distance from this far away. As long as she was in his sight, he could reach her with a good leap. Hu Tao surged his qi through his entire lower body and leapt towards the fleeing princess. He stretched out his hand, ready to slam her head into the dirt. She turned around just as he was about to grab her and he saw her eyes widen in fear. Where the hell was his fight at? Is that scumbag taking him lightly?!


    Hu Tao caught the blonde by the throat and slide her across the ground. He stood over her with his hand clutched around her throat. She tried to speak but Hu Tao''s grip was tight enough to stop her from saying anything. Whatever she needed to say wasn''t important, he had a fight to find. Her face was turning purple and her hand was gripped around his arm trying to remove it. It looks like she was a qi cultivator because her body was weak as shit. Hu Tao looked around excitedly, waiting for the appearance of this mysterious secret guard. If he didn''t come out any time soon this little fairy''s going to be passing on to the afterlife! The whites of her eyes were slowly rising into the back of her head. The strength in her arm was weakening.


    What a shitty secret guard. Maybe this is his fucking fetish, watching his Lady being choked to death before coming to the rescue as she''s about to fucking die. Trying to be a savior when he''s a sick pervert? What a fucking riot this guy is. Just to spite the creepy bastard, Hu Tao released his grip off the midget''s neck and posed to strike right through her chest with his hand. She violently hacked and coughed to try and get air into her lungs. Not even aware of her impending death coming from above.


    Hu Tao''s hand struck down with merciless intent. He fully intended to kill this girl with this strike. No hesitation could be seen anywhere in his attack. Killing intent fully blasted into the surroundings.


    "And here I was trying to keep a low profile..." A voice suddenly appeared above Hu Tao and the chick. His foot was stopping Hu Tao''s deadly hand. "But I can''t just watch a woman die in front of me in good faith. Especially to a villain like this."


    "Took you long enough, freak." Hu Tao grabbed the guard''s foot and slung him across the forest clearing.


    He flipped through the air and gently landed back on the ground. Hu Tao stood up and grinned at his opponent. They both vanished from their original places and met halfway in the clearing. Hu Tao clawed towards the guard''s throat and watched as he easily dodged his attack. Hu Tao wasn''t going to stop just because he missed one attack. He kept on the offensive and unleashed attack after attack.


    His movements were unpredictable and wild like an animal''s. Attacking in ways that no normal humans could predict and react to. But this guy was able to handle his attacks well enough! It''s been around 30 seconds since their fight began and Hu Tao has yet to even scratch his clothes. Hu Tao''s grin widened even further. It looks like he didn''t waste his time messing around with Pigtails.


    Hu Tao changed up his fighting style. Instead of relying on his self-taught fighting style, he decided to use his recently gained Flowing Palms of Judgement. He held out both of his palms and led with his left leg forward. His twisted lust for fighting was growing even larger than it was earlier. He was excited to get some real experience with this palm art and seeing how this pervert would handle it.


    "It looks like you finally decided to become serious. Too bad, you still won''t be able to land a single hit on me." He mocked.


    Hu Tao couldn''t sense his cultivation realm but knew he wasn''t that far ahead of him. If it was, he wouldn''t be dodging Hu Tao''s attacks right now and would''ve finished him off earlier. Only a sneaky pussy bastard would waste time dodging when he could be ending a fight immediately. And Hu Tao plans on making him reveal all of his hidden cards. He still hasn''t even warmed up yet!


    Hu Tao thrusted his palm towards the chest of the bodyguard after sliding into his space. The scared bastard dodged again but Hu Tao followed up his palm strike with another and then another and continued to lead each palm strike into another attack. The two of them moved from one end of the clearing to the other. One on a constant assault and the other dodging as much as he could. Hu Tao''s attacks were only getting faster and stronger the more strikes he got out.


    Flowing Palms of Judgement is a fist martial art centered around a water-like defense and a non-stop rapid flowing series of strikes. The defense being based on water''s ever reactive nature and the attack side of the martial art being based on an unstoppable raging river or the endless powerful crashing of a waterfall. If mastered to its full potential, the user of this martial art can be said to be undefeatable in hand-to-hand combat.


    Hu Tao''s already reached the intermediate realm for this sky-ranked fist art in just a few weeks! If that doesn''t speak of how monstrous his talent is, then the way he''s slowly gaining even further understanding of the martial art as he''s in a heated battle should! The mysterious guard was finally being pressured by Hu Tao''s palms! He could no longer leisurely avoid his attacks and now had to actively deflect them and move away them!


    "Just who in the world are you...? I don''t remember someone as talented as you within the sect..." The guard muttered.


    "Heh... Now that''s a surprise. Someone that actually doesn''t know me! Don''t worry you sick fuck, I''ll tell you who I am after I bury you six feet under!" Hu Tao landed a powerful blow upon his chest and launched him flying into one of the giant trees within the Immortal Forest.


    Hu Tao watched as the guard crashed into the tree, back first, and then dropped to the ground. Blood dripped down his mouth and he looked as if he had trouble breathing.


    "Don''t fucking tell me you''re done after one hit." Hu Tao cursed.


    "You''re much stronger than I expected... I can''t remember anyone named Hu Tao... Just what is going on? The only ones stronger than me right now should be the top 10 rankers in the Inner Court, the core disciples, and the elder''s disciples." He muttered again.


    "Are you fucking crazy in the head asshole? Of course, I''m stronger than a pussy shit like you. Hiding your cultivation rank, running around like a scared bitch, and not even having the balls to throw a single punch. Not even Shield boy is that much of a pussy."


    "I can''t face him without using it but it''s too early to reveal something like that. I''ll have to escape..." He muttered a third time, like Hu Tao couldn''t fucking hear him mumbling!


    "OI! YOU INSANE BASTARD, DON''T YOU DARE THINK ABOUT RUNNING AWAY!" Hu Tao yelled.


    He looked around for the Pigtails and saw her hiding behind a tree. He disappeared, intent on capturing her and using her to force the guard into fighting him but he was outsped by the guard.


    The guard''s body briefly flashed with golden flames as he headed towards her first. Hu Tao wouldn''t accept another fight slipping through his fingers. Those flames aren''t just any flames. Just by being near the asshole, he feels like his blood was evaporating from the heat. How the hell was that midget bitch fine? Whatever, it didn''t matter.


    Hu Tao tapped into the anomalous power hidden within his chains. His body, mind, and soul became one with lightning and thunder. Red lightning raced across his body and his pupils turned into arcing lightning bolts. The chains that previously covered his body was now electricity wrapped around him along with the large metal ball. His hair was spiked up and rising straight up in the air.


    The two clashed just in front of the young miss and the force of their combined blow managed to send the young miss flying away. Hu Tao and the guard were sent sliding back nearly an equal distance away from each other after comparing strengths with the guard being moved back an extra step. Hu Tao smirked and prepared to continue their battle. The guard was experiencing a myriad of different emotions. Anger, confusion, disbelief, and shock all in one.


    "That''s a phoenix''s flame isn''t it?" Hu Tao suddenly asked.


    The guard''s glare turned ice cold. His killing intent was no longer being reigned in anymore and it was washing over Hu Tao like a tsunami''s wave. Hu Tao''s instincts were telling him to flee immediately. If the hairs all over his body weren''t raised before they sure are now after feeling that. But Hu Tao wasn''t a mindless beast, his instincts were nothing more than just a tool to help him in battle. Not something that had complete control over his being.


    This guard was about as young as him but that killing intent was about the same as an Earthly Immortal cultivator. That was an exaggeration but Hu Tao''s instincts never led him wrong before. That''s exactly what he felt like he was up against but he knew that the guard''s strength was around a 5th or 6th stage Qi Consolidator with those phoenix flames active.


    "Looks like I''ll have to kill you now..." He promised.


    "Don''t hold back or I''m running my mouth to everyone about your legendary flames. I know your types, hiding your strength until you''re forced to reveal everything you have and shocking everyone. That bastard Manchu is the exact same." Hu Tao chuckled.


    Phoenix fuck appeared behind Hu Tao and tried to chop his neck off from his shoulders. Hu Tao casually leaned his head back and stuck out his tongue to taunt him as he dodged the chop. With a surprising backflip from that position, he kicked Phoenix away. He could hear the snap of his wrist as he slid away from him. With an amused grin on his face, Hu Tao turned around to see Phoenix bastard''s arm fixing itself with a few audible cracks.


    "You''re faster than me? How?! The Phoenix''s flame might not be known for its speed but it isn''t any less than the other mythical spirit beasts!"


    "Fuck if I know retard!" Hu Tao stuck his middle finger up. "That crazy bitch gave me this as a gift for becoming her slave." Hu Tao appeared in front of Phoenix''s chest and attempted to elbow a hole straight through his chest.


    Phoenix tried to explode the area around him in a blazing inferno but Hu Tao''s lightning cut right through it. The flames couldn''t even come close to penetrating the lightning streaks zipping across Hu Tao''s body. Phoenix seemed to not even notice the hole in his chest with his hear visibly shown from the outside as he tried to grab onto Hu Tao. Hu Tao could see the hole he just made in his opponent recovering rapidly. His flesh quickly trying to heal and cover his unprotected heart.


    ''This bastard''s trying to trap me by using his body as bait! He knows he can heal and is trying to use that to kill me! Don''t even count on it you fucking idiot.''


    Hu Tao fully embraced the lightning flowing within his body. His speed was increased to a whole new level as he tore Phoenix apart from all around. Appearing behind him in a flash of lightning and ripping off his arm, vanishing back in front of him and ripping his leg off, making him fall to the ground, and digging inside his intestines with his claws and ripping them out like a savage animal.


    Blood drenched his hands and entire body. Phoenix''s healing was recovering much slowly now. Did it work with how much qi he had or did it run on another source of energy...? Well, it doesn''t matter. The bastard did let him have some fun even though he tried to skip out in the middle of it. He''ll give the sick asshole a proper death.


    Hu Tao stuck his hand inside the chest of the guard and grasped his slow beating heart in his fingers. He increased the pressure he had on the man''s heart and was close to crushing it. In a few moments he would be no more and Hu Tao would be on his way to finding more fights during this little weapon hunt. His grip was suddenly loosened as a foot came flying in his face and launching him through multiple trees. His body hung limp over the edge of a cracked tree. His lightning was gone and turned back into regular chains.


    A new figure stood over the guard''s slowly healing body. Along with that figure was a familiar girl, Pigtails.


    "Huh... I tried to kill you with that strike. Consider it your luck that you''re still alive. If you can consider that even alive..." The new person said about Hu Tao.


    "Big Brother... He saved my life. Please save him!" Pigtails hung onto his arm.


    "Tch. Only because you asked alright? Don''t think about making this guy your boyfriend or anything ok? I''ll have to kill him first before giving my sister to any man."


    She blushed heavily.


    "Shut up! Hurry up and help him before it''s too late!"


    "Yeah yeah yeah... I''m at the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. If I couldn???t even save a brat at the 2nd stage, I would be better off killing myself with a block of tofu."

 42 A New Member Of The Group!

    Jing stood over the nearly dead body of Hu Tao. His neck was snapped but he was still alive and breathing. He just couldn''t move an inch and probably was in terrible pain right now. Jing locked eyes with Hu Tao before gently wrapping her hands around his bent neck and head.


    CRACK!


    "YOU FUCKING CRAZY BITCH! THAT HURTS LIKE HELL!" Hu Tao screamed as he shot up.


    Jing casually whipped her foot into Hu Tao''s face, causing him to fall to the ground.


    "Mind explaining what happened to you?" Jing asked, not caring for his complaints or woes in the slightest.


    "I got fucking snuck up on by a siscon at the 9th stage." Hu Tao whined while rubbing his cheek.


    "Qi Consolidator?"


    "Yea."


    "Hmm. I''ll forgive you for nearly dying on me. You aren''t powerful enough yet to take on someone of that level right now. Did you catch his name or any important information about him besides his cultivation stage?"


    "I know he''s Pigtail''s brother."


    "Pigtails?"


    "Some weak bitch."


    "You''re literally useless." Jing facepalmed.


    "Hey, what do I care about the names of a few fucking weaklings?! If they can''t satisfy me in a fight then they aren''t worth remembering!"


    "I will need you to change that mindset from this day going forth. Information is power and willful ignorance is a curse. After all the work I put in taking you in, don''t make me get rid of you just as soon." Jing''s qi briefly burst out and hung over Hu Tao''s neck like an executioner''s blade.


    Hu Tao understood just how serious she was and couldn''t help himself from smiling in the face of death. That mysterious strength that doesn''t match her physique or looks at all. Hu Tao normally doesn''t give a shit about the backgrounds of people but Jing was just too much of a fucking strange thing! Behind that mask of hers she looked like a fucking baby but can twist that face into a wicked immortal queen on the flip of a dime! Just who the hell is she and where has she been all his life?!


    "I love you." Hu Tao blurted out.


    "I''m only interested in those equal to me. Now don''t disappoint me again." Jing disappeared from Hu Tao''s sights and left him on the forest''s floor.


    [Hu Tao''s loyalty has reached 100%]


    [He is now able to receive a SCP from the Host as a gift for his loyalty. Host has also received 1 epic ticket for their first follower reaching 100%]


    Jing''s eyebrows raised at this notice. She didn''t think she''d see this so soon. She would have to work on increasing the loyalty percentage for her other followers as well. Maybe she should gift them rewards from time to time after they do a good job for her. She''ll need to think of missions for them to do first beforehand though. Hu Tao already has a gift coming to him for being the first to fully submit to her. After he completes an important task given by her, she''ll give him that worthy gift.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Hu Tao has been thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated by someone far stronger than him. Help him grow strong enough to destroy everyone that was involved in the event that nearly killed him! One of those persons involved was also a Person of Fate! A blessed individual whose rise to the heavens is something fixed by one of the immortals above.]


    [Reminder! Hu Tao must kill Bo Fai, Yanyu, and Teng Yu with his own hands. No help is allowed during his revenge or the host will be penalized severely. Hu Tao must be gifted an SCP before killing Bo Fai.]


    [Rewards: 5 epic tickets, Infant Heavenly Steel Tree seed]


    Oh, so it seems the system wasn''t just focused on her alone. Most of the missions so far had to do with Jing or some other character but never her allies. Hu Tao had quite the fight ahead of him.


    ''A person blessed by the gods above huh? That sounds pretty interesting. I wonder what other kind of characters are blessed and what could I stand to gain from not killing them?''


    Jing started to travel along the tops of the trees within the Immortal Forest once more. She heard the roar of the mutant Golden Panda. Things were about the reach the end soon. Jing hopped her way on towards the roar of the panda and managed to spot two cultivators fighting. Normally she would''ve just ignored the two small fries and focused on the main prize of this but one of the cultivators fighting had a familiar face.


    It was that girl who was next to the talented boy that got rid of the Stone Koala earlier. Did they split up? Was that why she was alone right now? Why was this pretty boy fighting her?


    Jing focused her eyes and saw that one of the cubs of the golden panda was over here somehow. Was that why the Mama Panda screaming her head off up ahead? How did these two sneak this little guy over here without anyone else finding out? They aren''t as strong as the other disciples fighting the Mama Panda either. One of them must be good at hiding themselves. Jing let her curiosity win over her. She decided to see who gets to become the new owner of the baby mutant golden panda.


    ______________________________________________??Wan Qing pointed her sword at the female disciple.


    "Give up on taking this spirit beast cub. If you refuse, I will be forced to kill you here." Wan Qing warned.


    "I won''t give up so easily. Even if you are 4 stages ahead of me." Dai Yu spoke as she pointed her own blade at Qing.


    "Idiot." Wan Qing muttered before disappearing from her previous spot and appearing above Dai Yu with her blade posed to cleave Dai Yu''s head off.


    Dai Yu could barely react! She somehow managed to put her blade up before Qing could kill her and was sent flying off her feet backwards! The strength in that sword was not negligible! She didn''t even have time to strengthen her arms with qi to defend against that blow because of how fast it was. If it wasn''t for her spirit weapon then she would''ve died right there.


    Wan Qing looked at that blade. It had to be earth rank or stellar rank to take one of her attacks and not be damaged at all. Hmph, no matter. Even if it takes a hundred strikes, she will get her hands on this mutant cub. No one will stop her from claiming what she wants unless they kill her and take it from her hands. Qing no longer held back against the dumb beauty.


    She grew four butterfly wings made of qi from her back. Now luck would no longer be a factor. Qing flew towards Dai Yu as if she was a streak of light. Her blade clanged against the bubble spell Dai Yu put up in fear.


    "Ohohoho. Did I scare you that badly? That you needed to hide inside a bubble so that you wouldn''t die? Honestly, you look so cute in there. You should stay in there for the rest of your life!" Wan Qing laughed in her deep manly voice.


    She turned around and headed towards the wrapped-up panda cub. It was tied up by qi chains from a talisman and unconscious. Qing reached out to pick up the sleeping spirit beast but before she could, a blade was thrown at her! She swiped at the incoming sword with her own and sent it flying into the distance.


    "Nice try but not good enough." Qing sneered.


    "Or is it?!" Dai Yu''s blade suddenly stopped mid-air and came flying back towards her as if it had a will of its own!


    The blade started flying around her as she took out another blade from a storage ring? Now that was interesting to find out. Not just anyone could afford a storage ring. Not even she owned a storage ring despite being one of the most talented disciples in the Inner Court. Either her background was not as simple as Wan Qing thought or she stole it somehow.


    "Who are you?!" Qing cautiously asked. Offending someone for this mutant golden panda cub wasn''t worth her life in the long run. Clans that can afford storage rings for their children are not an existence Wan Qing can afford to go against right now.


    "I''m Dai Yu!"


    "Where did you get that storage ring from?" Qing asked after not knowing about a Yu clan.


    "None of your business!"


    "If you hand that ring over to me, you could still leave here with your life intact." Qing proposed.


    "Like I would give this ring to anyone! Brother Kun Lao gave me this as a ring! I''d rather die than betray the trust he''s given me!"


    "Isn''t that just so romantic?" Qing cooed.


    "S-Shut up! It''s not like that at all!" Dai Yu fiercely argued despite blushing heavily.


    "Sure, it isn''t Yu. That''s what we all say when we''re in love, you know?" Wan Qing calmly walked up to the distracted Dai Yu.


    "Lo-Love?! No no no no. You''re looking too into it! There''s no way it''s something like that..." She said unconfidently.


    "I was an innocent virgin just like you before I made something of myself in the sect. I know exactly how you feel. It wasn''t until my talent for cultivation showed that any men would actually take me up on my advances. That still didn''t stop me from pursuing them though."


    "Men...?" She asked confused.


    "That''s right. I''m interested in men just like any other girl. Is there something strange about that?" Wan Qing questioned as she stood in front of Dai Yu.


    "But you''re a..."


    "I''m a what?" Wan Qing hid her killing intent behind an innocent smile.


    "You''re a man Senior! How can you be interested in men?! That''s wrong!"


    "I''m a lady. Not a man."


    "No, you''re not Senior! Just look at you! Anyone can tell you''re a man!"


    "I guess that''s what I get for trying to make friends with ignorant peasants." Qing slowly stabbed her sword into Dai Yu''s stomach. "Hah... One day I''ll get to have a girl talk with someone that won''t judge me negatively for what I am."


    "Senior...Why....?" Dai Yu questioned with a look of sadness on her face.


    "Hush up now sweetie. Our chance for friendship ended the moment you decided to be so thick headed." Wan Qing took her sword out of Dai Yu and flicked the blood off the blade onto the dirt.


    She started to walk away and as she turned around, she noticed the sudden appearance of someone else.


    "DAI YU!!!" The boy screamed as he moved extremely quickly and appeared over the dying body of Dai Yu.


    Wan Qing shrugged her shoulders and lifted the wrapped-up panda cub on her shoulder. She walked away without any lingering emotions and a frightful amount of killing intent hit her from the back. It dared her to make a single step out of this clearing and her head would be rolling the same time her foot hits the ground. Now that was a scary amount of killing intent, did she just kill his girlfriend or something? Oh! That might''ve been the guy she was in love with. Hah... Now that''s embarrassing, being caught up by the lover of someone you just killed.


    Qing safely placed the golden panda baby next to a tree as she got ready to fight the lover boy. He had two strange bronze bracelets hanging off his arm. Cute fashion statement but too bad he''s going to be dying soon. The least Qing could do for him was to send him off with his lover. Wouldn''t it be more torturous to have the lovers split apart with one in life and the other in death? Even she wasn''t that cruel.


    "Why...? Why did you try to kill Dai Yu...?" He asked while shaking angrily.


    "I suppose you deserve an answer... She was your lover after all. And I''m a sucker for love. I guess it was a difference in principles." Wan Qing calmly answered.


    "I see... Then prepare to die because of a difference in our principles." He stood up and pulled out his blade.


    "Hah. Cute in looks and personality." Qing giggled, clearly looking down on the 2nd stage Qi Consolidator.


    She blinked and that''s all it took for Kun Lao to appear in front of her with his sword aimed directly at her heart. This kind of speed wasn''t the speed of a normal 2nd stage Qi Consolidator! Qing blocked his attack and had to defend herself against his rage-filled sword strikes. Love is truly amazing isn''t it? Someone at his stage is capable of sending a cultivator at her level on the defensive through the power of love! Well, it wasn''t just love, that would be silly if someone could become stronger just with emotions alone. He had a bloodline that most likely just awakened after seeing his girlfriend dead on the floor. A very powerful bloodline that was strong enough to make them equal in strength despite being four small stages away from each other.


    Wan Qing wasn''t worried too much. As long as she kept a cool head and let him tire himself out, she should get away from this without much trouble. The awakening of a bloodline is not something anyone can just master right out of the gate. It takes careful practice and experience to get used to the effects of a bloodline, unless you''re one of those super prodigies who were born with their bloodlines active right out of the womb. Then you''re just a monster.


    Kun Lao''s bloodline was putting a heavy tax on his body and Qing could tell that he wasn''t going to leave this fight without any permanent injuries to his body. It looks like his body was too weak to use his bloodline to its maximum limit. It didn''t seem like it bothered him at all though. They''ve been fighting for about 5 or so minutes now and he''s still going as strong as he was from the beginning. Isn''t he afraid of dying before being able to kill her? He won''t be able to avenge his girlfriend if he kills himself first.


    "YOU BASTARD!!!!!!" His qi exploded in a light red explosion.


    Wan Qing was sent tumbling off into the air from the force of that qi alone. It was a good thing she had wings because she was knocked pretty far up. If she didn''t, the fall would not have been pretty. Even for someone at her stage. Wan Qing shook her head before spotting Kun Lao suddenly holding a bow in his hands. Did he have a storage ring as well? Where did he pull out that bow from? That bow is way too big to be have hidden anywhere on his body. Oh wait, the girl did say that she was given her storage ring by lover boy so, it makes sense that he has his own as well.


    He let go of the bowstring and Qing''s eyes bulged in complete shock! She barely had enough time to react to the ''arrow'' sent at her! Her sword protected her from whatever he sent at her drilling a hole through her skull. She slashed at the thing and it looked like bone shards? What the hell did he just fire at her with that bow?


    "Puc!"


    She got distracted... He fired another arrow that pierced right through the left of her abdomen and a third one that shot a hole through her shoulder. She started falling out of the sky. Her concentration was messed up and she couldn''t focus on stabilizing her breathing to keep her wings formed. Wan Qing fell and broke multiple branches on her way down to the ground. This was the first time she''s ever been in this bad of a situation.


    Kun Lao stood over her. She could see the painful grimace on his face as his arm quickly regenerated. That bow... It fired his own bones at his enemies? What kind of lunatic would use such a crazy weapon!? She could barely take any air into her lungs right now. Trying to speak right now would probably kill her. What an ugly ending... Not beautiful in the slightest...


    Wan Qing did the only thing she could do as a disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect. She glared at Kun Lao with all her soul. He glared back with a death glare of his own and turned away from her before grabbing Dai Yu''s body, bridal style and vanished into the forest. So, this is it for her huh... So much for talent when bullshit bloodlines and spirit weapons like that exist.


    ''I???m sorry sisters... I wasn''t able to accomplish my dreams of becoming a respected and accepted cultivator throughout the lands. I wasn''t able to change the world into one that would allow people like me to fit in with the rest... I wasn''t even able to find a single friend in the world that truly accepted me for who I am... Haha... What a waste of a life...'' Tears flowed from Wan Qing''s nearly dead body.


    ______________________________________________??Jing stood over the almost dead body of Wan Qing. She was interested in her. Yes, she said her. She may have the genitals of a male but if she herself wants to be referred to as a woman, Jing has no problem with that. It may be a bit unusual but it isn''t as if it personally affects her. What did she care if he wanted to become a woman? All she cared about was how useful she could be and seeing the situation she was in... Her loyalty wouldn''t be that hard to gain after being brought back from the brink of death. But her main reason for approaching this soon-to-be corpse was this...


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Take in Wan Qing and allow her the chance to get revenge on her killer! Her killer, Kun Lao, was no simple disciple! He was a Person of Fate! One blessed by the heavens themselves to rise to the top of this world! You will now be tasked with taking their blessings or killing them before they can become someone unstoppable!]


    [Reminder! Only Wan Qing is allowed to kill Kun Lao for the rewards of this mission! Wan Qing must be gifted an SCP before being able to take on Kun Lao!]


    [Rewards: 5 epic tickets, Sky ranked blacksmith manual]


    Jing took out a refined recovery pill and forced Qing to swallow it. The injuries to her body were being healed at a quick rate similar to the boy who managed to snatch SCP-154 while the lackies of the top rankers were dealing with the Mutant Golden Panda. Qing soon awakened and Jing stood over her with her mask on.


    "What is it that you desire?" She asked.


    "Did you save me...?" Qing asked.


    "When you were about to depart from this world, what did you wish you could accomplish before passing on?" She asked.


    "I...joined this sect in hopes of becoming the sect leader and reforming it into the most beautiful sect in the world..."


    "What else?" Jing knew she had more ambitions than that.


    "To make a real friend... To find love... to be treated with respect and dignity like any other human. To show the Blossoming Flower sect that they should''ve never rejected me. To show everyone who ever looked down on me that I am not to be underestimated! To bring honor and peace to my many sisters that supported me for who I chose to be! To kill Kun Lao as payback for killing me!"


    ''Uh. That was a lot more than I needed but that''s fine.'' Jing held her hand out.


    "I have the resources and power to make your ambitions come true. Join me and I''ll give you everything you ever wanted and more." Jing''s aura towered over the confused Wan Qing.


    "Why me?" Qing hesitated before taking her hand.


    "I see a powerful drive in you... I need people like you. People who want to bring about a change. People who will set out to accomplish their goals at any cost. People who need a helping hand..."


    Qing took Jing''s hand.


    "You''ve made a wise choice Wan Qing. You won''t regret choosing to become one of mine." Jing removed her mask and smiled.


    "Who are you...?"


    "My name is Jing. Follow me. I have some things to give you as a gift for joining me, as well as some things to tell you about my group."

 43 Getting into Trouble Again!

    Lei Zhi found himself surrounded by a group of youth. He just got done capturing a spirit beast with his fishing rod for a task from the Mission Hall and the young men and women with various weapons demanded he handed over all his belongings. Normally, Lei Zhi would have handed whatever his robber wanted as soon as possible but things aren''t the same as they once were. He has become someone different from his past self. He has the capability to defend himself now. The robbers were disciples from his own sect and were varied in their cultivation stages. Thankfully the highest ones were only 2 stages above him and at these low stages of the cultivation ladder, the only difference is in physical strength and qi quantity.


    "I believe we can come to a favorable conclusion that doesn''t involve robbing me of everything I have." Lei Zhi politely said.


    "Unless you got a buddy at the 7th stage hiding around here, don''t count on it old man." The young man waved a dagger at him.


    "I''m afraid I do not, but can I ask you young men and women a question?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "This gramps sure likes to talk a lot, why don''t we just rob him already?"


    "Sure, ask anything you want but it''s not gonna help you at all." Dagger Youth smirked.


    "Are you all truly in such dire straits that you cannot help but rob others to advance?" Lei Zhi questioned with concern.


    The robbers looked at each other in confusion before suddenly erupting in laughter together.


    "Haha! What the hell?! Has this old man gone senile?!"


    "You think someone would rob people because of a reason like that?! What an idiot! Hahahaha!"


    "He''s so cute and stupid! I wish I had a grandpa like him." A female robber commented.


    "Listen old man. We''re part of Wolfeng Gang. Haven''t you heard of us before?" Dagger Youth asked.


    "Ah, you all are part of that bandit faction. I understand now. You steal and harm others because you find it enjoyable not because you are forced to do so."


    ???Lei Zhi could only call the Wolfeng Gang, a bandit faction. There is no other way to describe them in a more fitting way. From all the rumors he heard about their group, these people are the worst of the worst. Murder, ****, theft, nothing is considered too far for those in this group. It is said that one doesn''t even need to be at odds with them to be considered enemies. They harass and take from anyone not stronger them.


    It is often called the Weakling''s Paradise because of how anyone can do whatever they please as long as they don''t offend anyone strong enough to wipe out their faction. If you want to violate young women and young men, Wolfeng Gang will take you in. If you want to do nothing but kill and torture people, the Wolfeng Gang will welcome you with open arms. If you want to never work for anything in your life and take things from those who have, The Wolfeng Gang has a spot for you.


    A group like this isn''t necessary for the future he envisions for the sect. It would be better if it was completely wiped out but that would be too hasty. Lei Zhi is letting his emotions affect him more than he should. He doesn''t know if everyone in the group are irredeemable monsters. For now, he should just retreat. It would be the safest option and avoid any conflict with this group.


    "I hope you all find a better path to follow in life. Farewell." Lei Zhi''s figure turned hazy.


    He appeared in multiple places within the center of the Wolfeng Gang. It looked like there were copies of Lei Zhi all around and he was the one who now surrounded the bandits!


    "Kill him! It''s just a stupid trick!" The Dagger Youth sliced at the throat of one of the misty clones and it dissipated away.


    All the members of the Wolfeng Gang attacked the hazy figures and were shocked once they saw that none of them were the real Lei Zhi!


    "That fucking old coot gave us the slip!"


    "That coward!"


    "Next time I see that old man, I''m plunging my dagger right through his heart for daring to run away from me, Wang Yong!"


    Lei Zhi actually didn''t run away that far. He was hiding nearby while concealing his qi. The reason why was because he was curious if they would try and swear revenge against him for simply running away and it turns out they did. Lei Zhi was actually at a lost here. There was no way he could have handled that situation without them trying to aim for him later.


    Well actually, there was one way but he would always consider that the last possible option. How could he have hopes to reform today''s youth if he has to kill them? No, Lei Zhi wouldn''t take the future away from anyone that isn''t completely irredeemable. Although it will be quite scary to have a target on his back like Bing and Ying, perhaps it will help him understand just how far gone some youths are.


    Lei Zhi ran away for good this time, choosing not to kill the young group of cultivators. He had to leave behind the spirit beast he caught but it was better than having to fight for no reason. He could still find another one before making his way back to the sect. Iron-horned deer aren''t rare in this part of the forest.


    Half an hour later, he spotted a group of them grazing on the grass. Lei Zhi hid himself from their sights and took out his rod on his back. He looked for the strongest and healthiest deer to hook. You could tell how far an Iron-horned deer was in its cultivation by looking at the color and size of its horn. The one Lei Zhi was looking at were large enough threaten bears and gorillas. He couldn''t see colors though so he hoped that size would be good enough to determine their maturity.


    Lei Zhi tossed his hook into the rear of the deer and quickly reeled it in. It screamed in pain, causing all the other deer to flee away as quickly as they could. It flailed and struggled against the pull of the hook but all it did was cause it to tire out even faster. Hooking it on the butt kept any serious damages from happening to the deer, if he hooked it anywhere else, he could''ve caused serious injuries that would take expensive materials to heal with.


    Fishing spirit beasts on land wasn''t that different from fishing them from the water. They just took a bit longer to tire out after you caught them. The deer was now softly breathing on the ground next to Lei Zhi. It was completely out of energy after trying to break free from his line and basically harmless. He wished his fishing rod tamed beasts on land the same way it did to beasts in water. It could have been enjoyable to ride the deer all the way back to the sect.


    Lei Zhi slapped a capturing spell on the exhausted beast and watched as it was swallowed up into a golden bead. The golden bead shined a light every few seconds and then dimmed into a bronze colored bead. Lei Zhi knew that the deer didn''t have much strength in it to resist the spell. This would make things easier on him; trying to carry that heavy spirit beast back would take too much time and he wasn''t a young man anymore. Lei Zhi returned back to the sect without further incidents and got his contribution points.


    ______________________________________________"Kill that fat bastard!"


    "Don''t let him escape alive!!!"


    "I''m going to eat his flesh and shit out his bones!!!"


    Bing slapped another teleportation spell on himself and got himself out of the immediate danger that he was in. Those crazy Huan clan dogs chased him out of his home and even chased him into the Immortal Forest. It''s going to be a hard few weeks until the start of the Plains but he should be fine if he plays it as safe as he has. He''s fully stocked up on teleportation talismans so if he runs into any spirit beasts or cultivators stronger than him, he can escape whenever he wants.


    For anything weaker than him, he can feed it to his shield and cultivation techniques. Just like these cultivators behind him that are at the 4th stage just like him. After he killed their secret weapon, he spent the rest of the day frantically trying to break through to the next realm. Any sliver of strength is needed in this dangerous time. He''s already called for backup using the Empress''s special messaging talisman. Ying said she was on her way and was excited to cut down a few more Huan dogs. Lei Zhi said that he could hide out at his shack until it was time for the Plains. Hu Tao told him to kill them all or die for being a worthless weakling. The Empress didn''t respond...


    But back to the situation at hand, Bing beefed himself up before using Swift Devil and charging into one of the three cultivators behind him. The cultivator was sent flying into the tree. If all of his ribs weren''t shattered by that shield bash, then something else inside him had to be ruined just as worst. The other two were surprised at Bing''s sudden appearance and quickly moved to take out their swords and strike him down. Bing grabbed the faster cultivator by the throat and used her body to defend against the sword strike of the other. The cultivator''s sword stabbed straight through his ally and he was stunned at his actions, giving Bing enough time to drop the body and smack his shield into the skull of the remaining Huan clan member.


    With a powerful stomp, Bing crushed the neck of the fighter and stood among the remaining bodies. He gathered them all up in a pile in preparation to feed it to his Devil Arms martial art. A sinister and dark air surrounding Bing as he activated the special breathing technique. His hand came alive as a forked tongue split open his palm and licked the air with excitement. Sharp pointed teeth appeared inside the mouth and the tongue hovered over the bodies, salivating. Soon, everything but the bones were sucked whole by the mouth.


    Bing felt the strength in his body increasing as the tongue sucked the bodies dry. He was glad he didn''t actually taste anything while his hand was doing its thing. It would be hard to not call himself a cannibal if he could taste these guys. Bing might be willing to do certain things to increase his strength but he doesn''t plan on losing his humanity and common sense at the cost of it. After draining the cultivators dry of any remaining meat, he crushed their bones and fed their blood to his shield, giving it a nicer shine but the size stayed the same this time.


    "I wonder what you need all this blood for in the first place..." Bing mumbled to his shield.


    ______________________________________________??Ying was wandering through the Immortal Forest looking for Bing. The big guy managed to get himself into some deep trouble and most of the Huan clan from the sect is after him. Since she was his friend and didn''t really want to see him die in such a pathetic way, she decided to help him out! It wasn''t like she had anything better to do nowadays. Just constant training, ranking matches, eating, and sleeping.


    Ying found herself running into a group of cultivators. They were around her cultivation rank and seemed to be looking for something... or someone.


    "Hey you aren''t looking for a dumpling in the shape of a person too, are you?" Ying asked.


    "She''s the fatass''s friend. She has to know where he''s hiding. Get her!"


    Ying stood and watched as 5 cultivators out the 6 in front of her rushed towards her. If they know she and Bing are friends then they should know that she''s stronger than him, right?


    "She''s mine!"


    "What a beauty she is! Maybe I can have some fun with her if she doesn''t talk willingly."


    The greatsword wielder didn''t even spare a second for these idiots. Bing could be in danger right now so, she didn''t have the time to play with these trashes. With a single slash of her sword, she managed to cut through three of the cultivators'' midsections. Crippling fear, disbelief, and panic filled the others. Ying stabbed her sword through the chest of one of the idiots just standing around and tossed his body at the one who fell down to the ground after seeing her cut the other three in half.


    And with a mighty leap, she stuck her sword through the two like a skewer. The last guy was at the same rank as herself but the stain in his robes told her everything she needed to know about this coward. They locked eyes. Ying''s brightly burning orange eyes seemed to bore into his soul. His life was already in her hands and nothing he could do could possibly stop her. His life was forfeit the moment he encountered her. He didn''t expect that today would be his last day living in this world.


    Ying walked over to the doofus staring off into space. She knocked on his head and got no reaction. Did she just scare this guy into a retard?


    "Hello? Is anyone hoooooome?" She waved her hand in front of his eyes but he still didn''t react.


    He didn''t even blink but the puddle beneath his legs was getting larger.


    ''Whatever.''


    Ying ran off deeper into the forest to try and find Bing. She took out any Huan cultivators around that she met with to cull their numbers a bit more for Bing. Since the old man said he could stay at his place, he should be heading somewhere in that direction. Hopefully, she''ll be able to catch up to him before he gets himself killed but knowing Bing, he should be fine. He likes to use his fat head a lot to think about pointless things and worry about nothing.


    ______________________________________________"You''ve caused a lot of trouble for my clan you know that fatty?" Bing had blood running down his face while holding his shield towards his opponent.


    "You''ve caused a lot of trouble for me as well. Your clan should know when to cut your losses. You''ve lost more than you could have ever possibly gained by trying to kill me over and over. Even now... They''re going to lose an 8th stage Qi Gatherer by trying to kill me." Bing said as his 4th stage qi was musculizing his fat.


    "Ho... So, you think you''ll be able to kill me Fatty? A 4th stage Qi Gatherer with a little shield is going to be able to kill me?"


    "It might not happen now or anytime soon but, I promise I will destroy the Huan clan and everyone who came after my life. I didn''t ask for this but trust me, I will finish it." The aura surrounding Bing was something frightening and terrifying.


    The look in his eyes promised pain and destruction to all those that stood by the Huan clan. The types of eyes that only a certain type of people could have. A certain type of people that will follow through on their promises no matter who or what stands in their way. Maybe Bing isn''t as ordinary and common as he thought. Not just any 4th stage Qi Gatherer could make someone 4 stages higher than him actually frightened just with a glare and promise.


    "Talk big all you want Fatty, you won''t even die with a proper burial!" He tried to laugh off his previous fright. There''s no way he could be scared by this tub of lard. He rushed at him to kill!

 44 Bings Help Arrives!

    Bing flexed his hand as he transformed his body. The round and wide Bing was gone and a large and more powerful Bing was taking his place. Strength radiated off his figure and his body seemed to be far stronger than his qi cultivation would suggest. Reaching this level of physical might is far uncommon for the typical cultivator. Only those with masochistic martial arts could ever hope to compete with the sky-ranked Devil''s Arms and Devil''s Physique.


    The type of martial arts that forces the user to continually destroy their bodies in different ways and constantly escalates in promise of an even stronger body. Swimming in lava pools, taking lightning on with their bodies, and destroying their flesh and bones to recreate them with even more toughness! This is the path of the most famous physical cultivators. But Bing was something of an anomaly.


    Bing didn''t need to hurt himself or work his body out to extreme levels at all to gain great strength. All he needed was to absorb the body of another with his Devil''s Arms and his strength would grow! He could take the progress of another''s and benefit from their hard work with far less effort given. Killing someone in this dog-eat-dog world, wasn''t much when compared to training to the limit every day and strengthening your body all to have that hard work stolen from another with less than half the work!


    To advance his Devil''s Physique all he needed to do was eat food with high quality qi and nourishment. The body technique would covert 100% of the nutritional value in the food to his body making sure that not a single piece of it was wasted. The normal cultivator couldn''t even come close to Bing''s absorption rate. The only way for a cultivator to reach 100% like Bing was if they got a pill refiner to refined it for them and refine it perfectly without a single accident.


    It was a total cheat and Bing has only recently realized just how powerful his Devil Arts were. His true strength would be on a different level compared to his actual cultivation stage as long as he continues to take the bodies of others with his mouth hand and eat qi rich foods and herbs.


    "Die fool!" Bing stood his ground like a stubborn bull and took the attack head on with his shield.


    He was forced to slide back from his strength but barely moved from his original position. The Huan dog sent multiple slashes with his sword at Bing. Bing''s eyes could track them all, his body could respond to each slice, and his shield could defend against each strike! If it wasn''t for the many bodies he''s absorbed since the start of being chased, Bing wouldn''t have stood a chance against this cultivator.


    Well, he still doesn''t but at least he wasn''t being completely dominated. The situation changed in a second, soon the sword became nothing but a gleaming ray of light that wanted nothing more than to pierce into his flesh. The speed of his swordsmanship increased and now Bing was having trouble reacting to his attacks. He felt his flesh being sliced, his reaction being slowed, and his strength being drained with every hit.


    Bing was forced entirely on the defensive lest he wanted to die from a thousand cuts! If his opponent had a spirit weapon, Bing was sure a couple pieces of his flesh would be lying on the ground right now. He had to do something and do it quick. If things continued the way it was going now, Bing would find himself sliced into pieces!


    "Swift Devil!" Bing blasted away as if he was trying to escape.


    "Don''t run away Fatty! I''m not done prepping you for the main course!"


    "Swift Devil! Swift Devil! Swift Devil!" Bing became nothing but a blur as he left behind the 8th stage Qi Gatherer.


    He dropped to his hands and knees after plowing through multiple trees. Those destroyed trees would lead the Huan member right towards him but that was fine. He didn''t run out of fear for his life or anything but to wisely retreat in preparation for the day he would get his revenge. Bing took out another teleportation spell and slapped it on himself, disappearing from his position and appearing 50 steps elsewhere.


    He dug into his pockets and ate a recovery pill and a qi pill to get himself back in a working state. There''s no telling where exactly he just teleported himself, there might be some more Huan clan cultivators around. He couldn''t see anyone nearby and the forest looked basically untouched from where he was. Looking down at his plump body, Bing took a second to catch his breath and just relaxed for the moment.


    He''s been running and fighting since the early morning thanks to the Huan clan. There weren''t moments like this where he could just sit and relax against a tree. No threat to his life was anywhere in sight and the Immortal Forest was just as beautiful as ever. He used this chance to cultivate in peace. Any time he could use to increase his strength was invaluable with the circumstances he found himself in.


    It was nothing but the sound of birds tweeting and insects buzzing. The wind was calm and gentle, unlike his current circumstances that was anything but those two things. His stomach moved along with his chest as he breathed in and out during his cultivation. His stomach being more noticeable than his chest but Bing was not ashamed of his body. He was taught that you should love yourself as you are and stood by that saying with all his heart.


    Bing continuously cycled his qi within his body and used it to bash against the barrier leading to the 5th stage. It wasn''t too long ago that he broke into the 4th stage so it wouldn''t be anytime soon that he would be able to breakthrough to the 5th realm with just his talent alone. To overcome his average talent, Bing would need countless resources to climb the heights of cultivation. Bing wasn''t one to normally get excited over dangerous things but once the Treasured Plains open, it isn''t too farfetched to say that his entire life is going to change from the magical treasures inside. As long as he plays his cards right and use some common sense, he should have a fairly good time inside.


    Bing''s situation didn''t change for a while. Peacefully cultivating under a tree with the wind blowing at him lightly. It wasn''t until a familiar face showed up abruptly that Bing''s situation changed.


    Bang!


    "Gah!" Ying''s flaming figure was sent flying through the tree Bing was cultivating under.


    Bing turned around to see the 8th stage Qi Gatherer he was fighting before surrounded by rose petals. He had a deep bleeding gash on his stomach with eyes full of rage and hatred. He didn''t even take notice of Bing as he covered his sword with the rose petals and posed with his sword''s tip aimed at Ying. Ying slowly rose from the ground covered in wounds and burning with terrible heat. She didn''t seem to notice him either as her sword became a giant mass of flames. She pointed her blade at the Huan cultivator back.


    "You''re not so bad for a mutt from the Huan clan." She spat some blood out of her mouth.


    "First, it was the Fatty to disrespect me and now it is some stupid girl!? I, Shui Huan, have never been insulted like this ever! Does my cultivation stage mean nothing to you ants?! Does my clan mean nothing in your eyes!? Just die already!" He vanished from his previous position and dashed at extremely high speeds towards Ying.


    Ying didn''t even blink as she centered herself and charged towards the 8th stage with her sword. She held it like a lance and looked like she planned on piercing him through the chest just like he does with her.


    ''Hah... It''s just like her to not even try and think of avoiding his attack. The huge amount of qi in that rose petal covered blade is not something he can just pull out on a whim. If she avoided it till, he drained himself dry she wouldn''t have to risk her life like this. That reckless straightforward fighting style is something I''ll never understand. Life is too precious to take unnecessary risks.'' Bing thought as the two blades clashed against one another.


    A fierce wave of heat that would turn any average disciple in the 6th stage to ash, shot out from Ying''s blade behind Shui. Her flames were just barely on the cusps of reaching Shui''s body but his qi defended him from the initial intensity of the heat. His skin however was covered in blisters and reddening from the flames. The wound on his stomach was bubbling from the heat. The trees behind him were reduced to wood ash. Even Bing had to shield himself from the heat using his qi and shield to protect him.


    From out of Shui''s blade, countless rose petals shot out from his blade. Petals that looked sharp enough to cut through any metal. The petals sliced into Ying''s body, having cuts appear all over her. The flames engulfing her were barely strong enough to defend her vital areas but she was still heavily bleeding. The trees behind her were sliced into numerous pieces and fell to the ground, the petals went through them like they were nothing more than paper taking on miniature swords.


    The two suffered terrible injuries with Ying coming out on top with looking the most injured but even with that, she was still overpowering Shui in strength! Her giant blade''s sharp tip was pushing back Shui''s sword! Shui''s shocked expression showed just how he felt about this situation.


    "Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! There''s no way I could lose to a girl two stages below me! No! No! No! I refuse to accept it! I won''t accept it! Never could I allow myself to be humiliated so badly! I am a member of the great Huan clan! You are nothing but worms that should be licking the dirt off my feet!!!" Shui screamed with great power.


    His qi started swirling to new heights. Ying''s sword started to be pushed back inch by inch no matter how much strength she put into her arm.


    "I got you Ying!" Bing suddenly called out. "Swift Devil!"


    Bing tackled Shui off his feet and then rolled onto the ground. Bing suffered some cuts from the swirling rose petals that was around Shui''s body but ignored them as he bashed his shield into Shui''s head as hard as he could. Shui lost his sword from the tackle and could only try and push Bing off with his qi and rose petals alone.


    "Bing?" Ying absentmindedly muttered before looking over to see Bing on top of Shui. "When did you get here?"


    Bing couldn''t answer her question as Shui bucked and twisted to get free from his great weight. He used his knees to hold Shui''s arms down to stop him from grabbing him. He could feel himself crushing the ribs of the arrogant cultivator but that would take too long and these rose petals could take his eye out if he isn''t careful. Bing grew an additional pair of arms that quickly shot out of the front of his stomach and grabbed the throat of Shui. He slowly crushed his throat while slamming his shield into Shui''s head at full force.


    "YOU FAT TRASH! HOW DARE YOU!?" Bing was suddenly blindsided by someone and knocked near Ying''s legs.


    ??They were a nice pair of legs but now wasn''t the time to focus on such a thing. Bing flipped himself up and took out a recovery pill from his pocket to give to Ying.


    "Thanks, but don''t expect to see me in a situation like that again." She swallowed the pill. The many cuts on her body were being slowly healed.


    "Let''s hope a situation like that doesn''t happen again..." Bing muttered as he looked at the groups of Huan clan members gathering together in front of them.


    "Speaking of situations... You wouldn''t mind running away with me, would you?" Bing asked innocently.


    Ying just looked at him as if he was an idiot.


    "A Yue never runs from her enemies. I won''t shame my family by fleeing from a dangerous battle. A Yue can only grow by surviving through the bloodiest and most terrible of battles."


    Bing really hated Yue''s barbaric savage family and their rules but it''s not like he expected any other answer after all the time with her. The girl will go forward and never even consider going left, right, down, up, or back. Really makes it impossible to get out of perilous situations with her because of it. It looks like they''ll have to go all out if they want to survive. If worse comes to worst he''ll have to teleport with Ying against her will.


    "KILL THEM!!!!" The Huan clan members charged towards them.


    Ying grinned as she looked at the unsurmountable odds. The thought of losing never even crossed her mind. She''ll get out of this alive or die trying. She would try and keep Bing from dying though. Her family''s rules don''t involve outsiders. She stood right next to Bing who was fully ready to take on the large group with her.


    "I don''t believe all this bloodshed is necessary my fellow disciples. We are all Golden Serpent disciples. We shouldn''t be so eager to rip each other apart." Lei Zhi suddenly spoke up as Xiurong jumped forward and grew to giant heights and towered over everyone.


    Xiurong stood in front of Bing, Ying, and Lei Zhi. She snapped her mighty claws and the Huan clan stopped in their tracks seeing her huge size. She was almost as big as a Dragon Worm! Everyone present had no doubts that she was able to take on a Dragon Worm with her size and even win! Lei Zhi smiled at Ying and Bing.


    "Get out of the way Zhi. I''m not running away from this." Ying threw away his heroic action without much regard.


    "Please rethink this Ying. It would do no good for anyone to indulge in a meaningless slaughter."


    "It''s not meaningless! These bastards want our head! And if that''s not a good enough reason to kill someone then I don''t know what is."


    "You would kill someone for literally anything." Bing pointed out


    "Shut it Bing. I''m saving your life here if you forgot." She punched him in his arm and stared back at Lei Zhi.


    "That''s right you are saving his life remember? When did killing become a part of saving someone''s life?" Lei Zhi questioned.


    Ying grumbled. Her goal was to help out Bing. She didn''t come out here only to slaughter the Huan dogs.


    "Fine Zhi! I''ll back down this time but don''t expect something like this again!" She faced Bing with an angry huff. Seeing him smile so stupidly and relieved made her want to take her frustrations out on him. How could anyone be satisfied with running away? Zhi''s stupid peaceful nature and Bing''s stupid cowardly personality are so annoying sometimes!


    She repeatedly punched Bing in his arm as Lei Zhi called back Xiurong and Bing took out another teleportation spell to teleport them all away. Bing grabbed the two and they vanished 100 steps away. Ying angrily took the lead as she had more experience in the Immortal Forest than any of them. She led them towards Lei Zhi''s shack while unleashing her frustrations on the two by criticizing them and insulting them. The blind middle-aged man and the porky youth only smiled like idiots. No more bloodshed and no possibility of losing their lives in a pointless battle. If anything, they came out on top today in their opinion.

 45 Ying Gets Stung!

    Ying lifted her blade into the air and swung it down for the 500th time. She was mildly sweating but this wasn''t anywhere near her limit. This was one part of her training, swinging her blade till she couldn''t swing it anymore. The other part was image training. Lei Zhi is the one who gave her the idea after she complained about not being able to train her sword technique without cutting people apart.


    She had to give the old man credit, this image training was a perfect way of testing everything she''s learned and raising her martial arts at the same time. She wondered how an old coot like him could think of something like that and Bing asked for her thankfully.


    "Lei Zhi, how did you think of this training method?"


    He chuckled sadly before answering.


    "I wanted to find a way of making myself stronger without risking my life against the other disciples. So, I watched the strongest disciples fight against each other and imagined myself fighting against them. And since I knew that I had no possible chance against them, they were the perfect opponents to help me train myself as I believed that they would be able to react to anything I could pull out against them." He told them.


    "That''s pretty smart..." Bing complimented.


    "But what if you can''t think of anyone that strong?" Ying asked.


    "My only advice would be to find someone that you believe is unbeatable. I was always weak and even now I still believe I''m weak. That''s why it''s not that much of a problem for me to image multiple cultivators that I believe I wouldn''t stand a chance against." Lei Zhi responded.


    Ying was stuck thinking about multiple people inside her head.


    "Why don''t you just imagine Hu Tao?" Bing asked.


    "That shitty bastard is strong but he''s not unbeatable! Just wait till I catch up to him in cultivation!" Ying growled.


    "What about any top rankers?" Lei Zhi suggested.


    "I don''t know much about any of them. None of the people in the Outer Court really gives me a dangerous feeling."


    "Why are you only thinking about the people in the Outer Court?" Bing asked.


    "You could even think of your own father, mother, sister, or grandfather. Anyone whose fighting style you have a clear understanding of." Lei Zhi added.


    "Hmm..." Ying closed her eyes and three figures appeared in front of her.


    Jing, Manchu, and her Grandfather stood in front of her. Jing''s copy immediately disappeared as she didn''t understand how she fought. Ying was indeed terrified of her strength but she didn''t know how she used that strength in a fight. Manchu would be the perfect opponent if that shitty bastard, Hu Tao, wasn''t always going off about how he''s hiding his real strength and never really goes all out in his ranking matches. His copy also faded away, leaving her grandfather as the only person she can battle against. Her grandfather was an incredibly strong cultivator and there was only a single time she''s ever seen him going all out. It will have to do.


    Bing was doing a different type of training from Ying and Lei Zhi. As a cultivator that uses a shield to battle, his main focus in training was to increase how long he can endure. Endurance is what he needed to train first over his strength, speed, and skill. From what his shield art told him, a shielder than can''t last in battle is a useless shielder. Even if his shield were to break, as long as he can keep moving, that is all that matters.


    He was repeatedly using his movement martial art, Swift Devil, to wear his body out. Swift Devil is a leg-based technique that is quite different from others. Qi is an important part of using it but the skill places more strain on the body rather than just using up qi. The more Bing uses Swift Devil, the stronger his body becomes in the long run.


    "Swift Devil!" Bing sped across the open grass land. "Swift Devil!" Bing shot back towards where he began and continued this until the pain and strain of his body told him he couldn??t use Swift Devil anymore without serious injuries to his legs.


    Lei Zhi was focused solely on image training for the most part. It wasn''t until near the end of the day that Lei Zhi fished out his second aquatic spirit beast that would mark him as a beast master from now on. Lei Zhi tossed his fishing hook into the colored spatial gash leading into the strange world filled with an uncountable number of aquatic creatures and pulled out a very strange beast. Both Bing and Ying stopped their training to get a good look at this mysterious creature. Their curiosity was piqued.


    The beast was so clear that you could see completely through it! It was shaped like a bell with a large bulbus head and had very long thick tentacles on the underside of it. It was floating in the air as if it was underwater. The creature''s horizontal slant eyes looked at them with curiosity.


    "What kind of spirit beast is this?" Ying asked as she accidentally brushed against the bottom of one of the tentacles, trying to touch the translucent bell-shaped head.


    Ying''s sudden ear-piercing scream and convulsing shaking on the ground scared both Bing and Lei Zhi out of their skins. The spirit beast quickly grabbed onto Lei Zhi and started turning into the colors of his outfit, seemingly turning invisible.


    "Get a recovery pill!" Lei Zhi shouted.


    "I''m on it! I''m on it!" Bing frantically dug into his pocket and crouched down to feed Ying a pill.


    She was still screaming to the top of her lungs and her hand was red and swollen. The reddening was slowly crawling up her arm. Her veins were popping out from every inch of her body until Bing forced her to swallow the recovery pill. She nearly shattered the bones in his arms holding onto him as he was feeding her from her immense strength.


    Bing had to also give himself a recovery pill after healing Ying.


    "It still hurts...! What the hell did that thing do to me!?" Ying fiercely lashed out by smashing the ground with her fist, creating a small crater in front of her.


    "I think only you can tell us that. What happened when you touched his arm?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "I just barely touched the stupid thing before feeling like I was stabbed by something and then it felt like I was burning alive! It was like I decided to jump into a pool of lava and every inch of my insides were feeling it! My Burning Eruption martial art is all about fire, heat, and burning! I know what it feels like to burn and that pain was nothing like my flames!" Ying yelled.


    "Maybe it''s a type of poison..." Bing guessed.


    "A poison that causes severe pain instead of sickness?" Lei Zhi questioned.


    "Well I don''t know for sure. We''d have to test it on an animal or spirit beast and watch how they react to the sting." Bing responded.


    "I believe you''re right. This is going to be my spirit beast for the time being. I should get to understand and know what he can do." Lei Zhi said carefully rubbing the head of the squishy being and avoiding the numerous tentacles.


    "If it was up to me, I''d burn the damn thing up!" Ying angrily shouted.


    "Come on Ying. It''s not like it tried to hurt you. It was just an accident. Surely it doesn''t deserve to die over something like that?" Bing tried to reason.


    "YOU didn''t get stung by it and felt what I felt! So, shut up!" The two boys could see that Ying was still in pain and was just acting tough to try and take her mind off the pain. They would let her be angry for a while.


    Bing did as she said and both men decided it would be best to let Ying cool off. They wandered off into the immortal forest together to see what else the squishy spirit beast could do while Ying decided to let off some steam by training even harder than before with only one hand.


    Qing looked in wonder and complete amazement at the gifts she received from Jing. She just got done testing her new weapon and couldn''t help but express her joy with a wide smile. Even her golden panda cub got something for itself from Jing. Butterflies of all sorts of colors were flying around the talented disciples and her new pet. Ni Xong, her pet panda, was running around trying to catch them with its new weapons.


    These butterflies that were swarming around them wasn''t just any group of butterflies. They were actually from her weapon she got from Jing. It looked like a giant iron fan. It was a shiny black fan when closed but when It was opened, a surplus of colors appeared on the inside of the fan. But if one was to take a closer look, they would notice that the colors seemed to move with life and grace. And if one was to take an even closer look, you could see that the entire fan was made up of living butterflies!


    Qing''s new weapon was a group of strange butterflies that mimicked the appearance of a giant iron fan! They could do a lot more than that though. It was such a fascinating and beautiful weapon that Qing could barely believe something like this existed! Who would ever think that there was a group of insects that could be used as a weapon!? Who knows just how many other miraculous species out there that could compete with something like this?


    Ni Xong''s weapon was more normal compared to her''s. Two giant metal golden gloves that it could somehow lift even though it was still a baby. Qing just chalked it up to him being a mutant. Looking at the two weapons, of course Qing wondered how in the world did Jing possibly get ahold of these two things. If there was a group of bugs that could be used as weapons then why wouldn''t there be other cultivators raising these bugs for themselves? It was impossible for Jing to be the only one to know of these insects...


    Just what kind of person did she get herself involved with...?


    ''I still don''t regret taking her hand back when I was about to pass on. In the past, I would rather kill myself than place myself under another but after my close experience with death... Jing and her grand ambition will only help me in what I wish to accomplish myself.'' Qing thought.


    Wan Qing suddenly turned around and focused her eyes on 3 figures hiding among the trees. If it wasn''t for her new weapon, she wouldn''t even have noticed them watching her. Somehow, the butterflies could communicate with her as well.


    "Come out or I will force you out myself." She grabbed her fan and partially opened it.


    The three slowly walked out and revealed themselves. They surely weren''t any friends of hers and were people she wouldn''t mind taking out herself. It was Ping, Shan, and Li Quang. They looked surprised at her being able to notice them but walked with confidence as they strolled up to her.


    "So, you did manage to get your hand on the sky-ranked weapon..." Ping said with his voice laced with disgust and some jealousy.


    "I guess that also explains why the golden panda cub is here as well. Where did you find those gloves? Was there another spirit weapon hidden inside the cave?" Li Qiang asked.


    "A disgusting freak like you having weapons like that is only a waste. You should quickly hand them to us along with the mutant cub, if you know what''s good for you." Shan threatened.


    "So, this is why you''re here? To rob me? Is that right?" Wan Qing asked to make sure.


    "If you wish to keep your life, then it would be best to surrender them to us." Ping softly spoke with killing intent bearing down on Qing.


    "Trying to steal from me? Maybe if you tried this during the hunt for the weapon you could''ve killed me but now, you won''t even be able to touch me." Four butterfly wings made of qi appeared out of her back and she flew into the air.


    Ni Xong ran and hid behind some trees as Wan Qing swung her fan down at the three cultivators. Ping was one stage above her, Li Qiang was at the 6th stage just like her, and Shan was one stage below her. Her fan generated powerful winds that forced both Shan and Li Qiang to be launched into the air. Ping kept himself from flying away by stabbing his feet into the earth that kept himself grounded. Li Qiang managed to hold onto a tree as the fierce winds continued to blow at them. Shan was unable to grab hold of anything and was sent flying through the skies above the giant trees in the Immortal Forest. Whether he''ll be alive by the time he comes down is something no one could tell.


    The winds died down and Ping leapt towards her with great speed and power. He was a body cultivator. One of the most unrefined type of cultivators in Qing''s opinion but strength is strength no matter what it looks like. One of the harshest lessons Qing had to learn when she joined the sect was that strength is everything and face is second. You could be the biggest scum hypocrite in the world but if you had strength that no one could contend with, you were the one who was in the right and in control.


    Qing easily flew out of the way of Ping''s lunge but after fighting with him on more than a couple occasions, they''ve learned a few tricks from one another. Ping landed on a tree with his foot and jumped after Qing after she dodged his first grab. Knowing that Ping would just keep bouncing from tree to tree with his speed increasing after every bounce, Qing flew above the trees where there was nothing to bounce off from.


    Ping was forced to land or he would be risking his life if he missed and fell from that great height. Li Qiang sent a qi slash from his sword towards Qing, forcing her to block with her fan or she could be split apart from it. Wan Qing swung her fan a second time, sending out numerous razor winds that sliced apart anything they touched! The branches on the trees, the trees themselves, the skin on Ping and Li Qiang''s bodies, and caused several gashes in the earth below.


    Ping clicked his tongue in annoyance. It would be impossible for a fighter like him to defeat Wan Qing in a situation like this. His best bet would be to throw something at him but he could just fly out of the way with those annoying wings. He was too hasty. He should''ve investigated Wan Qing in secret before planning out this ambush. It pissed him off but he would have to retreat and take Wan Qing''s out another time.


    Ping jumped towards Li Qiang and grabbed him before fleeing. Wan Qing let out a loud mocking laughter at the sight of the two retreating, just to rub salt into their wounds some more. She didn''t even get to try out all the abilities of her new fan because of how quick the fight was. Maybe she''ll get lucky and encounter Ping in the Plains. She won''t let him escape from death then!


    Ni Xong came out from behind the tree and looked at Wan Qing before running over and hugging her leg. Qing comforted the scared little boy and wondered how in the world was she going to train this little guy. If a fight like that was enough to send him running in fear it''s going to be a while before he''s ready to fight something. She doesn''t have much time before the Treasured Plains open either...

 46 Jing Vs Wenling of the Wolfeng Gang!

    Jing walked up the stairs to the ranking stage and timidly made her way towards the center of the stage. She locked eyes with her opponent before meekly looking away to avoid eye contact. Li Li on the other hand glared at Jing''s female opponent who looked at her with a smirk. It looks like the sect is starting to rub off on him faster than she thought.


    "That''s a nice little bird you have there. You wouldn''t mind giving him to me, would you?" Her opponent asked in a sensual manner, bending over slightly to bring attention to her tits.


    The cultivator she was fighting against was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer, just like Li Li. She wore tight clothing that emphasized her body in a way that would cause both men and women to get excited just looking at her. Her hair was a deep shade of purple, something not regularly seen and rare enough to grab the attention of anyone for just a second. The way she walked and talked just oozed sexuality and eroticism. As if it was one with her being and not something she''s choosing to do consciously. This was Wenling! The young cultivator that was in the Wolfen Gang and managed to rise to the tops of the gang with just her strength alone but some rumors suggest that she made it to the top with her body alone.


    Jing already knew of Wenling. She had her followers investigate most of the Outer Court factions and the prominent members within those factions. It was quite unfortunate for her to face off against Wenling, she would have to lose this match. If she decided to win against her, the troubles she''ll face from the Wolfeng Gang''s retaliation would hinder her daily life unless she secretly kills them all. Removing an entire faction right under the sect''s nose would be too big to hide. Some of their members have good talent and the elders wouldn''t appreciate if someone got rid of these talents right under their noses. There would be an investigation to find out who culled all the wolves in Wolfeng Gang.


    "I can''t let you have him..." Jing spoke back.


    "Oh, come on, he''s just so cute. You just got to let me have him." She asked again.


    "I''m sorry." Jing bowed her head and this is when Wenling decided to attack.


    "Then just die for me instead!" She leapt towards Jing the second she bowed her head with her glaive ready to pierce right through her skull.


    Li Li flew off and met Wenling''s spear head on. His talons clashed against Wenling''s glaive and sparks screeched from their weapons. Although initially frightened, Jing quickly got her head in the game and started to run around the ring placing talismans down. Jing made sure to tell Li Li to not go too far as she does plan to lose this match. Li Li could single handedly win this fight on his own but that isn''t what Jing wanted.


    Wenling saw what Jing''s plan was in an instant and broke off her clash with Li Li immediately. She gathered qi within her throat and screamed at Li Li. The sonic shockwave made of qi launched Li Li far into the air as Wenling dashed towards Jing. With a worried and panicked look, Jing threw multiple talismans at the incoming spear wielder. Wenling wasn''t like the other cultivators who looked down on her because of her looks, personality, or fighting style.


    ''Was it possible that this Seductress had a brain?'' Jing wondered.


    Wenling slashed apart any talismans coming at her, forcing Jing to use a movement spell and teleport across the ring. Wenling looked at her as Li Li returned back to her shoulder. She cut one of her formation slips in half, making Jing realize that she does have a brain. Maybe the rumors talking bad of her were just rumors after all. This was interesting to say the least...


    Wenling ran towards her second formation talisman to get rid of and Jing sent Li Li to cut her off. While those two were engaging in a fierce battle, Jing got back to placing down more talismans for the formation she was trying to set up for Wenling. Unlike last time though where she just absentmindedly tried to place them down while Li Li was fighting, from time to time she threw talismans at Wenling. This allowed Li Li to get a few slashes on Wenling that ripped her clothing in certain places.


    The crowd of young men watching this match starting cheering like wild animals when Wenling''s bountiful breasts revealed themselves after Li Li''s talon cut across the top of her outfit. They were all part of Wolfeng Gang and came to support one of their commanders. Shang Zhai was there as well with his group of fans that surrounded him. Shang''s face turned red seeing the killer twin peaks. He turned his head to the side after a quick glance. His fans quickly started yelling death threats and insults at Wenling.


    Wenling ignored the audience and used her arm to cover the bouncing melons. She could barely defend against Li Li''s attacks now. His speedy claw strikes were starting to wear her down. Blood flowed from multiple places on Wenling''s body from his talons but the cuts were only superficial, none of them were deep.


    "Li Li! It''s time!" Jing softly shouted.


    Li Li stopped attacking Wenling and flew next to Jing''s side. The attractive temptress looked around to see that Jing planted four talismans all around her. Jing slapped a conduit slip on her formation''s base and threw the base in the sky. The floating dagger shined brightly as the formation activated and walls of qi trapped Wenling inside a box. The walls slowly started to close in and if she didn''t find a way to escape, she''ll be crushed flat by the walls of qi! The purple-haired beauty roughly fixed her clothes before unleashing strike after strike upon the walls of the formation. Her skill with the glaive wasn''t as low as Jing thought.


    The flowing strikes of that glaive was like watching a fearsome dragon flying through the heavenly skies undaunted by any enemy with its mighty strength and majestic appearance.


    "Draconic Thrust!" Wenling''s glaive was covered in her qi and took the form of an actual dragon!


    She used both of her hands and all of her power to pierce straight through the barrier and towards Jing herself! Her glaive struck against the formation''s barrier and caused countless ripples to appear all over it.


    "Dragon''s Fury!" Wenling flipped her spear backwards before using it to slash upward and slice an opening through the formation''s walls.


    Jing nervously backed away as the determined fighter continued to break apart her formation. Fear began to take her and it was easily noticeable on her face and movements. Wenling roared at the opening and the formation started crumbling all around. It cracked piece by piece before shattering into nothingness along with the formation talismans that burnt into ash. Jing backed herself all the way towards the edge of the stage. Wenling dashed at her with her glaive in hand.


    ''Now is the time...'' Jing thought as her opponent was right in front of her face ready to attack.


    Jing''s foot reached past the edge of the stage and she tumbled off the ring.


    "HAHAHAHA! SHE FUCKING FELL LIKE A DUMB ASS!"


    "BWAHAHAHA DID SHE PISS HERSELF OUT OF FEAR TOO!?"


    "COME ON! OUR DRAGON PRINCESS ISN''T THAT SCARY IS SHE!?"


    The Wolfeng Gang members in the audience laughed at Jing''s embarrassing defeat. They would''ve continued to insult her if it wasn''t for Shang Zhai shutting them all up with his killing intent. This also frightened the girls around him. They wondered if it was true that Zhai was really in love with such a girl? It was getting hard to ignore the reality of such a thought as time went on. Jing looked embarrassed at herself and ashamed for thinking that she could put up a fight against someone at the 9th stage.


    "You''re not so bad for someone at the 3rd stage. I really had to work up a sweat in that match." Wenling sat on the edge of the ring.


    She crossed her legs and had a small smile on her face.


    "It isn''t often that I find another female cultivator that interests me. What would you say to joining me in the Wolfeng Gang as my apprentice?" Wenling suddenly asked.


    While Jing does find herself interested in Wenling, she wouldn''t say it''s to the point where she wants to work under her. But what would the Jing whose she''s acting like right now say to this offer? A girl whose timid, shy, and has no friends or companions besides her spirit beast. A girl with the drive to succeed as a cultivator and become someone truly powerful and not weak. A girl who wants to become someone that would put her current self to shame. Plus, Wenling is quite strong and is smarter than the rumors surrounding her would suggest.


    ''I guess I can use this opportunity to eliminate the Fearsome Garden and Huan clan before taking over the Wolfeng Gang for myself. Maybe I can also get a taste of this Wenling for myself as well... Her strong personality and confidence is quite a turn on. Seeing her placed in a submissive state will be exciting...''


    "I don''t know if I should... Would you really want someone like me...?" Jing twiddled her fingers shyly.


    "If you''re worried about anyone bullying you, don''t worry. I will protect you from anyone hoping to touch my apprentice. I will also make sure you have as many resources that you may need."


    "Why are you being so nice to me...? Today is the first day we ever met each other." Jing asked.


    "I think you''re cute."


    "Huh?!" Jing''s cheeks blushed a bright red.


    "Yes, I think you''re cute. In the Wolfeng Gang, we aren''t ones to be hesitant in our desires. If we want something, we will aim for it with all our strength. I want you Jing. I want to see what kind of cultivator you can become with my help. Not just any 3rd stage Qi Gatherer can capture my attention you know?" She popped a recovery pill in her mouth.


    "I don''t think I''ll be able to live up to your expectations but I''ll try my best...!" Jing cutely looked into Wenling''s eyes with determination.


    "Hey! Wait a second! Wenling, you sneaky slut!" A short beauty shouted as she stomped her way over towards Jing and Wenling.


    This short beauty was Song from the Fearsome Garden''s Three Roses. She had the looks of a young child but the heavenly appearance of a princess. Her hair was styled in a bun that helped paint the picture of her looking like a young child. Song was also a 9th stage Qi Gatherer like Wenling and it looked as if they had a history together. Or Song just insulted her because that''s her personality.


    "Excuse me? I think someone lost their child, can someone find her parents for her before she starts crying?" Wenling said with fake concern.


    "Piss off you Cow!" Song insulted.


    "Are you jealous?" Wenling propped up her breasts with her arms.


    "There is more to a woman''s charms than her chest!" She growled.


    "When have you ever charmed anyone?"


    "Do you want to die today whore?!" Song clinched her fist.


    "I''d like to see you try kid..."


    One of the two women behind Song tapped the young princess on her shoulder.


    "Miss Song... We came here for her... not to get in a fight with Wolfeng Gang. Plus their group is staring at us from the stands. If this does lead to a fight, we would not come out on top necessarily..." She whispered. Hearing this only made Song even more pissed off. She almost knocked the head off of the girl who warned her as if she didn''t know that!


    "You!" Song pointed at Jing.


    "Yes?!" Jing squeaked in fear.


    "Join us instead!"


    "Huh?!"


    "You''re after my apprentice just after I recruited her? Do you have no shame?!" Wenling


    "The Fearsome Garden will help any woman who asks for it! Our group is here to help all the girls inside the sect feel safe and cultivate in peace."


    "That''s funny. Last time I checked, your group was filled with a bunch of girls who wanted nothing more than to rule over men and grouped up because you were all too weak to protect yourselves." She egged on Song more, just waiting for her to explode.


    "As I was saying...! Joining our group will definitely be better than joining Wolfeng Gang. That group is full of nothing but rapists, murderers, and animals. Their group is commonly known as the Bandit Gang! The Fearsome Garden is known as the most beautiful faction within the sect and filled with only the fairest and most respected cultivators in the sect."


    Jing looked at Wenling and then at Song, showing her unease at the sudden realization that she might be joining a group full of awful people.


    "Is that true...?" Jing asked Wenling.


    "Yes. Nothing she said about the Wolfeng Gang was wrong. Our group does hold rapists, murderers, and animals with the skin of humans."


    "I don''t think I''m cut out for a group like that..."


    "If you''re worried about your safety, then you have nothing to fear. If anyone tries to lay their hands on my apprentice, I''ll personally cut their hands off and shove them down their throats." Wenling smiled.


    "In our group, you don''t have to be worried about your safety at all!" Song quickly spoke up.


    "I will give you resources that the Fearsome Garden wouldn''t even think about giving to you. Since you''ll be my apprentice, you''ll only have the best."


    "It might take some time but if you prove your worth to the group, the resources you receive won''t be any less than her''s!" Song desperately spoke.


    "She''s forgetting to add that the only way you can prove your worth is to be talented or have connections. With me, I don''t care about your talent. As long as you don''t betray me, I''ll take care of you."


    "Shut up you slut! You don''t know anything!" Song exploded and tried to punch Wenling, who blocked with her spear.


    "See. Look at how violent and small-minded she is. She''s one of the commanders of Fearsome Garden and she behaves like an uncontrolled child. She probably doesn''t even care about you and is only here because her leader told her to be here." She gestured with her hand towards the Wolfeng Gang members in the stands to not help.


    "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Song''s qi exploded in an icy blast.


    Wenling''s qi became sharper and more focused as she agilely avoided the destructive punches of Song.


    "Please stop fighting...!" Jing weakly yelled. "I decided who I wanted to join..."


    Wenling and Song broke off their clash and slid an equal distance from each other. They both looked at her with their 9th stage qi unrestrained.


    "I decided to join the Wolfeng Gang." Jing announced.


    Wenling smirked.


    "God damn it!" Song cursed. "You will regret this Jing! The entire Fearsome Garden is now your enemy for the choice you made today!" She turned around and stormed off with the two women.


    Jing had a worried look on her face and Wenling hugged her from behind.


    "You have nothing to worry about. I told you didn''t I? I''ll protect my apprentice." Li Li kept her face away from Jing''s with his foot when she tried to put her face close to Jing''s.

 47 The Lives of the Blessed Ones.

    Xun Liuxian was cultivating inside his home to prepare himself for the upcoming Treasured Plains. Xun was pissed after seeing Tang Wuying''s battle against his senior and seeing him come out on top. He knew that he stood no chance against Tang with that strange spirit weapon on him. His Ancient Immortal''s Lung that fused with his lungs were powerful and granted him several benefits but it still wasn''t enough to thoroughly humiliate Tang and kill him. The most optimistic outcome Xun could see from challenging Tang right now was a pyrrhic victory with them both dying.


    But even that wasn''t something Xun was sure to happen if they fought right now. His master couldn''t even identify the rank of Tang''s spirit weapon during the battle. That means it had to be higher than earth rank. Master Zhong also said that he wasn''t gifted that weapon by his master either. So, Tang must have had a lucky encounter during one of his tasks outside the sect.


    The only way Xun could try and compete with Tang now was if he had his own spirit weapon or tool at the sky rank. And his only chance at stumbling upon one of those was in the Treasured Plains. His deep-seated grudge against Tang Wuying has ran into a few issues but he has time. His talent will continue to increase the longer the Ancient God''s Lungs stay within his body. His talent was low when he first joined but as of now it''s already able to compete with the geniuses from renowned clans!


    But that bastard also had great talent, it would be a while before his speed in cultivation completely outclasses Tang''s. Xun''s main goal right now was to find a sky-ranked spirit weapon or tool that could aid him in combat. Once he finds that, he could finally match Tang in combat strength. His master isn''t any lesser than Tang''s own. Their battle will come... and Xun will get his revenge on Tang for getting him killed back then and then he will move on to annihilate his entire lineage to prevent any further troubles that arises afterwards.


    "Brother Liuxian, are you home?" He heard a familiar voice softly ask from outside his door.


    Xun opened the door to see Xiao Hong standing outside of it.


    "Yes, I am. Do you need something?" He asked expressionlessly.


    It must be known that Xiao Hong wasn''t just any average cultivator! Xiao Hong was a genius! Someone far above Xun Liuxian in terms of popularity, talent, and background! If anyone saw him treating her like a normal person and not someone to be praised and admired by all, they would say he has shit for brains and deserves to be crippled for his lack of respect! This was Xiao Hong, the Ice Queen of the Golden Serpent Sect! One of the top ten beauties within the sect and a very talented cultivator. She even unlocked a part of her bloodline, the Ice Giant bloodline!


    Everyone in the Hong family that has unlocked their bloodline are guaranteed to become someone significant throughout the continent! No matter if they were male or female! The Hong family has become a great force because of this powerful bloodline of theirs and no one dares disrespects any member of the Hong family! Or they would be courting death by ice!


    "I wish to spar with you to test my current skills. Is that fine with you?" She asked quietly with a faint red blush on her face.


    "That''s fine with me, Sister Xiao. I must ask though, why did you choose me as your sparring partner?" Xun asked curiously.


    Her cheeks got redder.


    "You are strong Martial Brother Liuxian and I know you won''t go easy on me just because of who I am."


    Xun looked at the ground with a faint smile before saying, "I''m not strong at all..." He looked back up at Xiao and told her to follow him into his yard. Since it was just a friendly spar there was no need to head to the rings. A spar is mostly used to test one''s martial art techniques and see how your opponent will respond to them. Most will respond back with their own martial arts but if they don''t and are forced to dodge or take it head on, then the spar will conclude after one side cannot keep up or both show everything, they are willing to show.


    Xiao and Xun stood an equal distance from each other.


    "I shall be going first if you don''t mind Martial Brother." She did a small bow and Xun watched her as she floated towards him on frozen snowflakes.


    She stepped on the air by using the self-made snowflakes as platforms. It was an interesting movement art in Xun''s opinion. It would be hard for one to chase after her when she was using that at full speed. She could run all the way in the air and the only way for anyone to touch her would be with a bow or a spirit tool that could hit from far away. And not many cultivators use ranged weapons or are lucky enough to find spirit tools that can be used offensively at a distance.


    Xiao used her bloodline ability and materialized a flawless sword made of ice. She then dove straight down towards Xun with the frosty blade. Xun breathed in the air around him and blew it onto his fists. The air seemingly solidified onto his hands into a pair of gloves and with a single strike from his punch, he could contend with Xiao''s ice sword! Xiao wasn''t shocked as she expected this much out of the boy who caught her attention but could he react to her next move!?


    Xiao''s sword suddenly grew an icicle from its center and it lengthened in size before heading straight for Xun''s heart! An icicle of that size going at that speed would be able to skewer nearly anything! What a fierce sneaky attack! However, the calm look on Xun Liuxian''s face didn''t change in the slightest despite the sharp blade seemingly about to pierce right through him. He used the back of his fist with his other hand and shattered the icicle into pieces before thrusting his palm out at Xiao.


    A strong blast of wind shot out of his palm and knocked right into Xiao''s figure. This caused her to shatter into pieces!?


    "Huh?" Xun reacted slightly surprised.


    Another Xiao appeared right behind the air weaver and grabbed onto him from behind with a freezing embrace! Ice began to form on Xun''s body and if he didn''t somehow free himself from his opponent''s grip, he would become an ice statue!


    ''That was an impressive move she pulled off.'' Xun complimented.


    He was totally fooled! He didn''t even know when she made that ice clone and thought it was the real her the entire time. She must have been training hard. But this spar wasn''t over yet, he still had a couple more moves to show. The ice has spread all the way down to his legs to his chest. He started to suck in a large amount of air before blowing it out into the air and forming a giant fist made of air that headed straight for him and Xiao.


    Xiao retreated in the face of that technique and Xun allowed himself to be hit by his own move. The ice that was freezing him immediately broke apart from the power of his fist and he could move freely again. The chill of the ice on his skin was biting but now it was time to show off his moves in this spar. The wind cultivator stomped the ground beneath him, creating a small gust of wind that spun around him. Xiao prepared herself for whatever attack he was about to do and nearly let out a gasp as he stepped onto the gust of wind and starting riding it towards her!


    She almost couldn''t defend herself from Liuxian''s attack because of how fast it came! Her ice sword shattered from his punch, forcing her to cover herself in her own ice to defend against his attacks! Xiao could feel the ice protecting her, shattering from every punch from Brother Liuxian. If things continued this way, it would quickly lead to her defeat!


    Xiao channeled her ice qi into her hands. She took one of Liuxian''s powerful punches as a way to escape into the air. It was painful but it was her only way out of his attacks! No one else would allow her to feel that much pain within the sect due to her background. They were too afraid but Liuxian didn''t care at all who she was! Even when they first met, he treated her no differently than he would treat someone else. It was the first time someone has treated her like a normal person...


    Her cheeks flushed again as she fired a beam of ice qi towards the air manipulator. If anyone else saw this sight, it would only reinforce Xiao Hong''s image as a genius! She has yet to step into the Qi Consolidation realm yet she can use qi attacks from a distance! Only those at the Qi Consolidation realm and above can attack with ranged qi techniques!


    The air around Xun started to freeze and solidify, quickly taking away how much air he could use to move around. It wouldn''t be long till that beam caught up to him and froze him as well! He used some of the stored qi-infused air within his lungs and shot off towards Xiao in a spiral! His fist was outstretched and posed like a drill ready to bore straight through Xiao! Xiao couldn''t hope to react to a move as fast as this! He blew air out of his mouth with such strength that he was sent flying towards Xiao with speed that was hard to track!


    Xiao concentrated her ice beam into one point just as Liuxian''s fist was about to drill right through her. The ice qi channeling in her hands exploded with great force, unleashing a powerful flash freezing ice shockwave that spread out enveloping both of them. A bright white flash appeared from Xiao''s attack and temporarily blinded the secret viewer of this little spar.


    "My eyes!!! I can''t see!" The little watcher cried out in pain.


    He stumbled off while rubbing his eyes to report this situation to Tang Wuying without seeing the aftermath. He''s already saw enough and could safely tell Tang about Xun''s courting of his woman behind his back. He was also a little frightened if he continued to watch their spar, he would somehow get hit by one of their stray martial art moves. Reporting back to Tang Wuying was important but his life was even more important!


    If Tang''s henchman stayed around a bit longer, he would''ve saw something even more incriminating than before. Something that would''ve sent Tang Wuying off in such a rage that he would''ve marched straight to Xun''s home to kill him himself! He would''ve saw Xiao Hong embracing Xun Liuxian as a mystical fall of snow rained around them both. Her face was blushed a deep red and Xun''s own face was slightly red at such a dangerous position. The two stayed silent as their bodies warmed one another''s and their hearts slowly grew closer.


    "Sorry...! I should get up now..." Xiao apologized softly.


    Xun wrapped his arm around her back to stop her.


    "I don''t mind... if you don''t, Xiao." Xun suddenly whispered. Letting his emotions run wild. Emotions that have been suppressed and buried by his overwhelming hatred and lust for revenge against Tang Wuying.


    That whisper was like a lightning strike to Xiao''s heart. Should she stay like this a little longer? Brother Liuxian was fine with it and she wanted to embrace him even more than this. No, no, no this isn''t good for her heart. Xiao''s heart felt like it was going to explode if this continued any longer, she shot up from Liuxian''s amazing muscled chest and abs then stood up to dust off her outfit.


    "Thank you for the spar Martial Brother Liuxian! I will be going now!" She dashed off with the speed of a Pigmy Tailed Hog.


    Xun stayed on the ground in the same position from earlier. His thoughts were all over the place. He hasn''t really given much thought to anything else besides getting stronger and killing Tang Wuying. Ever since he came back from the dead in that forest, those were the only two things on his mind. But... that moment just now with Xiao has caused him to think about just more than his two goals. Maybe after he deals with the Wuying family, he could perhaps find another reason to keep living...


    ______________________________________________


    "Have you killed him yet?" Elder Suyin asked.


    "No Ma''am. We would need to hire an assassin that''s vastly stronger than Hu Tao." A cultivator bowed.


    "Aunt Suyin... There''s no need to hire an assassin... I''ll get stronger on my own and avenge Shen with my own power. I''m going to start taking my training seriously and kill Hu Tao with my own hands." Meili promised with all her heart.


    Suyin was surprised as she looked into the eyes of her niece. Those eyes were completely unlike the carefree and innocent eyes she''s had before. If she was being honest, she would say Meili is a completely different girl now. Despite how much hate her niece has for this Hu Tao character, Suyin was actually quite thankful towards him... Now with this change she went through, Meili is fit to be seen as the patriarch''s daughter and with a little more guidance from herself, she''ll be able to lead their glorious clan into prosperity!


    "I''m here for you every step of the way Meili." She rubbed her head.


    ______________________________________________


    Bo Fai was pacing back and forth through his house. Everything is changing! The past isn''t going the same way it was last time!


    ''Is it because I''ve taken the heaven-ranked spirit tool, Phoenix''s core? Is that why everything is spiraling out of control? My knowledge of the future is quickly waning. There never was a Hu Tao in my past. Did he die before his prime? Then how is it that he''s alive now? I would''ve known of such a terrible and powerful cultivator if he was alive in my past.''


    Bo calmed himself down. He almost died when he was just reincarnated into his past self! Who knows if he could ever get a chance like this a second time? He wasn''t going to ruin that by dying to sudden and hidden threats like Hu Tao ever again. The opening of the Treasured Plains is something he can''t afford to miss out on. Too many cultivators rose to prominence from gaining sky-ranked and heaven-ranked objects from this formation. Now it will be his chance to gain those valuable martial arts and magical treasures for himself.


    An Earthly Immortal like himself is already indebted to someone. How embarrassing is this... It might not have been long since he''s reincarnated but a person of his realm should not have lost to someone like that! Bo was deeply ashamed of himself for losing to Hu Tao, an upstart brat that wasn''t even done weening milk from his mother! His body might not be able to handle his sky-ranked martial arts yet but he still shouldn''t have been overtaken by that brat!


    Just what was that power hidden in those chains? Bo Fai has never seen anything like that in his thousands of years of living. He has seen various lightning spirit tools and martial arts but none of them could dare compete with the spirit weapon held by that boy. It was like the god of lightning was hiding within those chains. He would have to kill that scum before he understands just how powerful that weapon is and take it for himself. Bo Fai has a lot to do during the opening of the Treasured Plains...

 48 The Plains Are About To Start!

    It was time! The time was here! All the disciples in the Golden Serpent Sect was here waiting in front of the giant sealed gates of the Treasured Plains. Most, if not all of the elders were here as well. Many were finally looking forward to seeing the Sect Master''s face but their excitement over the many treasures inside the Plains was even higher. The towering gates were over forty meters tall and forty meters wide. It was gold in color and shined brightly from the sun''s ray on it.


    "Hello everyone. I am Wan Qing. Nice to meet you all. This is Ni Xong." Wan did a respectful bow with her cub towards her new allies. Wan was actually quite nervous for a change. She hasn''t felt like this since she''s joined the sect way back then. Would they accept her or would she be shunned and rejected like usual?


    "Hello." Bing greeted back while thinking about how Jing knew how to pick the strangest of folks. A guy that wants to be a girl? But also, a super talented cultivator!? Bing hoped that his good luck would finally surface when the gates opened.


    "Hey." Ying roughly replied with her arms crossed. She didn''t care about Wan''s circumstances. It was unusual sure but whatever. If he wanted to be a girl then who''s to stop him? It''s his choice. Ying would dare someone to try and stop her from making a decision about herself.


    "Nice to meet you." Lei Zhi peacefully smiled. Wan Qing looked like a nice enough person. It''s going to take some time getting used to referring to him as a girl rather than boy but he can get used to it. Those too stubborn to change their ways won''t be able to grow in a meaningful way. An individual should always be seeking to broaden their minds or they''ll be as ignorant as beasts.


    "Are you even strong?" Hu Tao sniffed Wan Qing while circling around him. He certainly smelled like a girl.


    "What?"


    "I said! Are you even worth caring about?! These little shits behind me all have potential to give me a good fight in the future, but do you? I don''t know shit about you except that you wanna be treated like a girl."


    "Hmph. Do you think a 2nd stage Qi Consolidator like yourself is strong enough to talk to me like that? Know your place fool! Do you think cultivation stages are just meaningless numbers?" Qing blasted her qi aura unrestrained right towards Hu Tao.


    Hu Tao smiled, maybe this fucker wasn''t as worthless as he thought. But this wasn''t enough, this asshole barely reached up to the Princess.


    "When we get into the Plains, you''re mine."


    "Hahaha! Hu Tao is feeling threatened now that he is no longer the one with the highest cultivation stage." Ying laughed with joy.


    "Shut the hell up Fire Bush. You think I''d be threatened by this sissy?!"


    "That''s what it looks like to me." Ying mocked as she put her arm around Wan''s shoulder. "When we get in the Plains, kick his ass for us. The asshole deserves it!" Ying laughed.


    "Oi Ying, you fucking bitch, whose side are you on?!" Hu Tao shouted as Ying suddenly punched towards his face.


    "Who are you calling a bitch!?" Hu Tao dodged her punch and laughed as she chased after him with even more strikes.


    "This is why I like you Ying. You aren''t afraid even though you''re outmatched!" Hu Tao cheerfully said.


    "I''ll show you outmatched bastard!" Just as Ying was about to barely miss Hu Tao''s body once again, she ignited herself and increased her speed. This surprise attack allowed her to finally dig her fist into Hu Tao''s stomach and shut that annoying mouth of his up.


    Hu Tao was almost sent flying straight into the crowd of disciples surrounding them but thankfully Bing caught Hu Tao before he could crash into anyone and brought him back to their group. The wild fighter had a nasty burn on his flawless abs but the grin on his face made it seem like it wasn''t anything at all.


    "You keep that shit up and I might fall in love with you too, Princess." Hu Tao coughed blood.


    "Disgusting." She smirked, satisfied about getting a good hit on the evasive bastard.


    "You guys really know how to bring a crowd..." Bing muttered as everyone''s eyes were focusing in on their little group.


    "Is it usually like this?" Wan asked Bing.


    "With those two, yes. We''re more like a band of mercenaries that are all working for our own goals but with no pay and barely any cooperation." Bing relayed to Qing.


    "I''m pretty sure the Wolfeng Gang is more organized than this and we don''t even have half as many people as them." Wan Qing noted.


    "Ah well, I heard that might be changing soon actually." Lei Zhi said.


    "What are you talking about Lei?" Ying asked.


    "Jing said she''ll be sending us out on special tasks and when we complete them, we''ll be rewarded."


    "Rewarded with what?" Hu Tao asked.


    "Well, whatever we ask for. She said after the job is done, we can request for spirit stones, pills, herbs, weapons, and even martial arts."


    "Haha nice! If its Jing, she could probably give me a mystic flame!" Ying excitedly said.


    "That''s true... The Empress could also give me a good cultivation technique as well. She was able to find this amazing shield martial art for me, so a cultivation technique can''t be too out of range for her." Bing murmured.


    "Shield martial art? Does that even exist?" Wan questioned.


    "Apparently." Bing shared her disbelief.


    "Oh yeah, that fucking reminds me. Jing said you all have missions of your own in the Plains." Hu Tao scratched his hair.


    "What!? Why didn''t she tell us!?" Ying asked.


    "She told me to tell you. I just forgot about it until today." Hu Tao said without a care in the world.


    "You shitty bastard! Is fighting all you can think about!? I bet you''re still thinking about fighting Qing aren''t you?!" Ying stomped her foot.


    "Hah... you could tell? Damn that''s embarrassing." Hu Tao laughed.


    "SERIOUSLY! JUST DIE ALREADY!" Ying lifted her giant sword and held it above Hu Tao.


    "Ah, wait a second Ying. Let him tell us about our tasks before you do something you might regret." Bing spoke up.


    "Regret!? I never regret anything!"


    "But this is a mission from the Empress. If we don''t accomplish it, what kind of punishment do you think she will issue out for us?"


    ''Empress?'' Wan Qing was confused by why Bing called Jing, Empress.


    A shiver ran through Ying''s body as she remembered the terrifying presence of Jing''s qi. She huffed angrily and put her sword back down. Ying motioned for Hu Tao to hurry up and tell them their missions.


    "That''s more like it, Princess. You should be glad I remembered her telling me at all." Hu Tao acted smug.


    "Quit running your lips and just tell us already!"


    "Nah, I don''t think so." Hu Tao teased.


    "What is your problem?! Are you so messed up in the head that you can''t act like a normal person!?"


    "I''ll tell you guys after I get my fight with the sissy."


    "I''ll give you a fight that''ll make you wish to never fight again!!!"


    "Wouldn''t that be the dream..." Hu Tao chuckled.


    "Ying. I think its best if we just give up. No amount of words is going to change his mind and you know it. Even if you did fight him in place of Qing, he''ll still want to fight Qing himself. I mean herself, sorry." Bing reasoned.


    "It''s fine." Wan said.


    "Damn shitty bastard... Nobody bother me until the gate is open." Ying took a squat on the ground and started cultivating her anger off. A flame-like aura surrounded her body as she sat on the ground, warming anyone near her.


    Wan Qing was starting to have slight doubts about joining Jing''s group...


    ______________________________________________


    Tang Wuying and Gong Jun stood side by side. Tang''s giant boomerang was now one of the easiest ways of identifying him out of a crowd. His yellow arrow tattoos being the second easiest way of picking him out. Tang Wuying stood with an arrogant look on his face while Gong had an innocent smile on his. The two of them have started to get along with each other after their battle.


    They no longer look down on each other and now treat each other as equals. Although secretly, they still believe themselves to be superior to the other. Openly, they don''t mind being compared. Spending months training with one another and their Third Senior has gotten them closer. Tang and Gong even planned to travel together during the Treasured Plains.


    "Are you excited Tang?" Gong asked.


    "Don''t ask stupid questions." Tang responded.


    "Ah, are you looking for him? I heard quite a few juicy rumors surrounding him and Xiao Hong." Gong teased.


    "Shut up! Don''t remind me of those overblown rumors. I''ll kill that bastard myself and show Xiao that her only choice is me and me alone. Cheating will never be allowed."


    "Cheat? But Junior Brother, you haven''t even asked her out. How can you say she cheated when you aren''t her boyfriend?"


    "She knows I''ve been courting her ever since we met each other in my city and now she''ll just get involved with any random trash? I''ll have to remind her just who is trying to court her."


    "Hmm... I see. Are you sure that he''s trash though? If someone of Xiao Hong''s standard is interested in someone, then surely, they wouldn''t be lacking in any capacity, right?"


    "Unless she''s interested in someone on par with First Senior in talent, then no matter who it is, they won''t stand a chance against me." Tang boasted confidently.


    "Let''s hope so Tang, life tends to throw surprises at you every now and then." Gong advised. He himself had learned this lesson after his defeat to Tang.


    "Hmph. What about that Kang idiot? I heard he''s been getting quite close to Liu Lan." Tang mentioned.


    "You don''t need to worry about my problems Junior Brother. I already plan to deal with Fu Kang." Gong smiled with killing intent flaring from his body.


    "Who said I was worried?! Don''t assume such preposterous assumptions! Idiot."


    "Haha no need to get embarrassed Junior Brother. I''m glad you''re thinking about others."


    "I''ll think about hitting you upside the head if you don''t shut up!" This response only made Gong laugh even harder.


    ______________________________________________


    "Hu Tao... Just wait. I''ll be sure to kill you in revenge for Shen..." Meili promised as she stood by herself.


    Meili was given plenty of life-saving talismans and treasures by her aunt before being allowed to go into the Treasured Plains alone. Her aunt wanted to get multiple guards around her but she refused. How could she grow stronger if she''s being coddled? Her father said that the strong can''t fear hardship and neither will she! She plans to deal with Hu Tao during the Treasured Plains and if anyone gets in her way, she''ll knock them down as well!


    Meili was confident in dealing with the fatty, the old man, and the sword girl but the panda girl was out of her power. She''d have to wait to find Hu Tao alone before trying to strike him. It looks like he has allies somehow. They must be as terrible as he is if they''re willing to be friends with him.


    ''Maybe I should take them out as well...'' Meili pondered.


    ______________________________________________


    The Huan clan, Fearsome Garden, and Wolfeng Gang all stood near one another. The leaders of the clans met and glared into the others'' eyes. Leng Huan smirked arrogantly, Meihu smiled sweetly with daggers hidden behind her eyes, and Jianyu grinned in amusement.


    Leng Huan was a handsomely talented disciple. Leng had long flowing flawless black hair that fell all the way to the middle of his back. His physique was average but his aura was majestic. If he was to show off his face and talent more, he would surely have a fan club like some of the other disciples. But Leng rarely showed himself in public. He preferred to stay hidden in the shadows and command his clan from the dark.


    Meihu looked like the exact opposite of what you''d expect from being the leader of the Fearsome Garden. The faction with the most beautiful women in any group. She was secretly known as the Pig Mistress of the Outer Court and it wasn''t for no reason. Meihu had the face, body, and strength of a terrifying boar! She was among the top disciples within the Outer Court whose physical strength was nearly unmatchable. But it wasn''t just her strength that allowed her to become the leader of such a well-running group. It was her cleverness and resourceful mind! She may have resembled a pig outwardly but on the inside, she was as intelligent as a shrew.


    Jianyu had two beautiful young women around his arms. His large wild jet-black colored hair complemented his strong physique. His body was much larger than the typical cultivator with layers of muscle all over his body. His shirt was ripped open like a vest, revealing his chiseled and bronze abs for anyone to lay their eyes on.


    "I hope you don''t think that your clan is going to come out of this with more treasures than anyone else." Meihu said.


    "I do think that Meihu. I don''t see how you''re going to be able to stop us either."


    "Strength isn''t everything in the Treasured Plains! Luck is a big factor as well. The deeper you head into the Plains, the more dangerous it gets. So, it doesn''t matter if you''re a Qi Consolidator, luck is the only thing you can count on!"


    "Don''t underestimate my clan so much. Even though I won''t be in the Outer Plains, that doesn''t mean my clan won''t be able to handle your factions."


    "Gahahahaha! You two fuckers are just hilarious!" Jianyu laughed loudly.


    "What''s so funny Bandit?" Meihu asked.


    "The way the Treasured Plains is set up is perfect for my gang''s style! And if you can''t see that now, then just wait till the Plains is over." Jianyu left laughing loudly with the two women in his arms giggling along.


    "Want to focus the Wolfeng Gang first?" Meihu asked.


    "Sounds good to me." Leng agreed.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing''s head was violently assaulted by numerous dings from her system. She somewhat expected this sudden influx of missions based on the last time she went through something like this. It was like when she was taking the recruitment test for the sect. She could complete a large amount of missions for rewards.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Don''t get killed and survive till the end!]


    [Rewards: 5 Epic Tickets]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Use SCP-109 to kill 100 beings! Additional rewards will be given every 100+ beings killed with SCP-109]


    [Rewards: 5 Rare Ticket, 1 High-ranked Spirit Stone, Purifying Qi Pill]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Let 100 cultivators witness SCP-109''s anomalous properties!]


    [Rewards: 5 rare tickets, Body Strengthening Pill]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Find a way to strengthen the Wolfeng Gang till they can match the Huan Clan in strength!]


    [Rewards: 10 Rare Tickets, Berserker''s Rage (Earth-ranked Cultivation manual)]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Take over the Wolfeng Gang and destroy the Fearsome Garden and Huan Clan by the end of the Grand Tournament.]


    [Requirements: Bing must be the one who deals the final blow to Leng Huan, Bing must be gifted an SCP before taking Leng Huan on, you nor Li Li are allowed to personally fight or kill any of the top brass members of any groups or a severe penalty will be placed upon the host.]


    [Rewards: 5 Epic Tickets, Refining the Heavens (Sky-ranked Pill refining manual), Green-Eyed Angel''s Bloodline (Pills)]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Increase the loyalty of one other ally to 100% before the end of the Treasured Plains.]


    [Reward: SCP-1331]

 49 The Treasured Plains Have Opened!

    ''Hm. Nice. Tickets are always useful.'' Jing thought.


    Jing mentally looked at all her missions available. It looks like survival might be harder than expected if the system is willing to give out 5 epic tickets for her to come out alive. Epic tickets were 1 rank below legendary tickets, the highest ranking of tickets that the system even has. It turns out that this was going to turn out more exciting than she thought it would. She might even be challenged by someone or something that will be able to provide a bit more resistance. That''ll be worth looking forward to.


    Using SCP-109 to kill and let others be aware of the its strangeness. This wouldn''t be too hard to do, Jing would just have to find a way to get away from the Wolfeng Gang for some time to have a little fun. SCP-109 worked extremely well with her current martial arts. Jing has to use her qi as a medium for the water she creates but with SCP-109''s anomalous abilities that process is basically halved! SCP-109 is a container filled with water inside. The water inside is seemingly filled with an infinite amount of water that never runs out. This water can also provide small beneficial effects for living lifeforms.


    Now the mission where she has to strengthen the Wolfeng Gang is somewhat interesting. Is it because the mission after it is telling her to take over the group or is it because she allied herself with them temporarily? How the system decided what missions to give her was confusing. The system didn''t talk anymore and she had trouble trying to understand the motives behind the system for giving these missions to her. Sometimes it was in her favor and gave her missions to things she was already going to do while other times it seemed completely random.


    Jing understood that the system or the divine being behind the system wanted her to deal with these blessed people by using her system. As of now Hu Tao, Wan Qing, and Bing needed to deal with their opponents with an SCP gifted from her to then. Bing??s opponent, Leng Huan, wasn''t confirmed to be a Person of Fate but the system still wanted her to gift Bing an SCP before he could deal with him, hinting to her that Leng might have a secret that no one knows about. Her system is called the SCP system, so perhaps it just wanted to bring more SCP''s into this world... She couldn''t tell.


    Jing would have to see if there anyone else she wants to use within the Wolfeng Gang before deciding to make them stronger. Right now, there is only Wenling that she plans to use temporarily. During the Treasured Plains, she will try and find any other interesting characters in the Wolfeng Gang to add to her personal group. She might include Wenling in that group if she shows enough promise.


    "Jing, you aren''t nervous, are you? You''ve been pretty quiet." Wenling asked while hugging Jing from behind with her breasts squishing against her back.


    "I''m fine. There''s just a lot more disciples than I thought there would be." Jing replied back quietly with a faint blush on her face.


    "I see cute little Li Li still doesn''t like me yet. Whyyyyy?" Wenling cutely whined while Li Li tried to push her away with his foot with an annoyed look on his face.


    Li Li was perched on Jing''s shoulder like usual but Wenling''s constant hugging of Jing bothered him greatly. Did she think that she could touch his mom whenever just because they are on the same side?


    ''Go away annoying girl! My mother isn''t someone you can touch so casually, especially when I don''t even know you!'' Li Li pushed her forehead back making Wenling whine even more.


    This was their relationship for now. Jing''s little son not liking the attention she was getting from someone else. Jing made sure to regularly give him attention so he doesn''t feel ignored or less special. He probably wasn''t a baby anymore but it was hard for Jing to not think of Li Li like that. He still was the same size from when he hatched out of his egg! Maybe refining him did something to his physical growth as well. She''d have to wait and see if he grows anymore in the future.


    And speaking of growth, she needed to have her followers increase in strength faster. That was the only way of having them complete some of these missions for her. Worst case scenario, Jing would have to order Wan Qing or Hu Tao to destroy the commanders and leaders of the Wolfeng Gang and Fearsome Garden for her. It would hurt their reputations but if it needed to be done, they''ll have to deal with it.


    There shouldn''t be any need for it to come down to that though. Jing has until the end of the Grand Tournament to increase the power of her followers. If Bing, Ying, and Lei Zhi can''t reach the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering realm by then, then there''s no need for her to have them around anymore. For this mission, she''ll have to rely on Ying and Bing. Lei Zhi wouldn''t be useful for any tasks that require killing humans. Bing to take care of the Huan clan and Ying to take care of Fearsome Garden.


    It''ll be harder on Bing considering that the strongest member in the Huan clan is at the 4th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm while the strongest member in the Fearsome Garden is only at the 9th stage of the Qi Gatherer realm. She would have to think of a way to bridge the gap between Bing and Leng somehow. Jing doubted Bing could reach the 1st stage in the Qi Consolidation realm and at most will only reach the 9th stage in the Qi Gathering realm by that time. It will be difficult for him to overcome Leng Huan with that big of a stage difference without some sort of help.


    Hopefully, Jing will gain a SCP that can allow him to make up for the strength difference but first she would have to improve his loyalty to 100% first. He was sitting at a steady 60%. It was an improvement from when she first met him as it was only at 30% back then. He''s come a long way for a slave but as her slave he''s going to need more than just 60% for her to be satisfied.


    Jing didn''t believe that she could accomplish the last mission she received. SCP-1331, whatever it was, was definitely out of her grasp for now. It was too sudden and Jing has only just now started to give them resources for doing objectives for her. A slight oversight as a leader, yes, but as far as she knows she was just born a couple months ago into this world. All leaders make mistakes, the great ones just learn how to cover them up better. Next time she''ll be better prepared for a mission like that.


    If she was to try and accomplish the last mission of raising one of her follower''s loyalty to 100%, it would be Lei Zhi. But, Lei Zhi''s loyalty started wavering once he saw her with the Wolfeng Gang. Jing didn''t understand what kind of relation Lei Zhi had with them but knew it wasn''t good if his loyalty would shake because of it. She''d have to have a talk with him later. Not to clear herself of anything but for him to understand that her actions are not made carelessly and shouldn''t be doubted.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, he has allies... Getting rid of him is going to be harder than I thought..." Bo Fai muttered to himself.


    One of his goals during the Treasured Plains was to kill Hu Tao because of his monstrous talent and to steal those chains of his. That mysterious spirit tool was capable of contending with his heaven-ranked Phoenix Core! That must mean whoever gave him those chains is no simple character. They must be on par with the Sect leader or even above him to just gift something like that to somebody.


    Bo Fai has done some research on Hu Tao after nearly dying to him and learned many things. He had no issue taking either gender in bed, he was raised in the wild, he is an orphan, is known for being a fighting maniac and general annoyance, and only recently started wearing those chains around him. Bo Fai had no idea that Hu Tao was acquainted with such a small group of people until today and of those present, he only knew of one and that was Wan Qing. Wan Qing in the future, died from an ambush attack from Iron Fist Ping and his two closest aides, Infinite Plans Li Qiang and the Relentless Immortal Shan.


    The others, he had no information of. They either died before their prime or he just didn''t recognize them when they were so young and weak. Bo Fai doubted it was the latter though, none of the weapons they were carrying on them rang any bells. All of them did seem unusual and strange from the average cultivator''s choice of weapons. Wait a moment... didn''t Wan Qing use a sword as his weapon in the future? It was said that Iron Fist Ping''s arm was cut off from Wan Qing''s final sword attack but this Wan Qing is using some sort of black club?


    Just how much of the past is going to deviate from him reincarnating into his past body?! Wait why was Wan Qing even in that group with Hu Tao!? Wan Qing was also known as a lone cultivator! He had no friends and only enemies! Just what kind of group is that for two talented disciples to join it? Is having weird weapons one of the requirements of joining the group? Is the old man, Fatty, and girl also secretly prodigies as well? That had to be impossible for the old man.


    The perfect age to start cultivating in between the ages of 8 and 16. So then it must be a group of weird weapon specialists then because Bo Fai had no idea why these people were all together. He should''ve done more researching on the people around Hu Tao rather than just Hu Tao himself. He''s only confused himself even more. His first plan was just to kill and rob Hu Tao before taking all the good magical treasures inside the Treasured Plains.


    "What''d you say Brother Fai?" Yanyu asked, clinging to his arm.


    "Erm... Nothing. Why are you holding on to me? If your brother sees this, I definitely won''t get off easy." Bo Fai mentioned, her brother was at the final stage of the Qi Consolidation realm.


    Even if he went all out with his current strength, best case scenario would be him crippling one of Teng Yu''s limbs before dying if he fought with him. The only chance of surviving against someone at that rank would be after gaining the magical treasures inside the Treasured Plains and using them to run away as fast as he could and protecting his own life. He might not know where the magical treasures lied himself but he did know who acquired them in his past life. All he has to do if follow behind them and when the opportunity arises, take it for himself.


    "It''s fine! Brother is too busy to watch us." Yanyu said with hearts in her eyes.


    "Aren''t you a little too young for something like this?" Bo Fai said a little uneased by the amount of lust radiating off this young girl.


    "I''m very mature for my age. My brother said so!" Yanyu puffed her sizeable chest with pride.


    "Fine... just don''t get caught up in something troublesome like last time."


    "My Brother gave me a bunch of talismans and spirit tools in case I get in trouble! I won''t be in danger like last time!"


    "Can you fight??? Bo Fai asked suddenly.


    "I''m not a 4th stage Qi Consolidator for nothing!" She boasted.


    "Can you kill?" He asked in a serious tone.


    "I won''t burden you." She responded back seriously, not giving him an answer but also showing that she wasn''t going to back down from anything.


    "Then stay behind me and just follow. I''ll tell you when to do anything."


    "Understood Secret Boyfriend!" She saluted.


    "Don''t call me that." Bo Fai sighed. Children were growing up faster than he thought. He was an old monster back in his last life that has lived for two thousand years. His involvement with women was very little as he focused solely on cultivation. He normally wouldn''t even look at one unless she was holding a sky-rank or above spirit tool.


    ______________________________________________


    The giant gates leading into the Treasured Plains started shaking. The similarly-sized talismans started to slowly peel off the door and the qi from within the Plains were leaking from underneath. Everyone could feel the high-quality qi brushing against their bodies. With qi as good as this, their cultivation speed would increase at least two times faster! They couldn''t wait to rush inside and start cultivating. By the time they got out, who knows how far they would have progressed in their cultivation?


    "The gates are opening!!!"


    "They''re opening the gates!"


    "I''m going to find a heaven-ranked magical treasure and change my destiny!"


    "No, I am!"


    "Like any of you weaklings will be able to find something that rare."


    "Oi! Don''t push! The gates are large enough for all of us to fit!"


    "Who just shoved me!? I''ll gauge your damn eyes out!"


    "You piece of shit! How dare you elbow me!?"


    "Whoever just felt me up, I''m going to crush their balls and rip off their dick!" A female disciple threatened.


    "Guan Yi! I saw you punch me asshole! Consider your life forfeit when we get inside you bastard!"


    Seeing the overeager disciples nearly start fighting before the doors even opened made many of the elders laugh and look on in amusement. This was nothing strange inside the Golden Serpent Sect. This was expected behavior of the disciples and elders! They saw nothing wrong with this situation of their disciples trying to kill themselves before the Treasured Plains even opened. It just allowed their students to have a better chance of gaining something from inside if the competition was eliminated beforehand. Hell, the elders themselves would do the same if they could get the riches inside.


    Lei Zhi had his tentacled spirit beast, Quon, protect them from anyone brushing into them. Quon used his eight large tentacles to block anyone from getting near their group and also stopping Ying or Hu Tao from fighting against the others in the crowd. This was the best way he could stop any of them from engaging in the upcoming bloodshed and getting involved in it themselves.


    "Whose stupid spirit beast is this!? It''s too large!"


    "I''m going to kill whoever owns the spirit beast!"


    Well... He can say he tried at least, right? Lei Zhi and the others watched as the golden gates swung opened inwardly and they all started to stampede inside like a wild group of bulls! Inside the Treasured Plains was a Great Plain. Nothing but grass, spirit beasts, and spiritual herbs as far as the eye could see. Far off into the distance they could spot a Great Mountain that peaked past the clouds surrounded by trees, to their left was a Great Volcano with occasional bursts of lava from the rocky ground, and to their right was a Great Tower that radiated a terrifying amount of killing intent. Everyone would be in awe at these magnificent sights if they weren''t too busy killing each other, greedily chasing after a rare spirit flora, or scaring wild spiritual beasts as they were taking them apart piece by piece with just their aura alone!

 50 Hu Tao vs Wan Qing!

    Jing''s followers headed pretty far into the Plains. The Plains were large enough to fit five times as many disciples as there are now. The further you explore in the Treasured Plains, the more dangerous it became. But this danger did not come without its benefits, the likely hood of encountering rare resources increased as well because of the quality of qi rising alongside it. Hu Tao was leading the group as they ran along, they still needed something from him before they could take advantage of the Treasured Plains.


    The other disciples didn''t pay any mind to them as there were many other groups within the Plains doing their own thing as well. Neither were any of them interesting enough to take that interest in except Hu Tao and Wan Qing. If they weren''t known for being loners some might actually have tried to group up with them. But Hu Tao was known for being a menace while Wan Qing was known for being crazy. Neither of those qualities attracted the majority of the disciples.


    ???Are you ready to get fucking pounded, sissy?" Hu Tao asked, standing a couple of meters away from Qing.


    "Are you ready to be taught manners by your superior, dog?" Wan Qing bit back.


    "Take care to not go too far you two." Lei Zhi said.


    "Shut up old man." Hu Tao barked.


    "You know Hu Tao doesn''t know the meaning of holding back..." Bing muttered.


    "What''s the point of a fight if you don''t try your hardest?" Ying retorted.


    "There isn''t a need to go that far in just a simple spar." Lei Zhi said while gently petting Ni Xong, the mutant golden panda cub.


    "Whatever. Let''s see what Qing can do." Ying said with some pep in her voice.


    "You really want Hu Tao to lose badly, don''t you?" Bing asked.


    "Yep! He''s had an ass beating coming for a long time. I''d do it myself but, our stages are too far apart. It''s impossible for me right now even if I went all out." She sighed.


    "I will say, I am interested in seeing Wan Qing''s martial arts. Seeing all the unique ways that we fight with the weapons Jing gave us, it''s always fascinating to see them being used in a battle." Lei Zhi shared.


    "I''m sure it has something to do with those butterflies." Ying guessed, as there were a small number of butterflies on flying around Qing.


    "Yeah I believe so too but I can''t really get anything from that alone. Maybe he can control insects with an auxiliary martial art or bloodline." Bing hypothesized.


    "She." Zhi corrected before adding, "And maybe it''s similar to my fishing rod." Quon mimicked Lei Zhi''s petting of Ni Xong with its many tentacles.


    "Oh, right." Bing remembered.


    "Oh, they''re starting. Let''s watch!" Ying hushed them.


    Hu Tao ran towards Qing like an excited predator, who just saw their favorite meal and couldn''t wait to sink their fangs into it. Qing stood straight and proper like a charming prince. The look on her face showed no fear and instead showed arrogance and superiority! She was looking down on Hu Tao. It wasn''t just because he was a lower stage than her either. She almost died the last time she looked down on someone weaker than her.


    No, she looked down on him because he looked and acted like a simple beast. Qing wondered why Jing would allow someone like this in her plan to fix the sect, but then she remembered something one of her many sisters told her when she was a little girl. "Even mindless beasts have their uses." Maybe it was like that for Hu Tao... She doubted he had any other purpose besides being used for his strength.


    "Are you gonna fight or stand there and look like a retard?!" Hu Tao clawed towards Wan Qing''s face.


    Four insect-like wings formed out of Qing''s back and got her out of the way of Hu Tao''s attack. They were made of qi and resembled the wings of a butterfly. As she was flying back, she partially opened her fan by a third. Hu Tao could see an eye pattern staring back at him from the weapon. She swung it and the wind picked up aggressively, Hu Tao was nearly sent flying into the air if he hadn''t gripped his fingers into the grass.


    ''So that''s something it can do huh...'' Hu Tao grinned.


    He sent forth his chains that stretched out. They moved like deadly snakes as they slithered straight for Wan Qing. The speed at which they were coming gave the fan princess little time to react, she was forced to block with her fan and the chains instantly wrapped around them as if to squeeze the life out of it. Wan Qing tried to pull her fan free but Hu Tao was stronger than her despite their realm difference.


    "Hey! Look here idiot!" Hu Tao suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked towards her face.


    With her fan being constricted, she was forced to block it head on. The tessenjutsu user was sent sliding back with her arms in terrible pain. If she took another hit like that head on, she''d lose all feeling in her arms for sure. It looked like Hu Tao was more talented that he looked. She might have to actually try in this fight.


    Qing snapped her finger and the giant fan that was being held by the chains scattered into an uncountable number of butterflies that flew straight to her. The insects soon reformed themselves back into the metal looking fan and reunited with Wan Qing. The lovely butterflies flying around her only added to her beauty. It was time to start round two.


    "That''s a useful weapon." Bing stated in his surprise.


    "Hell yeah it is! With a weapon like that, she could never lose it or get it taken from her! KICK HIS ASS GIRL!" Ying cheered.


    "She will definitely be a reliable teammate with a weapon like that." Lei Zhi praised.


    "I hope you don''t plan on giving up already!" Hu Tao mocked.


    "I was just warming up! This battle won''t be finished until you refer to me as a woman!"


    "Heh. If you can beat me, I''ll call you whatever the hell you want! Mommy, Daddy, Wifey, hell I''ll even call ya Grandmother if you''re into that!"


    Qing swung into the air with her fan. The wind danced to the tune of the anomalous weapon and formed itself into a powerful tornado that curved downward straight towards Hu Tao. The insatiability fighter channeled his qi into his metal ball attached to his chains and kicked it towards the spinning tornado. The metal ball grew greatly from the intake of Hu Tao''s qi. Solid and gas met mid-air, the power radiating off of both attacks were blasting the nearby surroundings with strong winds. The grass below the clash, the clothes of Tao and Qing, the fur of Ni Xong, and the hairs of Zhi, Bing, and Ying.


    Hu Tao''s giant ball was sent flying straight back at him, forcing him to dodge out of the way as he knew that he couldn''t shatter the thing even if he used his full strength. Just standing in the way of that thing was asking to have all your bones broken. It was kind of funny in a way, Hu Tao''s own weapons were completely dangerous to himself just as much as they were to his opponent! If he fought someone who could take control of his weapons, then he would have to... wait that sounded pretty exciting now that he thought about it. It would add to the challenge of beating the shit out of whoever took his weapons.


    "Did you think you were safe!?" The tornado from before chased after Hu Tao like a stalker! It didn''t dissipate even after blowing away his ball!


    Wan Qing was floating in the air creating even more tornados to deal with Hu Tao. Hu Tao was moving as agile as a monkey! With a silly grin on his face as he barely dodged the numerous wind drills, Hu Tao slowly got closer and closer to the unsuspecting flying cultivator. All Wan Qing could see was him just barely managing to stay alive. He wouldn''t even realize that Hu Tao was setting up the perfect sneak attack from below. Hu Tao made sure to focus his eyes on the tornadoes to look as if he was only worried about them.


    It was time! At this distance, he could reach him with a single leap! And just in case he decided to fly away as he''s on his way, he''ll use his chains to latch onto him and bring Qing straight to him. Hu Tao did as he planned and jumped. The surprised look on Qing''s face showed that she didn''t expect this attack at all.


    And just like Hu Tao thought, he quickly flew out of the way to avoid him, letting him latch his chains around his arms. Hu pulled Qing towards him, ready to stick his fist deep into their gut. This wouldn''t be as fun if he couldn''t beat the shit out of him with his fists. He smiled widely as Wan Qing was slowly being wrapped up in his chains on his way to him.


    The chains quickly wrapped themselves around Wan Qing from head to toe. By the time she reached Hu Tao, you couldn''t see a single centimeter of her body! Hu Tao reared his fists back and let loose a powerful number of blows upon Qing''s body. The chains that were wrapped around her spread apart to allow Tao''s fists to reach Qing''s defenseless torso. She barely let out any sounds of pain and this made Hu Tao''s instincts shout at him in warning.


    He felt something coming right behind him but how?! He looked at the body wrapped in his chains and saw Wan Qing''s body slowly turning into butterflies. Damn it! He was tricked! This sissy ain''t too bad at using his head in a fight. Hu Tao couldn''t do anything but accept the painful blast of wind slicing apart his back.


    He was knocked out of the air and crashed into the ground. Wan Qing flew towards him and hovered over him with her fan ready to be used at any second. It also allowed her an easy way of escaping if he did something she didn''t expect. She could just fly straight into the air and out of the way. She arrogantly smirked while looking down at him.


    "Ready to acknowledge me now?"


    "Whatever, slut. If I went all out, you''d be the one on the ground right now. You''re just lucky, I gotta save my strength for the top 10 rankers in the Inner Court." He responded.


    "Hmph. If I went all out, you''d be all the way in the Middle Plains." Qing scoffed.


    "Yeah whatever bitch. I''ll see you kids later! I have some more fights to be getting to!" Hu Tao leapt off the ground before jumping away with an excited howl. The qi radiating off of him was much stronger than it was at the start of the fight!


    "It was enjoyable to see Hu Tao get his ass kicked but it wasn''t as good as I thought it would be." Ying said, getting off the ground.


    Qing walked over to the ground and was hugged by Ni Xong. He had tears pooling around his eyes and a worried look on his face. "I don''t see what you were so scared of. I was the one fighting." She said before hugging him back and comforting him. He was a little too cute to resist babying in Qing''s opinion.


    "Maybe you won''t feel satisfied until you''re the one beating him." Bing shrugged.


    "Yeah, I think so too. I can''t see myself being satisfied unless it''s my fists pummeling him into the ground until his body is broken and bleeding." Ying scarily said with an excited look on her face.


    "I believe it would be wise for us to get a move on now." Lei Zhi said.


    "WAIT! THAT FUCKING STUPID BASTARD DIDN''T TELL US ABOUT THE TASKS!" Ying yelled.


    "Hmm. You''re right. That was the whole reason we waited here." Bing said before taking out the special talisman given to him by Jing. He sent a message to Hu Tao and a minute later he told them each of their tasks. Even Wan Qing got one and she just joined!


    The type of tasks they were given were similar but not all the same. Bing''s task was to kill 20 Huan clan members and for every 10 additional member he killed, the better his rewards would be. This was something he could do without blinking. As long as he chose his targets well, he could come out on top! All he had to do was keep a part of their body like a finger or ear to prove his kills and Jing would send Li Li to count them along with his reward.


    Ying''s task was to kill 20 Fearsome Garden members and for every 10 additional members she killed, the better her rewards would be. Ying didn''t have anything against the Fearsome Garden but this was a task sent to her by Jing. She thought it was just a group for weaklings to join and think they were strong. Maybe they were actually more than she thought since Jing wants her to take care of them.


    Ying shrugged, "Whatever, as long as I do this, I''m sure Jing won''t hold back on the rewards!"


    Lei Zhi''s task was to weaken any major factions'' groups. How he was to do this? He had no idea. This would be an interesting way of dealing with his enemies for the future though. If he couldn''t run away from the issue, he could make them weaker for the future. The weaker they get, the easier it''ll be for him to run away again! It''s the perfect strategy!


    Wan Qing''s task was to kill the 10th ranked disciple in the Inner Court. Wang Yong was the grandson of Rong Yong, the elder that was directly under Elder Chang. Wang Yong was a talented spellmaster and a swordsman of substantial quality. That was all she knew of him besides the boy matching her in cultivation stage. Maybe this was one of the reasons why she was being told to kill him. Qing couldn''t figure out the main reason for her being asked this. Did Yong offend Jing somehow? Was his character despicable and not beautiful at all? Perhaps she will find out when she meets him face to face. She was being rewarded with 5 high-tier spirit stones and a Bone Washing Pill if she accomplished this though.


    Usually when someone offers 5 high-tier stones for killing someone, the target is known for being dangerously strong and valuable. But Qing doubted that Yong was any less talented than she was, he just battled in the ranking matches more often than her. Once she deals with him, those 5 high-tier spirit stones will probably be enough for her to breakthrough twice and Ni Xong to breakthrough 5 times! They held 10x the amount of qi that a low-rank spirit stone does. The only way one could not be satisfied with a stone of that quality is if they have a cultivation technique that needs an unholy amount of qi to progress.


    "Are we ready to move out now?" Ying asked after putting away her talisman.


    "I''m good to go." Bing responded.


    "Us three are ready." Lei Zhi said, referring to himself, Xiurong, and Quon.


    "I am also done reading mine." Wan Qing spoke politely.


    "Now let''s go get some treasure!!!" Ying shouted, by herself. After seeing no one else sharing her excitement, she punched Bing due to the embarrassment she felt.


    "What did I even do?" He said massaging his arm.


    "I can''t be the only one who''s excited!" Ying shot back.


    "I''m excited too. I just didn''t express it as much as you." Bing replied, feeling like he was dealt injustice.

 51 Already Running Into Trouble?!

    Ying led the party deep into the plains. The grassy plains were filled with disciples trying to take whatever they could before someone else did or fighting each other over resources that are all across the plains. There were also territorial Skull Oxen in herds that frequently charged and tried to kill the disciples. Just like right now, there were three skull oxen that were charging right for the group. Since Ying was leading in front, she took it upon herself to deal with them. They were just a bunch of dumb spirit beasts, it shouldn''t be too hard to deal with them.


    The skull ox was a spirit beast of formidable size and power. They were known for their incredibly tough shield-like horns that could take an attack from a creature two small stages above it and not even be scratched! Skull oxen were frequently hunted for these valuable horns to use as materials for weapons but besides that they didn''t have much value. Their meat was tough and not very tasty, they hated everything that wasn''t another skull ox, and temperaments were too violent to be domesticated.


    Ying channeled her qi within her legs and stomped on the ground, shattering the earth in front of her. The skull oxen tripped from the uneven ground and Ying innocently laughed as they started mooing in distress. She walked over towards them and finished each one off with a single slash of her blade. The spirit beasts were cut in half and Ying looked back at the group as if she was asking, "What are you guys waiting for?"


    "What is that?" Bing squinted his eyes, gathering everyone''s attention.


    Up ahead, Ying could see a lot of people standing around on top of a large hill. None of them could see anything but the backs of the other disciples whose attention were captured by something on the other side of the hill. If something could catch that many peoples'' eyes then that means treasure was nearby! Ying excitedly picked up her pace unconsciously.


    "Something good has to be ahead!" She exclaimed.


    "You mean something dangerous has to be ahead." Bing corrected.


    "Where there is danger, there is opportunity as well." Lei Zhi said just as excited as Ying.


    It was the first time he could explore the Treasured Plains with confidence in himself. All the other times, he was forced to group up with others like him just to survive the oxen. Very rarely, did he ever gain anything from the Treasured Plains and was allowed to keep it on his way out. He never even made it out of the Plains as he was too weak to explore anywhere else but this time would be different. Lei Zhi promised to explore the volcano, mountain, and even the tower this time around!


    "Let''s go see for ourselves." Wan Qing smiled.


    "That was the plan!" Ying told them.


    They started to climb up the mound expecting some great treasure on the other side. Maybe it was mutant spirit beast, maybe it was a magical treasure, or maybe it was a valuable plant that could only be grown within the Treasured Plains. All of their imaginations went wild at the possibilities. Ying doubted it could be anything she needed but that doubt was miniscule in comparison to how much she wanted it to be something she needed.


    They arrived at the peak of the hill alongside the other cultivators and couldn''t believe their eyes. This couldn''t be true... How could something like this be here? It doesn''t make any sense! Just before they started climbing up the mound, they could clearly see that there was something behind it! They couldn''t all be going insane, could they?!


    "How is there is a cliff right here?!"


    "I''m pretty sure this place is called the Great Plains not the Great Cliff!"


    "If anyone fell down from here, there wouldn''t be a single chance of them living."


    "I doubt even the Elders could survive a fall from this height."


    "My legs are paralyzed in fear, can someone push me back down the hill please?"


    "What hill?"


    "What do you mean what hill? The hill right behind us!"


    "There is no hill behind us..."


    "What the hell is going on here!? Where did the hill we climbed up go!?"


    "Why are we trapped on a floating piece of rock above treacherous waters!?"


    "What''s going on Qing?" Ying asked just as confused as everyone else.


    "We''re trapped in an illusion array." She explained.


    "An illusion array?"


    "Someone is messing with us?!"


    "A spellmaster planted a trap for us! How do we get out!?"


    "Well, it might not be a spellmaster that created this illusion formation. It could be naturally occurring... But that''d be worst case scenario if it was true."


    "What even is an illusion array?!"


    A fellow disciple scoffed at his peer''s ignorance, "An illusion array is a formation that traps someone in an illusionary world while their real body is defenseless in the real world. Getting out is impossible if the person doesn''t even realize they''re trapped in the first place."


    "How do we get out then?" Someone asked.


    "We have to find the base of the formation within the illusion and destroy it."


    "Or we could get lucky and hope someone that isn''t trapped jolts our body from the outside world, that could free us as well."


    "Wait Qing, why would it be worst case scenario if it was naturally occurring?" Bing asked.


    "That''s because if it is, then we would need to find the spirit tool that was causing this and destroy it." Qing explained.


    "What''s so bad about that? We just got to break it right?"


    "I wish it was as simple as it seemed but getting our way to that spirit tool is going to be harder than you think."


    "Why is that?"


    "Because from what I can tell... this spirit tool is at the very least earth-rank if it can trap this many cultivators inside. And an earth-rank spirit tool that can create a formation as powerful as this one, has to be protected by a powerful spirit beast."


    "Even a cultivator at your realm has to be careful?"


    "Oh no. I''ll be fine, it''s just going to be a hassle to figure out where the magical treasure is. You all might lose your lives though." Qing said leisurely.


    "Lose our lives!?"


    "I don''t wanna die yet!"


    "How the hell can an illusion kill someone? You really are just a crazy freak. Watch me get out of this without even trying." A 7th stage Qi Gatherer scoffed.


    The confident disciple hopped off the cliff down into the raging waters and sharp giant rocks below. Since it''s just an illusion, none of this is real. Even if his body was skewered and torn apart by the waters below, it wouldn''t matter at all. It was just an illusion like that sissy said. By the time he hits the water, he''ll definitely be out of this dumb illusion.


    Unfortunately, that wasn''t how illusion formations worked. Wan Qing rolled her eyes as the screams of the disciple were quickly drowned out by the sounds of the crashing waves. She looked towards the others. Now they should heed her words carefully.


    The strength of a formation varies depending on how much qi is fueling it and what rank the talisman slips used in the creation of the formation. A mortal-ranked illusion formation can''t recreate the sense of pain. A stellar-ranked one can''t trap more than 5 people. An earth-rank illusion array can trap anyone who walks into it and recreate the sense of pain. So, that disciple that just jumped down to his death, felt everything on his way out. He''s most likely brain dead and turned into a cripple by now. Unless his pain tolerance is extremely strong, then he should be fine and coming back any moment.


    Wan Qing immediately pinched herself once she realized she was trapped here to find out the rank of this formation. Now she just had to find out if it really was just an earth-rank illusion before deciding to get out of here. If it was a sky-ranked illusion, it''s going to be more tedious to escape and she''s definitely going to take this spirit tool for herself. She could only wait until she found the magical treasure in person before she could figure out what rank this was.


    "Anyone else want to go for a swim?" Qing smiled as the disciple who just jumped off reappeared back at the top of the cliff.


    His body was mangled horribly with pieces of his bone jutting out from his body. Blood raced out of the sizeable holes from his torso made by the rocks below. He groaned in horrible pain. Some of the disciples nearly threw up at the sight of the mutilated still living corpse. This was one of the fates of being trapped in an illusion array with your sense of pain intact.


    "What the hell!?"


    "Disgusting!!!"


    "Why isn''t he dead!?"


    "Because it''s an illusion," Qing spoke before adding more, "Since it''s an illusion whatever happens here is not what happens to his body in the real world. Although whatever happens here can affect your real body in other ways."


    "This is pissing me off! So, all we have to do is find this magic treasure, right?!" Ying asked frustrated.


    "I believe so." Lei Zhi said.


    "Fine! Follow me and shut up!" Ying fed her sword a spirit stone directly into the mouth behind its eye.


    The sword started to transform right in front of everyone''s eyes. The previously large shiny silver blade blinded anyone that was directly staring at it. The sword started to take on a sleeker look while growing even longer. One swing with her sword like that and even if you were standing 5 meters away, you could still find yourself cut by it! Seeing the strange transformation of the weapon caused everyone to gasp in shock and envy.


    "What kind of spirit weapon is that...?"


    "Just who is that girl and why haven''t I ever heard of her before!?"


    "Just what is that weapon and why haven''t I ever seen IT before!?"


    Ying looked around the cliff in deep focus. She could see far more now that her sword has taken on a new form. This new form for her blade would allow Ying to find out where the damn spirit tool was hiding. Then she could get out of here and actually find some real magical treasures!


    "So that''s where you''re hiding..." Ying softly said as she looked over the edge of the cliff.


    She gathered strength in her legs and vanished from the top of the cliff. She was diving straight down into the waters!


    "Is she crazy!?"


    "Did she not see what happened to him!?"


    "Oh god, our only hope is gone..."


    "Why did our savior have to be a crazy suicidal bitch? Now there is no hope for us getting out..."


    Bing, Lei Zhi, and Wan Qing focused on Ying as she was falling down the cliff. Bing knew that Ying wouldn''t kill herself. She must have found a way out of here just like she said, but was it down the cliff? There wasn''t any other explanation for her behavior. Bing and Lei Zhi trusted Ying''s judgement, they followed after her and jumped off the cliff as well, following her exact path down.


    "Ah?! Hey, wait for me! If you were going to do something you guys need to tell me too! I just joined remember!?" Wan Qing grabbed Ni Xong and followed behind Bing and Zhi.


    "Is today the holiday to commit suicide? Did they not see the horrible outcome that happened to the first guy that jumped down?"


    "Maybe they couldn''t take it anymore. They were mumbling like crazy people before jumping off."


    "Or maybe they figured out a way to leave this illusion formation!"


    "What? Why would the way out be by committing suicide?"


    "I don''t know but it''s better than staying up here till I starve to death!" The disciple jumped off the cliff and followed after Wan Qing''s figure.


    "What if they really did find the way out?"


    "Well we could just wait and see if they come back in the same way the first guy did."


    "That''s true, and if they did find the way out then they would be back up here and be like that guy."


    The scared disciples stood and waited till the girl hit the frenzied waters. Some couldn''t bear to watch her kill herself and reappear back up here in a terrible state. Others watched with precision focus as this could be there only means of escape if she was right and wasn''t just a suicidal nutcase.


    "She really was right..." Ying didn''t reappear at the top of the cliff.


    "They found it! They found it!" The joyful cultivator hopped off the cliff in his excitement but didn''t take care to look exactly where he was jumping, resulting in him missing the spot where he needed to land and reappearing back at the top of the cliff with his body terribly deformed.


    "Haha! Don''t be like that fucking idiot and make sure you land where they landed. Or you can say goodbye to your life."


    The rest made sure to land exactly where the girl splashed when they jumped off. They didn''t want to turn out like those two and have their lives ruined by a stupid inanimate object. Could you imagine dying to something that doesn''t even have a thinking mind? As a cultivator, it would be most embarrassing to die due to such stupidity.


    Ying and her allies entered some sort of sea cave. After jumping down into the hazardous sea, she was swallowed up by a whirlpool within the water that dragged her deep down into the water. Being swallowed up by the sea should be a painful experience but Ying could breathe just fine in the waters. She had little control over her body because of the whirlpool but she didn''t feel any discomfort. She found herself washed up on some beach inside a dark cave.


    Bing, Lei Zhi and his spirit beasts, and Wan Qing and her spirit cub showed up moments later. Ying ignited her hand on fire and illuminated their surroundings. There was a narrow hole in the rocky wall in front of them. Besides that, there was just the incredibly soft sand and glistening water from where they came.


    "I can feel the spirit tool up ahead. I can''t sense anything else near it." Ying took the lead.


    "Let me go first. Just in case..." Bing said walking in front of Ying.


    "I said there was nothing but the spirit tool nearby. What are you worrying about?" Ying asked slightly irritated.


    "Well, I believe it''s better to be safe than sorry. What if there was something that could hide its qi and attacked you? I wouldn''t be able to sleep well at night if you got killed when I could''ve prevented it." Bing stated calmly.


    Ying''s cheeks slightly flushed at the concern the Fatass was showing to her. How could he say something so embarrassing like that in front of everyone? Is his skin really that thick that he can say words like that to just anyone? Stupid Fatass...


    "Do whatever you want idiot... I wouldn''t get killed by something thing like that in the first place."


    "I don''t think that was called for but-"


    "Shut up and move!" Ying kicked him in the butt, pushing him forwards the narrow opening. He had trouble fitting his round figure inside but with another kick from Ying, he managed to squeeze himself in.


    Quon completely wrapped himself around Lei Zhi so that he could fit through the hole. His body was mostly squishy and soft but still quite large. Lei Zhi decided to go in last so that Quon''s tentacles doesn''t get in anyone''s way. Everyone else agreed and they entered through the cave opening. Bing going first, Wan Qing and Ni Xong next, Ying fourth, and Lei Zhi and his pets last.

 52 A Small Scuffle.

    The group slowly made their way through the cramped narrow space within the cave. They could only see blackness and hear each other''s breathing in this tight space. The only path forward was going straight. If anything came towards them during this time, they wouldn''t even have enough room to try and take out their weapons! This is another reason why Bing decided to take the lead.


    Bing was a body cultivator which meant that even without his weapon, he wouldn''t be helpless to any attacks. He could use his bare hands to try and eliminate any threats. Lei Zhi and Wan Qing were qi cultivators. They could strengthen their bodies by layering qi over themselves but this would wear out quickly against an equal or stronger opponent. Their main focus is in causing as much damage using martial arts that don''t involve infusing qi into their bodies.


    Ying could have also taken this task as she''s a body cultivator just like Bing but Bing decided to take this task over for himself. He did use a shield after all. What would be the point of having his shield if he didn''t use it to protect himself or the people around him? It''d be no better than an accessory.


    "Ying, you sense anything up ahead?" Bing asked.


    "Hold on. Give me a sec, I gotta feed this hungry little runt again." Ying responded as she fed the great sword another spirit stone in its eyeball. Her sword felt embarrassed after Ying said this out loud.


    As everyone else stopped moving to wait on her, the great sword began to transform into the incredibly long and sharp blade from before. Her sword''s transformation only lasted ten minutes and when those ten minutes were up the new abilities it gained would slowly vanish along with reverting back to its original appearance. Ying searched with her qi. She didn''t feel any other qi ahead besides those in her group.


    "There is an open space we will reach soon and when we get past there, the spirit tool will be sitting on top of something." Ying relayed.


    ??Got it. Let''s keep moving then." Bing said.


    The group continued their way forward slowly and carefully. There was no going backward in this tight path. If something happened up ahead, they would have to rely on Bing to handle it or they''ll all be screwed. None of their martial arts could be used with their arms and legs so restricted, even trying to reach for their weapons would be a wasted effort. No movement arts, weapon arts, auxiliary arts, or body arts could be used to defend from something attacking them.


    "Hold on Bing, I hear something up ahead." Lei Zhi suddenly spoke. Bing stopped in his tracks while everyone else matched him.


    "We''re about to reach the open area! You probably just heard some rocks falling or something." Ying dismissed.


    "Rocks don''t sound like metal..." Lei Zhi responded.


    "I''m telling you, I don''t sense anything with qi ahead of us. And if you didn''t know, every living thing has qi inside them! Even people that don''t cultivate have qi.???


    "There could be something that doesn''t have qi inside them..." Bing pondered.


    "How is that even possible?" Wan Qing asked.


    "I guess we''ll have to find out. Follow me, I''m going in." Bing walked at a slightly faster pace with his hands ready to block or catch anything coming towards him.


    Bing swelled himself up with his Devil''s Arms and grew an extra pair of arms out of his palms to increase his reach. As they got closer to the opening, everyone else could also hear the sounds Lei Zhi heard.


    "Damn it!" Ying cursed under her breathe.


    "Hehehe." Lei Zhi innocently chuckled, prompting a smile from Wan Qing.


    "I see light up ahead!" Bing told them as he squeezed his way into the open cave area.


    "Grr..." The growling startled Bing but he did not lose his composure. He saw multiple black metallic dog-like beasts running towards him.


    "Yea! There''s definitely something we have to deal with besides the spirit tool!" Bing pulled his 2nd pair of arms back into his body and held his shield in front of himself.


    There were about a ten of these strange beasts in all. Three were attacking from his front, two from his left, two on his right, and three from above. If he stood here and blocked, he would get flanked by the four on his sides. Those sharp maws of theirs look like they can tear right through his flesh with no problem. He wasn''t going to take a needless risk.


    "Get ready to fight once you''re in here! Swift Devil!" Bing shouted, ramming his shield into six of the canines.


    The remaining four quickly dashed after him, allowing the others to come inside the open area. Ying pulled out her transformed sword and dashed after the dogs chasing Bing. Lei Zhi reached for his pink fishing rod on his back and tossed its hook towards the metal beasts. Xiurong leapt off of Zhi''s shoulders and grew to the size of a tiger. Quon''s thick tentacles extended and reached for any dogs he could grab. Wan Qing couldn''t use her fan''s wind ability in a place like this without affecting her allies, but that wasn''t her only method of fighting. She grabbed her fan like a club and flew after the strange beasts. Ni Xong hid behind a rock and watched.


    Bing smashed six of the dogs into the wall with enough strength that he partially lodged them inside. They continued to snap and bark at him without a care in the world. Bing''s body being strengthened by his Devil''s Physique allowed him to pull off tasks that cultivators a few stages higher than him couldn''t dare to try. In the Qi Gathering stage, the main difference in the stages is physical strength. Your qi is mostly unaffected until you get to the late stages where you become more accustomed to qi and learn how to use it more naturally. Such as being able to infuse it into weapons, infuse it into their limbs separately, and creating their qi pool in preparation for the next realm.


    The metal beasts were starting to claw and bite their way out of the cave wall. Bing really didn''t want to take on six of them at once. So, before they could free themselves Bing slammed his shield into the immobile metal beasts, sending them deeper and deeper into the cave walls. Unfortunately, his shield was only so big. He could only trap two inside while the other 4 got free and leapt towards him with their maws wide open for a bite. He gritted his teeth as he prepared himself for the incoming pain.


    "I got you Bing!" Qing said as she batted the four away with a single swing, her fan was opened all the way to catch each beast.


    "Thanks. You don''t know how scared I was of getting bit." Bing wiped his sweaty forehead.


    "You looked pretty brave to me." Wan Qing smiled.


    "That''s good to know I didn''t look as frightened as I felt."


    "It would''ve been fine either way. Women like a man who isn''t afraid of showing his emotions."


    "Thanks...?" Bing said confused.


    "You''re still young, maybe you''ll understand when you fall in love." Qing giggled.


    "Love? What are you---" One of the metal canines came flying right past Qing and Bing, crashing into the wall.


    Ying came over and glared at Bing.


    "How about we save the flirting for later?" She coldly spoke while slashing the metal beast in half with her blade.


    "Flirting?" Bing was only getting more confused as time went on.


    "You don''t need to worry Ying. I''m not a thief." She chuckled as Ying''s face blushed heavily.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about!" She released her embarrassment on the sliced dog and ignited her sword.


    The heat coming off her long blade melted the metal beast into silver molten. She then ran off to deal with another beast while Bing''s mind was running in circles trying to process Qing and Ying''s words. Wan Qing flew off to help out the others leaving Bing alone with the two trapped dogs in the wall. Realizing that standing there trying to understand the conversation between Qing and Ying wasn''t helping anyone, He got to work on trying to kill the two stuck beasts in the wall.


    Lei Zhi hooked onto one of the creatures with his fishing rod. The hook snagged onto the top of its maw and he reeled it in at incredible speeds. The metal beast couldn''t even hope to resist against the unbelievable strength of the fishing rod. Lei Zhi felt like he was reeling in a goldfish with how effortless it felt. He mentally asked for Xiurong to help him out.


    Xiurong reached out with her claw and as it was about to zip past her, she caught it in-between her claw and snapped it in half. The creature''s separated body fell to the ground and Lei Zhi went over to take his hook out of its jaw. He made sure to give Xiurong a congratulatory rub on the head before reaching over to take the hook out. Just as he was about to reach into the mouth of the fallen beast, it quickly snapped its jaws to bite his hand off.


    Lei Zhi''s hand moved with the swiftness of a gazelle as he barely managed to save his hand in time from the sneak attack. If it wasn''t for his auxiliary martial art enhancing his senses, Lei Zhi would have had to say goodbye to his left hand right there.


    ''How frightening... I just started back on my path of cultivation and nearly became even more crippled than I was before.''


    Could Jing''s mysterious background even replace a hand? Lei Zhi really didn''t want to find out. Xiurong crushed the metal dog with her claw as soon as she saw what happened. She used all her strength as she smashed her fist into the two halves, turning it into flat metal scrap. Lei Zhi rubbed Xiurong''s shell to calm her down and show her that he''s okay. Xiurong was still very pissed that something bad could''ve happened to Lei. She blurped something at Quon and he hopped on top of her shell as she charged towards the other metal beasts.


    "The metal dogs can stay alive even after being cut in half!" Lei Zhi shouted.


    "What?!" Ying exclaimed as she just sliced upwards with her blade and split a metal beast in half.


    The two parts of it fell to the ground lifelessly before twitching and then rising back up and merging back together into a whole.


    "Annoying!" The metal beast she just dealt with came after her with a friend.


    Ying ignited her sword as Qing flew in and bashed the friend away. Quon caught it in the air with his tentacle and began to crush it with powerful strength. He used his other tentacles to fold it into a small cube so that it couldn''t hurt anyone even if it was still alive like this. Qing smiled as she saw Zhi''s spirit beasts working together.


    Ni Xong was just hiding behind a rock watching them. She''s really going to have to teach that boy not to be so afraid of fighting. If she doesn''t, he''s going to have a rough time in the future. He might be a baby but other spirit beasts his age would be already be having lessons on how to hunt with their parents. During her time in the Treasured Plains, she''s going to have to give him some confidence.


    Once the group learned how to deal with the metal creatures, they stopped behaving like wild animals. They watched as the dogs ran away to one side of the cave and started shaking together. Bing''s eyes widen as he saw the place they needed to go wasn''t blocked off anymore. During the fight earlier, a group of those metal beasts would always be near that part of the cave and refuse to let anyone past it. Now they can head straight for the spirit tool!


    "Sorry about this Ying!" Bing swept Ying off her feet like a princess and started running for the room where the spirit tool was in. "Follow me! We don''t need to fight that thing, we just need to get the spirit tool!" He yelled.


    "Put me down Fatass!!! I told you that a Yue never retreats! I''m going to kick that things ass and you can''t stop me!" Ying fiercely struggled. Everyone else followed behind him as they agreed with his point. If there wasn''t a point to fighting then why fight? They wouldn''t get any benefits fighting this metal beast.


    "We''re not retreating! We''re just leaving for a moment! You can deal with it after we''re done!" Bing held onto Ying''s slim waist tightly.


    "You''re a bad liar and a stupid fat headed idiot!" Ying''s face was as red as an apple while Bing''s strong arms were held around her. Did he think she was some weak defenseless girl?! She could take care of herself without his help! Why the hell was he making her so irritated lately!? Just looking at him made her feel upset but being held in his arms like this made her realize that she wasn''t that opposed to it.


    What Bing and the others didn''t realize was that they had people behind him them. The cultivators from the cliff that followed them into the waters. They also showed up on the cave''s beach and went through the narrow hole just like they did. Only to stumble upon a giant metallic wolf staring them down as they came out of the narrow hole.


    "GO BACK! GO BACK! GO BACK!"


    "I can''t! I can''t turn my body!"


    "Fucking get out of my way!" The cultivator tried pushing the guy back but it didn''t save him in time when he tried to squeeze back inside. The upper half of his body was chomped by the wolf, scaring the disciple into the wall so badly, he froze. Seeing his peer''s internal organs spilling out of his upper and lower body caused his soul to momentarily free itself from its mortal chains.


    The metal wolf got up close to the small hole in the wall and sneered as it made eye contact with the frightened cultivator. A smelly yellow stream started to pool around his feet. This sent the beast into a frenzy. It started to ram into the wall with its entire body to get at the cultivator inside, shifting the cave entirely.


    "What''s going on up there!?"


    "Who''s fucking around at a time like this!?"


    "Stop playing and get moving! It''s hot back here!"


    "We''re all gonna die...." The cultivator who urinated cried with tears down his eyes.


    "Fucking move you shithead!"


    "What''s that loud noise?! Are you trying to bring the whole cave down on us?!"


    "If you retards forgot, we''re still underwater in this cave! If this cave caves in, we''re so far deep in the ocean that none of us will make it back alive!"


    "Maybe drowning won''t be so bad... We''re still in an illusion so we might just reappear back on the cliff completely fine."


    "If you want to drown yourself, go ahead and do it by yourself, you damn fool! Some of us don''t want to experience death and just want to break out of this god damn stupid illusion array!"


    "I was just saying... Maybe drowning wouldn''t be that bad of a way to go. Didn''t need to get so pissy..."


    "Shut your stupid fucking mouth and try to figure out what the hell is happening up ahead. Being trapped with so many sweaty guys is pissing me off."

 53 Dont Touch My Face.

    "We got another big friend waiting for us! Behind him is the spirit tool probably." Lei Zhi shouted. He could shape out something large and beast-like up ahead.


    "I''ll take the lead! Try and take it down while I''m getting its attention!" Bing yelled as the group made it into the last room.


    "Put me down already!" Ying told Bing with an irritated look on her face.


    He did as she asked and they all locked eyes with the giant metal beast. The cave room they were in was smaller than the room they just left but it still had plenty of room for all of them to fight freely. The walls were littered with skeletons wearing the tattered robes of their sect, broken or rusted weapons lying next to them, and the musky smell of the cave itself.


    A lot of disciples have met their end to this spirit tool. Lei Zhi wondered if there was some sort of malicious spirit inhabiting the magical treasure. The reason why it is trying to take so many lives could be because of this malice. Or was it just trying to protect itself from being taken away and used like a tool? Lei knew that some magical treasures could think for themselves as if they had their own mind. If this spirit tool was like that did it mean it was purposely trying to kill everyone who got caught in its illusion or just wanted to be left alone?


    Lei shook his head. This type of thinking is only distracting him. He needs to focus on this battle and help his teammates out. The giant beast was swiping its paw down at Ying to crush her. It just knocked Bing away a few moments ago so he couldn''t protect her from being squashed! Lei threw his fishing hook towards the leg of the metal wolf to try and help Ying. The feisty lass definitely wouldn''t choose to avoid the attack.


    She stood her ground with a heated grin. Ying''s giant sword came over her shoulder with great force to slice the beast''s paw in half. The amount of power in that swing was definitely too much for a girl of her age and physique! Her sword and the beast''s paw clashed in a fierce clash of sparks. Lei''s hook reached the wolf''s leg and easily pierced into it. Seeing that strange sight made him wonder just what couldn''t his hook snag into...


    Another question to test later with Bing, Ying was slowly pushing the metal paw back with just her raw strength! Lei was starting to doubt she even needed his help in the first place! Her sword was slowly cutting right through the beast''s paw. The metal beast roared with enough force to send most of them flying away! Its clashing with Ying was stopped but Lei Zhi''s hook was still attached to it! Quon caught Lei before he smashed into the cave wall while Lei tugged on his line, lifting the giant wolf off its feet and tossed it into the opposite wall.


    Qing caught Ni Xong and stopped herself with her wings, Ying stabbed her sword into the ground before she could be sent flying, and Bing took a note from Ying by digging his twenty fingers into the floor. Now that the beast was out of the way, everyone could finally see the spirit tool that it was protecting.


    "How beautiful..." Wan Qing muttered.


    "Destroy it!" Bing yelled.


    "Wait! Does anyone want an illusion making spirit tool!?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "I don''t! But I think Qing does!" Ying responded as Qing slowly flew over to the magical treasure.


    ______________________________________________


    She wrapped her hands around the softly glowing oil lamp and suddenly she was taken elsewhere! Qing looked around and found herself sitting on a throne surrounded by kneeling men dressed in feminine robes. This was her palace... The palace she''s lived in for the past 20 years... Why did it feel like she didn''t recognize this place at all? Like she didn''t know any of the hundreds of followers bowing before her. She seemed so lost looking at all the same things she''s seen every day.


    The palace she called her home was the most beautiful palace within the Evergreen continent. It was filled with such beauty and unbelievable riches that it was like this entire place was meant for her! Even though she played a great part in creating this place, it just all fit so perfectly. This great palace belonged in her Immortal Fairy Sect in which she was the sect leader of.


    There was a strange blue butterfly on the back of her palm though. She didn''t recognize this bug but it felt like she should. It seemed like it was calling for her, trying to connect with her. It was crazy that Wan Qing felt like she should try and connect back with this spirit beast she''s seen for the first time. If anyone else knew of her thoughts they would call her a maniac!


    "Sect Leader!" Someone called out to her.


    That shout woke her from her daze, "Yes?"


    "Are you ready for the wedding that will combine both our sect and the Supreme Blade Kingdom together and lead the future of Evergreen continent into prosperity?" Ni Xiang asked.


    Ni Xiang was her best friend since they were young. They did everything together growing up. Learning the ways of the sword, cultivating the same martial arts, and even liking the same boys but unlike Qing, she was born a woman. There was a time in their past where Wan envied Xiang because of this. It spiraled into a large fight where their friendship was close to shattering forever. If it wasn''t for Xiang''s persistent and headstrong nature then they would probably be nothing more than strangers right now.


    Wan Qing smiled that her best friend was still with her but why did Wan feel like she didn''t know Xiang at all? A small part of her refused to acknowledge Xiang as her best friend in the entire world. A small part of her refused to even acknowledge Xiang at all. And it wasn''t just her she felt this way about, she felt this way about her supposed groom and everything that was happening right now. The body she was in didn''t even feel comfortable! It felt different.


    Ni Xiang grabbed her hand and led her to the doors leading out of her throne room. Was she really going to be married right now? Everything is going too fast! Shouldn''t marriage be something done after several years of getting to know each other? Why does it feel like she''s getting married to someone she just got to know a couple of seconds ago!? Just what is even going on right now?!


    Ni Xiang opened the doors and soon the surroundings changed. Ni Xiang was no longer next to her and every one of her family and friends were sitting in chairs clapping. Wan looked to her right and stared into the eyes of Hu Tao!? Hu Tao locked eyes with Wan Qing and gently smiled. He was like a completely different person entirely! He was wearing a well-made and fitted outfit, his hair was smooth and straight, and his personality was kind, supporting, and respectful.


    "Are you ready, my dear?" His voice was filled with love and care. If she didn''t know Hu Tao before, he would be her dream husband! He was like a royal prince!


    But! This was an illusion. She was trapped in an illusion inside an illusion right now! These memories floating around in her head weren''t real! The magical treasure was a sky-ranked one! The butterfly from before flew in front of her face and sent qi at her. It was trying to help her break free this entire time! Wan Qing responded in kind and sent her qi back to the butterfly, distorting the world around her and all the people inside.


    Qing shot up from the ground. She frantically looked around and saw everyone staring at her. The spirit tool was clutched in her hands, Ni Xong was hugging her lap with a worried look on his face, and the butterflies were all over her body. It looks like they made it out of the first illusion without her. They were back in the Great Plains with everyone else.


    "Finally awake huh? You should probably hide that unless you want everyone knowing we got the spirit tool." Ying smiled.


    "How long was I out?" Wan asked as she connected her qi with the Illusionary Urn.


    "Half an hour at most. After you touched the spirit tool, you just stopped moving. It was like your mind was taken somewhere else." Bing replied.


    "I got put under a second illusion." Wan Qing used the powers of the urn to change its look into a normal sword. So, if anyone looked at it now, they would just see a sword hanging from her waist.


    "We tried everything we could to wake you up but nothing worked." Lei Zhi said.


    "I even punched you and that still didn''t work." Ying revealed.


    "Is that why my face hurts right now!?" Wan yelled.


    "Sorry but hey! You got a spirit tool at the earth rank! Wanna show us what it can do?" Ying suddenly asked.


    "We should get moving. Qing, you can tell us on the way." Bing suggested.


    "Did it really have to be my face though!?" Wan asked.


    "If a punch in the face won''t wake you up, nothing will." Ying replied.


    "She felt really guilty after doing it though. She even fed you one of her recovery pills." Bing spoke up.


    "Who feels guilty!?" Ying shouted.


    "Well thanks, but next time I''m unconscious don''t touch my face please." Wan begged.


    "Heh. Youth is refreshing to witness." Lei Zhi chuckled as the group got up and starting to move deeper in the Great Plains.

 54 Jings First Day Out As A Bandit!

    Deep in the woods near the Great Mountain, a small battle was being held by two different groups. There were little differences between both groups but the third group watching didn''t care enough to differentiate them. All they saw were easy prey. The two groups were locked in a life or death battle over a glowing blade floating in the air. A certain someone thought it was a pointless battle as there was only one blade that only one person could use. All these lives lost over a single sword, it would''ve been more meaningful to have a chosen member of their group to duel the other and the winner would take the blade.


    The first group of cultivators stumbled upon the blade first. Their leader tried to take the blade for himself but just as he was about to grasp the handle, he was knocked out of the way by the second group''s leader. Neither sides looked as if they were part of a faction and were just a group of cultivators that decided to team up to take on the Treasured Plains together. This was a regular occurrence within the Treasured Plains for cultivators with no reputable background, the untalented, and those with no friends to rely on.


    Jing watched this fight play out while hiding in the bushes with the Wolfeng Gang. The Wolfeng Gang was the third group watching this fight and intended on snatching the valuables of everyone here along with the glowing spirit weapon. The winner of this skirmish didn''t even know what was about to hit them. Wenling was a lot more intelligent than Jing thought she was.


    Letting your enemies battle to the death and then killing the victor to take all the riches is a smart plan. Jing had to give her praise, she knew how to use her head. She did have some issues with this plan though. The rewards to be gained from this won''t be as good as these two groups are filled with lackluster cultivators. But then again, if they do this enough time, the amount of resources taken will eventually stack, increasing their power even more.


    "Let''s go get our goods boys." Wenling whispered to her ranks.


    The first group successfully killed their opposing enemies but with heavy costs. Out of the 20 cultivators on the first side, 10 were killed in this battle. The second group was completely wiped out. The remaining ten survivors allowed the strongest in the group to take the blade. Jing was honestly surprised that the survivors didn''t all turn on each other and start stabbing themselves in the back for the sword. Knowing the cultivators in her sect, she wouldn''t have been surprised in the least.


    The dangers of the Treasured Plains must be greater than their greed if they''re willing to pass up on a sword like that. And in a way, they were right in their choice here. It was just too bad they weren''t aware of their surroundings. Jing threw a talisman towards the leader and it stuck to his back. It was a spell that caused a bright and intense light to shine, blinding anyone staring at it.


    "I CAN''T SEE!!!"


    "We''re under attack!"


    "Damn it! Seriously?! Just one fucking thing after the other in these damned Plains."


    "Cowards! Reveal yourselves!"


    The Wolfeng Gang shielded their eyes before charging in. They kept their eyes to the ground where they could tell when the talisman was done shining and when it was, they looked up and got ready to kill. Wenling observed from the back as everyone else attacked. None of the cultivators here were at the 9th stage so there was no need for her to join in. Her second-in-command, Ears, took on the leader of the first group. They were both 8th staged Qi Gatherers.


    Since they had the advantage after blinding the cultivators, Ears managed to slice off the hand of the leader with his dagger. The blood spray that sprayed on his body from the wound didn''t bother Ears in the least. The horrified screams of the leader were silenced with a casual stab to the throat as he fell down gurgling on his own blood. The rest of the gang were taking care of the other nine cultivators.


    Jing did not take part in the bloodshed despite being an important factor in aiding it. She took it upon herself to capture the spirit weapon for the group. With a sealing spell slapped onto the sword, it couldn''t resist being captured by Jing. Its abilities were sealed as long as this sealing talisman was wrapped around it. She grabbed the sword in her arms and quickly ran towards Wenling while the rest were finishing up the cultivators and pooling together their belongings.


    "Nice job my prot¨¦g¨¦." Wenling complimented, causing a small blush to appear on Jing''s face.


    "It wasn''t too hard..." Jing softly responded. She then gave the sword to Wenling.


    "What was that first spell you used?" She asked.


    "It''s called flash. It''s a supportive type spell..."


    "Good choice picking that one. Thanks to that, none of my men got injured and we got a good haul from these groups." She rubbed Jing''s hair.


    "Thanks..." Jing hid her face and stared at the ground.


    ???It was at this time Ears walked up to the two. Everyone else was piling together the loot from the dead bodies while casual joking and playing around the corpses. He gave a dismissive look at Jing before looking at Wenling with a love-struck expression. Jing wasn''t pleased to be disliked again just because she caught the attention of someone else. Shang and his fans were enough.


    "This haul was small but not negligible. No injuries are present and everyone mostly contributed equally in the ambush. Once we take inventory of all the loot, we will distribute them to everyone." He relayed.


    "Good work Vice Commander. Since, I didn''t participate make sure to leave none for me. Remember to also reward yourself for taking the head of the strongest cultivator." Wenling told him.


    "Yes Commander." A foolishly wide smile showed up on his face from her words as he turned and left.


    Wenling then looked at her and motioned with her hands to go over there too.


    "I don''t think I''m worthy to receive a share... I didn''t do much in the battle..." Jing quietly spoke.


    "If you didn''t deserve a share of the loot, then I would''ve said so. Ears knows how much you contributed to this ambush, he''ll give you what you earned. Now get on over there with everyone else." She told Jing.


    Jing did as she said. Everyone lined up for their share of the rewards off the dead bodies. Jing was near last in line. During her time waiting in line, she managed to see that most of the group were gifted qi pills, recovery pills, spirit stones, weapons, or weak spirit tools. One of them was actually gifted the glowing sword that the two groups were fighting over.


    The young man in question cheered loudly and was congratulated by the others. Once he pulled off the sealing slip wrapped around the blade, it sparked with lightning zipping all over the body of the blade. It was a lightning blade! He could feed his qi into the blade and increase the amount of power held within the blade. The others figured it was definitely an earth-ranked spirit weapon for sure but Ears corrected them in an instant. It was just a stellar-ranked spirit weapon, which was still impressive for the average cultivator to get. Something like that could be considered a family heirloom for the average cultivator clan or family. The young man was named Du Zihao.


    When it was her turn to receive her share, she was met with another look by Ears. She didn''t know if Ears was his actual name but that is what everyone referred to him as other than Vice Commander.


    He handed her the most loot out of everyone, garnering some angry reactions from those who watched. She was gifted 10 qi and recovery pills, 20 spirit stones, a good quality sword, and a one-time amulet that would shield her from any attack in the 1st cultivation realm. Jing was honestly surprised he didn''t try to give her less than what she deserved. She expected him to give her only a few recovery pills or something similar to that but it looks like he has a better nature than she thought.


    "Hey, what the hell? Why does she get that much when all she did was run around?"


    "Yeah, Ears are you sure your eyes haven''t gone bad? I didn''t see her kill a single person."


    Ears glared at them all, shutting them up with his stronger cultivation and fierce aura.


    "When did you sorry bastards get the balls to question my decisions? If it wasn''t for her talisman, you little bastards would''ve had a harder time. She made the ambush as easy as it was and because of that she gets what she deserves. Just like the rest of you. And if you still have complaints, come on over here and prove just how big your balls are." Ears said, his bloody dagger shining particularly bright.


    Everyone else was forced to be silent at his words. Some of them may not have accepted this decision in their hearts but they had no choice but to reign their attitudes or get beaten up by the Vice Commander. They normally would hold a grudge against Jing but seeing her close relationship with the Commander made them get rid of that thought in a heartbeat. Only an idiot seeking death would try and make enemies with Jing after seeing their Commander being so kind to her.


    "Let''s get moving then. We still got some time before night comes. Let''s try and find another group."

 55 The Giant Rabbit!

    Ears led the way through the woodlands. Wenling was right behind him along with Jing and Li Li. Ears had impressive hearing despite not being a part of any notable family. He used his hearing to scout the path forward for them. Many in the gang suspected that it was actually a bloodline ability of his that allowed him to hear so well but Ears himself denied this. He was born to a normal family whose ancestors were nothing but farmers. There wasn''t a chance of his blood being anything but mortal.


    "Come on Vice Commander, it gotta be a bloodline. That shit just ain''t normal."


    "He has a point Ears. I mean I can''t do anything like that!"


    "I told you bastards that I don''t have a bloodline. Some men are born stronger than others. Some men are born better looking than others. I was just born with ears that better than others." Ears explained.


    "I guess it makes sense when you put it like that..."


    "It''s a shame I was born better looking than most. My good looks don''t help me like it does the Vice Commander." One of the ugliest men boasted, causing many to laugh.


    "Pfft! Gahahaha! You ugly asshole! You almost made me spit out my water with that joke!"


    "Bwahahaha! Only a Pig-nosed Jade Monkey would consider you handsome! You''d definitely be the best-looking monkey in the jungle!"


    "Oi! Who are you shitheads calling ugly? I don''t see any of you with girlfriends!" Although surprising, the ugly fellow did have a girlfriend! His physique was strong, his intelligence wasn''t too bad, and his flirting skills were unmatched compared to the others.


    This statement shut the others up as they did not have women of their own like Zian. They knew of Zian''s girlfriend as well. She wasn''t anything too beautiful but she wasn''t ugly either! A plain girl accepted an ugly bastard like him. It made the rest feel that the world was too unfair. Should they lower their standards for a chance of happiness too? The ugly bastard did seem happier ever since he got in a relationship.


    "Shut the hell up! I hear something!" Ears ordered.


    Everyone immediately stopped their talking as Ears got down low to the ground. He placed his ear on the woodland''s ground to get a better sense of what he was hearing. The ground beneath their feet started to softly rumble. Jing could clearly feel and hear what was happening with her refined body. Ears would understand in a few seconds too, along with everyone else. Ears shot up quickly and took out his daggers.


    "Take out your weapons! Whatever is coming is coming fast and with plenty of numbers!" He yelled.


    Everyone heeded his instructions as fast as possible and got ready to take on whatever was enough to unnerve their Vice Commander. Wenling took out her glaive, Jing took out multiple talismans from her satchel and threw them around the group. She was making a box-shaped formation! She planted four talismans in each corner of the group and grabbed the sword that she carries around on her waist to use as a base for the formation. Upon taking the sword out, she stabbed it into the ground in the center of the group and slapped a conduit spell on it, activating the array and creating a qi barrier around them. It was the most basic of defensive formations but it was something.


    She sat down exhausted against the barrier to catch her breath. It looks like she made the formation just in time as the Wolfeng Gang could now see what was coming towards them. A stampede of spirit beasts came charging their way. Everyone was shocked at what they were witnessing and almost couldn''t believe it. They wouldn''t have stood a chance against that many spirit beasts even if they had an extra life!


    "Thanks Jing!"


    "You really saved our asses there!"


    "If it wasn''t for you, we''d definitely be swallowed up by those spirit beasts."


    Jing''s cheeks burned as she took in the numerous thanks from the group.


    "N-No... Problem..." Li Li glared at anyone trying to get too close to her. Since he was a spirit beast at the 9th stage, it was pretty effective.


    The spirit beasts rammed into the array but only caused small ripples to occur on the barrier. It wasn''t enough to destroy it. As the spirit beasts were charging, Wenling noticed that they seemed to be running from something rather than just coming after them... Those that ran into the barrier quickly ran around it while looking back. If these spirit beasts were truly after them, then they wouldn''t have given up after running into it once.


    ''Something dangerous must be up ahead. Which means something valuable must also be near. A beast tide on this level can''t be caused by any regular beast. There must be a valuable plant or treasure nearby that would have caused a powerful beast to rampage and scare the other animals away.'' Wenling guessed.


    The beast tide passed them by and everyone expected the ground to stop rumbling by this point but instead it got even bigger! They looked ahead and saw a giant white figure snapping trees in half with just a simple push. Its eyes were bloodshot and strained making it look as if it had blood-red eyes and an evil aura. Like some sort of demonic beast!


    "What kind of fucking rabbit is that!?"


    "That''s way too big to be a rabbit! It has to be a mutant bear or something!"


    "Bears don''t have ears or teeth like that!"


    "What''s that on its head!?"


    On top of the giant rabbit spirit beast, an mesmerizing azure lotus plant that has bloomed could be seen stuck to the skull of the rabbit. The qi radiating off of that plant was even greater than the mutant rabbit''s! Wenling and Ears shared a look. That plant must be the cause of whatever is happening to this rabbit! They''ve never heard or seen anything like this rabbit before and it was far too different in physique to just be a mutant spirit beast.


    "Maybe it won''t be able to get in here..." Someone hoped.


    "It is just at the 7th stage..."


    "A normal 7th stage spirit beast wouldn''t be able to cause a beast tide on that level. Get ready you sorry bastards. We''re taking that spirit plant on its head!" Ears commanded.


    The giant rabbit stood up on its hind legs and started rapidly clawing the qi barrier. The barrier had ripples appear all over the formation but it could handle this much power. Seeing that its claws weren''t working no matter how fast it clawed the barrier, it tried biting into it with its powerful teeth. The teeth managed to puncture a small slit into the barrier, shocking everyone. Ears commanded them to get into position and to get ready to attack once the barrier is down. The rabbit turned around, showing its back to everyone, before kicking the barrier with both of its feet and completely shattering the defensive array.


    Wenling took the lead as soon as the barrier fell. She jumped on top of the rabbit and stabbed her glaive into its back as everyone else followed after her. The sudden pain caused the beast to cry out and swipe at the cultivators with its claws. The claws easily ripped through the bodies of some of the gang, splitting them from the waist, chest, and head. Seeing members of their group dying so easily already, made the ones who survived take extreme caution in dealing with this beast. That could''ve been them that died right there.


    Ears sped around the spirit beast to try and attack from its back like Wenling but the spirit beast was somehow able to see him even though he was almost entirely behind it! It used its back legs to kick at him, forcing him to dodge or he would die from the powerful legs of the spirit beast. Whatever that plant was doing on top of its head was giving it strength that only those at the 9th stage could show! The rest of the gang started slicing and slashing at the rabbit with their weapons before running away once its attention wasn''t focused on Ears.


    Wenling continued to stab and slice with her glaive on the back of the giant spirit beast. With her powerful 9th stage Qi Gatherer power, it wasn''t hard for her to take most of the attention of the rabbit. It hopped a great distance into the air with Wenling on its back, making everyone on the ground look up in awe. Wenling herself even got nervous about being this high up in the sky. This damn rabbit sure can jump but it won''t get rid of her that easily! She stabbed her glaive deep into the back of the beast and held on with all her strength as it came falling down.


    "Holy shit...." A cultivator said looking into the sky.


    "Is the Commander going to be okay falling from that height?"


    "I don''t have a fucking clue..."


    "Vice Commander, do you think you could survive that fall?"


    "Maybe. If I stick my blades in the back of the jumpy bastard and make sure to have it land on the ground first instead of me maybe I''ll get away with some broken bones." Ears replied honestly.


    "Li Li, go save her." Jing told him secretly. He followed her request without hesitation.


    Li Li might not have liked the tall woman but he didn''t wish for her to die either. His mom cared about her for some reason and so he cares too! Not as much but if she''s useful for his mom then that''s good enough reason to not want her to die. He took off like a white blur in the sky without a sound. He snagged Wenling from the back of the bunny and gently flew back down to the ground. Wenling managed to get her glaive before she was whisked away by the young owl and the rabbit crashed to the ground.


    "KILL IT WHILE ITS DOWN!" She ordered from above.

 56 A New Tool To Use.

    The gang quickly heeded her directions and ran towards the flipped over spirit beast. It landed on its back in its attempt to kill Wenling, putting it in a somewhat helpless position. The gang avoided its dangerous legs that were strong enough to completely shatter a defensive formation and started stabbing and slicing it with their weapons. Some jumped onto the stomach of the creature to dig their weapons in its guts while other were fine hacking at it on its sides. It fiercely cried out in pain and struggled to kill any members it could with its claws.


    Ears used this chance to take care of the spirit beast. He nimbly avoided the razor-sharp claws of the beast as he aimed to slice the lotus off of the beast''s head. It seemed as if the rabbit could sense his intentions and grew desperate. The giant beast screamed with enough force to knock Ears into the air before he could slice the strange plant off with his daggers. The others caught the Vice Commander before he fell and the rabbit was getting back up!


    "Damn this thing just won''t stay down!"


    "It''s bleeding like a bitch but it''s still just as strong as before!"


    "Aim for the flower you stupid bastards! The flower on its god damn head!" Ears yelled.


    Wenling leapt up high and dove down with her glaive to separate the flower from the beast''s head. It bared its teeth and readied itself to bite the Commander once she gets close enough. Zihao used his new lightning sword and shoved it deep into the neck of the mutant beast. Although it was completely by luck, he managed to wedge his blade into the spine and completely lock its head in place. This allowed Wenling to cut off the lotus attached to the head of the rabbit.


    Red fluid squirted out of the stem and splattered all over Wenling''s chest but this didn''t bother her. She raised the flower up high in a stance of victory! The battle was over and no more lives needed to be lost!


    "Hell yeah!!!"


    "Fuck you stupid rabbit!" He was repeatedly kicking the dead beast in its side.


    "About damn time..."


    "Hey Commander why is that thing still moving?" Someone pointed out.


    "What are you---" The lotus in the Commander''s hand started to rapidly grow in length.


    Wenling tried to throw the spirit herb away but it was clingy. It covered her in its roots and tried to reach her head with its main stem which was the thickest. Jing used this chance to participate in the event. So far, she''s done really nothing but watch as she was acting as if she was still tired from creating the barrier. But with this, she could say that she''s done something.


    Jing actually was quite interested in the parasitic plant. This could be an easy way of gaining 100% loyal followers if she could find out a good way of growing them and after refining them with SCP-914, she would have those infected with the plant to completely follow her commands. Maybe she would even be rewarded with more tickets like what happened with Hu Tao. It was a thought worth exploring.


    Jing clumsily and desperately rushed over to Wenling and pushed her out of the way, freeing her from the grasp of the plant but also allowing the plant to latch onto her own head.


    "Jing no!" Wenling cried out. "Why did you try to help me?!"


    Jing didn''t hear her. She wasn''t in the Treasured Plains anymore and was back in that place from before. The same place where she was taken when she refined herself. The black space with the white sphere that felt linked to her. If she tried harming it or affecting it, it would have the same result to herself. Of course, that was just Jing''s gut feeling talking and not something she knew for sure.


    She was naked again just like last time but that wasn''t the important thing here. It was the nasty foul presence above her that didn''t belong here. She looked up and met eyes with the parasitic lifeform that wanted to take over her being. Jing was slightly surprised looking at the figure. It was like she was looking right at herself!


    It had her exact same face and body but with a few extra parts. There was the beautiful light blue lotus attached to its head and several lotus petals floating around it. The qi leaking from the copy was strong and seemed to get even stronger the longer it stayed here. It looks like it didn''t even need to attach with that strange orb over there to strengthen itself. It smirked at her.


    "You don''t truly believe you can take over my mind, do you?" Jing asked, amused.


    The flower continued to grow in strength while smiling at Jing. It was trying to pressure her with its ever-increasing qi. The qi that was being sucked straight from Jing''s dantian. It was laughable that it believed that taking her qi was going to help it at all. By inviting itself to this realm only hastened its death. If they were back in the physical world, Jing would have to restrain her power and techniques but here, there were no witnesses at all.


    "You''ve doomed yourself once you stepped foot in here." Jing told it. The qi she kept restrained within herself was no longer held back.


    She unleashed the deep and unstoppable qi onto the plant in full force with a mocking laugh. The doppelganger''s face changed in an instant as it was launched flying into the air. It tried resisting with the qi its stolen from Jing but it was useless. What it took from her was nothing more than a drip from the bottomless well that was Jing. Its face was now morphed into a confused and horrified scowl.


    It needed to run. It needed to flee if it wanted to survive. This host wasn''t a good host! It would be killed if it stayed here any longer to try and take over this host! The lotus quickly flew towards the top of this black space. It knew there was an exit there because it entered from the same place! It would have to try and take hold of a different host! A host that isn''t a freaky as this one!


    But how could Jing allow it to escape when she still had a use for it? A giant blue being appeared in front of the flower. It had feminine features, no definable face, and was completely transparent. The being swiped the copy out of the air and brought it inside its chest. It kind of reminded Jing of herself when she was refining...


    ''Could this creature actually be SCP-914!? The subconscious that aids me in refining objects I have no knowledge of?'' Jing wondered.


    It was a very high chance of it being so. But if SCP-914 is here then where is SCP-222? If there was a representation of this SCP then there had to be another for the other one. Jing looked around for anything else inside this other world but couldn''t find anything. Even with her superior senses, she couldn''t find it. Maybe it was because SCP-222 was a physical object on a different level than SCP-914. It was hypothesized that the refining machine could have been secretly run by a being on a higher level of existence from humans. Like some sort of Divine Blacksmith.


    Jing locked eyes with the giant as it took out the refined parasite and pushed it out of the exit of this place. That was also when Jing found herself back with the Wolfeng Gang. She shot up and immediately looked around. Li Li cried out in relief and rubbed him face on her face. Wenling was next to her and the other were eating around a campfire, joking around. Ears noticed her awakening and started walking towards them.


    "Looks like you''re finally awake my prot¨¦g¨¦." Wenling smiled with relief as well. It seems she was allowing her to rest on her thighs this entire time.


    "What happened...?" Jing asked while comforting Li Li with plenty of rubs and petting.


    "After you saved me from that plant, it attached itself to your head instead. Then you just fell unconscious and been out ever since." She told her.


    "I didn''t hurt anyone did I?" Jing said worriedly.


    She chuckled in amusement before saying, "No. You didn''t hurt anyone sweetie. Like I said before you just fell unconscious and we couldn''t get rid of that flower on your head no matter what we did."


    "Even Zihan''s stellar-ranked spirit weapon couldn''t remove it from you," Ears spoke as he arrived. "Here''s some meat from that bastard from earlier. Whatever that thing on your head did to it made its body much better." Ear handed her a stick with a cooked part of the rabbit''s meat stuck at the end.


    "Its meat is good for strengthening the body, enhancing your qi, and it tastes good as well." Wenling explained.


    "Only those from wealthy clans can eat spirit beasts that give benefits as good as this." Ears added.


    "Thank you!" Jing bowed her head towards Ears and grabbed the stick.


    The lotus flower attached to her head shot out and latched onto Ear''s head, quickly drilling into his brain with its tendrils and becoming one with him. Jing visibly panicked and screamed at what was happening while Wenling reached out as fast as she could to try and pull it out of his head. But she was too slow even with her speed. It was the perfect timing as no one could have expected this. One would think it would attach itself to Li Li or Wenling due to their close proximity with Jing but no, it grabbed Ears.


    Ear''s body was visibly transforming at a rapid rate. The muscles on his body were enlarging, his eyes were turning red, the qi within his dantian was expanding, and his regular qi was transforming into a different type of qi! He grabbed his head while clenching his teeth in pain. By the end of his transformation, his power was raised to a completely new height as he broke past the barrier of the 8th stage and entered straight into the 9th stage along with gaining a pretty little lotus resting on top of his head.

 57 A Boys Love For His Mother.

    The Commander was still trying to pull it from Ear''s head but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist. The amount of strength he used in grabbing her wrist made her worried. Did he get taken over like the bunny from earlier? Would she have to kill her Vice Commander in front of all of her men? No! There had to be another way. Jing was fine somehow so, there had to be another way to deal with this thing!


    "Commander, I''m fine..." Ears said in a haggard voice. He released Wenling''s arm. "The little bastard doesn''t have any control over me..."


    "Are you sure?" Wenling asked, with a worried look in her eyes. Ready to help him out no matter what it takes.


    "Well... If you could bring me some more of that bastard''s meat, I''ll be even better." Ears tiredly collapsed against the tree next to Jing. The transformation must have taken a lot out of him.


    "You got it." Wenling headed over to the campfire and started roasting the biggest meat for the Vice Commander.


    Jing looked around awkwardly. Not wanting to make eye contact with Ears because of his supposedly dislike of her but still being worried about his current condition. She turned her face to the side and held out her meat towards him. She could hear him chuckling at her offer.


    "If you need some... I don''t mind sharing..." Jing mumbled.


    "Don''t mind if I do." He took a large bite out of Jing''s food, causing Li Li to cutely squawk at him in anger.


    "Heh, give me a break little bastard. I felt like I was just shoved out of my mom''s hole for a second time." He chewed.


    Li Li wasn''t satisfied with that excuse and continued to berate him for daring to steal more than he deserved from his mother. He kept laughing while trying to get used to his new body by cultivating. Seeing the man ignore him so blatantly, Li Li knew he was being looked down on! He kicked the Vice Commander in the stomach, causing him to spit up some of the meat he just ate and hold his stomach from the pain.


    "You little fucking bastard! Why would you!?" Ears cursed angrily.


    Li Li just smirked as if he was saying, "You dare to ignore me now? A weakling like you who can''t even beat a simple bunny?"


    "I''m not gonna be looked down on by a fucking bird!" Ears swiped at Li Li to try and grab him but failed as the owlet did a simple hop and kicked him in the jaw from below the chin.


    "Hey look, the Vice Commander is getting his ass kicked by Jing''s baby owl!" Someone shouted.


    A shining red mark was left on Ear''s jaw. He bounced up with humiliated fury and let off a number of punches towards the avian beast. Li Li swayed his head with ease and continued to look at Ears with a condescending look of mocking.


    ''Heh, you couldn''t touch me even if you tried. Honestly, it''s just embarrassing looking at you.'' Was what it looked like Li Li was saying to Ears.


    "Oh yeah you little bastard shit!? Don''t mock me!" Ears took out his daggers and rapidly slashed at Li Li who now was flying.


    "Kick his ass little bird!"


    "Haha yeah! Show the Vice Commander that there is always a sky above the sky!"


    "I was always sick of that asshole barking orders! Shut him up for us!"


    "Vice Commander, you can''t even beat a tiny bird like that!?"


    "The fucking bastard is faster than he looks! Shut the hell up already you loud bastards!" Ears yelled back while continuing to try and hit Li Li with his blades.


    Jing outwardly looked very worried but inwardly was smiling. It was nice to see Li Li having fun with others. He didn''t have many friends and seeing this situation maybe that would change in the future as he interacts with others more. She might have to give him a way of talking to people though.


    Jing didn''t plan for this situation to happen with Ears but it was fine for her not to step in for now. Li Li wasn''t doing anything that would reveal that he''s much more than he seems. He is at the 9th stage, so fighting against someone who just reached that stage wouldn''t be that much of an issue for him. Plus, there''s the fact that spirit beasts are normally stronger than humans at the same stage.


    The two continued their show for a few more minutes before Ears dropped to the ground exhausted with a taunting Li Li prancing around him. Those watching started exchanging items with one another. Those who betted on Ears landing at least one hit lost and those who betted that Li Li would not get hit, won. Jing didn''t participate in the gambling for three reasons. One, she already knew who would win. Two, it was too early for her to get along with everyone else and start participating in their bandit-like activities. And three, it wouldn''t fit her personality as of right now to enjoy seeing others fight yet.


    "Here you go. This is for the winner," Wenling handed a big piece of roasted rabbit meat to Li Li. "And this is for the loser." She handed a slightly smaller one to the exhausted Ears.


    He was lying on the ground unable to lift his arms. He looked at Wenling with his face red and filled with shame. But it quickly changed into a scheming one once he realized his current position. A loser in need of some comforting!


    "Commander, it looks like my body is even more exhausted than I thought. I can''t even move a single finger. You might have to feed this sorry bastard." He grinned cheekily.


    Wenling rolled her eyes as she knew he was just taking advantage of the situation. She propped his head up on her thigh and fed him herself. The rest of the gang made fun of the Vice Commander for wanting to be treated like this but he ignored it while looking like he was taking part of some heavenly activity. It was as if he was freely flying through the clouds just because he was lying on the Commander''s lap.


    Li Li walked over to Jing with his prize and handed it to her. She almost forgot this was the reason he fought with Ears in the first place. He ate most of her rabbit meat. She smiled at her feathered son and hugged him. The two shared the rabbit meat together as the lively night was coming to a close for the Wolfeng Gang.


    By morning time, everyone was up and ready to move. Ears led them deeper into the woods, getting closer and closer to the Great Mountain. There''s no doubt that there would be plenty of cultivators who headed up the mountain in search of treasure. And where there is cultivator, there is loot to be plundered! As long as Ears continue to scout the path carefully, avoiding any spirit beast nests they should arrive in no time.


    "Commander." Someone called out.


    "Yes?"


    "Are we going to go higher than the lower limit?"


    "No. Even though the power of our squad is stronger from eating that mutant''s meat and the Vice Commander reaching the 9th stage, it''s still not enough to take on anything higher than the lower limit." Wenling answered.


    "What is the lower limit?" Jing asked.


    "It''s the area of the Great Mountain where only beasts of the Qi Gathering stage stay. The middle limit is where Qi Consolidation stage beasts stay and it continues like that with the higher limit, greater limit, and so forth."


    "So, it''s safer?"


    "No, far from it. It just means that it''s an area that isn''t impossible for us." Ears clarified.


    "If we tried to tackle the middle limit with just this squad, we''d be wiped out within seconds." Wenling added.


    "Scary..." Jing mumbled.


    "Yep. That''s why you should always know your limits. It''s also why those in the Wolfeng Gang take great care not to offend anyone with great backgrounds. Most of us in the Wolfeng Gang are just commoners. Those who started the path of cultivation without support from families or clans."


    "Hell yeah! We worked our asses off to become cultivators!"


    "Like hell we''ll let some pompous fucking brats ruin that just because they were born richer than us!"


    "AWOOOOO!!!''


    "AWOOOO!!!"


    "Shut the hell up you screaming bastards! How am I supposed to fucking hear anything with you bastards howling like monkeys!?"


    "That''s a wolf, Vice Commander." The young man who corrected Ears got a rock thrown at his nose. His fellow allies only laughed at him and his bloody nose. It was his own fault for correcting the Vice Commander.


    ''This kind of atmosphere isn''t so bad.'' Jing thought.


    She wondered if her own followers were getting along like this. If so, she will be looking forward to when she goes out traveling with them. It would be a while until then but it was still something to look forward to. Their personalities are all quite different and should be entertaining to see them come together.

 58 Falling In A Hole.

    The Wolfeng Gang made it to the Great Mountain while avoiding any beasts thanks to Ear''s great scouting. Before they made it up the mountain, Ears heard another group ahead of them and decided to follow behind them. It would be hard to set up an ambush from behind on a mountain like this so, Ears and Wenling decided to follow them until they took a break. Then the Wolfeng Gang would attack when they''re at their least alert.


    Jing wasn''t so sure about this ambush though. The strength of their group resembled theirs along with the size. If things didn''t go well, then a good number of the Wolfeng Gang would be taken out. And so far, the only plan was to have Jing use her flash spell again when their guards were down. She might have to think of a way to prevent them from losing their lives. She couldn''t make them stronger if they all died on her.


    But thankfully, it looks like it wouldn''t come to that. The group ahead of them discovered an opening in the mountain and went inside to investigate. This made the instincts of all the Wolfeng Gang members become agitated. Was there treasure in that hole?! They need to find out before the group in front of them gets it!


    "The ambush is off! Head inside and find out what''s in that opening!" Wenling ordered.


    The resulting sight was like seeing crazed hounds freed from their leash. They all rushed inside the opening, pushing and shoving each other to get a glimpse at the treasure inside only to meet face to face with the other group. Weapons were immediately drawn and the air turned tense. Killing intent was leaking off of everyone within the cave.


    "What the hell are you guys doing here?"


    "We smelled treasure."


    "Treasure that doesn''t belong to a bunch of miscreants like you! We found this place first!"


    "Yeah and we''re going to take it first."


    "Over my dead body!"


    "We''re good at making dead bodies!"


    Just as everyone''s bloodlust was running high, suddenly an incredibly powerful qi was forced down upon everyone. Jing and Li Li felt nothing with their refined bodies but they could tell that no one was able to move. It must have been someone or something forcing their qi on everyone and since Jing wasn''t affected by things like that with her abnormal physique, she had to remind Li Li to act like he couldn''t move so that no one would notice their immunity. But it seems like her group was right in that there was treasure nearby.


    Even Wenling could barely move under this qi and she was the strongest one here if Jing didn''t include herself. Which was strange because the qi bearing down on everyone was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer''s qi. This made Jing question why couldn''t Wenling move? She''s a 9th stage Qi Gatherer too. So, she should be perfectly fine right now if she used her own qi against it, right?


    "Commander! Even you''re unable to move?!"


    "Whoever''s qi is that is at a higher level than me in the 9th stage Qi Gatherer stage..." She gritted her teeth.


    "What?! How is that possible?!"


    "Do you bastards have shit in between your ears instead of a brain?! Don''t you know that even among those in the same stage there are differences between them!?" Ears shouted.


    Collective confusion sprouted upon their faces. What the hell was the Vice Commander yelling about this time? Wasn''t the only difference between two people at the same stage was their ranking of martial arts? Or if they had a bloodline or not? Even Jing didn''t know about these differences spoken by Ears.


    "This difference doesn''t start to show until you reach the 9th stage. That''s when you will finally start to create your Sea of Qi in your dantian. And whoever''s qi this is, has a far greater qi pool than I do. He''s probably a peak-ranked 9th stage and on his way to breaking through to the Qi Consolidation realm. It feels like he should''ve broken through a long time ago." Wenling shared.


    "What rank are you at Commander?" Someone asked.


    "I''m a middle-ranked 9th stage." She spat as the floor beneath them started to crumble.


    Curses, screams, and yells sounded out as everyone started to fall. Their fall seemed far longer than it should have been. They didn''t climb very far up the Great Mountain but with this fall, it was like they climbed more than 50 meters up the mountain. Jing figured that something related to a magical treasure was happening here. She already knew that there wasn''t a cultivator causing this with her upgraded body. The qi pressing down on everyone earlier was coming from something non-human.


    There was no light in the hole she was falling but she could still see perfectly fine. In a few meters, she would find herself crashing below in an open area along with Ears and two cultivators from the group they were going to ambush. Since Ears was taken over by that lotus flower, Jing wouldn''t have to unnecessarily damage her body in this fall to hide her abilities. Water burst from out of SCP-109''s cap and Jing controlled the water into protecting her fall.


    With a soft landing thanks to the water resting underneath her like a liquid throne, Jing saw that none of the others were injured despite falling from such a large fall. Perhaps using Neptune''s Prophet, her body martial art, to control SCP-109''s infinite supply of water was unneeded after all. Oh well, the time has passed and she could get started on two of her missions now but first she should investigate just where she was taken. This room was no ordinary room.


    In the middle of the room laid a circular disk with 6 strange symbols etched into it. On the left and right side of the room were two walls filled with hundreds of weird symbols with a few of those matching the ones from the disk in the middle. Jing figured that they needed to do something with the symbols on the disc to the two walls. Then maybe that metal door would open up for them.


    Li Li flew over to the disc and looked at the walls curiously. It looked like he wanted to solve this puzzle all on his own. Jing had no issues with that but first they had something to deal with now that the other three were waking up. Then he could solve the puzzle to his heart''s content.


    Ears was the first to awaken. He gripped his daggers and raced across the room to take out the others but that would be slightly problematic for Jing. She wouldn''t be able to have these three cultivators count for her two missions if Ears killed two of them. Jing needed them to witness SCP-109''s anomalous properties and to kill them with its unending supply of water.


    "Stop." She commanded.


    Ears immediately stopped and stood up straight like a wooden dummy. This was why Jing wasn''t bothered to reveal her water controlling abilities with the Vice Commander in the same room as her. With the refined lotus plant attached to him, following Jing''s instructions is mandatory. His mind is hers to control and change as she pleases. With the other changes made by SCP-914, taking over the Wolfeng Gang will only be a matter of time now.


    "What the hell?! You two are part of the Wolfeng Gang!"


    "Kill them before they get our treasure!"


    "Kill me?" Jing smirked playfully. "I''d like to see you try..." Water gushed from out of SCP-109, enlarging the watery throne she was sitting on.


    "You think we''re scared of water?!"


    "What a useless spirit tool! It can only create water!"


    They scoffed while running towards Ears with their bare fists. A tentacle from her royal seat stretched out and pulled Ears out of the way before he could be attacked by the two. Water continued to pour out from the canteen, increasing the quantity of water for Jing to control. The two still seemed quite confident despite the continually growing amount of water behind Jing''s figure. Jing smiled while she mentally looked at her missions. It looked like it counted even if they thought it was just a spirit tool.


    ''Good.'' Jing thought.


    Now there wasn''t any reason to spare them any longer. Jing formed the water around her into shaping into a whip. With a single flick of her wrist, the whip moved like a fearsome serpent as it pierced a hole through the stomach of the first cultivator. She tried to mimic a dragon but it seems her talent was lacking. She''ll have to increase her training for the future. She couldn''t get by just by relying on her system if she truly wanted to become strong.


    "Impossible... You''re just a 4th stage...." He tried to hold onto the water whip going through him but his hands just slipped right through the water and he perished soon after.


    "Who.. Are... You...?" The remaining cultivator fell onto his butt in disbelief.


    "My name is Jing. Farewell."


    "No..! Wait! I can serve you! I can follow under you!" He banged his forehead on the ground to bow.


    "Amusing..." Jing''s eyes seemingly pierced right through him.

 59 Jings Playtime.

    He couldn''t tell if she was smiling in the position he was in but, he felt as if he was being stared at by a monster... A being that held no problems taking his life within a second. She didn''t care about the troubles in his life, the hardships he''s suffered to get this far, the family he has back home. He was nothing more than just a plaything for her. He wanted to cry tears of blood and ball his fists hard enough that the whites of his knuckles showed but that would not spare him from the demon in front of him.


    Survival comes first. Without survival, all thoughts and emotions are meaningless. You can''t take revenge if you''re dead. You can''t promise to get stronger if you''re dead. You can''t plan to avoid situations like these in the future if you''re dead. Gen knew all too well that face and honor were worthless when one''s life was on the line. Only idiots believed dying was better than losing their face.


    He ignored the stinging pain of his forehead along with the blood dripping from it as he kept his head bowed down to the demon. He could feel his heart beating like a drum from his throat. In one moment, his life could be taken, and he wouldn''t even know how it would have happened. He could barely react when she killed Lok. That sort of speed wasn''t something he could hope to beat. That qi that made him feel like he was facing against the heavens themselves... She was something outside his realm of understanding.


    "Lotus. Share." Jing ordered.


    Ears walked over to youth and crouched down to his level. The lotus pulsated on top of Ears and then blew out many white spores directly onto the young man. The spores dug into the pores on his skin and entered inside his body. Jing watched as he clawed at his skin in terrible pain crying out for mercy.


    "Please spare me! I wouldn''t ever betray you! I would follow all your commands! I! I..! I have a family..." Tears started falling down his face.


    Jing giggled in amusement at the little fool. He thought he was dying right now because of the pain but all that was happening was he was gaining a lotus of his own. Seeing him in such a vulnerable and pathetic state made her want to play with him a little but that would have to wait. Li Li just solved the puzzle and the disk in the center of the room was now glowing.


    He looked towards her with such a bright and happy look on his face. She couldn''t help but praise him and give him plenty of petting as a reward. He cooed and happily accepted her reward. It wasn''t easy figuring out how to solve it. He had to think very hard!


    Jing sucked the disk into her storage ring as Ears and the boy stood in front of her with their lotuses blooming on their heads. Li Li perched on her shoulder and they all left the room by opening the door. Ears and the boy were leading in front while Jing took stage in the back. Once they entered the new room, Jing looked around for any familiar faces.


    None of them were from the Wolfeng Gang. The blood on their clothes and weapons probably explained the reason for that. But this was good. She could use this to her advantage...


    Ears and Peasant got out of the way and allowed her to move up front. The other cultivators came from 3 other rooms which Jing guessed was similar to the room she just came from. They had bronze disks just like she had in her spirit ring and it looked like they noticed that she was the only unfamiliar face inside the room. Jing only smiled as if she was looking at her new set of toys as a response to their glares.


    Ignoring the hostile looks and killing intent, there were 5 rods floating upright in the middle of the room. They were above a small stone pillar and all held a different type of qi within them. From what Jing could sense with her qi, there was fire, lightning, ice, yin, and wind within those 5 stone rods. Maybe those were the rewards this time around.


    "Who the hell are you bitch?" Someone asked her.


    "Yeah, I know a frail little thing like you couldn???t have possibly survived against one of ours."


    "Even our weakest member wouldn''t lose to a 4th stage Qi Gatherer."


    Jing wanted to know if they were purposely ignoring the 9th stage Qi Gatherer, the 9th stage spirit beast on her shoulder, and the 6th stage Qi Gatherer behind her. Stupidity and ignorance did have its limits. Too bad for these ten disciples, they revoked their rights to remain alive when they insulted her. She twisted SCP-109''s cap loose and a large amount of water shot out from behind her. Li Li used this time to investigate the rods and try and solve this room just like the last one.


    "What the hell?!"


    "Kill her before she tries something!"


    "Ignore the two behind her! She looks like their leader!"


    They charged for her and she could only lick her lips in anticipation for the sweet screams that will come after. A slender and familiar whip made of water was in her hands. A single swing of her whip took the head of a single disciple. He didn''t even realize he was dead while the upper half of his head slowly slid off and fell to the ground.


    She could have done that to every single one of them but what would be the fun in that? Seeing how her whip can slice most things in half, it''s not that fun to use against weaklings. There''s not much suffering she can enjoy if they die in one swipe. She''ll save the whip for those strong enough to deserve being tamed by her.


    The water whip splashed onto Jing''s body and coated itself around her legs. The men in front of her didn''t even realize that one of their own were dead yet. They were still charging at her. Jing couldn''t help but laugh loudly at their lacking abilities. Seeing her laugh at them despite outnumbering her and being at a higher realm made them think she was crazy.


    They all attacked at once and Jing grinned. With a flawless twirl of her body, Jing avoided their attacks and with a terrifying amount of strength, drove her foot straight through the chest of a disciple. The men didn''t even get the chance to react to the absurd sight before being attacked by Jing''s deadly kicks. Three of the men used the disc they got from the previous room to aid them in defeating Jing. The disc split into 4 smaller pieces of itself and defended against Jing''s attacks.


    "Don''t be scared... I just used too much strength on that first worm. I promise I won''t let you all die so easily..." Arousal and excitement glowed on Jing''s face.


    Jing landed several bone-breaking kicks on the cultivators to have them scream at just the right pitch. Even if the shield protected them, Jing''s kicks were lightning fast. For every four blows defended by the shield, six more would land where they weren''t defending. She made sure to regulate her strength after accidentally killing the first cultivator so that even if they wanted to die from internal injuries it would be impossible. Seeing their agony and terror only made her even more turned on. A few seconds ago, they planned to kill her without even giving it a second thought but now, they are completely at her mercy. Those arrogant smiles and mocking eyes from earlier are nowhere to be seen anymore.


    Her cultivation martial art, Empress of Pain''s Tome, was being advanced at a rapid rate. The more they suffered, the more physical energy she was absorbing from them. And since she''s already reached the intermediate rank for it, she also absorbed their qi when she caused physical pain to her enemies. If she could drag this on for a bit longer, she could possibly even reach the advanced stage for it. It was said that once she reaches this stage causing others physical pain would increase her mental energy and give her Qi a commanding presence. If her mental will is stronger than her opponent''s, she could force them under her will with just her qi alone.


    And if her will isn''t stronger then it could at the least pressure her opponent even more and cause them into making mistakes during battle. Having her qi being able to do that would make taking over the sect a much easier task. What better cultivation technique would there be for someone like her other than this one? It just fit so perfectly with the person she is at her core.


    The ''fight'' didn''t take long. In only 10 minutes, the toys were all broken and barely any fun to play with. Even when she stomped onto the testicles of one of them, all he did was foam at the mouth and faint rather than screaming. He was the liveliest one too. If something as painful as that wasn''t enough to yell about then nothing was. Jing figured it was time to give them the end they craved. They wouldn''t hold anymore use to her in this state.


    The water coating her legs shot out water tendrils that pierced into the hearts of all 9 barely living men. She collected their discs and placed them into her spirit ring along with any other valuables they held before walking over to Li Li who was still trying to figure out the trick with these 5 rods. He even had 10 of the souls he can store trying to help him figure it out. Jing innocently smiled at the cute little owlet.


    She grabbed each of the rods and stuck each one into each other, creating a long rock staff that held 5 elements within its 5 segments. Li Li and his beast souls looked at her in awe. As if she just solved the biggest mystery plaguing the world. She could only helplessly smile at how cute he was. Once she connected the staff, she placed it inside her spirit ring.


    After solving the trick of this room, the floor below her started to split open. Down below, she could sense people fighting and knew that the next treasure must be down there. She willingly let herself fall into the darkness with Ears and Peasant next to her. Li Li flew down because he had wings and thought it was stupid to fall when he could fly.

 60 Doing Something Nice.

    As Jing was falling down the hole, she placed her mask on to change her physique. Now, even if she encountered more disciples from the Wolfeng Gang, she wouldn''t have to hide her abilities. With all these bloodthirsty disciples here, it was a good chance for her to make some progress on her SCP-109 missions. She would also be able to take the rewards and gift them to her followers once they accomplished some of the missions, she gave them.


    She also gave Li Li his own little owl-shaped mask that functioned the same as hers. They were a matching pair in color scheme. She placed his mask on and he changed forms too. Jing''s new form was of a young boy. Li Li''s was that of a bat. They were now ready to act as free as they wanted. Down below them was a large pool of water, even from the height she was at, Jing could see that it was filled with disciples from both Wolfeng Gang and the other group.


    She unscrewed SCP-109''s cap and created a moving wave to catch her before she fell into the water like the rest. Li Li slowly flew down and landed on her shoulder as she stood on top of the water''s surface using the army canteen''s water. The water was incredibly clear and pure. Jing could see the drowned bodies all the way at the bottom of this large pond and it was a deep pond. Ears and Peasant just fell into the water behind her and scrambled to swim up to the top.


    Jing ignored them as they would be fine with that lotus plant on their heads. She looked around to try and find the magical treasure of this place. So far, she could see nothing that resembled a spirit tool inside the water. Just cultivators swimming to the top so they could breathe. She made sure to have SCP-109''s constantly shooting out water above her so that others will notice its strangeness when they notice her.


    There had to be some trick to this room just like the others... It couldn''t want them to swim until they get tired and drown. That wouldn''t make sense nor would it follow the same patterns as the other two rooms before this one. Jing''s eyes found themselves focusing on Wenling down below. There were a lot of disciples trying to get to her. Members of the Wolfeng Gang protected her by stopping the others from coming close. In her hand was a helmet and in the other was her glaive.


    But that helmet was in the hands of nine others as well, who were in a situation similar to Wenling. Jing figured it was just like what happened in the room before. There were multiple copies of the spirit tool and once they are all gathered together, they would merge into the original magical treasure. Stealing this treasure won''t be as fun as it was taking the rock staff in the other room.


    "It''s too bad I won''t be able to hear your screams." Jing sighed.


    SCP-109 started to spew out water at a faster speed. Jing used her body martial art, Neptune''s Prophet, to control the water inside of the canteen. Behind her, two massive tendrils of water rose into the air. With a leisure wave of her palm, it swept through the pond like an ancient monster of the sea. Bodies were knocked far into the sky or deeper into the pond. She made sure to target the Wolfeng Gang members as well.


    It would endanger her identity if a powerful mysterious figure like herself allied themselves with the Bandit Faction. People would question why would someone as powerful as that ally with the Wolfeng Gang of all groups. The only acceptable explanation that Jing could think of was they had someone precious to them in their clutches as a hostage. But even that was too farfetched in her opinion.


    But anyway, the Wolfeng Gang members that got hit by her attack didn''t die. They might''ve been injured with a few broken bones at worst but nothing life threatening. The only ones to die from her water tentacle was the other group. It didn''t take long for everyone to start aiming at her for attacking them but it was a pointless endeavor. With one of her water tendrils attacking those with the spirit weapons and the other collecting the treasures, Li Li was left to defend her.


    He did so without even moving a single inch. A blue ghostly Worm Dragon manifested above him and dove into the waters to deal with those trying to attack his mother. Jing made sure to remind him not to kill those from the Wolfeng Gang but unlike Jing, Li Li didn''t bother memorizing the faces of those from the group! He only knew Annoying Girl and Cocky Weakling. The soul of the Worm Dragon was indiscriminate in its killing. Its massive body was enough to shatter the bones of anything it rushed into.


    Jing''s eyes danced with joy at seeing the previous sparkling waters turn red. She sucked all the treasures into her spirit ring while laughing. Not leaving a single valuable object behind, no matter if it was something as common as a recovery pill or as valuable as an earth-ranked spirit tool. She could tell that everyone who was still alive wanted her dead with just their glares alone. But what could they do against overwhelming force?


    Everyone cursed in their hearts as they wished death upon that stupid brat. If glares could kill then that masked kid would be dead dozens of times over. Just how unfair are the heavens that they have to suffer from something like this just because that kid''s martial arts are more suited for a situation like this? If they were on land right now, that brat wouldn''t stand half a chance against them!


    "Bye bye, everyone. Thanks for the gifts!" Jing said with a playful smile as she pulled out a movement spell and teleported away.


    "YOU STUPID FUCKING BRAT! I''LL RIP OUT YOUR MOTHER''S GUTS AND CHOKE HER WITH THEM!"


    "Damn it..."


    "We''ve come all this way just to lose out on everything?"


    "How many people have we lost Vice Commander?" Wenling questioned.


    "Around a quarter of our men died." Ears stated after looking around.


    "Let''s find a way out of here. We need to make up for losing so much time and resources." Wenling said just as a figure came falling from the sky with a big splash. A little white bird came flying down slowly after.


    Jing panicked as she found herself immersed in water. She couldn''t tell which way was up or which way was down.


    "Well almost a quarter now." Ears corrected himself.


    "I''ll get her Commander!" Zihao dove down to try and help Jing but it turns out his help wasn''t needed in the first place.


    Jing pulled out a talisman from her bag and slapped it on herself. The Wolfeng Gang watched as a bubble formed from Jing''s body, pushing away any water near her and sending her straight up to the surface of the water. Now that she could breathe again, she looked around to see herself in some sort of lake. She met eyes with the various Wolfeng Gang members swimming at the top of the water.


    "What the hell kind of spell is that?"


    "Seriously? Did she put herself in a qi bubble to stop herself from drowning?!"


    "Isn''t that one of the weakest shields a spellmaster can use? I never knew it could be used like that."


    "My prot¨¦g¨¦ is full of surprises..." Wenling complimented.


    "Now let''s see if she can do the same for all of us. I don''t know about you bastards but I''m sick of swimming around like a damn fish." Ears complained.


    Everyone started to swim towards Jing who was inside her bubble. Li Li landed on top of the bubble and looked down on all the swimming disciples. The gang could tell that he was mocking them just because he could fly but Jing was probably their only chance of escaping this place. Getting on the bad side of her pet wasn''t going to help them in any way.


    "Jing, is there a way you can help us get out of here?" Wenling asked.


    "I could try and make a movement array but I''ll need everyone to gather around as close as they can. With this many people, I can''t choose where we''re going to be teleported..."


    "So, you''re saying to be prepared for anything?" Ears asked. Jing nodded to his question.


    "That''s fine. As long as it''s out of here. We need to recoup our losses, quickly." Wenling said.


    "Losses?"


    "We just got robbed by some stupid brat! Now we''re even poorer than we were at the start of the Treasured Plains."


    "Next time, I see that kid I swear I''ll wring his little slender neck!"


    "Oh... Sorry I wasn''t any help..." Jing apologized as if she could''ve changed anything as a 4th stage Qi Gatherer.


    "What were you doing that made you so late anyway? Were there still people up there?"


    "I fell into an illusion with Li Li. It was hard for us to get out..." Jing said with embarrassment.


    "Did you at least gain anything?" Ears asked irritated. Her talismans would''ve been useful in helping them.


    "I got this after we broke free." Jing pulled out a necklace of tiny skulls. Wenling and Ears squinted to try and gleam anything about it.


    The eye holes of the skulls lit up and stared at all the Wolfeng Gang members. Soon after, qi started to flow out of the necklace around Jing. That qi began to shape itself into large purple skulls that hovered around Jing''s head. They spun around her while staring at all the others.


    "What the hell? Why is it doing that? What are you doing?"


    "It just activated on its own!" Jing said, just as shocked as everyone else.


    "Well just ignore it for now. You can figure out what it does when we get out of here." Ears spoke.


    "Okay..." Jing replied, a little bit creeped out by the skulls. She began to start working on the movement formation to teleport them out of here.

 61 Just Another Day.

    "Hey don''t run so fast! What kind of disciples are being trained at the sect that would run away from little ole me?!" Hu Tao yelled as he chased his prey through the woods.


    ''You insane bastard! Everyone knows that fighting with you is a waste of time!''


    ''You''re anything but little you crazy fucker! Who''d want to fight the Fighting Maniac who treats every battle as a life or death fight!?''


    ''Little my ass! I''m not risking my life fighting with this Fighting Retard!''


    The disciples didn''t take Hu Tao''s bait and ran for their lives. They ran with everything they had to escape from the Fighting Maniac. He didn''t care about magical treasures, he didn''t care about spirit stones, he didn''t even care for the temptation of the flesh! All he wanted was to fight! He was insane! A true madman was after their lives.


    Hu Tao was amused seeing them all scurry like rats. They even used valuable treasures that could only be used a single time to slow him down. But while chasing them was fun and all, he was hoping they were actually running to meet up with their groups. Then it would be a real party!


    His eyes locked on to the strongest rat running and it was a female disciple at the 3rd stage. He wondered why she was running from him when he was one stage below her. A 3rd stage Qi Consolidator usually wasn''t this cowardly. They must have something important to hide if they aren''t willing to fight him! Everyone knows that the lower realms don''t stand a chance against those at a higher realm. Unless they''re from a great clan, family, or a prodigy.


    "You''re mine, sweet cheeks!" Hu Tao lunged at her like a horny monkey from atop a tree branch.


    "I wouldn''t have it any other way you scum!" Hu Tao suddenly realized it was a trick! Just before he jumped at her, she swallowed something!


    She wanted him to attack her! His infinitely tough chains protected his body from being split in half by the girl''s powerful qi blades. Hu Tao couldn''t help but whistle in amazement as he was sent flying backward. Whatever she just swallowed made her three times as strong as she was before. Now this was an unexpected present. Her martial technique wasn''t simple either. The way that her qi coated around her arms made it seem like she was wielding two blades that could split through any metal. Something like that takes a lot of qi control and talent. Hu Tao could do it too but he preferred not doing something like that. It drained his qi faster than he would like and the chains were more useful as weapons.


    "Who the hell are you?" Hu Tao asked.


    Someone with this much talent trying to kill him. It wasn''t often that Hu Tao could get a fight like this. If he knew the reason why, he could piss them off even more by insulting the reason why they''re even after him. Maybe she would be willing to swallow a second pill if he made her mad enough. Then this could be an actual battle for a few minutes.


    "You don''t remember who I am after what you did to me? After who you killed!?" She screamed.


    "Nope. Come on, refresh my memory, will ya? I''m sure I would remember a sexy piece of ass like you. Did I kill your boyfriend? Brother? Sister? Father? Mother? Its gotta be one of those right?" Hu Tao casually joked.


    "You... You... Monster! The world would be better off with villains like you dead!" She dashed towards him, riled up with righteous fury.


    "Ah come on. You''re not helping me paint the picture here." Hu Tao easily dodged her deadly slashes. "Now which weakling was it that I hurt to get you to come after me? It had to be your boyfriend, right?" Her attacks increased in ferocity.


    "Aha! So that''s who it was. You know the punk bitch wasn''t any good for you anyway. If he died by me that just means I was the better man. You should spend a night with me and I''ll make you forget all about that weak little shit you had before." Hu Tao teased even more.


    Now this was getting a reaction out of her real good. Her attacks were becoming much sharper and filled with viciousness. Every slice of her qi blades was targeting one of his vital points. It''s too bad that she was still so fucking sloppy. He could see where her attacks were coming before she even threw them. But she had potential to entertain him in the future. Just right now, she was nothing more than a little brat letting out her frustration over her dead boy toy.


    Hu Tao whipped his leg into her gut, disabling her with a single concentrated attack. Using all the physical strength in his leg, it sent her flying into a tree, snapping it in half. Hu Tao could see it in her eyes the exact moment she realized that she was outclassed. The pain of his kick didn''t even need to set in before she realized that she lost. As his kick was heading towards her, she understood that avoiding it was impossible. The power behind that simple looking attack was more than anything she threw at him so far.


    The look in her eyes that were filled with such rage and blind fury earlier all came crashing down. She was still weaker than him. Far weaker than she thought she was. He stood over her with an amused smile. That kick of his was supposed to knock her out cold but her spirit was better than he gave her credit for. She stared at him with the same glare she had before they started their ''fight''. Wait no, her glare looked even scarier now. Good, if she keeps training maybe one day, she''ll be able to give him a good work out. But right now, she couldn''t even move after taking his one kick. A kick that was used without any qi infused into it.


    That was one of the weaknesses of qi cultivators. They couldn''t take a hit to save their lives! Which is why this girl was doing nothing but glaring at him right now. She couldn''t do anything else but glare! Her body was too damaged.


    That''s why most of them use life-protecting treasures and talismans to defend against physical hits. Hu Tao was a cultivator who travelled down both paths. Both a body cultivator and a qi cultivator. He wondered why she didn''t have any of her own life-protecting amulets or spells of her own though. With martial art techniques that skilled, she couldn''t be a peasant like him. She had to be from a cultivation clan.


    "See ya later girlie. I''ve got some actual fights to be getting to. Next time get some actual fighting experience under your belt. Cause you suck shit at fighting right now. You might got some high-ranked martial techniques but those aren''t worth jack shit if you can''t use them in a real fight." Hu Tao turned around and waved goodbye.


    "Wait...!" She spat blood as she tried to speak despite her injuries. "Do... you really not know who I am...?" She asked. Was what happened to her and Shen so insignificant? Or was this something that Hu Tao does so frequently that he can''t keep track?


    "Should I know your name weakling?" Hu Tao vanished from her sights, leaving her all alone coughing up a large amount of blood from her mouth.


    ______________________________________________


    Meili sent qi into the talisman within her pocket. Her internal injuries began slowly healing with a glowing green light covering her body. The sky looked so far away today...


    ''Would you think that the sky looks too far away to grab, like me, or close enough to hold in your hand, Shen?'' She laughed, coughing up more blood.


    You were always so optimistic and kind compared to everyone else. It isn''t fair... It isn''t fair that such a horrible person is allowed to live so freely while yours was taken for doing what was right. Is being a good person such a bad thing? Why do the heavens seek to reward the vile and punish the kind?


    ''I can''t accept living in such a world like that. If the heavens themselves are against me, then I will shatter the heavens! If no one else finds a problem with villains like Hu Tao running around, then I will! If being kind, caring, and magnanimous is looked down on, then I will be the most shunned person in the world! This world is in need of a changing and I''m the only one who realizes it. I can''t do it alone and I can''t do it while I''m so weak. I need more strength. Enough strength to change the world into a place that would make Shen proud...'' She wiped the tears off her face and staggered off into the distance.


    She can''t go against the world with her strength as it is now. Even if she was the Sect Leader''s daughter of the powerful Emerald Grass Slaying Sect, it didn''t mean anything if her own strength was insignificant. Meili would have to increase her training 100-fold if she wished to make any real progress. As things stand now, she was alone, weak, and had no allies. Finding allies would have to come later. No one would want to follow behind a weak leader.


    These Treasured Plains would be her greatest chance to increase her strength. She would find no other better opportunity to quickly rise in power than now. Meili would say that it was her only chance. She had to find numerous treasures within the next month before the Treasured Plains end. Then she would get her revenge on Hu Tao at the Grand Tournament. Knowing that he''ll only get even stronger than he is right now, she might even have to increase her training 200 times as much.


    "Shen... I won''t let your memory fade away. I will change this world into something that would make you proud. I promise. Just watch me." Meili vowed.

 62 Getting Some Goodies.

    "Hoho... There you are little bird." Hu Tao said.


    He just got finished taking out another small faction group from the Inner Court. Blood stained his bare chest, chains, and face while corpses surrounded him. There were bodies that were clawed into pieces, corpses that had gaping holes in them, and corpses with red chain-like marks around their skin. It was a refreshing work out even though they were a bunch of weaklings. When enough weaklings group up together, it can feel better than fighting a single strong opponent.


    "Hoo." Li Li greeted.


    "Did Jing bring my goodies? I made sure to wipe out a lot of those groups for her eventual move in to the Inner Court." Hu Tao asked.


    "Pii." Li Li took a look at the massacred bodies and gave a certain look at Hu Tao.


    "Oh yeah, you''re a maneater. It''s easy to forget how strong you really are when you look like that. Here ya go. I know this is your favorite." Hu Tao handed Li Li one of the hearts from the corpses.


    "Huu!" Li Li tried to swallow it in one bite but his beak was too tiny to consume it whole.


    The heart was stuck in his mouth, forcing him to drop it on the ground and tear it into pieces before swallowing it whole. Hu Tao patiently waited for the little spirit beast to finish eating his tip. If she really did manage to get what he wanted, then it''s worth the wait. Plus, the crazy little owl was more than a match for him in a full out fight. Back in the day when he constantly visited Jing, he tried fighting the little bird after hearing from Jing how he would be a good training partner for him.


    He didn''t believe it. He couldn''t believe it. The bird was nothing more than a 1st stage Qi Gatherer like Jing back then. That probably should''ve been the sign for him not to underestimate it just like he did to Jing in their first fight. But he didn''t and properly got his ass kicked by a baby spirit beast eight stages below him. It was humiliating at first but Hu Tao quickly saw the benefits in being around that crazy bitch.


    She would show him a world that he would never see on his own. She would take him places that he never would''ve thought to look at. Just by destroying his world beliefs one by one, she also widened his view at the same time. Back then all he ever thought about was the next fight, who was the next fight, and how would he get his next fight? But ever since becoming Jing''s slave, well his goals haven''t changed much, but now he was looking forward to what kind of fun he could have sticking around Jing. How much more will she brighten up his life?


    "Cuu." Li Li handed a spirit ring over to Hu Tao with his talon once he finished snacking and flew away.


    Hu Tao quickly released the objects inside the spirit ring and laughed joyously.


    "I knew I could count on that sadistic bitch! How in the fuck did she get these!? HAHAHA, it''s so damn crazy it''s almost hard to believe!" Hu Tao exclaimed happily.


    In front of him laid a white puffy cloud, a golden bell with a string hooped around it, and a martial arts manual. Hu Tao greedily grabbed the rewards he asked from Jing after completing her tasks and showing proof of his completion. He made a small cut on his finger and let a drop of blood drip onto the cloud, claiming ownership over it. Now the cloud would only be controlled by his qi alone.


    For the bell that would help refine his body, he just placed it around his neck like a necklace before snatching up the martial arts manual and taking a squat on his new ride. The way the cloud felt on his ass cheeks felt damn good! It was soft as shit! He had the cloud take off into the skies towards the Great Tower while he started to read about his new leg technique, The Wolf Pack Hunts Together. Hu Tao couldn''t tell what rank this was but knew it had to be fucking good if Jing got it for him. He''s been looking for a movement martial art for a long time and tried out plenty but none of them felt right for him so, he''s been going without it. He''s searched the library countless times and markets in different cities but he''s never heard of this martial art or anything similar to its name.


    Wherever Jing was getting this shit from was the real deal...


    "But I''m just a fucking slave now! Hahahaha! Who cares about her background?!"


    Hu Tao placed the book on the corner of his cloud and stood straight up. He thought he would have to be conscious of his balance but it didn''t feel like he was going to fall at all. He doubted that even if he had to fight on this cloud, he wouldn''t feel unbalanced at all! Soaring through the skies while practicing martial arts. Now this was something he never thought he would experience so soon. Just flying alone was the dream of many cultivators, that''s why any spirit tools or weapons that could help one fly would be wanted by all.


    It wasn''t Hu Tao''s dream but he was now living it! He didn''t understand what was so appealing about flying anyway. There wasn''t anyone he could fight in the sky except for flying spirit beasts and animals. Besides that, what else is there really in the sky? As far as he knows there aren''t any people he could fight in the sky except for cultivators at the Earthly Immortal stage. Trying to fight someone at that stage right now was complete suicide, even for him. He wouldn''t be able shit himself before dying if he faced someone like that. Fighting someone 5 realms above him was out of his reach for now.


    The Great Tower was giant fucking thing that extended past the clouds. It was black all over and felt like it was giving off an aura that said ''Don''t fuck with me or else.'' Hu Tao grinned at that aura. Down below him, he could see groups of people walking into the tower from the large entrance. Last time Hu Tao tried coming to the Great Tower, he was kicked out on the first floor and only rewarded with a few spirit stones.


    The Great Tower was a magical treasure from a long ass time ago that was owned by a cultivator at the True Immortal Stage. They say he crafted it as a training gift to his daughter''s son. He hoped it would allow him to rise through the heavens by rewarding his hard work, clever mind, and determination from going through the floors. Going through the floors since an early age allowed him to rise far quicker than his peers. He gained the title Legendary Prodigy in no time. Too bad the idiot died before he could conquer the tower. His strength, magical treasures, and hundreds of tamed spirit beasts were envied and wanted by everyone.


    Everyone knew that he got them from the Great Tower and everyone wanted a piece of it. It took the joining of 10 ancient clans to destroy the Legendary Prodigy''s family and 100 lesser clans to overwhelm the Legendary Prodigy himself. By the end of that battle, the entire cultivation world was flipped over. Many clans and their legacies were destroyed or robbed by others in the clash. Everyone was seeking benefits for themselves and there was no one who cared about honor or face at a time like that when they could become the top sect, clan, or family in the cultivation world.


    It was unknown how the Great Tower found itself in the Golden Serpent Sect but every 10 years, the sect would allow clans, sects, and others enter the Great Tower for free. This was to save themselves from being collaborated against and exterminated by others. The treasures inside the Great Tower were too valuable to be monopolized by one group. The sect constantly got complaints from others to make it 5 years but the sect was too strong and proud to be bullied like that. It was 10 years or they would declare war with the entire cultivation and flip it upside down just like what happened in the past. They also promised to target the strongest first and cripple them through forbidden life-threatening martial arts before heading to the weaker groups.


    He wondered just how far he would be able to get now that he''s this strong? Hu Tao stored his cloud into his new shiny spirit ring and scaled down to the tower''s entrance with his chains. His chains could barely penetrate the walls on the Great Tower but it was enough for him to get down smoothly. He swaggered on inside and was overjoyed at the hundreds of disciples waiting inside. With this many people trying the tower, he definitely won''t get bored by the end of the Plains.


    "Excuse me. Sorry. My bad." Hu Tao knocked anyone in his way to the ground just by knocking into their shoulders. On purpose.


    "Who dares!?"


    "Are you trying to die before the floors even start!?"


    "To think there was someone who was willing to perish to my Bloody Sword techniques so soon."


    He looked back with a smirk and they once they realized who he was they shut their mouths and split into the crowd.


    "Tch. Pussies." Hu Tao shrugged.


    The first floor of the Great Tower would be opening soon. As far as he knows, there is no max limit to the people allowed inside. Every disciple at the start of the Treasured Plains could''ve fit inside this giant ass room. The first floor opens once every 24 hours. So, Hu Tao was stuck here for a bit before he could have his real fun. Maybe he should continue working on his tasks while in here... He could see a few faction groups from the Inner Court inside. They''ll be able to starve his boredom.

 63 He Grabbed Them By The What!?

    "Is that the famous beast tamer group, I see over there?" Hu Tao walked over with huge grin on his face.


    "Leave us alone, Hu Tao. My faction will not be wasting our energy on fighting you."


    "What''s with the cold shoulder Hop? I''m just coming over to give my greetings as fellow disciples." Hu Tao lied with ease.


    "Do you think we don''t know? We know you have been hunting other factions in the Inner Court. Everyone knows. Don''t expect a battle from any of the big factions either. Everyone is looking to avoid you in the Treasured Plains. Stay away from us." Hop''s tamed spirit beast growled at Hu Tao.


    "What a cute kitty. What''s his name?" Hu Tao asked while getting closer.


    "She''s a girl and don''t make me repeat myself Hu Tao. Leave us alone." Hop''s giant Golden White Tigeress bared her fangs at Hu Tao, widening his smirk even further.


    "Come on, are you really that scared of my greetings, Hop? A cultivator at the 5th stage such as yourself shouldn''t be so scared of a 2nd stage like me." Hu Tao riled even further.


    "Enough!" One of Hop''s subordinates tried to kill Hu Tao by thrusting her staff towards his throat.


    "Ooh a brave one. You got more balls than your own leader does." Hu Tao didn''t even need to dodge, his chains blocked the strike for him.


    "Shut your dog mouth you crazy bastard! I''m more than enough for someone like you!" She spat through her teeth.


    "Ya Ya! Get back here now!" Hop commanded.


    "But Hop! He-"


    "Now!"


    Ya Ya hopped away from Hu Tao and the Heavenly Collectors walked away from him. If he tried forcefully engaging with them, he''d be too outnumbered. It would be a fun battle but one he wasn''t sure was worth it. If they were willing to run away from him now, then they definitely would start running once he killed a few of them.


    ''Maybe the other factions would like to play with me instead.'' Hu Tao smiled as he walked to the next faction.


    Hu Tao spent most of his time trying to get other factions to fight him but just like the first group, they ran away or took the brunt of his non-stop insults. None of them wanted to fight him! What kind of cowards was his sect raising if they couldn''t even handle a little fight?! This was seriously going to get in the way of his fun if everyone he met ran away from him.


    "It''s time!"


    "The first floor is opening!"


    "Let''s head inside! Quick!"


    The locked door from atop of the stairs slowly opened as everyone rushed towards it. Hu Tao wasn''t as excited as they were, he casually strolled his way over. Being one of the last people to walk into the door, Hu Tao met the same view he saw a few years ago when he first entered this floor so many years ago. The Protecting Floor. If he wanted to make it to the next floor, he had to make sure that his side of the town suffered the least damage.


    The town had 3 sides that needed defending which were the front and the sides. Hu Tao was assigned to the front, the hardest place to defend. If he was the same person, he was a couple years ago, then he would probably die in this upcoming beast tide. But now, things were different. Hu Tao wasn''t worried in the slightest about dying on this first floor.


    So, until the beast tide started, he decided to take a quick nap on top of the town''s gates. Even if the others were completely useless and trash cultivators. He would still be able to ace this floor with his chains and metal ball. Nothing this beast wave could throw at him would be able to get past his weapons. And if that wasn''t enough, his martial arts could easily handle the rest.


    "I got this in the bag." He chuckled before dozing off.


    Those who were also assigned to protect the front of the village with Hu Tao were currently panicking. Being assigned to the front was an absolute death sentence as the beast tide often comes from the forest directly north of the village. Rarely does the beast tide ever come from the west or east side. Knowing this fact, everyone was trying to prepare the best as they could to defend the front or cry knowing that they would die soon.


    "Spellmasters! Set up defensive formations on the front gates and walls! Those with healing pills or spirit tools that can help others, stay on the wall at all times! Those cultivator with no special talents, get ready to defend the wall from up top!" Someone started commanding.


    "Hey, who the fuck are you to start barking orders at me?"


    "The one who wants to make sure he gets out of this alive! Now either shut up and listen to me or get ready to die by nightfall."


    "Tch. Fucking 9th stage Qi Gatherer. Who does he think he is?" The 8th stage Qi Gatherer complained.


    "Anyone else got any complaints?! If not, start moving!"


    Nobody else spoke up and the cultivators started to prepare for the beast tide with no fighting at all surprisingly. If they needed any supplies, they would go inside the town and ask them from the citizens. The citizens weren''t actual people but creations made by the tower. The beasts in the upcoming beast tide were similar in that regard. They didn''t have real flesh, bones, or blood. Just a single spirit stone located somewhere within their body, giving them life and strength.


    The time for the beast tide was close approaching. Night was coming. All three sides managed to get their defenses in ready for the tide but everyone could see that the front side was the most heavily defended. Hu Tao peacefully slept during this frantic time and quite a few people noticed him. One of those people happened to be the handsome youth that took command of the front.


    "Wake up!" The young leader clapped his hands in front of the snoozing Hu Tao.


    "Huh?" Hu Tao slowly rose up.


    He got very close and personal with the young man and stared deeply into his eyes. The mask wearing young man quickly looked away before coughing into his hand and getting some space from Hu Tao.


    "Do you not understand that we could all die tonight!? What are you doing resting in a situation like this!? Just because you''re a Qi Consolidator that''s at the 2nd stage doesn''t mean that you''ll be safe from this tide either! If you find yourself surrounded, even you would die from that many beasts!"


    "You sure talk a lot for a guy. You sound more like a bitch than a man." Hu Tao casually stated while yawning.


    He wore a black mask over his mouth and nose.


    "Excuse me?!" Everyone''s eyes found their way to them.


    His body looked pretty slender and his hands looked tender.


    "You do got some balls though to talk to me like this though. You''re a noble aren''t you?" Hu Tao started cracking his bones.


    "What?! Why would you-"


    "The fearless attitude, the shitty fucking perfume, and the lack of respect to someone stronger than you."


    He couldn''t respond back.


    "Now, you got two choices here if you want to live. The first one is kowtowing to me while calling me Daddy Tao in front of all these weaklings or..." Hu Tao leaned in real close to their ear. "Tell me why you''re hiding your identity." He suddenly cupped their crotch with his hand, feeling the smooth canyon in between their legs.


    "You dare!?" Her face was entirely red and in her hands was a sword of good quality.


    She vanished from her previous spot and her sword appeared in front of Hu Tao''s face, shining a deadly gleam. She was going all out and actually trying to kill him! She also stopped hiding her true cultivation and fully released it. She was 2 stages above Hu Tao! If she was a body cultivator instead of a qi cultivator, he would''ve actually just gotten his throat cut! But since she wasn''t, he managed to sway his head out of the way in time and casually slapped her away.


    "I''ll kill you!" She screamed. As a barrier shattered in front of her. It must have taken the damage for his attack instead of her.


    "I''m seeing a lot of barking and not a lot of biting from this bitch. Are you going to talk me to death or fight me, My Lady?" He sarcastically asked.


    The sword in her hands began glowing as she ran towards him again. She took a swipe towards him and Hu Tao saw her blade coming at him from 5 different directions! Above, from the front, left, right, and below! Just what was this martial art, he couldn''t retreat! Hu Tao used his chains to block, he heard 5 distinct dings before being blasted away by the girl''s palm.


    "Not bad. Not bad. It''s hard to find chicks from cultivating families that actually know how fight. Maybe we''ll be able to continue this foreplay later but for now, I got a wall to protect." The bell around Hu Tao''s neck softly rung. A yellow qi wave emitted from the bell and went directly into Hu Tao''s body, using the injuries from that small exercise to refine his body into something stronger, using his qi as a medium to strengthen his flesh, organs, and bones.


    "This isn''t over! You will take responsibility for what you did! I will chase you to the ends of the continent if I have to!" She yelled.


    "See you in a couple hours, Hairless." Hu Tao jumped off the gate and landed in front of all the defenses. The youthful young lady''s face was blushed a deep red as she swore to get revenge on Hu Tao.

 64 How Much Of A Fight Could This Be?

    The beast tide was here and Hu Tao was ready. He sent most of his qi into the ball attached to the end of his chain, greatly increasing its size. He saved the rest of his qi for when the spirit beasts got closer. He wouldn''t be able to pull off his idea if he ran out of qi before the stampeding beasts came closer. This giant ass ball wasn''t easy to move with just his bare strength. He still had his limits.


    "Are you even listening to me?! Get back with everyone else and wait till the beasts come to us!" The chick from before yapped in his ears.


    "Yeah, listen Ju Ju-"


    "It''s Jie!" She corrected.


    "Whatever. Maybe that barking orders to people worked in that cozy little noble family of yours but here, shit don''t work like that. You keep trying to tell me what to do and I won''t be so forgiving anymore." Hu Tao''s killing intent started leaking.


    "You''re infuriating!!! I don''t care anymore! If you want to die, then go die! But don''t you dare interfere with my plan and get the rest of us killed!" Jie stormed off in a huff and Hu Tao smiled.


    Finally, now he could focus solely on the beasts ahead of him. All that yap yap yap in his ears was getting on his nerves. If he didn''t know any better, he would think that she wanted his dick instead of his life! Getting involved with nobles was always fun though. They have so many internal problems that if you take care of one, three more come spilling out into the open.


    Those animals were close enough now. Hu Tao could see the last row of the animals coming out of the woods. The tide wouldn''t start to split until they reached about midway across the grassy plain. He planned on attacking before they split to cause the most damage. Which was right now!


    Hu Tao lifted the giant ball with his chains and threw it into the air before following after it. He made sure to line up his shot perfectly down the middle as he appeared behind the large sphere. His fists were covered in his chains as he punched it with all of his strength towards the beast tide. The sphere blasted through the skies without restraint. Any spirit beasts staring at that unstoppable object felt like they were staring death right in the face. Their fates were already sealed and there was nothing they could do but accept it.


    And accept it they did. The metal ball absolutely demolished every spirit beast that was in the middle row of the beast wave. The large giant ape in the back was the only survivor in the middle row. It tried to catch the spinning ball before it got hit by it but its power was far greater than it expected! It tore the skin off of its hands before being able to stop it. Seeing its hands in such a state enraged it. It wanted to beat on its chest to show its rage but it couldn''t even do that! Its hands were severely injured. If it tried anything with them, a terrible pain would shoot up in its body. It glared at Hu Tao and promised to kill him when he got there.


    Hu Tao gave it the middle finger in response while laughing. He did most of the work so, his participation score at the end should be good enough to get something good. Hu Tao used his chains to pull him over the defensive barriers in front of the front gate. This allowed him to get a nice seat on top of the barrier as the beasts came in. Hu Tao''s attack affected the wave more than he thought it would.


    A small portion of the animals were heading towards the front gate while most of them went to the left and right walls. The weaklings on his side started cheering for joy and praising the heavens after seeing the pathetic number of animals coming towards them. If they were excited about something like this, then they won''t last long on the upper floors. Not that Hu Tao knew what was on the upper floors either. Last time he came here, he barely survived the beast tide and still lost. What he meant was that they didn''t have the right mindset for the tower if they were glad that someone else saved them.


    "It looks like you''re not all as you seem either..." Jie spoke, suddenly appearing next to him.


    "Unless you came up here to suck my dick, you can go back down." Hu Tao shooed her away.


    "Argh! Why would you say something like that when I was trying to... Forget it! Go die creep" She did hop back down and Hu Tao was very thankful.


    ''So, she can listen...''


    The rest of those weaklings could handle the remaining beasts. In the meantime, he could look out for any other interesting fighters here. On the right side, there wasn''t anyone in charge like Jie was for his side. All of them were on the ground fighting the beasts before they could damage their wall. The rest were providing support from the back for the injured. They definitely weren''t going to last long unless someone at the Qi Consolidation rank took on the beasts. Most of the spirit beasts from the front of the wave were in the Qi Gatherer stage. The only ones above that were the three Redback Apes at the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm.


    The left side was handling it better than the right side. Most of the factions in the Inner Court were placed over there. Hmm... Maybe he should make things a bit harder for them since they refused to fight him earlier. Hu Tao got up and sent his chains down towards the weak beasts trying to break the defensive array he was on. His chains wrapped around two beasts ramming their heads against the barrier. He whipped them over to left''s side wall and watched as they crashed against it, damaging it. Those standing on the left side''s wall were confused as the two beasts damaged their wall.


    Where did they come from?! Because of it, their wall got damaged somehow! They looked up in the air and didn''t see any flying beasts. Something didn''t feel right... It only took a few more seconds before even more animals were splatting on their wall. They tried to stop them from cracking their side of the wall. Some attacked the animals before they dropped and knocked them away from the wall. Others used their swords to slice the beasts in half. And a small portion even caught some of them with their strong bodies!


    This was when Hu Tao stopped throwing them and let the left side understand just who was fucking with them. He grinned while tossing a helpless boar in one hand and catching it repeatedly. How would they react to this? Would they want to fight? Would they cross over to the front side of the town to fight him? Hu Tao was excited, if they didn''t stop him their lost was all but guaranteed.


    "Hu Tao, you crazy bastard!"


    "Fuck off!"


    "Why don''t you go die in a hole somewhere!"


    To respond to all their kind words and complements, Hu Tao aimed the boar in his hands towards one of the wooden spikes used to defend against the beast tide. He tossed the boar directly at the wooden defense and watched as it completely destroyed it as it died on impact. This made them real pissed. All the strong guys were too busy dealing with the beasts up front. One of them was already dealing with the Redback Ape with their golden flames. They could do nothing but glare at Hu Tao while doing their best to defend against his living cannonballs.


    "Is this even allowed!? Shouldn''t the tower punish him for directly putting the village at risk!?"


    "We need someone from the front to come back or our wall will be destroyed!"


    "But who is strong enough to deal with Hu Tao!? We need them to-" Her words were cut off as a tossed snake just bit her face. She died from the venom within seconds.


    The ones defending the wall called out for help but no one could spare any attention to them while defending against the beast tide. Hu Tao would''ve continued terrorizing the little weaklings but he has some business to attend to on his side. His side''s Redback Ape was staring at him. You don''t see that type of stare from just anyone. It''s surprising how realistic these spirit beasts act. Just looking into those eyes filled with fury made it feel like he was going to fight someone worth fighting.


    Hu Tao hopped off the top of the barrier and landed in front of the gorilla. He was the only animal remaining on their side and he wanted Hu Tao''s head. The feeling wasn''t mutual but it could be entertaining to see just how much of a work out this dumb monkey can give him. It was one stage below him and didn''t look like a mutant. How much of a fight could this be?

 65 Wolf vs Monkey

    The gorilla stared into Hu Tao''s eyes and slowly beat his chest. Its fists were bleeding on each strike but it didn''t care. Each beat against its chest, seemed to shake the ground and air around it. The low-ranked spirit stone shards from the dead beasts Hu Tao killed slowly started to float towards it. The mournful pounding on its chest started to ramp up in speed.


    ''Now this was getting exciting... This never happened last time I came here.'' Hu Tao could feel his blood rising.


    The shards of the spirit stones stabbed into the flesh of the ape. Hu Tao watched as the sound of its roar and the power of its qi started rising. The fleshy hands of the spirit beast were being rapidly healed. Its cultivation rank was rising as well. Hu Tao had trouble following what was happening but he was excited nonetheless! Maybe this would turn out to become more than just a light stretch.


    "ROARRR!!!!" All it took was a single blink.


    And Hu Tao was suddenly sent flying through the air. Huh? What just happened? Why was the gorilla so far away from him now? Then it hit him all at once. The pain of having his neck nearly snapped, his shattered ribs stabbing into his soft inner bits, and the stretching grin on his face after realizing that he just nearly died! Hu Tao sent his chains to stab into the earth beneath him, stopping his airborne flight and placing him back on the ground with his body in a complete mess.


    He grabbed his crooked head and with a sickening crack, placed his neck back in the position it should be in. The bell around his neck started softly ringing as it tried to repair and strengthen the injuries in his body but before it could finish... Hu Tao let out an air-blasting howl that multiplied his power by how much pain his body was in. Hu Tao would''ve loved to let loose right now but with the current state his body was in, it would be impossible to deal with that gorilla.


    No matter how much qi and physical power was in his body after increasing his power, you couldn''t fight someone with a completely demolished rib cage and pierced organs. Hu Tao sent his increased qi reserves into the ringing bell, accelerating its refining process and fixing his internal damage. By the time the damage was fixed, all that qi he just got was used to fix himself back up. That monkey bastard landed a good hit on him. He could''ve just died right there without even making it a good last fight!


    The ape skipped 2 small stages after taking in those spirit stone shards from its allies, giving it a one stage advantage over Hu Tao. Since it was so kind enough to give him such a loving tap that nearly killed him, he wouldn''t hold back in giving him a love tap of his own. Hu Tao wrapped his fists in his chains and disappeared with surprising speed. The gorilla roared as it accepted the challenge. The two nearly landed a blow on each other at the same time as both of them aimed to strike each other. It seems like it could keep up with him too.


    The redback''s fist just slightly missed Hu Tao''s annoyingly handsome face while Hu Tao''s struck directly in the middle of its chest, sending it just as far as it sent him flying. The damage was similar to his as well. Hu Tao shaped the end of the chains on his fist into a drill and completely tore a large hole through the chest of the spirit beast. Seeing the wounds it suffered, enraged the beast even more than before. Hu Tao grinned as the real fight was about to start now. That little wound he gave it didn''t mean much since it was a beast created by the tower. The true source of its power was the spirit stone hiding somewhere in its body.


    The two leapt a great distance towards each other and landed ground-shaking blows on one another. A jaw-shattering uppercut from below that launched it into the air. A double fist hammer punch down on Hu Tao''s spine that cracked all the bones in his back. Hu Tao dropped to the ground from the hit and flipped forward with his legs wrapped in his chains to kick the beast right in the face! Causing it to slide back with a broken nose and a pissed off expression. The two continued this type of slug off for minutes.


    ______________________________________________


    But as time went on, things only got worse for the redback. The injuries he needed to heal were taxing on the spirit stone within his brain. Despite having the support of its fallen allies'' shards in him, it still wasn''t enough to heal like the human in front of it. No matter how hard it hit the human, it bounced right back up even stronger! Its body was getting tougher the more they fought when at first it only took one punch to nearly kill it before! If things continued like this, it would only spell the end for himself.


    If punching the human wouldn''t work, then it only had one thing left to try. He only had one chance to try this. If this move failed then that would be it. The human''s body would be too tough for him to try and kill. He would have to retreat and ask for aid from its brothers. The human was coming! Now was his chance!


    ______________________________________________


    Hu Tao was putting his new movement martial art to good use as he slashed at the gorilla from all over. One second, he was in front of the beast clawing a deep chunk into its pecs, the next he was rending the flesh from its back, and after that laughing as it tried to catch him. But all of it sudden it stopped trying to catch him and let him attack. What was this stupid animal planning? It has already done him a favor by wrecking his body and letting his bell refine it to a better state than it was before. Maybe he should indulge it and see what it has in mind.


    Hu Tao appeared in front of the ape and stuck his claws deep into its stomach. The beast grabbed his arm and firmly grasped his shoulder. He couldn''t move. That look in the beast''s eyes also told him that this was its final move as a fighter. Hu Tao grinned.


    "Alright you hairy bastard, show me what you got." He felt the grip on his arm and back tightening.


    This piece of shit was trying to crush him like a grape! His chains moved like flying daggers and stabbed through the ape''s body. The serpent-like steel weaved in and out of the beast''s body as if it was an immortal seamstress''s needles, knitting divine fabric itself. The gorilla didn''t bother wasting its energy trying to repair itself either. This big fucker wanted him dead! Hu Tao''s bones were slowly snapping and breaking under the final resolve of the animal.


    "Ha, really? Now this is not as fun as earlier. It would''ve been better if you used up all your strength in a final attack that wasn''t something like this. Like a final punch or kick. That would''ve been fun to fight against." Hu Tao casually chatted as his body was being crushed.


    "Bastards like you never have good ends you know. Suicidal tactics don''t work on me anymore. AWOOO!!!!!" Hu Tao howled, increasing his strength from the pain.


    He grabbed the wrist of the ape and snapped it, the animal continued to try and kill him with its one good arm on his back but Hu Tao had enough. It obviously had nothing left to show him. The desperate look in its eyes as things were falling apart all around it. It was so realistic that Hu Tao couldn''t help but smile at that face!


    "Hahahaha! Holy shit is that a pathetic fucking look! The tower makes a damn good copy of real spirit beasts." He grabbed the monkey by its throat with both of his hands and lifted it into the air.


    He squeezed and squeezed, taking the breath out of the amusing bastard. It couldn''t resist even if it wanted to at this point. Hu Tao''s strength was too much. With a splattering gush of blood, Hu Tao''s chain pierced through the spirit stone hiding in its brain, killing it. The floor ended soon after and now it was time for the tower to tally up the scores.


    Up in the sky, laid the results of the first floor''s participants. There was a picture of himself in first place. The results showed the number of kills he got, how much he participated in the overall event, and if he passed or failed. Seeing that shiny golden #1 next to his face was satisfying. The rewards when he gets to the second floor are no doubt going to be quite gracious and plentiful. The tower is known to reward those based on their achievements.

 66 Wan Qings New Look.

    "Defend yourself Ni Xong! Kill him or he will kill you." Wan Qing harshly said.


    Ni Xong was currently standing in front of an Emerald Lightning Snake. Their cultivation was the same but Ni Xong was shivering just at the sight of the beast. They both were at the 4th stage as Qi Gatherers. Wan Qing was trying to have him grow a spine or he''ll die before he knows it. And she did not almost die against Kun Lao just to have a worthless pet. She will change his cowardly nature even if she has to force it out of him.


    "Fight!" She ordered.


    Ni Xong ran forward with his eyes closed waving his fists like a windmill. It looked pathetic but the snake was frightful of Ni Xong. It slithered backwards as it tried to find an opening to bite the young panda. The wind blowing from Ni Xong''s giant golden gauntlets was enough to put fear into the snake. Prey that acted unpredictable was dangerous. If it wasn''t careful, it could be killed and eaten instead.


    Ni Xong heard the snake hissing from the side of him and started waving his fist in that direction instead. The snake kept trying to circle around behind him but Ni Xong continued to swing his arms wherever he heard the snake''s movements. The snake wouldn''t live long if it got hit but it knew the bear wouldn''t live long if it could get its venom in. The snake sized up the cowardly bear that was terrified of it. Its eyes were barely open to see if the snake was still in front of it.


    "Hiss!" The panda started waving its fists immediately in response.


    This wasn''t worth the meat. The snake started to slither away only to be stopped by Wan Qing''s threatening figure. Those massive mounds on her chest that was enough to smother any man to a heavenly slumber. A tight slim figure with a shapely behind and an attitude that was expected out of any cultivator with great talent. Wan Qing looked like an actual woman! Her eyes were sharp but feminine, she had soft pink lips that could tempt those who stared for too long, and skin so soft it was like a baby''s bottom.


    The snake knew it only had two choices. Die trying to escape from the human or face the bear and try to win. It took the second choice without a doubt and recklessly charged towards the bear. The Emerald Lightning Snake boosted its speed using its innate lightning qi and leaped towards the bear. Qi in the form of lightning sparked around its body. Ni Xong visibly cried out in fear once it saw this and increased the speed of its windmill punch even further.


    Despite having his eyes closed for a majority of this situation, Xong managed to slightly open his eyes and watch as the snake was unable to break past the speed of his fists. His gauntlet came smashing down on the skull of the snake, knocking it into the ground. It wasn''t dead though, it raised its body and started moving weirdly. He won! He beat the snake! Just like he was asked! He looked at Wan Qing with joy in his eyes.


    "What are you waiting for!? Kill it already!" She ordered.


    Ni Xong looked at the funny moving snake and then back at Wan. The golden panda carefully walked over to snake and picked it up with his gloved hand. He pinched it with his index finger and thumb as he placed the head of the snake near his mouth. With a flesh-tearing bite, the mutant panda ripped the head off of the serpent with its teeth. Seeing the look on Wan''s face was enough to tell him that he was doing something right. He continued to eat the snake''s entire body.


    "Next time, don''t waste time being so afraid of something weaker than you. Get on." She opened up her fan and sat on top of it while it was hovering in the air.


    Ni Xong clumsily climbed up on the flying fan and sat in Wan Qing''s lap as they took off towards the Great Volcano to catch up with the others. Wan Qing didn''t want to hold the group back from acquiring treasures just because she needed to train her spirit beast. With the strange talisman made by Jing, she could find their location by sending her qi into the special slip and wait for them to respond by sending their qi into the talisman as well with the intention of wanting to give their location. It seems they just entered the Great Volcano area.


    That''s good, they shouldn''t have met with much trouble then. All the treasure near the entrance should''ve also been taken by the other disciples. They did spend a while inside that illusion formation and in the Great Plains. So, it should be some time before they encounter some magical treasure in the Great Volcano.


    Wan Qing arrived at the Great Volcano and took in the sights. Volcanoes were all over the place. She could see volcanoes right under her and volcanoes as far as her sight could see. Lava made itself known in numerous places across this area. Lava rivers, lava waterfalls, spirit beasts who drank and bathed in the lava, and many fire-natured plants across the rocky hardened earth. This place is paradise for those who practice fire-based martial arts and those talented in water-based martial arts. Wan figured they were here to help Ying find something suitable for her. None of the others seemed to have martial arts related to fire.


    "Come here little Roses!!! Ying needs a mystic flame and you''re her ticket to getting one!!!" She heard a familiar voice shouting from down below.


    Qing looked over her fan and saw Ying swinging her sword madly while chasing after a group of girls. They looked like they were running with everything they had, trying to escape from her. Bing and Lei Zhi were looking away in embarrassment as the murderous young lady swung her gigantic blade left and right to take the heads of the girls in front of her. Qing flew down towards them and hopped off her fan with Ni Xong.


    Bing aimed his shield at her and Lei Zhi waved at her.


    "You want to fight me as well?" Wan Qing asked with an arrogant smirk.


    "Where did you steal that Golden Panda from?" Bing glared at her.


    "Where do you think I got him from???? Wan responded back.


    "Hold on Bing. She''s not our enemy." Lei Zhi told him.


    "What do you mean?" He asked confused.


    "That''s Wan Qing." Lei Zhi stated.


    "PFFFFT! I know you''re blind Zhi but now isn''t the time for jokes! She could be one of the top members from Fearsome Garden." Bing said.


    "I''m not joking. Can''t you see? She looks the exact same!" Lei Zhi argued.


    "That woman does not look like Wan Qing in the... Well... She could pass as his older sister but that isn''t proof enough that she is Wan Qing!"


    "Jing is our leader." Wan Qing stated calmly.


    "I have no further doubts." Bing said, putting away his shield. "But how did you...?"


    "It''s an illusion." Lei Zhi said.


    "How could you tell Fisherman?" Wan Qing asked curiously. He was able to see through her illusion in an instant. Just how was that possible? He didn''t use any spirit tools or his qi either to check.


    "I didn''t do anything special. You just look the same to me." He innocently responded.


    "Didn''t you say, you got your vision back from some auxiliary martial art the Empress gave you?" Bing asked.


    "Yes, I touched the cover of it and all the knowledge inside of it flowed into my mind."


    "I''ve never heard of a martial art being taken directly in your mind..." Wan Qing muttered.


    "You haven''t?" Bing asked surprised. That was exactly how he gained his Devil''s Art.


    "Maybe in fairy tales but nothing in real life! Martial art manuals that can do something like that would be worth fortunes! Even ancient clans would fork out thousands of spirit stones for valuable martial arts like that! And you''re telling me Jing just gave it to you?! For free!?" Wan Qing yelled.


    "Well, I wouldn''t say for free. I gave her my loyalty and body to aid Jing in her goal of reforming the sect."


    "Who would take the loyalty and body of a man far past his prime and think of it as useful?"


    "The Empress did." Bing pointed out.


    "Exactly! Don''t you all find it strange how Jing could make a seemingly useless old man into a competent cultivator with a future?! She is not that far apart from us in age yet her capabilities seem unimaginable for any youth! How many people would be able to turn a cultivator like him into something with substance?" Wan Qing asked referring to Lei Zhi. "And don''t even get me started on these weapons she''s gifted us! I doubt blacksmiths blessed by the heavens could recreate the weapons she''s gifted us!"


    "Well of course we think it''s strange Qing. It''s just that... It''s the Empress, you know? I wouldn''t be that surprised if she turned a mortal squirrel into a pig that could practice martial arts. You do know that even the Empress''s owl has his own martial arts right? Humans can''t make martial arts for animals because animals don''t cultivate the same way we do. But somehow the Empress was able to teach her owl martial arts. That means she''s able to do the impossible that no other cultivator has been capable of. Something not even those at the True Immortal realm could pull off."


    "Don''t you find that terrifying?!" Qing yelled. Bing only let out a tired sigh.


    "Listen Wan Qing... Thinking too deeply about this type of stuff is only going to drive you crazy. I''ve already gotten past it by trying to live my life simply while following her directions. I''ve had many sleepless nights trying to understand who Jing is, where she came from, what are her limits, and what does she want. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was I lived my life doing what I aimed to do. I may have become her slave but I have not suffered greatly since being taken under her rule." Bing told her.


    "Slave?!" Qing and Lei Zhi asked simultaneously.

 67 A Chance For A Mystic Flame!

    "Yes. Me and Hu Tao are the Empress''s slaves. To save my own life, I became Jing''s slave. Hu Tao made a bet with her and lost, also becoming her slave. As far as I know, you three weren''t forced into joining Jing. You still have the chance to leave and live normal lives but me and Hu Tao are stuck in this for life. I still haven''t quite come to terms with it as I still have a family back home but I realized Jing isn''t a monster to those that follow her. As long as you perform your duties, you will be treated fairly."


    The serious response given by Bing sent Qing and Lei Zhi into deep thought. What exactly did they want by following under Jing? Did they want to stick with her for their entire lives? What about their own goals, wishes, and dreams for the future? Could they accomplish them if they stayed under Jing? What would happen if they refused to be under Jing and wanted to leave? Could they even leave? Or would she silence them so that information about her wouldn''t spread? This...was a lot to think about.


    "Hey guys! I''m back! Do you think Jing will be able to give me a mystic flame for killing those Fearsome Garden weaklings? Maybe that''s asking too much because of how rare they are... What if I gave her the head of one of their commanders!?" Ying returned with her outfit covered in blood. Seeing the unfamiliar face next to the two guys, she asked, "Who''s this and do I need to cut her apart too?"


    "Hmph. I don''t look that different, do I?" Wan asked slightly upset at not being recognized by anyone but Lei Zhi.


    "Yes. You look like a completely different person." Bing spoke.


    "You look no different to me." Lei Zhi smiled.


    "No, seriously who is she?" Ying asked a second time, noticing the friendly atmosphere between the three.


    "It''s Wan Qing. Our ally." Lei Zhi informed.


    "Eh? No way..." Ying got real up close to Qing and stared directly at her chest.


    "Are they real?" Ying asked.


    "Find out for yourself." She scoffed.


    Ying groped Qing''s chest and could feel the weight and quality of her breasts. It felt like the real deal! But how in the world did she do this? Could it be that spirit tool from before? It could make illusions of this quality?


    "They are real..." Ying stopped fondling Qing and didn''t notice the small blush on her cheeks.


    "Hmph." She proudly smirked as both Lei Zhi and Bing were looking away politely.


    "I''m done!" Ying yelled, bringing their attention back.


    "Oh, alright then." Bing coughed with his face slightly red.


    "Now follow me. With my Overbearing Amalgamation of Flames auxiliary art, I can sense objects with a strong fire-qi presence."


    "Does that mean what I think it means then?" Wan asked. Ying only smiled in response with a greedy look in her eyes.


    "Isn''t that the martial art you gained from the boy with the mystic flame?" Bing asked.


    "Yeah. And next time I see him, I''m definitely taking his flame from him."


    "Why didn''t you do it before?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "I didn''t know it was possible until after my encounter with him."


    "Doesn''t that mean you could just find if there are any mystic flames here yourself if you can sense objects with a lot of fire qi?" Bing questioned.


    "Maybe. I don''t know how much fire qi surrounds something like a mystic flame. They are wanted across the continent for a reason Fatass. If they were this easy to get, then everyone would have one."


    "I was just asking..."


    The group continued to travel across the Great Volcano with Ying leading them as their treasure magnet. Along the way, they stumbled upon plenty of areas with fire-related treasures defended by dangerous spirit beasts, treacherous places filled with lava that could melt the flesh in seconds until there was nothing but bone and ash left, and the environment itself going against them. The group as a whole barely gained any treasures at all. All the places they checked had the treasure already looted! What Ying could sense was just the left over qi prescence from the magical treasures. All that hard work for nothing seriously dampened their spirits. Bing''s shield to defend against any threats, Qing''s fan to blast away anything in their way, and Zhi''s fishing rod to snatch up any treasures that were too far away to reach. Despite leading the group to the treasures, Ying barely could do anything in the journey to gain them.


    "You''re so useless sometimes!" Her sword sent feelings of embarrassment towards her. "Are you only good for killing people!? What kind of sword can''t even take a dip in lava!?" Her sword responded back. "Who cares if it''s hot!?"


    "I don''t think you should take your anger out on your sword." Bing spoke before getting punched in the arm and crying out in pain.


    "Don''t tell me what to do Fatass." She huffed.


    "I didn''t think there would be so many magical treasures missing." Wan Qing admitted.


    "I''m shocked as well. There must be someone here that can also sense flame-natured objects like Ying." Zhi agreed.


    "Do you guys see that over there?" Bing asked.


    "See what?" Ying looked over and saw a familiar face that instantly boosted her spirits. Bing saw this and was about to ask something but before he could, she dashed off in the distance.


    "What was that about?" Qing looked at the excited Yue with killing intent leaking off of her.


    Bing shrugged his shoulders and the group watched as Ying jumped into the air and brought her sword down in the middle of the group fighting, knocking both sides away by destroying the ground they were fighting on. It was an entire group vs one guy. Ying focused her eye on the single guy rather than the group and charged after him with her blade. He immediately turned tail and ran away from Ying. The group the guy was fighting against chased after them both, leaving their squad behind as Ying went on a chase.


    "What is she, a child?" Qing asked holding her head in disbelief.


    "I''m sure she has her reasons..." Lei Zhi tried to reason.


    "Well, I have better things to do than wait on her to come back. I''m heading to the Great Tower." Qing started walking back with her arms crossed.


    "She is going pretty far..." Ying''s figure was now far into the distance and could barely be seen by Bing.


    "We could leave her a message with the talisman. So that she could find us later." Lei Zhi proposed.


    "Do as you wish." Qing said unconcerned.


    ______________________________________________


    "Give me your Mystic Flame!" Ying yelled.


    "Senior Martial Sister, I must decline!" Fu Kang yelled back.


    "I wasn''t asking!" Fire claimed her body, increasing her speed.


    "Haven''t you ever heard that pushy women are terrifying to good men!?" Fire coated his body as well, giving him a speed boost just like Ying''s but even faster.


    "You''ve reached a higher level than me?" Ying stared in shock as he was already in the advanced realm with the same auxiliary art that she''s using when they started learning it around the same time. Let it be known that she was still only at the initial realm at this time!


    There are 5 levels to determine how skilled a cultivator is at practicing a martial art. Elementary, initial, intermediate, advanced, and peak are all the stages a martial artist can reach in a martial art. Reaching the elementary stage of a martial arts means that the cultivator can show 10% of the true power of a martial art. Initial is 30%, Intermediate is 50%, Advanced is 70%, and Peak is 100%.


    ''That''s impossible... It''s only been a few months since I''ve last seen him. How could he be at the advanced stage already?'' Ying was flabbergasted.


    The way he formed and manipulated the fire around him was almost seamless. Ying wasn''t capable of anything as skilled as that even in her best state! She was jealous, confused, and pissed off! How!? Unless he was a super genius on par with that bastard Hu Tao, then it was impossible for him to reach that stage so fast. She refused some pervert like this guy in front of her was talented too. Perverts shouldn''t be blessed by the heavens! One Hu Tao was enough for this world!


    Ying threw uncontrolled masses of flames at him, she wasn''t able to manipulate them that well. He nimbly dodged her attacks while taking her all across the Great Volcano. The group that was fighting Fu Kang was nowhere in sight. Lava shot out from the ground all around them. Spirit beasts joined in the chase with them sometimes. He was three small stages below her at the 3rd stage but he could out speed her! He had to have another secret besides the earrings she got from him. Her envy as a cultivator refused to believe another pervert could be this talented.


    "Martial Sister! Desperation is not a good look for a lady! Chasing me for so long will only hurt your reputation! For a lady as beautiful as you, it would be a pain to my heart seeing you shamed because of me."


    Ying didn''t even bother responding to his nonsense. She will find his secret. She will take his secret. And she will take his mystic flame, no matter what he says or does. Ying wouldn''t care if the entire sect thought she was obsessed with him. All she cared about was getting what she wanted. She wouldn''t let anything stop her.


    "Stop!" A mysterious figure intruded and created a barrier of flames between her and the green-haired boy.


    "Tch. Out of my way!" Ying clicked her tongue and slashed right through the fire barrier with her sword, splitting it in half and easily allowing her to grab the boy by the throat.


    "Please. Senior Sister... We can solve this with words instead of violence.. ACK!" Ying tightened her grip around his throat to shut him up.


    "Please release Fu Kang." The one who made the barrier appeared.


    "Aren''t you that pretty boy''s fianc¨¦?" Ying asked unclear.


    "He is not my fianc¨¦." She stated firmly.


    "Oh, so you''re in one of those types of clans. An arranged marriage made by your father?"


    "I will not accept this marriage and no matter what I''ll prove to my Father that I will choose who I marry. Even if I have to defeat Gong Jun myself." She vowed.


    "Huh, well I can respect something like that. I know I would be raising hell if my parents tried to force me into an arranged marriage. But seriously, you chose this guy over someone like Gong Jun?" Ying figured he must really have a deep secret if a real princess like Liu Lan was interested in him. A secret she will take at all costs.


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 68 Yings Determination.

    "I did not choose anyone." Liu Lan replied.


    "Then why are you trying to save him?" Ying still wasn''t going to leave without getting what she wants but she was curious to hear why this famous princess wanted to save this pervert.


    "I cannot share why, but I''m willing to trade in exchange for his life." Liu slightly bowed her head as an assortment of items came from her storage ring.


    Ying looked over the goods and was secretly impressed. You couldn''t find pills like these for cheap. Bone Washing pills, Blood Refining pills, Skin Cleansing pills, and more that would cost her a small fortune if she tried to pay for them in the sect. It''s too bad that she''s certain that Fu Kang''s secrets and mystic flame are worth more. None of this was tempting enough. It wasn''t like she was going to give up Fu Kang even if she had better items to trade. She just would''ve took them and ran off with him before getting what she wanted.


    "Got anything else?" Ying asked, unimpressed.


    The shock on their faces was not hidden in the least. Liu Lan believed that this much would be enough to shock any regular cultivator in the Qi Gatherer stage. The average cultivator could grow in leaps and bounds if they took these pills and diligently cultivated. It isn''t too much to say that Lan''s pills were life changing for the untalented!


    But Ying''s talent wasn''t horrible anymore! Ever since she got her sword, cultivation has become easier for her as time went on. She no longer struggled to get resources to break through, the impurities in her body were slowly filtered out because of her sword, and the quality of her qi was becoming purer. The longer she held onto her sword, the more her strength would rise. Anything those pills could do, her sword would eventually do even better.


    "Ex-Excuse me?" Liu Lan was shocked that she refused her offer.


    The pills she bargained with were made by herself! She knew they weren''t perfect in quality but they definitely weren''t something that could be refused! They were excellent quality pills that the average pill refiner would struggle to make. Even Elder Ru has praised her for her refining abilities, the top alchemist within the Golden Serpent Sect. Ying''s rejection felt like it was spitting on all the hard work that Liu Lan has put into pill refining for the past several months.


    "Those pills are trash. What else do you have to offer?" Ying didn''t care about the pride of little miss princess. All she cared about was what she could gain from her.


    "Senior, please don''t joke... All of these pills are excellent grade, one level below perfect. There is no one that would not find a use for them." She softly spat with her damaged pride.


    "If I said they are trash, they are trash. Now hurry up and show what else you have on you." Her words directly stabbed at the young lady''s pride. The royal princess didn''t even hide the pissed off look on her face.


    ''Oh, this is gonna be bad...'' Fu Kang thought.


    If Liu Lan wasn''t here right now, he could use his Cube to escape this Violent Senior but he couldn''t reveal his secret while she was here! If they were alone, he could think of something to distract the senior choking him and then make his escape. Maybe he could turn this situation into an advantage for himself. But first, he would have to get rid of Liu Lan.


    "Fairy Liu! I''ll be fine! Just go!" He spoke through choked breaths.


    "I won''t leave you here to die! You''re the only one that can-" She quickly shut her mouth after realizing what she was about to say.


    "How could I call myself the Greatest Under the Heavens Kang, if I couldn''t handle a situation like this? Trust in me. I''ll be fine." In Liu Lan''s eyes, he suddenly became a lot more handsome and manly after saying such things.


    Ying punched him in the gut after hearing the sappy line. He coughed up blood from her beast-like strength. What was he trying to do, paint her as the bad guy? Is she the evil cultivator who''s separating the two lovers for evil purposes? She just wanted his stuff! It was his own fault that he wasn''t strong enough to protect it.


    "I... I can''t..." Liu struggled to say.


    "Liu! Go! You''re just a burden if you stay any longer!" Fu said harshly with blood sliding down his lips.


    Ying could tell she was devastated from what he told her.


    "Fine...! You better be alright after this!" She turned around with a single tear falling down her eye and ran off into the distance.


    "I''d love to stay Senior Martial Sister, but that was my que to leave! See ya!" Fu Kang suddenly vanished from her hand.


    She quickly looked around her surrounding for any signs of him. How did he just disappear right in front of her!? It wasn''t a teleportation spell from a talisman! It wasn''t a martial art because she didn''t sense any qi coming off him when he did it. What just happened?! Where did her free mystic flame disappear to!?


    "KANG! GET BACK HERE!!!" Ying fed her sword a spirit stone to enhance her connection with the qi around them.


    She used it to search her surroundings for any signs of Kang but there was no sign of him anywhere! This didn''t make any sense. It didn''t make any sense and it made her extremely mad. Her ticket to owning a mystic flame of her own just poofed right out of the air. Her sword fueled the anger surging through her. Fire slowly began to erupt on parts of her body.


    Her sword told her to feed it her storage ring if she wanted to get Kang.


    "What the hell are you talking about?" She asked.


    Her sword had a feeling that it knew where Kang went. It thinks that he escaped into a Void World. Ying had no idea what a Void World was but her sword couldn''t exactly explain it either. He said it was a different world inside of a cultivator but what did that mean?! It tried to explain some more but all this was only making Ying even more angry.


    "Whatever! Take the stupid ring!" Ying released all the items inside her storage ring on the ground and tossed her ring into the mouth hidden behind her sword''s eye.


    The sword slowly started to transform as it took in the essence of the storage ring. Purple and black symbols formed over the body of the blade. The large metal blade used the strange qi around it to compress itself into a smaller form. It was a light and thin type of blade that looked like it would boast of quickness and beauty rather than strength and evilness. Ying took a few light swings with it, testing to see how her handling has changed.


    The blade may have become smaller but it seemed even heavier than before! The strange energy flowing through her blade was also flowing through Ying herself! She didn''t understand what type of qi this was but it was not anything remotely similar to fire qi. With a single swing of her sword, she felt like she could cut anywhere she laid her eyes on. Distance was no longer an issue for her. If there was an enemy standing 10 meters away from her, she would still be able to decapitate them in one slice.


    The power of the void is what her sword explained to her. So, this was void qi? The type of qi that made storage rings possible. It was unfamiliar to Ying. Something she''s never experienced before. She was usually bathed in fire qi but now she was filled with this void qi thanks to her sword. It wasn''t uncomfortable though. Instead of the blazing fire qi, the void qi was not something that burned. It took concentration, precision, and control to fully use. She took a few more swings to get used to her new power but her sword reminded her that they only had 10 minutes before it wore off.


    "And I don''t have another storage ring on me... Alright, let''s find that Kang bastard." Ying concentrated her fury and qi into her void sword.


    With a sword strike that cuts through space itself, she sliced herself a way to Kang. Her sword explained that she was only reopening the rift left behind by Kang and she needed to head through there to get Kang. She wasn''t skilled enough to make rifts on her own. Void qi was new to her after all.


    "I''ll show you skilled damn it!" Ying executed the moves of her Giant Blade Manual given by Jing for her sword. The Giant Blade Manual was an unranked sword art that taught Ying how to use her greatsword.


    The rift leading to Kang began to expand as each powerful slash of her blade opened it further. A downward slice that looked strong enough to split oceans, a straight thrust that could pierce through any defense, and a dragon-cleaving strike from the side that would put kill into any flying lizard. A perfect demonstration of some of the techniques within her Sword Art. Now that she opened the rift far enough that she could go inside of it, a satisfied smirk appeared on her face.


    "Your secrets will be mine!" She walked through the rift with her blade.


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 69 Fu Kang

    Fu Kang let out a breath of relief as he arrived in his Spirit World. He couldn''t help but rub his sore throat after that experience. Just what was the deal with that fierce beauty? Why did she have it out for him so badly? Wasn''t it enough that she stole his martial arts book and Hidden Vision earrings? It seems that increasing his mastery of his martial arts isn''t enough. He''ll have to start cultivating more seriously now.


    His shadow walked over to him. Fu shooed him away, he wasn''t here to practice martial arts. The shadow came to greet him every time he came to his Spirit World. If he wanted, he would show it one of his martial arts and then the shadow would copy it in the perfected version. As long as he reflected the same steps as the shadow was, he would perfect the martial arts in time. Whenever he doesn''t use it to train his martial arts then he lets it take care of the garden filled with herbs of all kind.


    This Spirit World is filled with qi that can grow nearly any type of crops in its soil. There was no plant that Fu couldn''t grow in his garden. Even regular plants mutated into spirit plants with beneficial effects when eaten. It could also accelerate the growth of plants that need hundreds or thousands of years to grow! It wouldn''t be too farfetched to say that he would be able to create immortal elixir out of his ass when he becomes talented enough in pill refining!


    But for now, he''ll have to make something that will quickly boost his cultivation. It might take him a while to get used to his new strength but that Senior from before seems like the stubborn type. She could still be waiting for him outside his Spirit World and if he went out there with the same strength he had earlier, being taken advantage of by the fearsome beautiful Senior was the only fate waiting for him. He needed a large number of pills if he wanted to break through to the 6th stage. Where did he put that pill cauldron?


    "Shadow! Bring me my pill cauldron, 20 Heart Leaves, 50 Bright-Eyed stalks, 10 Spirit Weeds, and 100 Green Fungus." The shadow immediately went to prepare all the necessary items.


    It was time to refine some perfect grade pills. The shadow wasn''t only good for improving his martial arts. It could also help him practice his pill refining abilities as well. He found this out when he needed to prove himself to Elder Ru. She refused to allow him to become an apprentice under her even if he could remedy the illness Liu Lan suffered because of her family''s martial arts. If he could show that he had talent in the Art of Alchemy and produce a pill that was better than one of her other pupils would he be allowed to become her apprentice.


    A smile slowly popped up on his face as he thought about how Liu Lan tried to help him pass Elder Ru''s impossible test. A young man with no experience or knowledge about pill refining facing off against an apprentice who has been practicing for months with the greatest teacher. If he didn''t have the shadow to help teach him how to concoct pills, he wouldn''t have ever been able to pass Elder Ru''s test. He doubted he would''ve won even if she gave him an entire month before facing off against Chun.


    Finding out that the shadow could teach him things other than martial arts was by complete luck! It was a week before the test and he was panicking to figure out a way to become a master alchemist on his own. There was nothing at the library and when he went to the Exchange Hall, he was too poor to buy any manuals on the subject himself. He also didn''t have any friends to ask because people didn''t like him for some reason! Gong Jun! That damn bastard has nothing better to do but send his stupid underlings to bother him day after day after day! He warned all disciples to stay away from him unless they wanted to get on his bad side.


    Fu didn''t care if their families wanted the two to marry. As far as he saw it, Liu Lan was single and she was going to be his! If he needed to, he would smash up both Jun''s family and Lan''s family if he needed to. But at his current strength that was nothing more than wishful thinking. Even Liu Lan herself could deal with him right now. That''s why he needed to use these ingredients to make the perfect pills for raising his strength.


    Fu Kang lit a small fire underneath the cauldron and expertly controlled the flames to the exact temperature he wanted. The shadow sat right next to him and mimicked him. A cauldron of blackness that was similar to his cauldron appeared in front of the shadow. This was where Fu needed to pay attention. He focused his eyes on the shadow''s hands and its flame. His fire was still too low compared to the heat of the shadow''s. He raised the temperature higher and watched as the shadow''s went further than before. Well, he could do the same!


    Now it was a game of focus, patience, and making sure he doesn''t run out of qi by the end of this. Seeing the moves of the shadow was like trying to copy a Grandmaster Alchemist. It was impossible for someone of Fu''s level but he had all the time he wanted in this world. He wouldn''t give up until the perfect grade pills were made. Fu wouldn''t accept anything less than perfect with the help of the shadow. How could he boast about being the Greatest Under the Heavens if he couldn''t do something as simple as this?


    The Cube was Fu''s greatest secret. It has saved his life on numerous occasions. It was something that Fu would never reveal to anyone. Not even his closest companions could know. It was the reason for his strength now. Everything that he has accomplished was thanks to this cube. Fu didn''t realize the secrets about the cube until he nearly lost his life in Yellow Jade City.


    It was a memento from his parents, parents that he never knew. Fu was raised by his grandfather in normal village. His grandfather never told him anything about his parents. When he asked about them, he was never given a direct answer. This led to Fu realizing that his parents might be anything but average. Especially after unlocking the secret about the cube. He had to be a descendent of two super powerful cultivators!


    Fu Kang promised to kick his mom and dad''s ass when he saw them for abandoning him and never seeing him. He didn''t care if they had a good excuse or not. His anger wouldn''t forgive them for failing in their parental duties. As a proper son, he had to punish his parents for their behavior. If not him, then who would?


    "Damn another excellent grade pill... Worthless." Fu tossed the pill into the garden along with the dozens of other failed attempts to create a single perfect grade pill.


    If anyone else saw the number of wasted pills of that grade their eyes would bulge out of their head from shock! Not even alchemist prodigies would aim for the insane heights that Fu Kang was currently aiming for. It must be known that perfect grade pills are not something that any alchemist could just hope to get. Even if everything went perfectly during the pill concocting, it still wasn''t certain that one would get excellent or perfect grade pills! The Art of Alchemy is more complicated than the average cultivator would think.


    The grade of pills are separated into 5 grades: Inferior, Mediocre, Average, Excellent, and Perfect. Inferior grade pills lose 50% of their medicinal essence. Mediocre is 40%, Average is 30%, Excellent is 10%, and Perfect loses none. Reaching average is the industry standard for all alchemist no matter what type of pill they are aiming to make.


    Fu Kang was starting to reach his limit. His hands were shaking, his mind was tired, and his stomach was grumbling. Sitting in the same spot making pills for several hours was taxing! He needed a break! Thankfully, he had this gorgeous garden filled with all sorts of savory fruit! He''ll spend a few minutes eating some of this to recharge his qi and weathered spirit. But there was a strange feeling in the air that made Fu uneasy.


    The beautiful sky in his Spirit World was turning dark. That was something he''s never seen before. What was going on? Fu looked over to the shadow and nearly dropped his fruit! The shadow was shaking! The same shadow that has mastered every single one of his martial arts was scared of something?! What was happening in his Spirit World?!


    A giant gash appeared in the sky. Strange purple qi started to flow from gash. Fu didn''t know what to do. Was there something he could do!? Was someone coming into his Spirit World?! Or was this another part of the cube that he has yet to unlock like the Wonder Spring?


    "Kang! You can''t hide from me! Your secrets will be mine!" A familiar figure came out of the giant gash in the sky and crash landed onto his world. She stared into his eyes and fear filled his soul...


    "Im-Impossible... This is... This is my Spirit World... How did you...?" He could barely talk with the chattering of his teeth.


    "Did you think you could get away?" She crushed her hand into a fist.


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 70 Ying vs Fu Kang!

    She dashed towards him and reached him in the blink of an eye. An eruption of blue flames exploded from Kang''s body, nearly freezing Ying''s blood solid. The pissed off young girl smashed her fist into her opponent''s chest, leaving a fist imprint on his chest along with a few shattered ribs as he flew across the garden. Seeing that her punch landed made her feel good. That mystic flame of his was dangerous if she kept using void qi in this fight, even now she still had blue flames on her body slowly freezing her.


    She wasn''t skilled enough in using void qi to defend against the blue fire. All she could do was displace the fire from directly touching her skin. But this wasn''t good enough to face Kang''s flames. The icy temperatures didn''t need to touch her for her body to be frozen by it. Void qi was too different from fire qi! Ying felt like she was trying to use an entirely different style of martial arts! Since she was a swordsman, this situation felt like she was trying to learn how to use a spear for the first time!


    "Change back idiot." She hit her fist on her sword, causing it to spit up the spirit ring from before.


    A tear leaked from the giant sword but Ying ignored it as she ignited herself on fire. The familiar embrace of the blazing and uncontrollable fire qi raging through her body made Ying feel like she was right at home. Her long bright orange hair turned into flowing flames, the pupils in her eyes resembled a burning fire, and her huge sword transformed into flames in the shape of a sword. The icy flames that were freezing her body started to be overwhelmed by Ying''s flames and in no time, her body was back to normal. Her eyes wandered over to Fu Kang, expecting to see him unable to move at all.


    But what she found was the boy rapidly shoving fruits and plants in his mouth. She could visibly see his body rapidly healing from the spirit herbs.


    ''That little bastard!'' Ying ran towards the recovering pervert to stop him. She lifted her blade over her shoulder in preparation to crush him!


    Ding! A black figure clashed with her sword, saving Fu Kang from her blade. He continued shoving food from the garden into his mouth as Ying tried to overpower the strange black person. It could contend with her sword with some black flames covering its fists. The flames felt the same as Kang''s icy flames from earlier. If this was all it had then Ying would have no problem cutting right through it! She used her qi to fuel the blazing hot flames coming off her body to overpower the cold fire trying to freeze her.


    Ying''s flames stopped the coldness from affecting her but she still couldn''t cut through this thing! The flames around its fist were far more concentrated than she thought they were. She doubted she could burn this guy into ashes even if she used all the qi in her body! His flame techniques were on a completely different level than hers. Trying to best him using her flames alone was impossible and Fu Kang was nearly completely healed by now!


    "I don''t know how you assholes are so gifted at training fire-natured marital arts but I don''t just have my flames to rely on!" Ying jumped backwards and got rid of her flames.


    She entered her sword stance from the Giant Blade Manual and focused all her attention of the shadow. The previous fiery aura seen from her was gone. In its place was a swordsman. A swordsman that could cut mountains in half with a single stroke of her blade. A swordsman whose attacks are as heavy as the heavens themselves. A wielder of a blade that has foregone speed, precision, and defense in favor of an overwhelming unstoppable offense.


    Ying disappeared as the place she was standing was destroyed and turned into a small crater. She leapt into the air with her sword was raised over her head, it was coming down on the shadowy figure with the force of 1000 boulders. The shadow was forced to dodge and Ying let herself be pulled by her sword after splitting the ground in two. Fu Kang was forced to retreat from the garden lest he wanted to fall into the small chasm made by Ying. Ying flipped forward and half spun to swung her sword to strike the crouching figure. The shadow dropped face first into the ground to dodge the strike. Ying was taken by the momentum of the blade and turned into a deadly top! The ground was deeply carved by her blade as she spun like a tilted top to cut the shadow.


    This was the second style from the Giant Blade Manual, Moving With The Blade. The core of this style was to not control the sword but to follow and understand it. Unlike the first style in which you control the blade and strike with domineering strength. Mastering the second style would allow her to learn how to react to any attack that comes towards her blade.


    The shadow frantically dodged on the ground as each slice was enough to cut off an important part of its body. The shadow leapt off the ground and focused all the flames around its palm. It chopped towards Ying''s throat, intending to eliminate this threat inside its master''s world. But its killing chop failed, Ying''s blade met the knife hand before it could get close. The blade slowly started to slice into the shadow''s hand, forcing it to release a mass of black flames to escape.


    Ying set herself ablaze to get rid of the freezing flames and quickly ran back after the shadow. She could feel its panic as she was right under it, giving it no time to deal with its injury. It tried to release the flames once more to get away but she wouldn''t let that happen. Ying unleashed a large flame from her palm, negating the cold flames and sending the shadow away on fire. At this close of a range, it was impossible for it to have dodged her attack.


    "Senior Sister, you are too much!" Fu Kang arrived behind her and landed a blow on her side that made her insides seem like they turned into ice!


    He tried to follow up with a lethal blow to her neck while she was stunned. His hand was covered in blue flames in the shape of a small blade. There was no chance of her being able to block this blow with her sword. The pervert got her by surprise. She wished it didn''t have to come to something like this but that strange black figure was far stronger than she thought it would be.


    Ying caught his burning hand and started to crush it despite the intense freezing of her hand. Kang cried out as he tried to get away from her powerful grip but it was like trying to snatch his arm out of the mouth of an Iron Jawed Crocodile! Ying lit her own hand on fire to counter Kang''s. This was going to drain the rest of her qi but it was better than losing all feeling in her hand. She broke all the bones in Kang''s hand making him scream even louder. And since he decided to get so close to her, this was the perfect moment to steal his mystic flame!


    Ying activated her auxiliary martial art, Overbearing Amalgamation of Flames. She utilized the unique breathing patterns for the flame-style support martial art and flames started to pour out of her back. The fire started to shape itself into Ying''s form before diving inside Fu Kang''s chest. He couldn''t help but scream in agony as Ying''s fire found its way to the mystic flame hiding inside him. Ying''s fire manifestation reached for the icy flames in the shape of Fu Kang and instantly contested their strength against one another.


    In the outside world, Ying was slowly but repeatedly punching Kang in the stomach. She could feel the resistance from his mystic flame weakening the more she hurt him. She doubted he has ever felt this much pain in his life. Her flames were starting to overpower his mystic flames! But! Ying could hear the shadow from before coming from behind her! She needed to hurry or it was going to ruin everything!


    Ying added all of her strength into her fist and sent it straight into Fu Kang''s gut. He spat out blood onto her face. This was enough! Ying''s fire grabbed hold of Kang''s mystic flame and pulled it out of his dantian. She quickly absorbed her flame and his mystic flame into her own dantian just as the shadow arrived behind her. It was impossible for her to dodge in time unless she wanted to let go of the mystic flame she just gained.


    The shadow plunged its hand through her stomach as she stood over the critically injured Fu Kang. Blood leaked from her mouth but this wasn''t enough to kill her. She wasn''t going to die here. She refused to die to something like this. She still had things to do in life and dying from this mysterious pervert wasn''t in her plans!


    Ying grabbed hold of the hand going through her stomach and used the rest of her power to elbow the shadow in the face. Each strike to the face was weakening the shadow. Ying''s crazy strength given by her sword was not to be underestimated! It tried igniting its black cold flames to have her release it but that was useless now. Ying grinned a bloody smile as she used her auxiliary art and absorbed the flames for herself, refueling her empty qi supply. If this shadow had a face, Ying bet it would have its mouth wide open in shock. She released his hand and watched the shadow fall to the ground.


    "I''ve had enough out of you already." Ying used her refilled qi to cauterize her wound.


    "This is the end." She grabbed her sword and stabbed it into the chest of the shadow.


    Ying then walked to the barely living Fu Kang and crouched over him. When she sent her flame into him earlier, she felt the strange presence of something else hiding inside him. Something that sent chills into her soul. She couldn''t leave until she''s taken that as well. Fear is not something to be feared but something to be conquered as a member of the Yue family.


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 71 The Powers of the Cube.

    Ying plunged her hand into Fu Kang''s chest. Blood shot all over her arm as she searched around his insides. His screaming turned into whimpers and groans while she was looking inside. Ying ignored the organs as she looked for that strange object. But as she was looking, her hand clutched onto something... It felt solid and was shaped like a square on all sides.


    ''What the hell was this?'' Ying pulled out the strange object and found that it was a purple cube.


    It was resting near his still beating heart. The cube gave off a mysterious feeling to her. She didn''t understand what was so special about it but knew she just had to have it. Ying lit the cube on fire to clean all the blood off of it before having her sword eyeing the cube like a greedy hound. It begged her to feed it to him.


    "Like I''d feed something as valuable as this to a hunk of metal like you! Who knows what this thing can do?" Ying insulted.


    The sword continued to beg and plead for her to feed it while giving her a cutesy look with its single demonic eye. Ying refused to give in this time no matter how cutely it looked at her. It always did this when it wanted to eat something valuable of hers! She didn''t have the money to keep providing for this hungry slab of metal. She might be from a cultivation family but that didn''t mean her pockets were filled to the brim!


    It promised her that this time was different. That the cube held a power that she couldn''t use unless she fed it to him. She thought it was total crap and it was just trying to feed on this magical treasure she found. Its feelings exploded inside her like a tantrum throwing baby as it begged and cried to have the cube.


    "Shut up! Shut up! Alright! I''ll feed it to you if you can tell me why you want to eat it so badly. If you say you''re just hungry, I swear I''ll get a blacksmith hit you with his hammer!" Ying yelled.


    The sword responded by telling her that it could gain the essence of the cube if it eats it.


    "Essence? Like with the storage ring from earlier?" It blinked at her, acknowledging that she was right.


    It then went on to say how the cube wasn''t any ordinary object. It was something special and it could gain its abilities if it eats it.


    "What abilities? I don''t even know what the cube can do. And wouldn''t it just go away in 10 minutes like all the other times I feed something with spirit energy to you?"


    The demonic blade shared with her about how this entire Void World was because of that cube. It could sense void qi inside of it along with a myriad of other types of qi as well. What Ying got from it was that a place like this could become hers if she fed the cube to Hao Gang, her sword. She didn''t know what this Void World could do but she did know that Fu Kang could only have gotten as strong as he was thanks to this place.


    And that''s why she dropped the cube into Hao''s mouth. He loudly crunched on the magical treasure with relish and Ying could feel its bliss affecting her mood as well. Well if this was going to help her get stronger, she didn''t mind feeling a little bit happy about it. Hao started shining with purple and black lines similar to the one''s on the cube running down its sword body. The lines raced with each other, they intersected and interlocked forming a strange pattern onto Ying''s sword. Her wounds began healing as well.


    Then everything went white. Ying couldn''t see anything nor hear anything around her. Her connection to Hao was still there. She could feel her limbs and her qi was working fine. But where was she now? Hao told her that he was creating her Void World. That was when the world started to come alive all around her.


    The white space she was in before was now being taken over by life itself. The blank sky was now becoming a blue sky with clouds and a shining sun. In the far distance, grass began rolling in the world to cover all the whiteness. Seeing the sight made Ying wonder if the grass always belonged there or was something just made by Hao. Ying could even feel a cool relaxing breeze blowing on her skin.


    But that wasn''t all that was added. The same garden that was inside Fu Kang''s was inside her Void World. There were no plants inside it and that made Ying want to complain a bit but seeing all the other additions shut her up. She could just grow her own garden in the future that was better than Kang''s.


    A shadow that resembled her body formed out of her shadow. It had the same figure, hair, and a giant sword just like hers. Why did Hao add this shadow in her world? Was it to be used as a sparring partner against herself? There was a pill cauldron by the garden too. Ying didn''t practice alchemy so, why would he make that?


    A sudden figure tackled into her from behind and hung around her waist like a little monkey. The unexpected assault almost made Ying fall right on her face! She turned around with an angry look on her face just to see the sight of a strange boy hugging her legs with a gross look on his face.


    "Mommy!" The young child happily exclaimed while he rubbed his face against her bare legs.


    The small boy was dressed in an outfit similar to hers. He wore the Yue family''s outfit with her clan''s twisted fist symbol on the center of the robes. His hair was a mix of orange and purple while his eyes were a direct copy of hers. Who was this child she felt so familiar with? And why was he touching her so much!? She would feel disgusted if she didn''t feel so close to this kid.


    "Who are you calling mom?! Get off of me already!" Ying knocked the boy on his head with her fist, dropping him to the ground with a silly grin on his face.


    "Mommy it''s me! Hao! I made a human body for myself inside your Void World!" Hao answered as he got up and took her hand.


    Ying was at a loss for words. She didn''t know exactly how respond to this unexpected situation. Seeing her sword turn into child that looked eerily similar to herself? How many people could say they could prepare themselves for something like that!? So, Ying did the only thing she could do.


    "Well, are you ready to explain this whole void world thing to me? And stop touching me!" She didn''t think about it.


    "But we''re always together outside..." His bright happy face turned sullen.


    "That''s different, you''re a sword out there and in here you are..." The look on his face was turning worse and worse as the little brat was thinking that him becoming a human like her was a bad thing.


    "Forget it. You can hold my hand. Now explain what all of this is about for me."


    "Yay! Okay, okay, so that thing over there can help you master your martial arts." He pointed at the shadow staring at the garden sadly.


    "That brown dirt can help you grow whatever plants you want in there. The qi inside here is very big and good. Perfect for mommy to cultivate plants and cultivate for yourself."


    "That pot thing can help mommy make pills. The shadow can help mommy learn how to make pills and become the best pill maker."


    "That well over there can''t be used yet. I didn''t know how to get water inside it."


    "And this thing!" Ying interrupted him before he could continue.


    "Let''s start back from the beginning and slowly work from there..." Ying was completely lost at Hao''s explanations and only had even more questions.


    ______________________________________________


    "Hmm... This is quite the situation now, isn''t it?" Lei Zhi muttered as he looked around him. Quon was floating next to him and Xiurong was on his shoulder.


    "We just had to run into these guys on our way to the tower..." Bing whined as his body beefed up.


    "It is also unfortunate that Qing isn''t here either. She could blow these guys with a single swing of her fan." Lei Zhi added.


    "Heh, I bet you thought you were safe in here didn''t you, Fatty?" Shui Han smiled with fierce killing intent radiating off of his body.


    "Not you again..." Bing muttered.


    "I will get my revenge for last time. You and that girl will perish from my hands! You just walked into your own grave." He laughed.


    "We shouldn''t be so excited to kill each other as disciples from the same sect." Lei Zhi added.


    "Kill that old fool first for daring to speak without my permission." Shui ordered.


    "You can''t reason with someone like this Lei. He''s the type of person who will do anything to regain his lost face." Bing said.


    "Lost face?" Lei Zhi didn''t remember who this young man was.


    "He was the guy who almost killed me and Ying a while ago. He''s an 8th stage while me and Ying are at lower stages than him. His pride couldn''t handle losing to us and now he''s gone crazy, I think." Bing whispered.


    "I''LL SHOW YOU CRAZY!" Shui screamed as he jumped forward.


    "Sorry but fighting hopeless battles isn''t my thing." As the vengeful youth charged with his sword, Bing slapped a teleportation talisman on himself and Lei Zhi. Disappearing from the entrapment and winding up somewhere completely unexpected!


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 72 Run!

    Bing''s feet landed on solid ground and he silently thanked his luck for not sending him and Lei to an even worse situation than before. His body was in one piece and Lei was fine too. Now it was time for them to figure out where they were and continue on their way to the tower. He''ll also need to let Qing know what happened to them.


    "Bing." Lei Zhi spoke with a firm tone.


    "Huh?" It was slightly startling to the round cultivator. He''s never heard that tone of voice with Lei before.


    "When I say run, run as fast as you can."


    "What are you... talking... about...?" Bing''s eyes slowly met with the terrifying beast staring at them from behind.


    Sweat oozed out of his pores like a leaking barrel. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he recognized that beast behind him. He could only produce unintelligible stammering from his mouth as fear took hold of his mind. A 9th stage Qi Gathering Sparking Rhino stared them down. Its powerful qi presence bearing down on both of them made it almost impossible for them to move.


    "Can you still move your legs?" Lei asked him.


    "Maybe?" He could barely feel his legs! Everything felt numb!


    "On the count of 3, I''m going to give us a chance to get out of here. And when I do, run like there''s no tomorrow. Don''t even think about looking back and just run." Lei said calmly.


    "How are you so calm about all of this?" Bing asked while trying to calm his palpitating heart.


    "I look calm to you right now?" Lei asked.


    Looking at the aged fisherman made Bing think that maybe he was hasty in his judgement of calling Lei calm. His legs were shaking just as bad as his were, Lei''s sect robes were soaked from sweat, and the grip on his fishing rod was unsteady. He was just as terrified as he was! That made Bing feel slightly better about the situation as he could still relate to Lei as a common person.


    "You aren''t going to try and face this thing alone, are you?" Bing asked, wondering how he was going to give them a chance to escape.


    "Have you gone crazy? I''m going to be running right with you! I believe it''s better to run than to fight."


    "You don''t know how glad I am hearing you say that. If I was here with anyone but you, I would definitely be fighting in a life or death struggle with this Sparking Rhino right now." Bing was overjoyed to have a normal companion like Lei.


    "Can''t say you''re wrong, knowing our allies." He chuckled. The Sparking Rhino seemed fed up now and slowly moved closer towards them.


    "1..."


    Bing''s fat began turning into muscle. Preparing himself to run to his best ability. Using Swift Devil wouldn''t help him in this situation as it would drain his stamina quickly. Running out of stamina while running from this beast will only lead to his eventual death. He would save his movement martial art for emergencies.


    "2..."


    The Sparking Rhino stomped its foot on the ground, shaking the earth beneath them in an attempt of intimidation. Both Bing and Lei Zhi would agree that it wasn''t necessary to try and intimidate them. Especially when they were so weak in comparison to the spirit beast. If anything, it was overkill.


    "3!" Quon shot ink into the eyes of the beast, making it growl in anger and rupture the ground with a stomp from its two front legs.


    The two moved faster than they ever moved before. The uneven ground did little to hinder their panic-filled sprint as the fear for their lives was a far greater stimulant in aiding their retreat. The crashing of the trees behind them along with the fierce shaking of the ground under them lit their legs on fire! They held nothing back and unleashed their full strength into running away as quickly as they could!


    This was the second time in his life that he found himself running for dear life away from a wild beast. The first time was when he was in the recruitment test for the sect. That was also when he became the Empress''s slave. Thinking back to that time and this one made him realize that maybe this situation wasn''t as scary as he thought it was...


    "Thunk!" A tree branch just went sailing past his ears that stabbed deeply into the thick tree he just ran past.


    Okay, nope. Still scary! Still terrifying! He was still scared out of his mind! This was nothing like the wild boar from before! Was he stupid? Trying to compare the strength of a boar vs the strength of this 9th stage spirit beast? Of course, this situation was far more dangerous! The worse that boar could''ve done was stab him with its tusks, he could''ve lived through that. He wouldn''t be able to live no matter what he does if he tried to fight against this Sparking Rhino.


    "Hahaha..." A self-depressing laugh escaped him. "If I knew this was going to happen, I would''ve just fought with that Huan clan psycho!" He yelled, lamenting his misfortune.


    "Let''s look on the bright side! At least we''re getting good training for our legs!" Lei Zhi said while running like the wind.


    Bing had trouble seeing how exactly Lei Zhi was moving so fast. When he tried to focus his attention on Lei''s legs, his vision would be taken elsewhere. He couldn''t read his movements! He himself was a body cultivator thanks to his Devil Arts, so physical-straining activities weren''t uncommon for him. But Lei Zhi was a pure qi cultivator, the only way he could be catching up to him this way would be if he was spending most, if not all, of his qi towards his legs.


    Bing knew that wasn''t the case though. As far as he knew, Lei had three main martial arts and one he doesn''t use often. His main ones were his fishing art, movement art, and auxiliary art. The one he used rarely was just a common body martial art. Unless Lei was using some technique that he hasn''t shared with him or Ying, that meant that Lei Zhi''s movement art was just this naturally quick! Was it possible that he was holding back against him and Ying in their spars? The level of his movement martial art was by far the best out of anyone in their group. Even Hu Tao can''t compare to Lei''s!


    "Training isn''t supposed to be this life-threatening!" Bing barely dodged the spark sent from the rhino''s horn, losing a few pieces of hair in the process.


    "Some people would disagree! Do you know how many body cultivators face death just by training?!" He asked.


    "What does that have to do with anything?!" Bing yelled in confusion. Why was he talking about this sort of stuff now?


    "I was just saying that the type of training one goes through differs from one person to the next!" Lei Zhi avoided a spark of his own that destroyed a large portion of the ground in front of him, forcing him to jump over a large crater. "So, it wouldn''t be too much to say that some people think that training is supposed to be life-threatening normally. I mean it''s not common sense for most but what is common sense, you know?" He chatted.


    "Is now the time to be talking about this sort of stuff?!" Bing interrupted.


    "Just trying to make conversation! It helps take one''s mind off impending death when talking about things like this!"


    Just as the two were ''peacefully'' talking away, they saw two figures up ahead. One was standing and the other was on their knees. Bing planned to ignore them and let them get caught up in the problem behind them in the off chance that they''ll take care of it for them but Lei had a different idea from him it seems.


    ______________________________________________


    Tang Wuying held his giant boomerang under Liuxian''s jaw, keeping his head held up. After their battle, he was the victor. Liuxian''s life was in his hands and his to do with as he pleased. To think that someone this weak had thoughts about courting his woman, it''s laughable! Now here he was about to die because he had the misfortune of meeting him inside the Plains.


    Just as Tang raised his great weapon to finish off the fool, the ground began to rumble and shake. He looked at the immobile Liuxian and could tell that it wasn''t him. The stubborn idiot still dared to look at him with such a glare in his eye? Did he not know the difference between them was like that of the heaven and earth? He should make his death more painful because of that look.


    "What is that sound?" Tang Wuying turned around to see a sight he honestly didn''t expect in the least.


    Two disciples were running straight towards him with a 9th stage beast chasing them from.


    "Please run away fellow disciples! This little fella is fast for his size!" The old man warned as he and his ally ran straight towards him. Only earning a glare from Tang.


    He heard the sound of something from behind him and saw Xun Liuxian shooting off into the sky despite all his limbs being broken. The weak bastard dared to smirk at him as if this would be enough to handle him. He''ll rip this beast apart and then find Liuxian again to teach him never to cross him or Xiao Hong again! These two fools that interrupted him will also be punished for distracting him. To think that all of this happened just because he heard that Xiao Hong was headed towards the Great Tower...


    ______________________________________________


    The disciple they just passed by ignored Lei''s warning and stood his ground against the Sparking Rhino. Bing wasn''t too worried for him as he managed to sense his cultivation when they passed by him. He was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer so, even if he wasn''t able to defeat the animal then he could surely escape it. He wasn''t able to see his face clearly but both of them recognized that strange weapon he held in his hands.


    "He''s definitely going to be fine." Bing said.


    "If he could defeat the talented Gong Jun, then a beast on the level of the Sparking Rhino won''t be much."


    "It''s a good thing we ran into him. Who knows how much longer we would''ve had to run if he wasn''t there?"


    "The Great Tower isn''t that far away is it?" Lei asked.


    Bing suddenly looked up at the imposing tower in the distance and gulped.


    "We just left a fellow disciple to handle our problem for no reason, didn''t we?"


    "That''s what it''s looking like to me... If we ran a bit longer then we would''ve reached the tower in no time." Bing answered.


    "You don''t think he''ll accept a heartfelt apology, do you?" Lei wondered.


    "Seeing the way he dealt with his senior apprentice brother in that duel a couple months ago, no. I do not think he''ll take a simple apology."


    "Maybe he''s more forgiving than he looks."


    "Maybe Lei. Maybe." Bing 100% doubted that Tang Wuying ever forgave anything in his life. He didn''t share the same positive look on like as Lei Zhi did. If anything, his views of people were far more negative in comparison. It looks like he''ll have to think of a plan to deal with Tang Wuying along with the Huan clan for the future.


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 73 Tang and Gong.

    "The Treasured Plains aren''t as tough as I thought it would be." Tang spoke.


    "Well that''s because we haven''t reached one of the main areas yet. That''s where the real treasures of this sacred place are." Gong responded.


    "Why did Second Senior suggest we spend all our time in the Great Tower?"


    "Weren''t you listening Junior Brother? We would gain the most there in comparison to the other Great Areas for our current cultivation rank." Gong explained.


    "So, we''re too weak, is it?" Tang understood in other terms.


    His Second Senior wouldn''t send them to their deaths for no reason. Although it pissed him off, he wasn''t too upset considering that they had someone looking out for them. He''d just have to get stronger so that no one would need to care for him like a child. And his chance for strength is staring down on him right now in the form of that stupidly big black tower.


    "In harsher words, yes." Gong agreed with a pleasant tone in his voice.


    "Gong." Tang was wondering something about his Fourth Senior.


    They''ve been inside the Treasured Plains for some time now but Gong who has always been ahead of him in cultivation, has suddenly stagnated at the 9th stage. He knew a crafty bastard like him wouldn''t do something like this without reason. He himself just started filling his qi sea. Tang suspected Gong knew of some advantageous secret that he didn''t know.


    "Yes?"


    "Why are you still at the 9th stage?"


    "I haven''t had much luck lately in my cultivation." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly.


    "Don''t joke with me you clown. I know you''re hiding something about the 9th stage. Tell me."


    "Now, how could I just give out my secrets for free Junior Brother? If you''re willing to part with the secret of how you actually obtained that weapon of yours then maybe I could share the secret I''m hiding about the 9th stage."


    "I made a deal for it." Tang answered.


    "Welp, I knew you wouldn''t give up the secret that easily. I guess I''ll have to... wait what?!" Gong reacted in a rare moment of surprise as Tang willingly shared the secret he''s been hiding for months. Even from their master!


    "Now tell me." Tang demanded.


    "You made a deal for it? What kind of deal? You aren''t going to betray Elder Mo, are you?" Gong asked seriously.


    "Quit speaking nonsense. I answered your question, now answer mine."


    Gong dropped his shoulders in defeat. Who knew his Junior Brother would actually tell him how he got his spirit weapon? Even with the combined efforts of him and Third Senior constantly asking and annoying him for weeks on end didn''t break him. Gong guessed Little Tang''s pride couldn''t accept him having an advantage over him even though he was the one seriously disadvantaged right now.


    Gong''s goal right now was to find a spirit weapon or tool that could compare to his junior''s weapon. After spending several months training with him and Third Senior, he knew the type of object he needed was something that money could not buy. The Treasured Plains was his only chance to make sure that Tang doesn''t slip past him. Even with his own high talent, there are some things that can''t be handled with talent alone. Luck is also a required factor for one to rise to the heavens.


    "I guess I have no choice." Gong sighed helplessly.


    Tang''s ears perked up.


    "Once you reach the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering realm, you only need to do one thing. Make a sea of qi within your dantian." Tang nodded as he knew this information already.


    "Before I tell you why I am staying at the 9th stage, let me ask you a question." Tang looked irritated at this statement, but Gong believed it was important.


    "Hurry up."


    "Why do you think it''s called a qi sea?"


    "How am I supposed to know?! What does this have to do with anything?!"


    "At least try to answer the question Little Tang."


    "Because its blue and when controlling the qi into a pool, it looks like water." Tang gave the first answer that came to his mind.


    "A sensible answer but wrong." Visible veins appeared on Tang''s forehead.


    "In the days of past when Immortals were as numerous as clouds in the sky, it was common for cultivators to stay in the 9th stage for hundreds of years by choice." Tang willingly stayed quiet this time and let Gong finish, causing him to smile.


    "The reason for this was because they realized that at the 9th stage, the amount of qi they could fill inside their dantian was only limited by how much qi control they had mastery over." Gong could see Tang in deep thought. Perhaps he was understanding exactly what he was getting at without him telling him directly.


    "So, what you''re saying is I can make this tiny puddle in my dantian into something as large as an ocean or the sky with enough qi control?" Tang asked seriously.


    "That''s exactly what I was saying Junior Brother." Gong smiled at him. Tang was not dumb in any manner. He was just as gifted as other prodigies. It was just that his emotions and pride always took prevalence over using his brain in most cases.


    "Hmph. Let''s keep moving then." Tang began walking in front.


    "Not even a thanks Junior Brother?"


    "We both exchanged information we believed that were of equal value. I don''t see why I need to thank you for anything."


    "Equal value!? You barely told me anything!"


    "You need a better sense for business Fourth Senior. It is your own fault if you get taken advantage of in a trade." Tang spoke as if he was the wiser disciple.


    "You got me this time Little Tang. I must admit, I didn''t think you''d be able to trick me."


    "Are you calling me dumb, you fake bastard?" Tang gripped the strap on the end of his boomerang.


    "Of course not Junior Brother, I just thought you only cared about cultivation and training. Who knew you would have the mind for business and other such subjects?"


    "I''m not stupid you damn fox! You''re saying that I''m only good for training and cultivating while being stupid at everything else!" Tang swung his weapon towards Gong.


    "Okay, you got me again Little Tang. I apologize for making fun of your intelligence. I''m learning more surprising things about you than ever inside here." Gong avoided the attack by leaning his body to the side while also aiming his sword at Tang''s defenseless neck.


    "Don''t think you''ve won this either. I could''ve easily gotten out of the way of your stupid sword." Tang pushed his sword away with his palm.


    "Whatever you say Junior Brother." Gong flashed his trademark smile. A completely fake smile that hid the true personality of Gong, in Tang''s opinion.


    The two went back to traveling towards the Great Tower. Gong continued to make pointless conversation to Tang with Tang sometimes responding back and sometimes ignoring him outright. Along the way, Tang spotted a figure in the distance that made him curious. Gong could sense the killing intent leaking from Tang and also looked on curiously. That distinctive hair with dark purple streaks and thin body reminded Tang of someone. A certain someone that refused to heed the warnings given by his followers. To stay away from his woman, Xiao Hong or face death! Tang walked towards the person and Gong followed behind him.


    "You. With the stupid hair. Turn around." Tang commanded.


    The unknown youth didn''t even act like he heard Tang Wuying. He just kept walking forward.


    "Hmph. An arrogant bastard huh? Sounds just like him." Tang''s followers told him of Liuxian''s arrogance.


    He lifted his weapon off his back and threw it right towards the mysterious youth! Whether it was Xiao''s stalker or not, it didn''t matter. Anyone who dared act so haughty in front of him deserved to die. Especially when it was a nobody like this. His boomerang spun with enough force to distort the wind around it.


    The cocky youth ducked underneath Tang''s boomerang just as it was about to cleave him in half. The trees in front of him took his place as the curved weapon sliced apart the wide trees like paper. The great spirit weapon started flying back towards Tang with the young man unaware of the danger behind him. A smirk appeared on Tang''s face as he imagined the arrogant bastard being split from the center with his weapon.


    But unlike what he thought would happen, the youth did a small hop over the dangerous hunting weapon, avoiding it entirely. Tang Wuying skillfully caught his weapon by the strap and looked into the eyes of the figure. Those piercing eyes staring at him with enough killing intent to nearly overwhelm his own. Now he had to teach this fool a lesson for daring to look at him with such eyes. They may be at the same stage but he was a genius that was blessed by Lord Tyranir. Nobody in his age group could be his match.

 74 Overwhelming Power.

    "I was thinking of asking your name but since you want to look at me with such a look, it''ll be better to kill you right here." Tang Wuying said.


    The man who ordered the hit on his life for such an insignificant event stared at him straight in the face. The same man who he swore to end along with his entire ancestry stood in front of him. Just seeing him like this was enough to send his usually repressed emotions into a frenzy. He could just barely hold himself back from flying right into Tang''s face. Even though he knew he stood no chance against him right now.


    He still hasn''t found a sky-ranked magical treasure that could compare to Tang''s spirit weapon. He''s gained a few lucky items but nothing that could aid him in killing Tang. Meeting his worst enemy at a time like this was unlucky. But then again... he could find out how he compares to Tang Wuying right now. He might not win but that didn''t mean he''d lose. All of his training has been for the day he kills this man. He couldn''t refuse the temptation to see how he stacked up against him right now! If he ran away today, he''d always run away from him in his heart. He could probably even be good enough to battle him to a standstill as long as he doesn''t use that move that defeated Gong Jun.


    Then he would have to retreat, or his life would be forfeit before he could even blink. Back then when he saw Tang Wuying pull off that move, he was part of the weak majority in the stands that couldn''t trace his movements. Seeing the person he hates most, surpass him more than he already has made him pissed beyond belief. His rapidly growing strength only made Xun train 10x harder than he already does. Now he would have his chance to see if that torture, he calls training, needed to be increased.


    In a huge burst of wind, Xun disappeared from his previous spot and appeared in front of Tang, swinging his fist right towards his face! This surprise attack was used with all of his strength and speed! If this one attack connects, then it''ll do enough damage to weaken Tang! And if he''s weakened, his chances of winning will be higher.


    "Did you think that was fast enough to take me by surprise?" Xun''s fist was suddenly soaring right next to Tang''s head, instead of towards his face.


    "I missed...?" Xun expressed in disbelief.


    A surprise attack while holding nothing back was easily dodged by Tang. An attack that was quick enough to surprise another 9th stage Qi Gatherer was looked at as nothing more than child play in Tang''s eyes.


    "You''re that Liuxian bastard, aren''t you?" Tang asked as he allowed Xun to go flying past his shoulder.


    Xun skillfully halted his lunge and turned around to face Tang.


    "How did you dodge that?"


    A vein propped up on Tang''s forehead.


    "Well, if you say so Junior Brother. But before I go, Xun Liuxian." Gong called out to him.


    "Hm?" If he had to face both Gong and Tang at once, this place would become his grave. Running away from the both was a pipe dream.


    "You don''t know a person named Fu Kang, do you?" A strange gaze landed upon him.


    "No. I never heard of that name before." Xun responded honestly.


    He looked almost disappointed that Xun didn''t know of this Fu Kang.


    "Well alright. Thanks for honestly answering me. If you manage to survive against my Junior Brother, I''ll be sure to send in a good word to Xiao Hong for you." He laughed.


    "You shitty two-faced fox! Whose side are you on!?" Tang exploded at Gong.


    "Haha, I''m just joking Little Tang. No need to get so upset. If you don''t arrive at the tower an hour after I arrived, I''ll come back to get your corpse." Gong innocently chuckled as he walked away.


    Tang threw his boomerang towards the back of his ally seemingly aiming to kill him. Why would he throw away his weapon when he was in the middle of a fight? Xun didn''t understand it but he would surely take advantage of the current situation! Xun blew out air tainted with the qi that became a part of him since the merging with the ancient lung. The air was one with him. It could be controlled however he wanted it.


    And he would use it to send a flying punch towards the defenseless Tang! He created an air bubble in front of himself and with all of his strength, pulled his arm back and used his fist to strike out with frightening force! The bubble distorted from the impact and sent an invisible projectile straight towards Tang. This was truly an undefendable attack! If you couldn''t see it, how could you defend against it?


    "Did you think that I was weak without my sacred weapon? Just much are you going to underestimate me?" Tang suddenly appeared behind him!


    The intense pain shooting up in his now cracked ribs as he was sent flying away made him realize that maybe he was outmatched far more than he thought he was. As his surroundings turned into a blur, he saw Tang catching his spirit weapon and his back feeling like it shattered into a thousand pieces after smashing through several trees. How could there be such a difference between them? Such a giant difference in strength between two cultivators of the same stage...


    Xun''s master was on the same level as Tang''s master. The teachings he''s received couldn''t be any less than Tang''s. There was only one reason why Tang could be this far ahead of him. It wasn''t because of his background. Not because of his talent being higher than his. Nor was it because he trained harder than him. There was no way it was the last one.


    It was all because of that spirit weapon he''s gained. Tang''s level of martial arts wasn''t high. Gong Jun easily out skilled him in their duel. The only reason he lost in their duel was because he was taken by surprise. Xun could tell that his strength was only because of that weapon.


    Tang becoming so strong because of that weapon caused all of his anger to bubble up inside his chest, creating a stuffy feeling inside him. A feeling that he couldn''t control the more he stared at that arrogant look on Tang Wuying''s face. Having him stand over him like this, condescendingly looking down on him, enraged Xun! After what he did to him, he still had the nerve to look at him with those cold eyes!


    ______________________________________________


    "Not as strong as what I heard from them." Tang spoke, thinking back to the words his followers told him.


    "But then again, it''s not like I was expecting much. If Xiao could be interested in trash of this level, then it shouldn''t be too hard to have her fall in love with me." But the words of that annoying fox from earlier bothered him.


    Why would someone of Xiao Hong''s standing be interested in trash like this? As far as he could tell, it definitely wasn''t his strength. And if he was comparing looks then he didn''t lose out to this weakling either. Did he hold some sort of secret that wasn''t connected to his strength? His qi was rather strange but so was his own. A cultivator having unusual qi didn''t mean they were powerful. It just meant that they practiced a rare or uncommon martial art. Tang''s special qi was because of his connection to Lord Tyanir. So, he was a unique case as far as having different qi went.


    Could it be that Liuxian''s qi had a special connection to Xiao Hong''s? Or was the background of his qi related to the ancient blood of the Ice Giants? Just thinking about why Xiao was so interested in this guy pissed him off. It would be easier just to kill him and ask his father to send a marriage proposal to her family. Well, maybe it would be too soon for a marriage proposal. His father''s city in comparison to the powerful background of the Hong''s isn''t equal in value. Maybe if he took over Crimson Ruby City, another city comparable his father''s, then it could be tempting enough.


    ''But in any case, leaving this guy alive would hold no benefits to himself.''


    Making up his mind to deal with this annoyance, Tang heaved his giant boomerang above his head. Tang could sense that the trash was trying something with his qi but no matter what it was it wouldn''t save him from his death. He brought down the Apostle''s weapon and prepared himself for the gory blood spray.


    "If you reigned in that arrogance of yours then maybe you would''ve died less painfully." Tang sent him off with some wise parting words.


    Or at least he believed he did. But the sudden pain running up his jaw along with the ground quickly becoming farther away made him think otherwise.

 75 Infuriating Defeat.

    Looking down at Liuxian''s new form, made Tang question just what kind of trick did he just pull to get strong enough to surprise him like that? Tang wanted to say that it was just a fluke but seeing that trash jumping his way straight towards him with speed that''s on a completely different level than before, stopped him. Seeing the abundant qi radiating off of Liuxian and bulging veins all over him body led Tang to guess that he couldn''t hold this technique for long. It was similar to his Overdrive technique where his speed would be multiplied at the cost of heavily straining his body.


    "Fine. This will only slightly prolong your death. I''m not one for playing with my opponents like my senior brothers anyway. You want to live so badly? Prove that you can survive against my strength!" Tang gripped his weapon in preparation for the incoming Liuxian.


    "I''ll kill you!" Liuxian screamed.


    His fist was shrouded in a green giant gauntlet made of qi! A qi construct at the Qi Gathering realm!? Not even Tang himself could pull something like that off yet! And that pissed him off! It was a direct slap to his face! Tang didn''t hold back as he swung his boomerang into the gauntlet, clashing with Liuxian high into the air.


    "What... is this strength?!" Tang spoke through his teeth, enraged.


    He was being pushed back! Pushed back by this trash who had their sights on his woman! Unbelievable! A waste who a couple of seconds ago couldn''t even react to his speed was now able to fight him?! Just what kind of technique was able to give him this type of strength?!


    Liuxian overpowered Tang in their clash and sent him flying down to the trees below and not a second later, followed right after him. Anger and rage were the only thing visible on Tang''s face as he saw Liuxian chasing after him from above. He controlled his fall by sending qi to his legs and landing on the ground. If he didn''t do that, his legs would''ve been broken from trying to safely land from that height.


    Liuxian was right on his tail. Just as he landed, the trash immediately tried to crush him with that stupid glove. He was forced to jump out of the way or have several bones of his crushed. The damn fool was like a wild animal, never giving him time to rest. A suicidal fighting style if he had a blade but he wouldn''t let that be an excuse. The first apostle''s weapon is more than enough for someone like this. Plus, the ground was much easier to fight on than in the air.


    Tang concentrated his qi into flowing throughout his body. He wasn''t going to stay on the defensive anymore. Liuxian''s fist passed right by his face just like the first time. Tang swung his boomerang into the fool''s gut, only to see it completely miss as Liuxian shot wind from his palm, knocking himself away and out of the range of Tang''s weapon.


    "Did I scare you?" Tang smirked.


    The sphere formed in between his palms as he sent it flying straight towards Tang. The amount of concentrated qi in that sphere was enough to tell Tang that he couldn''t handle that technique head on. He jumped into the air to avoid it only to see the disrespectful bastard smirking at him. How dare he?!


    "Did I scare you?" He repeated his own words back at him.


    His pride wouldn''t allow such humiliation, Tang charged right for Liuxian instead of avoiding the wind sphere. Only to suddenly see a change in the technique as he was passing by it. The ball started rapidly expanding before exploding with an unbelievable amount of force that uprooted the trees around it. Tang Wuying was sent flying a great distance away but just before he was hit by the explosion, he managed to negate the damage by using one of his latest martial art techniques.


    "Heavenly Revolution!" He rapidly spun with his giant boomerang.


    A spinning dome made out of Tang''s qi protected him from the powerful eruption. His dome was carving through the ground itself as he came to a rough stop. Once he stopped spinning, he saw just how far he was sent thanks to that strange technique. If he was hit by that directly, even he couldn''t confidently claim that he would live through it. The number of bulging veins on Tang''s body was nearly matching Liuxian.


    "You dare push me this far?! Me, Tang Wuying?! Having to take some unknown trash like you seriously is such a disgrace to my name! You should''ve just died like the bug you were! This young lord will now teach you a lesson that you''ll never forget for the rest of your life." Tang Wuying''s qi flowed through his body like a furious tidal wave.


    A golden yellow aura faintly glowed around his body. His red pupils gained a slight tinge of yellow in them as he dashed towards Liuxian. Blood was now leaking from Liuxian''s face, he couldn''t keep up this transformation for long but Tang wouldn''t let him die from something like that either. His pride wouldn''t be regained if this fool died on his own!


    ______________________________________________


    Tang appeared behind Xun with his weapon heading straight towards the back of his neck. The giant gauntlet holder blocked the attack by back fisting it. His fist suddenly didn''t feel any resistance anymore as Tang appeared in front of him with the boomerang going for his throat now! Xun didn''t have enough time to block with his wind gauntlet, he was forced to dodge using his body alone. He ducked underneath the large weapon only to sense Tang directly above him now!


    He was using his speed to overwhelm him! If he let this continue, Tang would whittle him down easily! Xun needed to take the initiative or else his body would break down before he could truly do any damage to Tang. His biggest problem was that damn spirit weapon of his. It should be easier to handle Tang without that thing in the way.


    Xun grabbed Tang''s great weapon and forced it out of his hands with his superior strength. Xun expected to see Tang''s face twisted in anger but that wasn''t the case at all. Instead, he lost sight of Tang and heard a sharp crack coming from behind him. Following that loud crack was severe pain coming from his right leg and an uncontrollable scream coming out of his mouth.


    "Don''t worry, we still have a few more bones to break." He heard as another snap sounded out.


    Xun fell on his knees, unable to stand with two broken legs. Was this how his story going to end? At Tang Wuying''s mercy? The man who ordered his death being the one to kill him twice? He didn''t want to accept it. He wanted to scream at the heavens and shake his fist at the injustice of it all. But he could no longer move anymore. The technique he used to catch up to Tang wore off, leaving his body drained and full of injuries.


    Why were men like Tang Wuying allowed to be so gifted? Did the heavens truly favor the wicked? Or is it that the heavens do not care about one''s nature and only strength? Is strength the only thing that truly matters in a world like this?


    ''Why did I have to born in such a terrible world...? A life filled with nothing but the goal of becoming strong... Becoming strong so that you could do whatever you pleased. Or staying hidden and out of sight, so that you don''t anger the ones who are strong. Why couldn''t I be born in a world where strength wasn''t everything?''


    Xun couldn''t even let out a whimper after Tang just broke both of his arms. He could only wait for his death. His second death in which he had no control over. It wasn''t a peaceful or natural death. It was a death brought from an evil and terrible being. A death caused just because he got on the bad side of someone stronger than him. This kind of shitty world was truly laughable.


    If he could laugh, he would. Living in a world like this had to be some type of sick joke. If it was up to him, he would like to change things. Change a world like this where those stronger than others can do as they pleased. A world where such terrible things like this happen everything. A world where the vile are seen as people to envy and praise.


    ''It just isn''t fair...'' Tears slowly dropped down his face as Tang held his weapon above his arms.


    ______________________________________________


    The ground started to rumble underneath Tang''s feet.


    "What is that sound?" Tang Wuying turned around to see a sight he honestly didn''t expect in the least.


    Two disciples were running straight towards him with a 9th stage beast chasing them from.


    He heard the sound of something from behind him and saw Xun Liuxian shooting off into the sky despite all his limbs being broken. He promised to give a painful death to the weak fool in the future but first he has to deal with this annoying animal first. Those two that brought this stupid beast towards him won''t be spared either! So many annoyances in one day, how irritating!


    Tang used the remainder of his qi to infuse into his giant boomerang. The holy weapon glowed with a golden aura as Tang threw it towards the charging rhino. The wind easily split apart as it flew through the air. The Sparking Rhino shot out a small spark from its horn to combat against the hunting weapon. An explosion of lightning qi combusted on Tang''s weapon but it did little to stop its rotational power. The spinning boomerang cut off the spirit beast''s horn and lodged itself deep into the forehead of the grey beast.


    It cried out in pain as blood gushed from its forehead. Tang only clicked his tongue in disappointment. He couldn''t bisect the dumb animal because of how little qi he had remaining. If he was full on qi, that beast would be dead right now. This whole humiliating and infuriating experience only highlighted how much more training he needed. What kind of genius would allow themselves to be humiliated this much?


    ''How shameful...'' He crushed his fists as he called his boomerang back. He''s spent too much time here. If that annoying fool also came back here, he wouldn''t have any face left at all.

 76 Wolfeng Gangs Lucky Break!

    "Where the hell are we?"


    "Why can''t I see anything?"


    "Do any of you bastard practice a fire martial art?"


    Jing was quite surprised this kind of event happened. She didn''t even try to land here, it was purely coincidental that they arrived in some sort of treasure room filled with gold and magical treasures. When she made that teleporting array for the Wolfeng Gang, she was being honest when she said that she didn''t know where it was going to go. It was her first time in the Treasured Plains, she didn''t know where things were. Jing also hasn''t had much practice with long-ranged teleporting arrays either. She mostly used the short-ranged ones for combat purposes.


    Ever since she refined herself, she''s has had no trouble with seeing in complete darkness. Jing also didn''t have any issues seeing in complete brightness either. So, when she lit up a talisman that helped everyone see, she could stare right at it without any irritation to her eyes. Jing thought to herself that these talismans are a lot handier than she thought they would be. Why doesn''t everyone try and master these spells? With enough time, you could potentially prepare yourself for any occasion with little risk to yourself.


    "Jing, have I ever told you how much I love you, because I do now..." Everyone could see their surroundings now. Jing made her cheeks blush at this statement.


    "Holy fucking shit guys. Do you see where we landed?!"


    "We''re rich!!!" They cheered loudly before rushing towards the shining loot like a pack of animals, even Ears wasn''t exempt.


    "Don''t you dare fucking touch that pouch, you boneless bastard!" Ears shouted.


    "I call that golden sword!"


    "Call it over my ass porky! I''m getting that baby!"


    "I never seen so much money in my entire life..." He rapidly shoved the gold coins into his pockets.


    "Your pockets are already filled you greedy bastard! Leave some for us!"


    "Oi! Zihao, don''t think I can''t see you shoving gold in your underwear!"


    "Eat me you gay bastard! Stop looking at my junk!"


    "You greedy tiny dick having bastard!"


    "It''s cold in here fuck face!"


    It was quite a chaotic situation but a good type of chaos. No one was being too malicious or greedy with one another. Some punches were thrown here and there but nothing really serious. Jing usually favored the opposite type of chaos where there was nothing but malice, death, and riled emotions. But this type of situation wasn''t too bad either. Jing was looking forward to seeing her chosen followers acting like this in the future. It might be a bit awkward though considering she doesn''t really communicate with them. She still has time to change that though.


    "What are you waiting for my prot¨¦g¨¦?" Wenling asked her as she rested her heavy breasts on the back of her head.


    "I just thought that I should let everyone else choose first and then I''ll pick when everyone else got what they wanted..." Her face was flushed at the contact with Wenling''s chest.


    "Aren''t you just the sweetest? But that''s not how things work around here. It was because of you we even found this place so of course, you get first pick of what you want. You deserve to be rewarded properly." She said.


    When Jing got to know Wenling after the ranking match with her, Jing just thought that she had no sense for proper distancing between people. But as Jing spent more time with her, she realized that she''s only this close and touchy with her specifically. This still didn''t help her understand why she was like this though. Was she sexually attracted to her or was she falling for her innocent and gentle act?


    "Alright, listen up you pieces of shit! I don''t want to see another single thing touched by anyone else before Jing gets her pick of the loot. I''m sure I don''t need to remind you of the reason we''re even in here in the first place, do I?!" Wenling''s gentle and seductive voice was replaced by the voice of a strong leader that demanded her troops attention.


    "No, Captain!" Everyone responded seriously, no matter what awkward position they were in or items they were wearing.


    "Good. Now, go on my apprentice. Take whatever you like. Even if someone already has it on them. If they dare complain, I''ll rip their balls off." Everyone held their hands over their genitals.


    "Okay..." Jing squeaked.


    From what Jing could see, there was nothing too valuable inside this room that she couldn''t gain with SCP-914. But there were a couple things she was missing that would work with SCP-914''s 1:1 setting and a few others that would be nice for her followers. Jing grabbed a single gold coin, a small purple box with 2 metal needles inside, and a nameless brown book sitting on the floor. Everyone was probably wondering why she picked those items in specific. She saw no need to explain herself.


    "I''m done..." Everyone looked towards Wenling who seems dissatisfied that Jing took so little.


    "Well, if you say so. Alright! Get back to looting!" She ordered while going to take some stuff of her own for now.


    The three items she took weren''t super rare treasures that only she could see the true value of. The gold coin was for reward purposes to her followers, the needles were for Lei Zhi, and the book just pricked her interest. In a room filled with all this shiny and attention-grabbing stuff, why would some book that brings no attention to itself be inside here as well? Well that''s because it was just as important or even more valuable than the rest!


    Well, at least that''s what she thought until she opened it to try and read it. The ink was barely legible and basically impossible to try and read even with her superior vision. It was upsetting to Jing that she couldn''t tell if this was trash or treasure. Jing tossed the book into her satchel and waited for everyone to finish stuffing themselves with mortal and stellar ranked treasures.


    When they were done, Wenling led the shiny excited bandits out of the room and back into the forest. They were now on their way to the Great Tower and would spend the rest of their time in the Treasured Plains there. Now that they''ve gotten all this stuff, they didn''t need to risk their lives in the Great Mountain. The Great Mountain was the most dangerous area in the Treasured Plains compared to the other 3. The Great Tower was the least dangerous due to the many safe floors and areas inside it.


    "You know Jing, I always thought that spellmasters were useless cowardly bastards. But ever since I''ve seen what you could do with those talismans, my mind has been changed."


    "Oh... Uhm..." Jing couldn''t finish as someone else chimed in.


    "Yeah me too! If I knew talismans could do so much stuff, I probably would''ve tried it myself!"


    "A dumb bastard like you? Ha."


    "You don''t have to be smart to know how to draw."


    "But you gotta be smart to use them the way Jing here does. I mean who would''ve ever thought of using a qi bubble to stop themselves from drowning?"


    "That''s true, that''s true. There was also when she used that flash spell to help us kill those guys. I''ve only seen spellmasters use that to run away! Never to fight with!"


    "I didn''t know you sorry bastards were ugly and stupid. Who in their right mind would ever think of spellmasters as weak? Have none of you seen a talented one fight?" Ears barked at them.


    "I didn''t know there were talented ones!" This joke caused a few of them to laugh.


    "Don''t underestimate formation specialists. Body cultivators like yourselves are easy pickings for them. Brute force only works on less experienced array masters. If any of you tried to face off against a decent spellmaster, you wouldn''t be able to do anything but die." A few bandits gulped at this information.


    "They can''t be that strong, can they?" He asked frightfully.


    "Well, a body cultivator really only has one way of attacking. That''s by charging forward. Depending on the situation, a spellmaster could have set several trapping formations ahead of time to deal with the body cultivator. The trapping formations could vary from burning you alive, drowning you, striking you with lightning, sending thousands of qi blades to bleed you out, or restricting your movements and slowly stabbing a sword through your gut." Jing unconsciously remarked.


    Seeing the way she casually listed all those horrible ways of dying off made them more fearful than Wenlings explanation! They definitely need a way to deal with spellmasters for the future! Focusing solely on body cultivation was no longer their primary path! It might cost a few more resources in the long run but their lives were even more important! Money was no issue if they could protect their lives! They were going to learn some qi techniques!

 77 Tranquil Fury.

    "Damn it! What the hell kind of situation is this?!" Scars cried out, his blade struggling to hold back against another sword.


    Wenling''s squad was pincered between the Fearsome Garden and some members of the Huan clan. They teamed up to eliminate them for their recently acquired goods and the shiny bandits refused to give up their loot. They''d rather die than lose their spoils a second time. This crooked but reasonable determination fueled their strength into defending their goods even more. Wenling''s squad was battling fairly well against their two rivals with their new treasures.


    "These guys are tougher than I thought!" A Huan Clan member shouted.


    "It''s that plain-looking girl over there!" A Fearsome Garden member pointed at Jing.


    "Kill her!" They saw that she was the reason why they couldn''t kill these guys so easily.


    "Eep!" Jing squeaked.


    During this battle Jing has spent most of her time supporting the members with supportive spells while keeping out of harm with movement talisman. If she saw that anyone was injured, she would place a healing talisman on them and teleport away to the next person she saw in trouble. If she someone struggle to match their opponent, she would slap a strength talisman, agility talisman, or a defense talisman on them. These supportive talisman were only giving temporary boosts to the people they were attached to. They would increase their physical strength, speed and senses, or skin until the qi within the talisman ran out. Some cultivators could send their qi into the talisman to increase the time but it would start to drain their own qi reserves.


    Most of the members in Wenling''s squad didn''t take notice of Jing as they were to focused on staying alive and protecting their loot but some people did. It just so happened that it was the enemy side that noticed her. Ears and Wenling knew that they wouldn''t be able to hold off this ambush even if all of them resisted with all they had. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Jing was the sole reason why they haven''t fled with full force yet. There was a possibility they could win if she continued to support them with her spells. Wenling wouldn''t give up if there was still a chance of victory. If they could turn this situation around, the amount of goods they would get from these two groups would be worth the struggle.


    "Protect Jing with your lives or we will die here!" Wenling commanded.


    "None of you bastards better die in the meantime!" Ears added.


    The losses were piling up so quickly that the strongest of their forces had to gang up on the baby owl or they would be wiped out! Wenling and Ears used this chance to support Li Li and gain a huge advantage. The merciless little spirit beast spared none of their enemies! He used the information he was taught by his mother a long time ago and targeted only their vital points. Making it easier on the rest of the gang to outnumber and overpower the remaining cultivators. Soon, only the leaders and their right-hand men were left, albeit in badly injured states.


    "Damn it! No one told me about this at all!"


    "A spellmaster with a 9th stage spirit beast and 2 9th stage Qi Gatherers... What kind of unfair bullshit..."


    "I know you bastards aren''t talking about unfair! Joining together just to annihilate us? Are you that scared of our potential?" Ears commented.


    "Like anyone would be frightened of a bunch of stupid bandits. We just figured it would be better to take out trash like you than to allow your group to continue to ruin the image of our great sect."


    "What a shame. Looks like the only ones being taken out are you." Wenling raised her glaive, preparing to strike.


    "Heh. You''re really stupid if you think you can kill us. Do you think we prepared this ambush without thinking of the possibility of failure?"


    "Yes. You bastards are pretty arrogant." Ears said, making some bandits laugh.


    "But before we go.. I think it''ll be safer to get rid of this potential threat." She lit up a talisman that surrounded their group.


    The talisman drew upon their remaining qi and shaped itself into a fearsome arrow filled with concentrated qi. The arrow shot forward with a speed almost no one could react to. And it was headed straight for Jing! She couldn''t even utter a scream as she was sent flying off a cliff with a huge gaping hole within her stomach. The amulet that would protect her for any attack in the 1st realm was immediately shattered by the combined power of the attack.


    "Jing!" Wenling screamed in shock. Her rage was raised past its limit in no less than a second as seemed to transform into an entirely different person.


    Wenling''s qi became sharper and focused. All of it becoming concentrated and far denser. It was like she was transforming into a mighty dragon with just her qi alone. But it seemed that this transformation didn''t matter as the two groups were about to teleport away with talisman. However, there was someone even angrier than Wenling.


    His anger made Wenling''s look miniscule in comparison. The chilling qi that was releasing from him was enough to freeze everyone''s soul solid. His piercing eyes glared into the souls of the ones that hurt his mother. Those eyes seemed to grasp their entire being in its gaze. He was like a giant and they were nothing more than just ants. Within a single blink of their eyes, Wenling''s squad watched as Li Li disappeared from their sights and seconds later, the remaining Huan clan and Fearsome Garden members were nothing more than sliced pieces of flesh lying on the ground. They themselves couldn''t even let out a scream before perishing into meat chunks.


    Everyone was shocked speechless at the immense power shown by the little spirit beast. If it wanted, it could easily kill them just as well! Wenling and Ears were no exception! Neither of them were capable of moving at speeds like that. Li Li was in a completely different level despite being in the same stage as them. They could only stare and watch as Li Li flicked the blood off of himself and flew down the cliff. It wasn''t until 5 minutes later that the oppressing qi of Li Li wore off and they could speak again.


    "I shit myself."


    "I might''ve pissed myself once or twice too."


    "Did anyone know that Jing''s bird was fucking crazy strong?!"


    "Since it could keep up with our Vice Commander, we should''ve seen it as a sign..."


    "I''m going to look for her." Wenling announced, surprising everyone.


    "I know you really liked her Commander but..." Wenling''s glare shut him up.


    "There''s no possible way she survived with that injury Wenling, along with falling down that cliff." Ears spoke up for the men.


    "You don''t know! My apprentice has shown us several amazing things using spells!"


    "Commander..."


    "Fine. Who said I needed your help anyway?! I''ll go look for her myself! Head to the Great Tower and wait for me to come back. If I don''t arrive within 5 days, tell Jianyu I''m dead." Wenling started walking off by herself.


    "I can''t let you do this alone but I also really doubt that she''s still alive..." Ears said, standing in front of her.


    "If you don''t believe she''s alive then I don''t need you following me! I believe in my apprentice. I promised that I would protect her..." A terrible pain ached Wenling''s chest when she thought about how she failed to uphold her words to Jing.


    Ears couldn''t respond back.


    "Just do as I said before. I will find her and bring her back." Wenling walked off alone, leaving her men behind.


    "I hope the commander doesn''t die."


    "She''s a good woman."


    "Do you think she''d do the same for any of us?"


    "I believe she would."


    "Yeah, the Commander has taken good care of us so far. If she''s willing to go this far for someone who just recently joined the group then she definitely would do the same for us."


    "She was her personal apprentice though..."


    "Alright! Shut it you harping bastards! Let''s get moving to the tower and wait for her eventual return." Ears ordered.


    "Shouldn''t we loot the bodies first Vice Commander?" Zian asked.


    "Oh, nearly slipped my mind. Heh, take the goods and get ready to go."


    "How could anyone be covered in blood and surrounded by piles of corpses and forget where they were?"


    "Maybe the Vice Commander is getting on in the years. He is bald so, he might be older than he looks."


    "You whispering bastards want to die? Do you think these ears are just for decoration!? Get to looting you gossiping little bitches!" Ears was only 20 years old.

 78 Overgrown Simian.

    Jing saw the powerful spell coming towards her and wondered if she should avoid it. She could use her pathetic nature and trip, avoiding the attack entirely due to luck or she could take it head on and be sent down this cliff. What else did she need to accomplish within these Treasured Plains? She pulled up her system''s menu and looked at all of her available quests. There was only 2, possibly 3, quests that she could finish before the end of the Treasured Plains. Killing 100 beings with SCP-109, having 100 cultivators take notice of SCP-109''s anomalous properties, and raising a follower''s loyalty to 100%. The others would be impossible within this small-time frame.


    And then it hit her. Jing made sure to turn off her pain receptors as the spell ripped through her abdominal cavity and took her over the edge. With how quick the situation turned out, Jing couldn''t let Li Li know that she would be fine. She hoped that he wouldn''t react too strongly. The boy is getting affected by the people inside the Golden Serpent Sect but she hoped to make sure that he doesn''t become a total hoodlum. Many cultivators in the Golden Serpent Sect are horrible people whose thoughts usually doing whatever they want to people weaker than them or latching on to the strong and doing whatever it takes to stay attached to them.


    Neither of those is what she wishes for Li Li''s future path. Jing suddenly felt like this fall was a really long one. She turned her body around and saw that she still had some time before she hit the ground. Was that cliff always there? She didn''t remember the path to the Great Tower had a cliff like this. Jing''s memory was perfect after her refinement so, there was nothing that she couldn''t recall. It was strange.


    She didn''t think too deeply about it though as she prepared herself to land. Jing put on her mask and tried to land on her feet but with how the laws of the universe function, her legs simply broke upon landing and if anyone was watching her, she''d be thoroughly embarrassed. Jing thought she could handle a fall like that with her full power, but it looks like she overestimated her true strength. She landed in an ungraceful position and had to wait for her legs to heal from the damage.


    Jing''s natural healing factor was superior to the average person''s. It took no longer than 10 seconds for the injury to her legs to completely heal. The situation was slightly humiliating, but Jing focused on getting ready to complete these quests. As far as her senses could tell, this massive forest was filled with spirit beasts of all types.


    Jing worked on her whip art, leg art, body art, and cultivation martial art. Using the water endlessly pouring out from SCP-109, Jing shaped it into a long thorny whip for dismembering spirit beasts. The cries and death throes made by the animals didn''t excite Jing at all. They couldn''t compare to the same pain and agony made by humans. Perhaps that was her being biased as some animals can feel pain on the same wavelength as humans could but the issue was that they couldn''t express it nearly as well as humans could.


    It was a shame that she couldn''t find some sexual enjoyment in this but then again, they were just simple beasts. Expecting so much out of them would be unusual. Not every animal could be as intelligent or expressive as her Li Li. He was one of the best beasts in this world. When he grew up, there would be no other animal that will be able to match him in anything. As expected of her son.


    "Riek!!!" A giant disgusting frog shot its tongue towards her.


    Since she was training her leg martial art, Flowering Domination, she covered her legs with the water of SCP-109 and kicked the sticky thick tongue into the sky before dashing forward. The carnivorous frog was helpless to defend itself from Jing''s rapid striking kicks. Its slimy mucus covered skin was drilled through by Jing''s attacks, holes appeared on its body everywhere Jing''s kicks landed. Jing made sure to avoid any vital areas to prolong the creature''s suffering just a bit longer. That way she would be training all three of her martial arts at once.


    Her cultivation technique that, for now, can only be trained by causing other to suffer from physical pain. Flowering Domination and her body martial art, Neptune''s prophet, that allows her to control water sources other than ones created by herself. So far, there was nothing in this place that forced her to rely on her movement art. It was the only martial skill of hers that was still at the Elementary stage. With her refined senses, it was hard for any situation to require her to dodge or avoid an attack when she could simply counter with her own attack. Just like what she just did with that frog. It would be possible to train it while she was acting as her alter ego but surely someone would catch on to the number of coincidental incidents that should''ve resulted in her being injured.


    Jing shrugged her shoulders and got back to looking for beasts to kill. She stored their dead bodies into a storage ring just in case she might need them for the future. For what reason would she need them later, who knows? Jing doesn''t like being wasteful.


    Thanks to her mask, none of the animals could sense her until she revealed herself to them, allowing her to strike them first and in most cases, strike a fatal blow. Just like this giant monkey in front of her peacefully resting in front of a tree.


    "What a dumb spirit beast. No sense of self-preservation at all. Just sleeping in the open by itself." Jing giggled at its stupidity.


    "Hmph. To think a mere human would be cocky enough to insult me to my face. Times must have changed a lot more than I thought if a human didn''t acknowledge the difference between stages anymore." The giant monkey suddenly spoke back, startling Jing greatly.


    It stood up. The spirit beast was large enough to tower over most adult men. Jing herself only reached up to its crotch. She had to look up to see its face. It stared directly into her eyes, it could see her!


    A strange feeling ran through Jing''s heart. A feeling that she could only remember feeling once before. A long time ago... It was back when she was inside the Immortal Forest outside Yellow Jade City. She and Li Li were making their way to the city but on their way, they were met by strange furry beast. It was that beast who taught Jing the feeling of fear. Back then, she had yet to refine herself and was still human in every sense. She could''ve easily died if it were not for Li Li bravely taking on the creature.


    Jing felt that same feeling she felt back then, right now. She didn''t even realize her body was shaking as she kept her eyes on the large simian. The spirit beast was 3 major stages ahead of her. Would SCP-914 refinements be enough to handle this large of a gap in strength? What about her martial skills, would they be enough to keep her from dying here? Then the spirit beast smirked at her, sensing her fear.


    "It seems you aren''t as stupid as I first thought. You can tell the difference between our strengths now can''t you." All of his 5th stage Core realm qi flowed from his body.


    Another feeling rose in protest of her fright. A feeling that yelled at her to wipe that disgusting smirk off the face of this cocky monkey. It was the same feeling that also was born on that day with the furry beast as she whipped it to death alongside Li Li. The feeling that made her want to dominate, conquer, and torture. The feeling that shapes most of her decisions today. To want to cause as much chaos as possible. To oppress the strong and unyielding. To seek the most optimal way of living for herself.


    "Big words from an inferior creature. Submit yourself to me or face the consequences of insulting this Empress." The shaking in Jing''s body stopped entirely. Her posture became straight and sturdy.


    "Amusing," It chuckled. "You must have come seeking your death to talk to me in such a way. But, I won''t let you die. It''s been a while since I thoroughly enjoyed a human female."


    "You refuse to submit to this Empress? Fine. Then die, you overgrown simian." Jing no longer hid any of her power.


    Water from SCP-109 swirled around her legs like a raging vortex. She struck with a powerful kick towards its stomach. It was the first time she''s ever used all her strength in a fight. It would be a lie to say that she wasn''t excited to go all out for the first time. Hopefully he wouldn''t die too quickly.

 79 Live and Learn.

    The kick landed with such vicious force that it would tear apart any average creature. None of the opponents Jing has faced up to this point would have lived taking on this kick. Jing could see the lights in its eyes glow in surprise as it attempted to defend itself. Jing refused to let that happen. She altered the trajectory of her kick as it was already thrown! She aimed towards its neck to give a terrible blow.


    "Interesting... You would put the geniuses I knew to shame with this much power in the Qi Gathering realm. It''s a shame that it isn''t enough to harm me." Jing''s blow landed on his neck.


    The shattering of a qi barrier sounded out in Jing''s ears as she felt a hairy hand suddenly grab her leg. Jing''s attack didn''t go through, and it was blocked! The strength in his grip was unbelievable as he ripped through the violent swirling water around her legs that could slice apart magical tools with its sharpness. He tossed her across the woods with his monstrous power and Jing could barely see anything as she was sent flying so fast everything became a blur.


    ''Core realm beings are a lot stronger than I thought...'' Jing couldn''t afford to hold anything back against this creature.


    She tried to stop herself by gripping the ground with water tendrils, carving long deep tears into the ground before she finally stopped. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that she could''ve be sent to the opposite side of the Treasured Plains if she kept going. What unreasonable power... Getting this monkey to submit to her will be worth the trouble of revealing her strength.


    Just as Jing was about to rise from the ground, the spirit beast appeared in front of her. Jing''s senses turned up all the way as she barely managed to avoid the kick coming towards her jaw. She flipped backwards to avoid the kick and landed back on her feet. It wasn''t her style to stay on the defensive. She fiercely counterattacked after getting up and let loose a flurry of lightning fast kicks. He struck with a mighty punch that took 20-30 of her kicks to match in power.


    "What a vulgar animal. Only brute force and you''re proud of such a thing?" Jing spoke as the two continued to clash against each other.


    Jing pushed herself to kick as fast as she could. If an outsider were to see this fight, it would look as if Jing had hundreds of legs kicking out in unison right now against the monkey''s earth-shattering fists. A Qi Gatherer being able to contend with a Core stage cultivator is only something spoke about in legends. A legendary prodigy blessed by the heavens above is how they would describe Jing right now.


    Jing saw her chance! The spirit beast''s concentration slacked for just a second and she immediately took advantage. She wrapped herself along the arm of the monkey like a slippery snake as she made her way towards its neck. Just when she was about to lock her thighs around its head to pop it off like a cork, the simian unleashed its full qi and blew her away. This outcome didn''t surprise her, it only made her understand that she would need to think of a different plan to deal with the animal.


    "You are unusual for a Qi Gatherer. Have you realized that the amount of qi one can hold in the 9th stage is only determined by how much qi control they possess? Wait... Are you even at the 9th stage? Because of that stupid mask, I can''t even tell what stage you are at specifically. I should destroy that and take a good look at my future woman."


    "Just try it." Her mask wasn''t broken. It was just that this beast was strong enough to penetrate through some of its abilities. This was important information. SCP-914''s powers weren''t absolute...


    Jing could barely react as the monkey grabbed hold of her mask and tried to crush it with its powerful strength. She held onto its large muscular arm and repeatedly struck her feet into its stomach. The sound of her mask cracking forced her into increasing the intensity of her kicks. She sent all of her qi into her legs, creating a yellow aura around the swirling water covering her legs. The yellow aura only darkened in color as her fury increased.


    "Your strength is remarkable but its futile." It shattered her mask and her identity was revealed.


    "Hmph. Like what you see?" Jing''s dark brown skin exposed itself to the world along with her modest figure and common face.


    "It''s my first time seeing a human of this color... You looked better with the mask." He replied somewhat disappointed.


    "And you look better underneath my foot!" Jing used the exact moment it crushed her mask to launch a surprise attack.


    She appeared above the giant monkey and with a beautiful arc of clear water following her slender leg, smashed her foot against the skull of the beast. Only to receive a punch right through her chest and a look of surprise and slight anger in his eyes.


    "Look what you made me do!" He pulled his arm out of her body and looked down at her in irritation. That attack actually surprised him. If she was stronger than him, he could''ve taken serious damage right there.


    Jing realized that she was truly outclassed. Her refinement with SCP-914 didn''t make her invincible. She couldn''t take on this world with SCP-914 alone. She was truly na?ve to believe that the being that gifted her this system would allow her to run as freely as she wanted in this world without someone being able to stop her. Now she understood why she got that mission about not getting killed and surviving until the end. Would she also find herself like this against the persons of fate?


    The way she would have to handle things will change this day going forward. Realizing her mortality and current power will allow her to grow even further. Jing thought it might be fun now that she knew that she wasn''t unstoppable. There would be risks, dangers, and obstacles that could put a halt to her rise if she wasn''t careful. Jing didn''t mind being in the spotlight as long as there were some benefits to it. But as of right now, she still knew far too little about this world. Just this situation alone proved that her knowledge was insufficient.


    ''Live and learn.'' She secretly pulled out a teleportation spell that would send her far away.


    The Core stage was her and Li Li''s limit so far. This was useful information to remember. This situation could be seen as a blessing in disguise if Jing wasn''t sure that it was all just bad luck. If she faced a spirit beast that could actually use techniques to deal with her besides brute force, who knows if she could have escaped from here.


    "Sneaky little..." The big monkey ripped her talisman apart before it could activate, surprising her once again.


    "Did I allow you to leave woman? You shall be my slave until I find myself bored with you. Oh, and you peepers can get out of here now." It reached out with its hand and created a translucent barrier around them.


    ''Peepers? The elders! Have they been watching them this entire time?! Of course they have! How else would they know what took place during the Treasured Plains?!'' A rare moment of panic surfaced Jing''s face.


    Everything that took place inside here was seen by the elders. Her identity was 100% revealed and there would be no point to hiding her true self anymore. This was truly a checkmate... To think that she wouldn''t think of the elders watching their disciples'' survival in this place. It was ignorant and entirely too foolish of her! Because of the system and SCP-914, she''s become too cocky! Too arrogant! Jing was ashamed of herself and felt like such a fool.


    ???The Core stage spirit beast watched in wonder and interest as Jing''s fatal injury rapidly healed itself. He picked her up by her waist and hoisted her up. He then gently ran his tongue across her cheek, his hot breath awakened Jing from her thoughts. Being so thoroughly humiliated by her own failures and seeing this disgusting creature looking at her with such a lustful stare infuriated her. Jing was the type of person to always stay calm and keep her emotions in control but in this situation, it couldn''t be helped if she went a little out of control. Being treated as a tool by this animal, her fury exploded.


    [Emergency mission available for host!]


    [Escape this Core stage Wise Monkey or become its slave!]


    [Rewards: 1 legendary ticket]


    Jing didn''t even need the system to remind her. She used SCP-109 and created a massive tendril of water to drill the monkey away, only to see him slap it away with his palm and grope her behind. It was at the moment where all hope seemed lost for Jing, a familiar figure came into her vision. A figure that made relief fill her heart and her will to fight to rose even higher.


    ''Mom!'' He cried out.

 80 A Dangerous Mother and Son Pair!

    Li Li sliced across the thick neck muscles of the Wise Monkey with his talons, causing him to drop his mother. The spirit beast grabbed his throat to prevent himself from dying and tried to roar out in anger from being ambushed. But by the time he could look up, his mother already grabbed him and teleported away with a talisman. They arrived at the bottom of some lake filled with Qi Consolidation spirit beasts. The two of them didn''t need air to breath so, it would be fine if they stayed under.


    Li Li summoned the soul of the huge Worm Dragon to ward off the beasts from attacking them. Its gigantic size would frighten the others into not attacking. The incorporeal worm curled around them with its ethereal towers of flesh. With the spirit beasts away, Li Li used this chance to curl himself into his mother''s body. She was alive, she was fine... She didn''t die...


    ______________________________________________


    As this was all happening, Jing was receiving her reward from the system while gently petting Li Li. She was inside her mental plane. This was where she could interact with the system''s menu and other functions. Jing stood in front of the gigantic spinning wheel, waiting to receive her prize. Jing was impressed by the being that created this system. Despite her refinement with SCP-914, her enhanced eyes still couldn''t keep track of this wheel when it was spinning at full speed. Another point that proves that SCP-914 wasn''t all powerful even when things were refined on very fine.


    The wheel''s pointer slowed to the point to where it was between receiving SCP-353 or gaining the Heaven-ranked sword, Immortal Blood Edge. Jing never knows what an SCP can do until she receives it from the system. So, she couldn''t tell if what she was getting was good or not when it came to an SCP. If she got the sword, she would just switch it for a more interesting weapon with SCP-914''s 1:1 option. Jing didn''t know what abilities it held either. Jing hoped that it was something that could allow her to go back and give that impertinent monkey a lesson before fleeing and forcing him to submit when she gets stronger.


    [Host has received SCP-353!]


    Jing prepared herself for the influx of information about the SCP. The pain she felt when acquiring an SCP''s abilities wasn''t any less than it was when she got her first SCP. It wasn''t the type of pain that could be handled by turning off the nerves that dealt with pain. It targeted something deeper inside of her. She had a feeling that it was the same place where that giant manifestation of SCP-914 was inside her.


    ''I might be able to work with this...'' A malicious half smile slowly formed on her face.


    Jing could now take almost any infectious bacterial or viral agents within her body. She could siphon them into herself, develop them, and store them for as long as she wants. If she desires to develop them into a certain way, she will gain the symptoms of whichever disease she was trying to change. This lasts for as long as she''s attempting to improve the infectious bacterial. The only limit to the diseases she can harbor is that they must be able to naturally survive within the human body.


    With Jing''s refinement, she was sure that her body could handle any types of symptoms. As far as she knew, she was practically immortal already. No wounds could keep her from recovering. Being stabbed through the heart, brain, ripped apart, losing all the blood in her body, none of it would keep her down for long. Jing didn''t let this go to her head though. There were still plenty of ways to deal with a being like herself. She could easily be sealed within a formation for thousands of years if she wasn''t careful.


    ''Wait. Li Li did you just talk?!'' Jing suddenly remembered hearing a childish voice calling out mom before she teleported away.


    ''I don''t know. Did I?'' Li Li responded in her head.


    ''How are you...'' Jing used her qi to sense anything different about herself or Li Li. She didn''t find anything out of the ordinary.


    ''Our souls are connected Mom! My Auxiliary technique! I can link our souls and talk to you now!''


    ''Is that the only thing it can do?'' Jing asked.


    ''I don''t know.'' Li Li answered innocently.


    ''That''s fine. We can figure out how this works later but for now you can help me get a little revenge on a certain monkey.'' Jing has been actively using her new ability to siphon several bacterial agents within the surrounding area.


    Using her qi as an amplifier, Jing could enhance the range she was able to gather bacteria within her body. Along with improving the rate of their development and potency. She has a nice little gift to give that spirit beast before she returns at a later time to get her revenge and force it under her. After that she can work on other matters.


    Jing used a talisman and reappeared in the area where she fought with the Wise Monkey. She arrived with Li Li, holding onto his feet as he flew in the air. Various ailments plagued her skin that made Jing look sickly and freakish. She immediately spotted the beast and prepared two talismans. She lit one slip a few seconds before the other to ensure her survival. Jing refused to let herself be caught off guard again because of her ignorance and arrogance.


    The duo arrived directly behind the walking spirit beast and Jing palmed his back, infecting him with a progressive virus that would slowly worsen as time goes on, giving him torturous symptoms that would make suicide a preferable option than living. Of course, she made sure that the bacterial agent wasn''t fatal. It wouldn''t be as sweet if he died before she returns to force him underneath her foot. This might not be honorable but Jing isn''t the type of person to care about something like honor when it didn''t give any benefits to herself.


    He attempted to swipe at her with a backhanded swing but the second talisman activated after she infected him, immediately sending her far far away. Getting away so freely almost made Jing feel like laughing with giddy.


    "He he he..." It was hard for her to contain the jubilant emotions flowing through her and she laughed loudly and without restraint.


    ''I only see you this happy when you are hurting people.'' Li Li spoke with joy, also affected by his mom''s good mood.


    "The next few weeks will be quite some fun now that my identity has been exposed to all the elders. The time I was using to slowly bolster my strength, influence, and forces is now gone. I suppose there won''t be any reason to fake my personality or abilities either. Everything I''ve done during the Treasured Plains were seen by them."


    ''Does this mean I can breakthrough now?'' Li Li asked innocently.


    "There isn''t a point to me purposely suppressing my realm either now." Jing''s stage started to rapidly rise and breakthrough the ranks.


    Qi Gathering 5!


    Qi Gathering 6!


    Qi Gathering 7!


    Qi Gathering 8!


    And it came to a slow eventual halt once she broke into the 9th stage. This was because of the words she remembered from the Wise Monkey. The amount of qi one can hold in the 9th stage is only determined by how much qi control they possess. Jing figured that this meant that hypothetically, a cultivator could have a nearly endless supply of qi if their talent in qi control is good enough before breaking into the Qi Consolidation realm. She would have to share this information with her followers. Jing sent a message through the special message talisman she gave them all and let them know.


    Li Li followed in her steps and also broke through. He didn''t rise as rapidly as Jing did though. He just broke past the barrier keeping him from the Qi Consolidation realm and stayed at the first stage. Jing guessed that he must have felt stifled being forced to stay at the 9th stage so long. It probably wasn''t in a spirit beast''s nature to restrain themselves.


    ''Much better!'' He exclaimed.


    "Sorry I had you limit yourself for so long. I didn''t know you felt uncomfortable about it." She said to him.


    ''It''s okay Mom. I don''t mind doing hard things for you! I''m not a baby anymore, I can handle tough things!'' He told her.


    A rare genuine smile came from Jing.


    "I''m proud of you." She hugged him.


    After their warm embrace, Jing was about to take out her special talisman and get in contact with her followers but sensed a familiar qi presence nearby. She looked at Li Li for clarification and he also recognized this qi.


    ''Annoying Girl.'' He said.


    "Wenling?" Jing saw that her body was covered in blood and she was using her glaive as a walking stick to keep herself up.


    Wenling looked up at Jing and fiercely rubbed her eyes.


    "It''s... really... you... You''re alive..." Those were the last words she spoke before falling unconscious on the ground.


    Jing slowly walked over to her with an indescribable look on her face.

 81 Chatty Elders.

    "This disciple is quite talented... Don''t you think?"


    "Being able to slaughter so many spirit beasts ahead of their level. Very talented. Who are they?"


    "I can''t tell with that concealing treasure they have on. But whoever they are, I''m interested in finding out who trained them."


    "A concealing treasure that can work on cultivators at our stage. Their background must not be simple."


    "A Qi Gatherer that can slaughter beasts at the Qi Consolidation stage and Core Preparation stage like insects. We''ve got a real monster on our hands, don''t we?"


    "The upcoming Meeting of Great Talents won''t be much of a problem now."


    "This generation of disciples could be said to be the greatest so far."


    "The Head Elder''s disciples along with a few other talents... I can''t see our sect losing at the Meeting."


    "And with the Grand Tournament being prepared in a couple months, we might even be able find even more hidden talents."


    "It''s a shame that I can''t tell if the disciple is a boy or girl but seeing the way they fight makes me wonder just where they came from."


    "A fighting style utilizing kicks as the main way of attacking and defending. It''s definitely a fighting style that didn''t come from our library."


    "As far as I know, it''s the only bare-handed martial arts that focuses on kicks instead of fists or the entire body."


    "Their background is definitely not simple."


    "Is that a Wise Monkey they just encountered?"


    "Oh dear..."


    "We might lose one of our greatest talents due to horrible luck! This is a complete disaster!


    "I could''ve made them into one of our greatest disciples!"


    "You?! I could''ve made them into the next sect leader!"


    "Both of you are going senile if you think you could teach a talent on their level. They need a real teacher to properly hone their techniques and skills, like me."


    "You dirty bitch."


    "You fucking slut."


    "You two geezers want to die!?" The female elder threatened.


    "Now now, you three know the rules. No fighting or all of you will be sent to the Disciplinary Head Elder."


    A collective shiver of terror ran through their bodies as they dropped their fighting stances.


    "Besides, can either of you even tell what this disciple specializes in?"


    "Combat."


    "Killing."


    "Fighting." They all answered simultaneously.


    "Your thoughts are too simple. While a cultivator''s ability to defend themselves is important, very few made it to the top with that alone. It is necessary for most people to specialize in more than one area."


    "If you''re untalented trash maybe."


    "The truly strong can cover their weaknesses with enough talent and training."


    "That''s funny coming from an old foggy like you. I never seen you train once since becoming an elder!"


    "The Treasured Plains always brings the worst out of us elders. We''re all adults here, right? Let''s not start a meaningless brawl over nothing."


    "This disciple... is a little crazy, aren''t they?" The elders looked down on the Treasured Plains.


    Able to oversee almost any area they wished, most elders looked down on the mysterious disciple trying to fight against a Core stage beast with intelligence. A disciple in the Qi Gathering realm stood their ground against a beast superior to them. It was a scene unbelievable to one''s eyes! The number of disciples that are capable of just simply withstanding a Core stage practitioner''s qi can be counted on one hand!


    "They have to become my disciple! Look at them go!"


    "Those kicks are unbelievable! So fast but also so powerful!"


    "How is their body able to keep up with a spirit beast in the Core stage?!"


    "They''re no doubt a legendary prodigy."


    "If they somehow don''t die here, the Golden Serpent Sect will definitely enter a new age in the near future."


    "No one will be able to match our might with a talent like this!"


    "None of you bastards better think of assassinating them either! Your shitty disciples don''t stand a chance against their godly talent!" A few envious elders spat in jealously. Why couldn''t their disciples have legendary talent like this?


    "If any elder attempts to kill this disciple, I will personally grind your soul into nothingness." The sect leader threatened.


    "Yes, Leader!" Every elder responded back in fear and respect of their great power.


    "But what if a mishap were to happen between fellow disciples?" Someone had the balls to ask.


    "Leave the younger generation to fight their own battles. Just none of you old bastards better get involved personally." The sect leader''s right-hand man responded.


    "Yes, Supreme Commander!"


    After the sect leader personally responded to the plight of this single disciple, even more elders started watching their hopeless battle. The moment they were all waiting for was coming near. That spirit tool that hide certain things about them was about to break! They would see just exactly who this disciple was. Their anticipation and excitement made most of them unable to sit calmly. When it was finally destroyed, some lesser elders even hooted and hollered in joy.


    "Did we have a disciple like this...?" The brown skin and young face didn''t ring any bells.


    "You''d think we''d be able to recognize a disciple like this."


    "I''m pretty sure she''s the only disciple in the sect with that skin color..."


    "No. There are some disciples that are tan but not that dark..."


    "It''s completely natural. She was born with that skin."


    "How horrible... To be born as a girl with black skin..."


    "Her family must be devastated."


    "She was probably cursed in her last life."


    "Have you blind foggies gone senile? What does it matter what someone looks like! Look at her skills, her quick mind, and her strong personality! That is what a true cultivator needs. Things like outer appearance is only superficial and unimportant in the grand scheme of things." A female elder spoke, making most of the men silent.


    "Oi, why can''t I see her anymore?" Someone changed the subject.


    "What''s going on? What did that monkey do?"


    "He created a barrier that blocks our vision. What he plans to do to her must be something he doesn''t want seen."


    "Hah... What a terrible fate for a girl so gifted. If only we could intervene..."


    "Not even the sect leader could enter into the Treasured Plains after it has been closed. We can only hope for the smallest of chance that she somehow makes it out alive."


    "Heavens please bless our sect and somehow find a way to save that disciple, even if she''s a little unpleasant to look at."


    There were a few elders that didn''t take kindly to the appearance of the sudden talented disciple that appeared out of nowhere. They hoped that the young girl would perish and never reappear again. But there was an even smaller amount of elders that prepared for this impossibility. On the off chance that she does somehow survive, they need to prepare themselves and their disciples to take care of this threat. The sect leader''s words sent these cautious elders into a panic. It must be known that the sect leader rarely complimented anyone. Even their sole disciple was only above average in talent to them.


    If things continued to go the way they were going and the girl lived, it was a high possibility that she would take over as sect leader. It would be difficult to kill the girl because of the Supreme Commander''s words but they noticed the loophole in his words. They didn''t need to move a finger themselves but instead have their disciples kill the girl for them. The disciples die all the time in battles with one another. The Sect Leader and Supreme Commander couldn''t fault them if she failed to survive in a battle with her fellow peers.


    There was only one elder in particular who recognized the young girl. It was Elder Lang, Jing''s array teacher. His surprise at seeing Jing was not small at all! He was more likely to believe the girl down there was her twin or doppelganger than believe the sweet, kind, and inquisitive young girl he''s taught for the past few months was actually there. But that furry bag was without a doubt Jing''s. It was where she stored all her talisman slips, spells, and other equipment that a spellmaster would need. He had a feeling it was a spirit tool that worked similar to a storage ring as the bag seemed pretty small to carry so much stuff. But seeing the girl down there, he wouldn''t be surprise if it really was a spirit tool. The strength she''s showing is unnatural.


    It was like looking at a completely different person! The cold and fierce personality shift, the lack of restraint in her blows, the complete absence of mercy and thoughtfulness. It resembled nothing of the bright disciple he taught. She would never strike with such lethal intent and have such a terrifying look on her face. Elder Lang was in total disbelief and shock.


    "I was teaching a monster all along..."

 82 Jing and Wenling 18+

    Wenling shot up from her sleep. She expected her body to react with sharp pain but instead felt completely fine. Did someone heal her in her sleep or did she just awaken her long-lost bloodline?


    "So, you''re awake." That voice! It really wasn''t a dream!


    "Jing!" Wenling ran over to her apprentice and hugged her with all her strength.


    Her breasts smothered Jing''s face but she was too happy to notice! The hug was extra-long in comparison to a normal hug, Wenling''s joy at seeing Jing alive again wasn''t something that could be remedied with a short 3 or 4 second hug.


    "You''re really alive... I thought you died back there... Everyone did. No one believed that you were still alive but I still believed that you were. And here you are... Alive..." Tears started to fall from her eyes.


    "Yes. I should be dead. No normal cultivator can survive a wound like that even with the most expensive recovery pills." Jing replied calmly.


    "I don''t even care how you survived. I''m just so glad you''re alive..." Wenling kept her hold around Jing''s modest body.


    It was at this point things started to become a bit strange. Jing hugged her back. The young brown girl''s hands found themselves gripping Wenling''s bottom with surprising force. Her surprise at being touched in such a way, made her give a surprising squeak. One that was similar to Jing''s frequent squeaks.


    "That was cute." Jing licked her lips as if she was staring at a juicy meal. Wenling was starting to get a bit flustered but her body wasn''t rejecting this situation.


    "Jing... Are you oka-" Her lips were silenced by Jing''s own.


    ''Was this another dream? This wasn''t like Jing at all. And why didn''t I want to resist? Did I always feel this way about my apprentice? Or have my urges just piled up since it has been such a long time?'' Wenling''s questions didn''t find an answer anytime soon.


    The way Jing''s hands felt up her behind while she kissed her so passionately. Wenling''s thoughts were fleeting and her body was heating up. She thought, "Maybe this dream wasn''t so bad..." and let herself fully give in to the situation. Even with her being taller than Jing, Jing was the one taking the lead.


    "Mmpm!?" A moist pink tongue happily found its way past Wenling''s lips.


    Wenling''s own tongue had no choice but to get itself tangled around this sudden guest. Introducing the inside of its home without a moment to prepare. The indecent symphony of their tongues and Wenling''s muffled moans performed without restraint in the empty forest. During their intense session, Jing suddenly parted her lips from Wenling and pushed her against a tree. Wenling''s legs were weak and she couldn''t keep her legs from shaking and that''s when Jing attacked.


    This just had to be a dream. Her prot¨¦g¨¦ wouldn''t be acting like this otherwise! Dream Jing didn''t seem to care about her sensitive state at all.


    "Ahh!" Her hand rubbed the entrance of her sacred garden, startling Wenling.


    She didn''t allow her to get a single break! While gently massaging her lower lips, she was still kissing her! She needed to breathe soon! The sparks of pleasure going through her body made her forget that simple fact as Jing increased her hand''s speed. Wenling wanted to yell at her to stop. To give her a few seconds to rest. A break! Anything besides this onslaught of non-stop pleasure, but Dream Jing was a commanding partner who didn''t accept something like a break. Was she planning on breaking her physically and mentally instead?


    "I''m coming...! I''m coming! Ahn!!!" Wenling broke away from Jing''s aggressive lips and finally managed to speak.


    Dream Jing took that as the signal to go even faster, sending Wenling''s mind and body into a mess. She let out a scream in a voice she''s never heard herself make before. Her legs buckled and shook with such intensity that she fell on her butt, unable to keep herself standing anymore. The previous quiet little brown girl from before now looked at her with a predatory gaze. A gaze that said they weren''t even close to finish just yet.


    "Please no more..." She begged with her panties completely drenched. Her legs have yet to stop twitching.


    "The Wenling I know, wouldn''t give up so easily." Dream Jing spoke with an amused smile.


    "I know... I know... but please... Just this time?"


    "She also wasn''t so selfish." Jing slowly undressed herself and stood over Wenling in her surprisingly mature black panties.


    "Now it''s your turn to please me. And if I''m satisfied enough, you might be rewarded with a small break." Wenling could see a small damp spot in Jing''s underwear.


    She already knew what Jing was suggesting. It would be her first time doing this to anyone and she was slightly nervous that she wouldn''t be able to fulfil Jing''s hopes. Her beautiful hazel skin looked far more amazing up close. Wenling gave small little kisses going up Dream Jing''s thighs.


    "Mhm. Good start." Jing complimented her.


    The inexperienced commander parted Jing''s panties to the side and continued her teasing kisses on Jing''s flower. She looked up and met Jing''s eyes staring back at her. She was waiting with that look on her face again. She was enjoying seeing her like this. Nervous, unexperienced, and needing guidance.


    Wenling gently licked the smooth canvas between Jing''s legs. The sweet nectar dripping from her feminine center was like divine honey on Wenling''s tongue. She ran her tongue across the outer petals of Jing''s flower as if to compliment the dish before digging in to the main course. She was hesitant to admit that she was nervous about what the taste of another woman would be but she was glad that it was better than what she expected.


    "Mhm... That''s good... But enough playing around Wenling." Dream Jing placed her hand on the back of Wenling''s head and tenderly guided it closer.


    Wenling''s wet tongue did as Jing wanted. Albeit, far more clumsily and unexperienced than maybe what Jing expected. It was her first time doing this sort of thing after all. But Jing didn''t look dissatisfied with her performance so far. The subtle grinding from Jing pushed her tongue deeper inside her.


    "Haah.. Mhmm... Ahh..." Jing''s moans reached her ears. That meant she was doing well right?


    "Focus on That more." Jing commanded.


    Wenling felt compelled to listen to her to her demand despite wondering about her prot¨¦g¨¦. She didn''t understand why her apprentice was unlike her usual self. The shy, cute, sometimes clumsy, selfless, and kind person she was wasn''t present here. Did something happen to her after she fell off the cliff?


    "Focus!" Jing''s breathing was uneven but her words were demanding. Was she close?


    Wenling''s tongue embraced Jing''s clit. She gave her exactly what she asked and could see Jing''s leg''s quivering increase in frequency. Jing started to rub her vagina on Wenling''s face a bit faster. Jing''s inner juices leaked down Wenling''s chin. She had trouble licking all of it up. Then all of a sudden, Jing screamed as she pushed Wenling''s face into her pussy as she came all over her face. Seeing her face like that caused another feeling to arise from Jing, making her want to kiss the inexperienced girl.


    And she did but a bit gentler compared to the ones from earlier.


    ______________________________________________


    "That wasn''t half bad." Jing complimented as she put her robes back on.


    ''Was it over?'' Wenling thought. ''Could she wake up now?''


    "You and I both know this wasn''t a dream. Quit acting foolish and get yourself together." Jing tossed her a new pair of clothes to wear and a handkerchief.


    Wenling''s current attire was quite messy and improper. Her large breasts and erect nipples were bare for anyone to see, a wide visible stain was present on the lower part of her robes, and her face was wet with Jing''s clear fluid. If anyone saw her like this, it would definitely increase the number of rumors about her being a slut. She wiped her face clean and looked at Jing before touching her new clothes.


    "Cute." Jing could tell she was nervous about getting completely nude in front of her. Even after what they just did.


    She turned around for her previous leader, waiting for her to get dressed. A few seconds later, she was finished and staring at Jing with a complicated look in her eyes.


    "Yes, I''m still the same Jing you knew. Now grab your stuff and follow me. Our time in this place isn''t infinite." Jing walked off without waiting for Wenling to grab her glaive and other items she brought along.


    Wenling quickly went to get her stuff and followed after Jing.


    "What happened to you...?" Wenling asked.

 83 Shes Not A Mindless Ant.

    "I got knocked off a cliff." Jing answered simply.


    "But what about afterwards? How are you alive right now?" Wenling wanted to know.


    "I refused to die. That''s all you need to know." This caused Wenling to be silent for several seconds.


    "Why are you so different...?" She got to the big question she had.


    "The Jing you knew is dead. After what I went through, I realized there was no point to me being like that anymore." Jing answered her.


    "I don''t really understand but, I''m just glad you''re alive..." It seems Wenling really cared about her safety.


    Jing decided to check on her System''s Allies tab to see if Wenling was added to her group of followers. Bing, Wan Qing, Ying, Hu Tao, and Lei Zhi were there along with a newly added Wenling...


    [Name: Xiao Wenling]


    [Occupation: Bandit]


    [Techniques: Siren''s Voice, Draconic Spear Techniques, Dragon''s Focus, Legs of the Quick Newt, Body of the Burning Dragon]


    [Cultivation Method: Overwhelming Dragon''s Fury]


    [Loyalty: 85% (Isn''t quite sure what happened to you after falling down that cliff but still cares a great deal about you. Has a small crush on you after what happened.)


    Seeing Wenling''s info made Jing think about a few things. The first thing was her name was Little Wenling. Meaning, her background must be poor. The second thing was that being a bandit was an occupation apparently. But then again Martial Artist was an occupation as well based on Bing''s, Ying''s, and Wan Qing''s occupations. What classified as an occupation didn''t need to be something everyone would classify as a job. Lei Zhi''s occupation was a Fisherman and Hu Tao''s occupation was Berserker.


    Jing was still unsure how the system identified who were her allies and who weren''t. The only reason she was confused on this was because Li Li was not listed as one of her allies. Did the system not consider him an ally because he was an animal? For its loose judgement with occupations, she''d expect it would be the same in judging allies, but it seems not.


    "Where are we headed?" Wenling asked.


    "To the Great Tower." Jing responded.


    "It''ll take us days to get there at this pace, don''t you think?"


    ''Mom, why are we walking? We could just teleport there with a talisman.'' Li Li brought up as he came flying from the sky. Jing told him to go eat breakfast to have her alone time with Wenling.


    "Hmm. I suppose you''re right." Jing quickly threw out 4 movement talismans around them. "Let''s go then." A bright white flash erupted from the slips and soon they disappeared.


    ______________________________________________


    She shook her head. The rewards for killing him were too great to hesitate on. She just needed to realize that she was doing this to strengthen herself, not simply because Jing ordered it. Wan didn''t have a problem with killing the man, the issue she was struggling with was deciding for who should she kill this man for. The fact that Jing ordered for his death meant that he posed a problem towards her now or in the future. She also believed in getting rid of those that stood in her way.


    She wouldn''t have made it this far in life without doing so. A person like her, misunderstood by the world, can''t get by in this world by being kind and merciful. This isn''t the type of world where you can hope that everyone will understand you with words. It''s the type where you have to force those weaker than you to accept you. Which is only possible with overwhelming force and brutality. Wan Qing was on her path right now to accomplish that goal.


    "If he needs someone to blame, then he can only blame himself for getting on Jing''s bad side somehow..." Wan gave an excuse as she headed straight towards Wang Yong.


    Wang Yong was the 10th ranked disciple in the Inner Court. He was at the 6th stage of the Qi Consolidation stage like her. Skilled in formations and swordplay. Besides being the grandson of an elder directly under Head Elder Chang, that was all she knew of him. A simple young man with a positive future.


    "I''ve come to kill you Wang Yong." Wan Qing greeted with Ni Xong behind her.


    "Kill me? What kind of joke are you playing?" He responded confused.


    Ah this was rather strange. If someone was after your life, they would surely not greet you and let you know of their intentions. This whole situation was just so abnormal for Wan, that she wasn''t sure how to proceed either. Her pride wouldn''t allow her to sneak attack a man she had no grievances with. Neither would she be satisfied with such a victory.


    "Someone has placed a bounty on your head. I''ve come to collect it." She suddenly thought.


    "Hmph. Fine, I''ll humor you, little bounty hunter. Follow me." He seemed confident in his skills even after sensing her cultivation stage. He also took several glances at her chest during his response.


    Wan followed behind him to a secluded location outside of the city. The Resting Area was a giant city that resembled great cities outside the Treasured Plains. If they were caught fighting inside the city, the city''s guards would throw them in prison for a certain amount of time depending on their crime and how much damage they caused to the city. Wan only figured this out with Bing and Lei Zhi after seeing cultivators from the previous floors with past grievances with one another trying to kill each other after reuniting.


    The two even tried to get her to promise not to cause any trouble inside the city after seeing the powerful strength of the city guards. She refused to respond to them and only snorted. Who did they take her for? Hu Tao or Ying? She was mature enough to control herself in a place like this. A place where danger could lurk at every street corner. Wan didn''t believe the old man and fatty would find themself in any trouble with their passive natures. Spending a few floors with the two made Wan understand them a bit more. Enough to realize that they would never bother anyone unless they were bothered first and even then they''d still try to avoid danger by running away.


    She split from Bing and Lei Zhi once she saw Wang Yong. Wan didn''t feel like being the only one of the group to fail at her task given by Jing. It wouldn''t be good for impressions and she would feel slightly humiliated being the only one to fail despite having the highest cultivation stage. It would be like saying that she was the worst out of all of them. Wan''s pride and talent refused to accept an outcome like that.


    "This place is fine. Alright, Miss Bounty Hunter, show me what you got." He grinned, obviously not taking this seriously. He hasn''t once looked into her eyes, only her chest.


    He chose an open grassy plain, similar to the one she fought Hu Tao in. Wan Qing spread a few of her butterflies on the way here to check if this was a trap. So far, her butterflies detected no one nearby. He might actually believe in his strength enough to believe that he could deal with her. If so, this was good for her. A simple battle would be great.


    "You don''t wish to write a will before we fight? To any loved ones on the outside?" Wan asked in her feminine voice.


    "I should be asking you that Miss Bounty Hunter. Becoming a Bounty Hunter with your appearance is such a waste." He clicked his tongue. "Instead, why don''t you become my personal bedwarmer? I can guarantee good pay. My grandpa and I are well off." He suggested.


    "You''re not my type." Wan Qing looked at him as if he was an insect.


    "What a cold glare. A look like that ruins your beauty. You should smile instead. Especially if you''re after my life. A beauty like you smiling at me as I drift off into an everlasting sleep, it would be heavenly."


    "I can see why a bounty is out on your head now." Wan grabbed her shut giant fan and pointed it at Yong.


    "My flirting skills often get me in trouble with beautiful ladies." He sighed as if it was a great curse brought upon by the heavens.


    "I''m doing you a favor by shutting you up then." She charged towards Yong who has yet to even unsheathed his sword.


    "You wouldn''t be the first to say so," Wan''s fan was blocked by a barrier made by a talisman. "Nor the last." He threw a talisman on the ground in front of her.

 84 Wan Qing vs Wang Yong!

    It lit up with a bright light as a powerful explosion came from it, forcing Wan to immediately jump back or suffer damage from the spell. Just as she moved away, he charged forward with his sword, hitting his blade against her closed fan. Wan only looked at him with disinterest. He sliced with quick attacks that were beginning to be too much for her to handle with her fan closed. She was on the defensive now as he held nothing back in his sword strikes. Wan could still tell he was just playing around. This couldn''t be his full strength as the 10th ranker in the Inner Court.


    Wan used her auxiliary martial art, Butterfly''s Grace, and created 4 small butterfly wings out of her back. She used these insect wings to gain some distance from Yong but he chased after her like a love-sick puppy. Not to mention the fact that he''s been doing nothing but staring at her chest since she''s met him. It was actually starting to piss her off. She''s never felt like this before either. Maybe this feminine body made by her Illusionary Urn was more powerful than she thought.


    And that was when Yong sliced her head off.


    "Tch. She was good eye candy while she lasted. I should''ve aimed to pierce her heart instead of chopping her head off. Then I could''ve got some good use out of the body." He spat on the ground in regret.


    Since her illusion died, now was the perfect time to attack. He could only blame himself for being so unaware. Wan opened up her fan and swung it towards Yong''s defenseless back. A wind blast similar to a shot from a cannon exploded from her fan. She also flicked a few butterflies around herself to keep watch for any suspicious activities. They would be helpful in preventing surprise attacks as they could communicate with her mentally and let her know of everything they see.


    Yong''s ears pricked at the sound of the sudden wind. He turned and nearly screamed his heart out of his chest seeing the powerful attack coming towards him.


    "What the hell is this!?" He shouted.


    The young cultivator attempted to use a talisman slip to protect him from the incoming attack. Wan''s simple wind blast smashed through his defensive amulet''s barrier and cracked the second one. Wan noticed that he had more than 3 barriers protecting him during her attack. He wasn''t kidding when he said that he was rich. Defensive treasures and amulets meant for protecting one''s life were not cheap in the slightest. The makers or finders of these types of treasures understood just how valuable they were. That''s why they were always at a high price.


    "How dare you!?" He pointed his finger at her, greatly upset. "Do you know who I am?! Do you know who my grandfather is?!" Spittle flew from his mouth.


    Wan understood exactly who his grandfather was before she chose to kill him. She was taking a large risk by doing this task but she trusted Jing would be able to take care of the aftermath. She didn''t entirely trust Jing but she did trust her enough know that she wouldn''t give her this task just to place her in danger. It wouldn''t make any sense.


    "Are those your final words?" Wan Qing asked.


    "You... You... You dare!? A lowly woman like you think you can kill me?!" He slapped several talisman around the blade of his sword.


    Wan slowly floated into the air. She didn''t need to humor this fool by engaging him in close combat with her fan. She released several wind blasts from the sky down on Yong. He ran for his life to avoid them while getting closer to her. This reminded Wan of her fight with Hu Tao at the start of the Treasured Plains but unlike Hu Tao, this idiot wasn''t hiding his intention at all. She could clearly see how he planned to used that sword empowered by those talismans to skewer right through her.


    She flew even higher into the air as she performed a small dance with her fan. This ''dance'' was actually a technique from her fan martial art''s manual. The manual was titled Emperor Tito''s Fanmanship. Wan couldn''t tell the ranking of this martial art but she knew that it had to be earth-rank or higher. She was also surprised there was a martial art on fans in the first place. Not even normal mortals used fans for combat. She wouldn''t be surprised to know if she was the only cultivator to use fans but that would be wrong to think because someone talented in fan wielding had to create the manual.


    This specific technique was called Gathering of the Winds, it would allow her to sweep the air around her into any form she wants. Yong should be seeing a gigantic butterfly forming above her head right now. She didn''t believe his defensive treasures could save him from an attack like this and if it did, she could just send another attack similar to this one. Gathering of the Winds isn''t an attack that requires much qi to perform just precise qi control. Wan Qing has to actively shape the winds into the form she wants through her special dance. The special dance was required if she wanted to keep the technique formed. The only downside was the more complicated the form, the longer the dance is needed to conjure that shape. Leaving her completely open to certain attacks.


    The butterfly''s general form isn''t difficult considering she''s around them 24/7. It wasn''t too farfetched to say she''s become one with them. Bonded with the butterflies that make up her giant fan, especially after that illusion formation where they helped try to save her. Wan would describe it as the bond shared between a Beast Master and their beast.


    "Impossible...!" The giant butterfly slowly soared down towards Yong.


    In his panic, he placed down four talisman around himself and created a formation around himself. He laughed to himself inside the defensive formation and Wan continued to hover in the sky with her wings. Just in case he does survive, she would need to prepare another attack to kill him with. Defensive formations were usually unbreakable among those in the same stage. But Wan doubted this one would be able to withstand her attack. It was just a feeling she had, that''s all.


    The giant butterfly descended upon the tiny blue barrier like an meteorite crashing upon the Earth. It immediately shattered upon first contact with the insect, causing Yong to scream in fright. The large insect made of wind and qi then slowly crushed Yong into the ground. It continued to fly deeper down into the earth, leaving a great imprint behind of a butterfly. Wan could see several barriers shattering once the wind butterfly started lowering into the ground.


    "I guess I better take some proof that he''s dead. Hopefully some part of him is still recognizable." Wan Qing messaged everyone with the special talisman given by Jing that she''s accomplished her task. Everyone else did it, so she did it too.


    She floated down to the insect-shaped crater and saw Yong''s mangled and crushed corpse. It was a complete mess and absolutely disgusting. However, that didn''t stop her from grabbing his storage ring for herself. He probably had something in here that would identify him. If not, oh well. She just got herself an incredibly valuable storage ring without paying a thing for it. Ni Xong came running out of the bushes from far away towards her after she finished her fight.


    ''This little useless bear...'' His cowardly nature hasn''t lessened at all. The only thing that''s changed about him is his strength.


    "Rawr?" He looked up at her.


    "Just looking at you makes me upset." She sighed. ???Show me your progress." She ordered.


    "Roah!" The little cub stood in an upright stance with his right foot leading forward.


    The gauntlets were giant for his small size and seemed to grow along with him somehow, another mystery added to her savior. Wan shook her head to get off her mind off that subject and focused on Ni Xong. He let off super quick punches one after the other with his giant golden gauntlets. Ni Xong let off a rapid round of punches so fast that it looked like he had more than one pair of fists! A barrage of ultra-fast attacks!


    "Tch. Good enough." She couldn''t release her frustration about him when he was diligently training in a satisfactory manner.


    ______________________________________________


    "What an enjoyable place this is..." Lei Zhi said as he sipped on his drink.


    "I agree. We haven''t run into any people that want to fight us yet. Back home, you can''t even step out your house without someone trying to pick a fight with you or insulting you." Bing agreed.


    "It''s a shame we have to leave so soon. I would like to enjoy this type of atmosphere more often." Lei Zhi said.


    "This type of peace would definitely be appreciated. Something like this is impossible at the Golden Serpent Sect." Bing supported.


    "Until we help Jing change things for the better."


    "How long do you think that''s going to take?"


    "Heh. You''re asking the wrong person Bing. Do you know how many years I''ve been at the Qi Gathering stage?" Lei Zhi laughed.


    "You''re progressing pretty well now in my opinion. It won''t be long till we''re all out of the Qi Gathering stage."


    "And then we can go to the Inner Court and get caught up in even more situations." He laughed some more.


    "That tends to happen with allies like ours added along with Jing''s tasks." Bing smiled.


    "It might be my first time saying this but I''m actually excited for the future. I can actually see myself going further than I ever have before. See myself actually making a difference with the cultivators in the world."


    "By being kind to them?"


    "No. I''m not a na?ve old man, Bing. I know that just being kind and forgiving won''t be enough to change the views of what a cultivator should be. There is one rule in this world that has yet to be broken. Might makes right. If my might is stronger than the rest, it''ll be hard for them to refuse my views on how an ideal cultivator should be. If need be, I''ll force mercy and kindness on everyone that refuses to adhere to such a view."


    "I must apologize to you Lei. I actually did think you were going to be kind to everyone you meet and spare them no matter what actions or crimes they do against you."


    "Oh, heavens no!" Lei Zhi chuckled. "There''s a fine line between being human and being a monster. Those who commit inhuman actions don''t deserve the same treatments as humans." A surprising amount of killing intent leaked from Lei.


    Bing was shocked when he felt the dangerous aura coming out of him. This was the first time he ever felt something like this from him. And they''ve been through several life or death situations together. Some with people trying to kill them, others with animals trying to kill them. And until now, he''s never felt a hint of killing intent coming from him. Bing would be sure to pray for whoever manages to get on the bad side of Lei.

 85 The 11th Floor.

    "I''m done. Let''s get ready to move to the next floor." Wan Qing spoke, as she arrived into the small caf¨¦.


    "Welcome back Qing. Would you like a drink before we go? They have a nice selection of beverages here." Lei Zhi offered.


    Xiurong waved her claw up and down in agreement. She had a small bowl just for her to drink tea from. Quon was rather large for this small establishment so Lei Zhi had to place him inside a Capture Bead. Quon couldn''t shrink or grow his body like Xiurong could. Lei guessed that she was special among aquatic spirit beasts. She was the only animal who could grow or shrink her size out of all the beasts he''s pulled from his fishing rod.


    A Capture Bead is formed by placing the Capturing spell on a beast and sending it into a tiny marble. If the animal is particularly strong enough, it can easily escape the Capture Bead. That''s why it was recommended for those attempting to capture beasts to sufficiently weaken it before trying to capture it or it would break free and destroy the bead.


    "You two don''t seem to be in any hurry to increase your strength." Wan said displeased by their leisure attitudes.


    "Heh heh... You can''t just train all the time. Some rest is needed." Bing was in the middle of stuffing dumplings into his mouth.


    "Ugh..." She responded with disgust. "Hurry up and finish. I''ll be waiting outside." Ni Xong looked at the large number of dumplings on Bing''s plate with a yearning in his stomach.


    "Come on!" Wan Qing walked outside of the small shop with Ni Xong following behind her sadly.


    "She''s so young but still doesn''t know how to properly relax. It''s saddening to see the older generation pushing the younger ones into such a brutal mindset." Lei Zhi softly spoke.


    "Well, that''s kind of the world we live in. A brutal one." Bing responded casually.


    "That''s even sadder."


    "I agree. I would love to live a carefree life with no worries of suddenly dying because I got on the bad side of someone stronger than me. Maybe one day we can change that." Bing shared, just sharing how he felt without any thought.


    He didn''t honestly believe the Empress would be capable of changing the world. Realistically, he only believed she would be capable of taking over the sect and that was already thinking very highly of her. The world is a large place. The amount of power, influence, and numbers they would need to affect the world is so unbelievably high Bing felt it was more realistic to imagine himself reaching the True Immortal realm. Someone like him with average or below average talent reaching that stage would require countless resources and godlike luck.


    "Alright. I''m finished." Bing ate his 3rd large bowl of dumplings and left 3 spirit stones as payment.


    The two left the caf?? and met with Wan Qing outside. They walked together to the Warp Point that would send them to the 11th floor. As they were walking, Bing snuck Ni Xong a dumpling from his pocket when Qing wasn''t looking. He chuckled seeing the wide smile on the panda cub''s face. He placed his finger to his lips, telling the small panda that it was their secret. Bing saw how he looked at his bowl of dumplings inside the shop and figured it wouldn''t hurt to give the little guy just one.


    Near the Warp Point, the group saw several other cultivators waiting around. They figured it must be another floor that requires a certain number of people to start before it begins. A giant hourglass that was almost empty at the top stood in the middle of the Warp Point. On that hourglass were the numbers 950/1000.


    "What happens if we don''t have enough people?" Bing asked.


    "That counter is telling the max limit, not the required limit." Qing explained.


    "Does that affect the floor''s difficulty?" Lei wondered.


    "Sometimes. In some floors, more people can make it easier to survive. In others, less people can greatly increase the chances of dying."


    "Do you know what this floor is going to be?" Bing wanted to try and think of strategies before they went to the 11th floor.


    "No. I never went past the 10th floor. I was a Qi Gatherer like you two the last time the Treasured Plains opened. Back then, I barely survived the 10th floor. I refused to go to the next floor out of fear of for my life." Qing honestly shared.


    "Should we be going with you then?" Bing asked worried about his own safety.


    "You have nothing to worry about. Although I hate to admit it, you two are far stronger than I was at your stage. Probably the strongest among your individual stages." Qing gave a rare compliment.


    "Well, thanks Qing..." Bing rubbed the back of his head with his fat fingers.


    "Thank you for your honest critic." Lei gave his thanks as well.


    "Hmph. I wasn''t doing it to compliment you two. I was just saying, you aren''t as bad as you think. Maybe if you two cultivated a little more seriously, I could see you becoming more than your average cultivator." Wan told them.


    The sand inside the hourglass emptied from the top. A bright light glowed from beneath their feet, blinding them. When their vision returned, they realized they were completely separated from each other inside the 11th floor. The Warp Point must have transported them all to different locations within the floor. Every cultivator staring in the sky right now would be able to see a number etched into it.


    ______________________________________________


    850/475


    Bing already realized what type of floor this would be seeing that number in the sky. It was a type of test that he''s already been through before. During the first test of the Golden Serpent Sect, he needed to survive long enough that the number of participants dwindled in size till it was a good enough number for the elders to end the first test and start the second one. The second test was also similar in nature but focused on a different aspect instead of survival skills.


    "This shouldn''t be too hard to survive." He spoke sarcastically. A hundred people died as soon as they got teleported.


    The soft sand beneath his feet, a hot glaring sun bearing down on him, and the lack of anything but sand in sight.


    "I''m going to starve to death, aren''t I?"


    ______________________________________________


    "Well... I didn''t expect to find myself in this type of situation..." Lei Zhi said slightly excited.


    He was in some large structure with sand beneath his feet and stone all around him. A type of temple, he would describe it. Down the hallway in front of him laid several life-threatening traps. Traps that the normal cultivator wouldn''t be able to spot without experience in navigating dangerous areas. But unlike the average cultivator, Lei Zhi could see things further than them despite being blind. Thanks to his auxiliary art, Blind Man Can See, he could recreate his surroundings inside his mind by enhancing his other senses to their limits simultaneously in a specific breathing pattern. The pathways his qi goes through during this process is an extremely dangerous one. If a common cultivator tried to use this martial art, they would permanently disrupt every sense except sight. Forcing them to live a hellish life that no other man could possibly live with.


    "Sorry, I had to keep you in there so long Quon. I know you don''t like being in a Capture Bead." Lei Zhi released Quon and he immediately wrapped himself around Lei''s entire body with his tentacles.


    Lei rubbed his bulbous transparent head and made his way down the trap-filled hallway while avoiding all the triggers for the traps. Perhaps there could be treasure inside this dangerous place. After that, he would try to find Bing and Qing to meet up with them. With the special talisman Jing gave them, they can easily find each other whenever they wanted. All they had to do was flow their qi into the slip and wait for someone else to respond by also injecting their qi into their own talisman.


    ______________________________________________


    "Hmph. Dumb beasts. Understand your limits." Wan Qing gave a single wave of her fan towards the large Sand Worms. It was the first time she opened her fan all the way. Ni Xong held onto her legs so that he didn''t fly off.


    Her fan produced sharp blades of wind that danced around her. These wind blades easily cut into the bodies of the spirit beasts, slicing them into pieces as they roared out in pain. It was a massacre of blood, guts, and blowing sand. Ni Xong kept his eyes closed during this as he trusted his owner would be able to handle anything!


    "Quit cowering and let''s get a move on. Finding those two won''t be easy even if we can find each other." Wan told the panda.


    "Ror?"


    "Hop on. It''ll be faster if we fly." Wan brandished her giant fan and tossed it in front of her.


    The black fan hovered above the sand. The talented disciple and her pet hopped on and flew above the calm desert in leisure.


    ''Maybe this floor will be easier than I thought...'' Wan thought, before shaking her head.


    If she tried to come to this floor last time and found herself in the same situation as before, she would''ve been devoured without a chance to resist. It was only thanks to this fan that she could come out unscathed against a group of Qi Consolidation realm spirit beasts. What she did wouldn''t be possible with her old sword. The thick skin of the Desert Worms were too tough for a stellar-ranked spirit weapon.

 86 Bings Near-Death Experience.

    "I''m really going to die out here..." Bing talked to himself.


    Sweat dripped endlessly from his body, sticking his clothes to his skin as if they were one in the same. Bing''s shield dragged in the sand, creating a path that seemed to endlessly extend behind him. From where Bing was now, you couldn''t spot the start of the path. His tongue dryly hung outside his mouth as he''s been traveling for days without a sip of water or a crumb of any food.


    As he was now, he was desperately wishing for anything to happen to him. Anything at all that could possibly quench his thirst and fill his belly. Being attacked by a horde of spirit beasts? Please and thank you. Getting caught in a trap by thieves and robbers?


    ''I will gladly feast upon your bodies as respect for allowing me to live.''


    His feet have been traveling towards wherever Lei was at the moment. With his fishing pole, he could instantly fish out a spirit beast to eat no matter where he was. It was also nice that he was closer in distance to Bing unlike Qing. Qing wouldn''t be able to stop him from starving to death with her fan. Well, that wasn''t exactly true but Bing doubted that Qing would allow him to eat a few of her butterflies just so that he wouldn''t die. He got the feeling that she didn''t like him or Lei all that much. Or really like anyone much at all.


    "Please... Anything at all... Heavens I don''t deserve to die like this do I? Must I really resort to that? Just to survive?"


    Bing collapsed from exhaustion and fell face first into the sand. He was a little happy that he landed on his face instead of on his back. He wouldn''t be able to take the heat from the sun bearing down on him so fiercely. The sand might be burning his skin but with his Devil Arts, he could handle a little burning. The extreme temperatures on this floor wasn''t the dangerous part for Bing. It was the lack of food! He needed to eat to survive! It didn''t matter how well his body could take the heat or cold. It mattered if he dried up into a husk and withered away!


    Keeping his eyelids from falling was taking all his strength. He didn''t want to do this. He considered it his final and last option to prevent himself from starving to death. A demonic hum escaped from Bing''s mouth. Breathing, it was how any martial artist performed their auxiliary art, by breathing in a specific rhythm while flowing qi in a specific pattern through their insides. Bing planned to use his Devil''s Arm martial art to save his life. Eating his own flesh, just to survive.


    The very thought of it disgusted him but his desire to survive was much stronger than his disgust. An additional arm grew from his belly and threw him over on his back. Bing grabbed the belly arm with his two hands, ready to tear it off and bite into it like a wild animal. The pain would be the worst thing he''s ever felt in his entire life.


    "He doesn''t look like he has anything valuable on him... Are you sure this guy is worth stealing from?"


    "It''s not like it''s going to hurt us to rob him when he dies."


    "Yeah. Loot is loot you little bitch."


    He felt as if he was filled with an endless source of energy as he stared at the desert bandits riding giant lizard. In his eyes, they seemed to turn into various human-sized foods. Bing''s stomach roared as he slowly walked towards the closet reptile. His hunger overtook him, he didn''t even hear the sounds of the bandits laughing at him as he reached out towards the salamander with his fat fingers. It attempted to bite his hand but Bing was faster.


    Bing lifted the large animal with one hand and grew several more from his hand that was choking the spirit beast. Several mouths with razor-sharp teeth and forked tongues appeared on the palm of each of the hands. All the tongues stabbed into the flesh of the salamander and drained it of everything except its bones and blood. The bandit rider fell off during the feeding and landed inside the animal''s skeleton completely stunned. Bing could feel his strength returning after devouring the beast. His thirst was quenched, and his hunger was sated.


    Bing''s eyes wandered over to the remaining lizards, striking fear into their very souls. The ridable reptiles went into a panic and ran away as fast as they could, disobeying their masters'' wishes. There was only one bandit remaining. It was the one whose ride he sucked dry. Now that he wasn''t starving on the verge of death, he could think a bit more clearly now. These guys were about to rob him, weren''t they?


    "Let me guess... Your friends are going to come back with even more people to kill me, right?" Bing asked.


    "No matter how much a freak you are, you don''t stand a chance against our leader when they come! Even if you kill me, you won''t survive against our leader!" His entire body shook as he tried to threaten Bing.


    "Since I''m going to die anyway, I suppose I should get a final meal before I go, right?" Bing slowly walked towards the frightened bandit.


    "No... No...! No! Stay away! Let me go! Please!" Bing picked him up by his throat and held him above the ground with one arm.


    "I...have...children..." He choked out.


    "I''m sorry." Bing really did mean it.


    Even after the thief''s muscles, organs, and skin were being extracted by the little mouth on his hand, Bing did feel bad for what he did to the man. Unfortunately for him, there was almost nothing he valued more than his own life. And the only way he could protect his life was by becoming stronger. He didn''t have the heart to spare those that were willing do him wrong and possibly bite him in the butt for his kind acts. Unlike Lei Zhi, Bing didn''t believe in sparing future troubles. There were too many ways one could lose their life in this world. Getting rid of a few would be helpful in the long run, in Bing''s opinion. He might''ve been affected by the Empress more than he thought...


    ______________________________________________


    "Leader! Leader!" The bandits who just returned to their camp, cried out.


    "Who the hell is doing all that yapping? If we''re not under attack, I''m beating the hell out of you." The beautiful woman promised.


    "Leader! We found someone strong nearby! He might be one of those people that you always spoke about!"


    "Eh? Tell me about this person." Her curiosity was piqued.


    "He could grow arms from his body!"


    "He could lift a Quick-footed Salamander with a single hand!"


    "He can eat a man within seconds if he touches you!"


    "Yeah! He even ate one of our fucking rides!"


    "Huh... This guy sounds more like a monster than a human. Are you idiots sure you didn''t all decide to have the same mirage?" She scoffed.


    "We''re telling the truth leader! Without your special power, we don''t stand a chance against him!"


    "And you''re sure he''s one of those people I always talk about?" She wanted clarification.


    "He didn''t wear any clothes we''ve ever seen before."


    "He also carried a strange weapon in his hand. It was like a large bone bowl or something."


    "We didn''t get to see how it was used."


    "Alright. You guys managed to get me interested just enough. Let''s go investigate this monster of a person." The bandit leader got up from her chair and grinned.


    She flicked her hand out and a mysterious white and black orb manifested above her palm. Radiating a strange elemental qi that most cultivators wouldn''t ever be able to identify. It was with this cultivation technique that allowed her to reign as the Unstoppable Lin Mei of the Desert. The leader of the Sand Shark Bandits. A notorious group that has flourished for the past 3 years thanks to Lin Mei''s powerful martial arts.


    "My mount has his scent tracked! We can find him anytime Leader!"


    "If he''s really as scary as you all think he is, I suppose it wouldn''t hurt to prepare a small trap for him." Her scouts immediately agreed with her suggestion.


    "I''ll get the talismans!"


    "I''ll get the bows and arrows!"


    "I''ll bring the food!"


    "Food?" Lin Mei said confused.


    "Oh, the guy is as fat as a pig."


    "A fatty beat you all?"


    "He didn''t beat us. He just scared our mounts away and killed a salamander with ease."


    "This guy better be as strong as you said he is or I''m doubling, no, tripling all of your training for the next month." Lin Mei threatened.


    "Don''t worry leader! Have I ever let you down before?"


    Lin Mei couldn''t respond to him. He was her best scout and has never given her wrong information about a target. It looks like these bastards found just what she needed to advance to the next rank in her martial art. And after she does that, taking over this desert will be as easy as snapping her finger.

 87 Bing In The Desert!

    "I suppose now that I have the time and I''m not starving anymore, I should do some training..." Bing decided.


    Qing did suggest for him and Lei Zhi to take their training a little more seriously or something like that. In this large empty desert filled with mostly nothing but sand, sand, and more sand. There wasn''t anything else he could do that was beneficial. Plus, if he stayed at the same rank he was before they got on this floor, Qing surely would look at him like he was trash.


    He wouldn''t care too much but it still wouldn''t feel nice when he could''ve just cultivated and not get looked at in such a way in the first place. So, now he had to decide on which martial art he can train first. And it wasn''t a hard choice to make when considering all of his current martial arts. Training his Shield Art wouldn''t help him survive in this situation too much unless he encountered bandits after bandits. He didn''t believe his luck was so good that he could find several people that want to do him wrong and be coincidentally strong enough to beat them every time.


    Swift Devil, his movement art, was also similarly not too useful in his current state. He could use it to quickly travel short and large distances, but he would be wasting his energy by doing that. Lei shouldn''t be too far away from him. His qi signature hasn''t moved in several days so that must mean he''s exploring some place. Bing doubted he was dead because he was still sending qi through his message talisman. The dead can''t utilize qi, as ghosts aren''t real.


    ''How lucky for him...'' He was jealous. He wanted to gain some treasures too.


    Devil''s Physique, his body martial art, couldn''t be trained without eating food. So, that one was immediately crossed off the training list. Bing hasn''t seen any animals in this entire desert besides the salamanders from the bandits. Not a single bird, bug, or plant. If he wasn''t able to circulate his qi through his dantian right now, he would honestly believe those bandits and salamanders from a few days ago were an illusion, and this was his afterlife.


    So, the only useful martial art he could train right now was his Devil''s Arms technique. Bing has only recently started to somewhat understand the true potential of this sky-ranked auxiliary art. It had more uses to him than just allowing him to grow additional arms over his body. Especially with the mysterious hand that seems to have a craving for flesh. Bing had a feeling that the thing that wanted him to feed it flesh all the time, held a deeper secret about his martial art. Something that he has yet to discover.


    ''This martial art... is a little bit too strong isn''t it?'' Bing thought with a little excitement.


    Now he knew why his luck was so horrible. Him gaining these martial arts back during the recruitment test took all his good karma! And he hasn''t been doing any good acts of charity to refill his karma back up. The heavens weren''t screwing him over! He''s been the problem all along!


    Three sky-ranked martial arts at the start of his cultivating career? Why would he need anything good ever again with a jackpot like that? Some cultivators live for thousands of years without even being able to see a sky-ranked martial art in the flesh! Now that he thinks about it, his future was set as long as he makes sure to get plenty of resources.


    And that wasn''t it either. Bing felt that the potential of this auxiliary art possibly exceeded some heaven-ranked martial arts. Well, as of right now he couldn''t prove that statement. But if his hunch was correct, then there was a chance that he could grow without a limit as long as he continued to feed his devil hand.


    ''There''s a lot of people in this world, isn''t there? It shouldn''t be too much of a problem if a few cultivators were to go missing all of a sudden... Cultivators as a majority really don''t help the world. So, no one would mind if a few of the worser ones started disappearing...'' Bing''s thoughts took a sinister turn.


    Bump! Bing opened his eyes and realized he bumped into some sort of warm scaley object. He looked up and figured out that he just somehow ran into a large snake spirit beast. It didn''t even give him a moment to apologize for his rudeness. The snake hissed at him before striking with incredible speed. Bing had to use Swift Devil to avoid being bitten by those large fangs dripping with green venom.


    The snake''s eyes bulged in surprise as Bing didn''t use his movement technique to escape but to charge into the snake instead! This move tackled them both across the sand, accidentally getting sand into Bing''s eyes. Leaving him open to be knocked away by the reptile''s chunky tail and getting lodged into sand with his large behind stuck in the air. His opponent used this chance to try and sink their fangs into his thick shaking bottom.


    Only to be denied as Bing used his last movement talisman to get himself out of the sand and out of harm''s way. Using the snake''s surprise as it swallowed nothing but sand, Bing used Swift Devil once again to get the upper hand in this moment. His large rotund body appeared over the sand snake hacking up all the sand it gulped. He swung his shield into the side of the spirit beast''s head, burying it deep into the sand.


    "Can''t let you get back up! But I will thank you for the meal!" Bing crashed down towards the snake before the sand could fill up the pit it was launched into.


    His beefy hands grabbed the head of the snake as an additional pair of arms shot out from the sides of his stomach and also grabbed on to the skull. The snake screeched as he used all the strength in his body to rip its head off. To make sure his grip was tight, he placed his foot onto its neck so that he didn''t just drag the snake with his strength. All the power he''s gained from devouring cultivators and spirit beasts with his devil hand was used to tear the head off this reptile. A gory spray of blood splattered all over Bing''s figure, drenching him entirely in blood. His hearing was also a little damaged from the snake''s piercing yell.


    "Pleck! Yuck!" Bing spat out the blood that got in his mouth. He had his mouth open and didn''t realize it until it was too late.


    There was a big smile on his face soon after. He could finally eat a real meal! Bing didn''t count that salamander from earlier as food because the devil hand ate it instead of him. They might share the same stomach but Bing preferred cooking and enjoying the aroma, texture, and flavor of the food on his tongue. The devil hand was fine with anything that had meat and he doubted it cared about taste.


    Bing held onto the tail of the giant serpent and dug himself out of the sand trying to drown him. With a goofy grin on his face, he started preparing to cook the snake. Just imagining what this spirit beast was going to taste like was causing him to droll already. Spirit beast meat always tastes delicious if properly handled. There were a few exceptions to that but those types of spirit beasts taste gross to not be attacked by predators.


    The round Qi Gatherer threw several talismans onto the decapitated body of the snake and watched as its body slowly cooked in glee. He was sure nothing could possibly ruin his good mood as the snake cooked into a sparkling delicious smelling brown perfection. If he was being honest, this was the only time he''s ever been this happy during the several days he''s been on the 11th floor of the Great Tower. There was nothing like good smelling food to cheer up one''s mood.


    Bing could smell that the meat was almost ready for eating. It was a skill he gained since childhood. If there was food cooking nearby, he could tell exactly when it was ready to be served. He didn''t use this skill to pursue a career in cooking though. Who has ever heard of a chef cultivator? It''s ridiculous. It''s much safer to become a cultivator that knows how to cook well rather than focusing on cooking entirely.


    What if a customer is a cultivator and says that your food is crap? You could only beg for mercy or die because you didn''t have the skills to satisfy this cultivator that was stronger than you. In the perfect world, the customer would just leave and never come back to eat your food. No need for violence, murder, or any type of pleading and begging. Just a dissatisfied customer and a chef who needs more training in the culinary arts.


    "Haha! It''s done!" Bing cried joyfully.


    "Surprise Fatty!!!" Several men popped out from the sand beneath him and leapt towards him with curved blades.


    Bing''s mind went blank as a massive amount of sand covered his hard earned acquired meal.


    "I swear to the heavens above, none of you will survive my wrath..." Multiple blades pierced through his body.

 88 Bing In The Desert Part 2!

    The blades stabbing through his torso were locked within the folds of his flesh. The sand bandits were unable to move their sword even a single centimeter! It didn''t matter if they were trying to pull their swords out or shove their swords further in, it was useless. No one knew exactly what Bing was feeling at this moment. His blue hair hung down over his face, covering his eyes and expression. What they did know was that he was not moving an inch.


    "Is he dead?" A bandit asked.


    "Could you survive with 6 fucking swords stabbing through you?"


    "I did hear he was a monster earlier..."


    "You''re such a fucking retar---" A loud metal clang sounded out and a body fell to the ground.


    One by one, all the bandits that stabbed him had their skulls crushed in with his shield. The swords lodged into his body were slowly being pushed out by his fat. They dropped with a soft thud to the sand below and Bing turned around to face his attackers. This ambush was planned. Somehow, they tracked him and planned to kill him here.


    "Fire!" A voice shouted as a rain of arrows headed straight towards Bing.


    Bing raised his shield and slowly walked forward. None of the arrows could even scratch the surface of his shield. Its defensive abilities were remarkable. Bing has yet to find the limit to the amount of damage it could take. At times even Ying''s sword couldn''t pierce through it during their spars.


    With Devil''s Physique, his body could naturally take arrows on without any harm. They bounced off his skin when they made contact. This greatly startled the sand bandits. Once they saw that their arrows had no effect on him, they began throwing talismans at him instead. Bing couldn''t risk getting hit by one of those. There are countless number of spells that could ruin him even with his tough body.


    He only knew this after finding out the Empress became an apprentice spellmaster. There was no reason why a person like her would do that for no reason. There had to be something about the art of talismans and formations that could be used in a way never seen before. The Empress tended to do things like that.


    He used Swift Devil once to avoid the magical flying slips of paper and then a second time to arrive in the middle of their group.


    "Kill him! Kill him!" He slashed at Bing with his sword.


    "Die you fat monster!" He shot an arrow towards Bing''s head.


    Bing calmly waved his shield and blocked both attacks. He ruthlessly struck them back with unrestrained blows with his fist and shield. Bing spared no mercy towards any of the bandits aiming to rob and kill him. He was like an unstoppable juggernaut as he tore through them like brittle wood with his terrifying strength. Blades had little effect on his body, arrows were like toothpicks, and talismans were avoided with extreme caution.


    "Gahhh!" Bing knocked his shield into a bandit''s forehead, launching him across the sand.


    "I know I killed your lizard mount but is that really any reason to come after my life with this much force?" Bing suddenly asked.


    "Of course not. We had a different reason for coming after you." A woman suddenly revealed herself.


    She rose from the sand right beneath him and this shocked Bing greatly. He hopped away to gain distance from the woman and was secretly frightened. Where did she come from?! Bing didn''t sense anyone near him at all! She escaped his senses and could''ve easily killed him if she wanted to!


    "And that reason is...?" She was stronger than him and not by a small amount.


    "You''re not from around here, are you?" She asked. It was a probing question, possibly.


    "Of course I am. I lived in this desert my entire life." Bing lied with a straight face.


    "Oh?" Her voice rose in amused interest. "Then who am I?"


    "Like I wouldn''t be able to tell who you are. The real question is do you know who I am?" Bing shot the question back towards her. He made sure to pump up his voice in an arrogant manner.


    "No. I don''t. And if I don''t know you, then you certainly aren''t from around here." She was important. She must be a big figure on this floor.


    "Heh, I guess your little scouts aren''t worth much if they can''t even find out about me. The Great Mountain Crusher, Leng Huan. Everyone knows about me and my powerful Huan Clan." Bing boasted perfectly.


    "A little Qi Gatherer at the 5th stage dares to mock my men? Surely your background is anything but ordinary if you have the guts to insult my men to my face."


    "What are your men worth to me?! My entire clan could destroy your little group with a fart! Do you truly not recognize this handsome young lord?" Bing flexed his plump muscles.


    "Hmm..." She was conflicted. His bluff was actually working!


    "I''ll say this out of the kindness of my heart. Get out of my sight and stop bothering this young master. My patience is wearing thin for you bandits. If you wish to continue spitting on my kind gestures, then prepare to find your entire little group annihilated within the next few days." Bing threatened with a pompous gesture.


    "Oi! Did you bastards properly investigate this guy?" She yelled to her men.


    The fact he wasn''t cowering to her when she was an 8th stage Qi Consolidator probably unnerved her. He had to thank Wan Qing for this. She regularly used her 6th stage Qi Consolidation qi aura around him and Lei. Not caring if they could withstand it or not. This forced them to quickly adapt or become a bigger burden to her.


    ''Now''s my chance!'' Bing thought.


    "Thanks! See ya later!" The bandits were nothing more than just a blur in the distance at this point.


    "Leng Huan of the Huan Clan! You will not escape this desert alive!" Her yell became as quiet as a whisper at the speeds he was going.


    He made sure to position himself in the direction that Lei was at before attacking the woman. It would be counter-productive if he was sent flying in the opposite direction from Qing or Lei. Bing still didn''t let his guard down even though he was so far away from the woman. As soon as he landed back on the ground, he used Swift Devil till his body couldn''t handle the strain anymore. Looking at the state his shield was in, he absolutely wouldn''t stand a single chance against that woman.


    His shield was damaged horribly. A deep dent was made into the shield with small cracks coming from the edges going towards the center. All the bones in Bing''s shield arm were broken. If he wasn''t using Devil''s Arms and a recovery pill to slowly heal the injuries, his arm would look a mangled horrifying mess right now. But he didn''t come out of that situation with nothing.


    A stupidly wide silly smile was on Bing''s face. He brought his palms together and slowly split them apart as a tiny black and white orb manifested in between them. The orb immediately shattered and blood spurted from Bing''s orifices, but his smile didn''t lessen one bit. Whatever this technique was he stole from the woman, it was too powerful for him to utilize with his lacking qi control. He''d ruin his qi pathways trying to correctly perform this technique.


    But there was something that confused Bing about this lucky situation. Stealing that technique wasn''t what he aimed for at all. He didn''t even know he had the power to steal techniques! Bing just hoped to escape without suffering too much damage from that woman. He??s absorbed several people with his devil hand but never has a situation like this happened to him before. What Bing was interested in knowing was what was the difference between her and the other people''s he''s drained.


    It was a mystery he hoped to find out one day but for now, he just wanted to get the hell off this floor. If anyone asked him about his opinion about deserts, he would ask them, "Did you mean desserts? I love them."


    "Heh..." His stomach rumbled as he laughed at his own joke.


    Bing''s attention was captured by a very strange sight in the sky coming towards him. The figure waved at him with a mysteriously large object on his back. While the other one, far above him, looked down on him with disappointment. Heh heh... he expected that look when he didn''t breakthrough in the several days he''s been on this floor.


    Wan Qing was flying on her fan with Ni Xong in her lap. Lei Zhi hooked his fishing pole to Wan Qing''s fan and was soaring through the sky connected to her fan. Quon was wrapped around him and Xiurong as too tiny to see from this distance. Quite a strange sight to greet him but considering his allies, he isn''t too surprised... If anything, he''s glad to see them. Now he could have a feast with Lei''s fishing rod!


    "Hey guys!" Bing waved.


    "I see you made zero progress whatsoever." Qing immediately struck him where it hurts.


    "I uh... had some trouble on this floor..." He admitted somewhat embarrassed.


    "Hmph." She lowered her fan to only slightly hover above sand.


    "You must have had it rough. I can tell by how messed up you look." Lei said with a giant golden coffin on his back.


    "What''s with the..." Bing asked, referring to his coffin.


    "A spirit tool I found. I''ll show you what it does another time." Lei answered.


    "How was your journey Qing?" Bing asked nicely.


    "Better than yours it seems." She took in his appearance after hearing Lei Zhi bring it up.


    "Isn''t that the truth..." He agreed. "I just ran into an 8th stage Qi Consolidator not too long ago and barely got away with my life."


    "I was wondering why the left side of your body looked like that..." Lei said.


    "You can see my injuries?!" Bing exclaimed. Outwardly his left side didn''t look injured at all because of his auxiliary art covering it but inwardly his bones an organs on that side were a complete mess.


    "I can see quite a few things." Lei revealed.


    "Hmm. That''s not bad." Qing couldn''t lie. It wasn''t easy to spot internal injuries. Even qi had its limits when it came to sensing.


    "Lei Zhi, I need a big favor from you. I''m starving and haven''t eaten in many days. Can you please fish me up some food to cook so I can not starve to death?" Bing begged.


    "Not a problem Bing but just so you know, I have no idea what I''ll pull out with this pole. There is a chance that it could be poisonous or inedible entirely." Lei shared.


    ''Shouldn''t you be worried about your injuries?'' Wan Qing thought.


    "Let''s do it." Bing wasn''t a gambling man but sometimes you have to take chances to survive. He refused to starve again.


    "What are you doing exactly?" Qing was curious. What mysterious ability did Lei Zhi''s fishing pole have? Was it similar to her own fan? Even though she has been with them through several floors in the Great Tower, she hasn''t seen too much of their abilities as she handled most of the trouble that came their way.


    "Come watch an old man do some good ole fishing." Lei Zhi took a squat on the sand and channeled his qi into his weapon. Bing excitedly stood next to him, preparing to subdue any beast that gets hooked by Lei. Ni Xong mimicked Bing''s excitement and copied him as Wan Qing relaxed on her fan and looked on in feigned disinterest.

 89 Doing Some Good Ole Fishing.

    "Oh. This one might be a fighter." Lei Zhi''s fishing rod was bending at an impressive length. "Do you mind helping me out Xiurong?" He asked.


    Bing and Ni Xong prepared themselves for whatever was going to come out of that multi-colored slit. The golden panda cub happily copied Bing. Ni Xong remembered the delicious treat he shared with him in the past and liked him ever since. He hoped that he would taste more delicious treats by sticking close next to him. Wan Qing was more interested in what Lei Zhi''s fishing rod was doing rather than keeping her eye on Ni Xong.


    Xiurong crawled her way over onto Lei Zhi''s hand and gave the pole a small tug. The bent fishing tool was immediately fixed and a small creature instantly came flying out of the slit. Bing used Swift Devil and arrived in front of Lei Zhi to catch whatever was coming out. Ni Xong tried to keep up with Bing but he didn''t have any movement martial arts and could only clumsily run over to him to try and help.


    "Hot! Hot!" Bing cried out as he dropped the beast that came from the portal.


    Saying that Bing was shocked would be an understatement. His resistance to extreme temperatures have increased greatly ever since he''s gained Devil''s Physique. There were very few times that he could say that something was hot to him now. Whatever this fish was, it was by far one of the hottest thing''s he''s ever touched.


    "A fire fish?" Wan Qing questioned.


    The creature in question swam through the air as if it was water. A fierce flame burned on its body that slightly singed everyone''s skin. Fur in Ni Xong''s case. Bing smacked the fish with most of his strength and killed it in one hit while slightly burning his unbroken hand. He sucked his teeth from the pain of the burn while Ni Xong helped him by slapping it after it died.


    Only to have his fur catch on fire from the flames. Bing didn''t have enough time to tell the little guy not to touch it as he was managing his own burn. The golden cub''s reaction to suddenly bursting into flames was to run around in a circle screaming. Not the smartest but then again, if Bing was at his age, he would probably do the same.


    "You idiot!" Wan Qing reprimanded harshly. She hopped off her fan and lightly swung it their direction.


    The fierce winds blew out both Ni Xong and the burning fish''s flames. Although, it was only temporary for the fish. The flames soon came back to life after a few moments of being extinguished. Lei Zhi went over to the fish and stabbed it with his fishing hook in a specific part on its body. After poking an internal organ within the creature, they heard the sound of air being pushed out from inside.


    "How did you know that would stop the flames?" Bing asked curiously


    "I didn''t. That''s just where all its qi was stored." Lei Zhi explained.


    "I couldn''t sense any qi at all from that fish..." Bing muttered.


    "That???s true..." Bing agreed with this reasoning. His qi control and qi quality in general were lacking terribly in comparison to a qi cultivator at his stage.


    "Hey, Lei, do you think this thing will taste spicy?" Bing suddenly asked.


    "Heh... You would wonder something like that, wouldn''t ya?" Lei Zhi chuckled.


    "It''s an honest question." Bing replied.


    "Probably not after what I just did but I wouldn''t know for sure." Lei Zhi answered him.


    "I didn''t know spirit beasts had organs to store qi in either..." Bing muttered.


    "Are you ready for round 2? I doubt this''ll be enough to feed a guy like you." Lei Zhi asked. The red glimmering fish was thicker than Bing''s arm.


    "You know me well." He snickered. "Give me a second to cool my hand off. My hand still stings badly."


    Bing and Lei Zhi watched the fish''s fire slowly die out while Wan Qing was busy comforting the terrified and slightly charred Ni Xong. She confirmed that he wasn''t injured and at most just lost some fur on his body. This didn''t help his emotional state though, even though he was fine he was still crying his eyes out. Wan Qing rolled her eyes as she let the cub cry into her chest. It was annoying but she wouldn''t be cruel to her spirit beast and ignore its feelings. Hopefully he''ll grow out of this pathetic phase of his and learn to be a real man soon. Unfortunately, thinking about all the men in this group made her worried for his future even more. None of them had too many manly qualities that she would want for him to emulate.


    "You should know better than to touch fire, idiot." Wan Qing said.


    "Rour..." He sobbed in response.


    Minutes went by with the group waiting for Bing''s pain to go away. While he was waiting, Bing tried several things to make the pain go away faster. Coating his hand in qi, using his Devil''s Arm to try and deal with it somehow, and when that didn''t work, he simply tried blowing on it. None of the methods worked and he was starting to get worried. Not even the recovery pill seemed to work on it. Lei Zhi tried to help him but he didn''t have anything on him that could help either. Xiurong suggested cutting it off with her claw. Bing immediately refused that suggestion. He didn''t know if his Devil''s Arm could regrow limbs but he sure as hell didn''t want to find out over something like this.


    "Tch. I''ll handle it." Wan Qing spoke annoyed. A bright blue butterfly floated off her of finger and flew towards Bing''s burned palm.


    Once it landed on his hand, it shook its wings and scattered a small amount of blue dust onto his hand. In almost no time at all, tiny little blue spores grew all over Bing''s hand. He could feel his qi being drained by these little things and looked at Wan Qing in confusion. After doing its job, the butterfly took off from his hand and returned back to Wan Qing.


    "Don''t let those stay on your hand for too long. It might suck you dry and completely drain everything in your hand." She casually explained, terrifying Bing greatly.


    "I''m not going to lose my hand, am I?!" He was one second away from rapidly shaking his hand to get rid of the spores.


    "Hehe... As long as your quick enough." Wan giggled.


    "I believe she means that you have to remove them when you no longer feel the pain from the fire." Lei Zhi clarified.


    "Oh! Thanks Qing!" Bing patiently waited till he couldn''t feel the burning on his palm anymore.


    Bing clapped his hands together with great force after several seconds, destroying the spores.


    "Ha ha ha! My hand is back to normal now!" Bing cheered.


    "You don''t have a lot of qi, do you?" Qing asked him.


    "Nah. My cultivation technique isn''t the best so I can only gather so much." He explained. It was the reason why it takes him so long to break through even though he has 3 sky-ranked martial arts.


    "Which one is it?" She wondered.


    "Book of Qi." He answered.


    "Ew." She responded honestly.


    "Yeah... Heh heh heh... That''s a normal reaction." He rubbed the back of his head embarrassed. It was the most looked down on cultivation technique within the continent because literally anyone could afford it.


    "I''m sure you''ll find one suited for you soon." Lei said positively.


    "I can only hope. Now, let''s get this second fish." He rubbed his hands in anticipation. The flame fish was already placed to the side, ready to be prepped and cooked for later.


    "Alright, here we go." Lei Zhi tossed his fishing pole into the unexplainable tear in space.


    Bing waited near Lei Zhi so that he could grab whatever came out. Ni Xong was staying behind Wan Qing this time around and watching with her from her lap. Quon wanted to help Lei Zhi so he floated next to Bing ready to paralyze whatever came out of the opening next with his tentacles. The group then caught several different beasts of all shapes, sizes, and with all types of abilities in a few hours.


    Some of the beasts were forced to be sent back as their strength was too great for them to handle. Wan Qing was the most shocked when encountering these types of spirit beasts. One of the unique things about Lei Zhi''s fishing pole was that every beast pulled out from the colorful slit was at the same cultivation stage as Lei Zhi. Who himself was at the 5th stage of the Qi Gathering realm. So, when she met with these incredibly powerful beasts that should be considered trash to her and seeing them easily dwarf her in every aspect, it was a very humbling experience.


    It somewhat reminded her of the time she almost died against Kun Lao. Someone that should''ve been far weaker than her was actually better than her. At first, she gave the excuse that it was because of his bloodline and spirit weapon that he bested her but as time went on, she had to accept that she lost fair and square. She didn''t train hard enough. She didn''t push herself as hard as she could have. She underestimated her opponent. She didn''t take the fight seriously when she should have. As humiliating as it is, Wan had to accept that her talent has its limits. Her pride should not cloud her judgement and decisions. If she doesn''t change those qualities about herself, it won''t be long before she''s dying in a pathetic manner all over again.


    "Hahaha! We got a great haul everyone! Now let''s get cooking!" Bing happily announced with several injuries over his body.

 90 Cooking The Food.

    "I think its best if you wait till you''ve healed up some. Your injuries are not light." Lei Zhi said after taking a close look at him.


    "No can do Lei. If I wait any longer my stomach is going to rupture and burst from starvation." Bing began preparing the various different types of fishes.


    "What are you even talking about?" Wan Qing didn''t believe that''s how starving worked for anyone.


    "Heh. He''s just excited to eat all the delicacies here. It wouldn''t have hurt if he waited till his injuries recovered but, youth is the time to be reckless. Even if it''s over something like this." Lei Zhi happily chuckled.


    "Sounds stupid to me." Wan Qing replied.


    "Well, we''re all different." He smiled at her.


    "Haha! I knew bringing all these spices would be worth it!" Bing excitedly exclaimed.


    In between his meaty fingers were spices of all sorts of colors. He sprinkled them across every beast they successfully killed. Ni Xong was very interested in what Bing was doing now that they weren''t pulling out anymore beasts to fight. To him, now that all the strong fish were dead or gone, no more scary things would happen. He scampered out of Qing''s lap and closely watched Bing preparing the fish. Ni Xong''s sensitive nose couldn''t handle the spices and he started sneezing all over the place, making Wan Qing more annoyed and Lei Zhi to chuckle at him cutely sneezing.


    Ni Xong didn''t understand why he was sneezing and got scared. Bringing him straight back to Wan Qing''s lap once again. Unfortunately, unlike last time, Wan Qing did not comfort him about this.


    "Quit being such a girl! Man up! You''re just sneezing. Nothing bad is happening to you." She explained harshly.


    Ni Xong didn''t understand why Wan Qing was yelling at him but he did recognize the words man and up. It was when she wanted him to do the opposite of what he felt. Ni Xong went over to the nice old man instead and was stopped in his tracks before he could reach Lei Zhi. A terrifying aura latched onto him from behind.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" She asked in a frightening tone.


    "Raor!" He sneezed trying to respond.


    "Get back over here and stop crying over every single thing! If I tell you sneezing isn''t anything to be afraid of, then it isn''t!" She told him.


    He sorrowfully walked over to Wan Qing, still sneezing horribly. Bing just got done seasoning the fish and was now cooking them all. Now he had to wait till they were done cooking. In the meantime, he should cultivate. His innate skill that allows him to know whenever food was done cooking would wake him when it was time.


    "I wish Ying was here..." Bing muttered when he saw how slowly the fish were being cooked.


    "I don''t think she would appreciate you thinking of her in that type of way." Lei Zhi told him.


    "Why wouldn''t she? No one likes being used." Wan added.


    "Yeah but... it would be so helpful."


    "True but also inconsiderate sometimes." Lei said.


    "How?" Bing asked.


    "How would you feel if someone only wanted you around because you could cook for them? And the only reason they would talk to you was regarding your cooking and nothing else." Lei Zhi asked back.


    "What does that have to do with Ying?" Bing cluelessly asked.


    "Idiot." Wan Qing bluntly stated.


    "What?!" Bing felt insulted. What were they trying to get at?


    "Let me try and explain it in a different way for you..." Lei said to him. "There is more to Ying than just her ability to make fire."


    "Yeah, I know that." Bing agreed.


    "But you don''t get how it would be insulting if you used her for that one purpose?" Qing asked while staring at him with an insulting look in her eyes.


    Then it all clicked inside Bing''s head.


    "Ooh! No, no, no guys you got it all wrong. I didn''t mean to imply that I thought that Ying was only useful for her fire. I know there are several other sides to her that are equally as good, I was just saying that her fire would be so helpful right now. Not that she''s only useful because of her fire." Bing clarified.


    "There ya go." Lei Zhi smiled. He knew the boy didn''t think of Ying like that, he just needed to think of his words more carefully.


    "Hmph. You''re still dumb but at least you''re not that dumb." Wan Qing complimented.


    "Heh... Sorry about the misunderstanding." Bing felt a small tug on his leg.


    He looked down to see Ni Xong saying something to him while pointing to the cooking food. Bing guessed he must be wondering when the food will be ready. He carefully sniffed the barely cooked fishes to estimate the time when they would be ready.


    "It''ll take some hours before they''re ready for eating." Bing told him.


    "Don''t disturb me while I''m cultivating." Wan Qing said to the two.


    "We''ll wake you when the food''s ready." Lei Zhi told her.


    "When did I ever say I was hungry?" Wan Qing coldly responded as an uncountable number of colorful butterflies surrounded her and encompassed her figure in a dome of butterflies.


    "I guess we should get to cultivating as well, huh?" Lei Zhi said to Bing as he took a seat and crossed his legs.


    "One of us should keep an eye out." Bing said.


    "Don''t worry about that. Xiurong and Quon can keep watch for us. They don''t need to cultivate like us humans who need to concentrate to cultivate." Lei Zhi explained.


    "Alright then. I''ll wake you when the food is ready." Bing got into his meditative pose to begin cultivating.


    The two men closed their senses off and focused solely on absorbing the plentiful qi around them to bring into their dantian. They cycled this qi throughout their body, slowly nourishing every cell within them. This nourishment for the cells would increase their strength ever so slightly. Cultivators would repeat this cycling of qi hundreds of times during cultivation until their body couldn''t accept anymore. Then they would use the qi that they absorbed to try and break through the natural barrier placed within their dantian to breakthrough to the next cultivation stage. The process differed for everyone as no cultivator had the same body. Even those who practice the same cultivation skill wouldn''t have the same progress as the act of cultivating was also different for everyone.


    Some are taught to cultivate in a specific manner by those older than them who were also taught by someone who taught them. Others learned instinctively and on their own through trial and error. There is no telling which way is correct or incorrect as both cultivation practices have seen great success through several famous cultivators sharing their methods. It is still highly debated to this day which practice method is superior. Natural or taught.


    Wan Qing''s hundreds of butterflies circling around herself meant that her cultivation technique was somehow connected to the butterflies. Lei Zhi had no such special event taking place around him while he was cultivating. Not even an aura of qi that surrounded his body, which was highly unusual. Most cultivators emitted some type of qi while absorbing the natural energy within the air. Ying emitted a hot flaming aura while she cultivated. Hu Tao emitted an electrical aura or a heavy aura while he cultivated. Bing was also included in this category.


    Bing had multiple arms shooting out from different parts of his body while he was cultivating. A barely visible black and white aura formed around his body. His cultivation technique was somehow able to merge or connect with his Devil Arts. It was surprising as it was incredibly rare to find cultivation techniques that can combine with other martial arts. Even elemental martial arts don''t merge so easily with martial techniques of the same element.


    The spirit beasts who didn''t need to meditate to cultivate looked at each other. Ni Xong went over to Xiurong and Quon to play. Xiurong grew herself to the panda cub''s size and Quon floated above them both. It was their job to protect the humans from being attacked.


    ''We train?'' Quon blorped.


    ''No training. We protect humans.'' Xiurong clicked.


    ''I don''t like fighting...'' Ni Xong roared.


    ''You must. Or humans will die.'' Xiurong told him.


    ''I don''t want her to die.'' Ni Xong responded.


    ''Then you gotta fight! To protect her!'' Quon said.


    He still didn''t look too comfortable with the idea of fighting but if it was to protect his owner then he had to try at least.


    ''Okay... I will fight.'' He gathered his nerves.


    ''Good. You are weak male but you are not worthless.'' Xiurong praised.


    ''You''ll be a strong male in no time Xong! Just do what I do!'' Quon floated around the panda quickly.


    ''I can''t float like that.'' Ni Xong said.


    ''No! That''s not what I meant! You just need to be brave like me! I''m not scared of anything!''


    ''I can''t do that either. I''m scared of a lot of things.''


    ''It is okay to be afraid. What is not okay is letting that fear take control of you. A strong male must be able to recognize danger and learn whether to avoid it or destroy it.'' Xiurong explained.


    ''I''ll try my best Xiurong.''


    ''Good. Because something is coming now. Prepare yourselves.'' Xiurong turned around and faced in the direction where the threat was coming.


    ''I''ll handle this!'' Quon floated in front of Xiurong, oozing with confidence.


    ''I''ll go get my gloves!'' Ni Xong clumsily ran over to the meditating Wan Qing to get his golden gauntlets next to her.

 91 The Beast Chapter.

    In front of the giant octopus and crab were several long-necked beasts staring in their direction. They were giant birds with threatening presences. Their eyes focused on the cooking food instead of the two spirit beasts who planned on defending it.


    ''Take food.''


    ''Easy food.''


    ''Get food.''


    And they started running towards the cooking fishes. Their speed was quick and their long legs carried dangerously sharp talons on the edge of their feet. Hard steel-like beaks with long slobbery tongues hanging out their mouths. It was obvious that they were carnivorous birds from the way they greedily eyed the fishes. Nothing else was on their mind except the tantalizing smell of the slowly cooking meat.


    Quon stepped up first and floated in front of the herd of desert birds. He used all eight of his tentacles like whips and slapped every large bird that he flew past. Each bird he slapped with his tentacles squawked out in horrible pain and almost instantly dropped to the sand, unable to move a single inch from the terrible pain. Quon''s speed was fast enough to keep up with the flightless birds so, they couldn''t outrun him and try to ignore him over the cooking food. But they did try exactly that and ignore him over the food. Their brains didn''t take in that other members of their herd were being taken out and instead only focused on the delicious smelling meat.


    Bird brains in the truest sense of the word. Xiurong powerfully stood in front of the ones that managed to get past Quon. She didn''t plan on letting a single bird live that intended to come past her. And from what she could see, every single one of them were planning that exact thing. They didn''t even acknowledge her presence with a glance as they ran towards her.


    ''Dumb birds.'' She clicked.


    Xiurong grew her right claw and took a simple swing at the row of birds trying speed past her. Each bird was caught in her gigantic claw and split apart. The next row of spirit beasts coming were smacked away with their bones crushes. None of them stood a chance against her. Neither individually nor grouped up together. But they never even entertained the thought of fighting Xiurong.


    Their mind was on one thing since the start and Xiurong had her limits despite her mighty strength. She wasn''t quite as quick as the birds. Some of the birds managed to use the corpses of their fallen group members as platforms to jump over Xiurong''s claws. A few of them even managed to hop on her claw and jump completely over her head to head towards the food. It enraged her that some got past her but she couldn''t very well turn around and chase after them. Even more would break through, she would just have to leave it to the child.


    ''Go away!'' Ni Xong yelled as he uppercutted a bird far away.


    Ni Xong was exhibiting most of those punches on every spirit beast that got past Xiurong. Each of his punches took the flightless birds out in a single hit in most cases, but when one wasn''t enough to take it out, a second one would come out lightning quick to finish it for good. The longer he kept his assault up, the faster his fists would become. If a single punch previously took a second to throw out, as he was now, he could throw out 3 punches every second. This would continually increase the longer he kept his body moving and his arms punching.


    The only downside to this was, it became more taxing on his body and qi as time went on. A martial art that gave strength at the cost of one''s body. Quite common for higher ranked martial arts as good things must come at some price. And Ni Xong was still just a small cub that has not been in this world for that long. His arms were shaking, his body was hurting all over, and he felt like crying because of the pain. They still had quite a few more birds to deal with even though he just wanted to lie down and rest.


    Ni Xong''s eyes wandered over to the cultivating Wan Qing and the thought of her getting hurt because of him pained his heart. She may not always be very nice to him but he still cares about her a lot. Enough to withstand this pain his body was going through and continue to fight so that she can stay safe. He gritted his teeth and gave out a cute fierce roar as he gave his all into finishing the rest of these beasts off.


    ''Give it your all little one.'' Xiurong supported him.


    Her claws smashed into any bird body they could land on. The large birds seemed to excel only in speed and were quite weak when it came to other prospects. They couldn''t handle strong attacks. They didn''t attack with powerful strength. And they weren''t that good in the mental department.


    ''Haha! Show em whose boss Xong!'' Quon cheered.


    He''s already finished up with the ones in the front. His paralyzing poison was enough to take them down with a single tap of his tentacle. Their only fate was to experience excruciating pain from his poison and hope that they would suffer heart attacks from the pain to put them out of their misery. Quon''s poison lied in stimulating all the pain receptors within a creature''s body to immobilize them for consumption. This poison would stay within the prey''s body for weeks if left untreated. There was no known cure for this poison where Quon came from. But in this world, there were several ways one could cure the poison.


    Ni Xong reared his fist back with the last of his strength. He struggled to bring it back all the way but his final enemy was right in front of him. There was no way he could just give up now. His final punch was ready to fire. The little golden panda couldn''t even feel his legs anymore from moving all over the place but they still moved when he needed them to. Ni Xong leapt towards the final bird and punched it straight in its beak. The spirit beast that was close to snatching a red-colored fish in its mouth could only screech loudly as it was launched dozens of meters away.


    Ni Xong dropped to the sand below completely exhausted. Xiurong skittled over to him and rubbed her claw on his head.


    ''Not as weak as I thought.'' She complimented.


    ''Yeah, you were awesome Xong!'' Quon agreed.


    ''Thanks...'' He struggled to say before going unconscious.


    Xiurong threw the little cub on top of her shell and walked over to the mass of blue butterflies that were encircling Wan Qing. She propped him down next to it and got to work on eating the bodies that littered the desert sand red. As a pregnant crab, she wasn''t eating just for one. She was eating for a couple hundred. Quon helped her a bit by eating some of the birds himself but he was eating for one so he didn''t eat nearly as many as Xiurong did. It would still be helpful for his cultivation if he ate as many as he could stomach.


    Spirit beasts passively cultivate through the qi naturally flowing throughout the world. This is why wild beasts tend to seek out places with higher concentration of qi in the air so that they can cultivate even faster. But this wasn''t the only way spirit beasts grew in cultivation. The main way was preying on other spirit beasts and devouring their cores! Every spirit beast grows a beast core when they reach the first stage of cultivation.


    As the source of their qi and blood essence, this naturally grown bead was a beast''s most important organ. It was the only organ that could gather qi naturally. It is no surprise that this bead also holds immense value to cultivators either. These beast cores can provide a multitude of benefits if utilized correctly. This was why even the weakest of spirit beasts were valued throughout the cultivating world. A beast core from beast at the first stage would sell enough to allow a poor mortal family to rise into aristocracy in one leap.


    Spirit beast are somewhat superior to cultivators in the way they cultivate. They cultivate as both as body and qi cultivators without needing to do anything special besides eating things filled with qi. Their bodies are just made in a way that they progress physically and spiritually at the same time during cultivation. Humans only naturally acquire qi when they cultivate, forcing them to rely on other methods of gaining ways to strengthen their physical bodies.


    ______________________________________________


    Bing''s nose suddenly started twitching before his eyes opened wide.


    "Food''s done!" He yelled excitedly.

 92 A Nice Picnic In The Desert & A Surprise Party?!

    "I guess you were right leaving it to the spirit beasts. They really did a good job protecting the food." Bing munched down on a cooked fish.


    "Yep. They''re really reliable. It might take additional resources to raise them properly along with giving them the love and care they need as living creatures but it is rewarding." Lei Zhi said as he bit into his own fish.


    "I couldn''t handle a spirit beast of my own. I already need so many resources as a cultivator that trying to share some of that with a pet would actually hurt my own cultivation speed." Bing responded back.


    "That''s a normal issue for those thinking about becoming beast masters. You aren''t alone in thinking that kind of way Bing. Taking care of a pet that will become your lifelong partner isn''t an easy task." Lei Zhi rubbed Xiurong''s shell as he said this.


    "Blirp?" Quon asked for attention as well. Lei Zhi rubbed his squishy large head too, causing him to make a strange sound that reminded Bing of a vibrating squid.


    How? He wouldn''t be able to explain either. It''s just one of those sounds that seems like it would make sense if described in this exact way. Could you explain that weird sound he just heard from a creature that''s not even supposed to be able to breathe on land?


    "What made you pick up Ni Xong, Qing?" Bing asked curiously.


    "His future potential." She answered bluntly.


    "What do you mean?" Lei Zhi wanted to know more.


    "His mother was a strong spirit beast that needed several talented cultivators to kill. His specific race as a Golden Panda seems to be inherently blessed with powerful vitality. It takes a lot to seriously wound them." She explained while looking at her specific golden panda. He was peacefully eating a fish with his paws and sitting next to Bing.


    "A normal cultivator would raise him just to use his body as material to aid their cultivation. I''m surprised you would decide to raise him as a pet. I heard Golden Pandas are very valuable on the market." Lei Zhi shared.


    "I''m surprised as well." She muttered.


    Wan Qing initially did plan to use the cub''s body to further her own growth at first. He was very valuable to Alchemists and they would pay money out of their savings to get a hold on any single one of his body parts. It would be enough to pay for a spirit ring and give her enough resources to safely cultivate for a while. So, when did she start to actually care for the little annoyance?


    "Ror!" Ni Xong suddenly realized something as he was almost finished eating his fish. He looked at everyone else eating but noticed something about his owner.


    He got up from the ground and ran over to Wan Qing. He said something to her in bear language before handing her his half-eaten fish. She was the only person not eating! He didn''t mind sharing his fish with her as there were a lot more fishes to eat.


    "Disgusting..." She muttered under her breath looking at the slobbery, ripped, and teared fish. "Get that thing out of my face." Wan told him.


    Seeing her refuse his fish must mean that she wasn''t hungry. He smiled and went back over to where he was sitting to delightfully finish his food.


    "Do you want any food Wan Qing? You''re free to take some not already eaten." Bing asked her.


    "They are quite delicious. Much better than anything at the sect, I can tell you that for sure." He expressed happily.


    This aroused Wan Qing''s appetite and curiosity just a bit. The aroma coming from the delicacies were indeed tempting along with watching everyone eating them with such relish made her wonder if it was really as good as they were making it out to be. But she refused to ask for any. She really wasn''t that hungry in the first place.


    "I''m fine." She coldly replied.


    "Heh... you kids can never just be honest with yourselves sometimes." Lei Zhi muttered to himself. Qing reminded him of Ying in a way. Sometimes she just couldn''t be honest either because of her pride or whatever. Pride was such a useless thing in Lei Zhi''s opinion when you couldn''t be who you wanted to be because of it.


    He walked over and placed down a bowl with several medium-sized fishes next to her.


    "Take it as a gift. For saving us so many times during the Great Tower." Lei Zhi said in a way that hopefully would get her to accept it.


    "What part of-" Her defensive reply was interrupted as Bing came over as well with some food.


    He placed down a large metal bowl with several large sized fishes cooked to perfection inside it. The combined smell of the fishes went directly into Wan Qing''s nose, awakening her hunger and her stomach. A great growl escaped from her stomach, reddening her face and absolutely ruining the situation for her.


    "I like to thank you as well. Without you, Lei and I definitely wouldn''t have made it this far in the Great Tower." Bing thanked.


    "Tch. I guess at this point, I don''t really have a choice but to accept it." She dragged both bowls towards herself before an irritated look appeared on her face.


    Ni Xong came over for a second time after seeing what Lei Zhi and Bing did. This time he brought a bowl with all half-eaten fishes inside. He thanked her for taking care of him all this time in panda dialect and placed the bowl down in front of her.


    "How much do you people think I eat!?" She yelled, quite embarrassed but also a bit happy.


    ______________________________________________


    "Hoo boy. You all set up quite the surprise party for me." Hu Tao whistled in surprise.


    Around him were several cultivators from the many factions in the Inner Court. A good majority of them were above his current cultivation stage. They all glared at him with gazes that filled him with excitement. This was going to be a hell of a fight.


    "You''ve stepped out of line, Hu Tao." Hop, the leader of the Heavenly Collectors, said.


    "Gotten a bit too big for your own britches, haven''t ya?" Lok, the leader of the Mountain Crushers, chuckled.


    "A filthy mutt like yourself should be proud that we took the time to plan something like this for you." Fan, the leader of the Righteous Demons, arrogantly told him.


    "It is an honor that someone like you don''t deserve." Zong Ying, the leader of the Great Heavens, spoke.


    "To think that a bunch of pussies got scared of my godly talent. I guess I killed too many of ya, haven''t I?" Hu Tao was drenched with magical treasures all over his body.


    His new strength thanks to Jing plus his own talent and efforts, allowed him to thrive in the Great Tower. He was like an unrestrained beast in paradise as he did whatever he wanted during the floors and was rewarded for his efforts by the Tower. This led to many fearing him, envying him, and mimicking him. Eventually it got to the point where his strength was rising too quickly and it frightened certain people.


    He was already naturally talented in martial arts and fighting itself. If his power was improved even further, there was no telling what he could possibly do if given enough time. This was why they all decided to deal with this threat now before he could threaten them in the future. Especially since he refused to join any of their factions for certain reasons. His offer to be the slave of whoever defeated him has passed. It could no longer be claimed which meant he was useless to them alive. If he couldn''t be reasoned with, he had to be put down.


    "Kill him." Zong ordered.


    All of Lok''s men charged towards Hu Tao. Their bodies were strong and mighty, only consisting of muscle, more muscle, and hair. Hop''s men followed behind Lok''s with their tamed spirit beasts and Fan''s demons disappeared their way through the crowd like trained assassins. Zong''s followers encircled around Hu Tao and the other factions. They effectively cut off all means of escape and made sure that Hu Tao died the dog death he was meant to die.


    "Hahaha! Come on! This Daddy won''t hold back with such a fantastic surprise! If you die, don''t curse me in your next life! I need my record spotless when I go back in the reincarnation cycle!" Hu Tao''s unleashed his full power.


    His entire being became one with lightning and thunder. The chains wrapped around his figure transitioned into lightning, lightning crackled and jumped with electricity behind his eyes, and the large mane he called hair glowed with a bright red glow that spiked up like a hedgehog??s quills. He laughed manically as red lightning danced all over his figure before soon, completely vanishing from his previous spot. And this certain death battle for Hu Tao began with the sound of dozens of men and women screaming from Hu Tao''s initial attack.

 93 Reaching The Tower.

    Jing, Li Li, and Wenling arrived at the entrance of the Great Tower. Jing was quite impressed looking at the tower up close. She had to force herself to look up to really take in the greatness of the structure. It rose far into sky and penetrated past the clouds.


    "Some say that the Great Tower pierces into the Heavens themselves." Wenling shared also taking in the beauty.


    "With how old this thing is, I''m not surprised that it has such legends about." Jing replied.


    "Do you know what lies at the top of the tower?" Wenling asked with a cheeky grin.


    "No. I knew absolutely nothing about the Treasured Plains before I came inside here. There wasn''t any information written about it anywhere inside the sect." Jing answered.


    Hu Tao was literally no help when she tried to find out information for the Treasured Plains. The mutt''s brain was like a walnut when it came to anything not related to fighting. That was starting to change a small amount after his near-death experience with a 9th stage Qi Consolidator. Hu Tao started sending her messages about those he killed and a small amount of information regarding them or the people around them.


    Jing was surprised at the important details he managed to sniff out from these people before they died or when he targeted them. Hu Tao could use his brain when he wanted to. He had surprisingly sharp senses when it came to finding out critical information about people. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Hu Tao was currently the best at information gathering out of her entire group so far, results wise.


    Maybe she could use the Wolfeng Gang to fix that in the future... They''ll be her group for gathering information, possibly selling it to certain powerful people, and other matters. If things stayed the way they were now, it would be quite hard for Jing to singlehandedly take over control of the Wolfeng Gang. Despite being filled with rapists, murderers, and all sorts of other terrible scum, the Wolfeng Gang share an unexplainable bond with one other. Even if they can''t see eye to eye with each other or share the same passions with another member, they have a core belief that they all share together. They have something that holds and keeps them together as a group.


    It isn''t a lie to say that Jing is somewhat jealous of that bond that they all share. Something like that can''t be forced or made intentionally. It''s something that happens by chance and with great leadership. Jing hopes to one day have her followers share a similar link. But that day would be a long time from now. She still has several other basic steps as a leader that she''s yet to accomplish with them. But once the Plains are over, it is time for a new beginning in how she will lead her group.


    "It''s said that once you reach the top of the tower, you will be granted any wish you desire." She smiled.


    "Any wish?" Jing wanted clarification.


    "How do you know all this?" Jing asked bluntly.


    From what she knew, Wenling didn''t seem like the historic type. Nor did Jing believe that she was educated at all. Her first name was literally the word Little. She couldn''t have come from an educated background and ended up as a bandit somehow.


    Just as she was thinking this, Jing quickly put a stop to those types of thoughts. It wouldn''t do well for her to assume anything about Wenling just because of the small amount of time they spent together. She would just be falling into the same routine she had before with that monkey. Jing had to change something deep inside her that made her want to underestimate and believe she knew everything about a person just because she had information on them. If she didn''t, it wouldn''t be long before she dies from her own ignorance.


    "Surprised?" Wenling grinned. "Back when I was a little girl, I regularly hung outside the school in my city and secretly listened in to the teacher''s teachings. My family couldn''t pay lessons for me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and get myself some free knowledge." She proudly stated while puffing out her sizeable chest.


    "Did you want to learn that much?" Jing asked. She herself knew that knowledge was power but did these people who valued strength and face so much, also know?


    "Well, all my friends back then were in the class. I hated feeling left out whenever they talked about what they learned in school when we were playing together. So, I didn''t really care about learning until I got older really. I liked the feeling of knowing stuff that other people didn''t. I liked learning about things I had no idea about. It felt like my world was enlarging every day." Wenling said with passion in her voice.


    "I misjudged you entirely. I apologize." Jing told her before walking inside the Great Tower.


    "Huh? Wait, what do you mean?! How did you think of me before!? You''re still my apprentice remember?! You have to respect me!" Wenling quickly followed behind Jing.


    The two of them came face to face with several hundreds of eyes watching them come inside. Jing''s eyes were immediately drawn to two people and a certain group with one sweep of her eyes. Tang Wuying and Gong Jun being crowded by several girl cultivators with Tang having an annoyed look on his face and Gong with a gentle smile on his. Their group started hollering and yelling once they arrived and quickly came scrambling towards them in excitement.


    Jing noticed one thing in particular about them all. They all had different colored lotuses on top of their heads.


    "Commander! You''re alive!"


    "Sweet heavens above, Jing is alive too!"


    "Last time we saw ya, you had a gaping hole in your gut!"


    "How the fuck are you alive!?"


    "I got lucky." She replied mildly.


    "Yeah, no shit! Holy fuck, I can''t believe you two bastards are still alive." Ears said, stepping up front.


    "Sounds like you''re eager to replace me, Vice Commander." Wenling grinned as she crossed her arms.


    "I wouldn''t dream of it. You don''t know how glad I am to see you still alive." He shared honestly.


    "I''m glad to be back." She responded back. "But uh... what''s with the new look? Did you all fall in love with some Fearsome Garden girls? Why do you all have flowers on your heads?" She wanted to know.


    "The fucking vice commander fucking gave it to us."


    "Piece of shit infected all of us with his stupid lotus."


    "Bald asshole couldn''t keep it to himself and had to spread his plant shit to us."


    "Oi! Do you fucking bastards want to die!? You think I tried to do this?! I can''t control this fucking thing! You keep talking shit and I''ll fucking kick all your asses!"


    "You wanna test that Vice Commander?" Du Zihao asked with his lightning blade sparking on his back.


    "It''s us vs you. You still think you stand a chance against all of us?" Scars spoke, feeling confident in their group''s new strength. The lotus also boosted their strengths just like it did for the Vice Commander.


    They gained a lot ever since Jing teleported them into that treasure room. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Wenling''s squad was the most decked out group out of all the groups here. They had enough magical treasures and gold accessories on them that they could be mistaken for rich young masters. That was also why everyone''s eyes were greedily eyeing them. Ears and Wenling knew that they would be the biggest target around for quite some time with this much loot on them. And since they didn''t have storage rings, it was impossible to hide most of it.


    "Cocky little bastards huh? Alright! Commander Guotin hasn''t been satisfied with some of you lazy bums anyway. I''ll beat you bastards into shape until you''re all black and blue." He cracked his knuckles.


    "You can have your roughhousing session when we get to the first floor. For now, hold it in." Wenling told them. "We have a couple guests coming towards us." Their rivals walked towards them with their own small groups equal in size to Wenling''s.


    The Huan clan and the Fearsome Garden.

 94 The Wolfeng Gangs Arrival.

    "I hope you didn''t come over here just to spout nonsense." Wenling told the two.


    "Shut your mouth, whore." Song, one of the three Roses of the Fearsome Garden, retorted.


    "You all had quite the lucky break." Chaun, one of Leng Huan''s closest men, said while greedily staring at their loot.


    "What about it?" Wenling responded, ignoring Song.


    "Nothing, I was just stating an observation." Wenling could already see him dreaming about wearing their loot.


    "Don''t get too big of a head, Cow. You dirty bandits won''t live long enough to enjoy your magical treasures anyway." Song spat.


    "Does someone hear a crying child somewhere?" Wenling dug in her ears while avoiding direct eye contact with Song. Some of the bandits laughed.


    "Just wait till we get on the first floor. I''ll shatter you to pieces!" Song angrily huffed away while her squad followed behind her in silence.


    "I suppose I should be going as well. Be careful Bandits." He flashed a fake smile and left with his clan following behind him.


    Wenling turned around to face them.


    "I don''t think I need to tell you all that everyone is going to come after us." She told them.


    "That''s right!"


    "Any son of bitch trying to take my loot is getting a fucking sword through his gut!"


    "I''ll kill anyone that tries to touch my shit!"


    "That''s what I like to hear. Look out only for ourselves and kill anyone wanting to steal our well-earned treasures!" Wenling shouted.


    Jing didn''t get caught up in the Wolfeng Gang''s morale booster. Instead she was taking note of all the participants that''s going on the first floor with them. Checking out who was the most dangerous, who would bring the most benefit to her, and who could be an obstacle to them. It didn''t need to be said that Jing would ensure the safety of the Wolfeng Gang member''s magical treasures. One of her missions from the system was to strengthen the gang until they matched the Huan clan in power.


    This would be difficult as the highest staged cultivator in the Wolfeng Gang was at the 9th stage and the highest staged cultivator in the Huan clan was at the 4th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. But it wasn''t impossible. Thankfully, there wasn''t a time limit to the mission saying that she had to make them strong enough to match the Huan clan before the Plains ended. If it did, then she''d have to resort to drastic measures with SCP-914.


    ''Oh yeah, I do have some unused tickets don''t I?'' Jing suddenly remembered.


    She finished two missions before meeting that monkey. Killing 100 beings with SCP-109 and letting 100 cultivators witness SCP-109 infinite generation of water. It looks like the system counted the peering eyes of the elders for the second mission. Jing guessed that it wasn''t without some benefits of having the elders watch her.


    The first mission rewarded her with 5 rare tickets, 1 high-ranked spirit stone, and a purifying qi pill. The second one gave Jing 5 more rare tickets and a body strengthening pill. They were all stored in her inventory since they came from the system and not herself. Jing wasn''t able to store anything in her inventory that wasn''t gained from the system first. It wasn''t explained why she wasn''t able to place things in her inventory but Jing wasn''t too bothered by it. Her refined storage ring could carry anything she wanted it to.


    As Jing was about to place her tickets into the system''s gacha wheel, the door to the first floor opened up.


    "Hello? Earth to Jing?" Wenling waved her hand in her face, slightly irritating Li Li. Jing''s attention was redirected to Wenling''s violet eyes.


    "Let''s move." Jing moved ahead and walked towards the white door.


    She decided to use the tickets later. She would have to focus on keeping these bandits alive for a while. It wouldn''t be easy to split her focus on the system and all the other cultivators around them. Jing led the gang forward as Wenling walked to the side of her with Ears behind them. They were among the first ones to enter inside.


    Jing sensed something in the sky above them and it seems everyone else did as well since they looked up in the sky with her. The clouds were shaped into words telling them how to clear this floor. Jing read the simple objective within seconds and began to think about what her strategy should be for clearing this task. As she was thinking, she threw four talismans around Wenling''s squad and activated a movement formation that immediately teleported them on top of the front wall.


    "Whoa!" The sudden movement spell surprised them all.


    "Holy shit!"


    "I think I''m falling! Someone grab me!" Scars was tipping over the edge of the wall.


    "Save yourself idiot! Hahaha." A few bandits laughed at his pathetic expression while others calmed their stomachs from the sudden spatial change.


    Scars fell over the edge and in his panic channeled all the qi within his body. The small green colored lotus on his head rapidly grew and mutated into some sort of monster plant and latched onto the edge of the wall with its plant jaws. Scars frantically reached for the edge and hoisted himself back up only to meet the surprised looks of his fellow bandits.


    "How the fuck did you just do that?"


    "Thanks for the help assholes! Really appreciate it! Don''t count on me helping you guys for anything." Scars angrily replied.


    "We were obviously gonna save ya you pissy little girl."


    "Shove it up your ass!" His transformed lotus snarled at them.


    "Oi, you stupid fucker. How did you make your lotus change into that thing?!"


    "What are you shitty pricks talking about?" Scars took out his sword and used the sword''s shiny exterior to see what was on his head.


    "Whoa! What the fucking fuck!?" He jumped in fright.


    "Yeah! That''s what we''re saying!"


    "Tch, what a lucky bastard..." Ears cursed.


    "Vice Commander, do you know what''s going on?" Du Zihao, the lightning blade bandit, asked.


    "Yeah, I do. And I wished I could''ve kept this secret to myself for a bit longer. But thanks to this stupidly lucky bastard, I guess I''ll tell you bastards what I found out." Ears spoke up.


    Jing and Wenling were also interested. Jing had no idea how or why the lotus changed. She only thought it was capable of taking over bodies and strengthening them. It looks like there was more it could do that it didn''t do with the rabbit they killed before. Everyone watched as Ears flared his qi outward.


    From his body, numerous leaves flew out and began to swirl around him. Ears seemed to be able to control them with just his qi alone. They flew around in the way that he wanted, ignoring the wind blowing around them. These leaves were made out of his qi and controlled by his qi. Ears swiped his hands through the twirling leaves and fashioned two daggers out of them, showing that his control over them wasn''t limited to just what he showed earlier.


    "The lotus doesn''t only make you physically stronger. With enough time and practice, eventually it will gift you a specific cultivation technique. It isn''t something that you''ll be able to read though. The plant feeds it to you like a mama bird would to its chicks but through your brain instead of your mouth. The cultivation technique my lotus gave me, allowed me to do what I just showed you all." Ears told them only the basics.


    "How the hell do we practice?" Someone asked.


    "Cultivate, shit for brains. The lotus makes you more sensitive to nature qi. The more you understand about nature qi, the closer you''ll be to getting the cultivation technique. My understanding came from watching the leaves during our way to the Great Tower. I guess that lucky bastard got his from some man-eating plant."


    "I almost got ate by an Emerald Pitcher Plant." Scars informed.


    "That''ll do it." Ears understood instantly.


    "Emerald Pitcher Plant?" Jing asked.


    ''It''s a big green plant thing that wants to eat beasts and tastes disgusting.'' Li Li explained through their soul link.


    Li Li has seen them eating beasts of various sizes when looking for breakfast. He was too smart to be tricked by their delicious smelling inner juices though. He only knew they tasted nasty because he tried to find out if they tasted as good as they smelled, not because he was tricked and almost got eaten by one or two. Definitely not. He also found out that no Emerald Pitcher Plants had the same aroma.


    "A shitty plant that smells so delicious that you''ll want to crawl inside it and get digested by it on purpose." Zian explained.


    "It''s rumored that Emerald Pitcher Plants use a special type of qi that muddles the brain and makes it easier for their prey to get eaten by them." Wenling shared happily.


    "Hmm, interesting. I''ll need to learn more about the plants and animals." Jing said, thinking of the pitcher plants with a sharp glint in her eyes.


    "Alright boys! Get to building some defenses for this wall! We won''t survive with just our strength alone!" Wenling ordered.


    "I''ll handle it. You all just make sure you don''t die in the meantime." Jing hopped off the front wall all the way down.


    She landed perfectly on her feet this time with little internal injuries and began setting up various formations to protect their wall.


    ''This should be a cakewalk.'' Jing thought.

 95 Setting Up Formations.

    Now that Jing has no reason to hold herself back, there are quite a few things she can try out now. The mastery of array making is one of those things. Jing is genuinely interested in the art of spells. There were some spells that Jing couldn''t practice except in the privacy of her own home or far away from anyone''s eyes. Those spells usually lied within the harming category. The harming spells were spells meant for only one thing, harming. Jing''s fake personality did not fit with this type in the slightest.


    That was why she didn''t use a talisman or array from the harming spell section even once under that personality. Not even when she was training with Elder Lang. Jing actively refused to learn about harming spells even though Lang believed it would be safer for her to at least gain some knowledge about it rather than completely refusing to learn anything about it. It was actually smart of him to suggest that. Inwardly, Jing completely agreed with him.


    If you are going to master a particular field, then you should at least know about most things of that field. Choosing to be willfully ignorant about something that can only help you is stupidity in its finest in Jing''s opinion. More knowledge is better. Having less knowledge is dangerous and a risk.


    That was why Jing''s tasks for her followers mostly focused on gaining information about someone or something. She rarely gave them tasks similar to the ones she gave them before the start of the Treasured Plains. Before the Plains, Hu Tao was the only one who ever Jing gave out assassination tasks to. Killing, fighting, and causing general mayhem was his forte. It would be a waste using him for matters that required thinking, intellect, or other qualities that Hu Tao had no talent in. Spotting the strengths and weaknesses of her followers is something that Jing has to master if she wants to become a great leader.


    So far, she''s only mostly understood Hu Tao and that isn''t much of an achievement considering who he is as a person. Through these tasks, she hopes to find out more about her followers'' strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. It''ll be easier to choose what tasks are suited for who if she does this. It will also help her understand their limits if they can or cannot deal with the task given.


    ''Mom.'' Li Li spoke out, suddenly taking her attention back to the first floor of the Great Tower.


    Li Li grabbed an arrow by the shaft with his talons and glared at the one who dared to shoot it at his mom.


    "Ah, thank you Li Li. My mind was elsewhere for the moment." Jing said, turning her head to the one who tried to kill her.


    The cultivator who tried to kill her from the left side of the wall disappeared and reappeared in front of her completely confused. Once he noticed who he was in front of, he tried striking her with his wooden bow. Only to have it get ripped apart by Li Li''s foot. Li Li wanted to rip him into pieces, but he had a feeling that his mother wanted to handle it herself.


    And his feeling was right. Jing did plan to deal with this brave young man herself. To have the courage to aim at her personally and almost succeed in hitting her when her attention was taken? His skill with the bow wasn''t bad and his judgement in choosing her to shoot wasn''t wrong either. It was just that he picked the wrong opponent to try handle at his level. The archer was a 9th stage just like her.


    "Don''t die too quickly. It''ll be more enjoyable for me if you try your hardest to survive." Jing pulled out a weapon that she hasn''t used in quite some time and wrapped it around the throat of the bowman.


    He gripped at his neck with both of his hands trying to pull the whip off. It was tightly wrapped around his windpipe and he could barely breathe! The archer had no way of resisting as Jing pulled him through the air straight towards her. The bow wielding cultivator tried using his qi to relieve the stress on his throat, but relief came in another way than the one he was expecting.


    Jing kicked him across the face as he came towards her and launched him inside one of the formations, she set up for the beast tide. The force of her kick broke his nose on impact but he found comfort when he realized at least he could breathe now, somewhat. He violently coughed as he found himself in some sort of pink formation. It was a box-shaped formation, there was nowhere for him to escape as all his exits were blocked by incredibly tough qi barriers.


    She was definitely in a different league from him even though they were at the same stage. That black girl must be in between the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm and the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering realm to overpower him this badly. What an unlucky circumstance... Choosing this unknown talented disciple to try and kill for points.


    "You should pay attention behind you." Jing softly smiled.


    His qi sensed an identical feeling qi behind him and his sense for danger immediately spiked. The archer cultivator rolled over to the side and looked at what was just fired at him with shock. It was a barbed arrow just like his own! Who the hell would use the same type of specialized arrows as himself?! He looked at the figure who fired the familiar arrow and gasped in shock.


    "Let''s see if you can overcome yourself and break past your limits." Jing chuckled as his copy used a special bow technique and rapidly fired arrows to kill the real one.


    This was normally a simple earth-ranked illusion formation but the one Jing was using was quasi sky-ranked. It''s called the Mirror Formation. Most used the basic version as defense against thieves, burglars, and other sorts trying to steal important belongings from them. They hired a licensed spellmaster to set up the formation and if any thieves entered inside the array, they would be forced to fight in a life or death battle with an exact copy of themselves. 9 times of out 10, the thief would be found dead killed by their doppelganger.


    A small percentage of cultivators used this as a way of training themselves to break through to the next stage. Not many cultivators did this as the risk of death was far too high. It would be like paying to have someone equal in strength to you, fight you in a life or death battle, instead of something resembling training. The thing with this formation was, once you were trapped inside, you could not leave until you or your duplicate was dead. Even Jing was a little bit frightened to test this thing out for herself. She didn''t know everything she was capable of yet and didn''t want to find out by being completely dominated by a shadow that couldn''t even think. Eventually she''ll give a try but for now, it was too early.


    The shadow completely mirrored the one who fell inside the array. All the martial arts they learned, special techniques, weapons, magical treasures, and there was even a higher version of it that replicated bloodlines as well. Jing was using that specific version just to be careful. Her knowledge on bloodlines are insufficient, to be honest. There could be dozens of cultivators with special bloodlines that could easily deal with her as far as she knows. None of her followers even have a special bloodline.


    But now that that issue was dealt with, Jing got back to setting up even more formations for the incoming beast swarm. This time with a bit more focus on her surroundings rather than her thoughts. Setting up multiple arrays like this was quite a bit of work. Jing was glad that nearly anything could be used as a base to create formations and not a specific resource like spirit stones or something on that level. A simple rock, a piece of paper, anything that''s solid was a viable choice for the formation''s base. Most, if not all, spellmasters used sturdy materials as their base so that it would be harder to destroy. The bad part about these sturdy materials was that they usually cost an arm and a leg to purchase or gain.


    Jing had an advantage with her materials. All she had to do was refine them with SCP-914 and normally they were better than any other base available on the market. There were some cases where they were still able to be destroyed with sufficient force even when she refined them intentionally to be unbreakable or undestroyable. Before, she thought it was just a mistake that she made herself. But now, she realizes that it''s because the very fine dial on SCP-914 isn''t almighty and can''t do everything. Which also means that Bing, Ying, Hu Tao, Lei Zhi, and Wan Qing''s weapons weren''t indestructible like she planned them to be.


    "I guess that means my whip isn''t either huh?" Jing muttered as she consciously dodged a thrown rusty sword aimed at her eye.


    Li Li waved his right wing and multiple high-speed feathers were sent straight towards the cultivator that tried to hurt his mother. The feathers hit their target and stabbed deeply into the cultivator''s face. Causing him to panic and scream from the pain before stumbling off the top of the wall and falling to his death.


    "Thanks son." Jing peacefully smiled.


    ''Hmph! He got off lucky.'' Li Li scoffed.

 96 Using Rare Tickets.

    "Haven''t you guys noticed anything different about Jing?" Wenling brought up.


    "I haven''t noticed anything." Ears replied.


    "Did she change her hair?"


    "It''s probably that whip she pulled out. She didn''t have that whip before."


    "What whip? You can actually see her from up here?!"


    "You can''t?" Du Lin asked.


    "I guess we found our next scout for when the Vice Commander kicks it." The bandits laughed.


    "You little bastards really like pushing me huh?" Ears stood up and cracked his fists.


    With a twitch of his leafy lotus, Ears swayed his head to side and avoided a speedy projectile from behind him. The bandits stood up with their weapons at the ready after seeing someone attempting to take their Vice Commander''s life. Ears turned around feeling even more pissed than before.


    "Which one of you sorry bastards had the balls to try and attack me?" He asked with a dark look on his face.


    "Wolfeng Gang. It looks like you are having trouble carrying all that expensive weight on yourselves. Let us lighten your loads for you." A well-dressed handsome white-haired young man spoke.


    Behind him were several other cultivators wielding sharp and dangerous weapons. There wasn''t a single one of them that didn''t have their eyes filled with greed. The Wolfeng Gang were surprised by these shameless assholes. They didn''t even care about protecting their sides of the wall and came straight towards them!


    "Quit pussy footing around it like a couple of bitches. You''re here to steal our shit, right?" Ears bluntly spoke.


    "As junior brothers and sisters, how could we dare think of stealing something from our fellow disciples? No, no, no. All we want is to help you."


    "Yeah, you guys look pretty burdened by all those magical treasures on you."


    "It would be a shame if you lost your lives in the upcoming beast wave and all those shiny accessories and weapons were lost in it."


    "It would be better if you let us hold on to at least 75% of all your stuff. Just as a safety precaution."


    The Wolfeng Gang all looked at each other before bursting out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.


    "I''ve never heard so much bullshit spill out of someone''s mouth." Ears stated.


    "If I wasn''t so handsome, I''d be sure you all wanted to fondle my balls and kiss me on my cheek talking like that." Zian laughed.


    "If you''re going to try and rob us, at least don''t try and lie so fucking obviously." Du Zihao chuckled.


    "Pompous little pricks that can''t help talking with that flowery tone. Your ancestry has had their head in their ass so far, it passed on down to you shit heads."


    Wolfeng Gang''s insults sent the opposing group into a fury. As if they''ve been thoroughly humiliated and are the victims of an unexpected aggravated assault.


    "Are you done speaking to my men anyway you want?" Wenling stood up and flared her qi in their direction.


    The would-be robbers got chills when feeling that 9th stage Qi Gatherer''s aura. They were starting to have doubts about attacking them so bravely without a 9th stage of their own. Maybe they should''ve attacked during the beast swarm like they discussed before. A few magical treasures would be lost but there would at least be some left for those that survived till the end. Everyone was thinking that they would be the lucky cultivator to get most of the treasures.


    "Are you trying to scare someone with that pathetic amount of qi?" An 8th stage cultivator laughed.


    Wenling and Ears were interested in what he meant. It sounded like they had someone able to take her on.


    "Gen, show her what you''re made of." The 8th stage Qi Gatherer proudly spoke.


    The white-haired cultivator from before stepped up. He balled his fists once everyone''s attention was on him. His body began to suddenly bulk up along with an increase in potency with his qi. He looked at the Wolfeng Gang like how a Lion would look at a bunny. He was the predator and they were his prey.


    "Your power isn''t bad..." Wenling complimented. "But if fights were determined only by the size of one''s qi, there wouldn''t be a point to fighting at all!" She said right after showing off her own supply of qi.


    "Well said for a used whore. Now let''s see how long your little bandit group can hold out!" He rushed towards the Wolfeng Gang as if he was a furious buffalo.


    Both commanders of the Fearsome Garden and Huan clan watched the battle between the Wolfeng Gang and the unknown group of cultivators. They didn''t have anything to do with the group but appreciated them nonetheless. It would be helpful for when they planned to launch their attack on the Wolfeng Gang. The two groups could analyze their strength and make a plan for anything that seems especially dangerous.


    Jing didn''t believe any of those cultivators attacking the Wolfeng Gang could kill any of their members thanks to the lotuses but just to be safe she sent Li Li on up while she finished forming these arrays in front of their wall. She told him to make sure none of them die. Li Li took this request in his own special way. Instead of actively stopping harm from coming their way, he only made sure to intervene when certain death was imminent. So, if someone happened to get a deep slash in their gut or chest, Li Li wouldn''t do anything. However, if a sword was about to pierce through their heart or brain, that was when he would step in. Li Li didn''t care too much about these people and only acted for them when his mother requested.


    "Okay 10 rare tickets. Let''s see what you''ll bring me." Jing muttered to herself.


    She placed her tickets in the gacha wheel one by one instead of using all 10 at once. She was sure it didn''t make a difference but she preferred it this way.


    [Host has received Jade Sword]


    Not a good first spin... It was utterly useless as a reward. It wasn''t even a spirit weapon or spirit tool. Just a sword made out of jade ore. She could snap this thing apart just by hitting it against a rock softly. Jing doubted it was even made for combat. Most likely a decorative sword for appearance or status.


    "Well, on to the next one." Jing''s spirits weren''t dampened by pulling this garbage. She still had 9 tickets left.


    [Host has received Spirit Grass]


    This wasn''t too good either but at least it was better than the jade sword. Spirit Grass was useful for feeding spirit beasts that lived on high-quality grass. They were easily growable if planted in good soil with decent spiritual qi in the surroundings. Jing had neither of these things though, so it was just as useless as the first reward but just a little less useless.


    [Host has received Low-Quality Spirit Stone]


    Jing didn''t even bother complaining about this type of trash. She just put in another ticket and saw the giant wheel spinning inside her mind.


    [Host has received Low-Quality Spirit Stone]


    "Are you messing with me?" Jing eyes twitched. Her luck could not be this bad.


    [Host has received Low-Quality Spirit Stone]


    Jing lashed out with her whip and carved a giant gash into the grass in front of her. She couldn''t believe this crap! Out of all the things the system could summon, it gave her these three things in a row?! The system is playing a prank on her. It has to be.


    [Host has received Mysterious Marshmallows]


    At least it wasn''t another spirit stone... It turns out that these marshmallows were a part of the anomalous items grouping. This meant that the item wasn''t important enough to gain an SCP listing like SCP-914, SCP-222, or SCP-353. But it still had strange abilities just like them. Most of the time it was really unimpressive but there were certain times when this wasn''t the case. These mysterious marshmallows ignited the head of any individual that consumes them with a blue flame that reaches up to 100 degrees Celsius. Now these were the best so far. She could find a few uses for these sugary sweets in the future as the person that eats one of these will be immune to the blue fire coating their head.


    [Host has received Perfect Recovery Pill]


    "Worthless." Jing could create recovery pills that were capable of healing someone submerged in lava.


    A perfect recovery pill would be able to treat almost any life-threatening injury. Missing limb, ruptured organs, severe blood loss, it could recover it all back to a perfect state. This type of recovery pill was priceless and would empty out a large cultivation family''s treasury if they wanted to pay just for one pellet. It wasn''t until recently that Jing learned of this fact. She had hundreds of pills that were better than perfect grade recovery pills just piled up in one of her storage rings.


    Sitting on such a large capital stumped her on what she should do with the money. Suddenly being gifted with a massive amount of money would befuddle anyone. She''ll have to think hard on how she would even be able to convert this into real funds, precautions to protect her identity, and like she said before, what to do with the money. Jing actually laughed a little once she realized that she was fretting over having too much money. She chose to think about this at a later time.


    [Host has received Low-Quality Spirit Stone]


    Jing had no words to express how quickly her good mood vanished when she saw the wheel''s pointer land on that damn prize again. Now that she noticed it, that stupid prize was spread all over the gacha wheel! There wasn''t anywhere on the wheel that she couldn''t spot a low-quality spirit stone prize lurking nearby. What kind of crap was this?! Jing normally wasn''t one to lose control over her emotions but there were so many things in this world that she could pull from her system. Why did these worthless spirit stones have to be the favored prize for the system?! Are rare tickets really worth only this much?


    [Host has received Jelly Skull]


    Jing actually didn''t know how to react to this reward. A jelly skull? What use would this hold to anyone? Perhaps a child would find some fun out of this thing but she couldn''t find any real use for it. Just a tasty treat in the form of a skull. Still useless.


    [Host has received SCP-106]


    Jing''s eyes flashed with surprise, "Now this is something..."

 97 Gorillas vs The Wolfeng Gang!

    "Kill that Flaming Hairy Ape!" Ears shouted as he took on one of the three gorillas on his own.


    "We''re trying!" The Wolfeng Gang took on the second gorilla while the rest supported them.


    "Commander! Do you need any help?!" Ears yelled.


    "Focus on your own battle Vice Commander. Don''t get distracted! These apes can''t be underestimated!"


    Ears had multiple leaves revolving around his figure. Two of his daggers were made out of nothing but leaves infused with his qi, enhancing its sharpness a small amount. He couldn''t coat the blades for long, he mainly enhanced it for defending or attacking critical spots. If he strengthened it with his qi during the entire battle, his qi would be drained faster than ever. And if his qi runs out, it was death without a doubt.


    "Alright, you monkey bastard. I haven''t really had the chance to go all out ever since I got this shitty lotus on my head. You won''t mind if I don''t hold back, do you?" He asked before immediately dashing towards the spirit beast.


    The gorilla wasn''t some mindless animal. It has long since realized that it couldn''t match the shiny headed human in speed. Once it saw that the human was coming towards it, it smashed its large fists against the ground to disrupt his movement. The ground creaked and groaned as it split apart into multiple pieces.


    Ears was forced to jump into the air unless he wanted to be consumed by the earth itself and buried beneath the rocks. He braced himself as he saw the bastard coming towards him. It looks like it could think a bit more than your average gorilla if it could set him up like this so perfectly. The gorilla reached out with its large hand to grab him.


    The Leaf headed young man stabbed one of his daggers into the monkey''s palm and tried to stab the other into its throat but the ape countered in the craziest way. Ears watched as the ape bit down on his leafy dagger and chewed it whole. His arm was grabbed and subsequently crushed by the gorilla''s powerful strength. He tried gritting his teeth so hard it felt like that were cracking to stop himself from letting out a pain-filled scream.


    ''I''m going to be made fun of for months for that one...'' Ears thought somewhat ashamed.


    His shame was quickly replaced with anger as he formed another dagger out of leaves into his only good hand. The ape dropped his broken arm and tried to punch him but he wasn''t as quick as Ears was. Ears rapidly stabbed his dagger into the primate''s arm, forcing it to release him. He wanted to get some distance but there wouldn''t be a better chance than now to get in a good hit.


    "You gave me a lot of trouble you ape bastard." Ears stood in front of the hairy beast. "Don''t curse me after you''re dead."


    Ears''s swirling leaves turned into sharp knives that sliced anything they came in contact with, even themselves. The sliced leaves only created more deadly projectiles to control. Wenling''s right-hand man controlled the leaves and sent them stabbing right into the body of the gorilla. An uncountable amount of leaves pierced into the skin of the spirit beast. It gave a great roar of pain and raised its arms to crush down on Ear''s small figure.


    "About damn time..." Ears silently struck forward with his single leaf dagger.


    He cursed as his arm violently thumped with pain while the gorilla fell backwards with a clean hole right through the middle of its wide neck.


    "I hope Jing has some more of those healing spells on hand, I''m fucked up badly..." Ears murmured as he was completely out of qi.


    _____________________________________________


    "Put me the fuck out!" Scars cried while patting the fire out on his clothes.


    "Put yourself out retard! We''re kind of busy here!" Zian laughed even though he wasn''t in the position to laugh.


    He was fiercely holding hands with the Flaming Hairy Ape. With his strong physique, he was the only one capable of standing up to the spirit beast directly. But his strong body had its limits, he could feel the flesh on his hand burning. If this continued, his hands would definitely melt to the bone!


    "Zihao! Cut this furry bastard up already!" Zian yelled gritting his teeth.


    "I''m trying you ugly bastard!" Zihao lunged towards the ape''s wide back to plunge his lightning sword through.


    Only to see the monkey turning its head towards him after hearing the crackling of his blade and unleashing a powerful wave of fire from the fur on its back straight towards Zihao.


    "Son of a bitch!" He cried out as his body was engulfed in flames.


    "You owe me big for this asshole." Scars told him as his monster plant enlarged itself and grabbed Zihao with its mouth. It swallowed him whole and smothered the fire out with its digestive juices before spitting him back out on the ground.


    "Son of a fucking bitch that was gross as hell! I think I would''ve preferred dying instead of experiencing that!" Zihao lied as he was covered in sticky green smelly plant saliva.


    "Now''s not the time guys! We gotta help Zian!" Du Lin interrupted the two and dashed towards the flaming monkey with his mortal-ranked spear.


    He stabbed his weapon through the side of the ape''s abdominal, giving Zian freedom to blow on his badly burnt hands and the other bandits to attack while the beast was roaring in pain.


    "Thanks, Du Lin. I would''ve lost my hands for good if you didn''t help me out there." Zian continued to blow on his burning hands.


    "No problem big guy. You wouldn''t have an extra spirit weapon on you, would you?" He asked as his spear was still lodged in the gorilla''s side.


    "Here, take this." He gestured towards his ass cheeks.


    "Uh..." He wasn''t sure what he wanted.


    "It''s in my pocket. Reach in there and grab that silver needle looking thing." He told him.


    Du Lin did as he said and pulled out a small silvery staff. He infused his qi into the tiny object and nearly poked his eye out after it grew nearly ten times bigger!


    "A spear without a point on the end?" He questioned.


    "I found it in the treasure room and thought it would be a good present to give to Yang Mei. But if we don''t kill this thing, I won''t be able to make it back to her! Use it as you like bastard! Happy Birthday!"


    "Thanks! I''ll be sure to pay you back!" Du Lin ran off to help the other guys.


    He arrived just in time to save Scars from being crushed to death by the fiery ape. The staff wielding bandit shoved his staff into Scar''s side, knocking him away as he took his place. His staff didn''t crumble under the beast''s strong arms but he sure did. Du Lin''s feet sank deep into the ground from its power along with breaking most of the bones in his arms.


    "Haha holy shit man, just how strong are you?!" Zihao and 4 others stabbed their blades into the gorillia''s undefended back before quickly jumping away with their weapons inside its flesh.


    Another ally of theirs dragged Du Lin away before he was roasted alive by the beast''s fiery explosive wave. The Wolfeng Gang surrounded the seriously wounded beast on its last legs. They could clearly see from its dripping blood and shaking body that it was on death door. But they also understood that a beast is most dangerous when its cornered. They calmly and patiently waited instead of attacking.


    "It''s a dumb animal. Let it make the first move and then kill it dead!"


    "I never ate a gorilla before..."


    "He doesn''t look that tasty."


    "Maybe his meat will be spicy!"


    The Flaming Hairy Ape spat blood from its mouth and fainted out of angry after hearing the unbelievable comments of the Wolfeng Gang. It couldn''t believe its killers would desecrate its body by eating it after its death! What foe would eat their opponent after a hard-fought battle!? It''s simply insane!


    "Guess we''re eating good tonight boys. This was a big fella."


    "Gotta eat what you can. My momma raised me to not waste a single drop of food!"


    _____________________________________________


    Wenling glared at Song and Chaun. This was definitely thought of by the two of them. Sending all three gorillas towards their side of the wall as a way of weakening them or to kill them. The gorillas wouldn''t be interested in their loot at all. The biggest risk was some of their magical treasures being broken in the fight with the apes but that was negligible when thinking of the many others treasures that would be left on their corpses.


    The dirty scumbags innocently smiled as a response to her glare. Wenling dodged the heavy fist of the gorilla as it believed she was distracted. She immediately countered by slicing its stomach with her glaive. Unfortunately, the cut wasn''t deep enough to finish it but that didn''t stop her from continuing her attack. She swung her glaive with deadly precision and speed. The gorilla was forced to block and cover its vital areas.


    The gorilla realized this human wasn''t so weak! If he wasn''t careful, he could easily lose his life in just a single moment! Even when he faced off against both his younger brothers, he didn''t feel this pressured. It was the first time in its life that it has ever been pushed onto the defensive!


    This unfamiliar feeling made its chest feel stuffy. The gorilla wanted nothing more than to get rid of that feeling and the only way it could see that happening was to somehow stop this human female! He gathered all his qi into his arms before smashing the ground underneath him. The human managed to cut across his eye before backflipping away and out of the range of the cracking earth.


    "Why do I feel stronger than before?" Wenling questioned.


    It wasn''t as if she had a breakthrough in her cultivation or martial art techniques lately. There was no reason why she should feel this good. Wenling thought about what has happened to her lately and could only think of one reason why she feels more powerful. It was the many life-threatening battles she survived while looking for Jing.


    "I don''t regret looking for you in the slightest Jing..." Wenling''s qi shrunk in quantity.


    Proud Commander of the Wolfeng Gang, Wenling, sharpened her internal energy and concentrated it into one point. The tip of her glaive. She grinned a confident grin as the gorilla beat on its chest and hollered from fear. She knew it could sense how dangerous this technique was. If it got hit by this polearm of hers, it was dead without a shred of hope for survival.


    "You were a good opponent for me to find out my current limits with. I can see myself breaking into the Qi Consolidation stage without a problem now." And Wenling vanished.


    By the time she reappeared, her glaive was sticking through the chest of the large spirit beast and out of its back. Its heart was hooked onto the tip of her halberd. Most of her weapon was inside the ape''s body. She looked into the eyes of the qi constructed animal and marveled at how realistic it was. The Great Tower was such a fantastical and mysterious spirit tool that she doubted that anything could come close to rivaling it. Wenling closed the eyes of the fallen gorilla as respect for being a wonderful creation and helping her get used to her new power.


    ''Maybe I''ve come a bit closer to reaching Jianyu''s strength...''

 98 Li Lis in Trouble?!

    Watching over the battlefield with Li Li didn''t take too much work for Jing. They may have been conspired against by Fearsome Garden and the Huan clan along with some other unaffiliated cultivators but it wasn''t as if all hope was lost. Her arrays were dealing with the hundreds of spirit beasts just as she planned. But things were going somewhat too smoothly if she didn''t include the three gorillas being pushed onto their side of the wall. There had to be another card waiting to be played.


    She kept her eyes on the left side of the wall while Li Li watched the right side of the wall. Keeping her senses on the ready to react to any new situations. She was sure that Song and Chaun were wondering why she was the only one not helping against the three gorillas. Jing thought it would be nice if they continued to ponder about it until the end of the floor but that would''ve been too convenient, wouldn''t it?


    Jing saw as both sides sent several cultivators to the front wall to try and destroy with her formations. They weren''t any average bunch as they skillfully avoided getting trampled and swallowed by the beast wave. Jing was amused by the sight, she got in a more comfortable position by crossing her leg over her knee and observed them. She doubted they would be able to shatter her arrays but she was interested in what they had planned. They couldn''t have come unprepared, she spent hours setting up those formations. The two groups had more than enough time to think of a plan to deal with them.


    As far as she knew there was only one way of shattering her formations. Willingly going inside them and breaking the base inside the formation while also surviving against the specific formation''s spell. Considering that she had more than a dozen of these arrays set up, it would be unthinkable to believe that they would try that. It was too risky and would take far too much time.


    And she was right about them having a plan. One of the cultivators quickly moved to the front of the beast tide. He was able to sense exactly where her arrays were placed and avoided them without much trouble. Jing continued to watch him make his way in front of all the spirit beasts and pull out a brown flag from his storage ring.


    "Beasts of the animal kingdom! Heed my call! Focus your attacks and rush to that wall! Together, you can''t be stopped. Work together with me to bring down this wall! I beg of you!" The flag was releasing a special type of qi that seemed to flow into the brains of the spirit beasts.


    "What an interesting spirit tool..." Jing muttered. "Li Li, do you mind going to get that flag for me?" Jing asked, only to notice Li Li was unresponsive.


    "Li Li?" She looked onto her shoulder and saw his body was trembling badly.


    As Jing was thinking of ways to revert Li Li back to normal, the beast tide was slowly tearing through her formations. Formations that usually could only handle a specific number of beasts at a time were now being flooded with several and being shattered by the combined strength of the creatures. Most of the formations Jing set were harming and trapping formations that quickly killed or harmed what was caught inside it. However, with the spirit beasts being controlled to work more cohesively, the formations were unable to handle the massive influx of spirit beasts. Along with the fact that the flag bearer was able to command the animals to shatter the bases inside the arrays.


    ______________________________________________


    "She wasn''t much of a threat as she posed to be..." Song mocked.


    "Yes, I also believed that she would be a great threat with the way she acted." Chaun agreed.


    "Haven''t you noticed that they''ve gained a lot of 9th stage cultivators?" Chaun brought up.


    "Yes, I noticed! Whatever lucky breaks they had will become ours once they''re all dead!"


    "It is a bit ridiculous though. Three 9th stage Qi Gatherers in one squad. If we don''t quickly bolster our own forces, it won''t be long before the Wolfeng Gang overtakes us in strength."


    "Hmph. We''ll kill them before they get any stronger. Just make sure you don''t get any funny ideas and think of betraying me." Song threatened.


    "We have bigger threats to worry about, don''t you agree?" He cleverly avoided responding directly.


    "Whatever." Song turned around and made her way back to her side of the wall.


    ______________________________________________


    "I''ll be right back Li Li. Don''t worry. Mom will save you." Jing whispered to him.


    Jing placed Li Li down and looked at the flag carrier with a deadly glare. He didn''t even need to make eye contact with her to feel her overbearing killing intent bearing down on him. The spirit beasts were almost finished breaking the rest of her arrays but this didn''t matter to Jing in the slightest. She concentrated her qi to cover her entire body and almost instantly arrived in front of the flag cultivator with a single leap from the top of the front wall.


    His eyes nearly bulged out of his eye sockets upon sighting her. Jing performed a small spin as she kicked directly towards his stomach with great force. The 8th stage Qi Gatherer used all the qi within him to defend against the seemingly weak but lethal blow. Jing''s foot immediately shattered his qi barrier along with the 3 defensive spirit tools he had on him but she failed to injure him.


    "You''re not any average cultivator with 3 defensive treasures on you. I''ll give you a small chance to live if you bow before me and tell me of your origins." Jing coldly spoke.


    "Kill her!" He could barely breathe after surviving against that kick. The raw power and unbelievable strength held in those legs almost caused him to soil his trousers.


    The other cultivators that were sent to aid in ruining her wall surrounded Jing. Jing didn''t move an inch as they closed in on her. Her objective wasn''t to deal with these pests. It was to save her son from the suffering he was going through. The cultivators watched as Jing leisurely maneuvered through their combined attacks without a single attack even scratching her figure. She calmly walked to the youth carrying the flag and simply grabbed it out of his hand before stabbing it into herself and refining it on rough, turning it into ash that gently fell from her hand.


    The cultivators were at a lost seeing the strange sight. They thought she was about to kill herself but the flag went straight through her and didn''t come out of her back! What the hell just happened!? And why did grey dust come out of her hand?!


    "Considering how you all tried to stop me from saving my son, I don''t plan on leaving a single one of you alive. But don''t worry, your passing won''t be painless in the slightest." Jing sweetly smiled with the face of an innocent young maiden.


    The group of cultivators were still too stunned from the previous sight to properly take in Jing''s words. And that was when they entered into an unimaginable circle of hell. Jing''s figure was nothing more than a blur to the disciples as she unleashed the combination of her learnings from the Empress of Pain''s Tome and the Flower Domination. If one could keep track of Jing''s movements it could be described as a destructive dance filled with spins and kicks. The way her attacks accurately pinpointed her opponent''s nerves and filled their entire body with severe pain that would only increase with every additional kick on their body. It was a horror show!


    The human body was filled with trillions of nerves that all served a specific purpose. The intensity of the pain each nerve hit by Jing was all under her control. She knew every nerve within the human body and exactly how much pain it would cause to a person. Jing made sure to continually ramp up the pain until they couldn''t take it anymore. That was when she finished them off.


    Their screams, pleading, and crying were fueling her cultivation technique and her own excitement. But she made sure to control herself this time around. Now wasn''t the time to thoroughly enjoy such suffering and anguish. Her priority was punishing them for the pain Li Li went through. Jing executed every cultivator except the one who put her son in that state in the first place.


    She was currently dragging him behind her with her whip wrapped around his throat. He had his hands on the whip, attempting to pull it off his throat but it was a pointless endeavor. The flag bearer struggled hopelessly to try and bring oxygen into his lungs. Clawing at the whip, kicking the ground, bucking his hips, he tried everything to just get one breath of air down his windpipe.


    "It''s amusing to see you flopping around like that." Jing laughed. He reminded her of a fish on dry land.


    She temporarily loosened the grip around his throat and heard him greedily sucking up the air as if he never knew what breathing was like. Then she tightened it once again after feeling that he got enough in him to not faint for a few more moments. And this continued until she made her way back to the top of the front wall.


    ''I''ll handle the spirit beasts Mom!'' Li Li told her through their shared soul link. He was back to normal right after Jing destroyed the flag with SCP-914. He silently took off and summoned several ghostly spirit beasts to aid him in killing the beast tide trying to destroy their side of the wall.

 99 10th Place?

    With the recovery of his mind, Li Li, at the first stage of the Qi Consolidation realm, dealt with the beast swarm with ease. His claws and spectral spirit beasts demolished the creatures. Neither Li Li nor his captured souls could lose stamina. They could fight against an endless number of spirit beasts and still wouldn''t get tired even after fighting millions of them. The only possible way Li Li and his small group of ghostly beasts could be stopped was if someone managed to kill or seal Li Li into a formation. Or he ran out of qi and was overwhelmed.


    Just like his mother, Li Li also had an unfathomable amount of qi within him. So, him running out of qi wouldn''t be too common of a situation unless he faced someone several stages above him just like when Jing faced off against the Wise Monkey that nearly enslaved her. Right now, he was using his large quantity of qi to manifest his stored souls and use several techniques from his martial arts given by his mother.


    One of his favorite phantom beasts was the Worm Dragon. It''s giant size almost allowed it to match the wall in height. It easily crushed several hundreds of beasts with just one swipe of its tail. The spirit beasts in the wave were helpless against its size. Even those at a higher stage than it couldn''t resist against the natural laws of the world and survive that massive body from flattening them. Li Li also liked how worm dragons had very tasty hearts.


    While most of the work was done by the worm dragon, Li Li himself was definitely second in killing the most amount of spirit beasts. Thanks to Mr. Owls full set of martial art techniques, he had no trouble taking out any of the animals with his skills. His combat art, body art, and movement art were all from Mr. Owl''s fantastic teachings. Mr. Owl was a highly acclaimed Great Horned Owl from the Messepic Sector.


    Neither Jing nor Li Li knew where this Messepic Sector was located or what it even was but that didn''t stop them from reading Mr. Owl''s self-defense techniques and realizing just how absurdly powerful they were. Li Li saw his mother pull the book out from her body but she did that often so it wasn''t surprising for him at all. She placed many things into her body and pulled many things out of it. He still didn''t know how she did it because he couldn''t do it no matter how hard he tried. The only thing he could do was take souls in and bring them out differently. It wasn''t the same as his mom''s though.


    Li Li thought that because he was her son, he could do everything his mother could do. Every time he saw her doing something. He tried to replicate it to. Wielding a whip and using it during battle, making and using talismans to fight with or create formations, and even making his own group of followers just like his mother was. But his followers weren''t as good as his mom''s.


    "Are you okay Li Li?" Jing asked him.


    She just returned to the top of the wall with the flag bearer from before hanging over the edge with her whip still wrapped around his throat. He''s long since given up on resisting and wished for death to take him into its sweet embrace. But Jing couldn''t allow such a peaceful death for someone who put her son in one of the worst experiences he''s ever gone through. That time when he broke his leg in the cave was probably the worst.


    ''I''m fine now, Mom. I kept hearing a voice in my head telling me to destroy the wall and had to fight with everything I had so that I didn''t follow it. It was only because of my auxiliary art that I could resist at all.'' He told her.


    "That''s good..." She rubbed his head. "Don''t worry, I took care of that spirit tool for you. Is there anything you want to do to him for making you go through that awful pain?" Jing asked him in a motherly tone.


    Jing pulled the flag cultivator from over the edge to in front of Li Li. She removed her whip from around his throat and hooked it onto her waist. The 8th stage Qi Gatherer didn''t care that he could breathe once more. After what he''s experienced, he was only looking forward to the suffering finally ending.


    Li Li stood on top of the man''s chest. He was still very small in size so, he didn''t put much pressure on the man''s ribs. He stared at him with an undefinable expression on his face. The two locked eyes and a certain emotion could be conveyed between the two of them.


    ''You don''t want to live anymore, right?'' Li Li connected their souls.


    The man''s eyes widened with shock. It was as if he was brought back to live from the edge of death once he heard the beast''s voice inside his head.


    "What?! You can speak?!" He tried to cry out.


    Jing grabbed his tongue mid-sentence and glared at him to keep his mouth shut. She didn''t understand why Li Li was talking to the man but it was better if less people knew of his ability to speak through soul links. Jing hasn''t had any time to research anything about souls nor did she know what the standard cultivator thought about spirit beasts speaking human language. Another objective to add to her long list of tasks after the Treasured Plains.


    ''Death would be better than this torture...'' He responded.


    ''Hmm. Unlike my mom, I actually don''t like to cause people pain. It seems unnecessary to me. I hate what you did to me but I think my mom put you through enough. I''ll send you off without any pain.'' Li Li told him.


    ''Thank you...'' Tears fell from his eyes.


    Li Li concentrated most of his qi within his middle talon and gently tapped against the skull of the disciple. A powerful tiny beam of concentrated energy passed through the front of his skull to the back and fizzled out before it could pierce through the top of the wall to the bottom. Li Li just remembered that protecting the wall was one of the things his mom wanted him to do. If he didn''t hold back with his martial technique, the inside of the wall would have a clean hole straight through it right now.


    "Well, I would''ve done something a little worse but as long as you''re satisfied." Jing petted him just as the floor was finally cleared.


    Some people looked up into the skies to see the scores which led to those who had no experience with the Great Tower copy their actions. The top 10 participants were especially interesting to Jing. She barely made it on to the top 10 at all, she was in 10th place. All of the names above her weren''t unfamiliar.


    In first place was Gong Jun with second place being Tang Wuying with only 1 kill behind him. Third and fourth place was Song and Chaun respectively. Fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth were all claimed by the Wolfeng Gang. Wenling in fifth, Ears in sixth, Du Lin in seventh, Zihao in eighth, and Scars in ninth. Her score wasn''t very surprising as she herself didn''t personally kill any beasts. Her formations did all the work and even then, all of them were destroyed in the end and didn''t even kill a quarter of the beasts in the beast wave.


    Jing was very surprised that Li Li wasn''t anywhere on the scoreboard. Seeing him massacre all those spirit beasts must have netted him somewhere near the top 10. It would be crazy if he wasn''t. But it turns out it really was crazy, as Li Li was nowhere to be seen. Jing guessed that because he was a spirit beast, he must not count as a tower participant or something. How unfair to her son. He deserves rewards for participating in the tower too. Jing will just reward him with something similar to what Gong and Tang got for getting first and second place. She felt that he was certainly close to their score.


    "Jing! We need plenty of healing talismans! And some qi recovery talismans! And maybe some other stuff too!" Wenling called out to her from the bottom of the wall.


    Behind her were most of the Wolfeng Gang covered in injuries that ranged from minor scratches and bruises to deep lacerations in the skin, broken bones, and torn limbs.


    "I''m surprised you all managed to survive with this many people left. Very well, I''ll be down in a moment." Jing responded at a normal volume but somehow still managing to have her words enter the ears of every surviving Wolfeng Gang member below.

 100 The 5th Floor.

    "So, what''s our plan here Commander?" Zihao asked with his lightning sword hanging on his back.


    "We lost a lot of people on our way to the 5th floor... If we aren''t careful, we could be taken out here." Scars spoke solemnly as his monster lotus hungrily eyed one of the wounded Wolfeng Gang members.


    "Fucking bastards... They really aren''t holding anything back. They really plan to eliminate us before the Treasured Plains are over." Ears cursed.


    "Next time I see a disciple from the Fearsome Garden or Huan clan, I''m gonna rip my sword through their guts!"


    "Alright boys, calm down. Getting worked up over this won''t help us at all." Wenling said, clearly just as stressed and upset as her men.


    The Wolfeng Gang has just arrived on the 5th floor of the Great Tower and read the objective needed to clear this floor. Jing''s reaction to the objective was quite different from the Wolfeng Gang and she was slightly surprised by this. She thought they would immediately be able to see this situation in a positive light as its perfect for bandits like them. But if their first thought was of survival instead of banditry, maybe she was affected by them a little more than she thought.


    The 5th floor was home to three powerful spirit beast tribes. The Green Bloods, Red Bloods, and the Blue Bloods. These three tribes were all currently engaged in an all-out war that encompassed the entire floor. Their goal was to survive until only one beast tribe was left. When reading this, Jing immediately thought of taking advantage of the war to get as many valuables as she can. The reaction of the Wolfeng Gang was to find out how to survive long enough to get to the next floor.


    It seems the many losses of their comrades weighed heavily on their minds. This wouldn''t be convenient for Jing if she planned on using this chaotic battle to gain treasures. Luckily for them, she was not in desperate need for anymore magical treasures or resources in general. She probably had enough resources to start a large sect of her own by now. So, Jing went along with their little plan of surviving till the end of the war.


    She could''ve prevented all the deaths of those that died on their way to the 5th floor. It was completely in her power to do so but she refused. The Wolfeng Gang didn''t know she had the power to save everyone that died but it wouldn''t matter if they did in the first place. Everyone except Wenling would agree with whatever she said or did thanks to the lotuses. Jing wasn''t sure if she should infect Wenling with the lotus. Having another 100% loyal follower would be good but she didn''t feel satisfied with this type of method.


    Jing didn''t feel that this was wrong in the sense that she would feel bad for doing so. She felt that it was wrong because it wouldn''t be gratifying to her inner self. It would be cheating in simpler terms. Her current goal lied in taking over the sect and reforming it into her ideal form of what a sect should be. Wouldn''t it be pointless if all of those under her when she becomes Sect Leader are nothing more than mindless pawns only used to fulfil her desires? It would all be so empty that Jing couldn''t really call that succeeding in her goal.


    Jing decided to not use any mind-altering methods on her main followers. She would gain their full loyalty and hearts through her own leadership capabilities. It wouldn''t be worth doing it any other way. At least in her opinion, it wouldn''t be.


    "Jing. Can you have Li Li scout our surroundings for us?" Wenling asked.


    "Ask him yourself." She replied, even though she already knew the answer.


    "Pretty please Li Li?" Wenling clapped her hands together and asked cutely.


    Li Li turned his head.


    "Please please please please." She begged even more.


    He opened his left eye and stared at her.


    "I got a nice juicy beast core for you if you do it for us." Scars bargained as he reached from his pocket and took out a shiny red solid sphere.


    This completely captured the owlet''s attention. He nodded as he took the beast core in blinding speed before taking off into the sky.


    "Did you teach him that?" Wenling asked slightly peeved she couldn''t use her charms on Li Li.


    "He''s smart. He knows how to spot a good deal." Jing replied.


    "I wish he would open up to me more..." She whined as she hugged Jing from behind.


    "Give it time. He isn''t used to making friends." Jing said, she herself doesn''t have any friends either.


    "A shy one huh? You know, you used to be cuter when you were shy too."


    "So, I''m not cute anymore is what you''re saying right?"


    "No! I didn''t mean it like that! What I meant was you''re so different now and I feel crazy because I''m the only one who seems to notice it." She couldn''t explain herself in a way that made sense.


    "So, I''m not cute. I got it." Jing released herself from Wenling''s grip and walked faster on ahead.


    "Jing! Wait! I just meant that you were especially cute before and now you are only cute cute! Does that make sense?!"


    "No. It doesn''t." Jing teased while faking an upset face. She really didn''t care about being cute or whatnot. It was just amusing to see Wenling''s desperation.


    "Uhh! How do I explain this in a way that doesn''t upset you?!"


    "You''ve already explained it. No need to explain it again."


    The rest of the Wolfeng Gang watched this scene with amusement. It wasn''t often that the Commander acted so freely and honest with herself before Jing joined. Even Ears only saw this part of the Commander''s personality when around the other commanders and the leader. Ears wasn''t ashamed to say that he was insanely jealous of Jing''s closeness with Wenling but seeing the faces of these bastards behind him, he was starting to think he wasn''t the only one. They were happy that their Commander could feel at ease with Jing around. They believed that since Jing was a girl, it was easier for her to open up to her instead of a bunch of guys like them. There were some barriers that could not be easily crossed between the sexes.


    Wenling engulfed Jing in a big hug and was repeating the word sorry over and over again when Li Li returned from his scouting. Wenling refused to let go unless Jing forgave her. Li Li didn''t like this sight and as he returned he swooped down and kicked Wenling in the forehead with his foot, releasing her hold from his mother. Wenling whined from Li Li''s uncalled for abuse and this sight made Jing laugh.


    "I guess seeing that sorry sight of yours is enough. I forgive you." Jing told her. Not that she ever was upset with her in the first place.


    Wenling bounced up from the ground and captured both Jing and Li Li in a joyous hug. All three of their faces rubbed together as Wenling continually forced the physical interaction. Li Li tried to pull out and kick Wenling away again but she was prepared this time. Li Li would have to hurt Jing if he wanted to push her away. The young bandit commander smirked in her victory as she rubbed her face even harder against the mother and son duo.


    "Up ahead there is a mountain surrounded with a dense amount of qi. To the west, there is a small army of Green Bloods traveling this way. In the east, Li Li spotted a large lake without any spirit beasts inside. Behind us, we have the Fearsome Garden and Huan clan tracking our trail. It looks like they have a spirit tool that can track us somehow." Jing relayed as her face was still being rubbed against Wenling''s. Her face and voice was completely stoic despite being in the embrace with Wenling and Li Li.


    "We need to get a move on then. I would''ve suggested we head to the lake first to fill up on water but if they are right behind us, we need to get to the mountain. There''s no point in angering the Green Bloods just as we got on the floor either." Ears said.


    "We can still head to the lake Vice Commander." Zian spoke up.


    "Did you not just hear me?"


    "I heard you. But I was thinking, since we know that they are following us from behind. We could set up a trap for them with Jing''s formations." He shared.


    "We could also go and stock up on water from the lake! We head to the lake first, stock up, and then we could head to the mountain and set the ambush there or make it at the lake." Scars added.


    "Hmm... That isn''t a bad idea coming from you bastards... Commander, what do you think?" Ears asked, she was still hugging Jing and Li Li.


    "It would be a good plan if we had more of our members but as we stand now, we are outnumbered. Even with the four of us at the 9th stage, we still wouldn''t be able to defeat both of their forces together. They came very prepared and would easily be able to escape with their lives."


    "How could they escape from one of Jing''s formation though?" Du Lin asked.


    "It would cost them a valuable spirit tool but it would be possible. Plus, I don''t doubt that they have a spirit tool that could sense arrays. They could see our trap from a mile away with a tool like that. The safest option would be to stock up on water, place traps behind us to delay them, and focus on making it to the mountain." Wenling relayed to her men.


    "Why are we headed to the mountain again?" Zihao asked.


    "Didn''t you hear Jing? That mountain is definitely filled with valuable loot if it is surrounded in dense qi." Ears explained.


    "I really don''t think we can carry anymore loot Vice Commander..." Scars brought up.


    "Well it''s going up your ass if you can''t find anywhere to carry it."


    "Vice Commander please..." Scars begged for mercy.


    The rest of the gang laughed as they made their way to the lake.

 101 Running Into Trouble!

    "I still can''t believe that he''s still alive..." Wan Qing muttered.


    "If it''s anyone who would survive against most of the factions in the Inner Court making an ambush for them, it would definitely be Hu Tao." Bing commented.


    "How did he even get on the bad side of so many factions?" Lei Zhi wondered as Bing laughed.


    "It''s Hu Tao." Was his only answer.


    "I''m seriously starting to have second thoughts on joining this group..." Wan Qing lamented.


    "Ror." Ni Xong added to the conversation.


    "Or maybe he picked a fight with all the factions in the Inner Court himself." Lei responded to Ni Xong''s guess.


    "The Empress wouldn''t allow him to do something as stupid as that." Bing said with confidence.


    "What if he did it without talking to Jing first? He does seem like the type of person to act first instead of thinking of the consequences afterwards." Wan Qing suggested.


    Bing shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea of the true situation, just that Hu Tao got in a big conflict with a majority of the groups in the Inner Court and needed saving. They all got a message from Hu Tao asking for help on the 20th floor. Thanks to Jing''s special talisman that she gave them all, he could directly communicate with them even though he was trapped inside of a powerful sealing formation. The message Hu Tao sent to them all said this,


    "Is this thing working? Hey? Can you guys read this? Respond if you can read this message."


    Everyone had wondered why Hu Tao was trying to message them all.


    "Pick up! I need some help from you guys. We''re all a team, right? Part of the same group, following the same crazy bitch. So, we''re supposed to help each other out, you know? It''s kind of a funny story but I need some saving."


    Everyone in Jing''s group focused on Hu Tao''s message. It wasn''t often that he used the message talisman and it was probably his first or second message ever and it was him asking for help. One of the strongest members in their group needed help. This led to many of them guessing that he''s really provoked the wrong person and deserved whatever happened to him.


    "It turns out that the Inner Court is filled with a bunch of pussy shit cowards too scared to properly fight me. They set up this whole trap for me and everything with like hundreds of cultivators. Before we started fighting, they spouted a lot of bullshit that was just them saying how scared they were of my godly talent. Because of how amazing I am and how I would get even more incredible in the future, they said they had to kill me now. Complete bullshit, you know?"


    This is where he started to get on the nerves of some people in the group.


    This was when Jing ordered everyone in the tower to head towards Hu Tao to save him.


    Ying responded that she wasn''t in the Great Tower and was at the Great Volcano, giving her a valid excuse to not save Hu Tao.


    ''Annoying bastard probably deserved it.'' Ying chuckled inside her Void world.


    "Don''t fucking bullshit me Princess! I know you aren''t doing shit! Come and help me out! We''re teammates remember? I''ll even let you know about a fatal weakness in your sword art!" Hu Tao tried to bargain.


    "Fuck off asshole! Unlike you, I''ve actually been doing important stuff!" Ying responded.


    "Important stuff like what?! You don''t do shit but get in fights with weaklings! Save me!"


    "Even if I was in the Tower right now, I would leave you to rot in that formation!"


    "Come on Fire Crotch. The one time I''m asking you for help and your squeezing my balls? Is this how you think friends treat each other?"


    "FRIENDS!? Who would ever want to be friends with a piece of shit like you!? Actually, just go die and stop messaging me! I''m busy!"


    "Hey. Hey. Let''s just calm ourselves down and think of a way of saving me, okay? If we put both of our heads together, we can surely think of something, right Ying? Ying? Hello? Did this thing break?"


    "Yingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingyingying" Hu Tao spammed her.


    "For fucks sake! I''ll come and save you just to beat you to fucking death Hu Tao! Just wait till I finish my training with this shadow! I''m going to break you into pieces!" Ying vowed with her heart.


    "Thank you, Ying. See it wasn??t so hard to just agree to come and save me, now was it?" Hu Tao messaged.


    A very long list of swears and insults left Ying''s mouth inside her Void World, greatly scaring Hao Gang and the shadow.


    "Now where the hell are you other bastards at? I know you can read my messages." Hu Tao was not finished just yet.


    "I''m on my way." Bing responded, hoping to avoid any conflict with him.


    "We can try and save you. We''re in the Great Tower right now." Lei Zhi wrote.


    "I guess we can see how strong this formation you''re trapped in is." Wan Qing sent.


    "You guys are the best teammates a guy could ask for. After you get me out of this thing, I swear I''ll pay you all back with one favor." Hu Tao said to them.


    "Hu Tao. You do know what I will ask of you afterwards, right?" Jing suddenly messaged, arousing everyone''s attention once again.


    It wasn''t often that Jing messaged with the special talisman either. So, whenever she did, everyone in the group paid close attention to her words.


    ''Ah fuck.'' Hu Tao cursed inwardly.


    "Of course I do! I remember mostly everything about the bastards that trapped me in here! I can tell you the names of the leaders, their cultivation realm, fighting styles, weapons, and what type of cultivator they were." He spouted off from memory.


    "Hmm. What about their appearance? If I asked you what they looked like would you be able to describe them in more than 2 words?"


    "Aha... Jing. You have to give me a break here. I fought over 100 cultivators! How could I remember what each and every one of them looked like?!" He tried to reason.


    "But you do remember how each and every one of them fought, right?"


    ''Fuck!'' She knew him too well! As expected of the first girl to capture his heart.


    Hu Tao remembers how all of his opponents fight. It isn''t something he does consciously but just happens because of his innate nature. Remembering the movements of all of his opponents helps improve and perfect his own fighting style. Fighting is nearly everything to Hu Tao and most of his brain is focused on that one thing due to his obsession with fighting.


    "That''s different..." He knew his counter to her statement was weak.


    "If you manage to free yourself before the Plains end, I expect a full report afterwards. If not, well, I''m sure you can imagine what will happen." Jing left her message with that, ending the entire conversation.


    Bing, Wan Qing, and Lei Zhi made their way towards the 20th floor with some haste. If it was up to Wan Qing, they would be going at the same speed they were always going at. Bing thought that if Ying was here, they would be going as fast as possible. Based on the two of their messages earlier, she''s really going to try to kill him when she sees Hu Tao again.


    The reason why they headed up at a fast pace was because the Treasured Plains were almost over. Their time inside was coming to a close and anyone that didn''t make it out in time would be trapped inside forever. Even if they stayed alive till the next time the Plains opened, they wouldn''t be able to leave through the giant gates as they became a part of the Treasured Plains formation. Their souls wouldn''t be placed back into the reincarnation cycle of the universe but the reincarnation cycle of the Plains. Perhaps they would become one of the Tower inhabitants if they were lucky or one of the cubs of the powerful spirit beasts lurking deep within the Plains.


    There was also another reason why they were moving so quickly. Jing promised them rewards for successfully saving Hu Tao. The rewards for saving Hu Tao along with the rewards they''ll get after the Plains for doing the tasks given to them by Jing made them all excited. Everyone except Hu Tao wondered what kind of reward they would get from Jing, knowing that it would great regardless of what it was.


    "I hope I get a good cultivation technique or a good amount of spirit stones." Bing said.


    ??Spirit stones would be nice. I don''t have a particular need for anything specific as of now. Maybe something that could help me reform misguided youths but I don''t know what that would be or even look like." Lei Zhi shared.


    "I could use a spirit tool." Wan Qing joined in.


    "What kind of spirit tool?" Bing asked.


    "Something that''ll help me deal with people up close. My fan is good at a distance but I''m still not used to fighting up close with it. It''s too different from using a sword." Wan Qing said.


    "Wouldn''t Ni Xong be perfect for that then?" Lei Zhi spoke.


    "He''s too young. When he gets older and grows a bit then he would be helpful but as of now, he would only be deadweight."


    "Ah, he is only in the Qi Gathering realm. Trying to place him against the people you''ll face is dangerous." Bing reasoned.


    "Rur raor." Ni Xong agreed with a nod of his head.


    "That''s why I''m trying to raise his cultivation. The faster he makes it to my realm, the more useful he''ll be." Wan Qing told them.


    "Oh, that is a concern that some beast masters go through. I suppose I am rather lucky that I can pull out spirit beasts equal to my cultivation stage." Lei Zhi realized.


    Wan Qing nodded in agreement as they continued their way to the 20th floor of the Tower. Nothing out of the usual happened to them as they went up the floors. Just several life or death battles with spirit beasts or other cultivators, finding some lucky breaks here and there, and occasionally brushing shoulders with death every now and then. Unfortunately, on the 18th and 19th floor Bing and Lei Zhi ran into an incident involving the Fearsome Garden, Huan clan, and another faction. This incident led to the two of them getting caught up in some trouble with them and getting on their bad side.


    The two hoped that on the 20th floor, that they''ll manage to escape from the groups and they would completely forget all about them and what they did. Bing and Lei Zhi even failed to mention this close call with Wan Qing because of how confident they were that they wouldn''t see either groups again until they left the plains. Once they escaped the 19th floor with Qing, the trio searched around for a giant formation. Hu Tao said that they''d be able to find it no matter where they were on the 20th floor.


    And he was right. The three immediately sensed the immense amount of qi coming from a certain direction on this floor. Wan Qing led the way due to her being the strongest out of all of them. She spread her butterflies out all around them, keeping an eye out for any dangers or potential attackers.


    "He''s right up ahead." Lei Zhi informed.


    They saw Hu Tao''s shirtless figure trapped inside a qi cube. The qi cube was filled with incredibly dense qi and honestly felt impenetrable to all three of them. Around the cube were the countless dead bodies of their fellow disciples. The manner in which some of them died were hard to identify while others were the opposite. The injuries ranged from a simple hole through the torso to ripped apart bodies to black piles of ash every now and then.


    Seeing the horrific battlefield sent various emotions through the three of them. Seeing Hu Tao''s basic hunched over figure on the ground made them realize just what a powerful cultivator he truly was. Not just any cultivator at his stage could kill this many opponents in one battle. Especially when they were all equal to or higher than his own cultivation realm! He was a truly the epitome of a monster...


    Wan Qing doubted she could''ve pulled off a feat like this either despite how much she wanted to refute. Acknowledging that this guy of all people was better than her? It would be a massive blow to her self-esteem. But she wasn''t blind or stupid. She definitely couldn''t do what Hu Tao did at his stage or even the stage she was at now. He was on an entirely different level than her even though he was at a lower stage.


    Her win from before meant absolutely nothing now if he could do something like this. He must have held back or refused to go all out against her in their duel. There was no other reason to how she could''ve won if not for one of those two reasons. It looks like she''ll have to put herself through physical and spiritual hell if she wants to make it anywhere in this world with freaks like Hu Tao, Kun Lao, and Jing around.


    Bing was in utter shock at seeing all the corpses. It was the first time he''s ever seen such a bloody and gruesome sight. It hasn''t been long since he''s started his cultivation journey and seeing something like this was very eye opening. But after being with the Empress so long, a bloody view like this, didn''t get to him too hard. Thanks to the Empress, his adaptability to new experiences has greatly increased.


    Plus, the way his devil hand ate its victims wasn''t anything less horrific than this. Bing has already gotten used to grisly sights thanks to both his blood-draining shield and devil hand. Personally, he would rather not have anything to do with fighting, killing, or the like. But one cannot live a free life without having the strength to run underneath the heavens unhindered. A brutal and unfair life but one that was unavoidable. Especially since they were cultivators. Mortals who were actively defying and going against the heavens.


    ''These bodies would be a great addition to my strength...'' Bing secretly thought in the back of his mind. The only reason he stopped himself was because of the sorrowful look on Lei Zhi''s face.


    Lei Zhi looked at the horrendous sight solemnly. This was just another situation out of thousands that happened in the world. Lei didn''t fault Hu Tao for his actions based on what he''s heard so far. He was plotted against and almost assassinated. It would be ridiculous to expect him to spare any of his potential killers. Only an old fool like himself would hold back against someone aiming against his life.


    Lei Zhi knew he was foolish and would wholeheartedly claim the title of Fool. His goal of changing the ways of this world and reforming the youth hasn''t changed at all. Most would say it''s an impossible task. Lei Zhi himself also believes it''s an impossible goal to strive for. But just because it was impossible didn''t mean it wasn''t worth attempting. Taking the first step towards something is always the most important step in actually conquering it.


    "Hahaha! You bastards actually made it! Quickly get me out of here! You don''t know how long I''ve been in here! I''m going to die any second now! I can feel it!" Hu Tao banged on the cube filled with numerous talismans.


    "How do we do that exactly...?" Bing tapped on the array with his finger.


    His finger was forced away even though he didn''t use that much force on the cube.


    "Hmph. Let me try something. Get out of the way." Wan Qing brandished her fan behind her as Bing quickly got out of the way.


    Just as she was about to take a mighty swing with her weapon, suddenly numerous talismans were thrown around her feet. The moment she noticed them she tried to fly out of the center but it was too late. The formation activated nearly instantly and she was trapped inside as numerous figures suddenly came out into the opening. Bing groaned and Lei Zhi shook his head regretfully.


    "What the hell is this?!" Wan Qing shouted as she tried to break out of the trapping formation. Ni Xong tried to help by punching with his gauntlets but they had no effect on the barrier in the slightest.


    "I suppose we were unlucky this time around as well." Lei Zhi spoke.


    "I''m seriously going to start doing good deeds after the Plains are over. My karmic luck has to be at zero or something." Bing promised.


    "What the hell did you two do?!" Wan Qing yelled. The both awkwardly turned their heads in embarrassment and chuckled.


    "Didn''t expect to see us again, did you?" The incredibly beautiful and sweet Lam. One of the deadly Roses from the Fearsome Garden.


    "To think you two would try and hide out in a dreadful place like this after what you did to us." The playful trickster of the Huan clan, Chun smirked.


    "We''ve already apologized about that. How were we supposed to know you two would be fighting there?! It''s not our fault that we got chased by that tiger in your direction." Bing replied.


    "It was the most unfortunate of circumstances. But you must believe us that it wasn''t our intention to harm any of you." Lei Zhi added.


    "Keep the Fatty alive. My clan has a debt to repay with him." Chun smiled.


    "Kill the nasty old guy then. Make sure he''s screaming before he passes on though. I really love it when they''re screaming before they die." Lam giggled cutely.


    "I don''t think they''ll listen to reason anymore, Lei Zhi." Bing whispered.


    "Yeah... I guess we have to fight our way out of this one regrettably. We can''t leave Hu Tao and Wan Qing behind."


    The old and the young prepared themselves for battle against the many foes. Bing''s entire physique strengthen into an entirely different one filled with muscles and pure brawn. Two pairs of arms shot out from the sides of his abdomen and the back of his shoulder blades. Lei Zhi whipped out his pink fishing rod along with Xiurong growing into the size of a tiger. Quon floated behind the two, ready to paralyze anyone that got close.


    "Kill!" Chun ordered.


    ''Kill?'' Bing questioned inwardly as the three factions headed straight towards the two.


    "What kind of battle cry is just the word kill?" Bing asked again.


    "Maybe he couldn''t think of a better thing to say." Lei tried to explain.


    "If we die to someone like this, I''m going to be embarrassed all the way into my next life..." Bing muttered.


    Bing shot himself forward with Swift Devil, crashing into the incoming cultivators with his strong body. Some were badly injured by Bing''s charge and were forced to swallow recovery pills if they hoped to reenter the battle. For those that avoided the shield charge or got off with light injuries, they quickly aimed to attack Bing together. Their combined attacks were pushing Bing backward as he blocked with his shield.


    The attacks themselves were not strong enough to burden his shield holding arm but they were enough to force him backwards.


    "Art of Counter!" Bing shouted.


    Bing redirected the direction of their collective attacks towards the ground, giving him a moment to breath and a second to set up his counter attack.


    "Not on my watch!" A few cultivators approached from his back to attack him, not all of his opponents were dumb enough to face him from the front.


    Bing ignored the danger at his back and dealt with the threats in front of him. He raised his shield above his head and struck down with unbearable force, shattering the ground itself along with the bodies of a few disciples. The arms grown from out of his shoulder blades shrunk back into his body before one giant hand emerged from his back. The big hand reached out and captured the cultivators attempting to strike him from behind. They were helpless to resist as their bones were crushed simultaneously and soon devoured from the large monstrous mouth that opened from the center of the palm. Their screams sent chills into the remaining cultivators.


    Bing''s physical prowess sharply rose from the bodies of those he ate. Seeing how much of a boost in power it gave him, made him more inclined to eat with his devil hand. And so, he did. With every enemy defeated, one of his hands would drain them of their flesh and increase his body''s strength even more. This forced Chun into action lest he wanted all of his men killed right in front of him.


    Chun was a 3rd stage Qi Consolidator. Bing might have grown stronger but he doubted it was enough to cross realms. He didn''t believe it would be enough to even take on a regular 9th stage Qi Gatherer. He would have to be careful... This wouldn''t be an easy fight to survive.


    Lei Zhi was also in a similar situation with Lam. At the start of the fight, he and his pets were doing relatively well against their foes. Xiurong was their front line against the many disciples. Her strength was far greater than her cultivation stage suggested. Lei Zhi''s spirit beasts shared his own cultivation stage, so they were both at the 7th stage of the Qi Gatherer realm. But this did not mean that they were just as strong as a normal 7th stage Qi Gatherer.


    Quon was far quicker than the average 7th stage and could match an 8th stage with his speed. Xiurong was an absolute monster with her strength. Lei Zhi had no doubt that she crossed over into the Qi Consolidation realm with her power. But besides that, the only other advantages she had was her tough shell and ability to change her size at will.


    They still had their weaknesses despite their potent innate abilities. Lei Zhi had the misfortune of finding these weaknesses out during this very life or death battle with them. Xiurong smashed, slapped, and tossed plenty of cultivators with her claws. None of the disciples'' swords or spirit tools could harm her shell, so they were forced to improvise by attacking spots they believed were vulnerable.


    Her eyes and the underside of her belly were targeted. Lei Zhi used his fishing rod to snag the clothes of any disciples and toss them away or straight into Xiurong to crush. He always made sure that she did not use lethal force, just enough to injure them so that they couldn''t move again. Quon also helped in incapacitating their enemies by stinging anyone caught by Lei Zhi or trying to sneak up behind the middle-aged man.


    The ghastly screams of those stung by Quon frightened the disciples. This was around the time that they figured out the weakness of Xiurong and the target they should all focus on, Quon, the giant octopus. Those from the Fearsome Garden and the Huan clan realized that the crab that could kill them in one hit wasn''t for some reason. The disciples fed valuable recovery pills that could heal their injured allies while the others kept Lei and his pets busy.


    Multiple disciples used talismans to boost their speed, easily allowing them to dodge the mighty crab whose dominance lied in strength and defense. They moved straight towards Lei Zhi who understood that he couldn''t use his fishing rod to snag all of the young men and women coming towards him at once. He hasn''t trained to the level of skill required to do that yet in his Fishing Art. Since he couldn''t deal with them all, he did the next best thing and activated the magical treasure he gained from the 11th floor.


    The large golden sarcophagus on his back softly started to shake due to the flowing qi of Lei entering inside of it. It unstrapped itself from his back and fell to the ground with a mighty thud. Lei Zhi tossed a capturing bead at Quon to save him from any harm. He placed him in his pocket before hooking his fishing rod behind him and latching himself to a great tree behind him, quickly pulling him away from the dangerous situation as the being inside the coffin opened itself to the world of the living once again.


    "Huu. Huu. Huu. Huu..." The figure wrapped in ancient coverings laughed.


    A fierce wave of evil qi spread from its body, terrifying any and all nearby. The cultivators stopped their assault and cautiously watched the strange creature.


    "Don''t kill them. They are young and still have time to reflect on their actions." Lei Zhi commanded.


    Sand rose from its coffin and headed straight towards the disciples with fast speeds. They barely had any time to react as the sand wrapped itself around them and slowly began to crush them.


    "Hey! Hey! I said no killing!" Lei Zhi brandished his fishing rod towards the bandaged corpse.


    The mummy released the barely living disciples at Lei Zhi''s ''request'' as Lam walked onto the scene. She wasn''t having much fun seeing her cute little Weeds getting hurt because of this old man. It was time she took this into her own hands and dealt with it. And the first thing she decided to do was deal with the biggest threat.


    Just as soon as she arrived, everything changed for Lei Zhi. Xiurong was instantly wrapped in sharp vines that restricted her movements entirely. No matter how much she grew or shrunk, the vines matched Xiurong''s size. It was like the vines could stick into her qi and alter itself according to her qi! She was completely helpless and couldn''t move at all!


    "Huu. Huu." The mummy acknowledged her.


    "The dead should stay dead. Don''t you think, Corpsey!?" She sweetly smiled.


    Hundreds of vines appeared behind her like a giant wave of thorny green towards Lei Zhi and his mummy. The wrapped corpse responded with his own ''wave'' and sent forward a sand large enough to topple multiple trees. Lei Zhi wasn''t sure that his mummy could hold up but it wouldn''t be in this fight alone. They could survive this battle.


    "You two weaklings better not fucking die before you save me!" Hu Tao gave a polite request.

 102 Bing vs Chun!

    Bing stood face to face with Chun. A man more than 6 stages ahead of him. Him at the 3rd stage of the Qi Consolidation stage and himself at the 6th stage of the Qi Gathering realm. A hopeless and completely futile battle. A fight he knew he had no chance of winning. Then why was he still standing here ready to try everything to survive against this man, he had no bad blood with? Bing didn''t know the answer to that question. It seems Chun wouldn''t give him a second to think on it either.


    Bing could barely follow Chun''s movements and suffered a heavy blow to the face that sent him flying into Hu Tao''s cube. Blood dripped from his nose as an aching pain followed after. He didn''t even know how he just got hit! Was it a punch or a kick? Did he use a weapon?! Bing couldn''t tell and thinking about all of this was only distracting him.


    In his eyes, there was nothing but the figure of Chun. His shield was raised forward in his direction and his left foot was leading in front of his right. This was the proper stance for wielding a shield taught to him in his Shield Art, Learning How To Master The Shield by The Shield King. In this stance, he would be prepared to handle any attack from any direction but at the cost of his movement and attack power. A stance used solely for defending and nothing else.


    "Heh. No need to be so scared fatty. I''ll make sure to kill you quick. That shield of yours does look pretty valuable. I could probably get some quick cash selling it off." He snickered.


    Bing didn''t respond nor even look as if he heard Chun speak at all. His eyes watched Chun''s body like a hawk, looking for the slightest motion of movement. Being cautious was in Bing''s nature since childhood. Death came too quickly for those who weren''t.


    "Watch his feet and you probably won''t die as quickly." Hu Tao advised.


    "My eyes are up here fatty!" Chun appeared above Bing with his black blade and chopped downward.


    Bing''s eyes met with Chun as his attack came. His pure white bone shield shined from the sun''s rays. The thick veiny muscly arms of Bing rose with a sharp quickness to meet Chun''s sword strike head on. A distinctive clink echoed into the surroundings from the impact along with a surprised look on Chun''s face.


    "Just a fluke!" He vanished and reappeared elsewhere.


    Bing''s senses were stretched to the absolute limit as Chun unleashed numerous slashes from multiple directions on his stationary figure. The round youth could only respond to less than half of these strikes, leaving him a bloody mess. Blood was dripping from all over his body but he didn''t seem exhausted at all. This was because he made sure to protect his vital areas at all times. Chun''s attacks were quick, but they were not necessarily lethal. He couldn''t get his sword more than a couple centimeters deep inside his body.


    But that sword of his wasn''t just any ordinary sword. It was a magical treasure that seemed to affect Bing''s senses every time he was cut by it. At first, his sight was affected. Things were slowly getting blurry the more he was slashed by that black sword. Then when everything was mostly a blur, his hearing was targeted next.


    Bing knew that if this went on, it wouldn''t be long before he was derived of all of his senses and became nothing more than a pig on a platter ready to be chopped up. If he didn''t have that spirit weapon of his, this plan of his would''ve worked fine. But it looks like he''ll have to try something crazy if he wants to survive. And if this doesn''t work, he''ll have to try something a bit more suicidal in nature.


    "I''m getting a bit bored now just cutting you up fatty. Don''t you have anything else you wanna show me before you die of a thousand cuts?" Chun yawned.


    "Yeah... I got something to show. Try to land one more hit on me. Just a single cut." Bing dared.


    "Oh? Do you have a trick up your sleeve? I''m interested! Okay, let''s see what you got planned! Here I come!" Chun playfully spoke, clearly not taking Bing seriously in the slightest.


    A brief visible display of qi cloaked around Chun''s legs and that was when Bing lost track of him completely. The determined shield wielder overflooded his body with qi, knowing that he would only have one chance to pull this stunt off. Once it was seen, it would be impossible to try again. Bing''s body filled to the brim with qi was used solely on sensing the direction where Chun was coming from instead of preparing some sort of big attack.


    ''Directly above me!'' Bing found his position. He barely had a second to utilize his plan.


    Bing bent himself over as far as he could and an enormous hand emerged from his back reaching upward to grasp Chun in its grip.


    "Now this is a surprise!!! What the hell kind of martial art is this!?" Chun exclaimed in excitement and interest.


    "Legs of the Crazy Wind God!" Chun narrowly avoided Bing''s giant hand''s grasp by kicking the air itself and launching himself out of the way.


    Once he landed, he couldn''t help himself from laughing.


    "Now that was something. I hope you didn''t think I was actually going to take your bluff. You''re not that stupid right? I could see you were planning something a mile away!"


    "I actually did hope you would be taken out by something like that." Bing lowered his shield. His back was facing Chun and no one could see the front side of his body except for Hu Tao.


    "Come on! Don''t lie to me fatty! There''s no way you thought I would''ve got caught by that, did you?!" Chun laughed even harder.


    "You''d be surprised how many people are blinded by arrogance and confidence in their own abilities. Who would expect to die or get tricked by someone at a lower stage than them? It''s quite sad how many cultivators don''t think that the weak are capable of hurting them." Bing spoke as if he''s given up all hope of fighting.


    "Oh? Have you taken out cultivators at a higher stage than you before? You don''t seem strong at all fatty! I guess everyone you ever fought must have been worse than trash! Oh, wait that''s not true. You''re very good at taking hits! Most people die to my sword in less than 50 cuts. Since you''re still standing even after taking over 1,000, I can''t call you trash now, can I? Hmm... How about kinda not horrible? That sounds good." He chatted.


    "Thanks for the compliment, I suppose. Before you kill me, I do have a question I want to ask." A sizeable blood pool formed underneath Bing''s feet from his many injuries.


    "Go on. I don''t mind hearing you out as long as it''s not something pathetic like begging for your life. You have done a good job of letting me have some fun so far." Chun smiled.


    "What benefit does your clan gain from taking my life? Your clan has been after me for so long but I still couldn''t process why you would try so hard to kill me with no benefit to yourselves. I have no connections, average talent, and no treasure or secret worth coveting. Is it truly because I''ve gotten on your bad side that your clan wants to kill me so badly?" Bing asked.


    "Yep basically. To think that a nobody like you dares to touch our clan members with absolutely nothing to your name is an embarrassment. You should''ve died a long time ago but you persisted and continued to hurt more and more of our family. To be honest, it''s your own fault that you''re in this situation you know. I mean seriously, who goes around killing people they don''t know the background of? Even I''m not that careless." He snickered.


    "How stupid." Bing responded angrily.


    "Eh, its life. What are you gonna do?"


    "That''s really stupid...!" He repeated with even more anger coating his voice.


    "Welp. I''ll have to bring your head back to Leng. To try to die with some dignity on your face for me or just close your eyes. I''ll be quick in slicing off that fat neck of yours." He prepared himself to attack.


    "I think I bought enough time. What do you think Hu Tao?" Bing suddenly smiled. The cuts present all over his body were quickly healed up along with the return of his senses. The recovery pills he was downing during their conversation through his devil hand were really helpful!


    "Haha! You fucking sneaky ass fat bastard! You still can''t win but if you survive a bit longer maybe Princess will arrive to help you out!" Hu Tao gave his thumbs up at his cleverness.


    "Don''t worry. I have something else up my sleeve. Surviving won''t be an issue. Trust me." Bing grinned with a strange confidence not normally seen from him.

 103 Lei Zhi vs Lam!

    The two waves of Lam and Lei''s mummy clashed head on and that was when Lei Zhi tossed his fishing hook straight at the defenseless Lam. She smiled at him a smile that was a little too sweet and blocked his attack. Vines rose from her feet and wrapped itself around her like another outfit. They whipped and waved around the air like living snakes clothed in spikes.


    Lei Zhi''s fishing hook was almost grabbed by these deadly serpents, it was only thanks to the fact that it was an item created by Jing that saved his weapon from being snatched. The hook tore right through the spiky armor and returned back to its rightful owner. His mummy was being overwhelmed and if things continued at this pace, it wouldn''t be long before it was entangled and stabbed to pieces. The creature understood this and made efforts to deal with such an outcome.


    Its wrapping began to move on their own. Both Lam and Lei Zhi watched as its cloth quickly started to detach itself from its body. Cloth that revealed the blackened and drained skin of the evil being to any who were curious enough to watch. From the ground, small child-like beings similar in appearance to the mummy manifested from the worn fabric.


    "Hee!"


    "Hee! Hee!"


    "Hee!!!"


    Dozens of these little mummies ran towards Lam.


    "So cute!!!" She screamed, giving the original mummy a little bit of freedom as he used his sand to move himself out of the way of Lam''s wave of vines.


    "If I don''t take you all home with me, I don''t know how terribly I''m going to kill this old man!"


    The mummies attacked her without restraint. Some used sand while the rest used their own wrappings to try and hurt Lam. It was impossible to resist using her vines and drilling straight through the mummy children. Lam brought every single one of the small mummies close to her to get a better look at them and she squealed.


    "You''re all a little stinky but your cuteness makes up for it! I''m definitely taking you back with me to the sect."


    "I could make more of them for you if it stops you from trying to kill me." Lei brought up.


    "Nah, I''m still gonna kill you old man. You''re not cute at all." She stuck her tongue out at him.


    "I''d prefer if you didn''t try to kill me, young lady. We can still go our separate ways. There''s no reason that we need to go that far in our fight." Lei Zhi tried to change her mind.


    "Yeah but, you''re kinda ugly and gross and old and stupid. Is there any reason you should live?" She stated quite casually.


    "Ouch..." He muttered. Lei Zhi didn''t place too much importance on his looks but being bluntly insulted right to his face about them didn''t feel good.


    "Just because someone is different from what you prefer doesn''t mean they deserve to die." Lei said.


    "Ah yes... That is the rule of this world, isn''t it? Since you looked so young, I didn''t think you''d know about that already. But that was just wishful thinking on my part." He chuckled sadly.


    "Say... Young lady. If I prove my might is greater than yours, will you take a different path than the one you''re currently on?" Lei wanted to know.


    "Pfft! You might be totally disgusting but that was actually pretty funny!" She laughed at the thought that he believed he could win against her.


    "I''ll take that as a yes..." Lei Zhi hooked a piece of a large tree and tossed it at Lam.


    The tree blocked her vision but she didn''t worry at all. Her vines easily tore the wood apart and after breaking it, she lost sight of Lei Zhi. Lam tried to sense where Lei Zhi was with her qi and was more than surprised to find out that she couldn''t sense him anywhere! How could he have erased his qi presence? Is it an auxiliary martial art?


    Just as Lam was about to turn around to try and find him, her face was nearly assaulted by a large rock that was thrown at her from behind! Thankfully her vines reacted in time and blocked the stone from crashing into her. Realizing that she could''ve sustained a horrible injury to her face from someone far weaker than her, Lam almost went into a craze. Lam frantically looked around for any signs of the old man.


    "I''d have to apologize. I decided that holding back against a cultivator as strong as yourself would only hurt myself. From now on, I won''t be as forgiving." Lam''s vines instantly drilled towards the sound of his voice.


    Rupturing and tearing through the earth. The aftermath of her attack revealed that she only managed to destroy the ground and land itself instead of a middle-aged man.


    "Huu..." The mummy was still a contender in this fight.


    His sand shaped itself into a large spear that flew straight towards Lam who could barely react in time. The young girl with a passion for cruelty was taken off her feet and slammed right into a tree. Despite standing straight up after the attack and not looking injured in the slightest. Lam reacted as if she was gravely injured along with having all of her family insulted. She screamed with a crazed glint in her eyes as a massive number of vines destroyed the area around her and spread further and further out.


    As his mummy was distracting her, Lei took his time in freeing Xiurong. He expected her to instantly react after having her vines cut but her eyes were focused entirely on his mummy. Xiurong climbed up his shoulder in her tiny state and the two of them quickly moved away. He still didn''t have a good angle to attack her yet.


    Lei Zhi didn''t miss his opportunity. He moved with a quiet swiftness that made it hard for anyone to even think about tracking him. Neither his qi nor his body emitted a single sound while in this state, utilizing his cultivation technique. The downside being that it rapidly drained his qi reserves for silencing his movements and hiding his qi. That was why he had to do this quickly.


    The middle-aged fisherman patiently waited for the perfect moment to attack. His mummy was almost finished but that wasn''t too much of a concern. It could be regenerated from its coffin as long as Lei Zhi gave it sufficient qi to restore itself. It''ll probably take him a couple of days to do that as he didn''t have much qi in this old body of his but it will happen when it happens.


    There! Lei Zhi saw the perfect spot to snag his target amidst all the giant vines surrounding her. He could feel his qi was about to be completely used up and didn''t have much time to waste. The peace-loving 7th stage Qi Gatherer used all the strength in his physical body to sling his fishing hook straight at Lam''s heavily defended body. She was using all her strength in destroying the area to try and find him.


    Lei Zhi''s hook tore through any vines on its way towards Lam. No matter the thickness or the numbers present, they were all cut through. During the course of their battle, Lei Zhi understood that Lam was not connected to her vines in a way that she could sense when they were sliced or destroyed. If it wasn''t for this one weakness, Lei doubted he would have been able to pull off this sneak attack.


    "Where are you?!" More enlarged vines ripped through the ground, leaving the area in an even worse state than before.


    Lei didn''t foolishly respond and let his fishing hook hit its target dead-on. It hooked into her clothes and nearly ripped them, almost exposing her young milky-white breasts. She cried out in fury at the surprise and screamed even louder when Lei tossed her far into the sky with his fishing rod. By now, she could clearly sense where he was as he released the effect of his cultivation technique. Lei Zhi stared at the great vines heading straight down at him. She had quite the murderous look in her eyes.


    ''I have a feeling that she isn''t going to change at all even if I was somehow able to beat her...'' Lei thought to himself.


    "Heh... I guess I still need a little bit more training and experience before trying to reform any youths yet... To think I still haven''t been able to change even a single youth in several months... I wonder if I''m going about this all wrong." Lei Zhi muttered to himself.


    Xiurong jumped from Lei''s shoulder with great force and grew to her original size. Which was large enough to shadow the very area around them. She let the vines pierce into her unprotected belly as she slammed her claw down straight at Lam who was now using all of her power against Lei.


    Lam was sent soaring down at unbelievable speeds along with Xiurong who crashed into the earth with several holes in her body.


    "Xiurong!" Lei cried out.


    He didn''t tell her to do that! He didn''t tell her to do anything! Why did she do that?! Lei threw his fishing rod away and rushed over to her crash site.


    He struggled to climb her giant body but managed eventually and reached her wounded underside. It pained him greatly to see the horrible injuries. These wounds... Could he even fix something like this? Where would he even begin...?


    "Xiurong. Are you okay?!" He asked in deep concern.


    She tried to speak to him but he of course couldn''t understand. They were from two different universes, of two different minds, and of two different species. How could they possibly connect as one in a moment such as this? And communicate to each other with equal understanding.


    "Your babies! Are they okay?!" If he couldn''t save Xiurong, he had to at least save her children.


    Xiurong used her qi and stretched it out towards Lei''s head. Lei could sense what she was trying to do and willingly leaned his head into her qi. Her qi drilled its way into Lei''s head and he accepted it wholeheartedly. By the time she reached what she wanted to, Lei Zhi could hear a feminine voice in his head.


    ''I do not have long for this world. Neither do my children either. That human female has pierced my egg sac and many of my vital organs. Listen to my final words Summoner.'' Lei had trouble controlling his body but he didn''t have any problem listening.


    ''You are weak. One of the weakest males I''ve ever known. And very stupid too.''


    ''I have never met a creature so foolish in my entire life.''


    ''But I did not dislike that about you. You may have had control over me when you summoned me here. But you did not control my soul.''


    ''Your silly goal of making people into better persons. I thought was very idiotic and a waste of time but never went against it.''


    ''As I spent more time with you, Summoner. I began to think. Maybe is not so foolish of a dream after all.''


    ''You and the Round one are similar but he holds a darkness in his soul that you do not share. Your goal is not impossible. As long as you keep your soul as pure as it is now, you will one day accomplish your dream.''


    ''Continue to live my weak Summoner. And after my death, ensure that you do everything you can to survive and live on. Until you finally succeed.''


    ''Farewell Summoner Lei. It has been an enjoyable time.''


    ''I too have enjoyed my time spent with you... I''m sorry I wasn''t strong enough to protect you. I''m sorry I won''t be able to avenge you either. It looks like I might be joining you soon.'' Lei Zhi looked at the swirling mass of vines drilling towards himself.


    His connection with Xiurong was still there despite her passing. His body was completely paralyzed. There was nothing he could really do to save himself. It was a rather unfulfilling life, wasn''t it? He didn''t accomplish much of anything despite living to this age. Maybe in his next life, he''ll have enough luck to accomplish his dreams. The vines smacked right into him and sent him flying into the distance through several rocks.


    "Finally! That was the most annoying fight I''ve ever been in! I should''ve made him suffer 1000 times more for what he put me through!" Lam stamped her foot on the ground like a spoilt brat.

 104 Bing vs Chun Concluded?!

    Bing slowly lowered his shield into the pool of his blood. Chun, Hu Tao, and Bing watched as the shield sucked it up like a swarm of starving mosquitoes. A powerful source of qi was building up inside Bing''s shield. No one but himself knew exactly what was happening. He preferred to keep it this way as well, pulling off this technique required him to lose a vast amount of blood. Shoving all those recovery pills down his gullet does have risks that comes along with the vastly enhanced recovery speed.


    The first downside was that controlling his qi would be far more difficult due to the buildup of pill residue inside his body. The second one reduced the effectiveness of any pills further ingested into the body which could range from 50% to 100%. These two drawbacks by themselves force cultivators to carefully think about the near future and whether or not they can handle these risks in battle. Bing didn''t have much of a choice in thinking about taking these risks or not.


    He couldn''t very well just run away and leave everyone to die. There were a lot of reasons why he believed that wouldn''t work out for the best for him. So, there was no need for him to list them out. He just had to suck it up and fight to his best ability. Even if there was a voice in the back of his mind constantly whispering to him that he should just run away. Bing shushed this voice by presenting some logic to it.


    ''He would be able to catch me no matter how hard I try to run.'' Swift Devil wouldn''t save him from someone as fast as Chun Huan.


    "I don''t like how cocky you''ve gotten. I''ll kill you now before you decide to show me anymore surprises." Chun decided, feeling an unease about Bing''s new confidence.


    He suddenly appeared in front of Bing with his blade, intending to chop his neck off.


    "I''m really not a fan of fighting strong people..." Bing softly spoke.


    Just before Chun''s sword touched his neck, the quick-footed Qi Consolidator halted his strike and rapidly jumped back in fright. Several sharp bones jutted from the ground aimed directly at Chun. The reason why he stopped his attack was because of those bones. If he didn''t, he would''ve been impaled to death.


    The bones spread out a large distance around Bing and Chun. Surrounding them in a circular formation. Bing gestured with his hand and rose it upward. His bones danced to his commands and shot forth from the ground high into the sky. They moved like fearsome flying serpents with their movements. A mesmerizing sight that would induce a feeling of terror and despair in the one that was watching them as they came together and formed a dominion of bones. A land filled with diverse shapes and skeletal substances, all controlled by Bing''s will.


    Chun raced towards Bing once again and slashed at him. But once again his killing attempt was halted by bones! An unusually large bone spike thrusted up from the ground that saved Bing from his strike as it almost skewered him. That was another close call.


    ''What the hell is with this piggy?'' Chun thought to himself.


    "Inside here, I can control everything you see. I know it seems really strong but I can only use this technique for 30 seconds this time around. So, try to make things easy on me and die within that time." Bing asked politely.


    Immediately after finishing his statement, a bone attempted to pierce Chun from the back of his skull. Sweat dripped down his face after narrowly dodging that dangerous spike. But the danger was far from over for Chun. Chun''s speed and senses were put to the absolute test as countless numbers of deadly osseous materials chased after him. Bing had to motion with his hands to manipulate the bones into homing in on Chun because of his lacking qi control being barely enough to manage this life-threatening technique.


    It didn''t matter what direction the speedster tried to run, Bing''s bones appeared in all directions at all times with this domain. Forcing the Qi Consolidator into using most of his qi to deflect lethal strikes from landing on him. Sharp cuts started to appear on his body from the crazy number of spikes coming at him. His speed aided him but in this tight and enclosed space, it was only a matter of time before he was overwhelmed and killed by Bing''s spikes. Or at least, that was what Bing was desperately hoping.


    Chun''s constant grin slowly transitioned into a fierce scowl. Ever since the start of their battle, he''s had a cocky smile on his face. Bing was satisfied he managed to push a Qi Consolidator into going all out against him. It might be only because of his shield that he''s still alive right now but it was still something to be proud of in his opinion.


    "I can''t believe I actually have to use my full strength in a battle against a Qi Gatherer! No wonder my clan is after your head! With strength like this, it''s only a matter of time before you attempt to take revenge!"


    "Please die already... My 30 seconds are almost up." Bing pleaded.


    "Not a chance in hell will I die from a Qi Gatherer! Crazy Wind God''s Frenzied Dance!" Bing lost sight of him again.


    He sighed in annoyance at how unfair this match up was. He was about to try and just randomly stab places inside the dome but not even a second after he lost sight of the Huan clan member, a distinct clang rang out in his ears. Revealing to him that Chun just tried to murder him again and just figured out that Bing''s body was protected by bones. After not even being able to react to his attack and only surviving due to his cautious nature to protect his life first in every situation, Bing fully encased his body in a suit of armor using bones.


    Chun didn''t give up as he unleashed hundreds of sword strikes on Bing''s immobile figure. Bing wished he could also cover his ears from the constant clanging from outside his armor but that would be too much to ask for. He was waiting for Chun to tire himself out, guessing that he couldn''t keep this up for long. Unfortunately, he himself also didn''t have much time left. It was time to fall to his last resort plan. Worst case scenario, he dies and Chun escapes unharmed. Best case scenario, he''s on the brink of life and death and Chun dies. The most likely outcome would be both of them dying.


    ''I really hope the Empress has something to bring back the dead...'' Bing hoped with all his heart as he began channeling his qi within his palms.


    The amount of qi control needed to simply create this technique was absurd, not to mention using it. Far too much in Bing''s opinion. As a body cultivator, his control over his qi was naturally lacking as there wasn''t a need for him to control qi as adeptly as a qi cultivator would. His body would do most of the work just by flowing qi through certain parts of his body in specific patterns. Bing didn''t need to control, condense, alter, shape, or manipulate much of anything when performing his martial arts.


    This was without adding the fact that he downed a lot of recovery pills and mostly shot his already pathetic amount of qi control to hell. It would be a miracle on top of a miracle if he could even pull off this special technique. A miracle he has no choice but to rely on. Without using this, the only thing he could do was lie down and accept his death.


    "Haah... I''m so tired... Couldn''t just make it easy on me, could you?" Bing muttered as a miniscule orb flashed in between his palms.


    Chun never let up his attacks since the creation of Bing''s bone armor. Bing figured he must be pissed out of his mind. He definitely wouldn''t let him have an easy death. Bing hated pain as well, if he forgot to mention.


    "Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" Chun repeated with such murderous passion.


    "Come on..." Bing pleaded to himself.


    A small orb flashed in the middle of the hands once again. Bing urged with all his heart for it to stay this time. As far as he could tell, he only had 5 seconds left. Within these 5 seconds, he needed to shape this technique and properly form it with the specific qi elements required.


    "Come on! Come on! Come on!" Bing''s nerves rose to the extreme.


    It was as if an hourglass was above his head, almost fully emptied from the top half. This was the most stressful situation he''s ever been in and doubted this would be the last either if he somehow survived through this. Knowing the Empress and the rest of his allies, this seemed like it would be something that''ll happen on the regular for them. A small smile appeared on Bing''s face. Maybe he was becoming a bit abnormal as well hanging around them...


    "I can''t die now!" He shouted. There was still too much he had to do in this life. He hasn''t even gotten a girlfriend yet! Or kids!


    The constantly flickering orb between Bing''s hands finally solidified into something tangible. The sheer amount of qi radiating from something so tiny shocked Chun greatly! He somehow increased the intensity of his sword strikes to get through Bing''s armor faster. Bing fueled the sphere with all of his emotions. He wasn''t even close to having it made completely. In its current state, it wasn''t even a tenth of the way finished.


    "But this''ll have to do!" All the bones crumbled into a fine white dust around them, painting the land an ashy white color.


    Chun saw the creamy white flesh of Bing and grinned with delight. He aimed a fatal cut towards Bing with his sword infused with qi to increase the sharpness of his attack. Bing gritted his teeth and locked eyes with the Huan bastard after his life. Let''s see if it''s his fate to die today.


    "Yin of Destruction \u0026 Yang of Creation Infinite Sphere!" Bing forcefully brought his palms together.


    And then everything went white.

 105 The Conclusion.

    And in only a few seconds, the incredibly bright light was gone and everyone''s vision returned. Hu Tao immediately looked over at Bing''s body to see if he died or not. The crazy fat bastard wasn''t moving. He clicked his tongue in irritation. That fatty had potential to give him a good fight in the future! How dare someone else take away one of his fights!?


    "You''re fucking dead when I get out of here you Huan shit! That fat piece of shit was mine to fight!" Hu Tao cursed at the barely living Chun.


    ??Chun rose with great difficulty. Blood seeped from every part of his body, his clothes were torn into rags, and his defensive treasures were destroyed in the blast. The previously easy-going young man glared in Bing''s direction with a hate-filled stare. His pride was destroyed to pieces and his hatred for that fatty that put him in this embarrassing state rose to an unprecedented height. Never before has he ever been in such a humiliating state.


    The stumbling heavily injured youth made his way to Bing''s unconscious naked body with nothing but murderous intent. There was no one capable of stopping him at this point in time. Both Hu Tao and Wan Qing were trapped within high-level formations and Bing and Lei Zhi were in similar states in where it was unknown if they were still alive. So, Chun had free reign to do whatever he pleased with Bing''s creamy white pig-like virgin body.


    Chun released all his pent-up frustrations on Bing. With brutal punches and kicks to Bing''s face and body, he beat him till he was bleeding even further than before. Bing groaned from the impact of each hit but still did not awaken. A smile was slowly forming on Chun''s lips in seeing how he had complete freedom to do whatever he pleased to this pig. His savage assault reduced Bing into a bloody, bruised, and gravely injured mess.


    "Now... I''ll show you the price for messing with my clan! And for daring to believe that you had the smallest chance of defeating me!" He pointed his sword that was as dark as the night itself at Bing''s throat.


    "Die Fatty!" He swung downwards to separate Bing''s neck from his body.


    Clink!


    Chun watched as she forced herself out of the circle and fully arrived to the 20th floor somehow. Who was this person? Why was she stopping him from killing that fatty? Is she his ally or an unknown third party?


    "Who are you?! If you don''t wish to get on the Huan clan''s bad side, stay out of this!" He threatened.


    "Princess! You made it! You could''ve came a bit fucking sooner but at least you''re here! Fatass and the Old Man kicked the bucket! Come get me out of this thing quick!" Hu Tao yelled.


    She ignored them both and looked down at the fatty with a strange look on her face. Chun immediately knew that she was connected to him somehow with a look like that. The odd girl soon glared at him after feeding a strange pill to the fatty. Despite his severe injuries, he was sure that he could take care of an 8th stage Qi Gatherer. Chun readied his sword and prepared himself for battle.


    "Wait a second. I''ll be with you in a moment." Ying''s eyes caught Xiurong''s corpse in the distance and no signs of Lei Zhi.


    She tossed a spirit stone in Hao Gang''s mouth and immediately found Lei Zhi''s body. She lightly hopped her way over to him and fed him the same pill she fed Bing before returning to the battlefield. Ying ran her hand down Xiurong''s body and muttered a few words in her memory. Then, she focused her attention on Chun and Lam.


    "You and You. Get ready to die." She uttered with such calmness it was as if their fates were already decided by the heavens themselves. Her sword returned back to its massive and demonic appearance.


    Lam and Chun looked at the 8th stage Qi Gatherer and couldn''t help laughing together. At the exact time their mouths starting moving up and down through laughter, was when Ying attacked, giving them no time to prepare themselves. She wasn''t playing around. Her sword cleanly removed Lam''s torso from her waist in a single stroke. Lam''s sickeningly sweet smile was still present on her face as the upper half of her body flew through the air.


    Chun held nothing back once he processed the instantaneous death of Lam. He vanished towards Ying''s back after she cut Lam in two. Only to be met with icy-white flames that exploded out from her back that nearly froze him solid! The 3rd stage Qi Consolidator kicked the air to avoid it and kicked once more to continue his attack on the dangerous Qi Gatherer in front of him.


    "Don''t underestimate me, Qi Gatherer!" Chun shouted. His blade nearing Ying''s heart.


    "You''re not as fast as I thought you''d be." She replied.


    Ying didn''t even bother avoiding his attack. She simply coated her hands in flames and grabbed hold of the weak blade between her fingers. Looking at Chun with a look of disbelief. A look that asked, "Is this seriously your best?"


    Chun''s expression twisted into something inhuman after being looked down on by this girl who was an entire realm below him. He tried to forcibly pull his blade from her grip with all his strength and unleash thousands of slashes upon her in retaliation. But he couldn''t force it from her fingers... She was actually stronger than him...


    "If it wasn''t for that fatty, I''d eat you alive stupid girl!" He screamed while still trying to pull his sword free.


    "If it wasn''t for that fatty, you''d have a painless death instead of a painful one. For putting him in that state, I''ll have to do the same to you." Ying smashed her foot into Chun''s gut, launching him straight across the white rocky remains of this battlefield. He tumbled, rolled, and smashed against the ground like a kite with its strings cut.


    Chun could feel everything in his body shatter from that kick, bile spewing from his mouth during his flight. In no less than a second, she was right on top of him shoving her fist into his chest, shattering his ribs completely and sending him into a panic attack. He couldn''t breathe. It hurts just trying to breathe. What the hell was this girl...? Was he going to die right here and now?


    "Gahhh!!!" Chun screamed from the sudden loss of his arm. He was on the verge of passing out.


    "You can''t faint yet. I''m sure the pain you put my friend through was much worse than this." Ying cauterized his wound to stop the blood loss, causing him to shriek even louder.


    "Love really makes one scary..." Wan Qing muttered. She herself already went through a situation with nearly killing someone''s loved one and almost died for it.


    Ying then proceeded to cause unimaginable amount of pain and suffering to the Huan clan member for nearly killing Bing. Shattering his legs, twisting his remaining arm like a wet towel, swelling up face with barely restrained punches, and an almost completely cracked skull for when she couldn''t restrain one of her punches. In his current state, it was hard to tell if he was even alive. His body twitched every few seconds accompanied by whimpers and other such noises from his mouth.


    Ying stood over him with a cold look on her face. No one tries to kill her friends without paying a price. Bing, Lei Zhi, and Xiurong were all people she considered her friends. The months they spent together weren''t moments that could be easily forgotten. Even though she hates Hu Tao''s guts, she''d rather be the one to kill him herself than have some other person kill him.


    Growing up, Ying didn''t have many friends. For a long time, her only friend was just her grandfather. Sometimes she interacted with the other noble children but their parents always stopped them from getting too involved with her. She never understood why but she didn''t care either, Ying was perfectly fine with her Gramps being her only friend. She was simple like that.


    Then she met Xiaohui during her recruitment test to get into the Golden Serpent Sect. At first it seemed like they got along great. Xiaohui introduced her to her friends and Ying also became friends with them. Then they learned of her true reason of joining the sect and there was the situation with Xiaohui''s boyfriend. So, that all ended horribly and Ying didn''t really understand what real friends were like for a while.


    Until she got to know Bing and Lei Zhi. Two people she would have no doubt ignored entirely if it wasn''t for Jing bringing her into her group. Because of Jing, she got to know these two and learned what having actual friends were like. Ying was hesitant to call Hu Tao a friend but deep down in her heart, she considered him something resembling a friend but at the same time hated him deeply. She couldn''t say as of now if Wan Qing was her friend or not. They haven''t spent enough time together for her to decide something like that but she didn''t hold a negative opinion of her.


    Ying chopped down with her sword and split Chun''s twitching figure into two halves. From the center of her lungs, she took a deep breath, stabilizing her mind and nerves. She was very glad that she arrived on time to save both Bing and Lei Zhi. There was no pain in her heart that she used two of Jing''s valuable special recovery pills to save them. They were the only ones she had but she didn''t regret using them for a second.


    "Oi! Princess!? The girl with orange pubic hair!? Mind saving me anytime now!?" Hu Tao whined.


    "I also need some assistance..." Wan Qing tried to hide her embarrassment.


    "Ror. Ror." Ni Xong held his paws on the formation''s barrier.


    "How did you two get trapped?" Ying asked Qing and Xong.


    "I was caught unprepared."


    Ying looked at both Hu Tao''s and Wan Qing''s trapping arrays to see if there was a way of freeing them. Unfortunately for both of them, she had no idea how to free them. She could try going all out with her sword to shatter their prisons but there was no certainty that it would work. Especially for Hu Tao''s cube that was filled to the brim with powerful talismans all over it.


    "Yeah. I''m stumped. Maybe we can figure something out when Bing and Lei wake up." Ying proposed.


    Hu Tao and Wan Qing had no choice but to wait if Ying couldn''t figure something out. Eventually Bing and Lei Zhi reawakened with their injuries fully healed. Upon reawakening, tears fell from Bing''s eyes, overjoyed that he was still in the world of the living. Lei Zhi placed Xiurong''s body in a capture bead to bury at a later date. The three of them then tried various methods of releasing the trapped Qi Consolidators in their group, only to no avail.


    "Hoooly shit!!!" A voice in the distance whistled.


    "What kind of fucking war took place here?" Another joined in.


    "Damn, somebody had a party here!"


    A group with several lotuses on their head arrived. They marveled at the carnage and death lingering in the aftermath of the terrible battles that took place here. Some of them even recognized the corpses and mocked them. But there were two faces in that group that caught everyone attention.


    "It''s good to see you all are still in one piece." Jing spoke with Li Li perched on her shoulder.


    "You know these people, Jing?" Wenling asked, she only knew the shirtless one.


    "I suppose you could say that. I''m their leader after all." Jing revealed.

 106 Jing Has Arrived!

    "Deal with everyone still alive. Anything you find on their bodies are yours to keep." Jing relayed to the Wolfeng Gang members.


    They scampered into the battlefield looting the corpses and putting an end to any disciples faking their deaths. Jing let out a small laugh looking at the pack of hyenas scavenging the ruined area. Seeing them act so in tune with their true desires was always amusing. Jing herself took careful notice of two specific people in her group.


    "I was aware of Hu Tao being trapped but how did you find yourself in a similar situation?" Jing asked Wan Qing.


    "It was an ambush." She couldn''t look Jing in the eye. She was very embarrassed that she let herself get bested by cultivators at a lower stage than herself once again.


    Jing didn''t respond to her explanation and simply slapped two golden talismans on their prisons. The arrays shattered into nothingness and the two of them were freed.


    "I''M FREE!!!" Hu Tao joyously exclaimed.


    In his excitement, he wrapped his arms around Jing and squeezed her in a loving embrace that would break the spine of any normal young maiden.


    "You don''t know how much I fucking love you right now!" If Hu Tao had a tail, it would be wagging furiously.


    An annoyed Jing kicked him in his stomach to release her and then followed up with a high kick that struck him right into his cheek, smashing him into the ground.


    "Know your place, Mutt." She coldly responded. Hu Tao could only ogle at her with hearts in his eyes as his body was horribly injured by Jing''s loving kicks.


    "That reminds me! Didn''t I promise to beat you half to death?!" Ying leapt towards Hu Tao''s immobilized figure and began pounding him with her fists.


    "Gah! Princess! Wait! This doesn''t count! Stop hitting me when I can''t fight back! This isn''t fun at all!" Hu Tao yelled in perhaps his second moment of actual helplessness.


    "Hahahaha!" Ying laughed in great elation. "Remember all those times you were so cocky?! Now it''s my turn to teach you a lesson in respect!" She pummeled him with all her strength.


    "Seriously! Get off me! I''ll beat the shit out of you when I get my strength back! This isn''t a fight!"


    "Keep crying wolf boy! Nothing''s gonna save you from this mama''s fists of revenge!" She continued her long-deserved win against the battle crazed cultivator.


    "Who managed to kill Lam and Chun?" She asked her followers.


    "Uhm?! Jing?! Are you just going to ignore me?!" Wenling frantically yelled.


    "Later." She responded without even looking at Wenling.


    "I killed those two but if it wasn''t for Lei Zhi and Bing weakening them before hand, I wouldn''t have stood a chance!" Ying yelled over Hu Tao''s shouting.


    "I see and Bing did you face Chun?"


    "Empress?!" Wenling shouted in confusion.


    "Since the Treasured Plains are coming to a close soon. I suppose it''s fine if I give you all your due rewards now. Come here." Jing beckoned them.


    Ying finally finished beating Hu Tao into a bloody pulp and joined the others. They all followed her demand with various emotions on their faces. Emotions that Jing was pleased to see with her own eyes. Hu Tao''s ugly disfigured wolfish grin, Lei Zhi honest and straightforward smile, Bing''s silly smile that highlighted his excitement, Ying''s lovely blood-coated smile, Wan Qing''s restrained half-smirk, and Ni Xong''s jumping around his owner''s legs. Seeing them all so excited almost caused Jing herself to break out in a small smile.


    "For taking out 2 core members of the Huan clan and the Fearsome Garden, along with successfully completing the tasks I gave you, this is for you." Jing handed her a bright shiny red book with a cover plated with gold and a high-ranked spirit stone.


    The book was a fire cultivation technique that belonged to some fallen deity called the Goddess of Calamity. If Ying is lucky enough in her comprehension, she''ll be able to rise into the heavens quite easily. Jing took a quick peak through the book herself and knew that it was definitely a heaven-ranked cultivation marital art. If it wasn''t, then she wouldn''t know what would classify as a heaven-ranked martial art in the first place.


    "What is it?" Ying wondered.


    "A better cultivation art." Jing simply responded.


    "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Ying couldn''t help herself from immediately trying to open the first page and absorbing the knowledge within.


    But she found herself unable to open the cover of the book even with all her great strength. What is this?! Ying looked at Jing with nothing but confusion splattered on her face. Jing smirked at her.


    "The book will accept you when it feels you''re worthy."


    "What does that mean?!"


    "Perhaps it means your understanding of fire isn''t enough yet." Lei Zhi suggested.


    Ying looked at him as if he was speaking backwards.


    "Just a guess." He nervously chuckled.


    "Bing." Jing brought his attention to her.


    "Empress." He got down on one knee and lowered his head.


    "Get up idiot. How am I supposed to reward you if you''re down there?" She wanted to kick him for being so foolish but restrained herself.


    "Of course. My apologies." He rose so fast, he nearly headbutted Jing in the chin.


    This rewarded him with a kick to the stomach that sent him rolling away like a ball. Bing could swear he heard three people laughing at him in his dazed state. A young childish voice he never heard before, Hu Tao laughing that someone was in pain just like him, and Ying''s chuckling.


    "Here are your rewards, oaf." Jing tossed his rewards next to his dirtied and wounded body.


    Jing gifted the hefty blue-haired youth a necklace with skulls looped around the string, a small silver disc, and 10 middle-ranked spirit stones. She debated whether if she could give him SCP-4820 or the ring filled with ancient martial arts and techniques but thinking about the tasks he accomplished today. This was enough. Those two items she gave him would give him a significant boost in his combat ability despite how simple those magical treasures seemed. Maybe when he takes care of an impossible task from her, she''ll reward him with something on that level.


    "Thank you, Empress." He managed to say through pained breaths.


    "Hmm." Jing was pleased. He hasn''t forgotten his position.


    "Lei. You''ve done better than I thought you would. I believe I found the perfect tools for you to accomplish your goal." Jing handed him a box from her storage ring.


    Lei Zhi opened up the small box that seemed like it should only be opened by members of royalty and was surprised to see what was inside. Inside laid 2 needles imprinted into the soft velvety cotton along with a small but very thick book. He looked towards Jing for an explanation on why she believed this would help him. Jing responded the same way she did to Ying.


    "You''ll understand when you begin reading." She moved on to Wan Qing next.


    "For dealing with Wang Yong and attempting to save Hu Tao, here are your rewards."


    Jing handed Wan Qing 5 high-ranked spirit stones, a bone-washing pill, one purifying qi pill, and a beast corpse from the Core Preparation stage that Jing dealt with earlier for Ni Xong. She made sure to collect all of the spirit beasts she killed for her mission from the system. Everything has its uses. And Jing hated being wasteful.


    "Thank you." Wan Qing replied.


    "Mhmm. And just so you all know for the future, there won''t be rewards for attempts. Only completed tasks." Jing told them.


    They nodded and Jing crouched over to Hu Tao with a particularly frightening look on her face.


    "Why are you smiling like that?! I don''t know if I want my rewards anymore with you looking at me like that. You only look at me like that when you''re going to hurt me! Fat Ass! Old Man! Bitch! Help me!" He cried for aid only to receive averted gazes.


    "You''ve done an excellent job for me during these Treasured Plains. I have an especially fantastic reward for your efforts."


    None of his allies looked in his direction and missed out on one of Jing''s purest smiles. She reached out with her hand to the desperate Hu Tao who was attempting to crawl away with all his strength. A happy hum came from her voice as she snagged his leg and pulled him towards herself without much trouble. Jing grabbed his injured face that was slowly healing and kissed him deeply on the lips. With an intimate intrusion on her part, Jing''s tongue wrangled itself around Hu Tao''s and forced him into accepting her inside his mouth.


    Hu Tao''s limbs frantically panicked from the kiss as he tried to pull himself away. Everyone present could hear the sounds of their intense session and tried to avert their eyes even more so than before. Everyone except Wenling, who stared on in complete shock. Hu Tao''s muffled screaming only made things worse for their imaginations.


    Just how good was Jing at kissing that Hu Tao of all people would be screaming from it?! Why was she doing this in front of them?! Couldn''t she wait till they were alone or something?! Only Lei Zhi''s face wasn''t red from hearing their moment.


    Once Jing''s lips parted from Hu Tao''s, a link of their shared saliva broke off and Hu Tao''s body started rapidly spasming on the ground. Jing gave an innocent laugh fitting for a girl her age as his face contorted into immense pain and torment. His jerky uncontrolled movements and horrible screaming caused everyone to watch him. A heavy feeling suddenly grabbed hold of everyone''s souls. The look of genuine arousal and excitement on Jing''s face terrified them all once they realized why she was like that in the first place. Giving her followers a close look at true nature of their leader.


    "SCP-106 will match well with your personality. This is thanks for serving me so well." Jing got up and looked towards her other followers.


    "If you all do well, you''ll be similarly rewarded." Jing smiled at them.


    Immediately everyone promised to do the opposite of well and complete their tasks in a lackluster manner. Never doing more than requested and never asking for more. None of them wanted to suffer through the pain Hu Tao was currently going through. The man known to enjoy pain as if it was his lover.


    "Bing, grab the dog. Everyone else, follow me out of this tower." Jing ordered.


    By this time, the Wolfeng Gang managed to grab as much loot as they possibly could. The stuff they couldn''t hold on to them was sucked into Wenling''s storage ring for the entirety of their group back at the sect. Jing didn''t mind letting her do so. She still had a mission to complete with the Wolfeng Gang. And they needed all the help they could get.

 107 Chapter 106: The Truth.

    "Ask your questions." Jing told her.


    "Are you really Jing?" She asked seriously.


    Jing chuckled at this question despite the seriousness on Wenling''s face.


    "I was not completely honest with you earlier when I told you I was still the same Jing you knew. The Jing you knew was a fake. A personality I used to make myself seem more harmless and worthless. I didn''t act that way specifically to get close to you or the Wolfeng Gang in particular. I acted that way towards everyone to try and slowly build my strength and influences inside the sect." Jing honestly told her.


    She could''ve lied and continued to lie to Wenling about being that weak Jing from earlier and the only reason she''s so different now is because of her near-death experience. But that isn''t what she wanted to do nor would she act in that way anytime soon. It would be pointless to keep stringing Wenling along with this fake existence she believed she was close to. Especially when it was time for her to come out into the open in the sect and really start her faction''s growth.


    "So, it was all an act? Everything?"


    "No, not everything."


    "Then what was real and what was fake? I mean why did you even agree to become my prot¨¦g¨¦? What was the point of all this if it was all a lie?"


    "I joined you because you offered." Jing stated plain and simply.


    "Song offered you to join her too... Why did you pick the Wolfeng Gang over the Fearsome Garden?" Wenling wanted to know.


    "There were two reasons. The first reason was that I was interested in you personally. The second reason was that the fake personality I was hiding under had no reason to refuse your better offer."


    A silence overtook Wenling, she turned and thought deeply about her feelings towards this sudden information. She didn''t know how she felt about Jing anymore. The apprentice and friend she believed in this entire time was actually an entirely different person who was most likely using her for some purpose she didn''t know of. If this was anyone else, it would be easy to answer. She''d beat the hell out of them for the good of the Wolfeng Gang.


    But Jing wasn''t anyone else, or at least the Jing she knew wasn''t. From what Jing was telling her now, those two Jings were not the same person and never will be. Is there any reason to continue associating with her? The times they went through... just how much of it really mattered? Wenling wanted them all to have mattered so that she couldn''t deny the positive emotions they brought to her but reality was suggesting another outcome. An outcome in which barely any of them were meaningful in anyway.


    ''Hmm... Her loyalty percentage is dropping fast. I might need to lotus her as well if this continues.'' Jing thought as she looked her system.


    [Stop Wenling''s loyalty from dropping without altering her mind with external or internal tools!]


    [Reward: 1 Rare Ticket]


    Jing scoffed at the system. It wasn''t going to force her into acting in a certain manner. Wenling would be valuable but she isn''t required for her goal of reforming and taking over the sect. She isn''t required in the sense that she needs to have free will to be useful to her. Wenling on her own still has uses. She is one of the important pillars in one of the top Outer Court factions, taking control of her is an easy way of accomplishing another mission of hers along with making the Wolfeng Gang Jing''s.


    But she''ll give it a try at least. Since she plans to become a better leader from now on, she can''t just watch as one of her followers lose trust in her right in front of her. Jing has to at least try and salvage the situation or she truly would be a failure of a leader. It wasn''t in her plans to give more effort than what would be reasonable. If Wenling was set on throwing away their relationship, then that was that.


    "Wenling." She turned and looked at her, obviously conflicted. "You are not wrong to feel betrayed or wronged by me. I have betrayed you. The person you gave your trust, affection, and care to was not the person you believed they were. I''m not asking you to forgive my actions or excuse what I have done to you. I will ask that you understand that I never once planned to hurt you personally or the Wolfeng gang." Jing spoke.


    "How can I believe you? You''re a complete stranger to me..."


    "Think of everything I''ve done to help and support the Wolfeng Gang. Then think of everything I''ve done to hurt or hinder them." Jing told her.


    Wenling was forced to face the facts at this comment. Everything Jing has done has only resulted in good things for them. Sure, some bad things happened but those weren''t Jing''s fault. It could''ve happened to anyone inside the Treasured Plains. Wenling couldn''t fault Jing at all regarding if she wanted to hurt her or her gang. Without her and her talismans, they would''ve long been wiped out inside the Treasured Plains. An undeniable fact that was too large to ignore. She saved their lives time and time again and when she couldn''t, she tried her best to aid them.


    A lingering feeling in the busty violet-haired girl''s heart that told her she should still be upset but not as upset as before. She was manipulated and fooled but not in a way that hurt her standing as commander or a cultivator. In a way, it was her own fault for being deceived so perfectly. One flaw that she plans to work on from now on.


    "I do not forgive you for lying and using me for so long. But I must thank you for everything you''ve done for my squad. Without you, we wouldn''t be here now, neither would we have all this loot. Jing, you saved me and my men''s lives on numerous occasions and I can''t hate you for what you did. I don''t like what you did and I don''t think you should''ve done it but I can''t consider you my enemy even if I don''t know of your intentions towards my group." Wenling responded.


    [Host has received a Rare Ticket!]


    Jing saw that her loyalty was at a static low 28% but not heading straight towards 0 like it was earlier. She could work with this and even got a rare ticket because of it. In time, Jing believed that she could raise her loyalty back up. Especially when she infects the rest of the Wolfeng Gang with her lotus plant. She''ll have no choice but to accept her if all of the people she considers close love her. In fact, the only reason why Wenling was exempt from being affected by the lotus plants was because she commanded it. The lotus only spread on her command. And because of her choice today, she wouldn''t receive one in the future either.


    "That''s fair." Jing said.


    The two returned back to the group with an awkward heavy atmosphere around them. Many could get the picture and understood not to ask anything about what was said. If a certain annoying person was awake and not convulsing in pain right now, he would surely have said something inappropriate upon their return. But he was still in the process of fully receiving Jing''s gift from the system.


    Hu Tao was the first of her followers to officially receive an SCP and as of now, the only person who could accept an SCP from her. The system stated that only followers with 100% loyalty rating could receive an SCP from the system. Jing agreed with this type of limitation. While it doesn''t completely stop her from accidentally gifting an SCP to someone who will betray her and use it for their own personal means, it does make it more difficult.


    The only person who was close to 100% loyalty rating was Lei Zhi. He was currently reading the combat martial art she gave him. Previously, she gifted him a Fishing Art as a gift for joining her but technically that wasn''t a martial art meant for fighting. Lei Zhi, himself, adapted that manual into one that could be considered a fighting style. A clever and insightful read of something that Jing failed to think of herself. Jing would consider herself cruel enough to give someone a fishing pole to defend their life with, but that wasn''t her purpose with Lei Zhi at all.


    His new combat art, God''s Fingers, was a martial art that would be quite a boon for someone like Lei Zhi who disliked violence, killing, and death. And seeing how his loyalty is slowly approaching full, Jing believed that she''ll be able to complete a mission she thought was impossible by the time they leave the Treasured Plains. The others had their loyalty percent rise as well when she gifted them their rewards but only Lei Zhi''s was drastic enough to mention. Maybe she''ll be a bit more rewarding when he completes another task for her if he does reach 100%.

 108 Chapter 106.5: The Persons of Fate.

    He locked eyes with the girl that saved his life at the brink of death. Without her help, he would''ve long passed on to the the reincarnation wheel and never gained such a valuable treasure like the one in his hand. The lustrous glow of the weapon couldn''t be dimmed even inside such a dark cave. It shone with a golden glow that threatened to blind him. But he didn''t care, it was just too magnificent to look away.


    "With this, it shouldn''t be too hard for you get revenge on that despicable Tang Wuying." Meili said to him.


    "How could I ever repay you for this?" Liuxian asked.


    "All I ask from you is your cooperation. I might not have told you this before but you can surely tell that I hold a deep grudge against a certain someone."


    "I noticed a deep hatred within your eyes... I felt a connection with that hate... I too hold similar feelings against a man."


    "Was he the one that put you in that state I found you?" Liuxian nodded quietly to her question.


    "The man I wish to kill is just one person on a long list of people I will add. My goal is to change this world. Where evil is not allowed to exist and the man I plan to kill, is nothing but evil incarnate. But I cannot do it alone. By myself I am just a weakling, but with powerful allies by my side, there is nothing I won''t be able to accomplish."


    "I would like to join you, no. Meili, let me join you." Liuxian requested.


    "You will be fighting against the laws of the Heavens themselves who seem to favor the wicked over the just. Are you prepared to handle that weight on your soul?" Meili asked.


    "The Heavens? Hmph. I''ll break the very sky itself to change this horrible world." Liuxian responded.


    "Then follow me and never forget the feeling in your heart right now."


    "If I do forget, just knock me upside the head until I can remember again." He grinned.


    "Not a problem." She smiled back.


    _____________________________________________


    "How annoying." Tang Wuying cursed under his breath.


    Both him and Gong Jun were being followed by a large group of cultivators who were too weak to survive on their own and were sticking to them like parasites, sucking up their leftovers and trash that held no use to the either of them.


    "What are you smiling for?! You should be just as annoyed as I am." Tang barked at Gong.


    "Is it really such a bother to have a crowd behind us? Look at them. Don''t they look just pitiful?" Gong chuckled.


    "Whatever. Let''s start heading back. I''m definitely not getting stuck in here with you and these wastes." Tang announced.


    "Don''t say such harmful words Junior Brother. I wouldn''t mind spending a few years with you." Gong teased.


    "Don''t say something so disgusting or I''ll kill you." Tang coldly responded.


    "Always the shy one." Gong mocked once again.


    "I really will kill you, you know?"


    Gong only smiled in response to this threat.


    _____________________________________________


    "Hahahahaha! Me and my secret boyfriend are unstoppable!" Yanyu cried out in excitement.


    "Shush girl! Are you out of your mind?!" Bo Fai hushed her.


    The young couple was currently deep inside the Great Mountain. Bo Fai found his way through a secret passage and led them into a Prideful Giant Sloth''s nest. Bo Fai and Yanyu stood over the previously sleeping cubs of the Giant Sloth. Knowing that their worth is very valuable due to their rarity.


    "Damn it! Deal with the babies and I''ll handle the mom!" Fai cursed.


    "I''m not killing them Fai! They''re too cute!"


    "Are you kidding me!?"


    "There has to be something else valuable in here. Give me a moment to look!"


    "I don''t have a moment!" The mother sloth has returned and roared out in anger at the sight of the two humans.


    She struck down with her mighty claw, forcing Bo Fai to dodge. He held out his palms and let off a mass of flames that seemed to only annoy the animal rather than do any real harm to it. Just seeing the lack of effect his martial skill had on the spirit beast made him feel hopeless. There was no way he would be able to take care of this beast. Which meant he had to rely on Yanyu to quickly find something of value before he dies to this beast. Bo Fai was forced into dodging with all his strength. Speed was not his field of mastery...


    "Hang on Secret Boyfriend! I think I see something shiny back here! Try not to die before I can get it okay?!" Yanyu yelled.


    "Just hurry!"


    "I am! Yelling at me won''t make me go any faster! Just so you know!"


    Bo Fai would''ve loved to respond back to the talkative brat but he was too busy trying to survive. The Prideful Giant Sloth was a species that was unlike any other sloth species. The word pride in their name came from the fact that these spirit beasts hone their speed from birth. They are instinctively aware of their species being known for slowness and do everything to go against that stigma. Speed is everything to them and when they find something that can challenge the speed they place their pride on, they''ll do anything to win.


    So, seeing Bo Fai just barely being able to avoid its attacks only infuriated the spirit beast even more. It focused its entire attention on Bo Fai, carefully watching his moves to kill him in the bloodiest of ways. Bo Fai could tell that the sloth''s attacks were speeding up, bloody cuts from its long claws were slowly piling up on his body. It wouldn''t be long before a limb or something else important was lost.


    "Damn it beast! If I was in my prime, all it would take is a fart to deal with you!" Bo Fai concentrated his phoenix flames in between his hands.


    Standing still like this was definitely going to hurt but it was his only chance of slowing the animal down momentarily. The Prideful Sloth raked its claws across Fai''s chest, deeply wounding his body. The handsome dark-haired youth bit his teeth to stop himself from screaming. Taking that attack wasn''t without its benefits though, Bo Fai fired the concentrated orb of phoenix flames into the spirit beast''s mouth just as Yanyu returned.


    "I found these pretty gems! And a cute sloth baby!" She happily cheered.


    "Yeah... Great... Let''s get out of here..." He slapped a teleportation spell on Yanyu''s chest and one for himself.


    "Ahn!" She moaned in surprise. He only rolled his eyes at the exaggerated sound. There wasn''t any time for this.


    _____________________________________________


    "You can never tell a living soul about this!" Liu Lan threatened while she slipped her underwear back on


    "I would never." Fu Kang smiled, putting his robes back on.


    "I mean it! I will kill you and then kill myself if anyone found out what we did." She promised.


    "Sweet Fairy Liu, there is no need to feel embarrassed. I was only helping your illness." He said to calm her.


    "How did you even know that I was sick?! Ever since my 13th birthday I''ve suffered from this disease! Not even my father knew of it! You figured it out with just a glance! How?!" She questioned.


    "What lovely pair of breasts you have." Liu had yet to cover her chest.


    "Pervert!" She smacked him across his face while covering her nipples with her arm.


    The two of them got completely dressed and stood next to one another. Fu Kang owed Liu Lan his life. She saved him from the brink of death after his Spirit World collapsed. After his unfortunate run in with the crazy bitch, he was left in the Great Volcano on the verge of life and death. It was thanks to her using pills gained from Elder Ru that he is alive right now.


    That was when her symptoms flared up. After she saved him, he could immediately tell what was wrong with her thanks to the auxiliary martial art he''s learned. Studying up on alchemy also helped him understand exactly how to solve her problem. It''s a rare disease that only pops up in certain young women and could only be cured with the help of a man. He only remembered this cure due to his immense interest in the opposite sex. Perhaps this illness was the reason why she decided to become an alchemist...


    "If your illness flares up again, don''t be shy to get in touch with me. I''ll be willing to help you at any time of the day." He slyly grinned at her.


    This treatment couldn''t be finished in just a single session. She''s had this illness for years. It will take time to fully eliminate the root of the sickness. Even with his advanced ranked dual cultivation art.


    "I... will place my trust in you... BUT! Don''t forget that this is only to cure my disease! I haven''t accepted you as my partner or anything like that!" Her cheeks turned red.


    "Would it really be so bad to be my woman?" Kang asked sincerely.


    "Hmph. Fix your perverted personality and maybe I''ll think about you as a potential partner." She coldly responded.


    "I''m not perverted! I just love women!"


    "My man will only need to love me as his woman. His eyes should only be focused on me."


    "I don''t mind a selfish wife. Keep a tight leash around me and-" His words were interrupted.


    "Shut up! I''m already embarrassed enough about what just happened. To think a scoundrel like you took my first time... I don''t know what I was thinking..." She got up and started to walk away.


    "I really do care about you Liu! I''m serious when I say that. I know I don''t usually seem serious but I do understand when it is time to joke around and when it''s time to not." He told her before she went too far.


    "Prove to me, you''re worthy of being my lover." She left him off with those words. Knowing deep in her heart that it''ll take a miracle for someone like Kang to convince her family.

 109 Chapter 107: Heavens Angels.

    All of her followers were gathered inside her home. Now that her identity has been revealed to the elders, it''s only a matter of time before their disciples learn of her and her strength. They should know what to expect in the upcoming future and a reminder on what their goal is. Now was the time for them to make their first official step as a group with everyone''s eyes on them.


    "My identity has been revealed. Which also means that your affiliations to me will also be revealed soon." No shocked looks on their faces yet. That''s good.


    "There''s no point for this group to be a secret anymore. Which means we will be earnestly working towards a reformation of the sect while getting rid of all oppositions. Any comments so far?" Jing asked.


    "So, are we like going to war with every other faction in the sect?" Ying asked. She wanted clarification in simple words.


    "No. That''s ridiculous." Ying felt a bit embarrassed being told that so bluntly.


    "In other words, all you have to do is continue following my orders and you will be properly rewarded for your efforts. As your leader, it is my job to help you conquer your goals as you aid me in accomplishing my goals. Of course, Hu Tao and Bing are exempt from this." Jing made sure to state.


    "Don''t forget that I own you two. Your wants, desires, and dreams aren''t of any concern of mine. But, if you manage to satisfy me with your accomplishments, then there is room for discussion."


    Hu Tao yawned in response while Bing looked as foolish as usual. He was the only one bowing to her while everyone else was more relaxed. Jing thought it was silly but it wasn''t bothering her. She found amusement in Bing''s attempts to please her with his servitude. Since no one was speaking, she decided to continue.


    "So, before I send you all out of my house, I want to ask you all a question." Jing smiled. "What would you to name ourselves?"


    "You''re letting us decide?" Wan Qing asked, slightly shocked. Jing nodded silently with an amused smile on her face.


    "Hey Jing! I don''t really care what we''re called but when are we going to war with the Inner Faction? My blood is boiling at getting revenge at those assholes."


    "In due time. Just wait for my orders. For now, do as I asked." Jing told him.


    "Let''s just call ourselves Jing''s Followers and get out of here." Hu Tao yawned again.


    "No way! That''s not even a good name!" Ying disagreed.


    "And you can think of something better, Princess?" Hu Tao laughed, insulting her.


    "It''s 100 times better than your stupid name."


    "And what is it?"


    "Give me a second to think!"


    "What if we called ourselves Heaven''s Gate?" Lei Zhi suggested.


    "Is the Empress supposed to be Heaven?" Bing asked.


    "I''m a demon?" Jing smiled.


    "I didn''t say that." Wan Qing said.


    "What about Hu Tao''s Bitches?"


    "No." Everyone but Jing replied.


    "Hey! What the hell?! Here I was trying to be a nice guy and contribute but you assholes are ganging up on me!?"


    "No one''s ganging up on you. Quit whining like a baby." Ying told him.


    "You''re a fucking baby!"


    "Now he''s throwing a tantrum." Ying laughed.


    "Don''t think that just because you got one over me last time, I won''t break your ass! Jing is the only reason why that happened!"


    "Bring it you stupid dog! You''re not the only one who changed after the Treasured Plains."


    "What if we called ourselves Nine Heavens Executioners?" Bing proposed, strictly staying out of Ying''s and Hu Tao''s argument.


    "I don''t want to be an executioner. How about Heaven''s Angels?" Lei Zhi said in response.


    "That name isn''t so bad..." Wan Qing didn''t mind being called an angel.


    "I''m fine with it. So that''s what we''re going with?" Bing asked for clarification.


    "Ying? Hu Tao? Any thoughts?" Lei Zhi asked them.


    "Shut it!" They replied together.


    Their argument has reached full tilt. Ying reaching for her sword and Hu Tao''s spinning his chain around in his hand. One''s face filled with anger and the other with a teasing grin. Jing watched on with amusement while everyone else got out of their way. They could feel the tension rising and the inevitable clash soon to come.


    But just as Ying was about to leap forward with her giant demonic sword, there was a sudden intrusion at the door. From the door, came three disciples who broke the door down with a single kick. No one knew who they were or where they were from but it seems like they knew exactly why they''re here. They wore the standard sect robes that didn''t show any affiliation with a specific faction inside the sect.


    "Jing. Come with us. Our leader would like to talk to you." A 6th stage Qi Consolidator demanded.


    "And if I refuse?" Jing asked, a bit amused by the situation.


    To think that someone would break down her door and demand something from her. It was so ridiculous that Jing had a hard time keeping herself from laughing in their faces. If this leader behind these clowns weren''t stronger than her. Hu Tao will have a few friends to play with soon.


    "Hmm? I don''t believe that I was asking for your opinion."


    "Either you follow us or you follow us. There is no third option." The 3rd stage Qi Consolidator added.


    "Alright, since I do find this situation entertaining, I will give you three an option as well." Jing spoke to them.


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself little girl! You''re just a Qi Gatherer! No matter how talented you are, know your place!" The 4th stage shouted, the last home intruder.


    "Now follow us. I won''t repeat myself." The 6th stage ordered.


    "I won''t repeat myself either. So, listen well. You three will kneel before me, apologize for breaking into my home, and tell me everything you can about your group. Am I clear?"


    The three disciples acted as if they had a hearing problem. Confusion splattered itself all over their faces before quickly turning into disbelief and anger. One even tried striking her after hearing her words. He used a movement art and appeared right in front of Jing''s face with his hand raised, intending to slap her across the face. Li Li took a small leap from Jing''s shoulder and kicked the man across the face before his palm could reach. He was sent flying outside the door, sliding across the grass out front.


    This caused the other two to prepare themselves for a fight. But what they actually prepared for was nothing but a one-sided beaten by a single owl. Their attempts to defeat the quick flying bird was pathetic in Jing''s eyes. None of them could touch him while he kicked them all outside Jing''s house. His attacks rained on them until they couldn''t put up a single act of resistance anymore. That was when Jing got up from her chair and walked outside to the badly beaten cultivators.


    "Apology?" Jing requested.


    "You don''t know who you''re messing with!" Blood leaked from his mouth.


    "You''re gonna regret ever touching us!" One of his arms was bent at a strange angle.


    "Hmph. Strong spirit beast but it won''t be enough to save you from our leader!" This one''s head was bleeding.


    "None of those words sounded like an apology to me. What do you guys think?" Jing asked her followers.


    "Heheh... I definitely didn''t hear an apology." Hu Tao joined in with a wide grin.


    "If these assholes broke into my house, I would''ve killed them on the spot!" Ying scoffed.


    "It was certainly rude." Lei Zhi said.


    "I''m glad we came to an agreement then. Lei Zhi, would you mind convincing them for me? If I do it myself, well, there''s no certainties that they''ll be sane by the end of it." Jing asked.


    "I can give it a try sure. But I''m not so sure that I''ll be able to stop them from..."


    "Wan Qing, Hu Tao, protect him."


    "What''s in it for me?" Hu Tao brazenly asked.


    "If they resist you can do whatever you want to them." She told him.


    "What about us?" Ying asked.


    "Our goal right now is to simply increase our influence. I don''t have any specific tasks for you all to accomplish as of yet but I will let you know when I do. You all can leave."


    Instead of leaving, they all stayed to watch Lei Zhi''s interrogation. Jing was also interested in seeing his God''s Fingers martial art in action. So, Heaven''s Angels watched the most peaceful man in their group work his magic. A sight that would ingrain itself into their minds for the future to come. This would be his first time trying this and he planned on doing it right from the beginning.

 110 Some Time With The Angels.

    "Don''t you fools know you''re courting death by messing with us?!" He spat.


    With a quick jab of his pink needles, the man lost all feeling within his left arm. The sight of his arm hanging limp frightened him horribly. He couldn''t move his arm at all! Not even by surging his qi within his body! Realizing that he couldn''t use his left arm anymore, he tried striking Lei Zhi in the face with his foot.


    Hu Tao jumped at the chance to get involved. He wrapped his chains around the 6th stage Qi Consolidator''s leg, stopping his foot from reaching Lei Zhi. His chains slowly started to wrap around his entire figure along with his two allies. Completely, restricting their movements and attempts of resistance. Now, they were mostly helpless in front of Lei Zhi''s needles.


    "Thank you for that Hu Tao. I didn''t even see it coming." He let out a breath of relief.


    "Whatever old man. I didn''t do it for you." Hu Tao brushed off his thanks.


    "What are these chains made of!?" The 3rd stage cried out.


    "How could a pathetic 3rd stage Qi Consolidator like you hold me?!" The 4th stage disciple yelled angrily at Hu Tao.


    "These chains must be a sky rank treasure to render me powerless against them... Just who are you people?" The 6th stage asked, slowly realizing that these strange disciples weren''t so simple.


    "We''re Heaven''s Angels." Wan Qing was more than happy to announce. She loved the name.


    "Heaven''s Angels..." He rolled the name around in his tongue as if it gave him a bad after taste.


    "Try not to move please. If I miss a qi point while doing this, you might not ever be able to flow qi through that part of your body ever again." Lei Zhi asked politely.


    "You''re not blind, are you...?" The 3rd stage cultivator asked.


    "Yes, I am." Lei Zhi answered kindly.


    "So, your plan was to torture us for information from the beginning! Letting this blind old man poke, prod, and destroy us slowly until we revealed everything we knew!" The 4th stage glared pure hatred at Heaven''s Angels.


    "My offer was quite merciful but you refused." Jing shrugged.


    "Ha! You must be joking! You aren''t referring to that ridiculous offer from before, are you?"


    "You don''t seem to understand your current situation, do you?" Jing said as if she was talking to a child.


    "What are you talking about? Are you talking about how your entire little group is going to be destroyed by our leader?! Because it''s going to happen once he finds out we haven''t returned!" The 3rd stage prattled.


    "Lei Zhi. Get to practicing." Jing ordered.


    He nodded and the needles shined from the sun''s rays on them. They looked particularly scary after his warning from earlier floating around in their heads. Could he really cripple them with such tiny silly looking needles? Who has ever heard of a Qi Gatherer being able to cripple a Qi Consolidator? Even the most talented of Qi Gatherers have their limits. The three cultivators figured that the old man must be spouting nonsense in hopes of scaring them into listening. For a weak and pathetic looking old man, he sure played a devious front.


    Lei Zhi began practicing his combat martial art. His needle was aimed to pierced through a specific qi point on the 3rd stage''s arm and it would have if the third stage didn''t focus his qi into his head and headbutt Lei Zhi backwards. He laughed seeing Lei Zhi bang his skull against the ground. Did he kill the old man on accident? He hoped so.


    "That''s what you get for looking down on me! Fool!" He happily boasted.


    "You don''t know how happy I am you did that." Hu Tao grinned.


    His foot slammed upward into the 3rd stage''s chin, launching him away in an arc. Hu Tao appeared over the flying body of the youth and dove down, clutching his hand around the boy''s throat. They crashed into the ground, bringing up grass, dust, and dirt around them. Once the dust cloud cleared, Hu Tao could be seen with his hand wrapped around the youth''s throat. Choking him, he was helpless under his Hu Tao''s superior strength.


    Hu Tao could still see signs of resistance in his eyes. This made him very pleased. That meant he could still dish out a little more punishment! While the 3rd stage was choking, Hu Tao began punching him straight in his gut. Just to add to his hurting. His fist started ramping up in speed when the boy still showed no signs of giving up.


    "Don''t kill him now. I still have a use for him." Jing reminded the crazed mutt.


    The fighting maniac tossed the severely injured 3rd stage over to Lei Zhi. If he didn''t stop himself now, he would''ve definitely killed that guy. Having his prey taken away from him didn''t make him upset this time around. There were still 2 others that could try and put up a fight next. Hu Tao greedily stared at the 4th stage and 6th stage cultivators, hoping that they two wanted to put up a fight.


    Unfortunately for him, they didn''t plan to resist after seeing their ally nearly beaten to death. Whatever these chains were made of were too powerful to try and break from. They would be nothing but toys for Hu Tao to play with as he pleased if they tried to resist. Why be beaten half to death when you could simply not be beaten half to death?


    Lei Zhi by now has long since recovered from his head wound. A quick recovery pill from Ying and he was good to go after a few minutes. He started his procedure on the unconscious patient first. It would be easier to work on someone who wasn''t aware of what was happening to their body.


    His needles moved slowly with careful precision. Lei Zhi effectively slowed the rate of qi flowing through the 3rd stage''s body. This would make it harder for him to perform martial arts and recover qi. And unless he found a person educated on the inner qi system to enlarge his qi pathways, there was no way of him doing it himself. It was because of this that Lei Zhi was glad to have this combat art. With this, he could disable and weaken anyone after his life. If they came after him much later even after dealing with him once, he could easily flee from them in their weakened state.


    The necessary amount of coins to fix a problem like this wouldn''t be available to the common cultivator. They would have to fork out a large sum to have an alchemist or doctor unblock their qi points. It is not an easy or quick process. Lei Zhi was rather lucky in obtaining both God''s Fingers and Blind Man Can See. With his auxiliary art, Blind Man Can See, it is far easier to spot the hundreds of qi points within the body. But just being able to see these points wasn''t everything. Lei Zhi needed to be able to accurately stab his needles down a certain depth, angle, and with a specific speed. All these would take time to master and perform with great skill.


    And with the help of these three who broke into Jing''s home, Lei Zhi got some much needed experience with his combat art, God''s Fingers. He made several mistakes with the 3rd stage and 4th stage Qi Consolidators that caused them both to release bloodcurdling screams of pain and agony. In his attempts to fix his mistakes, even more accidents happened. By the end of their treatment, two paralyzed figures laid in the grass with every vein visible, throbbing. They still didn''t give up any information or apologies though.


    "I feel like I learned a lot with these two young men. I''m sure I won''t make the same mistakes with you." Lei Zhi told the 6th stage.


    The senior who had chains wrapped around his legs and torso bowed before Jing.


    "I apologize for me and my juniors rude actions towards you. We will reimburse you for your door and tell you anything you wish to know." He said with his forehead touching the ground.


    Lei Zhi was slightly saddened he might not be able to continue his practice. He was quite confident this time he wouldn''t make a mistake like with the first two.


    "I was enjoying the show quite a bit. Are you sure you want to tell me anything I wish to know?" Jing asked, taking pleasure in the whole situation.


    "I''ve never been more sure of anything in my life."


    "What a shame." She sighed. "Alright tell me the name of your faction, how many members you have, what''s your leader''s name, his cultivation stage, and who told you about me."


    "We''re part of the Crimson Swordsmen. We have over 100 members. Our leader is the talented Zhixin who''s a 9th stage Qi Consolidator. Our leader told us about you, we have no idea where he learned of you from." He willingly spilled the beans.


    "Zhixin?" Ying had no idea who he was.


    "Hmm... That name ain''t ringing any bells. Must be one of those secretive fuckers." Hu Tao casually insulted.


    "I''m sure Zhixin is an Inner Court disciple that''s close to becoming a Core Disciple." Lei Zhi added.


    "That isn''t good..." Bing said.


    "Hmph. Why are you freaking out? It''s not like a disciple on his level would personally come to destroy us or anything for these three. Even he has to keep some face." Wan Qing scoffed.


    "And what if he doesn''t care for face, Qing?" Jing asked her directly.


    "Then we better get ready to die or pray for forgiveness."


    "Logical answer but not the one I was looking for. Anyway, you all should look out for yourselves. Stay in pairs of 2 if you can help it. There won''t be a small number of people after you all now that my identity and strength has been revealed. Ah, and come back here tomorrow. I have something I wish to test with you all. Lei Zhi, limit his strength and then send them on their way." Jing concluded their meeting.

 110 Chapter 108: Some Time With The Angels

    "Don''t you fools know you''re courting death by messing with us?!" He spat.


    With a quick jab of his pink needles, the man lost all feeling within his left arm. The sight of his arm hanging limp frightened him horribly. He couldn''t move his arm at all! Not even by surging his qi within his body! Realizing that he couldn''t use his left arm anymore, he tried striking Lei Zhi in the face with his foot.


    Hu Tao jumped at the chance to get involved. He wrapped his chains around the 6th stage Qi Consolidator''s leg, stopping his foot from reaching Lei Zhi. His chains slowly started to wrap around his entire figure along with his two allies. Completely, restricting their movements and attempts of resistance. Now, they were mostly helpless in front of Lei Zhi''s needles.


    "Thank you for that Hu Tao. I didn''t even see it coming." He let out a breath of relief.


    "Whatever old man. I didn''t do it for you." Hu Tao brushed off his thanks.


    "What are these chains made of!?" The 3rd stage cried out.


    "How could a pathetic 3rd stage Qi Consolidator like you hold me?!" The 4th stage disciple yelled angrily at Hu Tao.


    "These chains must be a sky rank treasure to render me powerless against them... Just who are you people?" The 6th stage asked, slowly realizing that these strange disciples weren''t so simple.


    "We''re Heaven''s Angels." Wan Qing was more than happy to announce. She loved the name.


    "Heaven''s Angels..." He rolled the name around in his tongue as if it gave him a bad after taste.


    "Try not to move please. If I miss a qi point while doing this, you might not ever be able to flow qi through that part of your body ever again." Lei Zhi asked politely.


    "You''re not blind, are you...?" The 3rd stage cultivator asked.


    "Yes, I am." Lei Zhi answered kindly.


    "So, your plan was to torture us for information from the beginning! Letting this blind old man poke, prod, and destroy us slowly until we revealed everything we knew!" The 4th stage glared pure hatred at Heaven''s Angels.


    "My offer was quite merciful but you refused." Jing shrugged.


    "Ha! You must be joking! You aren''t referring to that ridiculous offer from before, are you?"


    "You don''t seem to understand your current situation, do you?" Jing said as if she was talking to a child.


    "What are you talking about? Are you talking about how your entire little group is going to be destroyed by our leader?! Because it''s going to happen once he finds out we haven''t returned!" The 3rd stage prattled.


    "Lei Zhi. Get to practicing." Jing ordered.


    He nodded and the needles shined from the sun''s rays on them. They looked particularly scary after his warning from earlier floating around in their heads. Could he really cripple them with such tiny silly looking needles? Who has ever heard of a Qi Gatherer being able to cripple a Qi Consolidator? Even the most talented of Qi Gatherers have their limits. The three cultivators figured that the old man must be spouting nonsense in hopes of scaring them into listening. For a weak and pathetic looking old man, he sure played a devious front.


    Lei Zhi began practicing his combat martial art. His needle was aimed to pierced through a specific qi point on the 3rd stage''s arm and it would have if the third stage didn''t focus his qi into his head and headbutt Lei Zhi backwards. He laughed seeing Lei Zhi bang his skull against the ground. Did he kill the old man on accident? He hoped so.


    "That''s what you get for looking down on me! Fool!" He happily boasted.


    "You don''t know how happy I am you did that." Hu Tao grinned.


    His foot slammed upward into the 3rd stage''s chin, launching him away in an arc. Hu Tao appeared over the flying body of the youth and dove down, clutching his hand around the boy''s throat. They crashed into the ground, bringing up grass, dust, and dirt around them. Once the dust cloud cleared, Hu Tao could be seen with his hand wrapped around the youth''s throat. Choking him, he was helpless under his Hu Tao''s superior strength.


    Hu Tao could still see signs of resistance in his eyes. This made him very pleased. That meant he could still dish out a little more punishment! While the 3rd stage was choking, Hu Tao began punching him straight in his gut. Just to add to his hurting. His fist started ramping up in speed when the boy still showed no signs of giving up.


    "Don''t kill him now. I still have a use for him." Jing reminded the crazed mutt.


    The fighting maniac tossed the severely injured 3rd stage over to Lei Zhi. If he didn''t stop himself now, he would''ve definitely killed that guy. Having his prey taken away from him didn''t make him upset this time around. There were still 2 others that could try and put up a fight next. Hu Tao greedily stared at the 4th stage and 6th stage cultivators, hoping that they two wanted to put up a fight.


    Unfortunately for him, they didn''t plan to resist after seeing their ally nearly beaten to death. Whatever these chains were made of were too powerful to try and break from. They would be nothing but toys for Hu Tao to play with as he pleased if they tried to resist. Why be beaten half to death when you could simply not be beaten half to death?


    Lei Zhi by now has long since recovered from his head wound. A quick recovery pill from Ying and he was good to go after a few minutes. He started his procedure on the unconscious patient first. It would be easier to work on someone who wasn''t aware of what was happening to their body.


    His needles moved slowly with careful precision. Lei Zhi effectively slowed the rate of qi flowing through the 3rd stage''s body. This would make it harder for him to perform martial arts and recover qi. And unless he found a person educated on the inner qi system to enlarge his qi pathways, there was no way of him doing it himself. It was because of this that Lei Zhi was glad to have this combat art. With this, he could disable and weaken anyone after his life. If they came after him much later even after dealing with him once, he could easily flee from them in their weakened state.


    The necessary amount of coins to fix a problem like this wouldn''t be available to the common cultivator. They would have to fork out a large sum to have an alchemist or doctor unblock their qi points. It is not an easy or quick process. Lei Zhi was rather lucky in obtaining both God''s Fingers and Blind Man Can See. With his auxiliary art, Blind Man Can See, it is far easier to spot the hundreds of qi points within the body. But just being able to see these points wasn''t everything. Lei Zhi needed to be able to accurately stab his needles down a certain depth, angle, and with a specific speed. All these would take time to master and perform with great skill.


    And with the help of these three who broke into Jing''s home, Lei Zhi got some much needed experience with his combat art, God''s Fingers. He made several mistakes with the 3rd stage and 4th stage Qi Consolidators that caused them both to release bloodcurdling screams of pain and agony. In his attempts to fix his mistakes, even more accidents happened. By the end of their treatment, two paralyzed figures laid in the grass with every vein visible, throbbing. They still didn''t give up any information or apologies though.


    "I feel like I learned a lot with these two young men. I''m sure I won''t make the same mistakes with you." Lei Zhi told the 6th stage.


    The senior who had chains wrapped around his legs and torso bowed before Jing.


    "I apologize for me and my juniors rude actions towards you. We will reimburse you for your door and tell you anything you wish to know." He said with his forehead touching the ground.


    Lei Zhi was slightly saddened he might not be able to continue his practice. He was quite confident this time he wouldn''t make a mistake like with the first two.


    "I was enjoying the show quite a bit. Are you sure you want to tell me anything I wish to know?" Jing asked, taking pleasure in the whole situation.


    "I''ve never been more sure of anything in my life."


    "What a shame." She sighed. "Alright tell me the name of your faction, how many members you have, what''s your leader''s name, his cultivation stage, and who told you about me."


    "We''re part of the Crimson Swordsmen. We have over 100 members. Our leader is the talented Zhixin who''s a 9th stage Qi Consolidator. Our leader told us about you, we have no idea where he learned of you from." He willingly spilled the beans.


    "Zhixin?" Ying had no idea who he was.


    "Hmm... That name ain''t ringing any bells. Must be one of those secretive fuckers." Hu Tao casually insulted.


    "I''m sure Zhixin is an Inner Court disciple that''s close to becoming a Core Disciple." Lei Zhi added.


    "That isn''t good..." Bing said.


    "Hmph. Why are you freaking out? It''s not like a disciple on his level would personally come to destroy us or anything for these three. Even he has to keep some face." Wan Qing scoffed.


    "And what if he doesn''t care for face, Qing?" Jing asked her directly.


    "Then we better get ready to die or pray for forgiveness."


    "Logical answer but not the one I was looking for. Anyway, you all should look out for yourselves. Stay in pairs of 2 if you can help it. There won''t be a small number of people after you all now that my identity and strength has been revealed. Ah, and come back here tomorrow. I have something I wish to test with you all. Lei Zhi, limit his strength and then send them on their way." Jing concluded their meeting.

 111 Chapter 109: Possible Trouble Brewing?

    In a few minutes or so, her "Angels" should be showing up soon. It was a funny name for a group like hers. Their images of angels must be different from hers in some way. When Jing thinks of angels, she thinks of winged messengers of a divine being. Messengers being all about righteousness, justice, and goodness. In a way their goal could be twisted in such a fashion but Jing didn''t plan on doing any twisting or turning of what she plans to do for this sect or her goals after that. If anyone asked, she''d choose to tell them honestly or tell them nothing at all.


    ______________________________________________


    Deep within the Inner Court, a sly handsome man could be seen with a few disciples bowing their heads to him.


    "Elder!" The youths greeted.


    "I doubt you all are aware but soon everyone in the sect will know of this matter. Have any of you heard of the name Jing?" The youthful-looking elder asked. None of the disciples answered.


    "She''s one of the most talented disciples this sect has ever accepted and if unhindered, will become the new Sect Leader in a few years." He honestly told them.


    "She can''t be that talented, can she?" One disciple questioned.


    "I''ve heard rumors of a Qi Gatherer lately ever since leaving the Treasured Plains. Is this who you are talking about?" Another disciple asked.


    "That''s exactly who I''m speaking of. A prodigy of her level has never been seen in the history of the Golden Serpent Sect. And there are even talks of the Sect Leader thinking about personally taking her as their main student." The elder told them.


    The disciples were speechless at this announcement. Was this girl really such a big deal? What was her background? Did she have a certain special bloodline? Could it be she was from some ancient martial arts family?


    "What sort of background does this Jing hold?"


    "I haven''t had the time to investigate but as of now none."


    "Should we deal with her...?" One disciple asked hesitantly.


    "For now, no. We sit and watch the muddled waters. The announcement of her talent should soon be making waves across the sect and even soon outside the sect. If she survives or proves to be of use to us, we''ll make sure to get involved with her." The elder said.


    "Understood!"


    "So, continue your training for the Grand Tournament and stay out of any conflicts involving Jing. You may leave."


    "Yes, Elder Sun!"


    ______________________________________________


    "My apologies Elder Tao." The disciple smiled calmly despite the spittle flying at his face. "This Jing, you spoke of, has no background whatsoever."


    "Then what use are you!? Are you telling me she just fell from the sky and was suddenly here!? No one just comes from out of thin air! And if you don''t find anything about her background, consider yourself dead to me!"


    "Elder Tao, please calm yourself. Just because we cannot find any information about her as of now, doesn''t mean we won''t be able to in the future." The disciple ignored the threat and wiped his face with a handkerchief. "Plus, there is no doubt that every elder in the sect is also digging around to try and find out who this Jing girl is. Eventually, something will pop up and if need be, I can take it from them myself." He offered.


    "You may be talented, you fucking brat, but she''s on a different level. If we cannot bring her under me then there is only one choice left." A deadly gleam appeared in his eyes.


    "Wouldn''t that be considered bullying, Elder Tao? A person of my stature lowering himself to deal with a girl 3 major stages below myself." He wasn''t completely sure of his master''s intent.


    "Is that brain of yours only for decoration!? Why in the hell would I have you go after her?! Hire some disciples to make her an offer of coming under me under the pretense of a duel. If she refuses, they''ll kill her in the ring. If she accepts, they''ll lose." Elder Tao spoke.


    "And I''m to make sure that this hit of yours doesn''t come back to us, am I correct?"


    "Heh. You know how this works by now. Now get on out of here. By the end of the week, I want know of a dead body or Jing standing here before me." He shooed his only disciple out.


    "Yes, Elder Tao. I''ll do my best to produce adequate results." He smiled.


    ______________________________________________


    A very beautiful man could be seen skipping through the grass. A number of disciples were bowing their heads, not daring to say a word. This feminine man in particular happened to be a powerful elder within the Golden Serpent Sect despite his whimsical and girlish nature. Due to this strength, many insults made towards him have caused several deaths once he''s learned who spoke of them. Right now, he may look like a silly man dancing through a flower garden. But the strength hidden within his slim and soft looking body was anything but silly.


    "Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!" He hummed. "To think there was such a hidden gem within the pile of trash in the Outer Court! A girl of her strength absolutely must be brought to my side! A Qi Gatherer being able to face off against a Core Stage spirit beast and survive! She must be the only prodigy of her kind within this part of the continent!" He cheerfully spoke to himself.


    None of the disciples said a word. Their master''s temperament was not a consistent one. One minute he might be in the best mood, cheerily laughing and joking with those close to him. And the other, he was brutally beating them half to death for daring to speak on something he said. The safest choice these disciples learned was to stay silent and just follow instructions. Elder Tu was one of the greatest teachers within the sect. All the disciples he''s taught have become someone great after his teachings. So, even with his dangerous and strange personality, many were still willing to learn from him in hopes of becoming powerful cultivators.


    "The task I have for you cuties is to bring her over to my side no matter what! Oop! Wait, you might get confused if I say it that way. You absolutely cannot hurt or threaten Jingy. She''s too precious and smart to be dealt with by force or with threats. Here take this Ju Ju." He handed a storage ring to the petite girl.


    "This is just a gift from me while this is the actual bargaining resources. Don''t use the bargaining gift if you all can get her to agree to the greeting gift. For a Qi Gatherer of her stage, there is no doubt that she must be lacking in resources. Especially with the way she''s so adorably hidden herself all this time. Oh Jingy! You just have to become one of mine!" Elder Tu sung. "You all can go now. I have something to discuss with my wife." His disciples nodded and left as soon as he dismissed them.


    "I hope you don''t disappoint me Jing..."


    ______________________________________________


    "What the hell is this stuff?! It tastes nasty as hell!" Hu Tao complained as the yellow bar was forced on his tongue.


    "This is just a countermeasure for the future." Jing explained. "And stop complaining. Normally this soap should be in your mouth for an hour or so. You only have to withstand it for a single lick."


    "It still tastes like shit." He grumbled, using his hands to wipe off the nasty flavor of the yellow soap.


    "So, what exactly is it for?" Wan Qing asked.


    "Defending against those trying to gather information from one of you and checking for impersonators." Jing answered.


    "If someone was trying to get information about the group out of me, what would happen?" Ying wondered.


    "Think of a question they might ask." Jing told her.


    "Who is your leader?" Bing asked Ying.


    "BLEEP." She answered.


    Ying covered her mouth as that one sound took over her entire sentence! She tried saying, "Jing is my leader." Only to have her words not come out at all! Her mouth moved like she was saying the words "Jing is my leader." but the only sound to come out was a bleep!


    "BLEEP?" It did it again when she tried saying that she was a part of Jing''s group.


    "Whoa. That''s kind of funny. Let me try." Hu Tao was amused. "BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!"


    "Okay! We get it!" Ying yelled at him.


    "BLEEP! BLEEP. Princess." Hu Tao insulted.


    Ying may not have understood what the hell he just said but she sure as hell knew it pissed her off!


    "Go BLEEP yourself!" She stood up, clutching her fists, ready to pounce at Hu Tao if he said another word towards her.


    "Let''s calm down everyone..." Lei Zhi tried to step in. "There''s no need to fight over nothing." He tried to reason.


    "There''s always a reason to fight old man. And if Fire Crotch wants to go, I''m more than happy to show her how her BLEEP is worthless against my BLEEP." He smugly smiled.


    That smile was all it took for Ying to lose it. She leapt towards Hu Tao with her fists covered in flames. Hu Tao''s small smile widened into toothy grin at this action. Everyone watched as the two took part in another fight that could only be broken up by Jing, Li Li, or Wan Qing. If Ying and Hu Tao started to go too far in their fight, that was when Wan Qing would attempt to diffuse it by placing them both under illusions. Jing normally wouldn''t intervene unless she needed both of their undivided attention. She could tell that the fights between the two were good for their martial arts. Ying was improving bit by bit when she fought with Hu Tao. It was a substantial growth in skill. Too substantial...


    "Here we go again..." Wan Qing sighed.


    "Should we come back tomorrow, Empress?" Bing asked.


    "There''s no need to but feel free if you wish. Your tasks will be ready in due time." Jing said.


    Hu Tao and Ying continued their fighting as everyone else left for other matters

 112 Chapter 110: Doing Good Deeds.

    He shot up straight from his bed in nothing but his underwear and promised to start doing good deeds from now on. In the Treasured Plains, Bing realized that his karmic luck had to be at zero or below because there was no logical reason why he had to suffer so much during it. The big round disciple wasn''t ignorant enough to believe that he was the only one to suffer during the event but deep down in his heart, he felt that this was the reason why so many bad things happened to him. Once he starts racking up the good points in the eyes of the world then surely good things should follow.


    The Empress has yet to give them any tasks yet. Bing knew that this time of freedom wouldn''t last for long so he had to get to work quick. That event from the other day with those disciples breaking into the Empress''s home made him understand that the in the upcoming future, things will not be easy for their group. From what he understood, the sect now knew about the Empress and her strength. Well, not her strength but her frightening talent. If they knew of her strength, then the Crimson Swordsmen wouldn''t have sent people with only that much power.


    Bing got himself ready for the day and headed towards the Mission Hall. On his way there, he didn''t meet any of his allies nor did he get stopped by anyone wanting to mess with him. This day was already looking pretty good so far! On the mission board where the tasks were hung up for everyone to see, Bing only looked for those that he felt would do good for the world.


    From what he could see there weren''t any obviously heroic tasks put up. There weren''t any villages facing a crisis from a spirit beast or a group of people in need of saving or help. But there were other tasks. Tasks like helping to take care of spirit herbs for alchemists, mining ore for blacksmiths, and retrieving spirit beast corpses in good condition for them to be taken apart and have their materials used for the disciples.


    He dillydallied in front of the board for a while. Making his way to the far left of the mission board all the way to the right side. Eventually, he took so long that some people started to complain about him taking up so much space and one of the disciples working in the Mission Hall gave him a warning to quickly choose a task and leave. Bing felt wronged by these false complaints. He made sure not to be in anyone''s way and not block them from seeing the tasks but they still complained about him.


    Sometime ago, Hu Tao told him, Ying, and Lei about how some tasks are actually traps set by other disciples to kill, rob, or capture their fellow peers. Bing''s been hesitant since then to accept any tasks from the Mission Hall after hearing that but now that he thought about it, taking care of people like that would surely raise his karma! He snatched the task and took it to the counter to officially accept it.


    The disciple at the counter didn''t give him any trouble and soon he was off towards the Immortal Forest. The task requested him to enter a den of Sharp Jaw Wolves and bring back at least a dozen of their bodies back in great condition. The wolves were quite a distance away from the sect, so if he needed to retreat it would take him a while to arrive anywhere near the sect. Another fact that made him suspicious about the task.


    So, Bing traveled at his own pace within the Immortal Forest. Many times, beasts tried to attack him on account of his low cultivation stage, only to be devoured by his devil hand. If any beasts were at a higher stage than him, he immediately retreated with Swift Devil and most of the time this would be enough to lose them. If it wasn''t this was when he used his shield and tired out the beast before retreating or taking advantage of its lost strength and taking care of it with his devil hand. This was nothing out of the usual for those that travel through the Immortal Forest. Both beasts and humans understood that this was a land of survival. If you were weak, you died. If you were strong, you were fed.


    About 5 or 6 hours later, Bing finally found the den of Sharp Jaw Wolves. These spirit beasts were known to be a particularly aggressive and ruthless. They only attacked in groups and never split from one another except in extreme situations. This wouldn''t be too much of a problem if they didn''t all have an especially dangerous biting force. Even their pups had jaws strong enough to crush and snap apart bone.


    Bing had to be especially careful in how he dealt with these spirit beasts. From what he could sense, this group of Sharp Jaw Wolves weren''t too high in cultivation stage. If any of them were crossed over into the Qi Consolidation realm, he would''ve had to give up now. But with most of them being around his stage or lower, he could deal with this much. Bing already made up a plan on how to kill them without damaging the quality of their body too much and how to avoid getting bit to death.


    "Alright, let''s do this..." Bing muttered.


    He was nervous as this could turn badly in only a few seconds. Bing poured his qi into his spirit tool given to him by the Empress. It was a stone disk with a smooth outer layer. The stone disk soon split into four smaller discs that floated around him. Each disk responded to his qi and took a surprising amount of qi control to use smoothly. Bing planned to use these discs as a way to improve his control over his qi along with the necklace the Empress gave him.


    The next thing Bing did was flow his qi through the skull necklace. Around his neck, the eye sockets of the skulls began to light up with a purple light. From this purple light, 4 large skulls made of qi began to circle around his head. With this, the disk, and his shield, there was no way he could be surrounded and overwhelmed by the wolves. Controlling both of these spirit tools was taxing but not impossible, as long as he kept a calm mind this should be a simple affair.


    Bing walked right into the den. Once his foot made contact within, his ears immediately caught the sounds of growling. It was too dark for him to see anything inside so he stepped back out of the den to try and lure the beasts outside. Knowing the nature of the spirit beasts, it would only be a matter of time until they rushed out and charged him for intruding on their home.


    And just as he thought that, a wolf with a dirty silver fur coat pounced straight towards him. Its jaw was no different from any other wolf but Bing knew that the bones in his arms would be crushed if they found themselves in between those terrifying maws. One of the skulls rotating around his head fired a beam of qi into the wolf and sent it flying backwards before it could reach him. The fat youth in surprising speed followed up with the attack and snatched the downed animal by the throat. He snapped its neck to put it out of commission before hearing something clang against the stone disk behind him.


    With a quick look behind him, he saw a wolf shaking its head after ramming against one of the stone disks. He wouldn''t be able to kill that one as quickly as the other, forcing him to kick it away flying into a tree. The task said he needed 12 in good condition, how many wolves were there in this den? His eyes rapidly scanned the area around him. There were more than a dozen Sharp Jaws in this one den. That meant he could surely kill a few of them without worrying about screwing up the task. Despite being 90% sure that this task was a trap, there was still a small hope in Bing''s heart that it was legitimate. If it was, he didn''t want to fail it just because of his suspicions.

 113 Chapter 111: No Good Deed Done Today.

    As of now, Bing was checking the condition of the fallen Sharp Jaw Wolves. For those whose bodies were too damaged, he ate with his devil hand. Inside the den, Bing could hear several little growls and see a litter of silver eyes staring at him with hatred. If he wasn''t so sure his karma would be reduced even lower, he would take care of the pups as well. Leaving little seeds like that were no doubt bad for his future. No sense leaving a dangerous problem alone when he could solve it when it wasn''t dangerous at all.


    "I''m probably overthinking this... They''re just animals." He laughed off his unease.


    Bing gathered the necessary number of wolves with good corpses and took out the capture spell. As he was putting them all into capture beads, he heard a sound behind him. His head instantly swiveled in that direction and his body puffed up with muscle.


    "This lard ass already knew this was a trap." A voice suddenly said.


    Bing rose from the ground and stared in the direction where the voice came. He could still not spot anybody near him or sense them.


    "He''s smarter than he looks." A girlish voice laughed.


    "Not too smart to realize that he''s already dead."


    Just as he said that, Bing could see his vision going blurry. Poison?! In the air?! The pudgy cultivator covered his mouth and nose with his hand but it was too late. The poison was already inside his body and he couldn''t do anything anymore. Bing fell face first into the ground unconscious as 3 figures came out from the surroundings.


    ______________________________________________


    "To think this fat ass managed to get himself a bounty of 10 middle-grade spirit stones. We can''t give him to Dark Hands for 50 low-grade spirit stones."


    "Isn''t it his lucky day to be caught by us? Instead of boiled alive like a pig and used as cultivator ingredients, he gets to be executed by the Huan clan."


    "You sound like a retard. He wasn''t lucky at all. If he was lucky, he would''ve never taken the task from the Mission Hall."


    "I was just saying..."


    "Maybe being eating alive by the wolves would''ve been the worst outcome for him."


    "It doesn''t matter. Let''s tie him up, return to the sect, and get in contact with the Huan clan. They should be eager to get this fatty delivered to them on a silver plate after losing one of their commanders in the Treasured Plains. It''ll be a good way to boost moral again by killing someone whose been a thorn in their side for a while."


    "I''ll watch the fatty."


    "I???ll cancel our deal with Dark Hands. They wouldn''t dare try anything with me."


    "Be careful, Jig."


    "You too, Wolf." Jig said as he disappeared.


    "Don''t I get some words of caution too?!" The young girl of the group shouted.


    "You have to watch over a Qi Gatherer. What''s there to be cautious about, Chin?" Wolf asked.


    "You''ll never understand a maiden''s heart..." She pouted angrily.


    "Save the nonsense for later. Let''s get going already."


    ______________________________________________


    Bing woke up with a start after realizing what happened to him. His eyes crazily darted around the pitch-black room he was placed in. The round youth''s first thoughts was if he was alive or not. That was quickly answered by lightly biting his tongue. After giving himself a few seconds to recover from the pain, he realized that his arms and legs have been tied together. Both of his arms were tied with a rope and both of his legs were tied with a rope, not his arms and legs were tied up and he was in some sort of pretzel shape. Bing wasn''t bendable like that.


    Along with the bindings, several talismans were placed on his body. He could recognize a few of them. A qi draining spell, a strength limiting spell, and a slowness spell all on his body. Whoever these people were that kidnapped him must not be amateurs. With talismans like these at the ready, they had to have kidnapped all kinds of people. But why hadn''t they killed him yet?


    "Oh, you''re awake. That''s quicker than normal. Usually they''d be out for hours." It was that girl from before he was poisoned.


    She walked into the room he was in and turned on the light, lighting up his surroundings. They placed him in some sort large empty room. Nothing was inside it except for him tied up in a chair surrounded by big walls and the wooden door leading into the room. The girl in front of him was not anyone he recognized.


    "Well? Aren''t you going to say anything?" She playfully smiled, knowing he was curious about her and her group''s intentions for him.


    "Why have you captured me?" He wasn''t too sure why they didn''t just kill him.


    Is it because of his connection with Jing or something else?


    "You have quite the hit out on you tubby! For just being a Qi Gatherer, the bounty on your head isn''t a small amount! You should be proud." She complimented him.


    "If it wasn''t required that you must be alive, we wouldn''t have bothered carrying your heavy self all the way from the Immortal Forest. We would''ve just taken your head!"


    "So, this is because of the Huan clan. Alright." That made Bing less nervous. He already planned to deal with the Huan clan so, this was just another offense to add to the long list of offenses they made towards him.


    "Saying it like that is kinda strange, don''t you think? Why else would anyone be after a little Qi Gatherer like you?" She asked.


    Bing stayed silent at this point. Since she didn''t plan to kill him, there wasn''t a need to really conversate with her. Plus, she wasn''t his type at all. Too childish, thin as a twig, and no chest whatsoever. Looking at her gave him no excitement at all, even in a tense situation like this.


    "Ooh. Giving me the silent treatment huh? Must be real popular with the ladies, aren''t you?" She asked, hitting him where it hurts.


    "Chin. I''ve readied the deal with the Huan clan. Let''s drop him off and get our payment." Park spoke.


    "Good. I was getting sick of this tubby anyway! He''s no fun at all." She blew a kiss in his direction and everything got fuzzy again.


    He''s definitely got to figure out a way to combat poison for the future... He should ask the Empress about it when she forces a task on him. Maybe as a reward she could give him a spirit tool that makes him immune to poisons or something. His body might be strong but it wasn''t powerful enough to handle poisons it seems.


    ______________________________________________


    "Wake up Fat Ass!" Bing felt a sharp slap on his cheek.


    "What''s going on!?" He sat straight up and felt his skull smash against the person that woke him up.


    "Hahaha. I didn''t think you had it in you. To bring us straight into a fight like this! I don''t know how you do it but you gotta teach me how you get into shit so often!" Hu Tao said before running off fighting several cultivators dressed in dark black garbs.


    "Bing! There you are! Get off your butt and start telling us what the hell did you do!" Ying grabbed his arm and nearly wrenched it out of its socket by pulling him to his feet.


    "That''s what I want to know! I just woke up and don''t know what''s going on! I only asked you guys for help because I got poisoned and was going to get kidnapped or killed!" Bing told her.


    He messaged the group for help once he realized that he was poisoned back in the Immortal Forest.


    "Dark Hands?" Jing''s voice caught his ear.


    "Yes. They are a notorious group known to deal in all sorts of despicable acts. Murder, assassinations, kidnapping, robbery, anything for the right price is their motto." Wan Qing relayed.


    "So that means Bing wasn''t their objective. He just got caught up in all this. Let''s get out of here then." Jing commanded as a member of Dark Hands tried to cut her head off from behind.


    With a leisure block with her hand covered in water behind her head, the sword slash was blocked. In that quick moment of blocking the assassin''s blade, she severed his head from his body with a slash of her water-covered palm.


    "Everyone stand around me." Jing pulled out a few movement talismans and everyone but Hu Tao did as she said.


    "What about Hu Tao?" Bing asked.


    "What about him?" Ying asked back. "He''s having the time of his life fighting those guys."


    And fair enough, a huge grin was plastered on Hu Tao''s face as he ripped through both the Huan clan and Dark Hands cultivators.


    "I see what you mean..." He silenced himself and everyone but Hu Tao was teleported outside Jing''s home.


    "Thanks for coming to save me everyone..." Bing told them all.


    "If you want to pay me back, cook for Ni Xong sometimes." Wan Qing said before walking off.


    "Buy me something to help me understand fire better." Ying told him.


    "You don''t have to owe me anything Bing." Lei smiled.


    "Did I ever tell you how much you mean to me Lei?" Bing said with tears in his eyes.


    "Don''t act like I was asking for too much!" Ying yelled.


    "Of course not." He immediately bowed for forgiveness.


    "I''m not threatening you! Quit acting like I''m going to hit you for every little thing!"


    He stayed silent this time.


    "Next time you get kidnapped make sure to get kidnapped by people with some wealth or background. Now get from my house." Jing said to them all.


    "Yes, Empress!" Bing responded as Lei and Ying snickered at how over the top he was with Jing.

 114 Chapter 112: A Small Show Of Power.

    "I heard that the Inner Court is going crazy to find some Qi Gatherer." Ying said as she received Qing''s swing with her sword.


    "I didn''t hear anything about that." Bing added.


    "Me either." Lei Zhi agreed.


    "The elders found out how strong Jing is. Now everyone wants her for themselves or dead." Hu Tao explained lazily.


    "That''s basically it." Jing confirmed. "There are about 20 disciples watching my house right now. If I leave my house that number would increase to around 50 or more disciples." She informed.


    Ying and Wan Qing immediately stopped their sparring. Letting others know of their capabilities wouldn''t be good for the future. Bing, Lei Zhi, and Ying simultaneous looked around for any signs of the hidden disciples. Only Lei Zhi could spot them while Bing and Ying were clueless to where they could be hiding. Hu Tao chuckled at the little Qi Gatherers while Wan Qing was somewhat embarrassed, she didn''t keep her guard up. Her butterflies would easily be able to sense the hiding Qi Consolidators and the Core Preparation disciples.


    "Should we deal with them?" Ying asked, knowing she wasn''t strong enough to take on any cultivator higher than a 1st stage Qi Consolidator.


    "No. I''ll handle it. You all would die trying to face cultivators on this level." Jing said.


    "Except me. I wouldn''t die." Hu Tao made sure to tell them.


    "Yeah, you''d probably get sealed inside a formation again." Ying mockingly laughed.


    "Let me see you take on hundreds of cultivators from the Inner Court, Princess. You wouldn''t have lasted a second against those fuckers I fought against." Hu Tao bit back.


    "I would''ve won and avoided getting sealed." Ying boasted.


    "Bullshit. You''re talking out of your flat ass."


    Ying''s fist caught fire as she swung it in Hu Tao''s direction, sending a wave of flames towards him. He smacked the flames away with his chains and stuck his tongue out at Ying. If Ying lacked any self-control whatsoever, she would''ve leapt towards Hu Tao right now to pound his face in. But right now, they were surrounded by possible enemies on all sides. It wasn''t the time to teach that stupid pervert a lesson.


    Jing slowly walked into the clearing with everyone watching her. She held out her palm and from it a bubble of water rose. This bubble generated from Jing''s qi was being fed qi from Jing''s almost bottomless supply but it never grew larger than a baby''s fist. But this didn''t stop everyone from being able to sense the large amount of qi within it. Jing was forcibly condensing the bubble into staying this size for a reason.


    "I call this technique, BLEEP." Jing informed before a faint blush appeared on her cheek. Thankfully, due to her dark skin color no one noticed it.


    "Ah! Jing licked the BLEEP too and forgot about it!" Hu Tao loudly laughed, making the other smile as well.


    "Shut it mutt." Jing told him before clearing her throat with a cough.


    "I will give you only 1 chance to come out from your hiding spots. Then I will give you another chance to tell me who sent you to watch me." Jing relayed.


    There was no response or movement in the surroundings.


    "Don''t regret your choice."


    Jing snapped her finger and multiple cries yelled out in her surroundings. The disciples who were watching found themselves impaled by spears of water. Jing beckoned with her finger and all 20 disciples floated around her with water thorns sticking through some part of their body. All of them were still alive, as Jing intended. Shocking her group of angels greatly.


    "What kind of fucking martial art is this?" Hu Tao whistled in admiration.


    Him, Ying, and Wan Qing were thinking of ways on how to counter such a powerful martial art in their head at the moment. Hu Tao initially believed if he transformed with his chains, he could use his increased speed to dodge the tiny droplets of water but no. There were just too many, he wasn''t fast enough yet. He''d have to use his Howling Art: Demon God''s Reforging to blast away any rain near him and escape with his new ability or dig underground.


    Ying trusted that her flames could freeze or evaporate any rain near her. She held out her hand and ignited it with both her normal flame and her mystic flame. Any rain that fell on them, reacted as they should. The rain turned into heated mist or frozen pellets. But the real question was how long could Jing keep this technique up? From what Ying could tell, Jing''s qi dwarfed her own. She could probably keep this up for several days without a problem. If Ying had to take on Jing while she was using this technique, she''d have to take care of her quickly. Kill her before her own qi ran out and she had no further protection against the rain.


    Wan Qing believed that her only chance of surviving an attack like this was by knowing of it beforehand. She''d get caught just as easily as those disciples did if she didn''t. But if she did know of it, she could possibly swing her fan towards the cloud and disperse it with the wind. No wait, that wouldn''t work. She''d be leaving herself open to an attack if she focused solely on the water cloud. Maybe she could use her wings along with her fan to escape. Force a barrier of wind and air to circle around her rapidly as she flew her way out of the range of the technique.


    "Wait! Wait! I''ll tell you anything you wish to know! Please don''t kill me!" A disciple begged.


    This nice little act of his earned him an extra piercing through the left side of his abdomen. Jing held her finger to her lips and shushed them all. With this many powerful disciples under her control, there''s no way she shouldn''t advance in her cultivation art, Empress of Pain''s Tome. Jing''s finger danced in the air as multiple raindrops transformed into sharp spikes that lodged themselves within the twenty disciples.


    They cried out in horrible pain and agony. This Qi Gatherer was deliberately avoiding their vitals! She wanted them to suffer! She wanted to torture them in their final moments! The thought on everyone''s mind right now was...


    ''How could a Qi Gatherer be so powerful...? It didn''t make any sense...''


    Heaven''s Angels watched the happy smile on Jing''s face as she had her "fun" with the men. Hu Tao was amused and thought it was a nice show but slightly disappointed he didn''t get to fight any of them even if he didn''t stand a chance against a couple of them. Bing didn''t think much of it, they were messing with the Empress of all people. He was surprised that her power was greater than disciples at the Core Preparation stage. You can apply to be a Minor Elder at that stage and is considered the final step for disciples with lacking talent. Lei Zhi wasn''t particularly pleased by all of this. Surely there could have been a better way of going about this but if he was being realistic, even if Jing spared them. The only thing awaiting them was more torture to get them to open their mouths with the truth.


    Ying and Wan Qing were shocked by Jing''s show of power. This was more than they could''ve ever expected out of her. Ying had no further doubts that Jing could give her the strength she needs to bring her family back to the greatness they once held. She planned to continue to follow under Jing and do whatever she needs for the power she can give her. This whole situation with these disciples didn''t really bother Ying too much, something like this was a norm for cultivators.


    Wan Qing didn''t understand Jing. She didn''t understand her as a person, as a cultivator, as a girl. That strength didn''t make any sense. That terrifying qi didn''t make any sense. Her decision to stay unknown before this doesn''t make any sense. Where did a person like this come from? What kind of background could produce a freak like this? Is it an ancient bloodline that gives her so much strength? Is it a spirit tool that gives her this power? Wan Qing had nothing but questions, questions, and more questions when it came to Jing. But there was one thing she knew for sure... She wouldn''t ever leave this group as long as Jing was still alive. With power like this, it''s only certain that Wan herself would grow as well. Normally the strong only care about themselves but Jing was more than willing to give them resources and tools to increase her followers'' strength as well. Wan knew she wouldn''t dare give anything valuable to anyone that wasn''t her immediate family.


    "Now it''s time to wait for the next group." Jing finished tormenting the group of disciples and managed to reach the next stage in her cultivation.


    Now she could actively regain qi by causing physical pain to her enemies. This along with the previous stage allowed Jing to drain the physical energy of her opponents and restore her own qi by hurting creatures.


    ''Getting stronger through the suffering of others... What an absolutely amazing martial art.'' Jing thought with a more noticeable blush on her face.

 115 Chapter 113: A Simple Hunting Task.

    "I guess my plans for today are completely out the window." He sighed.


    "Lei Zhi, you''re coming along too!" Ying included him as well.


    "I''ll help anyway I can." Lei Zhi smiled.


    "Qing you can come along too if you want. But you can''t come Hu Tao."


    "I have some training to do today. I can''t come with you." She said as she stood next to Jing.


    "I''m coming along anyway." Hu Tao smirked.


    He wouldn''t have come along with the brats if she didn''t include that smart ass comment at the end. But now he''s going to do his best to ruin Ying''s day. Just because she didn''t want to include him. This''ll teach her to run her mouth so much.


    "What are we even doing, Ying? Shouldn''t we stay put with most of the sect looking at us trying to get as much information out of us as possible?" Bing suggested.


    "No way." Ying and Hu Tao responded together.


    They looked disgusted that they thought of the same reply.


    "Sitting around with our thumbs up our asses isn''t going to help anything." Hu Tao commented.


    "And I need to figure out how to open this stupid book already!" Ying still could not open the cultivation martial art Jing''s gifted to her.


    "Are we going on a task together?" Lei Zhi wondered.


    "Yeah. I picked out a nice easy hunting task." Ying said.


    "Easy huh...?" Bing narrowed his eyes at her.


    "It is easy! With all of us together, we should be able to deal with a beast in the Qi Consolidation stage." Ying was confident in their strength.


    "I''m not helping by the way." Hu Tao made sure to mention.


    "I didn''t include you anyway! Why are you still following us!?" Ying shouted.


    "We''re still in the Qi Gathering stage and you think we can deal with a spirit beast in the Qi Consolidation stage?" Bing questioned, not really expecting an answer but more of a realization on Ying''s part.


    "Yep." And that realization was completely missed by Ying.


    "What is this spirit beast we''re hunting?" Lei Zhi asked. He still hasn''t yet summoned another beast after Xiurong''s passing. Quon took her spot and he hasn''t found the strength inside himself to replace her with another. So, for now it''s just him and Quon.


    "A fire spirit beast." Ying replied simply.


    "We''re going to die." Bing could already tell that it was going to be an incredibly dangerous fire beast.


    "Don''t be such a baby, Bing. We''ll be fine." Ying believed.


    "If you all die, I''ll make sure to find good replacements for you all." Hu Tao comforted no one''s worries.


    "We won''t die! I got the perfect technique." Ying claimed.


    "Oh yeah that reminds me... How the fuck are you progressing so quickly?" Hu Tao asked.


    "Because I''m a genius." Ying boasted.


    "Is it really that easy to notice?" Ying asked before regretting saying anything at all.


    If an idiot like Hu Tao could notice, then of course the rest have already saw through her. Including Jing... Perhaps she should apologize when they come back to her house and she''ll forgive her once she shows her what Hao Gang can do. Ying didn''t know what else she could do to make Jing forgive her.


    "It''s fucking obvious to anyone with two eyes." Hu Tao scoffed.


    "I had my suspicions that it was all the fights you had with Hu Tao that improved your martial ability but... it was just so quick, you know? There was no way you could''ve stayed as an unknown Qi Gatherer with your personality and that skill." Bing added.


    "I had absolutely no idea at all." Lei Zhi shared without shame. "I just thought you were secretly training without us." Lei had the least martial talent out of all of them.


    ???I''ll show you guys when we return... I thought I could keep it a secret for a while longer but we will be stuck together for a while. It would be stupid of me to keep it as a secret when I could be helping you guys too." Ying still didn''t plan to let Hu Tao inside. If she let that monster inside there was no way she could possibly catch up to him ever in this lifetime.


    "Hmph. Good girl." Hu Tao tried petting Ying''s head only to receive a powerful elbow in his side, forcing him to clutch his abdomen in pain.


    "Ah yea, that treasure is something really fucking good. Your hits actually hurt now without needing to use your sword." He smiled.


    Ying ignored his indirect insult on her past strength. One day, she''ll make him take her seriously. Serious enough to go all out against. And then she''ll defeat him with all her power and prove that he isn''t the top dog of the world. He isn''t the only one aiming to be the best in their group!


    "Is this spirit beast in the Immortal Forest?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "Kind of. It''s on Dead Immortal''s Cliff." Ying answered.


    "Is that really the name?" Bing chuckled.


    "Yeah it''s kind of a stupid fucking name. Dead Immortal? Immortals don''t die." Hu Tao agreed.


    "Who cares about the name!?" Ying responded.


    "It''s just silly." Bing kept laughing.


    Ying secretly agreed with Bing but didn''t want to agree with Hu Tao again. The four of them were planning to get there on foot but Hu Tao had a faster way of traveling that surprised them all. Ying, Bing, and Lei Zhi happily bounced on top of Hu Tao''s white cloud. Ying couldn''t help herself from embracing the crazy soft clouds and taking a chunk of it in a hug. Not knowing that she was pissing off Hu Tao by doing this. However, if she knew, she surely would make an even bigger show of it. Which is why he didn''t bring it up.


    "This is pretty valuable. How''d you come across something like this Tao?" Lei Zhi wondered.


    "Jing gave it to me after completing a task." He replied.


    "No way!" Ying exclaimed. "Do you think I could ask for this as a reward!?" She was so excited at the possibility of getting a cloud of her own that she didn''t even realize who she was talking to.


    Seeing her smile so innocently, made Lei Zhi''s heart warm. He sometimes forgets that these three are still just kids brought up in a world that forced them to kill, fight, and grow just to survive. When he gets children of his own, he promises he''ll let them stay children for as long as possible. No rush to grow up, no rush to gain strength, just enjoy themselves and be who and what they want to be.


    "Probably. I don''t know. Just stop looking at me like that and quit fucking around with my ride!" Hu Tao yelled, disgusted with Ying''s friendly attitude right now.


    They were currently flying through the sky right now and with how much of the cloud Ying was pulling around herself, it felt like they were actually falling down to the ground! This was just his imagination though. When the clouds around them starting to increase in number, they realized it was getting harder to see just exactly where they were flying. Lei Zhi gave Hu Tao directions on where to go as the clouds didn''t affect his sight like it did the rest. If it wasn''t for the old man, Hu Tao was sure that he''d flown them straight into the damn mountain because he couldn''t see shit.


    "I''m starting to want one of these too..." Bing liked the feeling of the cloud on his ass and skin.


    Plus, this thing could carry his weight without any issue. Ever since gaining Devil''s Physique, his weight has been slowly growing heavier and heavier as he trained it. As he is now, his body does not match how much he weighs. Even if he didn''t have his round gut and chubby body, he would still weigh more than he looked. Once he reached the advanced mastery in his Devil''s Physique, his weight would increase 100x fold and he would gain the ability to control his weight at will. But as of now, he was still at the elementary mastery, not even at the initial mastery that could make his body impervious to steel weapons. All martial arts begin at the elementary realm then they go to the initial realm, the intermediate realm, the advanced realm, and then reach completion. Bing hasn''t gained the necessary resources to properly progress his Devil''s Physique to the next stage.


    "The view up here is nice but I''m still more of a fan of walking." Lei Zhi was very nervous off ground.


    At the speed they were going, it was hard for him to properly "see" his surroundings. He could see the outlines of Tao, Bing, and Ying along with the cloud underneath them but everything else was somewhat of a haze. Just trying to lead Hu Tao through these clouds was difficult. In actuality, he wasn''t leading him all that much. He just needed to warn him before they slammed straight into a mountain side. That was something he should be able to sense ahead of time.


    "I can''t see shit old man so, make sure you tell me where to go and when to stop." Hu Tao said.


    "Why the hell are there so many clouds!? Stop our cloud Hu Tao! I''ll deal with this crap!" Ying stood up with some difficulty and nervousness.


    She wasn''t sure how much of this cloud could hold her weight while standing. At this height, if she fell there was only one outcome for her. Hopefully Lei Zhi would be able to fish her back up before she fell too far down. If not, she might have to learn how to grow wings real soon.


    "Whatever you say Princess." Hu Tao rolled his eyes and brought the cloud to a halt.


    Ying pulled out her greatsword and faced the infinite sea of clouds in front of her.


    "This cannot be natural, right?" Bing questioned.


    "I guess we''re going to find out." Lei Zhi shrugged.

 116 Chapter 114: Reaching Dead Immortals Cliff.

    "Hey! What the fuck are you doing!?" Hu Tao yelled, wrapping his chains around her wrist with the cloud.


    Ying smirked before tossing the small piece of cloud and yelling, "Eat Hao!" Her sword''s eye opened up and the cloud fell straight into its mouth. It chewed the cloud like a piece of candy and began to transform in front of their very eyes. The giant blade that looked terrifying enough to give both children and grown men nightmares was now something completely different. The eye near the handle of the blade was much cuter in everyone''s opinion. Everyone but Hu Tao who was pissed that Ying''s sword just ate some of his fucking cloud. But besides that, the body of the blade was now pure white fluffyness that didn''t look like it could cut a leaf.


    With a light wave of her sword, the hundreds of clouds surrounding them were now under her control. She forced them into merging with Hu Tao''s cloud with her qi, clearing up their view and increasing the amount of space on the cloud. Hu Tao released Ying''s wrist after seeing this. He could feel his control over his ride increasing because of her. He wasn''t going to thank her but a simple nod was enough to express his feelings.


    "We have company..." Lei Zhi informed, looking down below at a group of cultivators.


    "Do you think it was them that made those clouds? I thought it was just the Immortal Forest being mystical." Bing asked.


    "Who else could it be?" Ying responded back.


    "Hmm. They don''t look that strong. Fuck em." Hu Tao flew past them.


    "We are so going to regret letting those guys go..." Bing muttered to himself.


    Lei Zhi was glad they avoided an altercation that would''ve definitely led to bloodshed. Tao probably wouldn''t have held back if he asked unlike Ying. She knew of his general dislike for violence and meaningless death. And she respected it, even if she could never understand it. Tao most likely would laugh in his face. Lei definitely needed to boost his personal strength if he wished to communicate with Tao on an equal standing.


    Up ahead, Heaven''s Angels finally saw their destination. A menacing fear-inducing cliff that nearly rose higher than the giant trees in the Immortal Forest. Flying spirit beasts of all kinds flew in and out of the cliffside on the mountain. Many of the beasts looked in their direction as they were nearing Dead Immortal''s Cliff. It would be strange if they ignored them. They were riding a giant cloud straight towards the mountain. A few of those spirit beasts even came to investigate by picking at the cloud with their beaks and talons. Others came to investigate the fleshy humans riding on top of the cloud. And a small number of them were hostile and wanted to eat the humans.


    Everyone took part in the eating despite no one asking for any. It was just assumed that since he was cooking, they were taking part in it as well. Bing didn''t respond to this. He certainly didn''t think he was cooking a meal for himself. Not for a single second did he believe that he was whipping up some food for one. No one noticed a small tear drop from his eye onto the cloud as he was tearing into the deliciously cooked bird.


    "Where are we landing, Princess?" Hu Tao asked, picking meat from his teeth with a bone shard.


    "Somewhere near the bottom. I saw on the task that it lives underground near lava." Ying told him. A small burp slipped out of her after saying it but no signs of embarrassment or shame was on her face.


    "Cute burp, Princess." Hu Tao grinned.


    "Shut up and get this thing moving down." She scoffed.


    Hu Tao did as she said and the cloud started floating downward at a leisurely pace.


    "So, what even is this spirit beast we''re going to deal with?" Bing asked.


    "A Flame King Hippo." Bing almost fainted after hearing her say this.


    "She''s trying to kill me. She wants to shorten my lifespan on purpose. She doesn''t understand what common sense is..." Bing muttered as if he lost his mind.


    "Quit blubbering Fat Ass and get moving. If you''re all going to die, I wanna be there to watch it firsthand." Hu Tao kicked Bing into the dark opening in the cliffside. He instinctively balled himself up and buffed up without even thinking.


    Lei Zhi and Ying carefully descended down the hole Bing fell down while Hu Tao followed Bing''s route and just hopped down the hole. Ying and Lei Zhi didn''t have tough bodies like those two so they could only progress at a slow and careful pace. Once they made it a far enough down into the hole, they could see a red light down below and feel a hot wave of air splash against their face. This was definitely the right place.


    "If you don''t get any realizations about fire during this task, I don''t know what will help you." Lei Zhi joked.


    "If I have to jump inside a volcano to open that book, I will." Ying was completely serious.


    "Let''s hope it doesn''t come to that for our sake..." He was a bit nervous she might invite them to that expedition as well.


    She didn''t respond to that comment, worrying him even further.


    "Ho ho, look who finally decided to fucking make it. Took you two long enough. Maybe you should ask Jing for something to toughen up your bodies. Fat ass here could survive a fall like that with only a few broken bones and I doubt he was even trying." Hu Tao mocked.


    "I suppose we could ask. The sect isn''t that generous to give us talentless disciples much in terms of resources. Asking Jing for resources after a task could allow us to train both our bodies and qi." Lei Zhi reasoned.


    "Where are we...?" Bing''s head spun after his fall. Was he dead? Whose voices was he hearing right now? Did he at least die in a not shameful way?


    "Alright. Now where is this hippo of yours at?" Hu Tao asked, completely ignoring Bing.


    "Give me a second. I should be able to find it with my auxiliary martial art." Ying began to utilize the specific breathing patterns within the Overbearing Amalgamation of Flames technique.


    A warm red hot aura of qi formed around her body. This aura of hers licked and lapped at the fire qi in their surroundings. Getting a taste for the weakest, strongest, and most diverse. Sadly, there was no mystic flames in this mountain but there was an especially powerful fire qi some distance away from them. Ying led the group towards this source of danger, leading them as a type of sensor or scout for Heaven''s Angels.


    "This place is hot as hell." Sweat dripped from Hu Tao''s forehead and down onto his bare chest.


    "I have to agree." Lei Zhi weakly smiled.


    Being on the ground was far nicer than being in the sky. He could sense his surroundings so much more in depth now. Although the heat was unpleasant, Lei could tolerate it due to the comfort in being able to completely see around him again. Being in the sky reminded him of the time when he didn''t have Blind Man Can''t See, his auxiliary martial art.


    "Wait a moment Ying. Up ahead there''s a 9th stage beast at the Qi Gathering realm." Lei Zhi warned.


    Ying''s body lit ablaze at his words, brightening up the area near them and heating them up even more.


    "I think we should try and deal with this. You should save your strength." Bing quickly said to Ying.


    "Yeah, turn those fucking flames off. It''s hot as shit and you want to make it even hotter?" Hu Tao agreed.


    "Shut up, Hu Tao. I''m only doing this to save my strength like Bing suggested. Not because you told me to." Ying''s flames extinguished themselves as she crossed her arms.


    "I don''t really give a damn Princess. I''m just trying to not sweat to death."


    Bing and Lei Zhi stepped forward. The spirit beast had yet to sense them yet so they figured they should take the first move. Bing lowered his center of gravity and crouched like a bull ready to charge. Lei Zhi pulled out his familiar pink fishing rod and tossed the hook straight ahead behind the boulder the creature was behind. With the sound of a loud screech, Lei Zhi pulled in the creature of sizeable proportions straight towards them. Whatever it was, it was very hairy and huge! Bing used Swift Devil and charged towards the incoming spirit beast.


    "Haha show that bitch who''s boss Fat Ass!" Hu Tao cheered.

 117 Chapter 115: Who Is Jing?

    Lei Zhi changed the angle he was previously aiming for, the head, and went to strike the animal''s lungs instead. Their combination attack worked and Lei Zhi''s needles pierced the lungs of the spirit beast, stopping it from roaring out with qi. Ying''s attack was blocked but at the cost of the furry creature''s paw being cleaved off by Ying''s sword. It yelled out in pain but the pain it was feeling soon came to an end as Ying''s swing wasn''t just a normal swing. She used the momentum and heavy weight of her giant blade to slash again as it spun her around after slashing the first time. It was her second style of the Giant Blade Manual: Moving With The Blade! After numerous training sessions with the shadow in her Void World, Ying understood that this style couldn''t only be used for defense. It could be used for unpredictable acrobatic unstoppable offense too!


    A bodyless furry head rolled past Bing''s foot, signaling the end of this sudden encounter without any injuries to Heaven''s Angels. Hu Tao scoffed at their performance but kept his eyes on Lei Zhi during that battle. The Old Man''s sense for combat wasn''t anything special but he was probably more dangerous than Ying in combat potential. His qi could barely be sensed by anyone without some talent in sensing the qi of others along with his surprisingly light steps and quick feet. Once he got in without anyone knowing, he could disrupt their entire body with a single needle! No cultivator is used to fighting with a handicap and the Old Man could paralyze one of their arms or legs with a few quick stabs. It wasn''t a surprise that Hu Tao was thrilled to see this. He couldn''t wait to fight Lei Zhi once he got a little bit stronger.


    "Anyone need a beast core?" Ying asked.


    She lightly stabbed into the carcass of the animal and a dark dim red orb could be seen within its chest cavity.


    "Quon would appreciate it." Lei Zhi crouched down and pocketed it for his octopus.


    "I''ll take the body then." Bing spoke up, his devil hand stabbing into the flesh of the corpse and draining it of all its flesh but leaving the blood and skeleton behind. The blood was sucked into his shield after he dipped it into the puddle of red.


    They traveled in silence with their senses alert for any signs of more spirit beasts. Until Hu Tao decided he was bored and wanted to whistle as loud as he could. But Hu Tao didn''t know how to properly whistle so instead of whistling he was actually just making an annoying noise that heavily grated on the group''s ears. Bing knew better than to fall for Hu Tao provocations, it would be similar to falling into a trap you could see a mile away. He just acted as if the sound didn''t bother him even though it was butchering his ears. Lei Zhi wasn''t the type of person to ignore someone. He wanted to teach Hu Tao how to whistle the correct way instead.


    "Nah, I''m good." He smirked as he kept whistling an awful tune.


    "I swear if you don''t shut your mouth, I''ll shut it for you! At least save this for when we are on our way back!" Ying balled her fist.


    "How do I know you all won''t kick the bucket by then and I have to return to Jing just by myself? I won''t have anyone to annoy then. Except the Bitch but she isn''t nearly as fun as you are Princess." Hu Tao complimented.


    "I''m starting to hope I die so I won''t have to listen to your shitty whistling anymore!" She retorted.


    "Now don''t say that Fire Crotch. In a few more months you''ll definitely become fun sparring partner for me. And in a few years, maybe, just maybe, you could consider yourself my student." He said as if it was some great milestone to become his student.


    "Death is sounding like a better alternative." She snarked.


    Both Bing and Lei Zhi laughed at this as the group arrived inside a part of the cave with a boiling hot lava lake. Lei Zhi could see spirit beasts slowly swimming inside the lava as if it was a normal water lake. Ying could sense the fire qi swirling inside these lava beasts. Bing and Hu Tao could only hear the bubbling of lava around them. Neither of them had martial arts for sensing others. Hu Tao''s natural instincts usually helped him sense foes for a fight but in this scenario, unless something was at the 9, 8, or 7th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm, he had nothing to fear.


    "I didn''t know there were spirit beasts that could live in magma." Lei Zhi commented.


    "What?!" Bing''s eyes immediately looked at the lava lake. But his eyes couldn''t pierce through the orange liquid surface.


    "Yeah. They''re swimming, crawling, walking down there inside that lava." He informed with a smile on his face.


    "I can''t survive lava. Can I?" Ying crouched over the edge of the lava pool and focused her eyes down on it. Wanting to reach down inside with her finger to see what happens.


    "Let''s test that for another time! We have a hippo to hunt remember?!" Bing grabbed Ying from under her arms and lifted her up. Taking her away from the lava lake and making sure to avoid touching her boobs.


    Surprisingly Ying didn''t say or do anything after Bing''s physical contact with her. Everyone expected her to lash out violently or say something incredibly mean but she only held her sword in front of her face and walked away. Only she and Hao Gang would know of the small blush on her cheeks. Ying herself didn''t even expect a reaction like this!


    Ever since she saved him from the cusp of death in the Great Tower, Ying found herself thinking about Bing more often. It was incredibly embarrassing the things she thought of them doing together. She just didn''t understand why she was feeling this way toward Bing! When she pictured herself doing the things she dreams about with Bing with the others, it just feels wrong. Maybe she was sick or something. One of the plants from the Treasured Plains was still affecting her and she''s yet to get over it. Maybe Lei would be able to fix her sickness...


    "He''s down there." Ying told them.


    "How do we bring it up to the surface?" Bing asked.


    "I think I can help with that." Lei took a squat next to the large body of magma and pulled out his fishing rod.


    "Won??t that thing burn up?" Hu Tao asked.


    "It''s pretty resilient, I''ve come to understand." He tossed his fishing hook in.


    "Huh... I guess all of our weapons might be similar." Bing tried dipping his shield into the lava only for it to stab out with bone shards and attach itself to his hands, stopping its descent inside. "Ow! Okay! You only want to be dipped in blood, I get it!" The shield absorbed the blood from Bing and pulled back its spikes.


    "Hao, can you survive lava?" Ying asked her sword. He immediately started crying and begging her not to drop him in lava.


    "Shut up! I wasn''t going to drop you if you couldn''t!" Ying lied. She was totally thinking about putting the tip of her blade in the lava and seeing if it could withstand it.


    "I don''t do this often but don''t let anyone know your weapons have souls." Hu Tao seriously warned the two.


    "Huh? Why not?" Ying asked.


    "The only weapons that are alive are Heaven-ranked weapons." He answered


    "That''s impossible..." Bing muttered. "The Empress couldn''t have gotten ahold of 2 heaven-ranked weapons. No one would trust someone with a single heaven-ranked spirit weapon! Not to mention 2! It doesn''t matter what background the Empress has, she couldn''t have gotten 2 of them and gifted them away as if they were nothing!" Bing''s mouth moved on his own. Unable to process the information Hu Tao just gifted them.


    "Does Jing know?" Ying asked, also taking this seriously.


    "I doubt it. If she did, she would''ve warned you herself." Hu Tao said.


    "How could the Empress not know?! I just don''t understand. I can''t understand! All this time I''ve tried to avoid thinking about the Empress''s background knowing that it wouldn''t do any good for a simple cultivator like myself with no connections or power. But heaven-ranked spirit weapons?!" Bing was about to go insane.


    "Maybe Jing isn''t who we''re thinking she is..." Lei Zhi brought up. "Perhaps she isn''t a descendent of an ancient cultivating family but perhaps an incredibly lucky girl who finds stuff like this on a regular basis. Someone blessed by the heavens in finding valuable treasures without even trying." Lei Zhi hypothesized.


    "I guess that could explain why she doesn''t know about some things that every cultivator should know..." Bing didn''t refuse this explanation.


    "I just thought the crazy bitch was abandoned as a baby in the mortal world." Hu Tao shrugged.


    "Or maybe in the eyes of her ancient clan, her talent was considered trash to them and they abandoned her with us." Ying added to Hu Tao''s theory.


    "Here he comes!" Lei shouted, bringing their attention back to the task at hand.


    An incredibly thick spirit beast burst through the surface of the lava pissed beyond belief. And an insightful thought suddenly rose through the Angels'' heads.


    ''How in the world are we going to fight that thing all the way over there in lava?!''

 118 Chapter 116: Fighting The Flame King Hippopotamus!

    "Get behind me!" Bing yelled as he brought his shield forward.


    Lei Zhi and Ying hurried behind him. Lei already unhooked his fishing hook from the hippo''s thick hide. The bloody mark left by Lei''s hook sent the animal into a rage. It spit a bubble of lava towards the group which Bing hoped his shield would be able to deal with. Bing used the Art of Deflection in his shield art manual to handle the lava bubble instead of trying to block it head on like he was thinking of doing earlier. He did this in case his shield wouldn''t be enough to handle the dangerously hot temperatures of the qi attack along with if he couldn''t handle the temperatures either. If his shield got coated in lava, it would almost be the same as him holding lava in his hands! The shield strap was attached to his arm as well, you know!


    The bubble of lava was harmlessly deflected away from their group and everyone''s mind started racing to figure out how to fight this thing while its submerged in lava.


    "Can you fish it over here?" Ying asked.


    "I can try." Lei responded as he sent his fishing hook in a long arc towards the Flame King Hippo.


    The 1st stage Qi Consolidation beast nimbly swam out of the way of his hook, remembering that it was that thing that forcefully dragged it to the surface. Lei never tried fishing for something that wanted to avoid his rod. Seeing the huge creature dodge his hook inspired the fisherman pride dwelling within him. He had to capture this creature with his fishing pole or he wouldn''t be satisfied!


    Lei Zhi removed himself from under Bing''s protection and added a curve to his throw this time around. The sharp metal hook swung through the air towards the hippo who decided to sink down below the surface of the magma lake. With a skilled shake of his wrist, Lei''s hook change directions and headed straight down into the lava for the flame king. Ying could be seen crouched over the lava pool attempting to used her body martial art, Physique of the Inferno, to strengthen her body. Physique of the Inferno allowed Ying to bring foreign fire qi into her body to strengthen it. By strengthening her body with this lava, she should be able to withstand it. Or at least that''s what she was thinking should happen.


    "Son of a¡ª!" Ying''s shrill scream after burning the hell out of her hand was overpowered by the sound of the Flame King Hippo''s roar.


    "Watch out Hu Tao!" Bing warned.


    Hu Tao unconsciously swayed his head out of the way of the soaring hippopotamus. It landed with a heavy crash onto the rocky caverns and Bing and Ying moved in together to deal a blow to the momentarily incapacitated spirit beast. Ying rose her blade overhead and swung down with a mighty swing, splitting the air as Hao Gang came down. Bing leapt into the air with his shield and aimed to crash straight on top of the mammal''s head with his heavy weight and powerful physique. Both of their attacks landed but only one did any significant damage.


    Ying''s greatsword slashed a deep gash into the side of the beast. One could even see its insides from the wound but just this single slash wasn''t enough to take out the flame king who erupted in magnificent flames after being wounded by Ying. Bing was blown away by the force of the fire while Ying contested with her mystic flames, the Frost Flames. Lei Zhi hooked Bing''s shirt before he could take a dip in the lava lake for himself, saving the round boy from a terrible agonizing slow and painful death.


    "Thanks Lei..." Sweat dripped from all of his pores.


    "Don''t forget it''s a Qi Consolidation beast. It can project its qi at a range at that realm." He warned.


    "Yeah, no kidding..." Bing had no way of hurting this beast at his current stage.


    A 6th stage Qi Gatherer attempting to take on a 1st stage Qi Consolidator in any form would be seen as insane! Bing didn''t understand why Ying thought they would be able to take on this spirit beast with their pitiful strength. A 6th stage, 7th stage, and an 8th stage Qi Gather going against someone in a higher realm would only be subjecting themselves to death. She must have had a plan, right?


    It was at this point that Bing felt like curling up into a ball and rocking back and forth. It was Ying he was talking about. Of course, she didn''t have some plan for if they couldn''t take down this hippo. The thought of failure must have never across her mind. He should''ve been smarter than to leave the planning of this task all to Ying. Just trusting her blindly like that was going to get them killed eventually.


    ''Let''s calm down for a second Bing... That injury Ying gave it looks pretty bad. If she could do that a couple more times, there''s a chance that it could die. As long as I protect her, we should be able to slowly kill this thing.'' Bing slapped his cheeks hard, causing them to jiggle. It was do or die time.


    Ying''s Frost Flames didn''t do as well as she thought they''d do against the flame king''s fire. It was taking most of her qi just to resist being blown away just like Bing. The remaining portion was used to try and freeze the hippo''s huge body to no avail. It was better than her in both qi quantity and strength.


    While this situation was bad for her, it was also great for her at the same time! Ying stopped trying to cover the spirit beast in her Frost Flames and instead attempted to try and channel her auxiliary art. Her entire goal for accepting this task was to try and understand the nature of fire better. What better way of understanding fire was there than to directly taste the flames of the Flame King Hippopotamus?!


    "Your fire is mine!" Ying yelled proudly.


    The bright red aura covering every inch of her body lapped, slurped, and tasted the flames coming towards her. If there was some secret inside these flames or in the way that they were used, then Ying was definitely going to find out! Her skin heated up and started to burn from the contact with the Flame King''s fire but she didn''t stop her auxiliary art. She saw Bing about to come towards her but stopped him with a wave of her hand and a glare.


    ''Just wait a couple more seconds!'' The flames started to consume her as she devoured the knowledge hidden within the flames.


    "Sorry about this Ying!" Bing used Swift Devil and grabbed Ying before all of her was burnt to a crisp.


    The two of them traveled across the other side of the cavern and managed to avoid being burned alive. A tuft of Bing''s blue hair caught fire but the damage to Ying''s body was more important than that little flame. It looked like whatever she was doing distracted her from the pain her body was going through because she still hasn''t processed the burns going up and down her body. Ah, she just looked down and realized the extent of her injuries.


    Bing''s ears were momentarily blown out from Ying''s scream of realization. With his face scrunched up in pain, he fed Ying an excellent grade recovery pill as she was screaming. This stopped her screaming for a moment and then Bing looked into her eyes. She looked back and he only had one thing to tell her.


    "Please heal up before I die, alright? Me and Lei can''t kill this thing without you. I''ll try my best to distract it and stay alive but you have to kill it." Bing was too distracted to see the blush on Ying''s face. This isn''t the first time he had to stall a spirit beast after Ying was injured from it.


    He laid her down before she could say anything and headed straight towards the Flame King Hippopotamus. Leaving her unable to protest or complain about anything. Ying wanted to tell him that she was fine and could still fight but after feeling the injuries to her body, she''d only get in the way. The recovery pills numbed the pain quite a bit but it wasn''t enough to allow her to get back into the fight.


    "Damn you suck ass Princess." Hu Tao suddenly dropped down next to her.


    She groaned loudly before telling him to go away as loud as possible.


    "You only landed one blow on the fat shit before almost dying. That''s kind of fucking sad, don''t you think?" He continued despite her protests.


    "If it was me out there, I would''ve kicked its ass before it even knew what was happening. Hell, in the lava or out of the lava. It would only be able to die against me. Even if I restrained my qi to the 8th stage like you." He didn''t let up, forcing Ying into concentrating all her power into recovering so that she could get away from Hu Tao who only wanted to rile her up and mock her.


    "I wish the worst for you..." She cursed.

 119 Chapter 117: Defeating The Flame King Hippopotamus.

    "How are we going to handle this?" Bing asked honestly.


    "I know as much as you do Bing." Lei also responded back honestly.


    "We''re so gonna die..." Bing''s skull necklace lit up as he drove his qi inside it.


    4 skeleton heads rotated around him and stared directly at the hippo with their purple glowing eyes. From their eye sockets beams of qi shot towards the spirit beast. None of the shots did anything to the animal''s thick large skin. It mostly just made it angry. Angry enough to start charging towards them. Normally at this point when a beast was charging towards Bing, he would ready his shield and prepare to take them head on.


    This wasn''t one of those moments.


    "Run!" He yelled.


    The two of them ran in opposite directions inside the caverns, forcing the hippo into choosing which human it wanted to kill first. Not surprisingly, it chose Lei Zhi. Lei Zhi''s movement art, Xiangqi, helped him in speedily retreating from the beast''s charge. Lei knew he was by far the weakest in their group if you were comparing body strength. He wouldn''t survive a single hit or lick of fire from the Flame King''s without perishing instantly.


    "There''s not much room in here for me to constantly be on the move..." Lei muttered.


    He jumped into the air and tossed his fishing pole towards the big hippo. It remembered the last times this hook came towards it and responded not so kindly when it saw it coming again. Flames exploded around its figure and it roared, sending those flames directly towards Lei Zhi. There was no chance of him avoiding this. His mind raced to think of a solution to save himself but nothing came to mind. Perhaps jumping wasn''t the correct choice in this situation...


    "Art of Deflection!"


    The concentrated mass of flames were sent straight down into the lava pool to their right. Bing gritted his teeth, expecting to feel a sudden increase in temperature on his shield arm. The bone shield stayed the glossy flawless white shade of color it has always had instead of a deep orange like he thought it would turn.


    "Maybe this thing is more resistant than I thought it was..." Bing muttered to himself.


    Slowly confidence trickled into him. A nervous smile started to appear on his face.


    "Follow me!" Bing used Swift Devil and charged straight at the king hippo.


    "I got it this time!" Lei yelled.


    His fishing hook soared past Bing''s head and stuck itself in the head of the flame king. Bing jumped away before the 1st stage Qi Consolidation beast could do that fire explosion thing again and let Lei Zhi handle this beast. Everyone watched as Lei Zhi used the anomalous properties of his fishing rod to lift, pull, and throw the Flame King Hippopotamus all around the cave. He smashed it into the roof of the caverns, onto the rocky walls, boulders, anything that wasn''t the lava lake.


    Bing, Ying, and Hu Tao saw his tactics were working. The spirit beast couldn''t do anything to resist Lei Zhi''s fishing rod besides shoot out fire from its body. But even that wasn''t enough to stop him as his refined fishing pole was resistant to the extreme heat given off by its flames. Bing stood in front of Lei to defend against any stray flames that managed to make its way over to him. Whatever strange ability that gave Lei''s fishing rod to pull up any beast no matter its size or strength made it seem like the past several minutes of them struggling pointless. He was beating the hippo just by using its own size against itself and Ying''s wound from earlier that only became more agitated by his moves against the beast.


    The gash slowly ripped open more and more until its internal organs started to spill out from the injury. By this point everyone understood that the fight was already over and they just had to wait for the remaining vitality of the flame king to die out. And until Lei Zhi heard the creature''s heart stop beating, he wouldn''t stop smashing it into the surroundings. Sensing that the fight was over, Bing walked over to the recovering Ying and chatting Hu Tao.


    "How would you handle being hooked by the Old Man?" Hu Tao asked her.


    He knew how he would handle it. Seeing that resisting against the pull of the hook and line would be basically impossible, Hu Tao would attack Lei Zhi himself while he was hooked or try and rip the hook out of his body. The first option would be easier because of how weak the Old Man was. All it would take was a slap across the face with his chains and his neck would snap.


    "Don''t get hooked in the first place." Ying responded. Hu Tao felt like groaning to that answer.


    "I said if you got hooked! Not what would you do if his hook was coming after you!" Hu Tao restated for the dumb noble.


    "None of your damn business!" Ying yelled. She didn''t like his attitude.


    If she was to seriously answer him, she''d probably tear whatever clothes got hooked by him apart to free herself. If he didn''t hook her clothes for some reason and he was going after her seriously, she''d use her Frost Flames on his hook. The icy blue flames would race across the line of his fishing pole and eventually make their way to Lei himself, freezing him solid in no time. Unless he dropped his fishing rod in time, but then all she had to do was beat him before he could try his God''s Fingers on her.


    Bing would just use his shield to block. Him and Lei sparred several times before and already tested if he could hook through his shield or not. The sharp part of the hook bounced off his shield and that was that. After that day when they sparred, he tried hooking part of his clothes instead of aiming for his shield.


    "It''s dead now!" Lei shouted to them, very worn out after all the fighting he just did.


    Ying bounced up and excitedly made her way over to its carcass. Her dainty thin fingers dug through its fat internal organs for the shiny red beast core hidden deep inside its body. It only took her a single second to start absorbing the fire energy concentrated in the Flame King Hippopotamus''s core. Several minutes went by before Ying reopened her eyes with a beautiful smile on her face. She brought out the Goddess of Calamity''s Fire Art from her storage ring and immediately tried opening it.


    "Well. Looks like today''s adventure was a success." Lei said, coming over to the rest.


    "Yeah... Thanks everyone... Except you, Hu Tao." Ying glared.


    "Hey I helped! If it wasn''t for my cloud, it would''ve taken you kids weeks to get to this mountain!"


    "Who are you calling a kid!? How old are you?! You can''t be that much older than us!"


    "You''d like to know wouldn''t you, Princess?" He smirked.


    "Quit acting like you''re the most mature just because you''re a little bit strong! Strength isn''t everything!" Ying lied, knowing that strength was everything.


    Hu Tao only burst out laughing at this remark.


    "Shut up! Let''s just get out of here already! Next time you can''t come no matter what!" Ying told Hu Tao.


    "I''m coming no matter what next time." He assured her.


    "I''m going to pick the most boring and tedious task in the sect if you do. I know how bored you get not being near any fights."


    "A threat like that won''t work on me. Like you of all people would pick a boring task. If it was Fat Ass or the Old Man that said that, I''d believe them. They aren''t like us." Hu Tao told her.


    "I''m nothing like you." Ying growled.


    "Being in denial isn''t going to prove me wrong." He grinned.


    "Your face is in denial! Just shut up already!" Ying angrily hopped up the hole they came from.


    "Running away from your problems won''t help either!" Hu Tao yelled upwards as he followed close behind her.


    In the next second they saw Ying''s fist covered in flames heading straight for Hu Tao''s face.


    "I''m surprised it took her so long to explode." Bing quietly spoke to Lei.


    "She''s really making progress, isn''t she?" Lei was proud of her.


    "A couple months ago, it''d only take one insult before she tried killing him." Bing remembered.


    "I can''t wait to see the day she learns to completely ignore his taunts and insults." Lei smiled.


    "Well, I don''t know about that..." Bing didn''t hold as much faith as Lei did in Ying.


    "You''ll see." He was confident for some reason as well.


    "Well if you think so." Bing shrugged.


    Heaven''s Angels spent a couple more hours inside Dead Immortal''s Cliff before making their way out.

 120 Chapter 118: Is It His Birthday?

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 121 Chapter 119: Hu Taos Pocket What?!

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 122 Chapter 120: Bings Solo Battle.

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 123 Chapter 121: Wan Qing & Jing.

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 124 Chapter 122: Some Stretching and Capturing.

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 125 Chapter 123: A Simple Interrogation.

    Ju Ju immediately rose from her sleep and attempted to strike out at the voice. Upon trying this, she realized that her arms and legs were bound while her qi was completely drained. Wen and Yi woke up soon after she did and they all realized they''ve been captured. Jing lightly clapped her hands to bring their attention to herself.


    "I''m Jing. If you haven''t realized yet. I don''t know why you came for me or how you found me but I''m sure you''ll be very willing to explain everything I want to know in just a moment." Jing spoke.


    They were inside a building. A building that definitely didn''t belong inside the Immortal Forest. The three captured cultivators wondered where have they been taken and how long were they out? But mostly importantly what did Jing plan to do to them?


    Jing initially planned to kill them all in the forest just like she did with the others that were careless enough to get caught by her without any life-saving treasures. But she recognized the green-haired girl. She was very well-known in the Inner Court because of her skill. It would be a waste killing someone like this, plus she would be very useful to her. Jing only had 2 followers of hers in the Inner Court. Hu Tao and Wan Qing.


    Gaining a Great Prodigy to her side would help move things along when she eventually starts trying to take over the Inner Court just like she was doing with the Outer Court now. But maybe she was getting ahead of herself. She''s yet to take complete control over the Outer Court but was already looking to control the Inner Court as well.


    ''One step at a time. There''s no rush.'' Jing told herself.


    "You. Why were you looking for me?" Jing pointed to the black-haired guy.


    "I''ve come to make a challenge." Yi answered confidently.


    "Oh. Interesting. With me or one of my Angels?" Jing asked.


    "You." Yi didn''t know what angels she was talking about.


    "Alright. What''s this challenge and why should I accept it?" Jing humored him.


    "Duel me in an official dueling ring. If I win, you will become a certain elder''s student. If I lose, you are compensated with 10 middle-tier spirit stones for accepting the challenge." He explained as if she had no choice but to accept such a great offer.


    His face slowly turning into a scowl after she burst out in laughter wasn''t a surprise. She made sure to laugh good and long just so he could understand just how ridiculous the offer he just made to her was. But it seemed he didn''t understand that at all and only thought she was making fun of him. Jing was laughing at him but she was mostly laughing at his master for thinking she could be tempted by a measly 10 middle-tier spirit stones.


    "You''re stupider than I thought." Wen commented.


    "Idiot." Ju Ju added.


    "Another one that wasn''t told everything about me. You won''t hold much use to me but I''ll ask just to be polite. Who is the elder that wanted me as his student?" Jing asked.


    "Hmph. Defeat me in a dueling ring and I''ll tell you." His head was swiftly removed from his neck by a whip.


    "Ah shit. I''m going to die." Wen realized.


    Jing let his head roll down his body and stop at her feet. She picked it up and saw that his eyes still held the same arrogance as before. He didn''t even realize he was moments away from death. Completely confident that she''d accept his absurd conditions. Poor idiot didn''t even realize he was being used and in such an inefficient manner as well. The ignorance of some of these elders truly made her brain crinkle in confusion. With how old they all are, shouldn''t they be a bit wiser?


    "I don''t plan to kill you all. I believe that killing is a waste of..." She paused. "Valuable resources. You see, people can be used in all sorts of ways while they are alive. Even the idiotic, ignorant, and disabled. I killed him because he would be more useful to me dead than alive. I don''t know much about you." She pointed to Wen. "But you... are very famous." Jing smiled at Ju Ju.


    "So tell me why you''re here." Wen already accepted in his heart that he was going to die to this crazy Qi Gatherer.


    "I came to watch you. My master sent me here to observe you and everything that goes on around you." He honestly shared.


    "This master is?"


    "Elder Sun." He told her.


    "That''s a new name I haven''t heard yet..." Jing muttered.


    Jing has recently learned of many elder names ever since she came out of the Treasured Plains. She was genuinely surprised at how many elders there were in the sect and how elders were ranked in the first place. It was probably negligence on her part but she never really thought much of the elders at all because of how they treated her when she first joined the sect. The only elder she had a positive opinion of was Elder Lang, her previous spellmaster teacher. It turns out he was a Minor Elder, someone that didn''t hold much influence, connections, or power either. Above a Minor Elder was a Major Elder and then above them was a Pillar Elder. Pillar Elders were the sect''s key figures. They were the elders that made sure everything within the sect was running smoothly along with increasing its strength. The only ranks above the Pillar Elders were the three Head Elders, the Supreme Commander, and then the Sect Leader.


    Most of them seemed kind of worthless to her since there were so many disciples in the sect without someone guiding them. Hell, they let someone like Hu Tao and Wan Qing run around for who knows how long without someone guiding them. Hu Tao was one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Court only second to a disciple named Manchu. Hu Tao said that Manchu was his only rival in this life which naturally made Jing interested in this Manchu. She planned to investigate him more deeply in the future but for now, he wasn''t something to worry about. It must be known that he also didn''t have an elder as his master or teacher.


    "He''s a Major Elder on the cusps of becoming a Pillar Elder." Wen said.


    "Now tell me why should I let you live and run back to your little master to tell him all about me?" Jing teasingly smiled, looking like a mischievous devil who just found a new toy.


    "I am willing to betray Elder Sun entirely if you don''t kill me." This statement made Jing''s eyebrows raise slightly.


    "What use would you bring to me?" Jing questioned.


    He was a strong cultivator no doubt. He was at the 8th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. A higher cultivation rank than any of her followers but something like that wasn''t enough to make her want him. Everyone one of her Angels would reach his stage eventually if they didn''t somehow die. She probably had enough resources to drown someone to the peak of cultivation. Cultivation stages weren''t something she felt that she needed to care about in the long run.


    "I could work for you and give you information on Elder Sun."


    "Interesting idea but the thing is... I have no interest in Elder Sun. All I needed to know of him was his name and ranking. You see, I tend to remember everything someone has done to me and try to process why would they do that. He wanted to watch me for some reason and when I encounter him in the future, I''ll be sure to bring this up."


    "He wanted to make use of your talent, I remember. If you managed to survive and somehow prove yourself useful to him, he wanted us to recruit you." Wen added.


    "There are more of you?"


    "Yes. There are 4 others sent by Elder Sun to watch you at all times. I was the only one to track you out here."


    "So, he just wanted to use me. How typical." Jing laughed.


    "Alright. You gave me a lot of useful information. Most disciples don''t talk as much as you do unless I make them. That was a nice deviation from the usual." Jing said. "While I can''t just let you go free just yet, as I have something I wish for you to do, you can rest easy now as I don''t plan on killing you anymore." Jing eased his worries.


    ''She was planning on killing me too!?'' He cried in his heart.


    Jing moved her gaze over to Ju Ju. She proudly held out her chest and stared back.


    "I come on behalf of my master, Elder Tu. He wishes to bring you over to his side with the items inside the storage rings I brought." Ju Ju explained in a concise manner.


    "Oh, those were gifts for me? Well, I have to say that this Elder Tu is quite kind. I can''t say that I''ll join under him but we can form a partnership of some sorts. Tell him to meet me in my home and we can discuss this more intimately." Jing told her.


    ''Are you insane? Does she think she''s on par with a Pillar Elder like Elder Tu?! That he would be willing to sit down and discuss with someone in the Qi Gathering stage!? He might hold a liking to you right now but the amount of disrespect you''re showing him is too much!'' Ju Ju thought Jing was out of her mind.


    "Understood." But it wasn''t her place to say any of that.


    "Follow me." Jing broke the illusion formation she created.


    Making them realize that the bindings they felt and the lack of access to their qi was all in their heads. They never left the Immortal Forest and apparently Jing was a talented spellmaster as well.

 126 Chapter 124: Wan Qings Progress & The Void World.

    "Hyah!" Wen''s spear shot out like a deadly viper.


    Wan Qing blocked his attack with her closed fan and her butterflies began releasing powder on the two of them by flapping their wings. Powder fell down towards them and Wen immediately backed off at the sign of this blue glowing powder. In his place, Ju Ju arrived from below with lightning covering her body. This protected her from the dangerous powder that both she and Wen learned the dangers of earlier in the week.


    Qing''s giant fan exploded into a beautiful shower of butterflies that rejoined together into two smaller sized fans that Qing grabbed. Ju Ju''s palm was redirected with a simple wave of one of her fans. The wind altered Ju Ju''s attack path and momentarily opened up a weak spot for Qing to attack. But the past week of fighting against her and Wen taught her better than to try and take advantage of an opening given by Ju Ju. Her status as a Great Prodigy wasn''t exaggerated in the slightest. Even when she restricted her qi to the same cultivation stage, Qing still stood no chance against her. For now.


    Jing''s miraculous recovery pills were the only reason she hasn''t been horribly crippled by fighting the two superior fighters. At first, just constantly getting beat the hell up by the two made Qing question Jing''s training regime. But it wasn''t just filled with her getting knocked around by the two throughout the week. Jing regularly forced her into doing strange activities that somehow were making her stronger.


    ???The bone breaking inhuman poses she was forced to perform, gaining a deeper understanding of her butterflies by trying to get to know them as a hive and regularly talking to them, and other things such as being fed unbelievably disgusting food that somehow stimulated her body''s physical and spiritual growth after being brought to the edge of death. All of it was so strange and unfamiliar that it made Wan Qing question if Jing was even human. So, nothing out of the usual really. In all of her years of life, she hasn''t seen or heard anything in the world that she learned about from Jing''s training. Despite the number of questions that have multiplied since her training started, Wan Qing didn''t regret asking Jing for help, not in the slightest.


    "Stop." Jing spoke out before Ju Ju and Wan Qing could clash again.


    They stopped just as Jing ordered and split apart before walking towards her.


    "This is enough for now. Wen, Ju Ju. I''ll be sure to reward you properly for your help. Wen, I''d recommend you find a new master sometime soon. Ju Ju, I''ll be in touch." They suddenly found a talisman tossed at their chest.


    Their senses couldn''t react in time before they were teleported back to the Golden Serpent Sect. Now Jing, Wan Qing, Li Li, and Ni Xong stood together. The serene atmosphere of the Immortal Forest played out around them. Jing showed a small smile towards Wan Qing. She couldn''t reciprocate and looked elsewhere to avoid Jing''s eyes.


    "I must thank you for everything you''ve done for me." A faint blush appeared on her face.


    "No need. Let''s return back now." Jing told her.


    "Wait... I need to say this. I appreciate your help a lot more than you think. I''ve never really had anyone I could trust besides my sisters who raised me since I was a baby. So when you spent all this time and wasted all these resources just to help me. It means a lot to me. Thank you, Jing. I''m happy to be one of your angels." She deeply bowed.


    [Wan Qing''s loyalty has reached 100%]


    [She is now able to receive a SCP from the Host as a gift for her loyalty.]


    "And I''m glad to have you Wan." They teleported back to Jing''s home.


    In no time, Jing could sense multiple figures outside her home but also a few inside her home. Once she and the others teleported inside a certain familiar round youth screamed at the sight of them suddenly appearing next to him.


    "What are you all doing in my home?" Jing asked, lowering her killing intent.


    "Where else would we be?" Hu Tao answered, lounging out on her bed.


    "We didn''t know where you were or when you''d come back so. We just decided to hang out here." Ying spoke up.


    "I see..." Jing narrowed her eyes. Maybe she shouldn''t have chosen her house as their meet up place.


    "Hoo... You''re smelling a lot better Sissy. Where did you two just come from?" Hu Tao complimented as Li Li flew over to his head.


    "Nowhere you need to be concerned about." Wan Qing proudly responded.


    "Don''t be such a bitch. Come on. Didn''t you say you were going to train or something before we left? Did you ask Jing for help during your training?" He somehow perfectly guessed.


    Wan Qing didn''t respond.


    "Oh! That reminds me! Everyone, I need to share something with you all related to training." Ying suddenly exclaimed, catching all their attention.


    "Is this related to the treasure you found in the Treasured Plains?" Jing asked.


    "So, you knew already?" Ying felt a bit foolish.


    "It was obvious!" Hu Tao yelled.


    "Shut it!" Ying snapped. "Anyway... It''ll be better if I show you all instead of trying to explain. I don''t really know all that much about it. I need you all to come near me." Ying said.


    Heaven''s Angels gathered around Ying. She raised her greatsword above their heads as its demonic eye glowed a deep purple. The space around them started to warp before swallowing them all whole and bringing them inside Ying''s Void World. Mostly everyone awed at the impressive sights before them.


    It was like a land of untold beauty and grace. The plentiful amount of qi in the air that felt as if it was embracing every single one of them whole. It made a few of them think that they could spend decades here cultivating and the qi around them wouldn''t dry up. Jing''s eyes focused specifically on the numerous shadows that held similar shapes to them and the massive garden in the distance filled with normal crops and a few spirit plants.


    "This is my Void World. It''s the only reason why I''ve been getting as strong as I have lately." Ying started to give a tour of her Void World to them all.


    "No fucking wonder you were getting so strong. With shit like this, I doubt you''d ever run into problems while cultivating." Hu Tao said.


    "And to think you''re willing to share something like this with us..." Lei Zhi was in awe.


    "Truly too kind." Tears fell from Bing''s eyes. The amount of progress he could make with his martial arts in a place like this was something he could only dream of.


    "I usually use this place to master my martial arts but when I''m sick of that I''ll use it to eat, practice alchemy, or get some alone time." Ying shared.


    "You know alchemy?" Jing asked as she planted spirit grass, a cloud seed, and a refined grass seed that would grow into spiritually-rich blades of grass that promoted the growth of other plants.


    "Not really but I''ve been learning." She rubbed the back of her head. "The shadows can teach things other than martial art techniques. I''ve been learning from it how to do alchemy but no proper teacher that can talk to me and teach me about it." She answered.


    "I might be able to find something for you in the future." Jing told her.


    "I''d appreciate it." Ying smiled.


    "What about me!? Don''t I deserve something too?" Hu Tao shouted.


    "Not really. From what I heard you were going to let your teammates die and look for replacements for them." Jing''s words pierced into Hu Tao''s guilty conscious.


    "Where could you hear something as fucking ridiculous as that?" He nervously laughed. "Like I''d let any of these absofuckinglutely adorable allies of mine die anytime soon." He held his arms around the waist of Bing and Lei Zhi, making them both uncomfortable. "My heart would shatter into a million itty bitty pieces if any one of them died before I could see them grow to their full potential." Which wasn''t a complete lie.


    "Good. I''m not looking forward to needing to replace any one of you. If I hear anything like intentionally letting your angels die, I don''t know what would happen to that person." She softly smiled as killing intent leaked out from her body.


    Jing''s angels vowed to do everything they could to prevent one of them from dying if they could help it.

 127 Chapter 125: Some Nice Rewards.

    While she was relaxing in her chair, she decided it was time to use the 5 epic tickets she gained from completing the missions in the Treasured Plains after it was over. She saw no reason to immediately use them right after obtaining them. Saving them for an emergency seemed better than using them carelessly but soon she thought that was rather stupid. It wasn''t like the lottery function would give her what she needed at the moment. It would randomly gift her a selection of items based on the rarity of the ticket and the number of tickets she used. That''s all. There was no hidden function that secretly gave her what she needed most in the near or far future. It was all complete luck. So, Jing used them all.


    [Host has received Training Wristbands]


    This wasn''t a bad item. It didn''t give off any qi but it did hold mystical qualities. These wristbands would cut their wielders strength in half but at the same time double the efficiency of their training by doubling the gains they make while training. There wasn''t anything that stopped the user from taking them off when placed around their wrists either. So, overall this was a great first pull. Maybe if she used these tickets earlier, Wan''s training would''ve taken half the time it needed.


    [Host has received SCP-355]


    Jing immediately planted this SCP in Ying''s garden. An SCP like this was definitely interesting but there would be little use for it in the long run. That would be the case if Jing didn''t also hold SCP-914. There were already a few ideas surfacing in her mind about the possible uses of something like this refined. And since it was an SCP without sapience, she could refine it instead of just taking on its anomalous properties for herself.


    Jing couldn''t use this SCP like SCP-353. It wasn''t the type of SCP that allowed her to manipulate with her body alone. The system gave her a single blade of grass that would have no doubt pricked her finger and started to drain her of her fluids if she didn''t have a body refined by SCP-914. In its current state, it would only be useful against common beasts and mortals. But with a little improvement from SCP-914 or the spirit qi in the air, it could possibly become something useful against cultivators. For now, Jing would let it grow in Ying''s spiritually-rich garden and see how it turns out. If she''s not satisfied with its progress, she''ll refine it into something useful just like everything else she gained from the system that was initially useless.


    [Host has received Heavenly Milk Bath]


    Now Jing was pretty excited to see something like this. Her skin might have already been refined into a near flawless state but every woman enjoys a good bath. Something like this would be very relaxing to take a dip in after a long day. This sky-ranked spirit tool could bring several benefits to those that bathe inside it. It promotes recovery of physical, mental, and spiritual fatigue, it could give those who got inside healthier, glossier, and more radiant bodies, and it could strengthen those who jumped inside it while injured. Her followers would definitely benefit from a magical treasure like this.


    She remembered the first day when Ying brought them inside here. Only Hu Tao and Wan Qing managed to remain standing after facing their shadows. Hu Tao was mortally wounded by his shadow and required direct healing from Jing''s refined pill or he would''ve died from his injuries. It turns out the shadow version of Hu Tao was no less ruthless than the normal one. If he took a bath in this spirit tool then perhaps, he would''ve gotten 2x stronger once he recovered.


    [Host has received SCP-113]


    Jing''s eyebrows furrowed once she learned of this SCP. This SCP was absolutely perfect for someone like Wan Qing. Too perfect... Was this gacha system really random? It had to be. The missions it gave her weren''t random as they were obviously made to fulfill some sort of agenda by the being that gifted it to her but this, Jing didn''t know.


    SCP-113 was an interesting ore. An ore so interesting Jing didn''t dare to retrieve it from her inventory and grab it with her bare hands. It was a combination of several materials that so happened to look like jasper, red all over and smoothly polished. There was a reason why Jing said it was the perfect SCP for Wan Qing. That was because SCP-113 reversed the biological sex of the one who made physical contact with it for around a minute and once the transition has begun, SCP-113 cannot be removed from the being''s flesh.


    If Jing gifted this to Wan Qing, which she could, Wan Qing would turn into the woman she always felt like she was. But there was no reason to do that as of now. There was that one mission she still had to complete with Wan Qing. But Wan needed to be gifted an SCP before she could attempt it. Perhaps she could gift her SCP-1331 and then send her off on a task to kill Kun Lao. Once they return, she''ll try it. If it doesn''t work, she''ll just wait till she gets a SCP that she can gift to Wan Qing so that she can kill Kun Lao.


    [Host has received Golden Blood Elixir]


    A concoction like this would best be used for one of her followers that went down the path of a body cultivator. Ying or Bing preferably but Hu Tao could also benefit from it since he is both a qi cultivator and a body cultivator. This elixir grants the drinker golden blood. It transforms their blood into the color of gold and changes the blood itself into something incomparable to a normal person''s blood. A downside of this changed blood is that others also benefit from their blood if ingested or refined through alchemic means. Once an experienced or knowledgeable cultivator finds out that they hold blood like this, they''ll probably go through any length to get their hands on them.


    Ying, Bing, and Lei Zhi were flying through the air on their personal cloud rides. They came from the cloud seed Jing planted in Ying''s garden and took a liking to it ever since they rode Hu Tao''s cloud. Hu Tao was still fighting against his shadow and rapidly improving his martial arts to heights that wouldn''t be possible outside this realm. He''s been fighting it every day and Jing was jealous at how he could go all out against the shadow like that. When she tried using her full power against the shadow it exploded for some reason. Ying''s sword said that it couldn''t make a shadow on her level. Jing''s body and qi were too strong to replicate as a shadow. The shadow already knew the martial arts of the person they''re fighting to the completion realm. This sadly, still wasn''t enough to handle someone on Jing''s level.


    Besides that annoying little fact, Jing decided she need to increase her followers who were in the Outer Court''s strength a bit more. Ying was on the verge of reaching the 9th stage in the Qi Gathering realm. Bing and Lei Zhi have definitely benefitted from being inside this place for so long and were catching up right behind Ying. Lei just reaching the 8th stage and Bing close to reaching the 8th stage. When they all made it to the 9th stage, that was when her plan to take over the Outer Court in full force begins.


    But, until then, she would continue to gather more and more information about the other factions and the latest news within the sect. Wen, the former student of Elder Sun, was now her personal informant on everything inside the sect. His focus was on Inner Court information but lately Jing had him stick around the Outer Court. As her goal was the takeover of the Outer Court before moving her way up to the Inner Court. Jing needed him to tell her of any sudden knowledge she should be known of at all times as she couldn''t be bothered to do it herself anymore. Plus, her followers weren''t all that good at gathering useful information.


    "Wan Qing." Jing called out.


    "Yes?" The feminine figure responded high above, flying on her giant fan.


    "I might have a task for you with a particularly interesting reward." This caught her attention.


    "Hey! I want a task too Jing! No playing favorites!" Hu Tao yelled out.


    "Are you confident in killing a 9th stage Qi Consolidator Hu Tao?" Jing asked.


    "Forget I said anything." He knew his limits.

 128 Chapter 126: The Hunt For Treasure!

    "Isn''t that the guy who would''ve killed you if it wasn''t for Jing?" Hu Tao asked.


    "Yes..." Wan painfully admitted. She might have accepted her arrogance was the reason for her defeat but it was still an experience she didn''t want to be reminded of.


    "How embarrassing. To lose to someone like 10 stages below you." He mocked.


    "Didn''t you lose to Bleep when she was at the 1st stage of the Qi Gathering stage?" Ying brought up.


    "Don''t fucking play with me Fire Crotch. You and me both know that Bleep''s a fucking freak." This comment earned him a slap upside the head with Jing''s whip.


    "And the only woman I love in this world." That slap really fucking hurt.


    "Have you guys heard about the rumor of spirit stones being buried somewhere across the sect?" Bing suddenly brought up.


    "I haven''t." Lei Zhi responded.


    "Who cares about some spirit stones anyway? They''re probably low-ranked ones anyway." Hu Tao scoffed.


    "No. I heard there are 3 separate spots for the treasures. The first spot is for the Outer Court disciples filled with low-rank and middle-rank stones. The second spot is for the Inner Court disciples with middle-rank and high-rank stones. And the third spot is for the strongest disciples and maybe even elders. It''s said that it''s filled with high-rank and peak-rank stones." Bing explained.


    "If that was true then the entire sect would be in chaos right now." Ying figured.


    "How do you know it isn''t? We''re in here while they''re out there." Bing retorted.


    "Well, none of that has to do with us. With the abundant qi inside this place, we don''t really need to rely on spirit stones." Wan Qing said.


    "I guess that''s true. I just thought you guys should know."


    "Wait a fucking minute..." Hu Tao suddenly realized what he was missing out on. "Let me the fuck out of here! Those bastards are having a party without me!" He shouted at Ying.


    "I also have things I need to do." Jing spoke up, realizing that she was missing out on some nice chaos and mayhem even though she was the one to bury those spirit stones. She buried those stones quite a while ago so, she didn''t know when someone would eventually find her ''hint.''


    "Okay. Just message me on the talisman when you need to come back." She said specifically to Jing only.


    The space around Jing and Hu Tao became warped before swallowing them whole and spitting them out into the real world.


    "Don''t die mutt." Jing said before disappearing.


    "I''m too young to die baby! Let''s fucking party!" He leapt far into the sky to get a better look at the current situation inside the sect.


    There were quite a few bastards he needed to visit after his experience in the Treasured Plains and with Ying''s little Void World, he''s gotten much stronger than he was before. All of those fuckers that tried to seal him inside the Great Tower, he pay them all back for the shit they pulled. And if he''s lucky, he''ll find some new interesting kids to play with this time around. Weren''t there some disciples in the Inner Court called the Great Geniuses or some shit like that? With his new power, he should be able to play with them a little even if they are a couple stages above him.


    Hell, even if he was sealed again somehow, with the freaky old bastard he''ll be able to escape any trapping formation. If he planned ahead anyway. Hu Tao needed to place a portal exit somewhere outside the formation if he wished to teleport out of it. Just trying to teleport to his portal dimension wasn''t good enough if the entrance to the portal dimension was inside the fucking trapping array. His current teleporter exit was inside Ying''s Void World. That bitch planned on keeping him out of that sweet ass place to get strong without him.


    "Not on my watch!" He yelled to himself.


    ______________________________________________?


    "Come on already. With how much time you''re wasting who knows if the stones are gone by now." Tang Wuying glared.


    "Now now little Tang. Even if we make it there first who''s to say we''ll be able to keep it all for ourselves. I think we should save our strength before politely asking those who did all the grunt work for us for a share of their loot." Gong Jun smiled.


    "Always the schemer, aren''t you? How annoying..." Tang didn''t like Gong''s way of dealing with things.


    "I don''t hear you suggesting anything different." Gong grinned.


    "Whatever. I''m sure those idiots will make a lot of noise when they find it anyway. A decent sensor should''ve be able to find the stones no problem. What the hell is taking so long?" Tang complained.


    "I''m just as confused as you are to be honest. A rumor on this level should''ve been easily confirmed true or false by now with a good qi sensor. The elders wouldn''t have disciples killing each other over nothing." Gong reasoned.


    "What if the elders couldn''t prove if the rumors were true or false?" Tang asked.


    "If that was true then who buried the stones?"


    Tang couldn''t answer that. It wasn''t like a mysterious cultivator would be able to sneak into the Golden Serpent Sect without the elders finding out and then on top of that bury massive deposits of spirit stones in specific spots in the sect. Unless it was someone far above their Sect Leader in cultivation but then that brings the question of what would they gain from having a bunch of disciples kill each other over spirit stones? The Nine Swords Sect and Blossoming Water Palace leaders are nearly on par with their sect leader so it couldn''t be them. But besides them, there wasn''t anyone else on this continent who could pull off something like this. As far as Tang and Gong knew, the sect leaders of the Three Great Sects were the strongest around with a few known cultivators being able to stand on the same level as them in the Evergreen Continent.


    "Die!" Tang blocked a sudden attack aimed at the back of his head with his giant boomerang.


    "Who the hell are you?" He asked.


    "Your maker." He grinned as his fist took on a golden hue and knocked Tang forward.


    "Need any help?" Gong politely offered.


    "Like hell I''d accept help from you. I''d rather die." Tang spat.


    "I can arrange that." His attacker smiled.


    "Do you know who you''re even messing with? I don''t have the time to play with trash like you." Tang spoke.


    "The latest prodigy of Elder Mo. The handsome genius with unknown future potential. The arrogant commoner that believes he''s the best under the heavens." He listed off a few of Tang''s titles.


    "Commoner?" Tang gritted his teeth.


    "Oh yeah. Commoner. You''re just the son of some mayor, aren''t you? How arrogant can you be to come here and act like you''re anything more than just a filthy commoner? There are people of actual royalty and nobility here. Any one of them are worth more than 10 copies of you based on blood alone!"


    "I hoped you are satisfied with those being your final words. This filthy commoner is going to make sure you never speak again." And with those words, he vanished.


    ______________________________________________


    "Don''t worry Prince Jun. Your opponent will be me." Another disciple silently appeared.


    "And who might you be? Oh, and I''m not a prince just yet." Gong kindly smiled.


    "One of Princess Lan''s many suitors." He answered.


    "You must have some skill if you''re willing to take me on for her."


    "I have been training a bit. You are a scary competitor Gong. Not many would be willing to try and compete with a genius of your level."


    "I assume you are the champion of one of those tournaments that fight for her affection by proving you are the strongest male in the nearby area?"


    "Not just talented but brilliant as well. How could anyone compete with a man such as yourself?" He sighed.


    "Fake flattery won''t earn you any favors." Gong kept his friendly smile plastered on.


    "Then I suppose I should tell you that I utterly despise you. I came to kill you today and ask for Princess Lan''s hand in marriage afterwards." He revealed.


    "Trust me. I wish it was that easy..." His false fa?ade broke momentarily. Liu Lan was not an easy woman to woo even though they were already engaged.


    "Maybe you aren''t as perfect as I thought you were."


    "Let''s just begin already. If little Tang finishes his fight before me, I won''t be able to show my face as his senior brother." Gong sighed, keeping up with Tang''s growth rate with that weapon of his was an eternal struggle. He''s never worked so hard in his life.


    "Very well." He dashed towards Gong.

 129 Chapter 127: A Mysterious Encounter.

    Tang smirked as his attack wasn''t completely avoided. A long gash appeared on the side of the cocky bastard''s face. This nearly sent him into an uncontrollable rage. Only nearly though, he soon rushed towards Tang with his body encased in a golden aura. His fist punched out with enough force to completely tear through the chest of any regular 1st stage Qi Consolidator. Something that Tang Wuying was definitely not. He was still a 9th stage Qi Gatherer.


    ''This guy isn''t your average trash.'' Tang thought as he effortlessly dodged the powerful blow.


    "Before I kill you, tell me what you know about the spirit stones." Tang demanded.


    "You didn''t think that I was done just because I missed, did you!?" He reared his fist back and let off another punch with jut as much deadliness as his first one.


    Tang didn''t even look as if he was trying as he avoided that one as well. But then he threw another punch and another one. Seemingly hundreds of fists flew towards Tang Wuying. The fists took the shape of mighty dragons and ruptured the very air. Tang clicked his tongue, this bastard was actually going to force him into wasting his energy on him. He was going to need all the energy he had if he wanted to make it back home with those spirit stones. He would have no issue progressing in the Qi Consolidation stage with the rumored hundreds of spirit stones.


    This little rumor even brought out his First Senior from his training and there was rarely anything that could accomplish that. Only the big events held by the elders could do something like that.


    "What''s wrong Tang!? Can''t keep up!?" His opponent shouted.


    "Just the opposite in fact. It''s all so slow that it''s just annoying to dodge." A golden flame ignited from Tang''s figure.


    With an incredibly quick spin that looked like just a single spin but was actually 3 full spins, Tang slashed out with his boomerang. The many dragons were ripped apart by the single attack of Tang and the creator of those dragons was nearly split in half. An outcome that would''ve come to fruition if it wasn''t for the life-saving treasure hanging around his neck. Once he saw that he nearly died in one hit from someone one stage below himself, he immediately began to flee. Realizing that he was far outclassed by Tang Wuying. A filthy commoner that somehow was better than a noble cultivator like himself!


    "Where are you heading off too so slowly, trash?" Tang''s boomerang''s tip smashed into the fleeing young noble''s gut as he appeared in front of him.


    Not that Tang would''ve accepted such words in the first place. The handsome youth with deeply red hair and ancient yellow tattoos on his skin held up his boomerang over the incapacitated braggart.


    "You weren''t anywhere near my level, idiot." His boomerang came down and a sickening crunch was heard as his head went rolling off into the distance.


    He looked towards Gong Jun after finishing off his opponent and clicked his tongue. Gong might''ve been covered in blood with his opponent separated in two halves on the ground behind him but that annoying smile on his face tells him everything he needed to know. The bastard finished his opponent before he did. How annoying...


    "I think I might know where the stones are buried." Gong said when he walked over.


    "Speak then." Secretly Tang was glad that Jun didn''t gloat about the fact that he killed his enemy faster.


    "Before I killed him, he revealed that a friend of his was heading towards the Mission Hall. That friend was a talented sensor. I believe we should head there next." Gong suggested.


    "Let''s get moving then." Tang started walking.


    "Before you young gentlemen go... I have a few words to say to the one with the boomerang." A mysterious masked man suddenly appeared in front of them.


    Gong Jun brandished his blade immediately after spotting the strange man. Where did he come from? Why couldn''t he sense him? And why was figuring out his strength bordering on the line of impossibility?!


    "Hello senior." He politely bowed despite being confused and slightly frightened of this masked person''s true strength.


    "Hello Young Master Jun. Possible future king of the Jianhong kingdom." The masked man gave a small bow back.


    "Possible?" He muttered in confusion. The only problem standing in his way of becoming the prince or king of Jianhong is if he or Liu Lan died.


    "Oh, it seems you are unaware. Never mind me then." The masked man laughed with a jolly tone.


    "What do you-" His question was interrupted by his junior brother.


    "It''s you... I suppose it''s time for me to fulfil my end of our partnership?" Tang guessed.


    "That''s exactly why I''m here Young Master Tang." The masked man revealed.


    "For what you''ve done for me, I have no choice but to accept." Tang was deeply grateful to the mysterious merchant. Without him gifting him this boomerang, who knows how far behind he would be in comparison to his peers. He would''ve never known the greatness and true god of this world which is Lord Tyanir and received his blessings.


    "Ohoho those are certainly words I like to hear." He happily laughed. "What I''m going to ask of you isn''t too outrageous. A fairly simple task for someone of your stature."


    "Ask away."


    "I need you to kill or cripple a disciple named Bingwen Huan." He requested.


    "Consider it done. But I will have to get started on it after I''m done with my current circumstances." He replied.


    "No problem. Just make sure it gets done before the start of the Grand Tournament for me." He turned away. "Oh, before I leave, a little birdie told me that some cute little blue gems might be hiding near the home of a certain Head Elder. I figured you two would be acquainted with this elder more intimately than others."


    "Wait! Before you leave, what did you mean possible?! Is someone going to try to assassinate me or Lan?" Gong Jun asked.


    "Far from it unless you mean in matters of love and affection. I might be willing to tell you who is successfully trying to come between you and Princess Lan for a price..." The masked man turned back around and looked deeply into the eyes of Gong Jun.


    His swirling violet eyes seemingly beat upon the heart of Gong Jun like a drum. Was what he saying was true? It couldn''t just be nonsense if his junior brother was treating him with such respect. It must be said that the amount of people that Tang Wuying showed respect to could be counted with a single hand. This masked senior had to be someone of great importance to have his junior brother act so cordially with him. He didn''t even treat his own father with the respect a son should show to their father.


    "I''m willing to accept your task." Gong decided.


    "Before the start of the Grand Tournament, Cripple Chaun Huan. It doesn''t matter if you cut off his arm, take away a leg, or somehow force his cultivation to drop. Weaken him in some way and I''ll tell you what you wish to know."


    "Understood senior. But how should I get in contact with you when I complete the deed?" Gong asked.


    "Don''t worry about that boy. I''ll find you." He laughed in that whimsical voice of his that acted as if the world was his toy to play with as he pleases.


    The masked man soon disappeared and the two students of Elder Mo were left alone. They looked toward each other and thought of the same question.


    ''Just who the hell is that guy?''


    Tang Wuying had more time to think about the identity of the masked man as he knew him longer. He''s always thought of the day when he was to meet the man again. Many thoughts and possibilities flew through his head about what their partnership would consist of. And so far, really nothing. Killing some person wasn''t that big of a deal. The masked man also didn''t regularly contact him and ask him to do things. So, all in all, this was a beneficial partnership for Tang. He didn''t understand what the masked man got out of it, but did it really matter?


    "Is he the man who you made the deal with?" Jun cleverly asked.


    "Wouldn''t you like to know?" Tang didn''t answer him. It was possible the masked man could make a deal with Gong and give him a similar weapon. That was something he couldn''t accept.


    He was already a little bit ahead of his senior because of his lacking spirit weapon. If he gained a weapon similar to the one he has then they would become equals or he would be left in the dust by his senior. One of those outcomes was something he couldn''t accept. Not until he found better ranked martial arts. Tang doubted he''d ever find a martial art meant for his boomerang which meant his other martial arts needed to be superior enough to carry him along. Even his master, a head elder, doubted he''d even find a mortal-ranked martial art for his weapon. It was a weapon he''s never seen used before by any cultivator.


    "I guess we should return home then and start digging." Gong smiled.


    "What else would we do? Fool." Tang scoffed and started walking off.


    "We''re splitting the stones! Don''t forget little Tang! Don''t be asking for a fight for my stones!"

 130 Chapter 128: Is It Really A Party Without Me?!

    Just looking at the Outer Court''s current state was enough to cause Hu Tao''s blood to boil in excitement. If the Outer Court was this awesome, then the Inner Court had to be fucking unbelievable! Hu Tao hopped off his cloud and landed at the entrance of the Golden Serpent Sect''s gates. He flashed the sect''s emblem he kept in his storage ring and ran his way towards the Inner Court. Upon making it inside the Inner Court, he was immediately greeted with a nice kick to the face.


    He caught the leg of his attacker and frowned. This was a leg he recognized and it wasn''t someone that could give him the excitement he was looking for. At least, not in their current state. They needed time to grow before being able to give him a challenge. Hu Tao released their leg and was about to run off for a real fight but he was stopped by the masked cultivator.


    "Hu Tao. I need your help." They asked.


    "Now isn''t really a good time for me, Hairless." He waved them off. There was something a lot more fun waiting right in front of him.


    "Tao... If you don''t help me, I could die."


    "And how is that my problem? Just don''t be weak and you''ll be fine." Hu Tao chuckled before walking off. Not interested in her problems in the slightest.


    Jie clicked her tongue as he started walking away. A selfish perverted bastard like Hu Tao wouldn''t help her unless there was some benefit for himself involved. But she couldn''t just let him walk away like this or she really would die! Jie rushed towards him again. Since he didn''t plan on helping her voluntarily, she''ll force him into helping her.


    "Hu Tao! My love! Save me!" She threw herself towards him just as her pursuers caught up to her.


    "What the fuck are you talking about?" Hu Tao readied his hand to slap the shit out of this dumb bitch only to find himself being charged at with multiple swords.


    "The girl has an ally! Kill him before capturing her!"


    "Huh? I''m not involved with this crossdressing bitch. But if it''s a fight you want, it''s a fight you''ll get." Hu Tao grinned.


    Two red shadows coming from the inside of Hu Tao''s body split from his body and charged towards the incoming cultivators. While his shadows were playing with the assassins, Hu Tao snatched Jie by the throat and lifted her up.


    "I''ll pay you back..." She pointed her sword at his chest.


    "You''ll pay me back huh? What if I requested something like this?" He grabbed a handful of her ass that promptly painted a red blush on her face.


    "Help me... get rid of my family''s enemies... and I''ll do whatever you want..." She choked out.


    "Ooh. Now its help you rid you of your family enemies and not just save your life." Hu Tao pointed out.


    He released his grip from her throat and watched her fall to the ground. She hacked and coughed on the ground to try and get some air into her lungs. Hu Tao didn''t care about any of this. He gently grabbed her by the face and forced his lips onto hers. She tried resisting at first but it seems Hu Tao wasn''t only talented when it came to martial arts but also in other matters... Jie was forced to live with the fact that her first kiss was taken by this selfish, insufferable, sexual deviant. Along with secretly loving every second of it. It felt disgustingly wrong how good she felt during their kiss but she wasn''t completely gone from pleasure.


    Jie thrusted her sword into Hu Tao''s chest, pushing him away. Her sword barely left a mark on Hu Tao''s bare chest but injuring him wasn''t her goal in the first place. It was to part his lips from her own. He grinned at her when he saw the hate-filled glare staring at him. That only made her regret choosing to rely on this pervert for help in the first place.


    "I''ll take that as an early payment for wasting my time with you." He licked his lips after the separation of their tongues'' passionate duel.


    Shivers ran through Jie''s body but she knew it was too late to take back her words. If Hu Tao could truly deal with her family''s enemies then her virginity isn''t too large of a cost at all...


    "Stick with me while I have my fun though. I''ll deal with your family shit after all this fun is done and over with." Hu Tao said as his clones returned to him covered in blood.


    Seeing Hu Tao''s clones easily clean up the pursuers that were after her only made her conflicted emotions grow even more agitated. He didn''t even have to take on the men she stood no chance against with his real body. It upset her greatly that a man with so much talent and strength ?had the most despicable personality inside the sect. How was it fair at all?


    Hu Tao let the Crossdresser follow behind him as he tried to find the place with the most cultivators fighting. Hu Tao was talented as both a qi and body cultivator but his specialties lied more on the physical side. Simply because it was more fun to beat the shit out of people with his body than using qi to do so. At a time like this, Hu Tao would normally rely on his natural instincts to find the most people but more than half of the cultivators in the Inner Court were qi cultivators. So, he used his qi to sense where people were and hurried his way over there with Jie in tow.


    As he was about to make it to the massive battlegrounds near Elder Mo''s mansion, he was suddenly stopped as a familiar figure appeared in the distance. This guy could''ve been fun but was a total pushover last time they fought. Hu Tao was interested in seeing how far he came along but he didn''t hold much hopes. He was one of those secretive bastards that hid their true strength in public even when their lives were at stake.


    That familiar figure that Hu Tao saw conjured a flame within his hands in the shape of a phoenix and tossed it in their direction. The flame gradually increased in size until it was large enough to engulf both Hu Tao and herself. Jie was shocked at seeing the power held within those flames and immediately prepared herself to avoid the incoming attack. Whoever this person was wasn''t holding back at all! He intended to kill!


    The battle crazed angel flicked out with his chain and had it smack the incoming giant phoenix into nothingness. He flicked the Phoenix bastard off before attempting to jump into the real battlefield far ahead of him. But as he did that a girl appeared in front of them and used both of her palms to knock Hu Tao far away. Jie readied her sword as Hu Tao was flying away. Did these two have history with Hu Tao or were they just blood thirsty disciples using the current situation to release their pent-up dark desires.


    "Who are you two?" She asked, preparing herself for a life-or-death struggle.


    "She isn''t part of that black girl''s group. Unless she''s new." The handsome white-haired boy commented.


    "So, we don''t have to kill her?" His spirited partner with an impressive bust asked.


    "It depends. You, girl, are you going to get in our way?" He asked her.


    "I can''t let you kill him..." Jie responded.


    "Then she is our enemy." He concluded.


    "I''m not killing anyone unrelated. What''s your relation to Hu Tao?" The girl asked Jie.


    "I need him to help me with something personal. We aren''t friends or allies or anything of the sort. If you are willing to delay your current plans of killing him until after we''re finished with our business, I will gladly stay out of your way." Jie spoke.


    "So she says. So, what are we going to do, boyfriend?" The girl asked the white-haired boy.


    "This could be our only chance of killing him while his true allies aren''t around. Who knows how much he''ll grow by the time of the Grand Tournament... I apologize but I can''t take that risk of him getting even stronger. We must kill him today." He decided.


    "I''ll have to do everything in my power to stop that then." Jie declared.


    "Yanyu, handle the girl. I''ll handle-" He couldn''t finish his words as Hu Tao flashed past and kicked him directly in his stomach, sending him flying away.


    "Handle that you Phoenix fuck! You want to go a second round? This time I''ll really tear your fucking heart out!" Hu Tao shouted.

 131 Chapter 129: Blazing Zombie vs Blitzing Wolf.

    "I''ll need no one''s help to deal with you. I''ve become far stronger than I was last time we met Hu Tao." Bo Fai effortlessly recovered.


    "Oh, you must have gotten pretty lucky in the Treasured Plains if you''re confident in killing me. Let me guess, it''s a magical treasure that''ll be able to seal me?" He grinned.


    "I don''t plan to seal you away this time, Hu Tao. I plan to kill you." Bo Fai vowed.


    "Hahaha! Now you''re just trying to make my dick hard. Let''s see if your mouth can hold up to your skills." Hu Tao vanished from his previous spot.


    He reappeared in front of Bo Fai intending to claw him into multiple pieces. A single slash diagonally rising across Bo Fai''s chest was stopped by a barrier of flames. Hu Tao whistled as he felt the heat of those flames. Princess''s flames didn''t stand a fucking chance against this bastard''s fire. He could swear the skin on his flesh even started boiling for a second there.


    Hu Tao ignored the flames and struck out with a simple kick that sent the white-haired youth sliding backwards. The aura of fire dimmed in size before taking on a new form. Bo Fai entered his martial stance as the flames turned into forearm guards, flame gauntlets, shin guards, and a long cloak. He had a confident smirk on his face as he looked down on Hu Tao.


    "What? I hope you don''t think that''ll make a difference in me fucking kicking your ass." Hu Tao mocked.


    "Come then." He waggled his finger at Hu Tao.


    "I was already planning to!" Hu Tao leapt forward.


    Once he neared the confident bastard, his leg kicked out in an attempt to kick him across the face. An attempt that was foiled by Bo Fai raising his wrist and blocking with his flame gauntlet. Hu Tao''s kick sent Bo Fai sliding back even further, proving that his physical strength was still above the Phoenix''s master. The fighting maniac sped behind the confident youth and with a spinning back kick, launched him spiraling through the air.


    But Hu Tao could see his attacks were doing barely any damage to the fucker. While his body was taking some bad burns from just touching him for more than a second. If things continued this way then Hu Tao would slowly melt himself alive while the son of a bitch watches him maim himself. Usually upon realizing this one would try and think of a different strategy, like attacking from a distance or fighting in a way that didn''t require you to physically touch the foe. This wasn''t what Hu Tao did at all.


    Chains began to wrap around the both of them before they suddenly took off into the sky at incredible speeds. They went so fast in fact that most of Bo Fai''s flames couldn''t keep up with the change in oxygen, temporarily the flames surrounding him went out for a brief moment, before quickly being reignited with his qi. And just as they got started, the two of them began to plummet back down to the earth while spinning. Flames spiraled around them just as they were falling back to the earth.


    Bo Fai tried everything to escape Hu Tao''s tight hold but knew he couldn''t break free with strength alone. He ramped up his flames to even higher temperatures to kill the crazy young lad even faster. Then when he''s turned into ash, he''ll slow his descent with his flames. If worst comes to worst, he''ll even summon that thing from his storage ring. Bo Fai borrowed the endless flame of the young phoenix that he dominated with his old soul and used it to melt Hu Tao.


    "AWOOO!!!" Hu Tao howled.


    After that howl, the flames barely did anything to Hu Tao anymore. And then everything went dark for Bo Fai after they crashed back to the sect''s ground. Hu Tao unwrapped his chains and revealed himself in a not-so-perfect condition. Most of his skin was horrendously burned. It wasn''t to the point that it looked like he had no skin at all but was recently engulfed in a blazing flame and just barely saved from the jaws of death. Surprisingly, he held no injuries made from the landing.


    Jie could only stare in amazement as the sound of a bell''s jingle rang out in the surrounding. From that jingle, she could see the damage Hu Tao has taken were slowly being healed. The pain he gained from enduring the heat of a phoenix''s flames weren''t in vain. As all the pain and suffering he just went through directly increased the strength of his physical body. His skin that easily burned just through a slight touch at the flames now would take far higher temperatures to burn. Hu Tao''s entire body was refined thanks to the combination of his auxiliary art, Howling Art: Demon God''s Reforging and his spirit tool, Bell of Demonic Tempering.


    "Hey, you aren''t dead, are you?" Hu Tao crouched over the deep hole made by his self-created technique that was in the process of being improved.


    Peering down at the possible corpse of Bo Fai, he saw a sight that was pretty damn interesting. The Phoenix bastard''s pulverized head and mangled body were swallowed by a golden flame. Inside the golden flames were his insides being remade and created anew. This fucker was really immortal because he bonded with a phoenix?


    "Ain''t that a fucking riot? I guess I don''t need to be so careful with a zombie in the future. I don''t know if you can hear me down there without a head but train a bit harder. Having an unkillable cultivator after me is pretty exciting but it won''t be as fun if you''re so damn weak. I''ll probably die of old age before you can kill me." Hu Tao stood up and stared at the two girls fighting.


    "Hmph. Satisfied over dealing with a simple clone?" A second Bo Fai appeared behind Hu Tao.


    He struck out with his fist and knocked Hu Tao into the hole he made. The battle maniac rolled down and crashed into the recovering body double. Upon falling on top of the headless copy, he shoved it inside his pocket dimension for later and looked up to see Bo Fai was preparing to roast him alive. But he wasn''t worried about his flames anymore after his body was strengthened through his auxiliary martial art and the Bell of Demonic Tempering.


    "Flames of Devastation!" A bird made of orange flames spewed blue fire from its beak down into the hole Hu Tao was sent down.


    "Blue fire. That''s cool but the princess can do that trick too." Was his only comment to this as his body was bathed in flames.


    "Oh, these flames aren''t ice cold like Princess''s." He casually noted.


    "Chains of the Ancient!" Bo Fai didn''t let up. Floating green chains shot down towards Hu Tao''s figure.


    "What are you trying to do chain me up like some bitch? I got somewhere to be after this, you know?" Hu Tao laughed.


    "Hymn of a Silent God!" He skillfully blew into a golden ocarina. The sound waves went directly into the mass of blue flames cooking Hu Tao alive.


    "Now this is what I call hot. Took you long enough to make me feel some real heat now." He scoffed.


    ''Heavenly Blade of Disruption!'' With a stomp of his foot, a small blade rose into the air and flew towards Hu Tao.


    ''Net of the Wild Hunting Immortal!'' Another magical treasure exited from his storage ring. A net made from extremely dense and pure qi that nearly no creature could escape from when captured. It floated over the pit and floated down to capture Hu Tao.


    A combination of all these spirit tools caused the already large pit Hu Tao created to expand into a mighty crater! An explosion of qi erupted into the sky from the continuous use of Bo Fai''s treasures. An explosion so grand that it was visible from the Outer Court. Bo Fai thought about using one more of his valuable spirit tools just to be extra sure that Hu Tao was dead but he couldn''t possibly survive something like this, could he? The boy was a once in a ten-thousand-year genius but even this would be too much for him.


    "You aren''t the only one who can make clones retard." Hu Tao appeared behind him and slapped the back of his head.


    Bo Fai''s mind couldn''t even process the fact that Hu Tao was still alive somehow. He stood there dumbfounded until Hu Tao''s powerful palm slammed into his back. It launched him across the hole and all the way to the other side of the Inner Court! Hu Tao chased after the zombie bastard as he was flying through the air. The wolf-like disciple whipped his chain towards Bo Fai and captured him. Suddenly stopping his forward momentum to sling him back towards himself! And with a jaw-dropping elbow to the stomach, the Phoenix''s partner spat up blood and dropped to the ground.


    "You really can''t take a hit for shit, can you? You should train your martial arts more and rely on that useless phoenix less. Not even Manchu is as pathetic as you are. And he''s the holder of the Azure Dragon for a mythical beast." Hu Tao shook his head.


    In Hu Tao''s opinion, for a guy who was so cocky earlier, he really didn''t have anything to back it up with. If Bo Fai knew what Hu Tao was thinking, he''d definitely spew up some organs along with his blood. He of all people was being looked down on by a brat in the Qi Consolidation stage?! In his last life he was an Earthly Immortal! Someone who would receive warm welcomes from the Emperor in Jin Kingdom! A person that was only 2 major stages from the final cultivation realm!


    Hu Tao walked away feeling a bit blue-balled by the Zombie. Bo Fai never got up from his last attack nor made a sound. That last attack of his should''ve put a hole through his gut but it seems he had a secret friend protecting him from the shadows. There was a qi barrier made that took most of Hu Tao''s blow. If he was particularly curious, he would''ve fought the hidey bastard for himself but there was more fun to be had elsewhere. Those two wouldn''t be any fun.


    Hu Tao arrived back to where they first started fighting and gobbled up Bo Fai''s obviously high-ranked spirit tools with his storage ring. Back when he was in the hole, he simply used his movement art, The Wolf Pack Hunts Together, and avoided all of them with a speed clone. If there was one fatal flaw that the Zombie had, it was that he was slow as hell. Both reaction speed and his body''s speed were slow as all hell. Well really, that bastard had hundreds of flaws in Hu Tao''s eyes. His only good trait were those flames and undying body.


    "You still aren''t done?" Hu Tao said to Jie. She was pretty weak too.


    He shot a single glare at Pigtails and she immediately froze from his killing intent. Unknown to Hu Tao or Jie, Pigtails, or more commonly known as Yanyu, held a deep trauma in her heart. A trauma that she hasn''t shared with anyone after it occurred. It wasn''t the first time she''s been in a life-or-death situation when it happened. As a cultivator it would be rare for one to go a single week without experiencing a near-fatal encounter. This path was fraught with danger.


    For Yanyu, however, it was the first time she''s been completely helpless and at the mercy of someone else. All her life, her older brother took care of her. He made sure her time as a cultivator was spent in complete luxury and with as little difficulties as possible. So, when Hu Tao nearly killed her back then it was the first time she''s ever feared for her life and felt like no one could possibly save her. Not even herself. She thought of telling him about her brother that was in the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm but she didn''t even get the chance to speak. He gripped his hand around her throat and stopped her from making any type of sound. There wasn''t a shred of mercy in his actions nor was there any interest in herself. His eyes never met hers once while he was choking her. Not even her body was of interest to him.


    Yanyu thought that she''d never have to relive that experience again after seeing her brother snap Hu Tao''s neck. But he was still alive. He survived an attack from her brother who was 5 small stages above him at the time. And the nightmares that came after that day... They still haunted her every time she slept. It was impossible for her to sleep at night without waking up screaming the next morning. Bo Fai told her that a heart demon like this could ruin her future as a cultivator. She''d never make it to the Mortality Ascension realm with a heart demon as powerful as hers. If she couldn''t break the fear that Hu Tao brings to her soul, her final realm would be the Qi Transformation realm.


    "Is she even conscious right now? Have you been fighting someone who wasn''t even awake?" Hu Tao questioned as he waved his hand in front of the girl who hasn''t moved a single inch after he sent some killing intent at her.


    "She was fine earlier. It wasn''t until you got done with your fight and looked over here that she got like this." Jie explained.


    "Whatever. This fat titty midget isn''t on my fighting list anyway. Try not to die while I have my fun in that massive brawl over there." He roughly groped Yanyu''s chest before hopping away.


    "Pervert..." Jie sighed. The girl was still frozen in shock. She didn''t react even when Hu Tao pinched and pulled at her erect nipples.


    ''Poor girl.'' She thought as she followed behind him.

 132 Chapter 130: Some Annoying Bastards.

    The spirit stones went falling to the ground and the Inner Court disciples went diving like hungry wolves to a vulnerable sheep. Hu Tao grinned when he saw the greed in their eyes that blinded them. His chains scooped out and swept them all away as he stood in front of the fallen gems.


    "Ugh... It''s him..." A disciple sighed deeply.


    "Go away Hu Tao! We already know you''re not here for the stones!" Someone yelled at him.


    "Why don''t you do us all a favor and jump off a cliff?"


    "Some of us are actually trying to progress in this whole cultivating thing. Not just fight everyone we see like lunatics!"


    "Why does it seem like no one likes me?" Hu Tao questioned. "Here I am, trying to get in on the fun with everyone else. But you all want to exclude me from it. How is that fair?" Hu Tao, the victim, asked in a voice filled with sadness.


    "The elders made this event for all of us to enjoy. I agree that a disciple like Hu Tao is a nice change to the activity. You know he''s not going to steal the stones for himself. All you guys got to do is work together and take them from him." A 7th stage Qi Consolidator spoke up.


    "Who the hell are you?" Hu Tao questioned. Someone trying to help him meant that they were shifty bastards that stood to gain something from him being himself.


    "Nobody in particular." They responded. "Just keep being yourself Hu Tao." He smiled.


    Hu Tao wrapped the high-ranked spirit stones in his chains and tossed them at the disciples. Doing the exact opposite of what that prick wanted him to do just because he had the nerve to act so damn cocky. The slight surprise on his face after seeing Hu Tao throw the stones wasn''t enough for the battle-crazed disciple. When lightning sparked all over his body and the wide-eyed look he gave him as his palm thrust forward into his jaw was enough for him though.


    "Guess you really are a crazy dog..." Just at the last second, he dodged Hu Tao''s blow.


    "What a shame. You''d be much more useful under my command, you know? I''d let you have all the fun you ever wanted."


    "Heh. A sissy like you can''t hold a candle to that crazy BLEEP BLEEP!" His words at the end were cut off by a strange noise.


    "Huh?" He leapt a few meters away from Hu Tao, trying to process what he just said.


    "I said. You are nothing compared to BLEEP!" He repeated with a grin.


    "How are you making that noise? What are you trying to say?" He questioned.


    "This!" Hu Tao aimed his lightning-covered palm towards the confused disciple''s stomach.


    "Since you want to ruin my plans, I''ll have to ruin your fun as well." His hand shot out and caught Hu Tao''s wrist.


    Hu Tao grabbed his wrist back and started to crush it. The fake smile the arrogant bastard had plastered on his face was immediately broken when his bones started breaking. A brief flare of anger arose as Hu Tao started to feel faint. Did this bastard just poison him?


    "Did you just fucking poison me?" He asked.


    "Take a long sweet rest Hu Tao. This is for the stability of the Inner Court. Don''t hate me for this." He answered.


    ''Like hell I''m letting a pussy ass coward like this take me out!'' Hu Tao called upon the power inside his chain and ball.


    The lightning flowing outside and inside his body immediately got to work on cleansing his body and electrocuting the life out of the bastard who still had his hand on his wrist. The poison running through his blood was swiftly eliminated by the lightning and Hu Tao grabbed the coward by his neck. Multiple barriers from life-saving treasures broke in their attempt to protect him from Hu Tao''s lightning. If it wasn''t for the sudden arrow coated in qi being shot towards his head, Hu Tao would''ve managed to kill the piece of shit.


    Hu Tao caught the arrow before it could hit him and looked in the direction of who threw it. They were crouched over 100 meters away but that arrow would''ve easily pierced through his neck. Hu Tao whistled at the impressive archer, ''A blonde bitch, eh? She''s just my type too. Nice round shapely ass.'' He even ignored the poison guy who was leaping away just to get a few extra glances at her ass.


    "Are you done yet?" Jie asked.


    Hu Tao focused his attention on her for a second and sighed in disappointment.


    "What?" She felt insulted.


    "Why couldn''t your ass be as nice as hers? I''d be looking forward to tearing it up so much more if it was." He lamented.


    Jie ignored this comment. She let it go through one ear and then out the other for the sake of her sanity. Hu Tao suddenly jumped off into the distance and she followed behind him. The look on his face was very different from what it was a couple seconds ago. It honestly terrified her at how excited he looked when he spotted them. Like a fearsome beast finding its favorite prey. But this prey wanted nothing to do with Hu Tao. He ran away as fast as he could, forcing Hu Tao to increase his speed with qi as well. Jie, by this point, couldn''t hope to keep up with those two even if she suddenly broke through two small stages.


    "You better not die damn it..." She muttered.


    Hu Tao chased after his only rival in this lifetime. The only man who could ever keep up with him even after becoming Jing''s slave. His progress didn''t slow down but increased alongside Hu Tao''s! After training inside Princess''s Void World, he wanted to see just how much they matched up now. Would he show him another surprise and somehow be able to match against his full strength just like he always has in the past? Or will Hu Tao finally be able to say he''s surpassed this annoying fucker?


    "MANCHU! YOU CAN''T ESCAPE ME! GIVE ME A FIGHT YOU DRAGON BASTARD!" Hu Tao yelled to the top of his lungs.


    "Damn it..." Manchu cursed. He just had to run into Hu Tao today.


    "Hehehehehe! Are you playing around with these kids too?! Do you need spirit stones Manchu!? If you fight me, I''ll be willing to gift you some high-ranked spirit stones!" Hu Tao cackled.


    "I''m not fighting you Hu Tao. I have other things to do today." He responded.


    "What could be more important than fighting me you bastard?!" Hu Tao appeared in front of Manchu and nearly stopped him from going forward.


    "Everything." He easily slipped past Hu Tao and didn''t seem surprised at his speed at all. A wide grin grew on Hu Tao''s face.


    "Tch. You''re lucky there are some fun bastards playing around in this little party or I wouldn''t let you go so easily." He clicked his tongue.


    "If you know what''s good for you, don''t mess with the Great Prodigies yet. You will die." He warned.


    "That only makes me wanna fight them more!"


    "Don''t say I didn''t warn you, lunatic."


    "The way you''re talking makes it sound like you fought one of them already. And seeing how you''re in one piece and not dead yet means you couldn''t have. Unless you''re underestimating me, you shitty Dragon."


    "Think what you want. But if you want to die, fight one of the Great Prodigies." He leapt off into the distance, greatly relived he wasn''t forced into fighting Hu Tao right now.


    "If a pussy bastard like you can survive against one, then there''s no way in hell I can''t." Hu Tao let him go freely.


    He could always fight with Manchu if he really needed to. Manchu might''ve avoided him like dog shit but that didn''t mean he was impossible to sniff out. Being his rival meant that he garnered as much attention as Hu Tao did. Just in an opposite way. Especially since Hu Tao let everyone know that Manchu was his rival and he was the only one allowed to kill him. This threat might not have meant much when he first declared it in the Outer Court but those who know of his strength now knows that he''s not to be look down upon.


    "I guess I can go pay a visit to those spirit stone hungry bastards again. That poison fucker distracted me by pissing me off. Next time I see him, I should kill him. Just for being so annoying." Hu Tao decided.


    He ran back towards the main plaza of the Inner Court. Jie managed to spot him as he was coming back and waved to him. She was instantly irritated when he ignored her and ran past her. Not even passing a single glance in her direction.


    ''I seriously hope you die!'' She screamed inside her head.

 133 Chapter 131: A New Toy.

    In front of her was a delicate young girl with beautiful skin and a cold hard face. A face that made Jing wonder, guess, and hypothesize about what kind of childhood could mold such a girl into the empty and cruel person she is today. Inside of her is nothing but the goal of becoming stronger and a deep hatred for someone or something that Jing has yet to identify. Perhaps her family or clan was annihilated when she was younger and since then has thought of nothing but gaining revenge and pushing herself to the limit to gain the strength, she needs to get that revenge. But that was simply Jing''s guess. If there was a story to be found inside Ju Ju, it would reveal itself one day.


    Ju Ju stared into Jing''s eyes. The grape vein growing out of her head softly shook as Jing''s hand softly caressed her face. Her touch wasn''t rejected nor was she repulsed in the manner she did it. Maybe deep down, she understood that Jing could give her exactly what she needed. And if she needed to give up her body for something like that, she''d do it in a heartbeat. But there was something that Jing couldn''t take no matter how hard she tried, her sense of freedom. It was only thanks to the parasitic lotus that Jing could gain someone like Ju Ju on her side.


    Jing could order her to spill her innermost secrets and desires. But where was the fun in something like that? It would be better to grow closer together as master and subordinate first and only when she felt like entrusting her deepest thoughts to her would she be satisfied. Primarily though, her interest in Ju Ju was solely physical. Which is why she went through the effort of having one of the Wolfeng Gang infect her with the parasitic lotus instead of recruiting her through natural means.


    Jing believed that after having her fun with Ju Ju, she''d eventually tire of her and throw her away. It would be easier to do that if she was infected with the lotus. And ever since Wenling and her stopped talking, Jing''s needs have been growing in the meantime. She thought of using Hu Tao as a release for her sexual outlet but with his personality, it would be impossible unless she sewed his mouth shut.


    "I''ve returned with my report." Wen appeared behind her.


    "I''m listening." Jing responded without even looking at him.


    "In the Outer Court, multiple skirmishes between the factions and normal disciples have increased. Many deaths have been confirmed and the elders still show no signs of getting involved." He relayed.


    "Any important deaths?" She asked.


    "None from those ranked highly on the ranking board or apart of the three major factions in the Outer Court." He answered.


    "Hmm... Continue."


    "What of the Great Prodigies and the major factions? Any movements by the elders?"


    "No news of any of the Great Prodigies getting involved but I doubt they could refuse the temptation of high-ranked and supreme-ranked spirit stones. Even the elders would be interested in stones of that rank. The major factions are looking for the stones as well as trying to kill Hu Tao. I couldn''t get any news on any elders, my strength is insignificant. I apologize." He bowed his head.


    "No matter. I didn''t expect you to learn much about the elders in the first place. Take this. It''ll aid you in gaining information for me." She took out a mask she refined earlier.


    This mask hid his presence, cultivation stage, and muffled any sounds he made effortlessly. It resembled the old mask she used to wear but this one was an improved version of it. Improved in the sense that it now clouded the soul of wearer as well. Something her old mask didn''t have and probably was how that monkey from the Treasured Plains sensed her.


    It was thanks to Li Li that she could find out about such a weakness in the first place. Knowledge on souls is incredibly lacking inside the Golden Serpent Sect or at least for someone of her stage. There was nothing inside the floors she''s allowed to go on in the martial pavilion about souls or techniques regarding souls. And none of her followers even heard anything about the subject except old tales they were told when young or about ghostly specters. So, pretty much useless.


    "Your kindness is too much. I shall do my best to serve you." He placed on the simple wooden mask.


    "Don''t act so fake with me, Wen. It takes more that flowery words to get on my good side. Act like yourself and I will treat you right as long as you continue to satisfy my demands." Jing threatened, annoyed by his new fake personality.


    "Ah? Was it really that obvious?" He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.


    "Was that all you needed to tell me?" Jing asked.


    "Yeah pretty much. The search for the spirit stone is still going strong. I''ll tell you if anything important happens by the end of it." He smiled.


    "You''re free to go then." Jing waved him off.


    "Byeee!" He disappeared without a trace that he was ever standing here.


    "I suppose, I can save our alone time for after all the chaos and fighting is over. Seeing these greedy, selfish, and idiotic disciples ripping each other apart just for some stones will be very exciting to watch." Jing told Ju Ju. She nodded with a blank look on her adorable face.


    "I''m excited to see the expressions and sounds you???ll make tonight when we''re in my room." Jing placed two similar-looking masks on herself and Ju Ju.


    ______________________________________________


    "You all still have yet to find the culprit?" Jinhai asked with a glare.


    "No sir. Not even the smallest trace could be found of anyone burying them in the first place! It''s almost as if the spirit stones have always been buried underneath our sect and were just waiting to be found this very moment!" The elder frantically explained.


    "That''s ridiculous... But we both know that is impossible. Not even our Sect Leader managed to sense those spirit stones until the morning of this day. And the only way the disciples would''ve learn of such knowledge would be if someone told them. Which has to mean that whoever buried them intended for them to be found by the disciples." Jinhai figured.


    "Why the disciples?"


    "I can''t say for certain." His eyebrows furrowed.


    "Maybe he wanted to help the sect without gaining attention?" The elder guessed.


    "Do you really think a mysterious expert skilled enough to evade detection from the Sect Leader would just gift us hundreds of spirit stones of each rank without some sort of exchange or deal?" Jinhai asked if he was the stupidest man on the planet.


    "I don''t see any other reason Supreme Commander. We could spend centuries thinking about this mysterious expert''s motives but at the end of the day he''s helping us grow stronger through this unexplainable act of his." The elder explained his reasoning.


    "I suppose... you''re right. I apologize." Jinhai sighed.


    "No need to apologize to a lowly elder such as myself!" He hurriedly bowed.


    "No, no, you were right. I would''ve gone mad thinking about this mysterious expert. But what I should be focusing on isn''t his motives but how does his actions benefit the sect. This impromptu event will promote competition and a healthy motivation for strength for our disciples. Those who survive will be better off and those who gained some stones will cultivate to increase their strength in time for the Grand Tournament."


    "That''s true! Since the Grand Tournament is coming up soon, all the disciples will do everything they can to build their strength for a good showing at the tournament. Especially with all the lucrative rewards that will be given out this year. It is the year where we compete with the Nine Swords Sect and the Blossoming Water Palace. We cannot have any of our chosen disciples perform poorly and cause us to lose face. And we''ve gained many impressive talents this year, not even I can tell who will manage to win in the tournament this year!"


    "The same goes for the Nine Swords Sect and the Blossoming Water Palace. Do you think that we were the only ones growing in strength in preparation for the Meeting of Great Talents? No, they have gained little prodigies of their own as well. Have you heard of the boy that managed to comprehend sword intent in the Qi Gathering stage?"


    "But... that''s impossible... Anyone''s who''s comprehended sword intent has been in the Qi Transformation stage at the very least! He has to be the reincarnation of some sword saint!"


    "You aren''t the first to think that. But that monster of theirs doesn''t stand a chance against a certain monster we hold." Jinhai faintly smiled.


    "Do you mean Zihan? Elder Mo''s strongest student?"


    "No. Not him. Jing. The little girl who managed to hide herself so deeply that not even my sources can find any information on her background. Like a child that fell from the heavens only a few months ago. No parents, relatives, friends, a place of residence, where she was born, or anything. There''s so much information missing about her that I can''t logically think of any other explanation other than she must have dropped from the sky." He shared.


    "Even now, she continues to baffle me and those I placed to watch her. I must get in touch with her soon. That strange bloodline of hers and unexplainable strength... The Sect Leader wasn''t exaggerating when we spoke about her. She really will usher in a new age for the Golden Serpent Sect if she manages to live long enough."


    "Shouldn''t you take her as your student? Or the Sect Leader to protect her if she''s so talented? Sir?" The elder spoke hesitantly.


    "You are right. Completely correct. We should be using doing everything to protect and raise her into the golden child for the sect. But the Sect Leader isn''t convinced yet. More information is needed on Jing, her potential, and if she''s loyal to the sect."


    "I understand..."


    "You may go now. Continue to inform me of any news within the sect."


    "Yes, Supreme Commander. For the Golden Serpent Sect!" He made his way out of Jihan''s office.


    "Let''s see if you manage to pass the Sect Leader''s test... Girl of unknown origins and far too many secrets for my own liking." Jihan muttered.

 134 Chapter 132: Inside Yings Void World.

    They''ve only been training in here for a month but their progress is honestly mind blowing. They didn''t resemble the angels she saw a month ago in the slightest when talking of their skills. It was like they took the same training she did but gained 100x more than she did! This spatial world or whatever it was called... It just wasn''t fair at all. That month she spent with Jing was nothing compared to a few days in here.


    ''The more I think about it, the more depressed I get.'' She sighed.


    "What''s up Qing?" Ying asked as she walked over.


    Ying was now a 9th stage Qi Gatherer ready to crossover into the next realm at any second. Her body was bursting with vitality and strength with a deep aura of fire qi being concentrated around her body. A small child was hanging around her waist with his arms wrapped around her stomach. A pleased expression was on his face while Ying didn''t seem bothered by him at all.


    "It''s nothing." Wan answered.


    "Oh, getting nervous about your task in the Inner Court? Hehe. Didn''t think you were the type of person to get cold feet about things like that." Ying teased.


    "That''s not it at all." She corrected.


    "I''m just lucky I got an easy task this time around. All I gotta do is ask the leader of Fearsome Garden to surrender to us as Heaven''s Angels or I have to burn their entire group into ashes."


    "Is that why you purposely stayed in the Qi Gathering realm?"


    "Yeah. It wouldn''t be fair if I fought their leader when I was a stage above her. I also think something really special is going to happen with my cultivation art when I breakthrough. But that''s just a feeling I got in my gut. I don''t know for sure."


    "I also don''t like fighting those weaker than me. I believe that cultivators should show some sense of respect and honor." Qing agreed.


    "My grandfather always said that a Yue never bullies the weak. We only target the strong!"


    "Hmm. I never heard of the Yue family before but that is a saying I can respect."


    "Don''t worry about that. Once I return back home and deal with the pests trying to eliminate my family, we''ll grow back to the heights we once had." Ying confidently rose her fist.


    "When will you return?" Qing had no idea of this side of Ying.


    "I plan to temporarily leave the sect once I make it to the Qi Consolidation realm and after the Grand Tournament."


    "Are you sure that''s strong enough to deal with your family''s enemies?" A cultivator at the Qi Consolidation realm wasn''t all that strong in the grand scheme of things. Maybe Ying''s family was a really weak noble family.


    "What if they decide to kill you anyway for crippling their geniuses?" Wan Qing brought up.


    "That sounds like something BLEEP would ask." She rolled her eyes.


    "It is something you need to be prepared for. Can the experts in your clan defend you from dying at the hands of your family''s enemies?"


    "Yeah. Unless they group up and attack us together. Then, it''d be hard to say." Ying had to think on it for a moment.


    "Then you need to prepare yourself for that outcome. Even if it doesn''t happen. Better to be prepared for something that never happens than unprepared when it does." Qing lectured.


    "That month you spent with Jing really was a learning experience, huh?" Ying grinned.


    "It was horrible... but very enlightening." She shivered at the memories of it.


    "Just with those impossibly painful poses she''s been making us do every morning, I can already tell what you went through had to be awful." Ying empathized with her.


    "You don''t know the half of it... Those poses were just the beginning."


    "Let''s talk about something more positive instead! Like uh, the Grand Tournament in a few months! How high do you think you''ll rank in the Qi Consolidation matchups?" Ying changed the subject.


    "Top 5." She confidently answered.


    "If I wanted to stay at the Qi Gathering stage, I would probably be first or second. But when I breakthrough after dealing with the Fearsome Garden, my goal is to at least make it to 10th place." Ying shared.


    "That''s a pretty high spot to aim for. Especially when you''ll be a 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. Right now the 10th spot on the ranking list in the Inner Court is a 6th stage disciple."


    "Fighting someone over 5 stages higher than me? Sounds like fun. I''ll probably get to go all out for once." She smiled.


    "You don''t think the leader of the Fearsome Garden is going to give you a challenge?" Wan Qing noticed.


    "Not as much as a 6th stage Qi Consolidator would." Ying responded.


    "Let me give you a small warning that I''ve only recently started to truly understand. Never underestimate anyone. I''ve almost lost my life, my sense of self, and my spirit by underestimating people." Wan Qing warned seriously. Without Jing and the rest constantly saving her, she would already be dead by now.


    "I understand." Ying understood just how serious she was.


    "You won''t truly understand until you''re on the edge of life and death. But that''s okay. I believe we''ll experience plenty of situations like that as Heaven''s Angels." Wan Qing smiled before walking away.


    Ying thought that Qing was right in a way but she still didn''t like the way she said it. She''d had her fair share of life-or-death experiences to know what it was like to not know if you were going to live or die. But none of it was ever due to underestimating people. Unlike Qing, Ying was never considered talented. She had as much talent as Bing and his talent was as common as they come. People like them shouldn''t have had the opportunity to enter a sect as grand and respected as the Golden Serpent Sect. It was only through luck that they survived the recruitment test.


    With her average talent, she never underestimated anyone she fought and always fought to her full ability. Even when she knew it was impossible to win against a foe, she never gave up. Her grandfather once told her something very important when she was younger. Back then, Ying was more of a brat who didn''t understand the true nature of the world. She thought the training her grandfather made her go through was stupid, tiring, and a waste of time after learning that her talent wasn''t anything special.


    It was that moment when her grandfather yelled at her for the first time. That was also the first time she ever cried from something that wasn''t physical pain. He told her that if she gave up in the face of hardship and danger, she would never make it anywhere in the world. Nor would she ever accomplish anything to be proud of as a member of the Yue Family. After he left her in the backyard alone, Ying spent that entire day doing nothing but the training her grandfather wanted her to do in the first place without a single word of complaint.


    She released enough sweat and blood to fill multiple buckets by the time her grandfather came to get her. When he held her in his arms and apologized for yelling at her, she cried more than she had ever have in her entire life. After that day, she began to follow the family''s code much more strictly and never complained during training again. Her grandfather was the only person in her family that showed her true love. Not her parents, cousins, brothers but Ying didn''t hate them because of their lack of love towards her. Ying was actually considered the strange one in her family with how emotional she was.


    "Hey Bing. Come help me tame this spirit plant with your weird technique." Ying called out to the boy pigging out on the field of spirit grass.


    "Moh. Hokay." He responded with his mouth full of grass like a grazing cow.


    Eating the plants nourished with qi from Ying''s Void World, helped train his body art, Devil''s Physique. It turns out that he didn''t need to eat only food with high quality qi and nourishment. Just the high-quality qi part as important. If his stomach could digest magical treasures, they too would be things he could eat and benefit from. Maybe he should ask Jing about a spirit tool that''ll help him accomplish something like that...


    Bing got off his butt and walked over to Ying carefully standing over a normal patch of grass. Making sure not to let it touch a single part of her flesh. Jing warned them once and only once about the dangers of this strange plant she decided to grow in Ying''s garden. With a simple demonstration by her, no one needed to be warned twice of its dangers. She threw the corpse of a beast in the late stages of the Qi Preparation realm onto the seemingly normal looking grass and they all watched as it was slowly drained completely as none of its bodily fluids or flesh remained.


    "How do you plan on taming this thing anyway? I don''t think spirit plants can be tamed like spirit beasts." Bing asked.


    "This thing has a will! Hao Gang said that it wasn''t like the other spirit plants in the garden. And since it wants to live and grow so quickly in my garden, it needs to abide by my rules." She declared. "I won''t accept something in my Void World that wants to kill me!"


    "That makes sense but how are you going to tame it?" She still didn''t answer his question.


    "I''m going to threaten it until it submits. My fire doesn''t work as well as your weird martial art." She admitted.


    "Wouldn''t it submit to me instead of you then?" Bing brought up.


    "I''m going to burn it alive until it submits to me and you''re going to frighten it by using that technique of yours." She explained.


    "Okay." Bing shrugged. He''d probably feel a little bit conflicted if it was an animal or person she was talking about doing this stuff to, but it was just a plant. Plants couldn''t feel pain or anything. Probably...

 135 Chapter 133: Attempting to Tame A Grass Spirit.

    Ying showed an evil grin as she began burning the rapidly growing grass trying to take over her Void World. "I can do this all day Grass Spirit! Become mine or I''ll burn you to a crisp every day for the next century!" She shouted. Perhaps if Ying was able to speak Grass Spirit, she would be able to understand that SCP-355 was going through horrible pain. Being burnt alive wasn''t a pleasant feeling for most creatures under the heavens. So, once it realized that Ying was hurting it for some purpose, it had no choice but to submit.


    SCP-355 was only grass! It couldn''t move on its own, put out fires, or communicate! The most frightening part of this entire situation wasn''t even the fact that it was being burned alive. It was that slowly spinning sphere in the round one''s hand that scared it all the way to its recently developed soul! That technique could surely damage its soul if it was hit by it! With the fire, it was painful, sure, but SCP-355 could always regrow its grass. Its soul however, that was something it could not recover from so easily.


    ''Stop! Please stop hurting me! I''ll do whatever you want. Just please don''t let him use that on me...'' SCP-355 begged.


    Its words fell on deaf ears as neither Bing nor Ying could understand nor see souls at their low cultivation rank. If it wasn''t for Li Li flying in and stopping them both, maybe they would''ve tortured the young grass spirit to its breaking point. Once Li Li flew in, he suddenly made both Bing and Ying look like complete fools when he brought forth a solution. More so Ying than Bing as he was just following directions. Ying''s face blushed heavily after seeing the young owl think of something she should''ve tried in the first place.


    Li Li plucked a single blade of SCP-355''s grass with his talon, its anomalous properties weren''t enough to break past his feet. He then flew over to sword wrapped around Ying and stared at the young child in the eye. It willing opened up its mouth for the scary bird and the grass blade dropped inside the mouth. Hao Gang made himself chew it before swallowing it and once he did, he took on a new appearance. Previously, he mimicked Ying in appearance, as if he was her child or little brother. Same skin coloration, outfit, similar hair, and faces that resembled each other.


    Ying beamed like the sun hanging overhead once she felt the connection between her, Hao Gang, and the Grass Spirit. She immediately felt like punching Bing for the terror she felt in the Grass Spirit''s emotions. Obviously, she didn''t follow through on this feeling because she was the one to ask him to do it. It would be wrong to hit him because of something she told him to do. But the feeling of that weird martial art of his, it had to be something extraordinary.


    "Bing, what kind of martial art is that?" She asked while controlling all of SCP-355''s grass blades.


    "I kind of accidentally stumbled upon it in the Treasured Plains. It''s a cultivation technique but one unlike any other cultivation technique I''ve read before." He answered.


    "What makes it so different?"


    "There are combat techniques alongside it."


    Normal cultivation techniques don''t include combat techniques. Mostly they focus on aiding the cultivator in cultivation in some way. Higher ranked cultivation arts give the cultivators several benefits to their qi or body while cultivating while lesser ranked ones give far less or none at all. But very few or if any at all give combat techniques in a cultivation manual.


    "Not even my cultivation technique has a combat technique. How the hell are you so lucky, Bing?" She poked his flabby chest, slightly jealous of his good fortune.


    "Lucky is one thing I can promise I''m not." Bing confidently claimed.


    "Bull crap." She responded.


    "I can''t deny the prowess of my martial arts but I can deny that my luck is anything but good. In fact, I think my martial arts are the cause of my terrible luck in the first place." He shared.


    "Whatever Bing. Thanks for helping me out with the grass. I''ll leave you alone to be a cow and eat all my spirit grass." She chuckled.


    "Don''t knock it till you try it! Spirit grass tastes better than you think!" He defended himself.


    "Is that true...?" She asked Hao Gang.


    "How would I know?" He innocently shrugged with his childish voice.


    "Guess that was dumb of me to ask you. The creator of this world and all." She sarcastically remarked.


    "I don''t go around putting just anything in my mouth!" Hao yelled. Feeling wronged his mom would even assume that.


    "You''re always asking me to feed you things. How would I know if you ate spirit plants or not?" Ying argued.


    "I only want to eat interesting things!"


    "You and me both know that''s not true." She''s seen him ask for rocks to eat on the ground just because they had an ''interesting'' shape.


    "It is true!" The things a demonic sword considered interesting was different from what a human would consider interesting. Especially one that was only born several months ago.


    The two continued their little argument while Ying tried a few things with SCP-355. Bing left the two alone to strengthen himself as much as possible. Jing already told him of his impossible task and honestly, he didn''t see himself accomplishing it without a little bit of help from Hu Tao or Wan Qing. Leng Huan was at the very least a 4th stage Qi Consolidator. Managing to land a fatal blow on someone like that at his rank, simply impossible. But she wasn''t a complete monster, there were tasks he could do before that one to increase his strength.


    Things like raising his cultivation rank, harassing a few notable individuals in the sect for Jing, or weakening the Huan Clan''s forces within the sect. It was all rather troublesome but he planned to deal with the Huan Clan eventually. Being pushed into doing so wasn''t too bad. He''d probably just train, eat, and laze around until they decided to mess with him again. Getting rewards for doing something he was going to do in the first place was pretty good. Jing was good at motivating them into doing tasks. There was almost nothing cultivators cared more for than resources and gaining strength.


    "Do you think the world would be better off without cultivators?" Bing suddenly asked the cultivating Lei Zhi.


    "Hehehe... Maybe." He chuckled at such an abrupt and sudden question.


    "I only asked because we don''t really do much good for the world overall."


    "Why do you think that is?"


    "There''s no benefit in helping others." Bing easily answered.


    "And that''s the problem with most cultivators. They only see benefits and gains. Cultivators don''t think the troubles of others is their problem. Or the problems of the world as something they should deal with, even if they can solve it with a wave of a hand." Lei Zhi stated.


    "I understand what you mean." Cultivators are the very definition of selfish.


    The only way you could get the disciples of the Golden Serpent Sect into doing acts of charity is if you threatened their lives. Bing didn''t see any other method of changing these screwed up disciples. He honestly respected Lei and his goal of reforming youth and the sect as a whole once they help Jing get in control. Something he was starting to believe was possible more and more as the days went by. All of Jing''s followers heard how the Sect Leader was thinking of taking on Jing as their personal disciple. Wasn''t this enough to say that the future of the sect would belong in Jing''s hands if she doesn''t meet a premature end? Bing thought so.


    "What is your task Lei?" Bing asked.


    "To not break through into the Qi Consolidation stage until after the Grand Tournament."


    "Huh, why?"


    "I''ll be able to easily take top 5 in the Outer Court compared to not even being able to match up against the 10th spot in the Inner Court. Is what I guessed." Lei told him.


    "Huh... That''s actually pretty smart. I guess I should stay at the 9th stage as well and then breakthrough after the Grand Tournament."


    "Sounds like a plan my friend." Lei smiled.


    "Let''s get them rewards Lei! And if we meet each other in the tournament, no hard feelings alright? No matter who wins."


    "No hard feelings at all."

 136 Chapter 134: A Core Staged Disciple?!

    Jing was in the middle of accepting her last task of the month inside the Mission Hall. After accepting the task, Jing turned around to face the man. There were plenty of ways of going about this sudden encounter. But Jing was interested in what he was going to ask. This disciple was a face she hasn''t seen before.


    "And you are?" She asked.


    "Sorry for my rudeness, call me Jig." He performed a small bow.


    "Why did you wish to speak with me?" People were beginning to stare.


    And it was no surprise why they were being stared at either. This guy was a Core Disciple with an incredibly high cultivation base. Someone like him shouldn''t even be in the Outer Court in the first place. There was also the fact that he was treating Jing with such respect despite being a Core Stage cultivator. Jig was stronger than some elders! What could someone of his lofty status want with a freak like Jing?


    "I believe we should head somewhere more suitable before speaking about such things. Would you please follow me?" He asked politely.


    "Very well." Jing followed behind Jig as they left the Mission Hall.


    Before she passed through the doors, Jing slapped a certain talisman on the wall in case something unexpected happens. Jig was probably aware of what she did but most likely didn''t know what type of talisman she placed down. It also would''ve been rude for him to question her just yet. They have never met before and he had something he wanted to talk with her about. She didn''t have to follow him or answer anything at all if she didn''t want to.


    Jig led her deep into the sect. Past the Outer Court and into the Inner Court before taking her to the court beyond the Inner Court. This was where the Elders and Core Disciples lived. Massive houses that stretched across a seemingly endless field. The quality of air and qi here was far superior to that in the Inner and Outer Court. It still didn''t hold a candle to Ying''s Void World and that made Jing a bit proud. But mostly she felt disappointed about the difference in treatment.


    Unless the cost of making the air and qi here was expensive which it probably was, Jing didn''t see why they didn''t just make all three of the Courts have the same fantastic quality for cultivating. Another thing she plans to do after taking over the sect. Just seeing the way, the Golden Serpent Sect runs itself makes her brain want to squish itself into goop. How did they ever hope to improve and how in the world are they one of the top sects in the world? Something about the trash way they run this sect works well and Jing wasn''t sure if it was the cutthroat survival of the fittest method they have the disciples work under or something else she didn''t know about.


    "I hope this is worth the walk. You brought me quite far from home." Jing chatted.


    "You''re not so bad yourself. Reaching the core stage in your 20''s. Not just anyone could accomplish a feat like that." Jing complimented.


    This compliment by Jing caused him to slightly pause. Jing''s eyes peered into this short moment of pause to analyze him further. He wondered how did she know he was in his twenties and not just hiding his age with cultivation? Was it a martial art that could tell the bone age of someone? Why would a prodigy like Jing get a useless martial art like that? That couldn''t be it.


    "Thank you..." Jig forced a smile.


    "Who''s your master?" Jing asked.


    "Elder Zhong. You may not know him though as he keeps a low profile." He answered without a problem.


    "You mean the Elder in charge of the library?" Jing thought.


    "That''s him."


    "I didn''t know he took disciples."


    "That is somewhat related to what I wish to talk to you about Jing. Please come inside my home." He politely asked.


    "Hm." Jing didn''t sense any talismans or other traps surrounding his home.


    She walked inside to the small home. Unlike all the other massive mansions filled with servants, Jig''s home was far quainter and more peaceful. It resembled the small shacks in the Outer Court but a thousand times better. On the outside, it looked homely and inviting, like the type of place where an old couple were to spend the remainder of their lives together with no connection with the outside world. The construction of the house was perfect and didn''t look as if it was going to collapse from heavy wind. On the inside, there were few objects to take notice of. Just simple everyday furniture but no windows.


    "Would you like some tea?" He asked.


    "I''m fine." Jing responded.


    "Please take a seat. I''m not sure how long this''ll take and wouldn''t want you to feel uncomfortable by standing the whole time." He offered.


    Jing took a seat on the opposite side of his wooden table. Taking a close look at the table, revealed that it wasn''t made out of any standard wood. This craftmanship... Could this possibly be some sort of spirit object? Or did a carpenter make this out of special spirit wood? Jing wished she could refine some of the furniture in her home. Actually, she wished she could refine the entire house! But that wasn''t possible with SCP-914''s size and material limit.


    Jing couldn''t refine everything under the heavens. She couldn''t refine things that she couldn''t bring into herself. So that translated to various objects such as heavy objects, large objects, liquids not held in glasses or cups, gases, and people bigger than her. These restrictions didn''t really affect her too much in the long run. The many things that she could refine were more than enough to benefit her compared to the things she couldn''t.


    "Jing, I would like to ask for your assistance."


    "I''m sure you do, considering you brought me all the way out here."


    "You see, my junior brother has recently involved himself in some trouble over a girl. Trouble that is too big for a person of his strength to deal with. He will most likely die if he doesn''t receive any help anytime soon."


    "You aren''t able to help him for some reason?" Jing understood.


    "That''s correct. Neither me nor my Master are able to intervene in the trouble my junior brother has gotten into. If we get involved, the situation will explode into something that''ll involve the Golden Serpent Sect and possibly start an avoidable war."


    "So you sought me out for my strength, not my potential?" Jing asked.


    "That''s right. You, a disciple in the Qi Gathering stage that can survive a battle with a beast in the Core Realm, is perfect for something like this. But I understand that you aren''t willing to do something like this without proper payment. We have never met or spoke before and you have no obligation to help me in anyway. However, I am willing to pay any price for you to save my junior brother from dying."


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Save Jig''s junior brother from dying a horrible death! Jig''s junior martial brother is actually a person of fate! Xun Liuxian! His death isn''t preordained at this time by the heavens and they are trying to prevent his death by any means possible!]


    [Rewards: SCP-682, soul refining orb, Banner of Death]


    ''Interesting... I thought the being behind the system had a grudge against the persons of fate. The rewards look especially good but maybe that just shows how difficult this mission really is. I need to prepare myself well.''


    "Any price?" Jing wanted clarification.


    "Anything within my means." He quickly corrected.


    "Having a Core Realm disciple owe me a favor isn''t a bad deal at all. But just one favor isn''t enough for me to risk my neck for someone I don''t know. Three favors and we have a deal." Jing offered.


    "Two." He spoke up.


    "Three and that''s my final offer."


    "Two and I''ll allow you and your followers into the Training Array for an entire day." He counter offered.


    "I believe we discussed enough." Jing got up.


    With Ying''s Void World, nearly nothing inside the sect could keep up with the rate of her angel''s progress. In either martial arts development or cultivation. Jing walked towards the door as Jig was starting to sweat slightly. Was the life of his junior brother worth owing three favors to this strange girl?! Jig already knew the answer to that question but still didn''t like that he had to do this.


    "I accept! Three favors!" He said as she was halfway out the door.


    "The condition just raised to four." Jing told him plainly.


    "Fine! Four favors! But you have to save my junior brother and bring him back without a single missing limb!" He gave in.


    "It was a pleasure doing business with you Jig. I''ll have him back before the Grand Tournament."


    "His last known location was near the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect. Please head there first and if he isn''t there, try to find a woman known as Elder Suying. Also do not reveal the fact that you are from the Golden Serpent Sect. The sect can''t be implicated in this in any shape. You are still a big secret within the sect. No one from outside the sect should know of you and if they do, it is only your name, not your appearance. Don''t reveal your name either." Jig warned.


    "I understand. You wouldn''t mind going to save an angel of mine, would you? His name is Hu Tao and he''s probably going to die soon somewhere in the Inner Court. I have a few things to prepare before I head out to save this brother of yours. Farewell." Jing slapped a talisman on herself and disappeared.


    "An angel? Oh wait, that''s what she calls her followers. I guess I better head out to the Inner Court then. This sounds simple enough."

 137 Chapter 135: Hu Taos Antics.

    "Hahaha. How is it my fault, this hot piece of ass was just hanging around while we were fighting?" Hu Tao laughed as he viciously groped a beautiful young girl while holding his arm around her neck, slightly choking her.


    Hu Tao was not looking as well as he usually does. His body was covered hundreds of cuts with his own blood flowing out of him. This Great Prodigy really wasn''t a pushover. That fucker Manchu wasn''t kidding when he said he would die if he tried to fight one of these bastards head on. If this dumb bitch wasn''t hanging around, he would probably be buried 30 feet under by now.


    "I will rend your flesh from your bones and feed it to wild dogs!" He promised with tears running down his eyes.


    "One look at this adorable little bitch was enough to make my dick hard but that promise of yours just made me even harder! Now she''s got a nice thick rod poking at her back door because of you big brother." Hu Tao cackled with his tongue sticking out. Said sister was nervously trying to move her behind away from the crazed mutt''s rod but with her current position, it was impossible.


    "Agh!" Hong screamed as the boiling rage overtook him.


    "Ah, ah, ah. Calm down, Mr. Great Genius." Hu Tao waved his finger as if Hong Long was a naughty misbehaved child. "I might have accidently just stabbed my hand into your little sister''s chest, and if my fingernails go even one centimeter deeper inside her, I might just pierce her wittle heart!" He teased with a high-pitched voice.


    "Now we wouldn''t want something like that, would we?" He smiled with great big pearly whites while his hand was dripping with blood.


    Hong Long stopped directly in front of Hu Tao. Just centimeters away from decapitating him with his blade. The fury he felt at the fact that he couldn''t stop a situation like this from happening despite having so much strength was nearly overwhelming. His only family member in this world was being assaulted right in front of him and he couldn''t do a damn thing about it. Unless, he wanted to lose her forever and truly have no one in this world but himself.


    ''What is the point of being this strong if I couldn''t protect the things that mattered most to me!?'' He stabbed the ground with enough force to split the ground apart.


    "I can see this whole taking your sister hostage is really eating you up inside. And I had a real fun time fighting with you. I didn''t stand a chance against a strong bastard like you even after I just had a super tough training session. You don''t know how happy that makes me." Hu Tao laughed.


    Hu Tao wasn''t always like this, believe it or not. He was once a mild-mannered child with such pure curiosity and innocence that no one would believe he is the person he is now. As a baby abandoned by his parents in a dangerous forest, it was a miracle he even survived at all. A baby crying its heart out in the middle of the woods would attract any hungry predators with decent hearing. And it did attract one such predator, one of the most fearsome and deadly spirit beasts in the entire forest in fact. It was a Mad Rainbow Dragon that stumbled upon the crying Hu Tao.


    This dragon has long proven its strength in this forest as the king of all beasts. There was nothing to challenge it or hope to escape from it. The mad dragon long unlocked its intelligence through decades of cultivation. It understood exactly what race Hu Tao was and what happened to him. For this reason, it took pity on the infant human child. Something of its size and power wouldn''t be able to sate its hunger even if there was 100 Hu Tao''s in front of him.


    So, it stared into the child''s eyes and he stared back. And he giggled! Infant Hu Tao laughed at the sight of the most ferocious predator in a 10,000-meter radius. But that wasn''t all, he also reached out with his very tiny little baby hands to grab at the multi-colored dragon. Laughter from any other creature directed in the mad dragon''s direction would immediately be burned to ashes from its multi-colored flames. However, Hu Tao''s innocent and pure soul lit something inside the spirit beast.


    The dragon let the human infant grab hold of its fingernail that has pierced more beasts than this child could probably ever imagine. Its first instinct was to try to put that dragon''s claw in its mouth, something that the dragon didn''t allow the child to do. But by now, he was already infatuated by the human child without his knowing. His heart and soul were captured for the first time since he was born and soon he found himself raising the human child.


    "May I go out into the woods today Father?" 7-year-old Hu Tao politely asked.


    ''Have you finished your training?'' The Mad Rainbow Dragon questioned.


    "Yes, Father. Not a single one of them were spared." Hu Tao responded.


    "You may." His Father gave his permission.


    Hu Tao turned away and happily skipped into the forest. Once he made it out of eye sight of the dragon, he suddenly got on all fours and broke into a full sprint with a wild smile on his face with his tongue hanging outside his mouth. He broke through the forest at a speed no ordinary child at the age of 7 could dare compare with. Not even some spirit beasts held a candle to the mortal child!


    "I''m going to fuck your shit hard this time Diamond Head Gorillas! My old man won''t need to save me this time around!" He laughed.


    Seven years of being raised by a spirit beast at the top of the food chain meant that Hu Tao was not given a normal childhood by any stretch of the word. At the age of one years old, he was expected to fight wild beasts equal to him in age. Normally, this was impossible for any human infant. Even those raised by clans with unbelievable wealth and power.


    But the Mad Rainbow Dragon wasn''t an existence those clans could compare to. He captured a spirit beast with the most nutritious milk in the continent and fed it to Hu Tao days after he found him. Increasing his rate of growth to something that was incomparable to normal humans. With this skewed and unbelievably growth, Hu Tao was capable of fighting in life-or-death battles just at the age of one. This still wasn''t enough to make him become obsessed with fighting like he is today though.


    Back then, Hu Tao fought because he was forced to by his father. He absolutely hated fighting for a long time until a certain event changed his mind about it entirely. The mad dragon wasn''t pleased that his adopted son disliked fighting so much when he had to go through much worse from his own mother. How was he going to survive with such a weak mentality?


    Hu Tao''s father nearly lost his life against a group of cultivators who managed to sniff him out through several high-level spirit tools. Hu Tao almost died just by witnessing this battle! This battle was something that forcefully opened his eyes and with it, imbedded something deep into his brain as an absolute truth and fact of this world.


    Throughout the entire battle, his father had a smile on his face even when he was moments away from death, that smile never left his face. He watched as his father enjoyed every minute of the fight. Being overpowered, overwhelmed, outsmarted, and bested in skill. He adapted, overcame, and prevailed against it all! Hu Tao''s mind was like a sponge, sucking in everything his father did in that battle to survive. His crazy growth through the battle, the many desperate plans to survive, and just how much fun he was having during the battle. None of it was wasted.


    "I never seen Father look so happy before... Is fighting really that much fun for Father?" He questioned as blood dripped down his lips from the aftershocks of their attacks.


    "Maybe if I... learn to love fighting as much as Father does, I could make him proud of me again." Lately his Father''s eyes have started to change in the way they looked at him.


    When he was younger, he could feel the love in his Father''s eyes even when he was doing nothing. Eating, sleeping, waking up, he would be able to feel the warmth and love within them. Maybe all this time he was thinking about what a great fighter Hu Tao would become. Something that Hu Tao didn''t mind trying to come to love if it would make his Father happy. His only family member.


    "You stupid crazy fucking mad dragon! I will refine your core, avenge my fallen wife, and tear that brat apart limb from limb that you''re trying to hide from us!" A muscular cultivator screamed after being forced to kill his lover just to land a fatal wound on the dragon.


    "All is fair in a life-or-death battle Human. Next time find a mate that isn''t so weak that she could be captured in the first place." He mocked.


    "IM GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!" He flew towards Hu Tao''s father with a mad look in his eyes.


    This was the hardest fight the Mad Rainbow Dragon has ever been in and that man with the twin blades was the strongest human he ever fought. His crass, vulgar, and inappropriate language throughout the battle was something that managed to infect Hu Tao later on. This development wasn''t stopped by the mad dragon as he respected the powerful human who nearly put an end to its long life. As Hu Tao started to gain an interest in fighting for the increasing affections of his father, his previous sweet and calm personality was being distorted and replaced.


    Replicating the fighting tactics of his father along with the cultivators of that day, his body, senses, and instincts for fighting were all improving greatly. The cruelty in his fighting style, vulgarism in his language, and obsession for making his father proud. He was becoming more different by the day. Soon, the old Hu Tao would be completely replaced by this new Hu Tao who was raised believing that his behavior was completely fine and something to be praised!


    Eventually, he would learn that he was quite different from other humans once he reached puberty. At the age of 13, the mad dragon sent Hu Tao away. Never to return and to find his own path in this world as an adult. Hu Tao went into his first human town and was immediately set for execution by the people inside only an hour of arriving the town. Of course, he managed to escape and killed everyone who planned to kill him.


    Then he went to the next city nearby and learned a bit more of how humans like him were before also getting set to be executed in that city for various reasons. This continued for a few years until he was wanted across several towns, villages, and cities. Until he was found just inches away from being beheaded by an executioner. An elder from the Golden Serpent Sect crushed the axe chopping downwards towards Hu Tao''s neck and picked up the boy, declaring him his new disciple. He was impressed by the boy''s decisive nature, and unparallel fighting skills. A boy like him would be perfect to pass down his martial arts to.


    After declaring Hu Tao as his student and taking him to the Golden Serpent Sect, he was assassinated while out of the sect. Leaving Hu Tao alone inside a sect that didn''t care for mortals or untalented disciples that couldn''t take care of themselves. For years, Hu Tao was stuck as a mortal working as a servant inside the Golden Serpent Sect. Being bullied by Qi Gatherers, used as a sexual outlet for many females and sometimes male cultivators for his looks, and not receiving any help whatsoever from anyone.


    A person of Hu Tao''s temperament could only handle so much before snapping. One day, he managed to get his hands on a cultivation technique along with a generic combat art after satisfying a negligent female cultivator in bed. For the next several weeks, he did nothing but stay inside his home to cultivate and practice. Once he left his home, it was as if he was an entirely different man.


    Everyone that has ever used him and abused him were killed in the most gruesome fashion. This quickly rose his reputation within the Outer Court and since he was no longer a mortal, he was allowed to rent martial arts from the library. With Hu Tao''s monstrous talent for combat, bred by the Mad Rainbow Dragon, he quickly rose to the top of the court by mastering the mortal and stellar-ranked martial arts with ease. Challenging any and every one within the Outer Court that dared to think he was just some pushover. Sometime after that he became one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Court, bringing him back to the position he was in when he was a child. His strength and talent being praised while no one was saying anything above his behavior. At least, no one with any power inside the Golden Serpent Sect being able to convince him that his personality and his actions were wrong.


    "My gut feeling is telling me that if anything happened to your sister here, you would spend every single moment trying to get revenge on me. Bringing yourself to the brink of ruin and destruction for a chance at getting at me. Don''t you think that would be so much more of an interesting situation than just letting her go and you only being upset at me for doing something like this?" Hu Tao asked.


    "If you release my sister, I promise to give you a painless death. There is no other outcome for daring to touch my family, I apologize." Hong Long took a deep breathe.


    "Hahahahaha! Are you an idiot?! Just for saying something so fucking stupid, this bitch has to die now." Hu Tao pierced the girl''s heart and slowly started to get away with a portal by SCP-106.


    He roughly tossed her dead body at Hong Long while he got away. Hong Long wanted nothing more than to eviscerate Hu Tao into bloody chunks but he couldn''t just let his sister''s body get violated any further. The Great Prodigy caught his sister''s body as tears of blood flowed down his eyes. Vowing in his heart to kill Hu Tao at any cost.


    "Even a Great Prodigy was helpless against Hu Tao..."


    "He''s a menace... Someone needs to put an end to him..."


    "There are limits to how vicious one needs to be."


    "If my life was in danger, I probably would''ve done the same."


    "Hong Long won''t ever be able to recover from this. His future as a cultivator won''t progress with a heart demon like this."


    As the sorrowful ending to this relatively normal battle came, a handsome figure with dark blue hair wrapped up in a ponytail arrived.


    "Excuse me, junior martial brothers and sisters. Have any of you seen a man named Hu Tao? I''m looking for him." Jig asked, completely unaware of what just transpired.


    "Ooh... You might not want to..." The random Inner Court disciple''s words were cut off as Hong Long glared daggers into Jig''s soul.


    Hatred was flowing off of him and nearly visible at this point.


    "Who are you? What is your relationship to Hu Tao?" Hong Long demanded with a thick presence of killing intent clouding around him.


    "You can call me Jig. And I don''t have a relationship with him. Never even met the guy yet!" He smiled, ignoring the killing intent.


    "I''m not right in the mind right now. Please leave before I unleash this pent-up rage inside me on you for no good reason."


    "But have any of you seen Hu Tao? Or knows where he went at least?" Jig had to try. It seemed like they did know but just weren''t telling him for some reason.


    "He''s not here anymore Senior..."


    "We don''t know where, but not here."


    "He was here a moment ago but then he vanished somehow!"


    "Yeah, he went into some black stuff on the ground that sucked him in and disappeared!"


    "Thank you all for being so honest with me. Farewell. Hope you all have good fortune while cultivating!" Jig waved goodbye before looking for Hu Tao elsewhere. "Wonder what their deal was..." The mood was pretty weird back there.

 138 Chapter 135.5: Dealing With Trash.

    Something he had to thank him for as his progress would be far slower without the spirit stones, he''s gained these past few days. Teacher Mo might be his master but that did not mean he gave his disciples everything they required and more. They had to earn valuable and rare resources from him by doing the most dangerous of training and sect tasks. Jun spent every day attempting to get a sky-ranked sword from Elder Mo ever since he gained his boomerang. It was basically suicide trying to accomplish what Teacher Mo asked of him but he never gave up. No matter how much blood he spilled, no matter how many bones he broke, and no matter how many hundreds of stellar and mortal swords broke in trying to finish it.


    Tang may not have liked Jun but he was someone worth respecting as his rival. It was because of his deranged obsession in pursuit of completely surpassing him, that Tang also trained to the point of insanity. He could feel himself growing closer and closer to finally awakening his bloodline the tougher he made his body. Considering his bloodline, Titanic Tortoise, had legends of those who managed to awaken it acquire undying immortal bodies. It makes sense that the holder of the bloodline needs a body far stronger than the normal cultivators to awaken even 1% of it.


    Tang Wuying was talented and rich enough to advance down the path of a body and qi cultivator. His dormant bloodline required him to go down the path of a body cultivator while Lord Tyanir needed him to have unparallel qi control to control the forces of acceleration unless he wanted his body to rip itself apart attempting to use the God''s qi. So, heading down the path of a balanced cultivator would be the correct choice if he wants to make it far on his journey as a cultivator. And accepting anything less than the top, was something Tang Wuying would not accept.


    "You. Tell me where Huan Bingwen is." Tang focused his attention on a passing disciple.


    "How am I supposed to know where one of the top cultivators in the Outer Court is at? I''m not in the Huan Clan!" The disciple berated before walking past Tang.


    "Do you know where Huan Bingwen is?" He asked another.


    "No." This continued for a while.


    "Hey, did you hear Wuying Tang was looking for Huan Bingwen!?"


    "No. Why is a genius like that looking for someone like Bingwen? They are in two totally different worlds!"


    "I heard he plans to cripple him!"


    "I heard he wants to kill him!"


    Soon, a crowd began following behind one of the newest rising prodigies within the Golden Serpent Sect. Giddy at the possibility of a fight between someone as rarely seen like Tang and a well-known top contender within the Outer Court. None of them knew where Bingwen was but they were sure to find him as long as they kept following Tang. Who seemed like he was on a mission to fight one of the Huan Clan''s important members no matter what!


    How would the leader of the Huan Clan take this news?! What about the other 2 major factions in the Outer Court? Would they try and recruit Tang Wuying into their factions? What if he was aiming for all of the major factions!? Who would be able to stop him and his powerful background as a disciple under one of the three Head Elders!? These were the hundreds of questions and rumors going around after the disciples following behind the tattooed youth found out he was searching for Huan Bingwen.


    "I''ve heard you were looking for Bingwen." A disciple stood in front of Tang Wuying.


    His crossed arms, confident smile, and purple sword made him look quite imposing. This sudden appearance along with his natural beauty and charisma made many wonder just who he was. Tang just hoped it was this Bingwen guy. He was pretty tired of looking around for this mysterious disciple and annoyed of the trash following behind him like a pack of barking dogs without making themselves useful in any way.


    "Isn''t that the newest replacement for Chun who died in the Treasured Plains?"


    "I heard he was quite talented but I don''t think he stands a chance against someone like Tang. He''s one of the Head Elder''s student, you know?"


    "He might be able to put up a good fight against him. Isn''t he ranked highly on the rankings?"


    "You might be right. I don''t think Tang ever fought in a ranking match."


    "There was that duel he had against Prince Jun some months ago. It was a very high-level battle. I broke through that night and advanced in my sword arts."


    "Shut up." Tang ordered the whispering pieces of trash behind him.


    Everyone immediately closed their mouths. Tang Wuying was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer. That meant he was one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Court without even bringing his background into it. All of those watching were either below the 9th stage or at the stage. For those at the 9th stage and watching, they were obviously those apart of the top factions of the Outer Court. A fight like this was something that they couldn''t ignore, especially when they had no information to go off of. Just one day, out of the blue, Wuying Tang decided he wanted to fight Huan Bingwen.


    "Are you Huan Bingwen?" He asked.


    "And if I say I was?" The swordsman responded with his own question.


    "Try and stop me from killing you." Tang calmly told him.


    "Heh! And I thought you just wanted to say hello. To think that I somehow caught the eye of the shy famed genius picked up by the powerful Elder Mo." He sneered.


    "Talk all you want." Tang didn''t even bother grabbing his boomerang.


    He slowly walked up to the disciple as if he was taking a casual stroll. In the next second, everyone watching was shocked beyond belief. Bingwen was sent sliding all the way back with his sword raised. Sweat flowed from his pores as he somehow managed to react in time to Tang''s attack. But speaking of Tang''s attack, from the perspective of most of those watching it looked like Tang only stared at Bingwen and he suddenly went sliding back! Did he throw a punch or something?! What happened?!


    "Oh, you''re not complete trash if you could react to that. Since you have a sword, I''ll entertain you for a bit." Tang grabbed the sword sheathe on his waist.


    Ever since he gained the First Apostle''s weapon, he never used his sword anymore. He still kept it around but it was more of an accessory at this point. Perhaps it could be used for situations like this. Tang didn''t even unsheathe the sword within and just held the sheathe towards his opponent. The infuriated look on his opponent''s face was understandable. It was as if he was saying that he wasn''t even worth using his blade on. But in truth, he wasn''t even worth fighting with his true weapon!


    "Don''t you dare look down on me!" Bingwen dashed towards him, ready to go all out.


    "Just try and make me take you seriously." Tang sneered.


    Their weapons clashed and Bingwen''s sword almost flew out of his hand from Tang''s simple slash. He clutched his sword''s handle with all of his strength as he brought it down on Tang''s head. Tang didn''t bother avoiding the attack as he rose his sword sheathe and easily blocked the chop. A normal sword sheathe would''ve been sliced in half from Bingwen''s sword but for some reason Tang''s wasn''t! He unleashed slash after slash after slash but none of them managed to put a chip on the damn thing!


    "This can''t be your all, can it? There''s no way that man would have me take you out if you''re this weak." Things weren''t adding up.


    Tang infused his sheathe with his qi every time Bingwen attacked. With this infusion, its durability soared to something that Bingwen''s sword couldn''t easily deal with. This amount of control over his qi was impressive but it was nowhere near enough for him to be satisfied. That trash from inside the Treasured Plains was talented enough to shape his qi into the any form he wanted despite being weaker than him! Tang promised himself that he would be able to do the same before leaving the Qi Gathering realm.


    "Die!" Bingwen''s purple blade started to shine brightly.


    Bingwen''s single attack split off into 5 different slashes coming directly towards Tang! Each one capable of easily slicing through flesh. A normal cultivator when faced up against such an attack could only be split into 5 or less different pieces! Regardless of which slash they wanted to block. Once Tang saw the attack coming, he only sneered in response.

 139 Chapter 135.6: The Masked Mans Trickery.

    Bingwen slashed out with 5 slashes and everyone stood witness as Tang unleashed 25 slashes with the sword sheathe. Bingwen''s attacks were overpowered by Tang''s and entirely nullified. This feat completely blew Bingwen''s technique away. The manner he performed the superior technique looked as if he was just trying it out to see if he could. He didn''t look at Bingwen''s movement to try and copy him or anything. He just struck out with normal sword slashes so fast that they looked like a martial art!


    ???Impossible...!" Bingwen cried as he was sent flying backwards with injuries to his chest.


    "How did he get cut?"


    "Does Tang have unique qi that cuts anyone who gets touched by it?"


    "Are you all stupid? Haven''t you heard that a master swordsman can pick up a blade of glass and use it just like a sword?"


    "Wow! Has Tang already reached that level of swordsmanship?!"


    "A sword sheathe isn''t a blade of grass but it''s just as impressive! I know if I tried that, I''d only make myself look like a fool!"


    Tang slowly walked over to Bingwen''s downed body with a smirk on his face.


    "You couldn''t even handle something that weak? That was my first casual strike in this entire fight." Something really wasn''t adding up.


    Bingwen could only angrily grit his teeth. He had nothing to respond to that but he wouldn''t dare give up and throw away the position he was just given. Getting this position took everything he had, there was no way he could just lie down and accept defeat. That would be the same as throwing away any face his clan had by refusing to give it his all.


    "Tell me who you really are." Tang threatened.


    His killing intent was like an executioner''s blade hanging over Bingwen''s neck. Feeling this crushing presence made Bingwen realize that Tang really wasn''t using his full strength in their battle. He wasn''t taking him seriously in the slightest and didn''t have a reason to either. With what he could feel right now, he was starting to regret picking a fight with this rarely seen genius.


    "I''m Huan Da... The real Huan Bingwen is out of the sect on a task right now." His body was shivering uncontrollably.


    "So, I wasted all this time I could''ve been using for something meaningful. All because you decided to lie to me?" Tang asked.


    "Yes..." Da could feel his life would come to an end soon.


    "In your next life, consider living life with more humility. Trash." Tang Wuying''s scabbard sliced open a gash on Da''s neck with a simple stroke.


    And that was the end of that. He flicked the blood off his unimpressive sheathe and began to walk away.


    "Tell one of my servants when Huan Bingwen returns to the sect." Tang told the crowd who were completely stunned.


    They were all dumbfounded that Tang just murdered one of the Huan Clan''s top members and walked away scot free! There were multiple Huan Clan members in the crowd right now but none of them had the courage to go up against a genius of that level! All they could do was run back to the head and tell him what happened here. Fearsome Garden and the Wolfeng Gang were delighted to see this type of thing to happen. One of their rivals had invited a dangerous threat that could weaken them severely! Perhaps their reign would come to an end soon and they would make sure to do everything they can to take whatever remaining pieces they could grab. The top members of Fearsome Garden and Wolfeng Gang were on Tang''s side. They would be the first ones to let him know when Bingwen returns.


    ______________________________________________


    "You say he''s at the second stage of the Qi Consolidation realm?" Jun asked for clarification.


    "That''s correct Prince Jun! We''ve already sent the letter for the duel. Now we''re waiting for his response." One of Jun''s lackies clarified.


    "This might not be as easy as I thought it was. But I can''t just give up because it''s difficult. If that masked man is correct then someone has managed to come between me and Liu without my knowledge. I thought I took care of all nuisances but apparently someone managed to get one over me. Huan Chaun, I apologize for what I must do to you but my own troubles trump those of strangers." Jun''s new sword shined in his personal quarters.


    His swords break so frequently that he has to keep more than a dozen of them inside his storage ring. However, this sword is no regular blade. It was a stellar-ranked spirit weapon he gained from the Treasured Plains. It boasted of impressive length, terrifying sharpness, and its visage resembled that of a mighty tiger. What made this blade so special out of all of the other mortal and stellar-ranked swords in his storage ring was that once it was broken, all it took was some blood to repair itself.


    Thanks to that useful ability, he filled his storage ring with the blood of multiple spirit beast''s blood. The inside of his storage ring had his dozens of swords bathing in the blood of spirit beasts. Because of that, he carried a second storage ring that would be used for items that didn''t need to be covered in blood. Such as spirit stones, spirit tools, food, martial arts manuals, and more.


    "Prince Jun! We''ve received a reply on the letter!" A follower of his shouted as he knocked on the door.


    "Slide it underneath the door." Jun commanded.


    He did as Jun said, and Jun read the reply for himself. He wanted to meet him at Dueling Ring 5. Jun was quite pleased to see how fast Chaun''s response was. For some reason, he expected the reply to take a week at most. His opinion on the Huan Clan wasn''t the fondest. To him, they were pathetic cowards.


    Despite the leader being in the 5th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm, he continues to play around in the Outer Court instead of doing the wise thing and ruling his faction in both the Inner and Outer Court at the same time. But no, he stays in the Outer Court and because of his strength that dwarfs those of any in the Outer Court, no one can challenge his power there. Huan Leng isn''t a fool either. He makes sure that his clan avoids offending the wrong type of people and if they do, sucks up to them with everything he has.


    "I should head out then." Jun began making his way to Dueling Ring 5.


    On his way there, a number of people began following behind him for some reason. Maybe they were able to somehow sense that he was on his way to a fight. Or they were just admiring his looks again. But there weren''t as many female disciples, so that couldn''t be it. Did one of his followers speak about his duel with Huan Chaun?


    "It''s true! Prince Jun is really going to face off against someone from the Inner Court!"


    "A 9th stage Qi Gatherer fighting against a 2nd stage Qi Consolidator! The outcome should be obvious but Prince Jun is a prodigy! How will it turn out!?"


    "Is he really going to fight against Chaun? I always thought Prince Jun wasn''t the type to needlessly get involved in fights. Maybe his arrogance has gone to his head."


    "I heard that this was a normal spar. Prince Jun wanted to test his skills against someone from inside the Inner Court to ready himself to enter the Inner Court."


    "Wouldn''t someone at the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm be better to duel against?"


    "Prince Jun is a prodigy. You can''t guess what people like that consider reasonable. They live in a different world from normal people like us."


    Gong Jun made it to Dueling Ring 5 and saw that his opponent was already on the stage with the referee.


    "I apologize if I made you wait long. Would you like to begin immediately?" Jun asked with a kind and gentle smile.


    "Are you really willing to bet 100 mid-ranked spirit stones on this duel?" Chaun asked, not sure if this was just a joke.


    "That''s correct. If you win, I''ll hand over 100 mid-ranked stones." Jun smiled.


    "What do you get out of this? Why are you willing to bet so many stones on this? We''ve never met before." He questioned.


    ''Trust me, I have many more elsewhere. This won''t even put a dent into my reserves.'' Jun inwardly scoffed.


    "I would like to prepare myself for the Inner Court." Jun lied.


    Chaun looked at him as if he was a freak.


    "We will fight until the other surrenders or is rendered unconscious. Is that fine?" Jun asked.


    "I accept..." Still confused about this entire situation.


    "Begin!" The referee shouted.

 140 Chapter 135.7: Gong Jun vs Huan Chaun!

    "Flowing River Style: Black Water Blade." Beautiful black flowing water began to slither around his sword like a snake.


    Chaun dashed forward with his spear, as if a brutal rhino, wanting to do nothing more than to gore his enemy with his great horn. Jun could feel the strength radiating off of that charge and knew he couldn''t handle something like that without using his full strength. Well, that''s if he was the same person he was before going inside the Treasured Plains. Now, something like this wasn''t even worth using his defensive sword style on.


    "Why is Prince Jun just standing there?! He''s about to be killed!"


    "Maybe he''s frozen in fright! Can''t you feel the terrifying amount of qi coming from Chaun?! I''m getting goosebumps and I''m just watching!"


    "Prince Jun, please dodge!" A female disciple cried out.


    "Prince Jun, quickly move out the way!" The other female disciples joined in to cheer for him.


    Chaun wondered if he really was shaken to his core. He wouldn''t stop his charge though, even if that was the case. An Outer Court disciple doesn''t challenge an Inner Court disciple without being prepared for the worst. The Inner Court disciple''s reputation is the one on the line in a battle between disciples from the two different courts. It doesn''t matter if Chaun wins or loses, he will be the one heavily judged in the end. If he doesn''t win this duel flawlessly, he will lose face. Someone at a lower stage than him being able to give him trouble just means he''s weak.


    Chaun''s spear finally reached the point of no return. He could no longer hold back his strength on the off chance that Jun surrenders right now. And that was when Jun finally moved. His blade rose with a graceful arc that sent Chaun''s weapon flying upward.


    "You''ve came within range of my Swordsman''s Graveyard. It might not be a true Qi Domain, but Master Mo says it''s a decent imitation." Jun smiled as his sword came slashing towards Chaun''s throat as soon as he deflected his attack.


    Chaun was essentially helpless in his current state! All of his power was used in that charge that was sent soaring into the sky because of Jun''s sword deflection. Now his spear was raised towards the sky and his body was almost defenseless. Rearing back the strength used in that charge took a significant amount of energy from him. But it was enough to have the body of his spear block Jun''s almost fatal cut.


    His sword constantly struck against Chaun in an attempt to get past his defense. The sword strikes were deadly accurate, deceptively quick, and dangerously lethal. Chaun might have blocked the slashes but that did not mean he was unscathed. Jun''s cuts left small nicks on Chaun''s skin that made him instantly understand that his sword was no normal blade. No, this blade absorbed the qi of the opponent it cut. Giving Jun more qi than he usually had.


    Chaun was confused at how this match as turning out. Wasn''t this supposed to be just an exchange of techniques? A normal spar? Why did it seem like Jun was trying to kill him instead? The first time he tried to kill him could''ve been considered an accident. But the second, third, fourth, and fifth time couldn''t be considered anything such. This Outer Court brat seriously wanted to take him out!


    "Don''t joke around with me! I''m not going to become your stepping stone!" Chaun declared.


    His body radiated with flames that Jun promptly ignored by slashing at Chaun''s eyes. Chaun deflected with the body of his spear and attempted to blow him away by increasing the range of his inflamed body.


    "You''re still within my range, Senior. Flowing River Style: Blue Water Blade." The water levitating around his sword turned sharp and pressuring, oozing with deathly intent. Its previous black color turned clear blue, allowing anyone to see straight through it.


    Jun''s sword cut through the very air itself. Chaun immediately listened to his gut feeling to fall back to a safer range. This choice turned out to be the correct one as despite listening to his instincts to avoid Jun''s blade, it still stabbed into his stomach. Sweat dripped from Chaun''s forehead, which quickly evaporated from the heat of his flames.


    "Tch. Just what the hell is this?!" Chaun no longer decided to play around in this duel.


    He used his flames as projectiles and his spear as the tool to fire them with. With several fast thrusts, fire shaped as spear heads flew right for Jun. The heat emitting from those fire blasts was enough to seriously harm the average 1st and 2nd stage Qi Consolidator. Everyone watching was excited to see how the prodigy Prince Jun would handle such a formidable attack.


    "Flowing River Style: Red Water Blade." Blood colored water covered the blade of Jun''s sword.


    Jun almost smirked because of how perfect of a situation this turned out to be. He slashed, sliced, and chopped at the incoming projectiles with his sword. Each fire blast was sliced in half and absorbed into his sword. A sword that was already known to be able to absorb qi. Was Chaun more of a fool than he thought or was this some sort of trick to let his guard down?


    "Hmph." Chaun began to dash forward with tricky movements, most likely some form of leg arts.


    "Come." Jun smiled. ''Enter my range once again so I can tear you to shreds!''


    Chaun''s assault this time was much more refined. His martial arts being shown in full force! The true strength of a cultivator at the 2nd stage of the Qi Consolidator realm. Jun, momentarily, was caught off guard by the increase in strength and skill of Chaun. So much in fact that, Chaun managed to bring him to the edge of the dueling ring. Pressuring him with his superior qi reserves and surprisingly high levels of martial arts.


    "You are definitely worthy of your cultivation realm, Huan Chaun! You were holding back for my sake earlier, weren''t you?" Jun complimented.


    ''Like hell I was holding back. I wanted to finish you off in one hit!'' Chaun stayed silent and kept up the offense.


    Jun continued to loudly praise Chaun while inwardly observing his spear technique. He wanted to see how his skills matched up to his 3rd Senior Martial Brother and over the course of their battle, he wasn''t too impressed. Chaun wasn''t the type of fighter who used skill with the spear to defeat his opponents from what it seemed. Instead, he replied on using brute force to force his opponents under submission. If his 3rd Senior was to face off against him, he wouldn''t stand a chance even if he restricted himself to the 1st stage of the Qi Gathering realm. His skill with the spear was truly frightening. It was something that Jun himself could only admire from a far. For now at least...


    "I believe it''s time to take this a little seriously now." Jun was just sent flying to the other side of the stage by Chaun''s swipe.


    "Show me what you got Qi Gatherer." Chaun confidently spun his spear and aimed it forward.


    From within Jun''s storage ring, multiple swords began firing into the air. The crowd watching could barely hold their breaths when trying to calculate the value held by those dozens of swords. Just this portion of Jun''s wealth was enough to allow any of those watching to live a life without worries! If they chose to not advance past the Qi Gathering realm then they could surely live a blessed life with that much money!


    Each sword varying in size, length, color, sharpness, and ability were littered across the dueling ring. Jun''s handsome smile rose another level!


    "My domain has just increased to the entire stage." He kindly informed Chaun.


    "Huh?" At that response, a sword just went flying past his face at breakneck speeds. A long gash appeared across his face.


    Chaun''s expression turned serious as he felt the blood dripping down his cheek. He knows for a fact that he dodged that sword throw. The spearman readied himself for any other unexpected attacks while Jun ran towards him. Both cultivators clashed with all their strength. One was sent sliding backwards with numb hands. The other''s sword shattered into pieces as he grabbed another sword stabbed into the stage for usage.


    "They make these blades so flimsy nowadays. We need better blacksmiths at the sect but no one wants to take the time to follow such a hard working path." Jun shared before slashing at Chaun''s spear.


    And just like before, it shattered from the amount of force he put into his swing. But Jun wasn''t finished yet, if two swords wasn''t enough, he''d use three. If three wasn''t enough he''d use four. The blades continuously broke upon hitting Chaun''s weapon. Eventually creating a noticeable cut into the body of his weapon. With Jun''s skill with the sword, it was all too easy to target the same spot with his infinite supply of blades.


    Chaun knew if he let this continue, he would be without a weapon soon. That was a situation he must avoid at all costs! He avoided one of Jun''s sword strikes by jumping to the side and thrusting outward with his spear while his arm was stretched out, increasing its attack range to its maximum. His spear shattered the blade of the upstart Qi Gatherer and continued forward to impale him!


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t aware of the blade Jun grabbed with his foot as his blade was being broken. The toe grabbed blade was then sent slashing across Chaun''s midsection before another one was thrown into his gut by the young prince. Now, taken off the ground from the power of Jun''s attacks, Jun had total freedom to do whatever he wanted to the helpless Qi Consolidator.


    "Ah ah ah. Senior, it looks like you left yourself open." Jun smiled.

 141 Chapter 135.8: Rescue Mission?

    They both held special qualities that were both particularly devastating. The first one held death qi inside it. Meaning that every cell in the area where the foe was cut would begin to die. Not even recovery pills of excellent quality were enough to bring life back into those cells. It would take a moderately skilled doctor along with a hefty paying fee to recover from a wound like that. Jun only saved that blade for special occasions.


    One of the drawbacks of that sword was that it was quite brittle. It wouldn''t last long in a proper fight before shattering. That was why he rarely used it and when he did it was only when its strike would land without fail. Jun called it his Necrotic Sword. He found it while searching through a graveyard infested with dead swordsmen in the Treasured Plains.


    The second sword used to impale Chaun wasn''t anything as deadly as the Necrotic Sword. Just a simple blade with the qi draining talisman slapped onto it. This would leave his body helpless against the death of his cells from the first sword, allowing it to ruin his body even further. Jun collected his many swords as Chaun''s body fell to the ground. With a turn of his back, he waited for the referee to call the match.


    "It was over in an instant..."


    "Prince Jun is too powerful!" A female disciple screamed.


    "When he just started to use his full power, Chaun couldn''t keep up at all!"


    "He barely even started to go all out!"


    "Prince Jun, you''re the best!"


    "Gong Jun, these wounds..." The referee looked at him.


    "Ah, you''re right. I must apologize... I didn''t believe a 2nd Qi Consolidator would be so fragile. I must have used too much strength in our duel. When he awakens, let him know he can still have the 100 mid-ranked stones. Just inform one of my servants." Jun then left the dueling ring while Chaun went into shock on top of the stage.


    "Chaun really wasn''t anything if he couldn''t beat a 9th stage Qi Gatherer."


    "How embarrassing. Someone at a lower realm than him had to go easy on him and he still barely lived. The Huan Clan won''t be able to live this one down."


    "Haven''t you heard that Tang Wuying also fought a member of the Huan Clan today? I wonder what did the Huan Clan do to invoke the wrath of Elder Mo''s students."


    ''Huh. So that''s where Little Tang went today...'' Jun managed to hear before leaving.


    "To think you really were an old fossil..." Hu Tao mumbled to himself inside his pocket dimension.


    In front of him was the brutalized and butchered double of Bo Fai. This clone was weaker than the original but both of them were still weaker than Hu Tao overall. Hu Tao was watching the memories of Bo Fai inside his pocket dimension. To say he was surprised to find out that Fai was a lucky son of a bitch to get reincarnated and still be a weak son of a bitch was an understatement. He wanted to be reincarnated too! Then he could fight strong bastards till the end of time!


    The martial arts he also knew in his past life were also nice to grab. Hu Tao didn''t realize that he could find out someone entire life by bringing them into his pocket dimension. If it wasn''t for the Blackie, who was pretty chatty despite how he looked, Hu Tao would''ve never known about it. Maybe there was some other things about this bloodline he hasn''t found out about yet. The wounds he suffered from Hong were healed in no time. In that exciting fight with the Great Prodigy, Hu Tao also found out that attacks without any qi infused in them, don''t have any effect on him.


    "I''ll be back to play later Old Fossil. Blackie will have some fun with you while I''m gone." The recovering meat chunks of Bo Fai provided no response as Hu Tao was swallowed by black sludge underneath his feet.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, you survived. Good." Jing said as Hu Tao finally arrived.


    "Where are they going?" He asked.


    "Didn''t you read the message and why do you smell like that?" Ying''s nose crinkled at his smell.


    "I was busy." He sniffed his clothes and found that they stunk of death.


    Jing blasted him with a beam of water, cleaning him in seconds.


    "Thanks babe." He grinned.


    The water pressure increased at that comment and blew him across Ying''s Void World.


    "Are you sure it''s smart for all of us to leave the sect at a time like this? Shouldn''t we be training instead?" Bing brought up.


    "You''re all not going. You, Lei, and Qing are the only ones leaving. Ying will be getting ready to accomplish her task. Hu Tao will be spending his time training and cultivating for his task." Jing relayed to them.


    "Why us specifically?" Qing wanted to know.


    "I trust that your skills together would make this task easier." She answered.


    "Couldn''t you handle it on your own though?" Bing figured.


    "Probably." Jing didn''t deny it.


    "So, we''re supposed to help bring back this disciple? Is that correct?" Lei asked for clarification.


    "Without a single missing limb, no less." Jing added.


    "I don''t get why we''re saving him exactly." Qing said.


    "I was personally requested by a Core Disciple who will owe us 3 favors after completing it. While this will benefit me more, I believe it''s fair to compensate you three with suitable rewards for going on this task for me. I already have in mind what I should reward you with if you succeed but feel free to request anything you need after completing it." Jing told them.


    "Who''s the Core Disciple?" Hu Tao asked, coming back drenched in water.


    "A man called Jig."


    "Don''t know him." Hu Tao shrugged.


    "Why do you always think you know everybody in the sect?" Ying asked in an annoyed manner.


    "I only know the strong bastards and did you know reincarnation is real?" He added on.


    "What are you talking about?" Wan Qing asked.


    "Reincarnation. Gaining a second life after dying in the first one? Yeah, apparently that shit''s real." He explained.


    "Elaborate." Jing asked, slightly interested.


    "So, this fucking weakling I demolished made a body clone and I brought it to my pocket dimension. I looked through its memories and found out that it had already lived a first life. He made it far up through the realms and died as an Earthly Immortal before being reincarnated into a mortal body."


    [Mission available for Host!]


    [You''ve just learned an important secret about a person of fate! Your mission is to capture his soul and try to understand the secret of reincarnation!]


    [Reward: The Secret of Reincarnation]


    ''This mission reward looks pretty good...'' Jing smiled.


    Jing doubted she could die under normal circumstances but that doubt wasn''t something she was 100% certain about. There was still many many things about this world that she didn''t understand. Souls were just one of the many hundred. Reincarnation was a new information that she didn''t even think was possible. But if reincarnation was feasible then bringing the dead back to life had to be right? In case one of her followers were to meet a sudden end, she could bring them back. All in all, Jing had much more research to do about this world.


    "So, doesn''t that mean he knows the future?" Bing asked.


    "Yeah, but that shit''s pretty useless for the most part. All the shit that happened in his first life barely happened at all in this life. He believes it''s our fault for some reason that shit isn''t going the same as it was in his first life. I didn''t see Jing at all and I looked through his memories a fuck ton." Hu Tao responded.


    "Wait! Did you say an Earthly Immortal!?" Wan Qing yelled.


    "Yeah."


    "What martial arts did he know!? You''re going to share them with us, right? You have to share them with us." Ying walked towards Hu Tao.


    "I could share them with you all but you know... What do I get out of something like that?" He grinned.


    "You''re not seriously going to be an asshole about this, are you?"


    "Let''s just say that I''ve been pretty busy today. My muscles are quite tender and sore. I wonder if anyone would be willing to give me a nice full-body massage for some valuable sky-ranked martial arts."


    "That sounds like the Hu Tao I know." Lei Zhi chuckled.


    "Fuck off, Hu Tao." Ying gave him the finger and turned around.


    "No thanks." Wan Qing rejected his offer as well.


    "I don''t really need any more martial arts unless they''re heaven-ranked." Bing answered, making some people look at him with envy and anger.


    "Oh, look at you Bing. Mister Martial Arts King!" Ying mocked.


    "I didn''t mean to come off that way." A faint red blush grew on his chubby cheeks. It did sound arrogant and condescending.


    "Damn, you guys aren''t any fun. I think we need a new angel around that I could bully around into doing what I want." Hu Tao spoke.


    "There won''t be any bullying in the group." Jing shut that down.


    "What if I make a second group that''s run by me but still under this one?" Hu Tao challenged.


    "That''s fine." Jing didn''t mind that as she would still be the leader overall.


    "Wait, really? We could have our own little angels under us?" Ying asked excitedly, not that she had anyone in mind but it was still cool to know.


    "I don''t mind. Just remember that I''ll need to meet with them first." Jing reminded her.


    "I''m gonna call my group, Badass Angels." Hu Tao declared.


    "I''ll call mine Beautiful Angels." Wan Qing added.


    "I guess I could call my followers Burning Angels." Ying shrugged.


    "Peaceful Angels." Lei Zhi smiled.


    "I suppose I would name mine.... Wandering Angels." Bing said after a brief second to think.


    "Roar." Ni Xong added. He''s calling his, Golden Angels.


    "Who." Li Li shared as well. He decided to call his group, Heavenly Demons.


    "Bloorp." Quon chose to call his group Speedy Angels.


    "I look forward to seeing the recruitment of your future followers." Jing gave a small laugh.

 Chapter 142 - 136 S: Moving Things Up.

    "So just a simple rescue task... Nice and easy..." Bing muttered.


    "Yep! We''re going to help someone. No need for any killing or fighting hopefully." Lei Zhi was excited to go on a task that was actually good for once.


    "If he needs saving that obviously means he''s involved in some dangerous situation." Wan Qing scoffed at the two na?ve Qi Gatherers.


    "All we need to do is pluck him up and run back home though." Bing brought up.


    "That''s right. We don''t have to fight anyone. Just grab the boy and leave. And if something does go wrong, we can just rip the talisman BLEEP gave us that''ll save us from any trouble." Lei Zhi agreed.


    "Why do I feel like you two are perfectly fine with taking the guy and then flying all the way back home?" She pinched her glabella, feeling a headache coming on.


    "What else would we do?" Bing was clueless on what she was getting at.


    "I''m saying, what if the guy we''re supposed to bring back doesn''t want to come back or be rescued!? What then?" Wan Qing questioned.


    "I guess we could help him until he feels like returning?" Lei Zhi figured.


    "I hope he doesn''t have us fight anyone. When BLEEP explained to us that we''re just going to rescue a guy, I expected little to no fights and ample time to increase my qi control." Bing revealed.


    "I wish I could be as simple-minded as you." Wan Qing sighed. "My warning for you two is to expect that nothing will go right and prepare yourselves for the worst possible outcome happening."


    "The worst possible outcome would be the boy dying, wouldn''t it? Isn''t that why BLEEP sent us together? Our skills combined should be able to protect anyone." Lei Zhi reasoned.


    "Oh, that does make sense. My shield for its defensive power, your medical skills, and Qing''s wind-controlling martial arts." Bing explained for himself.


    "Hmph." Wan Qing didn''t even take note of something like that. She just thought Jing threw them together because they had nothing to do compared to the others.


    "Let''s just hope this task goes smoothly guys." Bing tried to optimistically boost his own spirits, while deep in his heart already knowing that this was going to end terribly.


    "Why wouldn''t it?" Wan Qing sarcastically rolled her eyes.


    ______________________________________________


    "Oi? What the hell is this? Are you trying to kill me? Are you telling to me die?"


    "Quit being stupid. Get in."


    "It''s exactly what it looks like. Now stop wasting time."


    "I''m not comfortable lying in something like this. I''m scared of small tight spaces."


    "If you don''t get in there, I will make you."


    "Fine! I''ll get in but I won''t like it! I''m going to hate every fucking second of it!"


    ______________________________________________


    "Gong Jun has completed the task you have given him." Wen informed from the corner of the room.


    Jing covered herself with her bed''s cover as she stood up to hear Wen''s message. Behind her, Ju Ju''s naked figure revealed itself to the world. Her charming nipples stood erect at attention while a large wet spot could be seen stained on Jing''s bed. Ju Ju''s face seemed lost in pleasure and completely unlike the stoic and adorably cold look she usually has on her face. The pleasures that could be shared between two women was something that Ju Ju could''ve never experienced if it wasn''t for Jing.


    "There won''t be a second time, Wen." Jing warned.


    "I apologize..." The killing intent from her was enough of a warning for him to never do this again.


    This was the girl who could face off against a spirit beast in the Core realm and survive when she was just a Qi Gatherer. He didn''t stand a chance against a freak like her. He should also limit his jokes. It turns out coming in someone''s home right after their done having intimate relations isn''t very funny. And now that he thought about it, why did he think it would be funny in the first place?


    "What else is there?" Jing asked with her hair quite frizzled from the long session she just had with Ju Ju.


    "Kun Lao has continued to rapidly breakthrough and is now at the 5th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. His lover, Daiyu, has reached the 3rd stage but at a far slower pace than Kun."


    ''That''s good news for Wan. When she returns, I can gift her SCP-1311 to go deal with Kun Lao and finally complete that mission.'' Jing was pleased to hear this.


    "Fu Kang has been regularly visiting Princess Lan twice or thrice every week since the end of the Treasured Plains. His cultivation progress is unusually fast but I believe that Princess Lan is sharing more than just her body with him." He chuckled.


    "What of Tang?" Jing asked.


    "Bingwen was out fulfilling a task for the sect. He has yet to return but Tang has killed an imposter posing as Bingwen. From what I could find out, the kid was a prominent talent within the Huan Clan that told Tang he was Bingwen and foolishly challenged him." Wen answered.


    "So I only need to visit Jun. Is there anything else I should know?"


    "That girl with the huge sword went into the Fearsome Garden''s residence." He remembered seeing on his way to Jing''s home.


    "Keep an eye on the situation within the Outer Court for a while. If that''s everything, you are dismissed." Jing told him.


    "Aye aye." He vanished.


    "Ying''s destruction of the Fearsome Garden should be enough to throw the Outer Court into a small period of chaos. Maybe there will be some benefits that could be gained during that time. But that''s after I deal with Jun and his soon to be target, Fu Kang."


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Fu Kang is not just any random disciple! He''s a person of fate whose death is not yet decreed by the heavens! His time was almost cut short by Yue Ying but by a miracle, he survived! However, if you speak to Gong Jun about his involvement with Lan Liu then it is certain he will die before his prime! Choose to reap Fu Kang''s heaven-given luck for yourself and earn the ire of a powerful immortal by killing Fu Kang yourself, allow Gong Jun to murder Fu Kang and take his fortune for himself to rise far above where he was destined, or don''t allow Fu Kang to die and kill Gong Jun instead.]


    [Rewards: Will vary depending on the choice you make]


    Jing wasn''t sure what kind of trap this was. At first, Jing believed that the system wanted her to get rid of all persons of fate. In fact, for Wan Qing''s mission, it clearly says that she would be tasked with taking their blessings and killing them before they can become unstoppable. But this directly goes against one of the latest mission she''s received which was saving a person of fate. It doesn''t mention taking his blessing at all just stopping him from dying at this time.


    Were the immortals constantly fighting against each other by using cultivators as their chess pieces? It would make sense considering the deity that gifted Jing her system. She was explicitly told that she was a guinea pig by the immortal''s servant. Maybe her actions were all just a game for this being. These missions were just to see how much enjoyment and use she could bring to it.


    This could explain why the mission objectives were all over the place. Perhaps the immortal that gave her the system lost a bet to another and that was why it tasked her with saving Jig''s junior brother. Normally Jing''s plans revolved around starting some chaos, fulfilling the system''s missions for the rewards, or strengthening her position within the Golden Serpent Sect for the eventual takeover and reformation as Sect Leader. The missions from the system seemed to correlate with those goals in some form. With letting her understand that certain people were born with golden halos and unfair advantages over others from the immortals above, Jing immediately understood she had to gain these people under her control or to eliminate them before they could reach their full potential.


    Her system didn''t even need to tell her to target these people. Jing''s nature was one that couldn''t allow such potentially dangerous figures walk around so freely. Figures that had a set time frame in when they would die and blessed with luck greater than a normal person''s. Figures that were actively given support from the immortals above to prevent their deaths before reaching their peak. Jing figured that the immortal watching over her must have found some use in her since she no longer had any Failure punishments for screwing up a mission.


    ''I wonder if I refused to follow the missions at all would the system be taken away from me? Or would the system start to actively go against me...''


    [Only with the death of the Host, would the system be ripped away from the Host. The missions going forward can be altered but nothing impossible would be given for the Host''s current level of strength.]


    ''So, you can speak now?''


    [I do not have the ability to freely conversate with the Host nor is there any need to. All my functions are working properly and the Host understands most of them. I won''t respond again.]


    ''In what way can the missions be altered?'' She asked, ignoring its last comment.


    [Mission available for Host!]


    [Show your loyalty to the Golden Serpent Sect by giving the Supreme Commander a refined object that couldn''t possibly exist in this realm within a month.]


    [Rewards: SCP-173]


    [Failure: Forced interrogation of the soul by the Supreme Commander and the Sect Leader \u0026 Access to the Gacha will be locked]


    ''This is going to push a few plans up...'' Jing''s eyebrows furrowed at the mission.

 Chapter 143 - 137: Ying Vs Fearsome Garden!

    Ying stood in front of the Fearsome Garden''s most powerful girls but their leader was nowhere in sight. All of them glared at her with unfriendly looks. Each of them ready to tear her apart piece by piece just because she wanted to talk to their leader. She didn''t understand why they were all freaking out so soon. They didn''t even give her the chance to explain why she was here.


    "Where is Meihu? I got something I want to talk to her about." Ying told them.


    "Whatever you have to discuss with our Mistress, you can tell us. We can go relay it to her for you." The glasses wearing girl gave a fake smile.


    Ying has seen a lot of fake smiles in her time at the Golden Serpent Sect. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that she could tell which was which just at a first glance by now?


    "No there''s no need to go tell her anything. I''ll tell her myself. Now, where is she?" Ying had a pretty good guess that Meihu was up that large staircase behind the room with the giant golden doors.


    "You don''t think that just because you''re a 9th stage Qi Gatherer that you can just waltz in here and get your way, do you?" A small girl walked up to her with a lot of attitude.


    "You''re Song, right?" Ying knew of this Rose.


    She was one of the top rankers in the Outer Court who rarely gave any mercy to her opponents. Back before she met Jing, Ying used to watch a lot of her ranking matches. To see that she was still idling around in the 9th stage was a bit disappointing for someone she looked up to. Well, maybe that wasn''t fair. With her Void World, cultivating has become way easier. Other people didn''t have the same circ.u.mstances as her so, she shouldn''t hold them to that same standard. It wouldn''t be fair.


    "Hmph. It looks like you know who I am. If you got a brain inside that fat head of yours you should leave while I''m still asking nicely." Song glared while staring at Ying''s busty chest.


    "I''m not here to fight. I just want to talk with Meihu." Ying tried to reason with them surprisingly.


    She didn''t have the greatest of opinion about the Fearsome Garden but that didn''t mean she wanted to kill every single one of them. Ying wasn''t a lunatic without any sense of morals like Hu Tao. If there was a way to handle things without having to murder everyone, then she''d take it. As long as it didn''t annoy her. Some would say she has an anger problem but most of those people that said that were already killed by her sword. So that obviously wasn''t true.


    "Don''t think that we don''t know of you, Ying." Glasses Girl looked down at her.


    "You know me?" Ying was surprised.


    She was pretty sure no one but those in her group knew her.


    "You''re that dark horse cultivator that''s closing in the top 10 rankings in the Outer Court."


    "Yes?" What did that have to do with anything?


    "If you think challenging our Mistress is going to boost your reputation within the sect, you''re dead wrong." She smirked.


    "Listen, I don''t care about reputation or whatever you think I''m here for. I''m getting annoyed when all I wanted to do was talk to a single person. Get out of my way before I have to make you." Ying balled up her fist.


    The three Roses stood side-by-side in front of Ying, preparing themselves for a battle against Ying. Completely adamant on refusing to let her pass despite saying that all she wants to do is talk. She didn''t understand why they were being such a pain in the ass about this. Ruo, Song, and Rong stared at the annoyed Ying with confusion.


    Why wasn''t she backing down and retreating? Could she not sense that Ruo and Song were at the 9th stage just like her while Rong, at the 8th stage, was still a threat that could not be ignored. Was she really that confident in her strength? If so, they definitely couldn''t let her meet with the Mistress!


    "You aren''t the only one confident in your strength!" Song leapt forward with her fist outstretched.


    Ying could sense an admirable amount of power within that tiny fist coated in frost qi. A punch like this could probably knock her out of this house if she wasn''t prepared for it. Sadly for Song, she was completely prepared for it. Ying easily caught her fist within her palm and began to crush her fist while forcing her to the ground.


    "What?!" Song was completely surprised by the difference in their physical strength.


    "Narwhal''s Ice Horn!" An icicle more deadly than any sword formed out of her forehead that thrust towards Ying''s throat at fast speeds.


    "Scary." Ying responded as she released a wave of flames from her mouth that incinerated the ice dagger into water droplet that then turned into water vapor.


    Ying made sure to position her mouth away from Song so she didn''t accidentally burn her face off. But she didn''t spare her arm as she raised her leg and dropped it down, cleanly breaking it in half. Song screamed so loudly, the entire house could hear it as she dropped to her knees. The other two Roses immediately dashed forward to aid their fellow commander. Tears pooled in Song''s eyes from the pain.


    Breaking her arm would lessen the work she needs to do to get to Meihu. Ying immediately targeted the weakest Rose next. She leapt towards the 8th stage Qi Gatherer and avoided Ruo''s glowing purple arrow while Rong immediately got frightened after seeing Song mercilessly having her arm broken. Instead of avenging her, she used all her power to avoid getting caught by Ying''s delicate, white, and tiny hand. The dagger she had in her hand wasn''t used at all to attempt to strike Ying.


    The sight of her respected senior dropping to the ground and wailing like that was something she couldn''t burn out of her mind. Her heart was thumping like a drum inside her chest as she did everything she could to survive. Rong could hear Ruo yelling something at her but the figure of the orange-haired girl was constantly around her. She couldn''t spare any attention to anything she was saying if she wanted to survive.


    "Damn it Rong! It was a mistake letting a coward like you take Lam''s place. She would''ve never acted like this if she was still alive." Ruo cursed as she desperately attempted to hit Ying with her arrows.


    Ying wasn''t seriously chasing after the scared little 8th stage. She might''ve looked like she was doing everything to chase after her. Like blowing flames from her mouth, smashing the ground apart with her fist, and shouting. But it was all to get at the quick little archer making sure she stayed a certain distance away from Ying, even when she wasn''t looking. When you''ve been in as many fights as Ying, you start to understand who''s most dangerous in a fight.


    "MOVE TO THE LEFT RONG! NOW!" Ruo shouted. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/scp-gacha-system-in-a-cultivation-world_11680669705480205/chapter-137-ying-vs-fearsome-garden!_51131585742819385">/book/scp-gacha-system-in-a-cultivation-world_11680669705480205/chapter-137-ying-vs-fearsome-garden!_51131585742819385</a> for visiting.


    It was the perfect shot she was waiting for. Ruo unleashed most of her qi into this arrow that spiraled toward Ying''s helpless form. A shot that aimed in right on Ying''s heart. An opportunity only given thanks to Rong giving her all in avoiding Ying''s sloppy but dangerous attacks. Most of the entry room was broken apart, burning, or smashed because of Ying. In no time, the small mansion was filled with Fearsome Garden disciples who burst in at the sight of the damage and loud noises. All of them watched as Ruo''s spiraling arrow was about to snatch Ying''s heart from her chest.


    Until suddenly, Ying''s figure erupted in golden orange flames. She disappeared almost instantly from the spot she was previously at and appeared over Ruo''s exhausted figure with her fist reared back and cloaked in flames.


    "This will really hurt." Ying informed as her fist slammed straight down onto Ruo''s back.


    Smashing her into floor that cracked into several chunks. The entire mansion shook from the power of her fist and all the spectating Fearsome Garden members watched in complete shock and horror. Still no sounds or movements came from beyond the golden door. Ying thought it was finally over when she took out the archer but it looks like things wouldn''t be that easy...


    "Senior Song!"


    "Senior Song, what are you doing!? You have to protect us!"


    "If you don''t help us, she''ll destroy everything we worked for!"


    "Get up and fight!" They begged.


    Song''s slumped figure was reawakened by their words. What the hell was she doing?! Crying over a broken arm? What was she, a child? She still had one arm left, didn''t she?! And if that one broke then she still had her feet! Song arose with an icy passion that spread out in waves from beneath her feet. Ice crawled up her child-like body in the form of a warrior''s armor. A helmet that hid any traces of the adorable face she had and replaced it with the stern seriousness of a fighter, a pair of icy gauntlets radiating such concentrated frost energy that it could freeze fire itself, and an aura of frost qi that was capable of freezing one''s blood to a crippling halt.


    "This isn''t over yet." She glared at Ying.


    "We have your back Song!" The other Fearsome Garden girls stood behind Song, ready to defend their home with their dying breath.


    "Don''t drag me down!" She yelled at them.


    "I might have to use my sword this time around..." Ying said as she saw the large group of disciples running towards her.

 Chapter 144 - 138: They Were Annoying.

    "Grass Spirit, it''s time to prove your worth!" Ying felt her connection with the Grass Spirit inside her Void World.


    She reached inside her sword''s mouth and called out the millions of grass blades invasively growing inside her world. The grass blades started to flow outside of Hao Gang and flew towards the incoming Fearsome Garden girls as if they were thousands of tiny daggers. Some disciples stopped their charge to defend themselves from the grass but there was no need to. Ying threw out her palm and stopped the grass as they were flying and planted them across the ruined and broken floor. In no time, they took root and the mansion was filled with grass. Like an old and broken-down manor with algae and plants growing inside it.


    "I''ll take her on. Just follow up behind me!" Song yelled as she ran towards Ying, ignorant of the grass.


    Ying already gave them a chance to live by coming to talk in the first place. After refusing her polite actions, it was their own fault that she had to deal with them now. She was starting to think that Bing and Lei were having an effect on her. If it was before she met them, she wouldn''t have tried to talk with the Roses at all. The old Ying would''ve marched right up those stairs and broke that damn door down to talk to Meihu.


    As the Fearsome Garden members were about to reach Ying, suddenly they all felt a piercing pain stab through their feet. Ying''s hand gestured in the air as the grass started to grow in height from her qi. The grass began to wrap around the cultivators and draining them of their fluids. Not even Song was spared from the grasp of the plant. After Ying gave her fire qi to the greenery burned ablaze, its blades were hot enough to melt her ice armor and strong enough to hold all of them in place.


    "It burns! It burns!"


    "Ahh!!! Song help us!"


    "The energy in my body is leaving me! Song save us!"


    In no time, the disciples were swiftly taken care of without a single chance to resist. All of their martial arts were useless when being drained of their qi and bodily fluids. Their life-saving treasures only delayed the inevitable as they still weren''t strong enough to break free of the grass without an absurd amount of physical strength. The pain of burning alive while being sucked dry was too much for most of them to bear but it wasn''t as if they could just faint and tune out the pain. That doesn''t exactly work when you''re being burned alive.


    Song was forced to hear the dying screams and pleading from the Petals under her. They were all counting on her to do something. It didn''t matter what, just anything! Her qi was almost nearly drained and the skin on her body was already turning darker. It seems she had no choice but to use the magical treasure she found within the Treasured Plains unless she wanted them all to die without landing a single hit on their enemy. Song brought out the deep purple apple-shaped fruit from her storage ring and took a large bite.


    It only took a single second before a white flash came over everyone. Frost qi erupted from Song''s figure and froze everything inside the house! No disciple was spared from being frozen. All of the grass grown inside were killed on contact with this bone-chilling freezing qi. Song could feel the heartbeats of the Petals behind her, meaning that they were still alive. But along with the Petals, Ying was also still alive.


    Despite Song focusing most of her frost qi directly at her. Song shattered the grass still hanging on to her and walked over to the frozen Ying. The frost qi flowing through her body was amplified by that fruit. It wasn''t a stretch to say that she was in the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm if you were measuring her power right now. In regards to qi strength anyway.


    "Penguin''s Chop." Song''s hand took the form of a frost blade with a concentrated amount of frost qi centered around it.


    Ying''s eyes stared directly at Song while she was trapped inside the ice. She was starting to regret being so merciful earlier. Maybe having Bing and Lei rub off on her wasn''t such a good thing. If she used her sword from the beginning, they would''ve been chopped in half in no time and she would''ve been behind that door by now. None of this crap that''s making her use more energy than she needed to. Wan Qing''s words from before still float around in her head about not underestimating her opponents. Meihu couldn''t have become the leader of a clan like this for so long without having some strength or trick to her name.


    "Die!" Song smiled a cruel grin as her hand came soaring toward Ying''s midsection.


    Crack! Crack! Crack! The ice entombing Ying shattered into pieces just from her brute strength alone. She used the blunt end of Hao''s body to block the girl''s palm, causing Song''s to break all the bones in her hand. The muffled scream of hers was soon silenced by Ying''s follow-up attack. A simple punch with all her strength behind it to the chest.


    Song was sent flying through the doors of the mansion all the way outside with her rib cage completely shattered. Turning her back on the barely alive but still suffering shorty, Ying made her way up the stairs to deal with Meihu. She already knew there was no negotiating about having her faction come under theirs after what she just did to her people. Her task has just switched from a negotiation to total annihilation. Now she just had to prepare herself for a simple one on one fight.


    As Ying was about to break down the giant doors, a question came to her mind. Why hasn''t Meihu come out of this room even once? Most of the entrance area was destroyed and there were all kinds of sounds coming from it earlier. Did she trust her followers that much? To deal with whatever problem that showed up at their front door?


    "Whatever." Ying broke down the door with a single punch and her question was answered very quickly.


    It turns out Meihu was simply in the middle of cultivating. Ying held her giant sword over her shoulder and thought about how easy it would be to separate her broad shoulders from her neck. All it would take was a casual swing with Hao and her business here would be finished. She would get her rewards from Jing and could spend the rest of the time training for the Grand Tournament.


    "Get up and fight with me." Ying gently tapped the cultivating girl''s forehead with her knuckle.


    Her eyes slowly opened up. The confusion stretching itself across her face was understandable. Neither of these two women have ever met face to face before. It looks like Meihu was on the verge of breaking into the Qi Consolidation realm before she rudely interrupted her. Her attempt wasn''t completely wasted as she''s a half-step inside the Qi Consolidation realm.


    "Who are you?" She glared.


    "Go look out the door and then come back and talk with me. It''ll be easier for you to understand." Ying told her.


    Meihu did as she suggested and the next moment Ying saw her, she was flying towards her with pure rage and hatred in her eyes. Ying reacted the same way she did when Song tried that. She blocked using the blunt side of her sword and waited to see Meihu break her hand. But surprisingly, Ying was pushed back by her strength! The Pig Mistress of the Outer Court forced Ying backwards with just her fist!


    The surprise Ying felt after being knocked back wasn''t small! She considered herself one of the strongest disciples in the Outer Court in terms of physical strength. Seeing that someone had similar strength to her was something she could say she definitely didn''t expect. But that didn''t mean she was completely caught off guard. Ying didn''t come here believing that one of the head of the 3 top factions in the Outer Court would be a pushover.


    "Why did you do it?" Meihu asked, shaking the numbness out of her fist.


    "I got annoyed." Ying answered honestly. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/scp-gacha-system-in-a-cultivation-world_11680669705480205/chapter-138-they-were-annoying._51187388105408665">/book/scp-gacha-system-in-a-cultivation-world_11680669705480205/chapter-138-they-were-annoying._51187388105408665</a> for visiting.


    "So, you ruin all my years of hard work just because you were annoyed?" Meihu''s killing intent rose even higher.


    Ying could only shrug. It wasn''t like she wanted things to turn out like this. She wanted things to end on a good note. That way she could save her strength and keep training for the Grand Tournament. But they had to be annoying and couldn''t just let her speak to Meihu. Seriously, it made no sense to her why they didn''t just let her have a small chat with Meihu. They could''ve just told her she was cultivating! Coming back at a later time would''ve been perfectly fine for her.


    "Don''t expect to leave this place alive." Meihu''s qi rose to epic proportions.


    "I won''t hold back either." Ying held her greatsword with both hands in a proper sword stance.

 Chapter 145 - 139: They Were Annoying 2.

    The two fighters moved at the same time. Both intending to end the other in one strike. Neither cultivator holding back in their attacks. Meihu''s fist glowed with a bright blue energy. Ying''s sword split the air as it came slashing downwards to Meihu''s figure. A shockwave from their clash blew away the furniture in the room but neither fighter was blown away.


    Ying held a slight advantage over Meihu in terms of physical strength but this did not mean that the battle was over already. Meihu reared back her other fist and struck Ying''s blade. Repeated punches to the sword forced Ying backwards but did not weaken her grip on her sword. The speed of her punches also made it hard for Ying to strike back. But this wasn''t something that made Ying worry.


    If you wanted to meet her head on with an aggressive offensive style, she''d meet you blow for blow. She altered her stance and began to use her second style from the Giant Blade Manual. Meihu wasn''t oblivious to the change in Ying''s demeanor. She swiftly halted her rapid punches and carefully watched for the slightest opening in Ying''s stance. Moving With The Blade was not a purely defensive style despite what Meihu might be thinking.


    Meihu was in quite for the surprise when Ying brought her sword swinging from the side, seemingly looking like a wild swing. The Pig Mistress of the Outer Court jumped away from the slash and watched as Ying was sent in a fast spin from the weight of her heavy sword. Ying slowly closed in after Meihu while spinning and it stumped her. She never encountered something like this in a fight.


    Ying was sent flying in the air after Meihu smashed the ground underneath her. She recovered by landing feet first on the ceiling and spinning downward with her giant blade like a wheel. To combat against this deadly move, her opponent concentrated most of her qi within her fist and jumped upwards with a powerful uppercut. The result of the two moves caused another shockwave to blast outward, this time causing cracks to appear throughout the room.


    "Who in the world are you?" Meihu gritted her teeth as she was forced into the ground.


    "A member of the Yue Family." Ying answered with pride.


    Ying''s sword knocked Meihu through the floor and both of them began to fall through it. Meihu''s brain raced to see if she could dig up any memories involving a Yue Family. When nothing came up, she could only stare up at Ying in confusion. What the hell is a Yue Family and when did they get someone as talented as this on their side?! A 9th stage Qi Gatherer doesn''t just pop up out of nowhere! Her girls would''ve long investigated someone about to reach the 9th stage and informed her about it. And there was no way anyone in the Outer Court could''ve escaped detection from her faction.


    "It pisses me off! I don''t understand where you came from and why you''re even here!!!"


    As they were falling, Meihu qi condensed itself into a dark blue aura around her body that enhanced her strength even further. She kicked at the air and jumped into Ying''s space, bringing her fist back to slug her right in her face. Ying smiled as fire engulfed her body and swallowed her and her sword. The massive blade turned into a collective mass of flames and Ying turned into the embodiment of fire. Her hair turned ablaze, the robes she was wearing became a flame dress that clung tightly to her figure, and her eyes burned with a mix between orange and blue flames.


    With just a wave of her palm, Meihu was sent blasting off into the kitchen below. She let out an ear-piercing scream before shooting back towards Ying. Ying was already ready for the incoming attack after seeing how her last attack didn''t leave any marks on Meihu. Her greatsword was thrust forward and collided with the Pig Mistress''s fist. The tip of Hao stabbed into her fist slightly but getting past that highly concentrated qi was not easy.


    The two sent each other blasting off with their nearly equal strength. Ying flying back into Meihu''s room and Meihu crashing back down into the kitchen.


    "Let''s see how you handle this!" Ying rose Hao high above her shoulders and slashed down with a great swing.


    A flaming sword slash came flying towards Meihu.


    "If I don''t kill you, everything I''ve worked for would''ve been pointless! All the bonds I made with my girls were erased just like that! I have nothing now! And you are the reason! I will stop at nothing to make sure you are dead." Meihu''s qi cloak started draining into her fist. She struck out with an uppercut that sent a flying fist made of qi and wind towards Ying.


    "It''s not my fault things turned out like this. I wanted to talk things out." Ying shrugged.


    "Shut it!" Meihu couldn''t believe something like that.


    An explosion that destroyed even more of the mansion formed when their qi attacks met. Smoke, debris, and flames filled the area. Ying and Meihu stared each other down despite the conditions. They both readied themselves for real start of this fight. And then within the blink of an eye, they both disappeared when the smoke cleared.


    "Just die!" Meihu''s fist came barreling towards Ying.


    "I''m not going to die just because you want me to! Stupid!" Ying''s sword slashed with a destructive and fiery passion.


    An arm went flying after their clash. At the sound of it falling to the ground, an enraged screech rang out. Soon followed by the sounds of someone eating. Ying turned her head to see Meihu pigging out on several spirit items from her storage ring. She could sense that her already admirable qi was exploding into something far greater.


    Before she could even react, she felt something impact her face and the sight of the Fearsome Garden''s mansion flying away from her in the distance. Ying soon realized that she was sent flying all the way into the Immortal Forest and that punch really freaking hurt! Meihu soon arrived right in front of her face and gut punched her far into the sky. The grieving leader kicked off the air multiple times to catch up to Ying''s flying body.


    "Your body won''t be able to handle this..." Ying''s two front teeth were knocked out as she told this to Meihu.


    Meihu was above her ready to slam her fist in Ying''s unprotected belly once more.


    "Right now, nothing matters more to me than ending your life." She knocked Ying downward.


    Ying flew like a shooting star from space down onto the earth below. Heaven''s Angels only swordsman crashed with such an impact that it uprooted some of the giant trees around her. As she was getting back up on her feet, she looked up to see her opponent coming down at her like a lightning bolt from the heavens. Hao Gang was held on the right side of her waist as she readied herself to strike at the perfect moment.


    "Mountain Cleaving Slash!" She cried out.


    A sword strike with enough power to crack Bing''s shield met with Meihu''s remaining fist. Her knuckle split halfway from the blade cutting through it but Ying wasn''t left unharmed. The force from Meihu''s attack combined with gravity and the wind pressure snuffed her flames out momentarily and injured her internal organs. Meihu forced herself to block out the pain as she grabbed Ying''s blade with her hand nearly split in half.


    Her feet came swinging towards Ying who released her grip from her sword to avoid the lethal blow that would''ve took her head clean off before responding back with an earth-shattering punch in Meihu''s gut. Meihu was sent flying away as Ying quickly grabbed her sword once again and instantly took after the flying pig. Ying followed after the broken trees and came slashing down when she saw Meihu''s lying figure. A position she didn''t decide to stay in for long as she got back into the fight in no time with little to no damages shown from any of Ying''s attacks.


    Meihu leapt towards Ying and kicked out with her leg with enough force to slow down Ying''s momentum from above. Ying''s flames suddenly took on an icy-blue coloring as she fired a beam of flames from her eyes. These blue flames landed straight on Meihu''s chest and almost instantly its power was seen. Ice began forming on her chest underneath the flames.


    Ying used Meihu''s slight moment of confusion to maneuver past her kick and brought her sword down on the next available limb in sight. Meihu''s furrowed brows made her missing leg only seem like an inconvenience at most. She ignored the ice and flames coating her body as she did everything in her power to kill Ying. Punch after punch, kick after kick, everything was spent injuring and wounding Ying. Even though she was missing an arm and a leg, it was as if they were only holding her back this entire time.


    Somehow her skill was rising as the battle continued, leaving Ying with further and further injuries. This made her realize that the shadow in her Void World wasn''t enough to practice on. Only real life-or-death battles like this could truly raise her martial arts to their true potential. Ying''s mind slowly calmed and focused itself as her battle with Meihu continued. The true strength hidden within her sword style could finally reveal itself. Meihu was burning all of her remaining life force just to kill Ying. Ying didn''t look down on her determination to place everything on this battle. She gave her everything she had.


    And with a single thrust through the chest, the battle was finally over. The Fearsome Garden was completely destroyed in a single day without any survivors remaining in the sect. An orange haired girl with a large demonic sword in her hands could be seen lying on her back in the middle of the Immortal Forest with several life-threatening wounds on her body. A dark-skinned young girl with a plain face stood over the girl''s body and crouched down.


    "It looks like I won..." She tried to laugh but only coughed blood.


    "Well done. I didn''t think Meihu would be such a challenge for you."


    "She was strong... Very strong..."


    "Here are your rewards for successfully completing your task." She was handed a golden ring, a familiar pill, and an orange orb.


    "Do you think you could feed that pill to me? I can''t move a single part of my body."


    "Sure." She dropped the pill in Ying''s mouth and as she chewed it, her wounds began rapidly recovering.


    "Thank you."


    "Are you going to tell me what this stuff does?" Ying grabbed the ring and warm orb.


    "It''s more fun if I don''t." Jing smiled.


    "Heh. I guess that''s just like you." Ying chuckled.


    "Now all we have to deal with now is Huan Clan." Jing stood up.


    "What about the Wolfeng Gang?" Ying asked.


    "They''re already dealt with. For now, you can do whatever you like. This is a great achievement you''ve done for me. You can rest."


    "What about the Fearsome Garden disciples that were out of the sect?" Ying brought up.


    "You''ve taken care of their most prominent members. It matters not."


    "I guess I''ll go find out what my rewards are. You coming?" Ying asked.


    "Don''t forget to check your surroundings before going there. That place is not something that others can know about." Jing reminded her.


    "Oh, that''s right. Sorry, that fight took a lot out of me. My body feels perfect but my brain is still catching up."


    "Always be wary." Jing vanished with a talisman, leaving Ying and Hao all alone. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="/book/scp-gacha-system-in-a-cultivation-world_11680669705480205/chapter-139-they-were-annoying-2._51246786160949917">/book/scp-gacha-system-in-a-cultivation-world_11680669705480205/chapter-139-they-were-annoying-2._51246786160949917</a> for visiting.


    "Do you think she has ever been in a situation like that before?"


    Hao shared his feelings with her.


    "I guess it would take someone really strong to force her into a position like that. I don''t even know how truly strong BLEEP is in the first place. She''s been at the 9th stage for so long but everyone already knows that her true strength far surpasses that. I wonder how she''s going to be accounted for at the Grand Tournament... It might be fun to fight her. If that mutt can spar with her, then surely she could ask sometime too. Even Qing sparred with her during her training." Ying thought to herself.


    "I''ll need a strong training partner in preparation for the tournament. Qing had to have been overestimating the training BLEEP put her through. It couldn''t possibly be that tough." Ying scoffed.

 Chapter 146 - 140: A Little A.d.u.l.tery Here... Some Planning There...

    Before meeting with Ying, Jing was busy with a few things. After Wen''s report, she dressed herself and got ready to meet with Prince Jun. She''s made her choice on how she wants to accomplish the mission given to her by the system regarding Fu Kang. There were a couple of ways she could go about this. What Jing cared about most at this point was future potential. Right now, she didn''t need much. However, down the line that would change greatly. Jun had the potential of becoming a king and marrying into royalty. Fu Kang was an unknown who most likely didn''t have any connections to anyone in high places. Liu Lan was a princess.


    Killing Fu Kang herself would only give her great luck at the cost of getting on the gods'' bad side but if she made a future king indebted to her with great luck, just how much could she use that? It would almost be the same as having an entire kingdom to herself, wouldn''t it? A kingdom in one hand, a prospering city in the other, and a whole sect for herself? It all sounded so great, Jing couldn''t help but laugh aloud to herself. All of it would be under her thumb to do with as she pleased. As long as she handled Tang and Jun carefully, they should be like putty in her hands. Both were simple boys with strength and love on their mind. If she manipulated their loved ones, it should be quite easy to use them like pieces on a board.


    "Xiao Hong and Liu Lan..." Jing and everyone else in the Outer Court already knew of Tang and Jun''s women.


    They were both very vocal about it and those wishing to kiss up to them did their part in making sure everyone knew it. No boys approached either girls with feelings of love or admiration. Lest they wanted to be ganged up by those who wanted to get in either prodigy''s good books. Some boys explicitly went out of their way to avoid approaching Xiao or Liu at all costs. Attracting trouble at an important time like this was something most people wanted to avoid.


    ''I''ll need eyes on both them. Wen is doing a decent job but he is only one person. He cannot be everywhere at once. I''ll have to use one of my hundreds of puppets at the Wolfeng Gang to gain information on them.'' Jing decided.


    Jing placed her mask on and changed her figure into a masculine one. An elegant, sharp, and handsome man now stood in her home. A man with a not so serious demeanor and took life as if it was his own personal game. But time from time, he would reveal the depths of his hidden power if anyone forced him. He drew a talisman from his cuffed sleeves and vanished.


    Jing appeared on the roof of Elder Mo''s residence and silently made her way to Jun''s room. By now, she''s already memorized where Tang and Jun slept. She calmly made her way through his window without caring about his current circ.u.mstances. It would''ve been amusing to see him frantically react but a cultivator at his stage couldn''t hope to sense Jing unless they had unparallel talent in sensing souls. He was still unaware that she''s even stepped into his room as she hasn''t made a single sound yet. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#...-some-planning-there..._51292959206860423">#...-some-planning-there..._51292959206860423</a> for visiting.


    Jing created a fancy chair made out of water and with a clap of her hands, revealed herself to Jun.


    "Oh Prince Jun! It looks like you handled your side of the deal very well. I would commend you but from what people say, it was hardly a strenuous battle for you at all." He smiled behind his mask.


    Gong Jun''s response to this sudden intrusion within his room was to grab the nearest sword and point it in the direction of the intruder. His grip and killing intent relaxed once he recognized who it was.


    "Of course the only person willing to break into the home of a Head Elder would be you..." He softly laughed to himself. Feeling a bit embarrassed for overreacting like that.


    "I wouldn''t call it as such but we all have our own perspectives."


    "I have a question before you answer my question from before."


    "I might not be able to answer it if it involves your junior brother." He grinned.


    "So, you were the one to give him that boomerang..." Jun already knew it in his heart.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." The masked gentlemen didn''t reveal anything.


    "What would it take for you to give me a weapon of equal standing?" Behind his handsome and gentle eyes, Jing could see a craving for power and an absolute fixation to surpass his junior brother.


    "Before we talk about making another deal, let''s deal with the one we started with first." He changed the direction of the conversation.


    "The man you''re looking for is a disciple named Fu Kang." He revealed.


    "I knew it!" Jun sliced his bed in half in his rage.


    The previous calm, well-mannered, and gentle prince was no longer standing in front of Jing. A man who kept his true self deeply hidden from the world could finally surface. This man was not the man fitting the image of someone from the Gong Clan or the future prince of the Jianhong kingdom. It was a man surrounded deeply in hatred, cruelty, and blood. Willing to kill those for the slightest aggressions towards himself. Willing to eradicate an entire ancestry just for a slight one made against him. His sword radiating in qi so dense that it held the potential to shake the air itself.


    "That worthless piece of trash dared to have thoughts about my woman!? Just simply breaking all the bones in his body won''t be enough to satisfy my rage. I''ll tear him limb from limb and just as he''s on the verge of dying, I''ll save him just to throw him into the Immortal Forest to be eaten alive by the spirit beasts!"


    "Right now, he''s current in Princess Lan''s abode. If you make it in time, you could catch him." Jing continued to harmlessly smile.


    In no time at all, Jun sliced his door apart and ran towards Princess Lan''s home. Jing couldn''t let Jun meet with Fu Kang as he was now. Fu Kang would be torn apart in seconds if he met with Gong Jun with his current strength. If Jing wanted things to go absolutely perfectly, she needed to have Fu Kang somehow completely dominate Jun. Then he would come crawling to her, ready to do anything at all to win against the man who cucked him. If not, then his reputation would spiral into the dirt, his achievements would be worth nothing, and his future would be destroyed.


    Jing teleported with a spell and silently appeared inside Liu Lan''s home. Just in time to see Fu Kang giving it to her from behind with all their clothes off. Their qi was intertwining with each other, helping both Kang and Liu benefit from this. Physically and spiritually, both of them grew in strength from this passionate act. Liu''s illness was slowly being taken care of by Kang''s powerful qi while the injuries he suffered from before were being healed by Princess Lan''s.


    Seeing this would without a doubt push a genius like Jun just barely over the edge. While the defeat from Kang would send him all the way over it. Jing pulled out five sky-ranked talismans and slapped each one onto Fu Kang''s n.a.k.e.d back. Each talisman linked together using the fifth talisman as the conduit for them to form the array and vanished as if they were never placed in the first place. Fu Kang roared out as his body began to shift and grow thanks to the array. Princess Lan screamed in mind-numbing pleasure as Kang''s member continued to go in and outside of her at an increased pace with even more fervor. His qi, body, and power were growing into something that his old self couldn''t compare to. Powerful bulging muscles threatened to burst from his body. By the time his transformation was finished, Princess Lan''s illness was completely cured and she fainted on his p.e.n.i.s while continually c.u.m.m.i.n.g.


    "What just happened to me?" He looked down at the unconscious Liu twitching.


    Jing hid herself as Fu pulled out of Princess Lan and took a look at his new body. He didn''t bother cleaning up the princess or placing a cover over her nude body. Instead, he began posing and talking to himself in the mirror like a lunatic. Well, a scene like this would only help her current plans. Princess Lan won''t be able to excuse her infidelity in her current state, Fu Kang would surely defend himself from Gong Jun, and Gong Jun would do everything in his power to murder Fu Kang.


    ''Now it''s time to just sit back and enjoy the show.'' She giggled.


    "Fu Kang! Reveal yourself and I will promise to send your remains to your family!" Gong Jun sliced apart Liu''s door and saw everything that was inside. Liu''s undignified position with her everything out in the open. Fu Kang n.a.k.e.dly admiring himself in the mirror. But the worst of all was the various fluids dripping from Liu''s v.a.g.i.n.a and Kang''s wet p.e.n.i.s.


    A silent snap went off inside his head and then everything went black for Gong Jun.

 Chapter 147 - 141: Lucky and Jun.

    "It looks like Fu Kang suddenly stumbled upon some great fortune that greatly increased his strength from the Treasured Plains, Prince Jun. How exactly are you going to deal with the man that made you a cuckold and handle that unfaithful fianc¨¦e you are engaged to?" The masked man whimsically asked, almost giddy at the prospects of what''s to come.


    "I have never begged anyone for anything in my life." Gong Jun was wrapped up in bandages. His future was nearly severed in one battle. If it wasn''t for the timely assistance by Tang Wuying, he would''ve lost his life on the doorsteps of Elder Mo''s mansion.


    "Never asked anyone for anything I didn''t believe I couldn''t obtain myself. I never took someone''s gift that I knew I couldn''t repay back." He continued on. "But after what I experienced and saw today... I have no other option."


    Gong Jun forced himself out of his bed despite the massive injuries his body sustained in his fight with Fu Kang. His wounds reopened and blood seeped onto his bandages, coloring them dark red. Jun did not care at all for the state of his body and if he did, he surely didn''t show it. The masked man kept a constant grin on his face as he saw what Gong Jun was doing. Jing almost couldn''t help herself from getting wet. Everything was lining up so perfectly! She barely had to do anything and Prince Jun was already ready to come under her thumb.


    He bowed his cute handsome little head on his knees.


    "Please give me the power I need to fulfil my goals." Jun asked with full sincerity.


    "Ohohoho. What you''re asking for my dear boy is not any small favor. Surely you know this, right?" If Jing''s smile could stretch any wider, it''d probably rearrange her entire face.


    "I am willing to give anything. More than what Tang gave you for his weapon. I''ll even give you my body and soul if need be. If I cannot pay back the shame that''s been dealt to me, then I feel I will never be able to progress in my cultivation with a heart demon as terrible as this. The humiliation I''ve suffered is something that will follow me for my entire life if I don''t do anything to solve it."


    Jing has thoroughly soaked her underwear at these words. There was simply no way that this situation could turn out better.


    "You are willing to place yourself in debt to me?" The joy in her voice couldn''t be hidden. "A man whose origins, power, and goals are all unknown to you. I could harbor negative feelings towards the people closest to you. My goal just might be the destruction of the Golden Serpent Sect from the inside. Would you still be willing to give yourself to me just for the sake of strength?" Her eyes seemingly turned into a swirling vortex. One that promised a future that no one could possibly predict. Eyes that tempted Gong Jun into wanting some of that chaotic power hidden inside them for himself.


    In Gong Jun''s view, those eyes promised him something he could never gain on his own. Master Mo might be a Head Elder, but he was far too annoying to deal with. The things his disciples gained from him were things they had to work for. Ever since Tang got his strange weapon, Jung has worked his hardest to acquire a sky-ranked sword from Master Mo. Even now, he was no closer to attaining it than when the stubborn man first told him what he needed to accomplish.


    "I am willing." He struggled to nod his head from his injuries.


    "Then let''s seal the deal with a contract that can''t be broken by anyone! Probably not even the Sect Leader!" The masked man happily announced.


    With a flashy twirl and a clap of his hands, a long white scroll appeared floating in the middle of his hands. Gong Jun watched as the scroll unrolled itself towards him. On it relayed a long text of words that explained exactly what Jun was getting himself into. It would probably take him a couple minutes to read it but he didn''t even take a second! He scrawled his name in blood without hesitation and after signing it, felt a grip deep in his body. This grip tightened and nearly crushed him with its power if he considered going back on the deal he just made with the masked man. An innate primal fear within his soul shivered when it felt that grip. Jun knew that unless he wanted to suffer the worst fate imaginable, he shouldn''t go back on this deal with the masked man.


    "Hahahahaha! You crazy boy! Signing your soul away to some man you don''t even know!? I can''t even call you crazy at this point, can I? You''re down right insane!" He laughed without restraint. "And I love it! Don''t you worry about a thing Jun my boy! That little fianc¨¦e-stealing punk and two-timing woman of yours won''t know what hit them! After you take some of my wares, you''ll be a whole new man!" His laughter seemingly echoed throughout the entire mansion but there were no signs of anyone coming to his room even with all the noise.


    "Now let''s see. Let''s see. Get up for a second." The man flicked a pill down his throat that instantly melted on his tongue into a delicious flavor that made him think of cooked chicken for some reason.


    "Like it? It''s a new recipe. I plan on showing the book to one of my other customers." He smiled.


    Gong Jun rose from the ground and could feel that his body was completely healed! What kind of miraculous pill could bring someone back from a state like that? Jun knew that the cost of such a pill would probably be enough to buy a medium-sized sect or a declining large-sized sect! He may have let his emotions get the better of him by signing away his life but seeing that the masked man was able to produce a pill like that and give it away so easily. Maybe it wasn''t such a bad choice to ally himself with someone like this...


    "What should I call you?" Jun asked.


    "You can call me Lucky, Prince Jun. Now I heard you were a swordsman but how would you feel if I gave you something that wasn''t a sword?" Lucky asked.


    "My talent lies solely in the way of the sword. Is it impossible to have it be a sword?"


    "Now now, don''t start doubting me already. My wares run deep. I have treasures that you couldn''t even imagine in a thousand years." Lucky confidently boasted.


    "What do you think about this?" Lucky revealed a human-sized green skull made of jelly on top of his palm.


    "???" Was Jun''s only response.


    "Oops. That wasn''t supposed to happen. Uh.. Give me a second." Lucky turned around and looked to be doing something to the skull that Jun wasn''t allowed to see.


    "Tada! How about this?" In his hands now gripped an oddly shaped jelly sword.


    "??????" His confusion intensified.


    "Now, I know what you''re thinking but have you forgotten who I am?" Lucky asked with a grin.


    "I do not doubt the prowess of your wares.." He told hold of the Jelly Sword and instantly felt a connection with the sword.


    Its power went straight to his dantian and made itself home inside. Bringing with it a new type of qi that took over his old qi. Jun understood that he now held a unique qi just like Little Tang. His capabilities with this new sword of his was probably just as great. He just had to find out exactly what it could do.


    "Don''t get too excited boy! I''m not done just yet! Even with that very fine sword of yours, you still wouldn''t be able to win against that boy. But with this little book right here that fits perfectly with your sword! You''ll stand more than a chance." A book floated above his palm.


    "Infinite Jelly Style?" Jun read the title of the book.


    "It fits perfectly with your current sword style, don''t you think?" Lucky tossed the book on Jun''s bed.


    "And with this, I''ll be able to rid the humiliation I feel in my heart?" Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._51340504494826624">#._51340504494826624</a> for visiting.


    "If it isn''t, I''ll erase our deal and you can keep the sword and its sword art. Sounds fair enough right?"


    "Let me go prepare myself to get my revenge. I must learn this sword and how to properly use it."


    "Have fun Prince Jun! We''ll be in touch..." Lucky''s voice got deeper at the end of his sentence as he disappeared from Jun''s room as if he was never there in the first place.


    Jing reappeared in her home and took off her mask. If it wasn''t for the message she just received from Ying, she would''ve immediately called Ju Ju to her home. The joy she felt seeing everything turn out exactly how she wanted? It was too incredible to describe. But Jing wasn''t too far gone just yet. She knew that everything wouldn''t be done until Fu Kang was killed by Gong Jun. His life may be in her hands now but that didn''t mean his heart was.


    The boost Jing gave Fu Kang was incredibly powerful. His qi, physique, bloodline, and everything was enhanced by at least 3 times with the support-type array she placed on him. However, its effects weren''t permanent. The qi required to activate the transformation was massive. So, Jing was quite surprised that he managed to hold it so long in his fight with Jun. He must practice a good cultivation or auxiliary martial art that gives him a lot more qi than others. But regardless, Jing was confident that Jun could deal with him. A sword and a sword art refined on very fine? As long as Jun took the time to learn how to use his new sword, he wouldn''t have a single issue in their fight.


    "Let''s see how well you''ve done Ying." Jing walked out her home towards the Immortal Forest.

 Chapter 148 - 142: Taking A Trip To Dragon City.

    "Alright, let''s get this shit over with." Hu Tao sighed.


    He scratched his chest as he stood in front of Jie, staring at him with a look of disappointment and regret. Hu Tao couldn''t help but smirking after seeing the look on her face. It only reminded him of the fact that when you''re truly desperate, you''ll do anything for help. Her only hope for her family or herself was him, a person she hated with all her guts. That was hilarious as hell to him.


    "Follow me." She turned around and got ready to move but Hu Tao''s words stopped her.


    "Nah. Hop on and just point me in the direction." Hu Tao took out his cloud from his storage ring and had it swipe him from under his feet.


    "I didn''t know you had something as valuable as this..." Jie muttered, impressed at the sight of his flying treasure.


    "There''s a lot of things you don''t know about me. Now hop on and let''s get going before I change my mind." He yawned.


    Jie carefully climbed onto the cloud and sat next to Hu Tao. Scared to put her full weight on it out of fear of falling straight through. Hu Tao would''ve felt like teasing her but he was tired as hell. He just woke up a little while ago after his morning training with the shadow. You''d think that would''ve woke him up but Jing''s milk bath thing knocked him out cold. By soaking himself in it after training or a fight, Jing said it would promote the recovery of physical, mental, and spiritual fatigue while at the same time, giving healthier, smoother, and more radiant skin. That wasn''t all it did either! Lastly, it also strengthened those who got inside of it injured.


    Multiple fights broke out over who got to use it at certain times. Wan Qing, Ying, and Jing were the most vicious when deciding. Jing, of course, would''ve went first if they decided on strength alone but that would''ve been too unfair. They regularly thought of different methods of combat to decide who would get to go inside the bath. Rock Paper Scissors, coin flipping, races, all types of stuff just to choose who could get in. Once Jing described what the Heavenly Milk Bath could do, no one wanted to give up their chance to use it immediately. And once you stripped and got inside that milky white liquid, you''d never want to leave for the next several hours.


    "Do you know where Dragon City is?" Jie asked.


    "Ah, yeah. I almost got my head chopped off there. Is that where the guys I gotta fight are?"


    "Yes. My family was forced into marrying me off to one of our rivals'' heir as an act of submission to them. I ran away and joined the Golden Serpent Sect in hopes of hiding but they somehow found me and threatened to eliminate my family if I don''t return."


    "Next time I ask a simple question, just answer with a simple answer. All I needed was the yes." Hu Tao yawned again while scratching his perfectly ripped abs.


    Jie inhaled with her nose and exhaled in an irritated manner. She knew he didn''t care about her or what she was going through but did he have to make it so obvious how much he didn''t care? Honestly, she would''ve preferred it if he lied to her and said he does care about the situation she was in and her family. Then she wouldn''t feel so terrible about asking him for help.


    "So, you want me to kill your fianc¨¦, huh? I don''t think I can kill the daddy though." Hu Tao grinned.


    "No. Killing him would be nice but that''s not what I need you to do. I need you to weaken their forces so that my family aren''t suppressed by their numbers anymore." Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._51407522375980988">#._51407522375980988</a> for visiting.


    "Fight as many as I can? Now this is starting to sound fun. If their head does come out though, just know that if your daddy or mommy ain''t there to deal with him for me, I''m out." Hu Tao stated up front.


    "I will speak to them when we arrive. They probably won''t believe me at first so, you might have to spar with my father."


    "How strong is he?"


    "Strong..."


    "If I accidentally kill your dad, you can''t get mad at me." He told her beforehand.


    "I don''t think you need to worry about that." She smiled. "My father is pretty strong."


    Soon, they arrived above Dragon City. Hu Tao lowered his cloud to one of the city entrances and both of them paid their way in. Jie led the way forward while Hu Tao rested his arms behind his head while the walked. He thought about flying through the city from overhead but already knew that the forces lying in the city would be on him faster than he could react. As a Qi Consolidator, he still wasn''t anything special in the world of cultivators. For them they were still little chicks until they reached the Core Preparation stage. The City Lord''s forces would be able to kill him with a fart if they wanted to as of now. Well, a fart infused with qi.


    "This city really changed since the last time I was almost killed here. It doesn''t look like shit anymore." Hu Tao conversated.


    "It has also been a long time since I''ve seen this place too but it still feels just like home..." Warmth filled Jie''s chest.


    "Home huh?" A strange look appeared in Hu Tao''s eyes.


    Jie wondered what was his home like. Who were his parents? And how the hell did they raise such a child so terribly? Their parenting was so bad, Jie wanted to slap them more than once for what they brought into this world.


    "My family''s building is over here. I''ll go in first. It''ll probably take a while to calm them all down and to explain the situation to them. I haven''t returned home since I left." Jie explained.


    "Whatever." Hu Tao posted up on the side of the building and crossed his arms.


    "I''ll be back as soon as I can. Please don''t go anywhere." She begged.


    "Just f.u.c.k.i.n.g go already!" He yelled. She started walking in but before she completely passed through the doors, took one last pleading look at Hu Tao. Then disappeared inside the building.


    "What an annoying bitch." Hu Tao muttered. "To think I''m doing all this crap for some ass..."


    "Hey there Uncle. I never seen you around here before." Some street rat walked up to him.


    "I don''t got any money kid. Beat it." Hu Tao responded.


    "I don''t want any money, Uncle. I pass by the Su family''s building every day and I''ve never seen someone like you before."


    "Good. Then get out of my face and leave already."


    "Do you have any food Uncle?" A piece of spirit beast meat slapped the kid right in the face.


    "Now get." The kid bowed his head in thanks as he ripped into the meat like a starving pup.


    That cooked beast meat didn''t stand a chance against that kid''s ravenous appetite. He could barely tear into it with his mortal baby teeth but that didn''t stop him from sucking the juices and licking the meat. It kind of reminded Hu Tao of how he used to be when he was younger. The kid was a little bit uglier than he used to be but that didn''t matter all that much. After finishing his gift, he walked off with his protruding belly down the street before quickly hobbling back after seeing something and trying to hide behind Hu Tao''s leg.


    "What the hell? Get off me you little rat."


    "Sorry Uncle! You don''t mind being generous and helping me again, do you?!" He fiercely hung onto Hu Tao''s pants.


    Two burly men looked at Hu Tao with the scared child behind him.


    "We don''t want to trouble you, sir. We just want the kid." They politely explained.


    "Take the little rat, I don''t give a shit." Hu Tao plucked the kid off his leg and tried to hand him over to the men but the little beggar hung onto his arm for dear life and wrapped himself around him.


    The desperation and fear in his eyes spoke to Hu Tao on an emotional level but not enough to save the brat. No, if the kid wanted him to step in, he had to prove himself. Why should Hu Tao trouble himself with a bunch of Qi Gatherers at the first stage for some mortal brat? He was already involved in something he had no interest in doing.


    "Uncle!" The kid fiercely looked into Hu Tao''s eyes.


    Somehow, an entire story was held within them that Hu Tao could read. That story read to his heart and tried to convince him why he should save this kid. It tried and tried and tried to get to him by using his emotions before everything suddenly clicked for Hu Tao. This f.u.c.k.i.n.g brat had an awakened bloodline and was trying to use it on him! Was that why he felt sorry for him and didn''t just f.u.c.k.i.n.g boot him after he latched onto him?


    "You little..." Hu Tao grabbed the kid by the back of the neck and held him off the ground. "Oi. You two can f.u.c.k off. I''ll deal with this kid." Hu Tao told them.


    "I''m sorry sir but that kid owes us a lot of money. He needs to pay it off by working for us for the next 10 years."


    "Do I have to repeat myself? I said f.u.c.k off." Hu Tao flicked a qi-infused ear wax in the direction of the persistent thug and sent him flying off into the distance. His partner quickly fled without taking a single look behind.


    "You''re amazing Uncle..." The kid had stars in his eyes after seeing Hu Tao''s strength.


    "Looks like it''s your lucky day kid. If you don''t die by the end of today, consider yourself the first member of the Badass Angels." Hu Tao grinned.

 Chapter 149 - 143: Meeting the Parents!

    "Badass Angels?" He questioned.


    "Yep. It''s my own little group that''ll be filled with badasses." Hu Tao explained.


    "I''m going to be a badass?" He asked.


    "If you live long enough, sure." He grinned.


    "I''ll do anything to be a Badass Angel!" He brought his hands together while pleading.


    "Explain that annoying bloodline of yours."


    "You mean my special power?"


    "Yeah, whatever."


    "If I look cute enough and beg really hard, people usually do what I want them to. Unless they don''t like me. Then it''s a lot harder to make people do what I want." He explained.


    "What an annoying bloodline. Especially for a brat." This brat could take over the entire city if he properly learned how to use his bloodline.


    "Is it not good?" He wasn''t sure if Hu Tao was saying it was bad or not.


    He''s always felt that his special ability or bloodline was really useful. Unlike the other homeless kids, he''s never went a day without filling his belly. Getting spare change was also easy for him too. All he had to do was act really really miserable while holding a cup out and talk to any a.d.u.l.ts that passed by him. Even when talking to the mean a.d.u.l.ts that didn''t like him, they would beat him with more mercy than they would with the other beggars.


    "It''s good but it won''t help you when you get into a fight. Since it''s really annoying and you''re going to be working under me, I''ll have to make you one of the most annoying bastards around." Hu Tao still wasn''t sure how he wanted to teach this kid but he planned on doing it.


    He wished the kid was a really good fighter or had a bloodline that would help him out in a fight but with what he has getting into a fight was something he could avoid completely if his enemy wasn''t dead set on killing him. Maybe he could figure out a way to mix the kid''s bloodline with a way of fighting. Like talking to his enemy in a fight with his bloodline ability would help him kill him faster or something.


    "Okay?!" He still wasn''t sure but it sounded like this guy was adopting him. That meat he took out from his pocket was really good so, it wasn''t a bad deal in his opinion.


    "What''s your name?" Hu Tao asked.


    "I''m Runt. That''s what the other beggars called me since I was little." He proudly answered.


    "Runt, huh? Rip this if you feel like you''re about to die, alright? Throw this if you really want to kill some bastard." Hu Tao handed him two items.


    "What are these things?" He held them up in confusion.


    "I just told you. You''re not that stupid, are you?"


    "No?" He answered in a confused manner.


    "Alright then. From now on, I''m your boss and you''re my underling."


    "What''s an underling?"


    "Someone who listens and follows the boss."


    "Got it!"


    "Now don''t be a pain in the ass either. I can still throw your ass back out on the street."


    "Yes sir!" Runt saluted, mimicking the soldiers from the City Lord''s forces.


    A little after taking Runt under his wing, Jie finally returned with two imposing figures behind her. One was a man dressed in a magnificent purple robe. He boasted an impressive height and physique that made him tower over most people. His sharp and masculine face that held a dangerous glare focusing straight on Hu Tao was something that no one could miss.


    To the side of him was an incredibly beautiful fairy. Her face looked as if it was sculpted by a race of beings that were entirely ignorant of their own glorious beauty but were so self-absorbed in themselves that they couldn''t help but constantly shape their surroundings into their own image. Hu Tao''s eyes momentarily focused themselves on her well-endowed chest before trying to pierce through her clothing to see her buttocks. He was an ass man, you see? Popping, shapely, and tight? Just what he liked. Sadly, Jie seemed to have got her body from her mom. All tits and no ass just like a certain Princess, he knew. Did no noble women know how to properly feed their daughters? What''s with the focus on b.r.e.a.s.ts? Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_51457521147235719">#!_51457521147235719</a> for visiting.


    "Come inside! I don''t wish for anyone to listen in to what I have to say to you." Daddy Su talked down to him.


    "Let''s go inside Papa." Hu Tao grinned.


    "Don''t call me that!" He balled his fist and briefly flared out his qi.


    Allowing Hu Tao to realize that this old daddy was in the Core Stage. He wondered if the momma was in the same realm. If so, this might actually be a little fun. If these guys were getting dominated, then that meant their enemies were even more exciting. Hu Tao followed behind the three with Runt following behind him.


    "What is that thing doing behind you? It can''t come into my residence." Daddy Su put his foot down.


    "This is my little badass angel, you see? I just picked him up a little while ago so, he''s coming too." Runt was shivering with all his might.


    The qi that Daddy Su was using was almost squeezing him to death. If it wasn''t for Hu Tao using his qi to shield him, it was possible that he could''ve exploded just from the pressure of the Core Stage cultivator''s qi. He was deathly afraid of Daddy Su who just tried to kill him without a single word! His little life could''ve came to an end instantly if his Boss didn''t protect him!


    "He can wait outside, can''t he Hu Tao?" Jie pleaded.


    "Nope. He''s coming in too. Sorry Hairless, this isn''t up for discussion." Hu Tao shrugged.


    "It''s already bad enough I''m letting someone like you inside my building but you wish to bring a disgusting smelly beggar along with you? Give me one good reason to not kill you instantly boy."


    "Hairless?" Momma Su wondered what kind of nickname was that for their daughter. She had charming long flowing hair, what was he talking about?


    "I''m the only chance you have against that other noble family or whatever. Unless you want to continue licking their boots and living under their thumbs like scared little rats." Hu Tao didn''t hold back in his verbal assault.


    Daddy Su was brought to the limit of his patience. If it wasn''t for Momma Su and Jie latching onto his arms, he really would''ve rushed down Hu Tao to try and tear his head off. Something that Hu Tao was prepared for. He already had a portal ready to take him and Runt into his Pocket Dimension. Seeing that Jie managed to convince her father with tears in her eyes, Hu Tao was "spared" for now. Momma Su seemed fine with him dying but didn''t wish for their enemies or the public to see him acting like this outside their home.


    So, the Su Family brought him and Runt all the way up to the tallest floor. Specifically, they brought him into a dojo. It looks like the crossdresser wasn''t kidding when she said he''d have to fight against her dad. Going all out against the old man seemed fun but if he used up all his energy fighting him, he would barely have any left when it was time to kill the guys from the rival noble family. He doubted they''d share some resources with him to recover his energy for the fight.


    "Call Teng here." Daddy Su told to Mommy Su.


    She nodded and left the room momentarily. Leaving Hu Tao and Runt inside with Daddy Su and Jie. Hu Tao was pretty impressed from what he saw. Their family was a lot more loaded than he thought. This place was nice as hell. Runt was shocked out of his mind when trying to visualize how much money all of the nice things were inside the Su Family''s building. His brain started smoking when imagining all the zeroes.


    "Nice place you got here Daddy. I like a room with a view so, when me and her get married make sure that''s prepared for me." Hu Tao continued to joke with the old tiger that had no patience.


    "Over my dead body." He stared at him menacingly.


    If glares could kill, Hu Tao would''ve been stabbed over a hundred thousand times by now from Daddy Su. After seeing he could get away with it once, why would he stop messing with the old fool? Seeing him get so riled up was hilarious. Hu Tao could see Hairless begging and pleading with her eyes for him to shut his mouth. That was funny too.


    "So, who is this Ting guy or whatever? Are we not going to have a father and son-in-law bonding moment in a spar? I really hope this Ting isn''t going to be your replacement." Hu Tao chatted. "If he''s too weak, he might just die, you know?" Hu Tao kissed his biceps. "I''m pretty strong." And finished with a grin.


    Daddy Su was close to exploding once again but thankfully for Jie and Runt, Mommy Su returned with Teng. He was a well-dressed handsome youth at the Qi Consolidation stage. A 5th stage one, one small stage above Hu Tao. On his waist carried a sword sheath for a long sword while his hair was wrapped in a ponytail.


    "So this is the person who will aid us in taking down the Ren Family?" He looked down on Hu Tao''s bandit-like appearance.


    Shirtless, barefoot, loose fitting pants, wild unkempt hair that was bigger than his head, chains wrapped his wrists and legs with an iron ball attached to it dragging behind him, and a slacker''s posture.


    "Supposedly." Daddy Su grumbled. "Hu. If you manage to survive against Teng for 5 minutes, I won''t kill you."


    "You know Father-in-law, I''m starting to think you don''t like me for some reason." Hu Tao smiled an annoying smile with his perfect teeth.


    "Cripple him." He whispered to Teng.


    "Already planned on it." Teng drew his sword and pointed it towards Hu Tao.


    "If I win, you have to give me some clothes and money. This brat needs a bath, an outfit that doesn''t make him look so pathetic, and I need some cash for the future." Hu Tao added his own side to the deal. The veins on Daddy Su''s forehead threatened to burst.


    "Begin." Mommy Su shouted to keep things from devolving into something else.

 Chapter 150 - 144: Starting a Family War!

    In the time it took one to blink, the battle was over just like that. Teng shot forward with his sword and aimed his sword directly at Hu Tao''s throat. In Daddy Su and Mommy Su''s eyes, Hu Tao was already dead. They didn''t even need to see the finishing blow to know that Hu Tao was killed in the first blow. Jie had thoughts contrary to her mother and father. In fact, she too already knew who would win this duel her father arbitrarily thought of.


    It would''ve been better if her father told Hu Tao to survive against him instead. Because Hu Tao has fought way worse than her cousin Su Teng at the sect. She doubted her cousin has ever fought anyone stronger than himself in a life-or-death battle. Hu Tao doesn''t do anything but fight people stronger than himself. It was sad but Jie believed that there was no other outcome in this fight besides Teng losing horribly. The two small stages difference between the two wasn''t something that Jie thought would affect anything. That man named Hu Tao wasn''t something that logic could reasonably identify with. His martial talent and combat prowess was too inhuman.


    Hu Tao''s foot flicked upward and knocked Teng''s blade out his hands, flipping through the air. By the time it stabbed into the ground, Teng was rendered weaponless with Hu Tao''s foot pointed at his throat. Only two people were assured of his victory, Hu Tao himself and Jie. None of the other spectators believed he could win.


    "That''s the thing with you nobles. You''re all so weak in a real fight. You rely on shit like that and this to get by in fights instead of real skill." Hu Tao gestured to the earth-ranked sword and the spirit tool necklace he just snatched from Teng''s neck.


    "I''ll show you weak commoner!" He grabbed Hu Tao''s foot and attempted to push it out of his face.


    Only for Hu Tao to jab his foot into Teng''s throat and force him to collapse to the ground. If he wanted, that kick could''ve closed his windpipe. He was a stubborn idiot that didn''t even know that he held his life in his hands at the very moment. Daddy Su and Mommy Su wouldn''t have been able to save him if Hu Tao truly wanted him dead there.


    Runt didn''t think that his boss could take on someone from the famous Su Family and live! The noble Su Family was known throughout Dragon City as a family to not mess with under any circ.u.mstances. Nobody wanted to get on the bad side of them except the Ren Family which practically owned the Su Family. Until now, it seemed. Runt figured out that there was going to be a big war between the Su and Ren Families. And his boss seemed to be an important part of it!


    A disgruntled and annoyed look appeared on Daddy Su''s face. He and his wife both understood in that one exchange that the current Teng could never defeat Hu Tao even if he gave it everything he had. It seems the Golden Serpent Sect disciples really are something to be feared. Maybe he was too quick to hate the boy for how much trust his daughter placed in him. If that was at least 1% of that boy''s power, then they really did stand a chance against their oppressors.


    With a heavy sigh, Daddy Su spoke words of war, "Ready our forces." Momma Su immediately got to it while Teng bashed his fist against the floor, lamenting his weakness. Jie placed her hand on his shoulder and crouched down next him. "You''re not the only one he''s made feel this way. He''s abnormal even for the most talented at the Golden Serpent Sect." She comforted. It somewhat worked knowing that Hu Tao was a freak among geniuses. But he still decided to increase his training for the future going forward.


    "So, what''s the plan here? Or are we going to talk about it when everyone is ready?" Hu Tao casually asked.


    "Wait until the family is ready, then we''ll discuss the plan." Daddy Su answered.


    "What''s the quickest way to your roof?" Hu Tao suddenly questioned.


    "What? Why?" Jie was confused by this weird question.


    "You''ll see. Now just point me the way."


    It took a few hours until everyone was gathered, giving Hu Tao plenty of time to get on the roof and Runt to take a bath with several beautiful maids to wash him. When he returned, all the Su Family fighters were gathered inside the training room. Hu Tao stood next to the prince-like Runt while Jie stood in between her parents. Everyone stared at Hu Tao and Runt in curiosity or open hostility. The build-up to an all-out brawl was getting the blood inside Hu Tao''s body to boil. He was getting excited about this. And the speech that Daddy Su spoke to get all their fighters riled up, was only wasting time in his opinion. These bastards should''ve already been ready to kill the assholes that''s been oppressing them for years.


    "So, I go right up in their front door and start fighting?" Hu Tao questioned.


    "Kill as many as you can. We will come in once we see that you are getting overrun or outmatched by a martial artist from their family." Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-144-starting-a-family-war!_%!d(string=51503119489622332)">#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-144-starting-a-family-war!_%!d(string=51503119489622332)</a> for visiting.


    "Ah, no interruptions huh? Sounds good to me. Runt stay inside there while your Boss has fun. Tell Blackie I said to not lay a finger on you. I know that sick f.u.c.k is willing to mess with kids too." Hu Tao explained as Runt was swallowed up by a black puddle.


    "Boss?! Where am I going!?"


    "Just sit tight and watch your Boss." He casually explained.


    "Okay?!" Runt was terrified out of his mind but trusted his Boss.


    "Remember. Tell Blackie that I said you are off limits."


    "Who is Blackie!?"


    "You''ll know when you see him."


    Runt was completely engulfed by the blackness and everyone watching was stunned and confused.


    "Now. Let''s get this war started!" Hu Tao kicked an opening in the wall and hopped out the building despite how far up they were.


    Heading straight towards the entrance of the Ren Family''s building not too far away from the Su Family''s. He crashed through the door with a roll and his chains spread out all around him. The chains wrapped up anyone they hit and caused a mass screaming to ensue once they started squeezing. Soon they were ripped to shreds without a single person being able to resist and Hu Tao casually walked up to the next floor. A similar amount of people were on the second floor just like they were on the first floor but Hu Tao didn''t kill them like how he did on the first floor.


    While he could easily just go through killing these mortals and Qi Gatherers with his chains, it wasn''t satisfying. So, instead he decided to make himself known to the Ren Family. He wanted a real war with countless enemies all around him to fight. When he was younger, he even participated in a few mortal wars. This wouldn''t be anything new to him.


    "I will kill a person every 5 seconds until you all gain enough confidence to stop me." Hu Tao told them.


    "Do you know which noble family you are threatening!?"


    "You are too young to throw away your life like this but examples must be made of."


    "The Ren Family is not merciful to those that don''t give us any face."


    "5 seconds have passed." Hu Tao whipped his leg out and sent the closest person near him spiraling into the wall. His neck snapped on impact with Hu Tao''s foot, killing him before he crashed into the wall.


    "What?!"


    "You dare kill a member of the Ren Family inside their own building!?"


    "You''re insane!"


    Their words were spoken as if they were in a position of power but all of them were openly cowering away. Unconsciously moving their bodies together in hopes that maybe he wouldn''t kill them if they were in a group. All of them instantly understood that they stood no chance against the intruder. A beautiful kick like that was more than enough for them to know the difference between themselves and Hu Tao. They couldn''t kick a mortal like that and kill him so skillfully.


    "Another 5 seconds are up." Hu Tao''s chains shot out like a viper and grabbed a random Qi Gatherer.


    "No! Spare me! Help!" He latched onto the nearest person next to him before he was pulled towards Hu Tao, dooming them both.


    It only took Hu Tao a single punch each to put each of them out of their terror.


    "You can all start running now." He grinned.


    They dashed up the stairs screaming about an incredibly powerful enemy on the second floor. The Ren Family members who witnessed Hu Tao''s horrible brutality ran all the way up to the 7th floor. At that point they were stopped by one of the stronger members in the Ren Family. Demanding that they explained why lower ranking family members like them were doing so high up in the building. Which they did so with gusto. This sent the Ren Family into panic mode. Numerous cultivators were sent to the second floor where Hu Tao was leisurely eating an purple fruit.


    "Took you guys long enough. I''m not waiting any longer, alright?" Hu Tao stretched his bones that have been lying around for a good 10 minutes or so.

 Chapter 151 - 145: Hu Taos Brutality.

    Two red shadows formed out of Hu Tao''s image split from his body. His appearance mimicked theirs and it was nearly impossible to tell which figure was the original! They all had a blood-red aura coating their bodies with a long wolf tail made purely of qi. Their pupils were no longer present either, making it look as if they all lost their minds. The Ren family prepared themselves for battle against the intruder(s).


    The wild clones ran forward on all fours while their chains jingled and iron balls dragged behind them. Hu Tao A fought exactly like a savage animal would fight. His claws tore through cultivators like tofu. None of them were able to predict his agile and animal-like movements. Giving him free reign to completely obliterate them while madly laughing.


    "I can''t keep track of his movements!"


    "Stay still you damn dirty dog!"


    "Look out Chen! He can still use his chains!"


    Hu Tao B fought like someone who hasn''t trained a day in his life in martial arts. Each attack thrown by him was as simple as they came. He even held one hand in his pocket as he fought! This caused those who were trying to kill him to become outraged that he was underestimating them! Did he truly believe that they weren''t capable of forcing him to use both hands to fight them?! Now that was looking down on them far too much! The fighters facing this clone fought with increased fury.


    "I''m not holding back because I''m making fun of you all. It''s just that you''re all so damn weak I can''t even be bothered to use my other hand!" Hu Tao mockingly laughed.


    With a simple punch that held both destructive power and speed, he knocked one cultivator into several others. He then sensed someone sneaking up behind him with a sword. A twisted smile soon formed on his face as he willingly let himself get stabbed to take out the cultivator. The sword pierced straight through his back and exposed itself from his chest.


    "I did it! I killed one!" The cultivator cheered in his great merit of killing the intruder.


    "Did you really though?" Hu Tao''s chains sn.a.k.e.d up his legs and soon immobilized his entire body.


    "I can''t move! Help! Someone finish the job before he takes me with him to the grave!" He screamed.


    "Yeah! Come and help! I''m on the verge of death here! Haha! Can''t you tell!?" Hu Tao laughed loudly as he reared his head forward and slammed the back of his skull into the cultivator''s face. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-145-hu-tao''s-brutality._%!d(string=51570710732137903)">#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-145-hu-tao''s-brutality._%!d(string=51570710732137903)</a> for visiting.


    Instantly dazing the man. His grasp on reality was blurred and indistinct from that one hit but it wasn''t over just yet. Hu Tao continued to bash his head against the cultivator''s face until it was nothing more than a bloody mess. To those watching the sight, they could do nothing for their fellow family member as they were terrified out of their minds! This was a type of brutal and cruel martial arts they''ve never seen before! They were raised knowing what death and fighting was but this... was unlike anything they''ve ever seen!


    Hu Tao''s chains wrapped up the corpse and threw him towards those just watching like a bunch of scared girls. When they screamed at the corpse, he couldn''t help but burst out loud in laughter. But this didn''t mean he would stop fighting. It just meant that he would laugh and continue to fight. He ran over to them and when they crawled and started to flee from him, his mood soured.


    "Come on nobles! Where is your pride!? The great and powerful Ren Family has pathetic members like you?! You''re all throwing dirt on the Ren Family''s name! What kind of face will the Ren Family have once its known that they''re have you all as a bunch of cowards!?" Hu Tao taunted.


    This momentarily stopped their terror from controlling their bodies as they thought about his words. When have those from the Ren Family ever had someone to back down from besides their own members? Never! That''s when! The Ren Family has been in power for years! Second only to the City Lord himself in strength! But those of the Ren Family knew that their time to rule Dragon City would come eventually. They just had to wait patiently and continue to slowly build and grow their power.


    "You dare mock us bastard?!"


    "A youngling like you?! Are you even done weaning from your mother''s milk yet?!"


    "Let''s show this little bastard the strength of the Ren Family!"


    They gathered their courage and pride as members of the Ren Family and charged down Hu Tao B together instead of letting him pick them off one by one. Hu Tao B excitedly grinned as he somehow invigorated the morale of his opponent by mocking them! He didn''t expect it to work but it turns out nobles really do care about that pride shit a lot more than he thought. There were some stupid bastards like that at the sect too. Maybe they were just nobles all along and not just retards.


    Hu Tao B swayed his head from the sword that was threatening to add itself to his cranium and grabbed the face of the bastard. Another sword stabbed into his side as he was smashing the head in of the guy he grabbed. His head split wide open from the impact. After killing that guy, the clone turned with a sharp half-spin and landed a vicious elbow strike on the guy who stabbed a sword through him, killing him as well.


    "Kill him! I can''t believe that he is immune to our swords!" Someone shouted.


    Multiple swords came flying towards Hu Tao B and if he continued to play around by using one arm, then more than a few of these swords would impale him.


    "Hmm...Eh. What the hell?" He shrugged then grinned.


    All the swords stabbed through his body. There was almost no spot that wasn''t skewered with blades. His chest, stomach, back, sides, buttock, legs, arms, throat, and head. Hu Tao B''s chains flew across the floor and littered themselves around the cultivators as he fell. The joy and relief running through the body of the Ren Family cultivators that were fighting this clone was too much to contain. They excitedly cheered at the death of their foe.


    "Haha! C.o.c.ky brat!"


    "That''ll teach you to underestimate the Ren Family!"


    "The Ren Family never loses!"


    "Now let''s go deal with the others!"


    Hu Tao B''s retaliation happened in an instant. The chains lying on the floor moved with the swiftness of a starving great serpent! All of those that stuck their blades into Hu Tao B''s body was wrapped up in chains and tossed around like dolls! Their screams and the pain from being slammed into the nearby structures blinded them to the fact that Hu Tao B was rising from the floor like an unkillable demon! It was a chilling sight, seeing the blades plop out of his body with black sludge flowing out of it. When the sludge dripped to the floor, it seemingly hissed in horrible pain as part of it was melted right through to the lower floor.


    "Hahahahaha! You dumb bastards! Get those strong bastards upstairs hiding to come down here! I want a real fight not whatever this shit is! And I know you pussies can hear me!" Hu Tao B shouted as he used the captured bodies of the Ren Family caught in his chains to destroy the building around him.


    As Hu Tao B was having his fun, the original Hu Tao was dealing with the strongest fighters they sent down. It just so happens that the strongest fighters they sent down happened to be on the same level as Ting from the Su Family. But their bastards were a lot more annoying than Ting could ever hope to be. It was a spellmaster and body cultivator duo.


    The spellmaster continually aided the body cultivator with spells to save him from Hu Tao''s attacks and annoy the shit out of him. Neither of them ever separated long enough for Hu Tao to target one of them. It was him vs the two of them at all times. And avoiding getting trapped in an array was difficult with the limited space on this floor. But Hu Tao wasn''t known as a fighting genius for nothing.


    "Alright, you annoying bastards." Hu Tao cracked his neck to the left and then to the right. "Let''s see just how much you can really handle. I''ve only been bothered to use this move once before and that was because the f.u.c.ker was in the Core Preparation stage." Hu Tao was preparing to use one of the killing techniques of his Flowing Palms of Judgement.


    His qi concentrated itself solely around his palms. Both the spellmaster and body cultivator were surprised to see it because of how concentrated it was. This sent their danger sense into a frenzy. The spellmaster flicked a pill to his ally that he promptly swallowed. They needed to prepare for whatever was about to come and the body cultivator wouldn''t be able to handle what was coming without enough qi.


    "If we don''t use That array, we won''t be able to survive this Bojing." Liqiu told her cousin.


    "I''m ready. I won''t allow this man to do as he pleases inside our home. No matter how strong he is. I will stake everything I have to bring him down." Bojing gave her the okay.


    Liqiu slapped 5 talismans on her cousin''s back and hopped back as he began to roar out in pain and transform. Bojing turned into a hulking giant that towered over everyone on the floor. The size of his muscles was enough to dwarf the average cultivator''s and the power of his qi was large enough that even the worst qi sensors would be able to detect him a mile away. However, none of this mattered to Hu Tao.


    "Raging Ocean Current." Hu Tao suddenly appeared in front of the giant with a print of his palm imbedded into Bojing''s ripped abs.


    One palm thrust. A burst of qi could be seen shooting out from the back of Bojing. Another palm struck the giant and another, and then another. Non-stop palm thrusts began striking Bojing who stood there unable to retaliate as dozens of palms turned into hundreds and those hundreds turned into seemingly thousands. To the eyes of those witnessing this, Hu Tao no longer had two hands but an infinite number of hands that could strike within the blink of an eye! By the time Bojing processed he was being hit, he was already hit more than 500 times! Hu Tao finished his killing technique with a single thrust to the dantian.


    Hu Tao then bent his head backwards and looked towards Liqiu with a grin on his face as Bojing exploded into a mist of blood in front of him. The look of terror and shock that formed itself on her face was almost unexplainable. It was at this point that Liqiu realized that she and her cousin never really stood a chance against this monster. They were only delaying the inevitable death that already awaiting them once they challenged this freak to a fight. A clear puddle unknowingly formed underneath her robes without her knowledge. She tried backing away from the terrifying figure that invaded their home only to slip and fall on her behind. Even though she didn''t understand why she slipped, that didn''t stop the fear in her heart. Liqiu continued to crawl away backwards from that figure of death seemingly approaching her.


    "Don''t kill me..." The words escaped from her heart all the way to her mouth.


    "Hehehehe... Hahahahaha!!! Come on! Show me some of that Ren Family pride babe! An accomplished spellmaster like yourself acting like this? What would your elders think!? What would your master think about the shame you''re bring him!?" Hu Tao''s madness stared deep into her horrified soul.


    "No... No... No!!!" She screamed once she saw him step closer and quickly tried to flee with all her strength.


    "Now that''s no fun." He shook his head in disappointment. Hu Tao''s chain perforated her heart and she dropped dead with her eyes open and tears flowing from them.

 Chapter 152 - 146: The Su Family/Runt.

    "This boy really isn''t so simple..." Su Fa commented.


    Honestly speaking, he felt as if his daughter brought in a tiger to do a wolf''s job. This Hu Tao must be without a doubt one of the Golden Serpent Sect''s top prodigies. How his daughter was able to convince such a man must have not been a small cost. Seeing his true potential right now was more than enough for Fa to realize how disrespectful he was to this great talent. The boy''s personality needed much improvement but with talent like his who would dare say how he acts is wrong!? If he''s able to grow to his full potential then nearly no one on the Evergreen continent will be able to say anything about how he acts.


    And if he manages to marry his daughter, that means a powerful addition to the Su family would have been made... No longer would conquering Dragon City be a mere dream but the natural progression of things! In fact, why should he be satisfied with a mere Dragon City when he could take over several other cities nearby!? And if the boy and his daughter are able to conceive a child, that child would no doubt share his parents'' fantastic talent! His grandchild will become one of the strongest cultivators around!


    Su Fa''s attitude towards Hu Tao has turned completely around after seeing him in action. He thought his daughter was speaking nothing but rubbish when she talked of the boy''s strength. Fa thought that she simply fell in love and couldn''t accept that her lover was anything but the greatest cultivator around. This was why he was so hard on the boy at first. His commoner background and disrespectful behavior didn''t help his daughter''s case either. But now, he knows that his daughter wasn''t as foolish as he thought. It was embarrassing to admit but he should''ve trusted his daughter, he was the one to raise her after all!


    "The rumors surrounding the Golden Serpent Sect disciples aren''t to be underestimated... If anything, the rumors don''t do them justice!" Su Biyu exclaimed.


    Just like her husband, Biyu didn''t hold great feelings for the boy that managed to snag her daughter''s heart. She wanted nothing but the best for her daughter and when she finally came home after several years with a boy that looked and acted like that. It was hard for her to accept it. Both she and her husband demanded she explained herself and everything that happened since she left. But most importantly, what they wanted to know who Hu Tao was and why did she associate herself with such a vulgar-looking uncultured man.


    Even after her explanation, they still couldn''t place their trusts in a total stranger like Hu Tao. His behavior was completely awful and the lack of respect he showed them only increased their negative feelings towards him. It was only when he completely outclassed Teng that she and her husband started to think that maybe their daughter wasn''t just blindly in love. She may have denied several times that she didn''t feel that way towards Hu Tao but Biyu and her husband couldn''t believe such a statement. Otherwise, how could she possible have convinced such a talented cultivator to do something like this out of the goodness of his heart? None of it made any sense so, they knew she was hiding something from them.


    However, unlike her husband, Biyu wasn''t completely against Hu Tao. She was willing to give him a chance to prove himself. Defeating Teng was the first half, the second half was actually doing what he was brought here to do. And it seemed that he was successfully doing that. His manners still needed some work but with talent like his, Biyu was completely fine giving her daughter to Hu Tao. He was very handsome, attractive, and strong if you excluded his personality. Women all over the city would be clamoring over a young man like him if they only knew of his face.


    "See. I told you he could do it." Jie''s heart warmed seeing that Hu Tao was actually doing what he was asked.


    Back when she met Hu Tao in the Treasured Plains, their relationship wasn''t anything like how it was now. In fact, Hu Tao was a lot more tolerable when they traveled up the floors together. They never done anything back then as far as he knows but Jie couldn''t say she never thought about it. He was a lot nicer when they were alone together. Unlike now, where he''s willing to dismiss her, insult her, threaten to kill her. He''s never done those things before in the Treasured Plains. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-146-the-su-family-runt._%!d(string=51627419332832269)">#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-146-the-su-family-runt._%!d(string=51627419332832269)</a> for visiting.


    It sort of feels like the time she spent with him in those Plains was nothing more than just a distant dream. While they traveled together, he never outwardly showed much care but Jie could tell from the small acts he did that he was watching out for her. There was one time where he saved her from getting bit by an Emerald Smoke Snake whose deadly poison could''ve ended her life in seconds. Allowing her to take most of the spirit beasts they killed while traveling together in her storage ring. Sharing his food with her when he had no reason to. Watching out for her whenever they got in fights with other cultivators.


    He''s saved her life more times than she could count back then. She thought with her strength there would rarely be anything in the Treasured Plains that could threaten her but she was na?ve. Incredibly na?ve! Every day it seemed like she had moments where she could''ve died if it wasn''t for Hu Tao or the knowledge she gained from her tutors growing up and Master. There was only one time that Jie could say Hu Tao faced a moment where his life was in danger when they traveled together. That was the first time she''s ever kissed a boy on the lips.


    Hu Tao was poisoned by a beast 4 small stages higher than himself. He managed to kill the beast by using all of his strength but would''ve soon followed the beast to the grave if she wasn''t there to drain the poison out of him. The whole experience was embarrassing for a girl like herself who was raised to cherish her body but after what he''s done for her all that time, a simple deep long kiss wasn''t much. Now here he was risking his life once more just to take her first time.


    It made Jie doubt if Hu Tao really didn''t care about her. With how much trouble he places himself in for her sake, she can''t really get behind the idea that he doesn''t hold some feelings for her. Jie still didn''t know how she felt about Hu Tao herself. She knew that she hated him but along with that hate was several other feelings that she couldn''t exactly explain. It drew her towards him, made her think about him, and gave her heart deep wanting. Was it possible that she held feelings for that despicable, unruly, rude, hateable, perverted fiend? He might''ve been really handsome, strong, talented, had a nice body with great hair, and smooth skin but was she the type of girl who only cared about appearances?! If that was the case, she wouldn''t have ran away from home! Her fianc¨¦ was one of the best-looking boys in the city. The Ren Family heir might''ve been more feminine than Hu Tao but what did that matter!? Some girls prefer those types than the muscular ones like Hu Tao.


    "Get ready to move in. Hu Tao''s already done more than what we expected of him. Now that he''s up against someone almost at the Core Preparation stage, he most likely will retreat at this point. Once he''s about to lose, that''s when we attack." Su Fa relayed.


    "Yes!" The Su Family members responded.


    ______________________________________________?


    "So this is what my parents looked like..." Runt muttered.


    The green-haired handsome man looking at him with such gentle and caring eyes while his pink-haired beautiful mother cradled him in her arms. He was crying his eyes out. Behind them was several cultivators all thirsting for their blood. There was no sun in the sky, only clouds, rain, and lightning. In no time, they would be upon the three with their weapons. His father kissed his forehead before giving him the name he''s always had but never knew.


    "Lei Gang... Your name shall be Lei Gang. And I''m sorry your weak parents weren''t strong enough to raise you... Promise me when you get older you shall become strong." His father asked.


    "He was only born a few hours ago stupid. He can''t talk yet, he probably won''t even remember our faces." His mother scoffed.


    "You don''t have to do anything like taking revenge for us. All we wish is for you to become someone strong and start a family of your own that you can protect... Don''t become weaklings like me and your mother. The weak only serve as food and playthings for the strong. I love you Gang."


    "We both love you..." His mother kissed his forehead next as their enemies came upon them.


    His father gently placed a piece of paper on his forehead and the next moment he arrived in Dragon City.


    Runt didn''t know how to feel after seeing the memories locked away in his baby years. Tears streamed down his face but he didn''t understand why. He always wondered about his parents and why they abandoned him but finding out that it was to save his life made him feel conflicted. Their message telling him to get strong... it was easy to understand why they would tell him that before sending him away.


    "Who were those men?" Runt wondered.


    Why did his parents have to be killed? Was it because of him? Did they do something wrong? Runt didn''t want to accept that his parents died solely for the reason that they were weak. That was too unfair. Too unreasonable. Forcing his parents to face their death just because they weren''t strong? It angered Runt.


    "I promise to find out about the people that did this to you and make them pay..." Lei Gang vowed as a tall black figure slowly appeared behind him with a grin.

 Chapter 153 - 147: Im Pretty Fast Too.

    "What the hell is going on down there?! Is our family one that can be messed with just by any random youth on the street?!" The Ren Family''s Patriarch, Ren Heng, banged his fist onto the table and split it in half.


    "This youth isn''t any ordinary youth. He''s a prodigy that can fight those above his own stage." The Ren Family''s Pill Head, Ren Delun stated.


    "And we don''t have any geniuses of our own that can''t do the same!?" Heng was about to blow his top.


    "We sent Hao to deal with him. He should be able to deal with this intruder easily." The Ren Family''s Youth Head, Ren Fenfang, calmly reassured the agitated Patriarch.


    "Hao? Hao... That little brat that couldn''t defeat the City Lord''s kid?" Heng tried to place his finger on who Hao was.


    "That''s correct. Hao is still very strong compared to those in his age group. If anyone is capable of killing the intruder, it should be him." Fenfang was confident in her nephew''s strength.


    "And if he isn''t?" Heng glared at her.


    "Then I''ll go down there myself and personally put an end to this sham." She told him.


    "Does anyone know if news got out about our family being attacked by a single youth?!" Heng demanded.


    "I''ve been keeping a close watch Patriarch and as far as I could tell, no one in the city has been alerted. I had my men patch up any outside damages and stop any family members from leaving the building. so that no one would think anything was going on inside." The Ren Family''s Public Head, Ren Meixiu, relayed.


    "Good... Good..." The boiling anger filling up within Heng was somewhat soothed by these words. "Make sure that no one finds out about this great disgrace! Fenfang! What''s the point of me giving you so many resources if none of the youth in our family can''t even properly utilize them!?" He directed his anger towards her.


    "Have you seen the boy Patriarch?" She calmly asked despite feeling the killing intent focused solely on her.


    "What? Of course I have! It''s shameful that someone like that is capable of forcing us to even think of solutions to deal with crap like this! The issues of the youth should stay with the youth! They deal with their own problems and if anyone in our age group tries to interfere that''s when we move in. To protect them!" He grumbled.


    "Patriarch. Have you seen him? Looked at him? The way he fights? His martial arts? His bloodline? His weapon? His origins?" She continued to question.


    "Get to the point." The bones in his hands crackled with a frightening amount of qi.


    "This boy is no simple youth. He''s a martial arts prodigy. To put it simply, his worth is most likely more than any other youth in the entire city if you combine his age with the prowess of his martial skill. If he''s allowed to leave this building alive, there''s no doubt in my mind that he''s going to become a figure known throughout the continent." She shared.


    "Then we have to kill him immediately!" Delun suggested.


    "I must agree... Do you believe the City Lord''s son would stand a chance against the boy if they were in the same stage?" Meixiu asked.


    "He would not." She answered simply.


    "Then why in the hell did you send Hao down there?! Are you pointlessly wasting the lives of all our youth!?"


    "Because Hao will not restrict himself to the same stage as the boy. He will show no mercy and give it everything he''s got to kill the boy because of his recent defeat against the City Lord''s son. Do you remember the cracked void world we found? The number of spirit tools and weapons we gained from that excursion was not little. Hao did not show his full power against the City Lord''s son but inside our own building, he wouldn''t need to hold himself back. Because there is no one watching but us." Fenfang smiled.


    Heng gave an annoyed sigh as he was forced to place his trust in her. If they really had to get involved with a youth as elders then it would be deeply shameful if anyone found out. He would just have to trust that his daughter, Meixiu, to keep any news of this from getting out. Heng''s trust in Hao wasn''t as high as Fenfang''s but he didn''t feel too worried since no one knew about their current circ.u.mstance.


    "Has anyone asked the boy why he''s even here?" Delun quietly brought up.


    Everyone''s eyes focused on him. He suddenly felt as if he asked the wrong question or something because of how they were looking at him. Maybe he should''ve just kept his mouth shut. Now the Patriarch was probably going to yell at him just like he did Fenfang. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-147-i''m-pretty-fast-too._%!d(string=51664672000101508)">#%!d(string=11680669705480205)/chapter-147-i''m-pretty-fast-too._%!d(string=51664672000101508)</a> for visiting.


    "That''s a good question. Why is this child here?" Heng asked. To his surprise, not a single person knew.


    "Is it possible that we could make a deal with this boy to work with us?" Delun soon asked after.


    "Impossible." Fenfang shook her head. "He''s came here to fight us."


    "And after all the trouble he''s caused us, he isn''t leaving this building with his head attached." Meixiu vowed.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, you''re the fianc¨¦ huh?" Hu Tao cracked the knuckles with a grin on his face.


    The handsome pretty boy in front of him staring at him with hatred in his eyes and a sword gripped in his hand seemed very pissed that Hu Tao killed so many people. He was at the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. Which meant that if he was really serious about this, this was going to be a pretty fun damn fight. Hu Tao didn''t believe he would lose but he wasn''t completely sure that he could win either. If the bastard was in the Core Preparation stage then he wouldn''t be able to win. That gap between the realms was something almost uncrossable as you got higher up the realms. Even if he used his full strength and held nothing back, at best, he would be able to take a limb or cripple something else equally as important to a 1st stage Core Preparation cultivator.


    "Fianc¨¦?" He questioned before shaking his head. "I cannot let you leave here alive for what you did to my family." He pointed his sword at Hu Tao.


    "I was hoping you''d say something like that." Hu Tao casually brought his hands behind his head, leaving himself completely open.


    "Name yourself." He demanded.


    "Nah." Hu Tao refused. The eyebrows on his forehead grew even more furrowed.


    "The name of the one that will deal with you is called Ren Hao. Prepare yourself." Hao entered his martial stance.


    "Hao, huh? Sounds like a bitch''s name." Hu Tao insulted with a mocking laugh.


    In the middle of his laugh, Hao attacked. His blade poised to strike Hu Tao''s throat. The laughing Hu Tao in Hao''s eyes wasn''t able to react to his sword as it skewered his throat. Without even looking at the corpse, he withdrew his weapon and began walking away when the laughing stopped. But just as he was about to leave, the laughing started up again.


    "What?!" Hao turned his head to see that Hu Tao''s wound disappeared entirely! As if it was never there in the first place!


    "You''re pretty fast, huh? It''s been a while since I had to breakout this technique." Hu Tao happily shared. "Let''s see if you can keep up." He tapped into the power hidden within his chain and ball.


    Hu Tao''s entire being merged with lightning and thunder. Blood-colored lightning zipped and zapped all over his figure. The pupils in his eyes transformed into bolts of lightning. His chain and ball turned into electricity along with his massive spiked up hair. Those from the Ren Family could instantly tell that whatever just happened to their foe wasn''t good for them. Hao immediately started taking this fight seriously after feeling the spike in Hu Tao''s qi.


    "You''re not just any 4th stage Qi Consolidator..." Hao realized.


    "Do you think an ordinary 4th stage could do all the shit I''m doing to your weak ass family? Retard!" Hu Tao laughed.


    "I was saving something like this for Geming but it seems I can''t go easy on someone like you."


    "If you dare go easy on me, consider the lives of all these weaklings gone." Hu Tao threatened.


    "Now that I''m here, you won''t be able to kill anyone else." He calmly placed a talisman on his sword, shoulders, and legs.


    "Oh really? Well, let''s see about that, Pretty Boy." Hu Tao vanished from his previous spot as subtle but powerful changes began to awaken in Hao''s body.


    His leg was about to completely bore a hole through one of the watching Ren Family members. Only for Hao to appear there just in the nick of time to save him. Hu Tao''s foot made contact with Hao''s sword and it took all of his strength to resist being sent flying out of the building. Blood dripped from his lips for how much he had to withstand from that single kick. The only thing present on Hu Tao''s face was a savage wild grin.


    "Looks like endurance isn''t your thing. You must not be a hit with the chicks, huh?" Hu Tao joked as Hao sent him flying away with his sword.


    "Thank you, Hao! Everyone retreat! We will only get in the way of Hao if we continue to stay here!" The saved Ren Family member shouted.


    "Awh, how sweet. They realized they would be nothing but burdens if they stayed here. You know what would be funny though? What if I killed them before they could escape?" Two red clones split from his body and started chasing after the fleeing nobles.


    "No! You vile fiend!" Hao cried as he tried to force his way past Hu Tao.


    "Ah. You''re fighting me, remember? Hey! Hey! Hey!" Hu Tao''s palms matched each of Hao''s sword strikes.


    No matter how fast Hao sliced, he could not outspeed Hu Tao. The villainous bastard was just as fast as he was even though he was 5 small stages ahead of him! What the hell kind of spirit weapon were those chains!? No! That doesn''t matter, he has to save them. All of the Family Heads are watching his battle, he cannot screw up when the fight just started.


    ''No! No! No!'' Hao brought out a gem from his storage ring and shattered it in his hand.

 Chapter 154 - 148: Finishing Up The Job.

    As the gem broke, Hu Tao felt a force pushing him away. He wasn''t able to touch or resist against this force at all! The only thing he could do was be forced against the wall as Hao cut down his clones and the weaklings retreated up the stairs. With a disappointed "che!", Hu Tao broke the wall behind him, knocked down the wall to the floor below, and then hopped back up through one of the holes his chains made earlier.


    "I guess you got me all to yourself now, Pretty Boy. What are you gonna do to me?" Hu Tao grinned.


    "Kill you." His eyes glared into Hu Tao''s excited pupils.


    "Ahh... You don''t know how happy I am to hear that." If Hu Tao could blush, he would but it looks like only Jing was capable of making him blush so far. He loved that psycho bitch.


    "Freak..." Hao rushed towards Hu Tao with his blade.


    Hu Tao flicked his index finger up and his lightning blocked Hao''s sword slice. It soon wrapped around it and tried to take Hao''s sword from his hands. But how could he let himself be disarmed so easily? With a burst of his qi outwardly, he freed his sword from the tight grip of the lightning and shot towards Hu Tao with the tip of his blade pointed at his chest.


    The mad fighter grinned, he couldn''t let this sword impale him this time around. There was qi infused into the blade. He was only invincible against attacks without any qi. Qi-infused attacks could still hurt him and probably kill him. Hu Tao wrapped his palms in his lightning and thrust forward to the incoming blade. A wave of wind, electricity, and qi exploded from their clash, sending cracks through the floor, walls, and destroying any objects nearby.


    Not a single drop of blood leaked from Hu Tao''s palm even though it took the sword head-on. Neither fighter was pushed back but it was obvious who was the stronger of the two. Blood leaked from Hao''s mouth and Hu Tao''s grin only grew wider. This bastard was a qi cultivator! His body was weak as shit!


    "Got anything else you want to pull out of that storage ring? If you beg good enough, I might let you." Hu Tao teased.


    "How can you possess such strength...?" Hao was in disbelief.


    Jumping 5 stages to match another martial artist in strength? It was unheard of! Even for geniuses that pop up every once in a thousand years! Hao also could see that this strength wasn''t taxing his body or anything. He seemed just as relaxed as he was when the fight started! While he was struggling to keep himself from spitting up blood. None of it made any sense. Unless those chains were a heaven-ranked spirit weapon... Besides that there''s no other explanation for how he can raise his strength to such heights.


    "It''s called not being a weak little shit. Just train every day of your life and that should be a good enough start." Hu Tao answered.


    Such a simple method couldn''t possibly be the true reason for his strength. Hao refused to believe it.


    "Oh, and fight with every strong bastard you see. You might lose sometimes but hey, just don''t die and you''re fine." Hu Tao already noticed that the weak noble was digging into his storage ring.


    Pretty Boy asking those questions were simply to distract him while he got whatever he needed to try and deal with him. But he wasn''t the only one who play that game. Hu Tao did the same and got some of the treasures that the Old Fossil tried to use against him. He pulled out the Silent God''s Ocarina and tried to play it by blowing into it. A horrific sound infused with qi blasted out all around him.


    "What the f.u.c.k?" That wasn''t supposed to happen.


    From the memories he saw of Bo Fai using it, it was supposed to give him control over the sound made by it. Then those sound waves, he could use to do whatever he wanted to his opponents. He could place a sound barrier around him and whoever he was fighting to where they would be fighting in total silence, unable to predict where Hu Tao was if they lost sight of him. Hu Tao could also use the sound waves to attack or manipulate his enemies. But it looks like he actually had to know how to play the damn thing for it to work properly.


    "Useless crap." He tossed it back into his ring and pulled out something he was a bit more familiar with.


    Floating green chains appeared behind him and flew towards Hao. Who has long gathered what he felt he needed to defeat Hu Tao. In his hands were several gems that looked similar to the one that blew him away earlier. Since they had different colors, Hu Tao figured that they would have different effects. He wasn''t exactly excited to see what they did. This Pretty Boy really was disappointing him. An all-out brawl was what he was hoping for, not whatever was about to come.


    Two clones came from out of Hu Tao''s body covered in lightning. All three got on all fours like a small pack of wolves. His clones had clones of their own that split from them and then clones split from those clones. Creating an army of lightning Hu Tao''s. This drained his qi greatly but he planned to finish it in this next move anyway. After that, unless they had another strong bastard hiding upstairs, his job was done.


    "I hope you haven''t shit your pants yet. Cause I still have something a little special to show you." The Hu Taos all talked at once.


    From what Hao could sense, the original had far less qi than earlier while the clones didn''t have much either. If anything, it looked like Hu Tao only made himself weaker by splitting up like this. Hao didn''t dare assume such a thing though, he crushed all the gem stones in his hand just as the Hu Taos moved. A barrier made by the Ren Family''s Youth Head formed around their floor to contain the blast made by the gems. By the time she could feel that the explosion was over, there were only two figures on the floor.


    "Hahahaha. You f.u.c.k.i.n.g suicidal piece of shit! I was about to do something really f.u.c.k.i.n.g cool there!" Hu Tao madly laughed as he stepped out of his portal.


    That noble bastard nearly killed him! If he didn''t slip inside his portal dimension in time, he could''ve turned into dust! Just what the f.u.c.k was he thinking? Hu Tao was planning to kill him but that didn''t mean he had to try and take them both out! He walked over to the somehow still living boy and turned him over on his front.


    The necklace around his neck shattered. Hu Tao figured it was this spirit tool that managed to preserve his life. Nobles really had some good shit, huh? A blast like that could''ve easily killed a 9th stage Qi Consolidator and fatally injured an unprepared 1st stage Core Preparation martial artist. He should find Runt some shit like this to protect himself with. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._51733166796371639">#._51733166796371639</a> for visiting.


    "Oh well. This shit was fun while it lasted." Hu Tao formed his hand into a claw and aimed to rip Pretty Boy''s heart out straight from his chest.


    "Oh no you don''t!" He heard a pissed off lady shout.


    Before his hand could reach Pretty Boy''s heart, Hu Tao felt a nice, smooth, and long leg kick him straight out the building. His eyes caught sight of an incredibly attractive fat assed lady kneeling over the body of Pretty Boy. Hu Tao was all too glad that he attached his chains before he was sent flying, now he could fly straight back and get a better look at this mysterious woman. Which he did promptly, not even giving her the chance to mend Pretty Boy''s horrible chest injury.


    "A core stage elder?" He suddenly realized.


    "You dare approach me!?" Hu Tao was gifted with a hand coated in qi piercing his chest once he arrived.


    "Damn, I really don''t stance a chance against you..." Blood flowed from his mouth.


    "Arrogant child. You should''ve already known that you weren''t leaving this building alive after what you''ve done."


    "I don''t know about that one, S.e.xy. I think I''ll be just fine." He smiled with blood all over his teeth.


    "Even arrogant in death." She rose her other hand to finish the job.


    "Why don''t you and I go somewhere a little more private, Toots?" A portal appeared on the floor and slowly began to swallow the two.


    Once she noticed, she immediately tried to leap away. Only to be wrapped up in Hu Tao''s lightning chains. She tried breaking them with her qi but before she could completely snap it, they disappeared into his portal dimension. Hu Tao reappeared on the roof of the Su Family''s building and went inside from the hole he made earlier.


    "Well? What the hell are you waiting for? Get in there." He suddenly appeared, shocking the Su Family. With a quick bite of several recovery pills from his storage ring, his pierced torso started healing.


    "R-Right! Let''s attack! Get ready to aid us with formations! When we''re finished Hu Tao, you don''t mind staying around do you?" Daddy Su asked.


    "I still have to get what I came here for." He answered.


    "Su Family! Let''s go!" Daddy Su leapt out the building with his mighty sword as the rest of the family followed behind him.


    Except for Jie, who Hu Tao swiftly stopped from going anywhere.


    "Did you forget what you promised me?"


    "Of course not... I just wished to help my family kill our oppressors first and then we could settle things between us..." A red blush appeared on her face.


    "Nah. None of that bullshit. That old man will be fine without you. You''re weak anyway." Hu Tao lifted Jie over his shoulder without her consent. "Now tell me where your room is so we can get down to business." After a good fight like that, he was ready to blow off some steam.


    "Please. Not like this Hu Tao. Can''t we go out to eat first or maybe just talk a little bit before- Ow!" Hu Tao shushed her with a rough smack on the ass.


    "Top floor..." Her voice was as quiet as a mouse.

 Chapter 155 - 149: Hu Tao & Su Jie (18+)

    Hu Tao closed the door with a kick of his foot, slamming it shut. He tossed Jie on the bed as her face seemed to have turned permanently red. She squealed while flying through the air, unsure of what was happening. The wild wolf didn''t immediately start undressing himself and then throwing himself on the obvious v.i.r.g.i.n. Forcing himself in that unused tight v.a.g.i.n.a.l slit wouldn''t feel nearly as good unless he got her primed, wet, and ready for his c.o.c.k. This was his gift for this whole crap he didn''t have to bother himself with. Why wouldn''t he enjoy it to his fullest?


    The bare-chested ripped young man walked over to the girl holding her face in her hands and took a good look at her once. Clear-white smooth skin, violet eyes, long black hair, thin legs, delicate hands and arms, overall, completely weak and easily breakable body in Hu Tao''s eyes. Now he wasn''t the type of man who would say he likes his women with a little meat on their bones but god damn, at least some meat on the ass! This didn''t mean that Jie was in anyway unattractive to him just not his preferred type, you see? He was still going to tear her ass up from the bed, all the way to the door, over to that desk over there filled with martial arts manuals, and maybe even in front of the window for the hell of it.


    "Aren''t you going to do anything...?" She asked, shivering like he was about to devour her.


    "You want me to do something?" He asked, his tone becoming more playful and teasing.


    "No! I was just... I don''t know. Can we just put this on hold until I can prepare myself?" She wanted more time.


    "Nope."


    He grabbed her dainty wrists and brought them down to her sides before pressing his lips against hers. She was surprised by the sudden kiss but she did not fight against it nor did she fully give in. However, Hu Tao had a way of making her want to get involved. His right hand went to grope her nice soft b.r.e.a.s.ts that were too large to grasp completely in his palm while his tongue came slithering into her mouth to dance with her tongue. Jie let out a surprised m.o.a.n from the intrusion and found herself falling under the spell of Hu Tao''s skillful tongue play. He mounted her from on top as she laid down on her back on the bed.


    His hand that was massaging her b.r.e.a.s.t began to mess around with Jie''s n.i.p.p.l.es. Her legs squirmed as he softly pulled, gently rubbed, and pinched them at his leisure. More muffled m.o.a.ns escaped her as she was slowly losing her breath from how long their tongues have been connected with one another. She had to push his chest away just to gain some air only for him to quickly kiss her deeply once more and slip his hand into her underwear.


    "Wait... Not yet.. I''m not ready..."


    Hu Tao ignored this and slipped past her hairless crotch with his hand, making it to her v.a.g.i.n.a. Unlike what Jie was thinking he was going to do, Hu Tao did not just jam his finger inside her or anything like that. No, his finger calmly greeted the entrance by rubbing around her p.u.s.s.y. He could already feel her juices dripping but he still didn''t plunge right in just yet. Making her want to beg for it was his goal but that might be asking for much considering its this girl he''s with.


    "Mmm... Ahn..." She m.o.a.ned just from this light massage on her p.u.s.s.y and his kissing that seemed to wanted to do nothing more than exchange saliva and their very essence with one another.


    By this point, she was completely into it. Jie was freely trying to wrestle and pin Hu Tao''s tongue. No longer allowing him to control the pace of their kiss as she pressed her lips against his. Perhaps her body was moving without her conscious thought but her h.i.p.s were slowly rising to Hu Tao''s finger, pushing it against her v.a.g.i.n.a. As if telling it to come right in, penetrate her and let her feel even more pleasure. But Hu Tao didn''t give her what she wanted just yet. He simply rubbed his finger in the slit as she rode it.


    Their lips parted for a second time and Jie was too caught up in grinding against Hu Tao''s finger to notice. He smirked as he ripped her top off to plop his mouth on her b.r.e.a.s.t. She let out a sharp breath as his tongue flicked and played with her n.i.p.p.l.e. In Jie''s mind, Hu Tao was treating her n.i.p.p.l.e like an enjoyable delicacy that should be slowly savored and enjoyed. It wasn''t until he started rubbing his finger against her v.a.g.i.n.a that she was starting to lose her mind. Her juices soaked his finger and her m.o.a.ns picked up in pace.


    "Stop... Stop... I feel weird... Hu Tao! I gotta pee! Stop!!!" She screamed loud enough that people on the first floor would''ve heard her.


    "Calm down, you dumbass. You just had an orgasm." Her pupils weren''t visible, did she just faint from this light ass foreplay?


    Her bare b.r.e.a.s.ts were raising up and down but besides that, Hu Tao couldn''t see any activity going on upstairs. He still had an ass to claim so, he stuck his finger inside her p.u.s.s.y and started fingering her until she woke up again. Which only took a few moments as he continually ramped up his speed before lowering it again once she regained consciousness.


    "Huh...? What happened? Am I dead? Where am I? Ahn! Ahn!"


    "Quit acting retarded." Hu Tao brought her back to reality as her fingered her p.u.s.s.y.


    "Hu Tao! I''m having that feeling again! You have to stop, for real this time! Mhmm...!" She tried taking his hand out of her panties only for him to take it out himself, flip her onto her stomach, and pull her clothes off entirely.


    He held her arms against her back as her bare ass hung in the air over the bed''s edge. His finger slipped straight inside the completely drenched p.u.s.s.y as she cried out for him to stop.


    "Would you rather me f.u.c.k you now, or more of this?"


    "Neither! Please, how about a break!?" She asked.


    "I''ll give you a break alright." He no longer used his hands and dropped to his knees, burying his face into her behind.


    "Ahh! What are you!?" She bit her pillow to cover her m.o.a.ns.


    Hu Tao used his tongue to trace his name into her p.u.s.s.y, causing her to scream into her bed sheets. It didn''t take long for her to cover his face in her wetness and faint again. This time, however, Hu Tao didn''t spare her. He started to take off his pants and this instantly awakened the previously fainted Jie. Just the sounds of his pants dropping was enough to shock her into running onto the bed and looking at him in terror.


    "Not like this..."


    "Don''t give me that bullshit. I''m going to break your back in or you''re going to learn how to suck d.i.c.k."


    "You can''t say stuff like that! Break my back in?! Why would I want you to anywhere near me if you''re going to do something like that!" She yelled.


    "I''m not actually going to break ur back in. That just means I''m going to f.u.c.k you really good."


    "Ugh! Why can''t you just say something like, make love to you really sweetly or something like that."


    "Because its f.u.c.k.i.n.g stupid? Now quit playing and get over here."


    She stared at his erect p.e.n.i.s and tried to reason with the aroused feelings within herself. Jie slowly scooted over to the edge of the bed where Hu Tao was and tapped his p.e.n.i.s with her index finger. A link of his prec.u.m stayed on her finger when she pulled it away. He felt like slapping the stupid bitch until she grasped the tip with her hand before starting to rub it. They both could tell she had no idea what she was doing. But to Hu Tao, it was better than that stupid shit she was doing earlier. At least this felt good.


    "Is this right?" She asked.


    "You can''t just rub the damn thing. Turn over and show me your ass or get to licking and sucking."


    "Put it in my mouth?!" Jie couldn''t believe what he was saying. How would something like this fit anywhere inside her?


    "Start small and go from there or I really will just f.u.c.k you." Hu Tao couldn''t believe how patient he was being with this girl.


    The intoxicating smell of Hu Tao''s manhood nearly overpowered her. It wasn''t a bad smell but it was a smell that sent her v.a.g.i.n.a crazy. She slowly put her face near his p.e.n.i.s and gave a quick lick of the prec.u.m leaking from his tip. The taste was surprisingly sweet for some reason... Maybe this wouldn''t be so bad.


    Jie licked the tip until all the prec.u.m was gone before moving on to the side of the shaft and eventually all over. She didn''t go anywhere near his marbles though. That was a bit too much for her to handle at the moment. Maybe she''ll mess with those next time but for now the easy stuff. Wait, next time!? What is she thinking?!


    "Enough with the teasing!" Hu Tao urged her.


    She placed her lips on top of the tip and gave it a small kiss before slowly opening her mouth and taking it inside. Hu Tao tried inching his h.i.p.s forward just a bit but this only made Jie gag and pull away from his c.o.c.k as she coughed. Now he was fully fed up. He said screw it and pulled Jie up from the bed. His aimed his c.o.c.k properly and slowly entered the tight v.a.g.i.n.a.l walls of the noble girl.


    "Hu Tao! You bastard! Stop! It hurts! It hurts! It..." She beat on his chest before realizing something.


    Maybe it didn''t hurt as much as she thought it would.


    "Wrap your legs around me unless you want to be f.u.c.k.i.e.d like that." She did as he said and slowly got used to the feeling of him being inside her.


    He gently lowered her onto his c.o.c.k, taking more of him inside her. She m.o.a.ned without restraint at the pleasurable feeling and dug her nails into his back as he kept this constant steady pace. Holding onto him with everything she had, Jie gladly felt all of him entering inside her. She''s never felt so good before... And to think that it was with this man that brought her such feelings. Should she be ashamed for how much pleasure she finds in having s.e.x with this man? It was like being brought to an entire new world that she never knew about.


    "Hu Tao... Hu Tao... Hu Tao...!" Her legs clutched around his waist like a vice grip and her nails drew blood from his back.


    "What is that the third or fourth time you came?" He asked.


    "I don''t know... Don''t ask me!" She barked.


    "I still haven''t even came once so, we''re not finished here." He lifted her off his c.o.c.k and placed her on the bed before sticking his d.i.c.k in her from behind and going at it like dogs.


    "Hu Tao! Give me a second to catch my breath at least! Ahn! Ahn! Ahn!"


    "Shut up bitch!" Hu Tao smacked her ass, causing her to m.o.a.n even louder. "Oh, you like that?" He smirked.


    Jie turned bright red and refused to answer as they continued for several hours later until Hu Tao finally came inside her. Neither woke until the war between the Ren Family and the Su Family was over. A maid came in to clean Jie''s room and once she saw the sight of the young lady lying fully n.a.k.e.d on top of a young man also n.a.k.e.d, she screamed. This scream garnered the attention of all the high-ranked cultivators in the Su family who came running towards her. Also taking in the embarrassing sight of the young lady''s private affairs.


    "It looks like we''re going to become grandparents sooner than we thought..." Su Biyu, Jie''s mother, said to her husband.


    "That boy works fast..." Su Fa was actually impressed at his daringness to do this in his own home. If the boy wasn''t as talented as he was, he would surely strike him to death in his sleep at this moment.

 Chapter 156 - 150: Bing and Lei In The City!

    "Isn''t it kind of funny that we always seem to find ourselves in situations like this?" Lei said as they were surrounded by potential enemies.


    "Haah..." Bing sighed. "I guess in some sort of sick twisted way, it could be seen as funny." He agreed.


    "All we did was ask a question and suddenly we''re enemies to the entire city." Lei laughed.


    "Shut your mouths and answer our question! What is your relation to the criminal Liuxian Xun?!" The captain shouted, his spear pointing towards them.


    "We don''t even know the guy. We don''t know what he looks like, what realm he''s at, his personality, nothing! We''re just looking for him!" Bing admitted.


    "We do know he''s a young fella!" Lei added.


    "Do you think these two are his allies?" The captain''s right-hand man whispered to his captain.


    "Everyone in the city should know of Liuxian Xun by now. These two must have just entered into the city but for what purpose? I don''t know." The captain whispered back.


    "Why are you looking for Liuxian Xun?!" The captain asked


    Bing and Lei immediately knew that they shouldn''t say anything about their true objective. Based on how many men were ready to capture them just by saying that they were looking for the guy, revealing that they were here to rescue him would probably get them killed on the spot. This captain and his buddy were at a higher stage than them while everyone else was equal or lower than them. Fighting to escape wouldn''t be impossible but fighting was the last thing either of them wanted to do.


    Their goal here was to rescue one man. Not kill anyone, not fight anyone, and definitely not reveal their identities as Golden Serpent Sect disciples. If they planned on escaping with everything they had, these guys couldn''t stop them. So, Bing and Lei locked eyes with one another and nodded but then Bing suddenly shook his head left from right. Lei turned his head in confusion as Bing began to speak.


    "To receive the stones for his head of course!" Bing bellowed with his shield.


    "Stones?"


    "Did the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect already place a bounty on his head?"


    "I guess the Sect Leader really wants to find the man that led his daughter astray."


    "Quiet!" The captain shouted.


    "So, you two are planning to kill Liuxian Xun?" The captain''s aide sneered.


    An old man and some fatty working as bounty hunters? While the fatty''s cultivation stage was impressive for his age, none of them looked the part at all. The fatty was most likely some visiting noble or clan heir. His relation to the old man was something that he couldn''t gleam at all. A body guard wouldn''t be weaker than the young master he''s guarding.


    "What other business would we have with a man we don''t know." Bing arrogantly asked back.


    "Perhaps, trying to help him out in his time of need?" The aide added a possibility.


    "An old man like me and a plump fellow like him? How could we be of any help at all even if were on good terms with Liuxian? With our strength combined, it still wouldn''t be enough to put a scratch on the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect''s forces." Lei tried to reason.


    "Eh, we''ll see about that. Mingxia, go test them out and don''t hold back." The aide ordered while his captain was somewhat confused.


    The captain didn''t believe these two had anything to do with Liuxian and even if they did, what could they possibly do to aid him? A pair of 9th stage Qi Gatherers can''t do much against the City Lord''s soldiers and the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect''s disciples. This was just wasting time that they could be using to look for Liuxian. So, he ordered a majority of his men to come along with him and leave Jiayi to satisfy whatever urge he wanted with these two.


    "This is quite good for us. We''re no longer surrounded." Lei whispered.


    "I really just want to run away but if we do there''s no doubt we''ll be wanted in this city next..." Bing sighed.


    "I can take her on for you if you wish." Lei said.


    "Nah. It''s fine Lei. Remember we''re supposed to look like we''re not capable of helping the Xun guy. I got this." Bing stepped up to his female opponent. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_51781884056753390">#!_51781884056753390</a> for visiting.


    She was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer just like him but with some viciousness in her eyes. It was like he could see her murdering him in just her eyes, how terrifying... He already had issues with violent and pushy women. Now he had to fight a girl just like that who looked more than happy to fill him with several little stab wounds.


    "Get him." Jiayi commanded.


    She shot off with her bone knife with a mad smile on her face. Those perfectly white teeth in combination with her cute roundish face would normally be something that Bing could see in his dreams but that cuteness along with the madness he could feel radiating off her soul, no thank you. Bing placed his shield forward like a frightened little turtle and surprisingly was sent sliding backwards when she leapt and tried to stab her knife into his chest. His eyes narrowed on Mingxia''s small figure. She was a lot stronger than she looked...


    Mingxia slashed her knife non-stop in hopes of seeing Bing bleed, which he did without his consent. After each dodge, Bing would progressively get sloppier and sloppier in his movements. Which led to even more blood leaking from his body because of his inability to dodge the slashes. It wasn''t until he was forced on his back with Mingxia rapidly stabbing his shield dripping with sweat and blood that Jiayi was satisfied.


    "Stop Mingxia." Her knife stopped attempting to skewer his shield. "These two are obviously not related to Liuxian." Mingxia licked the blood coating her knife as she looked at Bing''s pathetic lying figure with hearts in her pupils.


    She returned next to Jiayi''s side and he flicked over a pill to Lei. Lei caught it and recognized it as a recovery pill. So, it seems he wasn''t totally devoid of any humanity. He walked over to Bing''s body and inspected him.


    "Most of those wounds are superficial... It looks like your spars with Ying and Tao has really paid off." Lei complimented.


    "Please don''t refer to the hell I went through as sparring..." He politely requested.


    "Your defensive skill has grown greatly. I''m sure you could''ve evaded all of her attacks if you were trying." Lei continued to compliment him.


    "No. She was strong. I got cut a few more times than I was intending to. If that guy didn''t call her off, I would''ve had to reveal more of my skill if I didn''t want to be cut somewhere important." Bing shook his head.


    Once Mingxia and Jiayi were out of sight, Bing shot straight up and dusted himself off. His previous wounds started to quickly recover at a visible pace.


    "Oh? I''m surprised, couldn''t you have just blocked her knife with your shield?"


    "Yeah, but avoiding her attacks entirely? Impossible." He spoke.


    "So, how are we going to find a wanted man that''s gone into hiding in a large city like this?" Lei asked with a smile.


    "All we need to do is find one of those wanted posters. I''ll describe to you what he looks like and then we''ll walk around the city until you find someone that matches the description." Bing suggested.


    "Wanted posters? They made some for him already?" Lei questioned.


    "I guess. How else does everyone in the city know who he is? Was there a large event before we got here and the fool just for some reason decided to reveal himself to everyone in the city and get on their bad side?" Bing brought up an impossible scenario.


    "I think we came on this task with too little information..." Lei was starting to think.


    "No, that''s not the problem. It''s the issue that the man we need to rescue is surrounded by enemies for some reason! Our original plan of asking around for him was perfectly fine."


    "So, what do you suggest we do if there are no wanted posters?" Lei asked.


    "Pray that Qing managed to find him for us." Bing shamelessly answered.


    "She is not going to be happy when she finds out that the man we need to find is actually wanted."


    "Do you wanna break the news to her or let her find out on her own?" Bing definitely wasn''t going to get yelled at by her.


    "I''ll do it. It''s better to get difficult things over with quick than let them grow over time into even more difficult problems." Lei shared as he sent a message to Qing.


    "And this is why you''re a bigger man than me." Bing complimented.


    "You''re still young." He chuckled. "Give it time." Qing''s reply came.


    "Of course, something had to happen... I knew this task seemed too simple. Meet up with me at the center of the city next to the giant statues. My butterflies should be able to find him soon enough." She replied back.


    "Aren''t we lucky the Empress told Qing to come along with us? We''d probably be stuck here for days if we had to rescue Liuxian on our own." Bing smiled, more than happy to sit on his behind and let someone else do all the hard work.


    "She has excellent foresight." Lei agreed.


    "Let''s go find these statues then." Bing started walked.


    "It should be to the north of where we entered from." Lei said.

 Chapter 157 - 151: Is This Truly A Rescue Task?

    "I still don''t understand how you two are always able to find trouble so easily." Wan Qing said somewhat annoyed.


    "It''s like a curse." Bing replied as he dug into his meal. "Me and Lei are probably one of the nicest cultivators in the world but everyone just wants to find trouble with us." He complained.


    "Since I can''t think of a reason of my own, sure. Let''s go with that." She sighed.


    "Most cultivators enjoy messing with people that look weak to them. They are easier to bully and push around, making them feel powerful. It is also accepted that this is the normal behavior for cultivators, to bully the weak." Lei Zhi shared. This understanding came from his goal of reforming youths.


    "And you two don''t look anything but weak." Wan Qing shared without restraint.


    "There''s strength in weakness, you know?" Bing spoke while in the middle of eating. "I''ve gotten away with more than a few victories because the person I was fighting was looking down on me." He explained.


    "I as well." Lei agreed with his statement.


    "No one I ever fought went easy on me. How lucky for you two." Wan Qing wasn''t really jealous.


    She wasn''t fine with those that chose to mock her for her decision in becoming a woman but being seen as weak in a world like this was not something the normal person could accept. Unless you were a mortal who had no reason to climb the stairs of immortality, weakness was something you sought to eliminate immediately. Strength was everything. No one would be able to judge you if you had the bigger fist. That was how Wan Qing prospered in the Golden Serpent Sect for so long. By defeating or killing those that refused to accept her way of life, more and more people had to accept her for who she was. At least to her face that was.


    "Have you found out what our man did to be wanted by so many people?" Bing asked. "All we know is that he may have led the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect''s daughter astray somehow."


    "I got some bits and pieces." Qing said.


    "Did the Sect Leader not approve of their love?" Lei chuckled.


    "All I could find out through my butterflies was that Xun caused some kind of disturbance for his daughter. They aren''t inside the city at all from what I''m seeing now. The soldiers believe that he slipped out into the forest and is hiding out there." Qing shared.


    "So, we got to go to the forest?" Bing asked.


    "Yes. Unless there''s a part of this city that''s hidden underground where my butterflies can''t get to."


    "Then let''s get ready to go. It''ll be a lot easier to search inside the forest." Lei left the coins for his tea and stood up.


    "It''ll be less annoying for sure." Qing agreed.


    "And it''s still morning so, we got plenty of time to return before it gets dark." Bing wasn''t looking forward to camping out in the middle of the woods.


    "If we''re lucky, we can grab him and then fly back to the sect before night." Lei optimistically smiled.


    "With how simple you two keep trying to make this, it only makes me think that nothing is going to go right and we can forget about ever returning with the man." Qing sighed.


    "Ah, Qing. Don''t be mistaken. We aren''t underestimating the danger of this task, if that''s what you''re thinking. It''s just that we believe this task was made just for us. All we have to do is save one man. Something that should be easy with our skills." Lei Zhi reassured her.


    "I see..." Wan Qing was dubious of his claims but knew that Lei Zhi wasn''t the type to lie.


    The three of them walked out of the shop after paying for their drinks and meals. Ni Xong and Quon were left inside Ying''s Void World. It turns out that the conditions inside is very beneficial to their growth. By the time they return, they should look completely different to Lei Zhi and Wan Qing. There wasn''t any special reason to why they were left behind. Jing didn''t specifically order only them to go on the task. They could''ve brought their pets if they wanted.


    Heaven''s Angels had no problem leaving the city and entering the west side of the Immortal Forest. From what Wan Qing''s butterflies could gleam, the soldiers would soon begin searching the forest once they get the go ahead by the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect. She now used those hundreds of butterflies to fly through the forest in search for Xun. Lei Zhi helped out in the search by searching every single object within a 360-degree radius around him. Bing''s talents didn''t lie in searching so, he didn''t have much to do.


    "I found them." Qing suddenly stopped, nearly causing Bing to trip and fall onto her.


    She pushed him back onto his feet and opened up her giant fan. With a toss into the air, it began hovering above the ground. Bing and Lei followed after her example and brought out their clouds. They followed after Qing flying on top of her fan into a deep giant ravine. It took them half an hour before they could reach the bottom but they finally saw what they came here for.


    A boy, a girl, a white tiger cub, and a small child. Heaven''s Angels immediately swept into action as if they planned on doing this ever since the start. Lei''s fishing rod hooked the boy by the back of his shirt and dragged him towards his cloud. The boy was unable to resist the pull of the pink fishing rod and could only accept being dragged through the air. Once the boy was close enough, Lei stabbed his needle into the boy''s neck, instantly subduing him and putting him to sleep on his cloud. Wan Qing formed a smaller fan from out of her giant one and swung it in the direction of the other 3.


    This wind blasted them backwards up to the forest but as they were about to leave, the small child looked at them leaving while holding on to the girl''s hand and screeched. An unbelievably number of spikes made out of qi shot towards them. Qing only gave a small smirk as she saw the sight. With a casual wave of her fan, an enormous gust of wind turned the spikes right around with even more speed than before. The white tiger cub suddenly grew into a full-sized a.d.u.l.t tiger and pounced straight towards them with impressive speed, clawing straight through the powerful wind.


    Bing stopped the beast from reaching Lei Zhi with his shield. It dug its claws around his shield to keep itself from falling down, forcing Bing to grow multiple arms to grab onto the beast while using his shield to stop it from biting into his neck. His arms grew multiple mouths with sharp knife-like teeth that stuck out with an even sharper tongue that pierced into the skin of the tiger, sucking its flesh. But then Bing suddenly stopped! This could be that guy''s pet! He''d feel kind of bad if he killed the guy''s pet when he hasn''t even done anything wrong to him. So, Bing just used his multiple arms to rip the tiger off his shield and gently restrain it with his hands.


    As they reached the Immortal Forest again, the pair they believed they left down in the ravine suddenly appeared on the cliff as soon as they arrived! The demonic little child reached forward with their hand that transformed into a huge red-skinned claw that wanted to squeeze Lei Zhi into a blood puddle! Bing could only put on an embarrassed smile as the white tiger trapped by him was cutely meowing for help. They really did look like the bad guys here.


    "You! I know you people! You''re allied with Hu Tao!" Meili shouted.


    "Being known for our relationship with Hu Tao can''t be good..." Bing groaned.


    "He is very problematic." Lei could only helplessly smile as well while having his cloud fly straight down to dodge the claw.


    "What of it?" Wan Qing arrogantly asked.


    "Despicable villains like yourselves deserve to be killed! How could you call yourselves human by allying with that sc.u.m?! Don''t you feel any shame!?" She berated.


    "Listen. We''re not going to hurt your little boyfriend. All we''re going to do is bring him back to the sect. So, there''s no need to try and insult us." Wan Qing spoke back.


    "Liars! Ming Ming, kill them all!" Meili ordered to the small child.


    "Die!!!" They screamed as a particularly foul type of qi exploded from them.


    Qing only rolled her eyes as she controlled the wind around them and blasted them off into the sky, leaving the duo by themselves. As they flew above the clouds, they suddenly met with a strange figure floating ahead of them. They couldn''t see if it was a man or woman from this distance but they could feel a terrifying aura from them. All three of the angels stopped dead in their tracks.


    "Only Earthly Immortals can fly..." Bing muttered.


    "This boy can''t possibly have an Earthly Immortal after his life, can he?" Lei Zhi questioned.


    "Of course, it''s not an Earthly Immortal. It''s probably some cultivator with a spirit tool that lets him fly just like us." Wan Qing scoffed. "But... on the slight chance that it is an Earthly Immortal, prepare to rip that talisman that Jing gave us." She advised as they slowly started to fly backwards and in a completely different direction from the man.


    "Ah. Don''t try and leave just yet children. I don''t look that scary, do I?" The figure in the distance suddenly arrived right in front of them.


    Bing and Lei Zhi immediately ripped their talismans and as it burned into purple flames, Jing arrived in its place.


    "For you to rip something as priceless as that, this must be quite the emergency..." She muttered as she instantly took in the situation. ''An Earthly Immortal? Before the Treasured Plains, I could barely handle a 5th stage spirit beast at the Core Stage. Let''s see if my training has improved to the next level since then.'' She showed a small smile as she tossed talismans onto Bing, Wan, Lei, Xun, and the tiger. They disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Jing all alone with the big bad immortal.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Survive!]


    [Rewards: SCP-999, Infinite supply of a random brand of candy, 1 legendary ticket.]


    [Failure Penalty: Soul extraction, Death, possibly removement of the Gacha System.]

 Chapter 158 - 152: The End.

    Water shaped into a cloud formed underneath Jing as she fully unleashed the extent of her power so far. She couldn''t afford to hold anything back against a figure as powerful as this. Unfortunately, the air wasn''t exactly her home ground. Jing has never fought off the ground like this so, it added even more of a disadvantage for her. Her qi took a bluish-purple color as it formed around her, blowing fiercely into the wind. Not matching a 9th stage Qi Gatherer in the slightest.


    A strange round object continually spewed water as it was held upside down without any visible force interacting on it. This water flowed around Jing like an elegant ribbon made by an immortal seamstress. It hung around her neck like a scarf that only got bluer and darker as more water was brought into it instead of increasing in size. Along with the scarf a thin whip of water was formed in her hand from the water scarf. Jing''s control over water could be considered peerless compared to those near her age. Not just any cultivator could do what she was doing even if they trained for hundreds of years! It would normally take a lifetime to reproduce the results of what Jing has accomplished with the water element. Something that was only accomplished thanks to her shadow in Ying''s Void World.


    While she wasn''t able to actively train her martial arts against the shadow, she could let the shadow attack her. So, like a sponge, Jing allowed herself to be attacked by the shadow until it showed everything her martial arts could become. It could only replicate her martial arts though, no SCP''s. So things like, Empress of Pain''s Tome, Flowering Domination, her unnamed whip martial art, Idliragijenget''s Blessing, her movement technique Kaizar''s Conquest, and Neptune''s Prophet. All of them were rapidly raised just like her followers who had their martial arts brought to higher levels.


    Along with the water, a black cloud could be seen forming around her. If one had exceptional sight, they would be able to recognize them as miniature lifeforms. To be specific, millions and perhaps trillions of bacteria that has been evolved thanks to Jing''s cultivation of them with qi. She''s only had to use SCP-353 once and that was to pay back that monkey from the Treasured Plains. Since then, she''s rarely found a use for them outside of mutating the viral agents into something that would wreak havoc on cultivators and spirit beasts alike. Even she didn''t know the true lethality of these micro creatures.


    From Jing''s pocket, she summoned 5 talismans that floated behind her. With a little infusion of qi, they lit up and slowly attached themselves to Jing''s back. Her qi tripled in power after the formation activated. She knew that using her qi was her only real chance surviving against this man. There wasn''t a 1% chance of Jing''s body being tough enough to handle a single casual strike from this man.


    An amused smirk appeared on the Earthly Immortal''s face. He was very handsome and incredibly young looking but Jing knew that this was not his true appearance. Most likely, he was a few centuries old. Revealing her true power like this wasn''t in her nature but as far as she could tell, no one was around and she couldn''t let three of her angels die a pitiful death just because of unfortunate circ.u.mstance.


    When she realized that he was still smiling despite everything she''s done, it painted a gloomy picture in her heart. Several thoughts ran through her mind on how best to handle this situation. And fighting wasn''t one of them. Fighting was the last thing she had on her mind against someone at this realm. Jing only prepared herself just on the off chance that she couldn''t escape or somehow talk her way out of this situation.


    "You are not an average Qi Gatherer, are you?" He showed an amused smile.


    "You could say that." Denying something as obvious as this wouldn''t be good for her.


    "I''m curious to where such a powerful little prodigy could have been hiding. Since you were brought by a movement-type spell, that must mean you aren''t from around here. I wonder if you can guess what I''m thinking?" He grinned.


    "I take it you are debating whether or not to kill me for my potential or let me live for some ridiculous reason." Jing stared into his playful eyes.


    "And you''re smart too." He walked on the air, circling around her. "You see, I only wanted to punish my daughter for bringing home a boy that I did not approve of. He had no background, his manners were abysmal, and his potential was negligible at best. If you were a boy, I''d be glad to have you marry my daughter instead and that would be the only payment for you being able to leave here. But sadly, you are a girl and I only have one daughter. Nor do I have a legendary pill that could reverse Yin into Yang."


    "If you are wanting to know where I come from, then I am a disciple of-" Jing felt something touch her lips and stopped her from speaking.


    "I didn''t ask anything like that. Where you come from matters not to me. I''m going to find out regardless at the upcoming Meeting of Great Talents. What I need from you is a reason to let you live for hindering me in punishing my daughter. What can you give me in exchange for your life?" The Earthly Immortal''s smile gripped her heart.


    Jing could tell that this man was going to squish her like a bug if she didn''t give him a good reason. He might be smiling but that look was anything but a facial expression made with good intentions. Thankfully, there was a way she could get out of this. If it was anything else he asked for, Jing might have been screwed. But if it was something like this? There were a few things that Jing could offer him in return for her life.


    "I''m only a Qi Gatherer. What could I possibly have that could tempt someone on your level, Respected Immortal?" But then again, why reveal that?


    "Don''t treat me like a fool. I can clearly see that your soul is not normal. That will be your only warning. Perhaps you''re a reincarnated soul or one touched by the True Immortals themselves far beyond the eyes of any mortal and immortal. Whichever you are, you very clearly have something to tempt me with that you do not wish to hand over at any cost. Give it to me and I''ll let you go or bring back the boy and let me deal with him." He kindly gave her two options.


    So, the persons of fate and reincarnators are known in this world by the higher stages. They can also see souls plain as day. ''Whatever Li Li did to enhance my soul must have made it different from normal souls or maybe it was always different and I just never knew until now. However, it doesn''t matter. If I want to receive my mission rewards, I absolutely cannot allow this man to get his hands on Jig''s junior brother. But if I don''t, then the only choice to satisfy him would be to produce an item with SCP-914 that a Qi Gatherer shouldn''t be able to get their hands on ever.'' Jing was stumped on the decision she should make.


    "10 seconds left." He stated.


    Jing''s refined brain raced to find a solution in where she could successfully benefit the most from this situation. The best-case scenario would be to not have an Earthly immortal as her enemy and Jig''s junior to stay alive. Worst would be her dying. Jing wasn''t blind to the possibility that the man would kill her regardless of what she did. She could give him something that only she would be able to create or the boy and then kill her.


    It was basically a 50/50 chance in where she lives or dies no matter what choice she makes. Jing especially didn''t want to reveal that she had access to valuable tools, weapons, martial arts, spells, and pills that could easily rival heaven-ranked ones. If she allowed him to realize that, then what was stopping him from trying to strip her of all her valuables? Treating her like a precious spirit ore mine that would never tap.


    There was also no certainty that teleporting as far away as possible would work either. Could a simple teleportation spell really deal with an Earthly Immortal? Jing didn''t want to ruin any chances of getting out of this on top if she could. If there was a way to survive, save the boy, and not get on this guy''s bad side then that was the path she wanted to create. But she simply didn''t have enough information on this man or the power to cause that situation to happen. It looks like there was only one path she could take.


    "I''ll bring the boy. Give me a moment." Jing spoke as she suddenly left.


    She felt something latch onto her qi before she left and instantly understood that this invisible qi string connected her to the Earthly Immortal. He would be able to find her in seconds if he wanted and she didn''t want to risk messing with it and angering the man. Jing picked up the unconscious Xun Liuxian and then teleported back far into the sky above the Immortal Forest outside Emerald City. She allowed his body to float over to the immortal.


    He gladly took the boy and ended him in his sleep. His heart was crushed from the inside and the Earthly Immortal dropped his body into the woods for the spirit beasts to devour. Jing could see the pop-up for the failure of her mission. It was a shame that she couldn''t get whatever SCP-682 was or the soul refining orb and Banner of Death. But her secrets were far more important. As her attention was momentarily taken away, the Earthly Immortal began walking away.


    [Mission Failed!]


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    [Reduced luck in next 5 gacha spins.]


    Only for Jing to suddenly feel a grip on her entire body and soul that was slowly being squeezed. She used all the available power in her body to resist against it. Her resistance didn''t even last a second against the strength of an Earthly Immortal. Someone only two major stages before the final cultivation realm.


    "You... will regret this decision..." She cursed before she was crushed into a pool of blood by his qi.


    "If only you were a boy..." He shook his head with regret before disappearing with a slight cough.

 Chapter 159 - 153: Life Goes On.

    The blood that spilled to the ground from Jing''s death formed into a small puddle. Everything continued on as normal within the Immortal Forest. Once the Earthly Immortal vanished, the beasts came back out to graze, frolic, and hunt. One such spirit beast was hopping along without a single care in the world. It resembled a rabbit but with rows of sharp teeth like a shark along with a drill-shaped tail that it sometimes bounced on instead of its legs. As the Drill Bunny was hopping, it managed to land directly in the blood puddle and slipped.


    This slippage caused it to roll around and be covered in blood that was very tasty to the bunny. It was so delicious that it couldn''t help itself from taking several licks of the blood. During this licking, several changes began to happen to the 1st stage Qi Gathering Drill Bunny. The blood it was drinking wasn''t the blood of any random beast. But the blood of a refined cultivator that has long passed abnormality. An abnormal freak with unbelievable power!


    It squeaked out in horrific pain as its body began to forcibly transform. The first change to happen was to its drill-shaped fluffy tail. Normally when a Drill Bunny climbs through the cultivation realms, its tail would become sharper, harder, and be used as another appendage to defend itself against predators or tear its prey apart to feast. But with this Drill Bunny, it skipped that evolutionary path entirely as its tail was strong enough to contend with Core Preparation stage spirit beasts already and far bigger and longer! Right now, its tail was more than three times its own body weight in size!


    A golden paint started to spread on its fur that made it a very shiny bunny as it began the next phase of its mutation. The muscles in its legs began to build into incredibly powerful weapons just like its tail but outwardly no difference could be seen. If it tried jumping with all its strength, it could definitely fly past the clouds. For any hungry predators looking to feast on this bunny then they wouldn''t even have known why their heads were sent flying off their shoulders.


    The last of the changes were the internal organs that unconsciously mutated in a way to eliminate all the weaknesses that it previously had. Essentially altering the Drill Bunny into an ultimate lifeform that only two others on the planet could claim. After its transformation was over, the Drill Bunny sought to hoard this valuable treasure for itself by burying it in the ground and scaring any beasts that dared come near it.


    It stood on its two hind legs like a human and crossed its arms with a particularly nasty look on its face. An act that it wouldn''t have done at all if the transformation didn''t also transfigure its brain as well. Now it had a brain superior than humans! But at the end of the day, a bunny was still a bunny. All it did for hours on end was stand over that buried blood as the landscape underneath it began to transform just as it did.


    Small insignificant insects, regular green grass, the great giant trees in the Immortal Forest, flowers, and fruits all transformed in unbelievably outstanding ways! Just like the Drill Bunny! The insects grew to the size of elephants and tigers only to be killed and devoured by the Drill Bunny before they could complete their transformations. Grass turned a golden glint just like the rabbit and gave off an exceptional amount of qi along with the trees that began to suddenly grow even taller and higher while sprouting strange blue fruits that held concentrated amounts of water qi inside them. There were too many flowers to count about how many of them changed from blood being buried into the soil.


    "Grrr...." Drill Rabbit growled at the incoming 1st stage Qi Consolidation Spiked Bear sniffing around its territory. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._51943917083491976">#._51943917083491976</a> for visiting.


    It paid no mind to the small creature and continued to sniff around. This only angered the small shiny bunny. The Drill Bunny strolled right over to the bear and starting squeaking in its face, telling it to leave its territory immediately or else. As an apex predator, of course the Spiked Bear wouldn''t listen to the crazed mumbling of a snack that just presented itself to it. It struck with deceptive quickness and attempted to tear the animal to pieces with its teeth.


    Unfortunately, this wasn''t how things played out at all. The Drill Bunny drove both of its hind legs into the bear''s face and nearly took its head off from the power contained in those legs. For daring to act so confident in its territory, the Drill Bunny felt that this intruder got off too lenient. He hopped over and began feasting on the disabled spirit beast that couldn''t even wiggle its front paw. It could only softly growl and murmur as it was eaten alive.


    This situation played out the same way over time until one day, everything changed. The blood puddle buried in Drill''s den started to rapidly expand on its own. Drill hurriedly ran out of his home and looked at the situation from afar in curiosity and slight fear. He was seemingly dressed in human-like clothes and holding a small sharpened stick with his front paw while watching. His home was completely flooded out as the blood began to shape itself upward. Watching in its entirety, Drill didn''t miss a thing as his treasured blood pool suddenly turned itself into a n.a.k.e.d human!


    Once their bones, flesh, hair, and organs all formed, he sniffed at their feet. Realizing that the blood he coveted like a long-lost lover was now inside this human, he was conflicted on what to do. This human was far stronger than him. He wouldn''t stand a chance against them even with his transformed body. Maybe they wouldn''t mind if he followed them around for a little while... For a taste of their blood every now and then.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing took in her surroundings and remembered what happened as her memories came flowing in from her soul. Her new brain filled with completely different brain cells from her old ones were being flooded with memories since she''s woken up in this world. An intense uncontrollable rage and fury screamed within her heart at remembering her death. If she didn''t refine herself to be able to regenerate from a single drop of blood then it would''ve been all over! Just like that!


    She wanted to shout, yell, and curse at the heavens but calmed herself. Her revenge has already taken place. Jing didn''t just give Jig''s younger brother to the immortal for free. She added along a few trillion little friends along with him that just so happened to pass on to the man that tried to kill her. The next few months, he would find his vitality continually being drained day by day without any explanation or cure to save him. Except for Jing, the only person in the world capable of dealing with those viral agents made for the sole purpose of causing unrepairable damage to beings that cultivate. Maybe in the next few months, Jing would suddenly pop in to explain his situation to him in a way that no famous doctor could. And maybe she would request a few things from him before saving his life at the cost of his eternal servitude.


    "I wonder just how far I''ll be able to raise Empress of Pain''s Tome by torturing an Earthly Immortal?" A l.u.s.tful blush painted her face with an aura of undeniable coldness radiating around her.


    "Squeak..." Jing looked down and noticed a funny looking rabbit below her.


    It was shivering in fright while looking up at her. This spirit beast... Why did she feel a connection to it? No, wait... Why did she feel connected to this entire part of the forest? Did something happen while she was recovering? Jing only knew that suddenly everything went dark and then she was taken to that mysterious place and wasn''t able to leave for quite some time. That place she was taken to after refining herself for the first time and when that parasite tried to take over her.


    "You did something to my remains, didn''t you?" Jing crouched down and asked the Drill Bunny.


    It nodded its head while looking incredibly guilty and afraid.


    "Tell me." Its intelligence didn''t match its realm. She needed to know why this was and if she was the sole cause of it.


    It bit into its hand and had its blood drip down onto the dirt. Then it pointed at her and the blood before licking it up.


    "So that''s how you turned into this. What about all of this?" She gestured to the abundant greenery around them.


    The bunny let its blood flow to the ground once more but instead of licking it this time, it began to drill into the ground with its rotating tail and buried it with its feet afterwards.


    "I see... I can feel that you wish to come with me but what use would you bring to me?" She grinned.


    Jing watched as the silly little rabbit started striking out with his stick spear. It was amusing to watch seeing it try so hard to impress her. She shrugged and gave the little rabbit permission to follow her by her side. It happily bounced around after she gave her approval and stuck to her like a child that dearly missed their parents who were away all day.


    Before she returned to the Golden Serpent Sect, Jing placed several formations around the area. She planned to return at a later date. This was an interesting discovery that she never would''ve found out on her own. Jing knew of what she could and couldn''t do with her refined body but she did not know that her refined body had uses in other ways. Perhaps she was a treasure on her own even without SCP-914.


    [Mission Completed!]


    [You have survived against an opponent because he underestimated you!]


    [Rewards: SCP-999, Infinite supply of a random brand of candy, 1 legendary ticket]


    [Host has received SCP-871!]


    A squishy orange blob plopped down in front of her with a large smile on its face along with a wedding cake that reached up to her height. An unlimited number of Geeks, small spherical multi-colored pieces of candy that were around the size of a bead, were stored in her inventory. As Jing clutched her head from the information flowing into it about SCP-999 and SCP-871, she thought about how in the world was she going to use these SCP''s efficiently... They didn''t seem very useful at first but maybe she just needs more time to think on it.

 Chapter 160 - 154: Some Thinking & A Funeral?

    SCP-999 was perhaps one of the strongest creatures in the world from what Jing just learned. But she did not mean strongest in the form of physical strength or anything like that. No, this SCP had a special quality to it that could prove quite useful to Jing when she returns back. Its anomalous ability was essentially personified happiness and joy in the form of an infant slime. Even now, it was gurgling and trying to hug her with its little slime arms. Jing stopped it with a tendril of water as she wasn''t in the mood to be happy right now.


    Through touch, SCP-999 was able to bring delight and jubilation to anyone. This feeling of happiness is increased the longer you stay in contact with the gelatinous blob and doesn''t wear off immediately when that contact is broken. Jing already knew of a situation in where she could use these effects to her advantage but first, there were a few things she had to test first with this thing... She wasn''t exactly keen on being affected by its ability but knew sooner or later it would have to happen. How could she properly put this thing to use without first testing of its ability herself? A question she would only ask herself regarding an SCP like this that can''t harm her in a sense where she would get hurt.


    "I might have to make you a friend inside Ying''s Void World. Perhaps Lei Zhi could help me with that." She muttered as SCP-999 crawled over to Drill and hugged him.


    A strange look on his face appeared as he began to start squeaking. This squeaking soon turned into a full-blown rabbit laughter and maybe some pleading as well? SCP-999''s tickling didn''t stop even after the bunny begged for mercy. It was only when he looked towards Jing that she gave him a helping hand as he soon passed out with a wide smile on his face after catching his breath.


    "Dangerous little thing..." Jing narrowed her eyes as she looked at the orange bundle of joy coming towards her while giving high-pitched coos and gurgles.


    Just like before, she captured it with water before it could physically touch her. The next one was SCP-871. A food-related SCP that had the potential to engulf and destroy worlds. On paper, once its anomalous ability was read out, a person''s first thoughts wouldn''t lead to an outcome like that. But Jing saw through the simplicity of it. This cake, when consumed by a human or humans, would be replaced approximately 24 hours afterwards with a similar cake. It appears on any flat surfaces near the area where the last cake was eaten. Now here''s where things began to get interesting.


    If an instance of SCP-871 was damaged through other means, including being devoured by beasts, then it will be replaced instantaneously. While any cake not consumed, will create a new cake after 24 hours with the same anomalous properties as the original cake. Creating two self-replicating cakes and if these two aren''t eaten they would make two more replicating cakes, creating four in total. That 4 would turn into 8, 8 to 16 and so forth. And from there, you can see how things could get out of hand very quickly if a large number of these cakes weren''t eaten with 10% of the instance''s mass left before 24 hours were up.


    Jing had some thoughts on what to do with this SCP. It would be her first step in expanding outside the sect and inside. She could get started now while she was still just a disciple and then when she becomes sect leader, that was when she would share her business with the world at large. Something that would only be possible if her business was worth it. And for that, Jing had no doubts on the potential of her future products. With SCP-914, what part of the market at large couldn''t she completely dominate?! SCP-871 was just an interesting direction to start with.


    Jing took out her mask and placed it on SCP-999.


    "Can you turn into a fly?" She asked.


    He didn''t do it and managed to shock Jing with a brief moment of excitement as its pseudopod slightly rubbed the back of her hand. The sudden spike of positive emotions surprised Jing as she quickly pulled back her hand. Considering the danger of the thing, Jing no longer wanted to test it anymore. Not being in control of her emotions was something she was hesitant to admit but it was one of her fears. This thing being able to make her feel whatever it wanted was like handing control of her emotions over to it. An infant that knew of nothing but trying to bring happiness to others, eating sweets, and being kind. It frightened her but she refused to let her fear control her actions.


    She would just... save the testing for the future. When she wasn''t afraid of the power of SCP-999. Jing wasn''t so childish that she couldn''t admit her true feelings to herself. Out of all the SCP''s she summoned so far, this one was the scariest by far. Her inner thoughts and emotions were everything to her. And to have this thing violate that by forcefully making her feel a certain way? No thank you.


    "I guess I better get back now. See what I missed while I was gone." Jing muttered to herself. She grabbed SCP-999, SCP-871, and Drill before teleporting away with a talisman.


    ______________________________________________?


    Quite a few things have happened since Jing went missing at the sect. The Grand Tournament was coming up in a few days and everyone was preparing themselves for it. Many of Jing''s acquaintances have been going on with their own lives while wondering what the hell has happened to her. Inside Ying''s Void World, frequent arguments rang out during the time she was missing.


    "So, you just left her alone to face an Earthly Immortal!?" Hu Tao shouted.


    "We didn''t leave her! She teleported us away! You can''t try and pin the blame of us when we had nothing to with it! All we did was what we were told by Bleep herself!" Wan Qing yelled back.


    "Then why didn''t you go after her!?"


    "And do what!? Die pointlessly?! Even if all of us teamed up together, none of us would stand a chance against an Earthly Immortal even with the gifts Bleep gave us!"


    "She''s right, Hu Tao." Ying agreed.


    "An Earthly Immortal is just too far out of our league to take on." Bing added.


    "So, none of you even went to search for her corpse huh? Fine. I''ll go on my own then. F.u.c.k you pussies." Hu Tao put up the middle finger and was about to exit the Void World before a little bird landed on his shoulder.


    ''My mother is still alive.'' Li Li linked to his soul and communicated.


    "What? How do you know?!" He asked, shocked.


    ''I can still feel her soul out there but that''s the only thing I can sense.'' Li Li may have seemed calm on the outside but he was anxious beyond belief.


    "Let''s go find her and bring her soul back then." Hu Tao grinned.


    ''Let''s.'' His foot tapped repeatedly on Hu Tao''s shoulder.


    "Wait. I''ll come with." Wan Qing stopped him, feeling somewhat responsible even though everything that happened wasn''t her fault at all.


    "Me too." Ying and Lei offered at the same time. They felt sad for Li Li.


    "The Empress does deserve a proper burial for all she''s done for us." Bing muttered.


    Ying let them out of the Void World and then began traveling out of the sect. Wan Qing led the way until Li Li took over when they reached the ravine. Nobody but him could see or sense souls. Li Li led them straight to his mother''s soul. Upon reaching the blood puddle, a hazy figure in the form of Jing appeared above it. It stood hovering in the air without any particular emotion on its face. It turned when Li Li neared and stared him in the eyes.


    ''Mommy...'' Tears came flowing down his eyes. His anxiety, fear, and sadness caught up to him. He was worried without belief after hearing what happened and seeing that she hasn''t come home in several days.


    ''Son?'' Li Li immediately tried pulling on her soul and bringing it inside his soul palace but she resisted.


    ''Stop. I am fine. Me being a ghost is only temporary.'' She reassured him.


    ''What do you mean? The dead can''t come back to life...'' As a child given enhanced intelligence and remarkable abilities, of course he would play around with souls and living beings for fun. He knew the things that souls could and couldn''t do.


    ''I will recover back to my original form. That puddle of blood you see now will turn back into my original body. You are the same way as me. When I refined you, there were only slight differences I made because you were a bird. But both of us are essentially immortal. We do not age past our prime, we cannot take fatal injuries to our bodies, and we can regenerate from nearly any wound. The only vulnerability we have is our souls. I cannot refine souls as they aren''t objects, I can interact with SCP-914.'' She shared with him.


    ''So, you''re going to be fine?'' Snot dripped down his nose as he tried to sniff it back up.


    ''Li Li, wipe your tears and get that snot off your beak. I''m going to be fine. I''ll see you all when I''m back in my normal form. It won''t be that long, I think.'' She gave a gentle smile and tried massaged his feathers. ''Oh, and make sure to tell them I''ll be fine. It looks like Hu Tao is planning to make a giant tombstone in memory of me. I still have quite a few things to do before I plan to die after all.'' She floated back over to her blood puddle.


    ''Stop! My mom''s not dead yet!'' Li Li connected their souls.


    "The bird can talk!?" Runt and Jie exclaimed. Ever since Hu Tao''s journey to Dragon City, the two of them found themselves apart of his Badass Angels.


    "I don''t know how the hell that crazy bitch is still alive when she''s nothing but a pool of blood on the ground but hey! What can''t she do?!" Hu Tao happily exclaimed as he stopped digging the ground in preparation for the funeral.


    "Bleep is still alive...?" Wan Qing crouched over the puddle and stared into it to see if she could gleam anything about it.


    ''Her soul said she''ll recover from this. She just needs time.'' Li Li said with joy, his face still a mess.


    "Then that''s good news for us." Ying cleaned up Li Li''s face. "If something like this isn''t enough to take her out, then it looks like we''re set for becoming the strongest faction in the sect." She added.


    "She could be sealed in a formation." Bing brought up.


    ''No, she''s not invincible. If someone targets her soul, she''s just as helpless as anyone else.'' Li Li supported.


    "Okay! She''s not unbeatable! But still, pretty close, huh?"


    "So this Bleep person... who is she...?" Jie asked in a quiet voice. A little bit freaked out that the name they''re saying isn''t coming out properly despite she seeing their lips say the name.


    "The woman I love with all my heart." Hu Tao answered without shame. This caused several emotions to rise within Jie.


    "The boss has a girlfriend!?" Runt exclaimed.


    "No. He''s just in love with her." Ying clarified.


    "Oh." Both Runt and Jie responded.


    "It''s only a matter of time before that crazy girl falls for me." Hu Tao confidently boasted.


    "I thought you only liked people with nice behinds." Bing blurted.


    "That''s different Fatass. This is true love. Not that shallow shit. I don''t want to just f.u.c.k Bleep''s brains out, I want to spend the rest of my life with the psycho bitch." He laid his heart bare, only to receive a kick from Li Li that sent him flying through multiple trees.


    ''My mother requested I stopped you from talking.'' Li Li explained his behavior.


    "Still love you babe!" Hu Tao groaned as he soon passed out.


    "Haah... How unfortunate can I be to fall in love with someone that already has another person in his heart..." Jie sighed with all her heart.


    "I don''t see how you could fall in love with that thing in the first place." Ying scoffed with an agreement nod by Qing.


    "Neither do I..." She went over and lifted up the knocked out Hu Tao over her shoulder.


    "Should we begin heading back?" Lei Zhi spoke up after staring intently at Jing''s blood since they got here.


    "Yep. Now that we know Bleep is fine, we don''t have any reason to be here any longer." Wan Qing responded.


    "Heaven''s Angels. Move out!" Ying childishly shouted. The reddening of her skin after saying it was enough to explain just how embarrassed she was to say that but she felt it was the only opportunity to say something like that.


    "Cute." Wan Qing stated.


    "Ah, Youth is nice." Lei smiled.


    "Let''s get a move on then, Angels." Bing chuckled.

 Chapter 161 - 155: Wan Qing vs Kun Lao! Part 2!

    "Do you remember me?" Wan asked.


    It was finally time for her to deal with the heart demon plaguing her since she joined Jing. Kun Lao was finally at the stage where it wouldn''t be considered bullying if she fought him. Now she could get her revenge for the time he almost killed her. And she didn''t plan to hold anything back. One of them were going to die today.


    "If you have business with me, I''m not interested." He tried blowing her off.


    "I challenge you Kun Lao. To a life-or-death duel!" She loudly announced. His eyes narrowed in hostility at her words. "If you refuse to show, I will finish the job this time and make sure to kill your little girlfriend." And with that, Wan turned and left to go to the dueling ring.


    "There''s no need for that. I''ll just take care of you here." Kun Lao appeared just behind Wan Qing with his sword.


    His blade swung to remove her head from her shoulders. No one watching the interaction between the two could have expected such an outcome! They were about to go and spread news of the duel around for everyone to know but they didn''t even get the chance too! Kun Lao attempted to murder Wan with a surprise attack!


    "Despicable!"


    "Coward!"


    "Lao! Do you even know what respect is?!"


    Those watching disliked Kun''s actions and actively berated him for it. He ignored them as his sword came closer and closer to beheading Wan Qing. This was someone he already killed. Lao had no idea how they were still alive after what he did to them but it didn''t matter. All he had to do was to was kill him again.


    "Are you always this impatient?" Wan casually blocked the blade with her closed fan. "I guess that''s one reason why you climbed the ranks so quickly." She continued walking forward as Lao was inwardly shocked.


    ''I didn''t hold back in that attack... This guy won''t be easy to deal with.'' Lao thought.


    "Go to the dueling rings like a man!"


    "Hahahaha! Can''t even pull off a sneak attack properly! Let''s go tell everyone that Kun is about to die today by the sissy!"


    "Kun''s scared of the ladyboy!"


    All the disciples watching their standoff quickly scattered in the distance to talk about the duel with the rest of the Inner Court. Lao momentarily thought of silencing them all with a few quick strokes of his sword but knew that would be going too far. He would be harshly punished at the Disciplinary Hall if he senselessly killed his fellow peers just because he didn''t want them talking. It looks like he had no choice but to take on that guy and kill him in the ring with everyone watching. And he wasn''t going to be an easy opponent to face either.


    Just from that one clash from before, Lao could tell that he was strong. A flimsy looking fan like that being able to stop his earth-ranked spirit weapon? That meant that either he had powerful qi or that fan was a spirit tool equal in rank to his sword. Both options were plausible but the powerful qi was more likely. An item like a fan being turned into a spirit tool that could contend with swords? Unlikely because who would consider using a fan as a weapon? It just didn''t make much sense but then again, his bow didn''t make much sense either. He''d best take this duel seriously and give it everything he has.


    ¡­


    About half of the Inner Court came to watch Wan Qing''s duel with Kun Lao. Both were talented disciples with problematic reputations. Recently Wan has stayed out of the spotlight and hidden himself from the public. When usually they''d find him doing whatever it takes to publicly grow stronger and stand at the center of attention. Kun Lao was just known as an arrogant genius archer with some skill in swordsmanship. He did whatever he wanted without caring who he offended. This landed him a discipleship under a high-ranked elder and allowed him to act even more unrestrained.


    "I see you brought her here to watch you die. If you want, I can send her along with you after I''m done." Wan offered.


    "Don''t spout nonsense. The only one dying today is you." Lao held a black bow in his hand.


    "I planned to do the same thing to you when we first met. When I thought I killed your girlfriend I was going to send you off to join her. It would''ve been cruel to have you both apart from each other with one in life and the other in death." Wan admitted.


    "Life doesn''t go how you expect it."


    "Today, it will." She took out an elegantly designed fan with blue floral patterns painted onto it and held it in her hands.


    In the crowd were a group of familiar faces watching this battle. Bing, Li Li, Ying, Lei, Hu Tao, Runt, and Jie sat together in the stands. They came out in support of Qing accomplishing her task for Jing and hopefully not losing her life against this guy she said she nearly died to. It was because of him that she even got acquainted with Jing in the first place. So, in a strange twist of fate, Wan was actually thankful for Kun Lao. This did not mean she would hold back in their duel though. She fully intended to kill him with everything she had.


    "Do you guys think she could lose?" Bing asked.


    "Nope." Ying immediately responded.


    "I believe in her." Lei smiled.


    "If she loses, I''ll laugh my ass off." Hu Tao expressed with Li Li perched on top of his head.


    "I was embarrassed to ask earlier but why do you guys call him her and she?" Jie asked.


    "Me too." Runt looked at Hu Tao.


    "That''s because the f.u.c.ker''s messed up in the brain and wants to be a woman even though he was born a man." Hu Tao explained.


    "So, he thinks he''s a woman?" Runt was confused. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!-part-2!_52057745511208544">#!-part-2!_52057745511208544</a> for visiting.


    "No. He identifies as a woman. He''s not confused about his identity. He just chooses to accept the one he wasn''t born with." Lei spoke up


    "Huh?" Runt was even more confused.


    "Don''t think too hard on it. You''ll just tire yourself out. Just know that he is a she despite how he looks and sounds." Ying tried simplifying it.


    "But why?"


    "Ask the bitch yourself, Runt." Hu Tao shut him up. "If she lives anyway." He snickered.


    "She''s gotten a lot stronger after Bleep''s training." Bing spoke.


    "Anyone would get stronger after Bleep''s training." Ying rolled her eyes.


    "They''re starting! Shut the f.u.c.k up!" Hu Tao shouted.


    "Begin!" The low-ranked elder watching over this duel brought his hand down.


    Wan waved her fan and immediately blocked the arrow shot at her forehead with a wall of wind. A second and third arrow split through the first one to pierce through the air barrier. With a sway of her head, she let the arrow fly past her and smiled at Kun as hundreds of butterflies began to fly towards him. His arrows wouldn''t be able to take down that many insects at once. He would have to expose his next available method of attack unless he wanted to be swarmed and find out what her butterflies did.


    Which is exactly what he did. Kun Lao placed his bow on his back and then took out his sword from his storage ring. He chopped, sliced, and stabbed at the insects to get rid of them. His speed was impressive as every second more than 5 butterflies would be chopped up. If he was allowed to continue then taking care of the butterflies would prove no issue at all.


    "Ni Xong. Show him the results of your training." Wan Qing confidently smiled.


    The not-as-small anymore panda cub came from behind her with golden gauntlets that were way too big for it. Hesitation was present on his face but it was soon thrown away after he met Wan''s eyes. He stood on two legs and dashed forward towards an opponent far higher than himself in the realms. Ni Xong gave a cute high-pitched roar as he rose his fist over his shoulder to punch Kun Lao.


    "What kind of joke is this?" Kun questioned as he prepared to strike down the spirit beast with a single stab.


    His sword came piercing straight down towards Ni Xong''s heart only to be avoided by him with a grab from his gauntlet. Ni Xong grabbed the blade before it could stab into his chest and shattered it using the immense power held within the gloves. Kun Lao couldn''t hold himself back from gasping at seeing the little bear break his earth-ranked spirit weapon. This momentary lapse in his concentration was taken advantage of by Wan Qing.


    She appeared right behind him as silent as the wind and took his head off with a single swipe from her open fan. His head went flying into the air as blood followed right behind it. It landed with a thud on the arena''s stage and growing pool of blood. A scream was heard from the stands while everyone else was speechless. It was over? Just like that? Already? The duel only took a few moments!


    "I''ll kill you!" Daiyu leapt from the stands with her sword aimed to pierce Wan Qing from behind.


    "Still just as stupid..." Wan muttered as Ni Xong took care of it for her.


    Ni Xong appeared above Daiyu and slammed his giant metal glove into her back. Her back arched like a bent sword and snapped when they crashed into the ground. In only a second, her entire career and future as a cultivator was destroyed by an animal 4 small stages below her at the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm. Wan Qing rewarded him with a pat on the head and gave him a treat before walking away the victor.


    After leaving, a massive brawl erupted amongst those who were interested in stealing both Kun Lao''s and Daiyu''s items for themselves. Hu Tao joined in as well. He wasn''t interested in the items but more of fighting the greedy bastards in front of him. Everyone else from Heaven''s Angels left together. Kun Lao''s storage ring was known to hold those mysterious bracelets that allowed him to make that ghostly bow. Now that he was dead, anyone could get their hands on them! It was because of that bow that Lao was allowed to rise so quickly despite his commoner background and lack of talent. Daiyu was just easy pickings. As far as they knew, you couldn''t become a cultivator with a broken spine. So, she wouldn''t need the items on her person or in her storage ring anymore. The low-ranked elder left after seeing to the end of the duel. He did nothing to stop the disciples nor was he interested in doing so. In this sect, it was basically survival of the fittest. There was no mercy spared for the weak.

 Chapter 162 - 156: The Return.

    [Mission Completed!]


    [Host has taken over the Outer Court through the superior strength of the host''s followers.]


    [Rewards: 3 Epic Tickets, Soul Lantern, Restriction on Qi Gathering Realm has been unlocked.]


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Wan Qing has successfully killed Kun Lao, the person of fate that nearly ended her life!]


    [Rewards: 5 Epic Tickets, Sky-ranked blacksmith manual]


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Wolfeng Gang has been strengthened enough to the point where they have matched the Huan Clan in strength!]


    [Rewards: 10 Rare Tickets, Berserker''s Rage]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Take over the Inner Court through numbers of supports, superior strength, or influence.]


    [Rewards: 1 Legendary Ticket, Coffin of Undying, Restriction on Qi Consolidation Realm will be unlocked]


    Jing was more than happy to accept all those fantastic mission rewards upon returning to the sect. She planned to use the tickets later on tonight as right now, there were a few things she had to accomplish. Especially one that required her immediate attention by the end of the day. Or she would find herself being locked out of her system possibly forever. At the moment, Jing was patiently waiting inside Jig''s home with Li Li. You see, he was one of the reasons why Jing had died in the first place.


    A question that came to her was if Jig or his master knew if Xun Liuxian got on the bad side of someone at the Earthly Immortal stage. And if so, did Jig willingly refuse to tell her this information? Was it his plan or his master''s plan to try and get rid of her this way? Questions upon questions but no answers... Jing already prepared herself to kill him if he did know.


    The house was placed with several formations just waiting to be activated on Jing''s command. She was sure someone as talented as Jig would be able to force his way out but not without some suffering. He would have to suffer through terrible physical, mental, and spiritual pain before he could free himself. Jing expected by the end of it, he would be completely drained of energy and his life would be ripe for the taking. However, if he wasn''t aware at all of the trouble his junior brother was in, then Jing would go on her way as it was just an unlucky situation.


    Ah, it seems he''s finally come home. Jing could sense Jig coming towards his door from outside. She wasn''t hiding her presence in the slightest. Her reason for coming here was for answers. It might be a little funny to see if she could scare a Core Stage disciple but this situation didn''t warrant something like that. He immediately realized someone was in his home as he stopped in front of his door and didn''t move for quite some time.


    "Come in." Jing told him. He did so and locked eyes with her.


    "So, you''ve failed..." He realized.


    "But still alive."


    "So, it seems..."


    "Were you aware that there was an Earthly Immortal after Xun?"


    "And if I was?"


    "Things aren''t going to end well for you."


    "You might be strong and quite talented but at the end of the day, there is nothing you can do about what has already passed. My Junior Brother is dead, you are alive and well, and the world continues to spin."


    "Unfortunately for you, things aren''t going to go the way you think they are. Today is going to be one of the worst and most humiliating experience in your life." With a snap of her finger, a single array activated inside Jig''s house.


    The corners of the house brightened up and Jig immediately realized what was going on. He still had the same casual smile he always had as ethereal chains shot out to grab him. Jig seemed overall amused by the situation and that smirk of his reminded Jing of the Earthly Immortal from before. It upset her but she didn''t lose control over her emotions. She simply decided to make things a bit worst for him.


    Jing took out one of the Geeks from her inventory and kicked it towards Jig who happily let the chains wrap around his body. A mistake he would very soon start to regret. Something that Jing would make sure that he suffers for by not giving him the chance to escape without a little pain. The Geek was coated in qi before being launched to ensure that it didn''t completely shatter into pieces from her kick. It was just a normal piece of candy after all.


    Once the chains wrapped around himself, Jig felt a powerful drain on his qi. This drain was too significant and would quickly empty him out if he let the chains continue to stay on his person. How did a Qi Gatherer create such a powerful spell? The time, resources, and skill needed to craft a talisman on this level isn''t something that should be possible for a Qi Gatherer. To remove the chains, Jig gathered up as much qi as he could and released it outward, shattering the chains. A strange small object hit his forehead after dealing with the chains and left a bloody wound from the impact. His smile turned into a confused scowl.


    "I''m no longer just a Qi Gatherer anymore." Jing''s body was overflowing with qi, revealing that she was now a 9th stage Qi Consolidator.


    Now that her restriction from the system was lifted, she could easily blow through the stages with as much qi as she has. Jing was in the Qi Gathering stage for quite a white. Far longer than someone with her talent should''ve been. It would take her some time to understand her new limits after increasing her power this rapidly but she had several plans that could distract her as she gets used to it.


    "This changes nothing, you understand?!" He pulled out his sword and leaped straight at her.


    The next formation activated upon the destruction of the first and before he could reach Jing, a fist made of the world''s qi took the blow for Jing by directly clashing with Jig''s sword. He seemed surprised by the strength of the array''s fist but the true surprise was just beginning. Several more flying fists began rushing towards Jig from out of nowhere. At his stage, responding to them all was more of a chore than any danger. That would be the current situation, if Jing wasn''t kicking several pieces of candy at him that carried enough force to break bones at the speed they were flying at.


    This constant onslaught on multiple fronts proved to be even too much for a Core Stage cultivator. He suffered multiple hits that were painful but weren''t life-threatening. Eventually, the small pains started building up and his patience was getting tested. Jig started to ignore the fists of qi and focused everything he had on killing Jing. She only smiled in response to this simple line of thinking.


    More and more injuries started piling upon his body from Jing''s formation. But then a smile soon formed on his face once he made it a certain distance towards Jing. He stood directly in her face with blood leaking from his mouth and many bruises all over his body. Jing watched with vivid interest at what he was planning while taking all those hits.


    "Sword Domain!" His qi expanded outwardly into a bubble that formed around both himself and Jing.


    It was as if the world itself shifted and changed to his desires as the flying fists could no longer touch him inside here. They were sliced to nothingness upon contact with the dome of qi. At first, it was only a couple of swords materializing around them, each one a copy of his standard long sword. As seconds went by, those few became many and that many turned into several. Jing was very interested in what this technique was.


    She didn''t feel as if she was capable of breaking through this dome unless she used a majority of her qi or some special spirit tool. Teleporting away didn''t seem to be an option either as something about it was blocking the transfer of qi from going anywhere but the inside of this bubble. A martial art that forced the opponent into taking you on while they changed the surroundings into an advantage for them? This was very powerful.


    "Confused, aren''t you? Someone of your stage wouldn''t learn anything about this until you reached my stage. Only Core Stage cultivators and higher can form Qi Domains. With it becoming more powerful and expansive as you climb through the stages. You might be wondering why I''m sharing this with you, but the dead tell no tales." Jig smirked before sending all the swords flying at Jing. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52104324448308595">#._52104324448308595</a> for visiting.


    "Thank you for telling me this. You see, it''s very hard to acquire information on my own. There are no real books of any kind anywhere inside this place. Nothing about qi, souls, the cultivation stages, how this sect came to be, the important figures in the sect, how its run, how many disciples are accepted when recruiting new disciples, how often disciples are killed inside the sect, how often they are killed outside the sect, it''s just all very annoying. At the library, there is only martial arts. I was wondering who was doc.u.menting the history, growth, and everything else about the Golden Serpent Sect but it seems that no one does. Perhaps in a few thousand years, no one would ever even know this sect existed!" Jing shared her frustration as the swords skewered her and Li Li like pincushions.


    "What is this?!" Jig exclaimed.


    Water flowed from their bodies as if they were made up of nothing but water! She gave him a smile before turning completely into water and flying straight at him.


    "No! That''s impossible! Only a cultivator at the 9th stage of the Qi Transformation realm can completely turn their body into the natural state of their qi! I don''t believe it!" Jig controlled the infinitely spawning swords into slicing the large puddle of water apart.


    This did little to stop its aggressive momentum. Once separated, it simply expanded, remerged, and grew larger than before! The strain of keeping his Qi Domain up was beginning to show as his muscles were being strained and his qi was being used up. A sweet laugh filled with ridicule and amus.e.m.e.nt soon filled the small home. Behind him, Jing and Li Li revealed themselves and took off their masks. The mother and son duo Jig saw this entire time was nothing more than water clones.


    "It looks like I have to thank you again. It''s truly unbelievable how much knowledge is being greedily hoarded by those at the top. This is not how you move forward. No wonder you cultivators have been doing the same useless crap for thousands and thousands of years. All of you are too selfish! Do you know how much progress this world could''ve experienced if the strong weren''t incompetent greedy little pieces of trash?!" Jing exclaimed as her water enveloped Jig''s body. "Hah... What am I telling you all this for? You''re about to die anyway." She sighed.


    Jing slowly began crushing the Core Stage disciple''s bones starting from his feet all the way up to his shoulders. Crunches, cracks, and snaps flowed into Jing''s ears like music played by the heavenly beauties. This added along with the sounds of his screams only excited Jing even further. Her cheeks were blushed in excitement as she intentionally broke as many bones as slowly as she could. By this point, Jig''s Qi Domain was already undone and Jing no longer had a use for the rest of the arrays she planted for if he got past the first two.


    "Spare me...." Tears flowed down his cheeks as he looked towards Jing.


    If he understood just how much elation he was bringing to Jing with the distraught and pathetic look on his handsome face, he probably would have a different expression on his face right now. The fact that his life was coming to an end despite how talented and young he was. Not many people could accomplish what Jig has done. In fact, he could be said to be someone who was guaranteed to become one of the pillars of the Golden Serpent Sect if he lived long enough. Sadly, for him, he had to run into Jing and get on her bad side.


    "If only I had the time to call Ju Ju over..." Jing had her water cover Jig''s head and crushed his skull.


    Leaving his body to rot inside his home and removing all the arrays she planted, Jing teleported into Ying''s Void World with a special talisman made from SCP-914. As normal movement talismans couldn''t teleport inside there. Now, it was time to prepare the Supreme Commander''s gift and get ready to start up her business. She also had to check on the situation in the sect from Wen and the puppets at the Wolfeng Gang. After that, she can use all those tickets, find out what a Soul Lantern, refine the blacksmith manual, and find out what Berserker''s rage is.

 Chapter 163 - 157: Baking A Cake!

    "What are you doing Bleep?" Ying came over and asked. She just recently broke through into the Qi Consolidation realm and was curious on what Jing was doing over here.


    Jing was reading a thick book with a giant cauldron in front of her. Ying had no idea where this cauldron came from as she only had a small one near the garden. Apparently, Jing had free access to her Void World and could seemingly take and bring anything she wants! She didn''t quite know how to feel about this.


    "I''m baking a cake." Jing answered.


    "A cake? For who?" Ying asked.


    "For the Supreme Commander."


    "Huh!?" Ying didn''t believe she heard what she just think she heard.


    "It''s a good thing you''re here, come learn how to make cakes with me. You''re learning how to refine pills, aren''t you? This''ll be good practice."


    "What!?" Ying was completely lost, confused, and out of her element. How was making cakes going to help her learn how to refine pills better?


    "Watch me." Jing stepped up the ladder and opened up the cauldron''s lid.


    "Hand me that cake." Jing pointed to the wedding cake.


    "How am I supposed to..."


    "Have you already forgotten what realm you''re at?" Jing gave her a look.


    "Oh, yeah." Ying used her qi to grab the cake and floated it up to Jing''s hands. But then she realized, couldn''t Jing just have done it herself!?


    "Don''t lose focus and pay attention. But don''t simply just watch me, experience the art of alchemy with me." Jing grabbed several ingredients and had them float behind her.


    The cake was already inside the cauldron but Ying noticed that it was being shielded by a qi barrier that prevented it from being melted by the flames. The actual refining didn''t begin until the flame was at a certain temperature. Jing then got to work on the first ingredient, Silver Leaves. Silver Leaves were a basic ingredient used in pill refining to slightly increase the potency of the finished pill. Ying watched as Jing plucked each leaf off the branch before crushing them into tiny pieces and throwing them into the pot.


    Instantly a white mist rose from the pot that gave off a pleasant fragrance.


    "Heat up the flames." Jing asked.


    Ying fired a stream of flames from her hand at the fire. While she was doing this, Jing threw the branch into the pot and watched as the white mist slowly changed colors until it was as silver as the leaves that grew from it. She told her to stop heating up the pot and then threw several ingredients inside that soon reacted violently together from Jing using her qi to try and forcefully merge them together. Jing masterfully used her qi to calm and control the herbs into playing nice with each other before dropping several beast cores into the pot.


    "What are you doing!?" Ying instinctively shouted out.


    Even an amateur pill refiner like her knew that a beast core was an item you should never include in any recipe! The wild energy inside a beast core was too volatile and uncontrollable. It would ruin any synergy and mixture made inside the cauldron. Completely messing up the pill formula and possibly injuring yourself from the explosion it would make afterwards.


    And just like Ying expected, a large explosion combusted from inside the pot. Jing''s response to this situation was something she didn''t expect at all though. Normally when something like this happens, the pill is already considered a failure. The pill refiner''s next choice of action would be immediately getting a safe distance away from their pill furnace. However, Jing didn''t do that at all. She stayed exactly where she was and created a barrier of qi around the top of the cauldron that fit nicely around it like a cloth, stopping any of the pill essence from escaping into the atmosphere.


    Something like this was only possible because it was Jing doing it. No normal cultivator has enough control and strength with their qi that they can do something like this. It was only a scene that could be awed, respected, and admired. Not replicated or followed. Which made Ying question exactly what she was supposed to be learning here...


    An intoxicating smell emanated from the pot that nearly took Ying off her feet. How could there be such a delicious smell in this world? Is that what the cake was for? But, how? Somehow Jing managed to combined the medicinal properties into a cake! Basically, making a cake that could give the same effects as a normal pill! Why would she do this and how?! Ying has never heard of anything like this being done before ever.


    "Is this supposed to happen...?" She asked the void world''s shadow.


    It rapidly shook its head from left to right at the sight.


    "Tada." Jing smile as she lifted the cake out of the cauldron.


    The mouth-watering smell quickly spread all over the void world. In no time, Heaven''s Angels quickly followed their noses to the source of the smell at stared at the cake. Bing was the first to arrive with drool leaking from his mouth. He tried wiping it away when he noticed Qing''s disgusted look but in only a few seconds even more drool took its place. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_52150067980717088">#!_52150067980717088</a> for visiting.


    Jing took out a plate from her storage ring and sliced off a small piece of the cake to put on top of it. This should be enough for the Supreme Commander. As everyone else came to investigate what that smell was, Jing looked at their hungry faces and then gave them permission to dig in. Or at least that is what she would''ve done, if she wanted them all to explode from the inside.


    "Don''t take a single bite or you will explode." She smiled like an innocent young maiden.


    "Isn''t it just cake?" Hu Tao reached for the cake only to have his hand slapped by Jie. "What the f.u.c.k!?"


    "Didn''t you just hear her?! Exploding cake!" Jie shouted. She didn''t flinch when Hu Tao raised his hand to slap her. Her eyes dared him to. After what they''ve gone through, she''s beginning to change somewhat from his influence upon her.


    "Tch. Annoying bitch." Hu Tao scoffed and turned away.


    "Why does it smell so good...?" Wan Qing was displeased by how much her stomach was wanting it.


    "Will I really explode if I eat it...?" Bing''s stomach was doing flips, tumbles, twirls, and all sorts of acrobatics in anticipation of eating the cake.


    "The only person that could eat it and live would be me or Li Li." Jing answered. "But don''t worry. Ying is about to make a similar cake for you all on her own."


    "I am?" Ying questioned.


    "Princess''s cake isn''t going to be as good as yours. I don''t think she''s cooked a thing in her life except roasted rabbit or something." Hu Tao spoke.


    "I can make a good cake!" Ying felt insulted.


    "Good. Here''s your chance to prove it then." Jing handed her the big book she was reading earlier and flipped to the first page.


    "Spirit Concentration Cake..." Ying read with her shadow hanging over her shoulder reading along.


    Spirit Concentration Cake will boost the eater''s concentration. Allowing them to focus on multiple things at once with relative ease, gain unbreakable concentration no matter what activity they are doing, or giving them the ability to focus their control over their qi or body. All of those options are available to those that eat this cake, it is their decision on what to use their enhanced concentration on.


    To make this cake, all Ying needed was a cake and the ingredients required to make a Qi Recovery pill, Mind Clearing pill, and the Soul Cleansing pill. Ying took no time in turning the page to an easier Spirit Cake and decided on the Qi Recovery Cake. Unlike the last one where it required 3 different pills that had their own specific recipes to make them, this one only needed the ingredients for a Qi Recovery Pill and a cake. She read the instructions to how to make Qi Recovery Cake and then looked at Jing.


    "Where did you get this book from...?" Something like this had to be priceless and unheard of.


    "Make the cake! Make the cake! Make the cake! Stop wasting time and make the cake!" Hu Tao shouted.


    "Shut up! Just give me a moment to read the recipe!" Ying yelled. "Besides, it''s going to take a few hours before it''s done anyway."


    "What!? How long did it take Bleep to make her''s?" He asked.


    "I''m not Bleep! So, shut up and wait or starve to death for all I care!" Ying pushed Hu Tao out of her mind and began memorizing the very precise and detailed instructions listed in the book.


    "Li Li, come with me. We have some business to attend to." Jing said.


    "Wait! Bleep, before you go. What if I ruin the cake?" She felt embarrassed to ask.


    "Just go buy some more. Any pastry will do, it doesn''t have to be the same as the cake I did." Jing explained.


    Li Li stuck his head out of the cake with his entire body covered in it. He shook himself clean before flying over and landing on Jing''s shoulder. Jing threw a special teleporting talisman on the cake and herself, teleporting them out of Ying''s void world. Her and Li Li teleported to her home while she sent the cake elsewhere as a future seed for some fun later in time. She gave herself some time to prepare for the worst in case this meeting turned out for the worse. Ever since her experience in the Treasured Plains, Jing knew that she wasn''t invincible. Even with the Gacha System.


    "Let''s go show our loyalty to the sect, I guess." Jing left her home with the cake on top of the plate.

 Chapter 164 - 158: A Short Meeting.

    "Supreme Commander! You have an unexpected visitor!" Jinhai was in the middle of preparing the events for the Grand Tournament.


    "Which elder is coming to scheme and try to use me as a part of their annoying plan to rise through the ranks?" He sighed.


    "None. It is a disciple sir!"


    "A disciple? Wanting to meet with me? Heh!" Jinhai laughed at the thought of it. "Which brave disciple is it?"


    "I believe its best if they introduced themselves." He opened the door to reveal the sect''s Little Monster waiting outside his office with a slice of cake in her hand and a beast at the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation stage on her shoulder.


    Jinhai was actually more than surprised by the appearance of this visitor. It wasn''t until earlier this morning that his men told him that she''s been spotted again. He believed that she somehow lost her life because it''s been several weeks since anyone saw her. Perhaps she was biding her time for this meeting or in closed door cultivation somewhere. But Jinhai had a hard time believing that she was wracked with nervousness at the thought of meeting him. Unless she wanted to make them think she was a spy.


    Strangely enough, he couldn''t see neither of their souls either. This increased his suspicions and curiosity even further. He knew that the girl had little knowledge or information on souls as why would she? She was only a Qi Gather... A 9th stage Qi Consolidator!? When did she climb up to that rank!? Even the greatest of talents would require a minimum of 5-7 months to reach the level she has from the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering realm.


    A smile almost threatened to spill from his face. ''This god damn freak... Why couldn''t you just prove that you''re not a spy already! Do you know how many resources we could use to propel you into even higher heights!? You have the potential to be the sect''s greatest disciple!'' Jinhai had to calm himself down. He realized that it was the bird interfering with him in seeing their souls.


    Of course, the girl couldn''t just be a monster on her own. She had to include her pet as well. Spirit Beasts aren''t supposed to be aware of souls until the late realms. The control or power this little owl had for just a 2nd realm spirit beast over souls was superior to some elders! Now, he had no choice in the matter he was delaying for so long. Jinhai had to confirm whether or not Jing was loyal to the sect or kill her now. She was simply too talented. Wait, no. Talented wasn''t enough to describe whatever she was. It was complete absurdity in the form of a little girl.


    "Supreme Commander." Her voice showed no fear or nervousness. Completely calm and polite.


    "What can I do for you, Jing?" Jinhai asked.


    "I''ve come with a gift and a request." She smiled as she walked forward.


    The aroma of that cake was making it hard for him to focus but despite his cultivation rank, he still couldn''t see exactly why that was. His aide hasn''t even noticed that he was drooling at the sight of the thing. How disgraceful... With a subtly manipulation of his qi, he knocked some sense into him by smacking him across the face with his energy. But back to the cake, no matter how much he used his qi to inspect it, he found nothing about it particularly dangerous. If this was a type of poison, then it would be the type that would easily entrap anyone with a nose or talent in qi sensing.


    "A request?" Jinhai laughed. "And what sort of offer do you believe that a Qi Consolidator is able to give me to consider seriously?" He asked with a brief flare of killing intent and qi pressure.


    "Take a few bites of this. I believe it will be much more effective in persuading you than anything I could possibly say." She gave a harmless smile and bowed while holding the plate towards him.


    The thought of someone at her stage being a spy and attempting to poison someone as powerful as him did run across his mind. But once he thought about it again, she''d have to be the most insane little girl in the world if that was what she was really planning. He could crush her in less than a second despite all her great talent. Plus, with his bloodline, flushing out all impurities within his body was as easy as snapping his finger. Any poison she could craft would be useless against him.


    So, he took a bite and then another and then another before he realized, all the cake was gone.


    An incredibly powerful burst of qi exploded from the Supreme Commander. His qi spread throughout the entire Golden Serpent Sect everyone could feel it brush against them. Jinhai''s mind had trouble believing what just happened to him. He focused his eyes directly on the Little Monster''s and her''s focused back on him. All the objects in his office were blasted away to the wall. The Little Monster and her owl still had the same calm look on their faces as they were blown to the wall too along with his aide. He had just broken through into the next stage...


    "Did you like my gift, Supreme Commander?" She smiled.


    "..." Jinhai was truly speechless.


    That was the greatest thing he''s ever eaten in all of his centuries of living. His taste buds were still dancing in his mouth even after swallowing the thing piece by piece. Jinhai''s qi was crazily cycling throughout his body along with his mind feeling sharper than ever before. All of his newly concentrated attention was sucked by the monstrous freak in the form of a young girl. As old as he is, he knew that what he just ate was impossible to create. People creating food from spirit beast parts wasn''t anything new. That has been going on even before humans figured out how to cultivate. But this wasn''t that. Not even slightly. The cake he ate did something that only Spirit Pills could do. Spirit Food could not do that, it could only provide superior nutrients to the body and dantian depending on the beast.


    "I''ll take your silence as an agreement. What I desire from you is quite simple. As everyone knows, apparently, the Sect Leader has their eyes on me as becoming their disciple or at the very least taking over once they retire. I''m completely fine with either decision. But what I came here to ask is very simple---" He interrupted her before she could continue.


    "What else do you have to show me?" He asked as if what she''s given him wasn''t enough. She only smiled at his question. This little monster was smart as well, she knew it just as well as him that she only needed that cake to satisfy him.


    "Well, if you hold true to your side and I''m satisfied with it, I am more than willing to share some weapons with the rest of the disciples at a certain cost to improve the sect''s strength as a whole."


    "Do you mind showing me these weapons?" Jinhai reasonable asked.


    "Of course." Jing dropped three spirit weapons from her storage ring onto his desk.


    A jade sword, a rod, and a hoe. The sword was made out of actual jade, a decorative item rather than a weapon. For the thick rod was completely black and seemed to hold no other special qualities. And for the hoe, it looked like a completely normal hoe. He knew that she wouldn''t be joking with him at a time like this after giving him that cake. So, he waited for her to explain.


    "I''ll go in order in terms of strength. The sword is made for Outer Court disciples." She picked up the sword by the blade instead of the handle.


    Instead of blood flowing from her tight grip, the only thing that came was mist. This mist that was only slightly smaller than one''s fist slowly grew to the size that it covered Jing''s figure entirely. It forced Jinhai into using more qi than usual but eventually he could see Jing again. If used on someone without any soul cultivation, then it would be impossible to see through that mist using qi alone.


    She soon dropped the sword and then picked up the rod.


    "This is for Inner Court disciples." She took out 5 spells.


    A fire spell, ice spell, lightning spell, earth spell, and water spell. She placed each one onto the rod and Jinhai''s eyebrow raised at seeing the results. When it burst into fire from the fire spell, the rod absorbed the flames into its body and now held fire qi within. This repeated with the next four spells and by the end of it, the rod now could produce 5 different elemental qi types. Jing pointed the staff into the air and a burst of flames shot out from the tip but the flame qi inside the rod didn''t disappear.


    "I believe it would be better to explain the hoe rather than show you. Otherwise, the inside of your office might be ruined even further." She told him.


    "Go ahead."


    "This hoe is for Supreme Court. All it does is promotes the growth of spirit plants and control them." She knew that was all she needed to say to interest him.


    "And how would this be effective as a weapon?"


    "How many dangerous Spirit Plants do you think there are in the world, Supreme Commander?"


    "I see your point." He slowly started to smile before bursting out into uncontrollable laughter. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52220644762374315">#._52220644762374315</a> for visiting.


    ______________________________________________


    Jing wondered if she showed too much... Did he lose his mind? Was he going to kill her? Maybe she should''ve sent a water clone in for her. But he would''ve definitely seen right through something like that. She couldn''t underestimate these cultivators at high realms. They had abilities that she had too little information on.


    "I accept. What is your request, Jing?"


    "I understand that I have some sort of protection from the elders but the same doesn''t hold true for my followers. I''d like it if they could not be targeted by Elders as well."


    "Very well. I''ll relay the order not to touch any of Heaven''s Angels to the elders. It was nice finally meeting you Jing." He smiled.


    "Likewise, Supreme Commander. I''ll let myself out." Jing gathered the refined weapons and walked out. She soon teleported into her home, ready to move out and into the Inner Court.


    "That was scary..." Li Li spoke through their soul link.


    "It was terrifying. How lucky are we that the Supreme Commander is a sensible person? I was expecting him to react the same way that Earthly Immortal did." Jing had several plans in motion for if things went in a very different direction.


    "I never met anyone as strong as him before..." Li Li shared.


    "And to think that the Sect Leader is even stronger than him... How exciting of a world this is..." Jing giggled, her inner desires spilling out.


    "Hmph. I won''t be weak forever. I''ll be even stronger than him one day." Li Li wasn''t discouraged by today''s experience.


    "That''s my son." Jing rubbed his head as her mission reward came in.


    [Mission Completed!]


    [You have proven your loyalty to the Golden Serpent Sect! The Supreme Commander no longer thinks of you as a spy!]


    [Rewards: SCP-173]


    SCP-173''s information flowed into her soul. The pain wasn''t lessened even with Li Li''s strengthening of her soul. Her eyes suddenly opened wide open in shock as the monster appeared behind her. She didn''t even get the chance to prepare herself before everything in the world turned sideways. Jing dropped to the floor from the sudden ambush before hearing her door break down behind her.


    Jing quickly reacted and turned around to spot the statue about to make its way out of the sect and into the Immortal Forest. Its body froze and she quickly resnapped her neck back into place and chased after it without blinking a single time. Li Li was having trouble realigning his neck but Jing would have to deal with that in a second. She kept her eyes on the inanimate object without blinking once and stuffed it into her inventory.


    "What the hell...? A statue whose only purpose is to crap, bleed, and kill?!" She felt all the pain that came with having her neck snapped, so she was plenty pissed at the thing.


    Jing didn''t have the time to turn off her pain receptors because of how fast the damn thing was. It was probably one of the fastest things on the planet. Not even cultivators would be able to save themselves from this thing. Hell, Jing was only alive because of SCP-914! She could''ve died right there because of the system''s decision to drop that thing right after she got her mission reward! This system was definitely not her best friend and needed to be carefully cautioned against.


    "Here you go baby..." Jing fixed Li Li''s sideways head as gently as she could.


    "Ow! Ow! Mom, it hurts!" He cried.


    "I know sweety... I''ll try and be fast." Jing gave a sharp snap and he cried even louder.


    It pained her heart to cause him so much pain but he didn''t know how to turn his pain receptors on and off. And it would be impossible for her to try and teach him how. She didn''t even understand how she could, she just knew it was possible. He could do the same but he needed to know what pain receptors were. Something that Jing couldn''t show him, he just had to try and figure it out himself.


    "What even was that stupid thing?!" Li Li huffed with his feathers ruffled.


    He was already upset about being overpowered by the Supreme Commander in soul power. Now he just lost his first fight ever against some stupid thing that isn''t even alive! It wasn''t fair! The dumb rock caught him off guard! He wasn''t ready! How was he supposed to know something would suddenly pop out of the air and attack him in less than a second?!


    "A very mean statue." Jing tried calming him down by massaging his feathers.


    "I hate that statue..." He pouted.


    "I hate him too." She continued petting him while holding him in her arms.


    Soon, Li Li''s anger was calmed by Jing and he fell asleep in her arms. Jing got to moving out of her home since she was no longer a Qi Gatherer. It was time for her to move in to the Inner Court and start her plans to takeover that court as well. Ying would be following her there. Bing and Lei Zhi wouldn''t be joining them until the Grand Tournament was over. It looks like she would have to cheat a little if she wanted Bing to complete his task for her to get the mission rewards.


    [Mission has been changed!]


    [Bing is the only one allowed to fight and kill Leng Huan, he still must be gifted an SCP before fighting him, and you are unable to support him with the help of any SCP or resources.]


    [Penalty: SCP-914 is unable to be used for 9 months.]


    Upon reading this change, Jing erupted in anger. The system was actively trying to screw her over! And after the crap she just dealt with in the form of SCP-173, she wished this stupid thing had a face for her to kick in.

 Chapter 165 - 159: A Nice Relaxing Day.

    "Making cakes feels easier than concocting pills..." Ying said to herself.


    She was currently in the process of finishing up a recipe for a Wild Flaming Cake that would allow her to gleam deeper into the inner nature of fire itself. It would help in increasing the rank of her cultivation technique. Once she and the shadow had glanced over some of the thousands of Spirit Cake recipes inside the huge book Jing gave her, they started out trying to make some of the easier ones. The shadow would go first to learn and master the art of making Spirit Cakes then it would teach Ying as her teacher.


    The two of them got so caught up in learning how to make Spirit Cakes that they haven''t stopped since Jing gave them the book some days ago! She''s been constantly feeding the other angels cakes that would aid them in their cultivation, martial arts, or other matters she wasn''t so keen on wanting to know. Eventually, she demanded that they provide her the ingredients to the Spirit Cake they wanted her to make and to not share with her the reason why they need the cake. Ying could most likely figure out the reason on her own but at least with this way, it''s wasn''t a confirmation.


    "Ying! I brought the ingredients you wanted! And in good condition this time!" Bing yelled


    He came running behind her with blood dripping down his face and dirt all over his clothes while holding up some Spirit Plants in his hand. The sight of him warmed her heart and at the same time pissed her off. She knew he was relying on the Spirit Cakes to raise his body art but that didn''t mean he had to show her that stupidly cute smile every time she made a cake for him. And afterward seeing him eat with such bliss on his face was like a reward in itself for Ying. To see him enjoying her cooking like a proper wife towards her husband. Even though they weren''t even in a relationship yet, it still felt nice to imagine.


    Ever since Jie joined Hu Tao''s group, she''s started to understand her own feelings towards Bing. Seeing how Jie acted around Hu Tao, it was embarrassingly obvious that she held feelings for the round boy. She hoped that she was the only one aware of her feelings towards him but had a sneaky suspicion that Wan knew and secretly had fun in teasing her about it. Ying didn''t know what she was going to do about these feelings now, but eventually knew that she would have to tell them one day. It wasn''t a part of the Yue Family''s nature to keep their feelings hidden inside. Maybe once she returned from dealing with her family''s situation after the Grand Tournament she would ask him out.


    "Place them over there and I''ll get to it. Which cake are you trying to eat this time?" She asked.


    "Something that''ll boost my qi or give me insights to Yin and Yang." He requested.


    "For a Spirit Cake dealing with Yin or Yang, you''ll need much rarer ingredients than what you brought me. But I can make some Qi-related Spirit Cakes." Ying didn''t mind spending the time and effort into making cakes for the group as she was enjoying the process of making Spirit Cakes more than refining pills. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52267500439654974">#._52267500439654974</a> for visiting.


    "Make me everything you can with these." He placed down the ingredients where she told him to.


    "It''ll be done in a few hours." Ying took out her Wild Flaming Cake from the furnace.


    Essentially it was a cake that was on fire. The heat was nothing to her but to someone else, they would feel scorching heat rushing into their noses and whipping across their faces if they got close to it. Bing covered his nose as she placed the cake inside her storage ring and got to work on his cakes. Her mastery and control of the flames and ingredients increased every cake.


    All she needed was a close reading at the recipe book and that was mostly all it took for her to get started. With some heating of the flames, she went over the properties of the ingredients in her head. Starting in the order listed in the book, the herbs and plants danced in the air. Some were crushed into dust, others were diced into the furnace, and a few were squeezed of their juices before being thrown inside as well. Ying''s control over the innate wild nature of fire qi increased exponentially from the hundreds of failures she went through when starting out. The cake that Hu Tao and the others wanted from her yesterday when Jing met wasn''t successfully made until the next day. An inferior-grade Spirit Cake.


    Spirit Cakes could be classified within 5 grades. Inferior, mediocre, average, excellent, to perfect. It worked the same way as pills were graded. Inferior meaning that 50% of medicinal essence was lost. Mediocre with 40%, average with 30%, excellent with 10%, and perfect with none. Ying was dissatisfied with producing such a trashy-grade Spirit Cake for her first success but nevertheless everyone else still wanted to eat it. Its smell was great and its taste was out of this world. Hu Tao even gave her a compliment for how good it tasted. Well, as good of a compliment as a person like Hu Tao could give her.


    "It isn''t shit so, I guess you pass." He told her while chewing.


    "This is really good." Jie said.


    "I never ate anything that tasted half as good as this..." Runt said with tears in his eyes.


    "It is really delectable. I can''t wait to see how a perfect-grade Spirit Cake tastes." Lei said.


    "I could get addicted to this..." Wan frowned. That wouldn''t be good for her figure.


    "I will do anything you ask if you can make more of these cakes for me." Bing dropped to his knees and bowed.


    So, now Ying''s position in the Heaven''s Angel has risen quite a bit because of these cakes. But her recent fascination with making Spirit Cakes have cut into her martial arts training. This couldn''t go on or her ranking in the tournament would be affected. She enjoyed making the Spirit Cakes but gaining strength came first. Of course, Ying would resume her training after she gained her fill of looking at Bing''s stupidly silly face while eating her cakes. That was nonnegotiable.


    ______________________________________________


    "Aren''t you a cute fella?" Lei Zhi said, petting the strange orange blob.


    His body jolted in response from the influx of positive emotions welling within him. He continued petting the adorable little beast as happiness and joy sprouted from his heart. Soon, he began to laugh in enjoyment along with the cooing and high-pitched squealing of the Spirit Beast. SCP-999 then jumped onto his lap and began tickling him.


    "Hahahaha! That''s enough, little one! You''re going to make me feel so happy that I might die from it!" He loudly laughed.


    Eventually, Lei Zhi was worn down to the point of near exhaustion from laughing so much and SCP-999 sat next to him with a smile on its face before crawling off to make the next person in sight feel as happy as he made the fishing man. SCP-999''s eyes locked on to Hu Tao''s figure in the distance, training Jie and Runt. Before passing out from joy, Lei Zhi realized that if he managed to tame that cute little guy, maybe his plan of reforming youths could be easier and more viable without relying purely on strength. Forcing his ideals upon others despite how they were raised won''t feel as horrible if he didn''t go about it using only violence.


    ______________________________________________


    "Oi? What the f.u.c.k is this thing on my leg?!" Hu Tao suddenly yelled as he felt a warm thing stick to his leg.


    "That''s Bleep''s pet, isn''t it?" Runt asked.


    Neither him nor Jie knew of Jing''s real name even though they''ve spent more than a few weeks as Hu Tao''s Badass Angels. Since everyone called her Bleep, they too started to call her Bleep because of it.


    "Hmm? What the hell?" Hu Tao began to feel quite strange with this thing on him.


    "I didn''t think you were afraid of cute things." Jie giggled, putting down her sword and walking over to Hu Tao.


    "I feel good..." He muttered with a scrunched forehead.


    He was happy but at the same time he was pissed that he was feeling happy. This damn thing was making him break out in a smile even though he wanted give it a hug until it burst into pieces. Wait? A hug? That isn''t what he was thinking! He freaking loved this stupid orange blob!


    Hu Tao immediately tried distancing himself from the beast but its grip was tight and it wouldn''t let go until it made Hu Tao feel nothing but joy. His fist rose and smashed the ground in exhilaration, cracking the ground apart as he held nothing back and focused his attention on his shadow in the distance just resting on the ground.


    "I''ll take all this f.u.c.k.i.n.g happiness out of you!" His leg came down towards the shadow''s neck as it was resting.


    The two began fighting in a battle that no one but Jing or Li Li could interfere in without sustaining injuries. Both had an uncontained smiled on their faces as they gave each other their all. Hu Tao''s mad laughter echoed throughout the void world, fighting brought him joy so, it was no surprise that that SCP-999''s anomalous ability wasn''t enough to put him out of commission like it did for Lei Zhi or Drill. It wasn''t until Hu Tao and his shadow knocked each other out that he finally calmed down. He peacefully slept with a massive grin on his face and happily muttering.


    "I don''t think I''ve ever seen the Boss act like that before..." Runt said.


    "I have but not to where he had to take a break." Jie added.


    The two slowly backed away once they saw SCP-999 lock its eyes on the two of them. Once it started crawling towards them like a snail would but with none of the speed that a snail has, Jie and Runt ran away at full speed. After seeing it aid in knocking out Hu Tao, they knew that they stood no chance against it. They''ve only recently joined Heaven''s Angels but they very quickly realized the absurdity of all the members. More Jie than Runt as Runt was nothing more than a regular mortal some time ago. So, all of the things he was seeing for the first time was amazing and unbelievable to him.


    "Don''t bring that thing over to me." Wan Qing warned after seeing what happened to both Hu Tao and Lei Zhi from on top of her fan.


    The two of them ran over to Bing instead who was excitedly waiting for the rest of his cakes to finish. He had no idea of the danger making its way over to him. Only that Hu Tao''s girlfriend and his follower was running past him. As if they were having fun by running away from the beast. By the time he realized that something was not right, SCP-999 was already on top of his face. It quickly enveloped his body and began tickling him into submission.


    "Bwahahaha! Gwahaha! Stop! Stop! Please! My stomach, it hurts! Gahahahaha!" Bing cried out for mercy.


    Hearing that pure laughter sparked curiosity and interest from Ying. So much in fact that she actually got distracted in the middle of making the third cake and nearly ruined it! It was at this point that Ying wished she had a second head or a way of seeing things directly behind her!


    "I want to eat it..." Hao Gang muttered, staring at SCP-999.


    "No." Ying refused him.


    "Why not?" He asked.


    "It''s Bleep''s. Do you really want to eat her pet?" She smirked.


    "Nevermind..." Shivers ran through his body, thinking about Jing finding out that he ate her pet.


    "Go and save Bing for me before I mess up the quality of this Spirit Cake even more." Ying couldn''t focus with him laughing like that. She really wanted to see how he looked right now but knew at a crucial point like this where she needed to mix and merge the ingredients with the cake evenly, she couldn''t look away.


    "He doesn''t look that tough! I can handle him!" Hao confidently smirked as he ran towards the tasty looking orange blob tickling Bing.


    "Wait... no, get off me! Mom! Help! I can''t beat him! Hehehehe! Hahaahahaha!" He was soon conquered as well. Runt and Jie gained even more fear in their hearts after seeing the bodies left in its wake.

 Chapter 166 - 160: Wan Qing.

    "Wan. I have something to give you for completing your task." Jing walked over to the relaxing young girl.


    "Oh, I nearly forgot about that. There''s no need. I feel satisfied enough that I managed to kill him with my own strength and skills." Wan tried to reject Jing''s goodwill.


    "I believe that this is something you won''t want to skip out on." Jing smiled.


    "What do you mean?" That smile unnerved her.


    "Your entire life will change in 80 seconds after taking hold of what I''m about to give you."


    Wan cautiously took a step backward. Remembering her experience when she asked to train with Jing, she wasn''t quite sure she wanted this gift. She shook her head once more.


    "That''s fine... I think some things in life are to be missed out on. It''s okay." She spoke.


    Jing only continued to smile at her before taking a step forward. Wan suddenly got the feeling that this was a gift she couldn''t refuse. Her heart started to race as Jing got closer. Everyone was watching the two of them before she suddenly jumped away from Jing''s deceptively gentle hand. Her eyebrows rose when she saw her jump away but she really didn''t want to find out what the gift was.


    "You want to play tag with me?" Jing teasingly asked.


    "Can I know what the gift is before I take it?" Wan asked a question of her own.


    "That''s not an issue. Here it is right here." A red blob was contained within a small water orb above Jing''s head.


    "I asked what it was, not what it looked like." She carefully pointed out, also noticing that Jing refused to physically touch the item herself.


    "Hmm..." Jing smirked. "Something that will change your life." She repeated her answer from earlier.


    "Quit being a little bitch! Go on and get your reward!" Hu Tao loudly shouted with laughter.


    "Be quiet, dog!" Sweat dripped down her body.


    "Do you distrust me, Wan?" Jing questioned.


    "It''s not that I distrust you, it''s that I---" Suddenly Wan felt someone grab her from behind.


    They restrained her arms and their strength was powerful! She couldn''t break free of their grip!


    "Haha! Come get her ass Bleep!" Hu Tao yelled.


    "Haven''t I taught you better? Always keep an eye out on your surroundings." Jing asked as she slowly walked towards the captured Wan.


    "Damn it! Let go of me!" Wan fiercely struggled but she was a pure qi cultivator, unlike Hu Tao who was both a qi and body cultivator. She''d only drain her qi trying to break free from him.


    "Hahahaha! What are you so afraid of? It''s not like Bleep would gift you anything bad!" He cackled.


    "It will only hurt for about 80 seconds. I promise." Jing brushed her hand across Wan''s forehead.


    "I don''t want it to hurt at all!"


    "Well, all good things come at a cost." Jing dropped SCP-113 on Wan''s forehead. Hu Tao released her and stepped away to watch the show.


    Immediately the effects of the SCP took effect. Wan''s forehead turned bright red as it felt like it was being burned before quickly shifting to a painful stinging sensation all over her body. As if she was just stung by thousands of bees at once. There was no portion of her body that didn''t feel pain but this amount of pain wasn''t something she couldn''t handle, Jing''s training put her through far worse. At least that was until 20 seconds passed, then she reentered something similar to the hell that she experienced from Jing''s training.


    "Ah, what the shit?!" Hu Tao was disturbed by sight but kept watching.


    "Eugh..." Jie covered Runt''s eyes as she puked to the side.


    "What''s going on? Stop trying to cover my eyes!" Runt tried to break free from Jie''s hands but his strength was nowhere near enough. He had to listen to the disgust and confusion of everyone else around him.


    "Gulp!" Bing quickly covered his mouth and swallowed his vomit back down as he turned away.


    "What''s even happening to her...?" Ying turned away as well, unable to stand the sight of it either.


    "I guess this is a moment that I can be thankful for my blindness." Lei smiled. He stopped using Blind Man Can See at the beginning of Qing''s transformation process.


    "I too wasn''t expecting a change like this..." Jing just knew the details of the SCP''s. Not everything about them in their entirety.


    ''Can I open my eyes, yet?'' Li Li asked.


    "Not yet." Jing answered. The disturbing transformation was nearly complete.


    And finally, once 80 seconds or so was up, and Wan''s screaming has stopped. Everyone took a look at the new Wan Qing. Some were a bit slower than others as no one but Jing truly understood what was going on. It wasn''t until Hu Tao''s second shout that people looked again.


    "What did you do to me!?" Her voice was very light and high-pitched. "Why do I sound like this!?" She didn''t understand.


    "He turned into a f.u.c.k.i.n.g chick!" Hu Tao yelled.


    "Oh wow..." Bing responded.


    "He''s a girl now!" Runt exclaimed.


    "Just what kind of spirit tool was that?" Jie questioned.


    "Congratulations, Qing!" Lei clapped.


    "You look great..." Ying was stunned as she clapped along. She looked like the beautiful older sister of the old Wan Qing!


    Wan Qing looked nothing like the illusionary form she made for herself before. Small but respectable perky little b.r.e.a.s.ts resting atop of her chest. A lean and slender figure with a plump round behind. Sharp and feminine eyes with seductive pink lips that could draw in any man in staring for too long. And to finish it off, skin so beautiful that it seemed to glow with the sun''s rays. Her black hair stayed the same as it reached down past her back.


    "Someone give me a mirror!" Wan screamed.


    Jing formed water so reflective that it perfectly showed of Wan Qing''s new body to her in all of its entirety. Everyone watched as tears fell from Wan''s eyes as she stared at herself. She groped herself in several places. Some of which needed to have younger members momentarily blinded. Especially when she dug into her underwear and felt her new privates. It looked like she really couldn''t believe it.


    "Why...?" She asked, staring at Jing with her tear-filled eyes.


    "Because you are one of my Angels." Jing gave her a gentle smile.


    "How did you do something like this...?" She wiped away her tears.


    "It wasn''t too difficult. There are multiple ways of changing the s.e.x of someone in this world." Jing answered.


    "It''s true. I have seen a cake called Reversal of Yang into Yin Cake. It turns a man into a woman. And there''s one that changes a woman into a man." Ying added. "I don''t know what that thing is though..." She pointed to the inert SCP-113, afraid to touch it.


    "I will follow you for the rest of my life... I do not know any other way to repay you for what you''ve done for me." Wan kowtowed to Jing. It was the first time she''s ever done so to anyone in this world.


    "That''s good enough for me. Continue to work hard and this won''t be the only life-changing reward you receive. That goes for the rest of you as well. I''m willing to give as much as you all are willing to give to me." Jing said.


    [Ying Yue''s loyalty has reached 100%]


    [She is now able to receive a SCP from the Host as a gift for her loyalty.]


    [Lei Zhi''s loyalty has reached 100%]


    [He is now able to receive a SCP from the Host as a gift for his loyalty.]


    Jing was surprised to see so many of their loyalty percentages rise from her gifting Wan this. The only one without 100% from Heaven''s Angels was Bing, sitting on an annoyingly close 94%. This stupid slave was going to be the reason that she will be denied access to SCP-914 for 9 months. She wanted to release her frustration on him for being so slow but maybe she just wasn''t pushing him enough. He was her slave after all. It was her job to use him as she saw fit but the gap in stages was too big. Plus, there was the Grand Tournament soon...


    It looks like she''ll have to create a plan for him to somehow beat Huan Leng. Oh, there was also the tickets she had gained when returning to the sect. Hopefully she''ll get something valuable from the Gacha System to gift to Ying, Lei, and Wan. There will be quite a few tasks she''ll be able to give to them all now that she''s conquered the Outer Court. Just like with the Fearsome Garden, she''ll give all the other factions in the Inner Court a chance to come under her. If they refuse, then they have decided their fate. If they agree, which she doubts, they will survive.


    "So, if the Boss was touched by that thing would he turn into a girl too?" Runt asked.


    "That''s right." Jing grinned as she picked up SCP-113 with another water orb.


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Babe. I know you''re into some freaky shit but no way am I turning into a chick for you. That''s where I draw the line. I''m fine with getting in weird ass coffins for you, being whipped, and killing people for you but losing my d.i.c.k and balls? No way." Hu Tao got ready to disappear into his pocket dimension at a moment''s notice.


    "Don''t you think it''d be fun for a bit?" Bing asked. He thought of himself with tits and a v.a.g.i.n.a. There was only one thing he would probably do before wanting to return back to his male body.


    "We all have different interests." Lei commented.


    "I''d rather kill myself." Hu Tao claimed.


    "What?! You act like being a woman is literally the worst thing in the world!" Ying shouted.


    "I don''t know a worst hell." He answered.


    "What''s wrong with being a girl?" Runt asked.


    "Your balls haven''t grown large enough to know."


    "What can a man do that a woman can''t do, Hu?" Jie questioned.


    "Everything. I have yet to find a single..." His eyes glanced over to Jing. "I have yet to find a single normal girl that was better than me or my equal." Jing gave him a kick across the face for his comment.


    "I''m normal." Jing defended.


    This retort by Jing caused all of her followers to begin laughing. Bing, Lei Zhi, Wan Qing, Ying, Hu Tao, Jie, Runt, SCP-999, Drill, Li Li, Quon, Ni Xong, Hao Gang, and seemingly even the void world itself laughed at her comment. Perhaps for the first time in her life since coming here, she was embarrassed. Embarrassed and upset about being the target of everyone''s laughter. It was also probably the first time that everyone finally saw another side of Jing. The human side of her, the brown young girl that wasn''t acting like someone far older than she looked.


    "It wasn''t a joke!" Jing already realized her mistake but it was too late. She could only be made fun of for her na?ve thoughts. Of course, she wasn''t normal... She was different from all of them as she wasn''t born here but brought here by an all-powerful being.


    "Hahahahahahaha! Normal!" Hu Tao was by far the loudest in his laughter. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52313568544088624">#._52313568544088624</a> for visiting.


    She really wanted to shut them all up through force but something like this would be good for the future of her group. It feels like some distance was shortened between her and them. Maybe she could act a bit more freely around them. Like how she does around Li Li.


    "Whatever." Jing turned her head and crossed her arms. "I''m not that different from you all..."

 Chapter 167 - 161: Some Decent Mission Rewards.

    [Host has received Flame Seed]


    [Host has received Spirit Banana]


    [Host has received Leg-Cleaving Axe]


    [Host has received Golden Goldfish]


    [Host has received Mantis Kung Fu]


    ...


    [Host has received SCP-978]


    [Host has received Lucky Hand]


    [Host has received SCP-457]


    [Host has received SCP-262]


    [Host has received SCP-124]


    [Host has received Seed of a Seedless Orange]


    Using up all her tickets always felt enjoyable. Jing went over to the ever-expansive spirit garden inside the void world with all the seeds, fruits, and plants she''s gained from using 18 tickets at once. 8 Epic and 10 rare. She was about to just toss them in the garden and let them grow on their own but some of the Angels were interested in the strange stuff she pulled out. Explaining all this stuff felt a bit pointless to her as they''ll find out in a week or month what the stuff does.


    "This is a flame seed," She held up an orange pellet. "It will grow into a Dancing Flame Flower that is said to spread fire qi in its nearby surroundings and the atmosphere." She explained.


    "Is that for me?" Ying asked.


    "Nope." Jing replied.


    "What''s this thing?" Runt asked.


    "A camera." Jing answered as she picked up the flopping golden goldfish with a small water bubble and had it float above her shoulder next to Li Li.


    ''It looks tasty...'' Li Li thought to himself.


    "Can I take it?" Runt asked next.


    "Anything in this pile is up for taking." Jing shrugged.


    There were a few notable items that she didn''t drop into the pile as she had special plans for them. Most specifically, SCP-124, SCP-457 and SCP-262. Each of those were going to her followers but of course, she wouldn''t just gift it to them for nothing. Once they completed an appropriate task, she would gift them the SCP''s. Ying recently was gifted that ring she initially planned to give to Bing with the old cultivator inside to freely teach her ancient martial arts. Wan Qing just got her lifelong wish fulfilled. Bing hasn''t done anything notable since the Treasured Plains. The same goes for Lei Zhi. Hu Tao''s already got an SCP.


    ''My son!'' Jing suddenly remembered and felt ashamed of herself for forgetting about him.


    Now, Jing knew who was going to get what. It wouldn''t happen soon but after the Grand Tournament as the time was too short for her to give them a task for the SCPs. Maybe during the Grand Tournament, she could give them tasks but as of now, no one but the top elders knew how it was going to be. There were only a few missions she had currently. One was probably going to fail due to lack of time and excessive conditions. The others could be done during the tournament if she was lucky but most likely she should expect them to get it done afterwards. As the only thing after the Grand Tournament is the Meeting of Talents where only the best of the best disciples will go to represent the sect against Nine Swords Sect and Blossoming Water Palace.


    "How do I use this thing?" Runt questioned before finally managing to get it to work.


    A bright flash hit Jing, Li Li, and the golden goldfish and soon a white slip came from out of it. Everyone came over to look at it only to see an unbelievable sight. Jing was caught off guard by the photo and was displeased. She knew that SCP-978 had the anomalous ability to show what those in the photograph would rather be doing in their mind or heart rather than what they really were doing in reality. A camera that showed the current inner desires of humans and other creatures.


    "Bleep... You want to explain this to us?" Ying cheekily smiled as she held up the photo.


    It showed Jing currently being hugged and surrounded by all the members of Heaven''s Angels and more. A white haired child with facial features and skin similar to Jing''s was posing in front of the group hug with a small group of unknown spirit beasts with a proud look on his face while a giant shiny golden goldfish was floating in a huge water bubble behind all of them, happily eating some humongous beast in one gulp. A mischievous smile lined up upon Heaven''s Angels'' faces as they saw her silence. If she could explain that that wasn''t her true thoughts, Jing doubted they would believe her. It was only for a moment but SCP-999 snuck up behind her and wrapped its gooey arm around her leg. Now she was about to be swallowed up in a hug by her Angels.


    "I did not want this." And suddenly everything went dark as she could no longer see anything but the bodies of her Angels.


    As Jing was the shortest out of everyone except Runt, it was like the sun suddenly extinguished itself from the sky. Which was impossible as there was only day time in the void world. The collective hug went on for far longer than she wanted it to and once Hu Tao sensed her displeasure, he made sure to extend it even further by not letting anyone escape. He wrapped his chains around the group, forcing Jing to teleport herself out with a talisman, leaving everyone else to fall on top of each other.


    "I''ve had enough for today." She wrote something down on a piece of paper before running away with a small blush on her face.


    The paper gently fell to the ground as everyone was still laughing.


    "Bleep is pretty cute when she''s embarrassed..." Wan Qing giggled in her new high-pitched voice.


    "I would''ve never pegged her for the shy type." Lei agreed.


    "Maybe the Empress isn''t how I thought of her at all..." Bing''s loyalty percentage slowly rose.


    "She''s way less scary when we treat her like a normal girl. We should do it more often." Ying suggested.


    "Hahaha. To think the woman, I loved was hiding another side of herself from me. Love is amazing!" Hu Tao fist pumped.


    "It''s not all that amazing..." Jie replied with a sigh.


    "The note she left tells us about the other stuff she brought out." Hao Gang spoke up.


    "What does it say for my camera?" Runt excitedly asked.


    "It says... It''s a spirit tool that reveals the inner desires of the person whose photo is taken at the time."


    "Squeaksqueaksqueak?" Drill asked, easily holding up the man-sized axe by the handle.


    "It is really good for cutting off legs. If it has legs, they can be cut by the axe." He answered.


    "This hand isn''t normal..." Bing reached down and grabbed the severed human hand. "Can you guys feel something strange about it?" He asked.


    "I don''t feel anything." Ying said.


    "Me either." Jie answered.


    "I can''t see anything strange about it. Looks like a normal human hand to me." Lei added.


    "I''ll keep it, just in case." Bing placed it inside his robes.


    "That''s the Lucky Hand. It''s said to provide good luck and fortune to anyone that possesses it." Hao read out.


    "Give me that hand Fat Ass!" Hu Tao lunged at Bing.


    "No, me!" Wan sent forth a wave of qi-infused wind with her fan.


    "Don''t you think you have enough luck Mr. Three Sky-ranked Martial Arts!?" Ying shouted, forming a sword of flames in her hand.


    "I don''t believe that you are any worse off. Look at where we are." Lei Zhi pulled out his fishing rod and tossed it at the hand.


    ''If my mom left it here, that must mean she doesn''t need it.'' Li Li reasoned.


    "Hey! If my mom says she needs something she needs it!" Hao Gang jumped towards Bing in his child form.


    "Rawr." Ni Xong added. If his owner wants it, it''s his job as her spirit beast to do everything it takes to get it for her. Even if everyone looked really scary right now. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52384469058902079">#._52384469058902079</a> for visiting.


    "Blorp!" Quon flew behind Lei Zhi. He wants to have some fun too! It''s been a while since he could cut loose.


    "Krii!" SCP-999 wanted to join in on the fun too it seems.


    The only ones to stay out of the wanting for the Lucky Hand were Jie, Runt, and Li Li. Jie felt that it was inappropriate to try and involve herself in something like this so soon. Runt knew he would die if he was involved in a fight that his Boss was in. Li Li had no reason to try and get the hand. He didn''t need something like luck in the first place. This lantern his mother gave him was nice though. It was a soul lantern. It helped him gain more skill and knowledge on souls.


    "Is it bad that I expected this outcome?" Runt asked.


    "I kind of had a feeling as well..." Jie said.


    The Lucky Hand was raised over SCP-999 head in a victorious pose as everyone else was subdued by its unparallel tickling ability with exhausted faces and smiles on their lips.

 Chapter 168 - 162: Little Side Project.

    "Li Li, are you ready?" Jing called out from her kitchen.


    ''Hold on, mom!'' He said back in an excited voice.


    The ends of Jing''s lips turned up at his voice. She came outside her new home with a small Spirit Cake and fork in hand. She saw him playing with his new gift, SCP-124. SCP-124 was a plot of soil approximately 9 m2 in area and 14 m3 in size. This soil was no ordinary soil, not one bit. This plot of soil could grow any biological organism to its full potential in a relatively short amount of time. Time depended on how complex the organism was, with more complex creatures taking more time and less complex creatures taking less time. Nothing in SCP-124 requires external nutrients or other resources. So, Li Li wouldn''t have to feed anything grown in the soil qi or water or even sunlight if he wanted to grow things! But that wasn''t everything this little piece of fertile ground could do. It had a natural insect repellent on insects and other invertebrates not growing inside it. And lastly, any food grown inside SCP-124 was reported to be of very high quality, taste, and nutrition, no matter what kind of state the food was in beforehand.


    Now Jing was interested in how exactly it determined what food counted as. Could a corpse be counted as food? What about wood from a tree? Termites consider that food. And since it said high quality, taste, AND nutrition, it had all of those enhancements and not just one or two. But it didn''t really matter what she thought about it. Mostly this was her son''s garden to play with. Since putting it in her backyard, she''s only thrown a few things inside it.


    One of the things were the Cerulean Venus Flytrap seed she''s received long ago from a gacha spin. It quickly grew into a humongous plant with a head almost as big as her house. Its mouth was filled with teeth that could bite through steel and rock like they were candy with a ravenous appetite that could only be satisfied with the largest of spirit beasts. Li Li regularly flew into the sect carrying bulls, gorillas, Giant Turtles, and the like to feed her. He decided to name her Cerulean Devil.


    Jing planted it in the soil to finally get it out of her inventory and to use it to protect anything she plans to grow in here that she doesn''t want to grow in Ying''s void world. But this carnivorous plant wouldn''t be able to do much on its own against cultivators in the Inner Court. So, Jing had to give it something to stand up to superior cultivators. She gave it a refined cherry. After eating it, it grew a cherry on the end of its two little leaf arms on its stem and with just a little infusion of qi, they could be tossed with enough force to shatter femurs, the strongest bone in the human body. As it continued to grow past its previous full potential with qi, it would only grow even stronger as time went on.


    "What are you up to now?" She asked, taking a bite of her cake.


    ''I''m making my Heavenly Demons!'' He responded with the Golden Goldfish in his beak.


    He dropped it into the soil and in a matter of seconds, the planted fish started glowing a bright light. This light would cause the normal person to have to shield their eyes from the sight but Jing and Li Li had their eyes refined while the Cerulean Devil had a type of sight different from humans that wasn''t bothered by this light but it excited it anyway. It moved its large head around trying to see what was happening inside the soil while sweet nectar that looked like saliva dripped from its mouth. Li Li had to move its head back as he flew in the air. He didn''t want Cerulean accidentally eating his newest member!


    Jing and Li Li thought that the light would eventually start to dim down but that didn''t happen at all. The Golden Goldfish continued to shine with a bright light as it swam through the air and looked at them both. Powerful yang energy radiated around the fish. This somewhat confused Jing because the Golden Goldfish was something given to her by the system and not something she refined. She figured that it was just some ordinary fish that wasn''t special at all because it was summoned when she had the reduced gacha luck penalty. Her first thought upon saving it from dying once she summoned it, was that it would be a cute accessory pet. Its shiny gold color looked nice to Jing so, she wanted to keep it around. But since her son was interested in it, she just gave it to him.


    Li Li was more than happy to see that his first Demon had control over such a powerful type of qi. Yang qi, yin qi, spatial qi, and time qi. All those types of qi were rather powerful and hard to control for even the most talented of cultivators. Not even his mom had control over any of those types of qi. She just focused on regular water qi for some reason. At first, he just wanted to eat him for its juicy meat but then after getting this garden from his mom he decided against it. Even though Plinky, the Goldfish Devil, had a type of qi that was basically opposite from his own, he still wanted him to join his team. Yang qi directly went against his own. So, if Plinky was near his own strength, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that his own strength would be suppressed by Plinky''s!


    "Become one of my Heavenly Devils!" Li Li squawked.


    "Will I get to eat if I do?" Plinky blorped back.


    "You can eat all you want!"


    "Okay."


    "I am Li Li. I am your leader but I am also your friend. You treat me well and I will treat you well. Take this as a gift for joining me." He cut himself.


    "Eat?" Plinky''s eyes were glued to the blood on the verge of dropping into his mouth.


    "Eat." Li Li nodded.


    Li Li learned of the prowess of his blood from his mother. She told him about the power held in their bodies and he realized that he could use his blood to strengthen the power of his Heavenly Devils. He could also use it to feed Cerulean some if he couldn''t find any food for her in the Immortal Forest. Drill was the rabbit he was now because of eating his mother''s blood. Now Plinky was transforming into the fish he is now because of Li Li''s blood!


    Muscle began to form all over Plinky''s small body as a brighter light began to shine from him. His eternal organs began to glow with yang energy because of the intake of blood. Sharp teeth similar to Cerulean''s forcefully grew on the top and bottom row of his mouth. It was the first time that Jing and Li Li have ever heard a fish scream in pain before. Probably the first time anyone has ever heard a fish shriek.


    By the time his transformation was over, he seemingly already forgot the pain he just went through as he sped through the air in circles.


    "Strong! Strong! Strong! Strong! I''m strong!" He cheered.


    "Plinky! Let''s go play in the Immortal Forest!" Li Li was excited to see what he could do as his first Demon.


    "Okay!" They took off in the skies while Cerulean seemingly sadly watched them fly away.


    "Don''t worry girl. You''ll be able to fly one day." Jing patted the back of her head.


    Jing couldn''t refine her as she was now because she was too big to fit inside her and she was attached to the soil of SCP-124. So, unless there was some way to make soil fly, she was stuck here. Before she left to do her plans for today, Jing gave her a piece of cake to remedy her loneliness. It was an Irresistible Sweet Smelling Cake. She ate this so that she would smell good today even though she doesn''t give off any body odor whatsoever after her refinement. Any girl would like to smell pretty if she had the choice.


    So after leaving Cerulean, Jing left with the cakes she planned to sell today in her storage ring. She went to the center of the Inner Court where the most traffic of people would be walking by and made a stand. Jing took a stand out of her storage ring and sat behind it with a chair before placing her cakes on the stand. There were 4 cakes on top of the stand with the prices of each cake written on front of the stand. The most expensive cake was also the largest as it was placed behind the first three which were lined up by on how expensive they were from left to right.


    The first cake was a Qi Recovery Cake. It would greatly boost the recovery rate of one''s qi for a substantial amount of time. Far superior to the pill version that would only last a few seconds due to the quick digestion time it takes to eat pills. For the second cake it was one related to cultivation, the Gathering of Qi Spirit Cake. Just like with the Qi Recovery Cake, it would enhance one''s ability to absorb qi in the nearby atmosphere far longer than the pill version which would only last minutes.


    The third cake was rather special as it wasn''t related to fighting or cultivation. This was the Physical Performance Spirit Cake. Jing knew all too well about the bedroom problems that most of the men in the sect seemed to suffer from. There was rarely a day that Jing hasn''t heard someone having s.e.x in the Golden Serpent Sect. With this cake, all those problems of theirs would be dealt with in an instant. It worked for both s.e.xes but it was mainly for men. As the cake would significantly reduce fatigue, intensify the nerve endings in the genitals for the eater and their partner through touch, and send them into an uncontrollable state of arousal.


    And the last cake was the Breakthrough Spirit Cake. This cake didn''t need any explanation. It did exactly as the name said it would. Whoever ate it would breakthrough to the next stage. Jing gave this cake to the Supreme Commander and knew that since it worked on him, its price had to be anything but cheap.


    None of the Spirit Cakes were cheap in the slightest. Qi Recovery Spirit Cake cost 500 spirit stones. 500 low-ranked or 5 middle-ranked spirit stones. In comparison, the Qi Recovery Pill only cost around 50 spirit stones. 5 high-ranked spirit stones for the Gathering of Qi Spirit Cake or 5,000 low-ranked spirit stones, its effectiveness in battle was the reason for its high cost. The third cake only cost 10 high-ranked spirit stones because of the ingredients required to make it were not easy to find nor was the process of making it was easy to do. For the final cake, it costed 5 peak-ranked spirit stones or 500,000 low-ranked spirit stones. Only the wealthiest of elders in the sect would be able to afford such a thing. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52436323256032079">#._52436323256032079</a> for visiting.


    Jing didn''t count on anyone buying the cake taller than herself. It was simply there to look pretty and make people''s imagination dance. All the other cakes were smaller in size and seemed less impressive sitting next to it. But all of them looked and smelled delicious. So, Jing waited with her little cake stand until someone came to see what she was selling.


    Once people starting coming around to see, they immediately booked it after seeing the prices. The Grand Tournament was only a day away and people could not afford to waste their spirit stones on something they''ve never seen before. Many of the potential customers ran off after being scared and Jing soon figured that only the truly desperate would be willing to buy her cakes today. That was fine with her. She had no experience in business but knew a little bit about the psychology of people. Someone was going to buy one of her cakes today and once that person sees its effects, they''ll be back to buy another. Other people will see this person buy from her and they''ll be interested despite the prices. They''ll buy it for the hell of it and that would be another satisfied customer. Unfortunately, her cake business might eliminate the pill business of the sect once everyone starts coming to her to get her cakes but hey, business is survival of the fittest. This also means that she''ll have to prepare herself for those trying to slander or ruin her business.


    "This little side project might be more fun than I thought..." Jing licked her lips as she thought about the small little chaos, she could bring with this.

 Chapter 169 - 163: Cerulean Devil.

    Cerulean Devil patiently waited inside SCP-124. She reached the 1st stage of the Qi Gathering realm not too long ago by absorbing the qi in the air with her leaves. Her cherries grew plump, juicy, and hard from the intake of qi. Inside of them laid the sweetest of juices and cherry flesh that would empower anyone that ate it. Something that would be impossible to know without tasting them first or having a keen sense of smell. A keen sense of smell was something that nearly every flying spirit beast had. This was why multiple spirit beasts started flying overhead the Golden Serpent Sect in search of this tantalizing and overwhelming sweet smell coming from Cerulean.


    Cerulean wasn''t aware that she was giving off a smell because of the snack Jing gave her. All she was aware of was that a lot of tasty-looking prey was far above her looking down at her. Nectar leaked from her mouth in anticipation of eating one of them. Instinctively, she knew that she wouldn''t be able to reach them by tossing one of her cherries at them. At least, not at this range. They were flying too far up.


    So, she patiently waited. Waited as if she was nothing more than stone, blending into her surroundings. Saliva still dripped from out of her mouth but she didn''t move an inch. The spirit beasts may have held more intelligence than the carnivorous plant but like most animals, they were a slave to their desires. All of them noticed the big teeth that reminded them of other predators they saw and some of their own. But none of them could resist flying down to take a bite of the fruits and nectar despite the dangers they could sense. They understood that if they wanted to eat some of those goodies, they''ll need to have reflexes fast enough to snatch and fly.


    One brave spirit beast flew straight down like a swift sword strike. Its wings sliced through the air as it snatched one of Cerulean''s cherries before swooping back into the air with a nice tasty treat. This signaled the green flag for all the other dozens of birds brought to the Golden Serpent Sect by Cerulean''s intensified aroma it was giving off. They all began to fly down in hopes of snatching the other cherry or taking a quick drink of the qi-rich nectar. And that was when Cerulean attacked.


    With deceptively quick movements for a plant as big as this, Cerulean opened its maw wide and in one bite, devoured several birds. The remaining birds in their fright suddenly dropped into the backyard. Unable to do anything but scream on the ground as Cerulean turned and stared at them. If a human saw this, they would perhaps picture her as smirking at frightened prey. But to Cerulean, she was only looking at helpless food that was just barely out of her reach.


    "The birds were dropping over here!" A human appeared in Cerulean''s line of sight.


    They were just outside the boundary her owner set for her. Cerulean didn''t understand how her owner talked to her but she understood exactly what she was supposed to do regarding other humans. If they stepped past the boundary, she kills. If they don''t, she stays and looks "pretty". So, when these three humans came to move their mouths outside the boundary, she started simply looking pretty.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, I''m just gonna come out and say it. I don''t care who the owner of this place is, I''m not going in there with that big ass Spirit Plant planted in that backyard." First Human said.


    "Blood and feathers around its mouth, birds sprawled out on the floor, and that smell. Holy hell, that smell." Second Human had drool leaking from the side of his lips.


    "It''s only at the first stage. It can''t be that dangerous..." Third Human''s stomach grumbled from the sweet aroma flowing into his nostrils.


    "Then go in there and take that fruit from its leaf." First Human said.


    "Fine, I will. You bunch of pansies." He hopped over the fence and as soon as he landed on the neatly trimmed grass, he felt a sharp pain in his foot. "Ah! What the hell!?"


    The grass stabbed into the foot of the cultivator and as he tried to pull his foot away, he only managed to uproot the grass not dislodge it from his foot. His friends hurriedly tried to drag him back over the fence, completely confused about what he was going on about. But before they could drag him over, Cerulean tossed her cherry at his forehead at such speeds that a loud boom could be heard from its acceleration.


    Crack!


    Second and Third Human were blown away from the impact of the fruit hitting their friend''s skull. The only thing they managed to drag over the fence was a corpse with a shattered skull and a leaking pulverized brain. Both humans panicked at the sight of their dead friend and quickly fled from the house without any thoughts of returning. However, there were more humans watching the house that were watching the three humans from earlier.


    With how many birds were currently circling above the Golden Serpent Sect, it was obvious that someone would be investigating the source of this disturbance. Many more began investigating the mysterious plant in the backyard. It wasn''t until much later than the Supreme Commander''s men and some of the higher-ranked elders understood that this was Little Monster''s house. Unfortunately, more than a few lives were lost from the Inner Court as the greed of the disciples was too much. To them, it didn''t matter if 1, 2, 3, or 10 people were just devoured by the Spirit Plant. All that meant was that they were weak and stupid to be eaten by something as dumb as a Spirit Plant. Nothing like how they were: smart, strong, and better.


    Carnivorous Spirit Plants were known to be dumber than the dumbest spirit beasts early on in the cultivation realms. They would attempt to eat anything if it was within their range, even if they couldn''t digest it. If a sword entered their bite range, they chomped at the sword. It was all instincts with them until they began to develop their souls. Then that was when you needed to be wary of a carnivorous Spirit Plant. Those Spirit Plants knew how to avoid detection from prey and strike at the most opportune moment. Only death awaits you if found yourself slacking in the presence of a Spirit Plant that has a craving for flesh.


    However, Jing''s Cerulean Venus Flytrap didn''t exactly follow the rules. It wasn''t as dumb as it should''ve been, as it somehow knew the difference between the things it could eat and couldn''t eat. There was also the fact that it realized that humans wanted something from it so, it no longer tried looking pretty once everyone knew that it wanted to eat them. The damn thing even played mind games with some of the desperate and greedy disciples. Acting as if nothing more than a ravenous beast that wanted to devour the disciple just out of its range when it ran out of cherries to throw, then suddenly picked up one of the swords that were thrown at it at the disciples just out of its biting range. He would''ve been pierced straight through the stomach all the way through his back if he didn''t have a life-saving spirit tool on him that formed a barrier to block the blade.


    As the disciples continued their attempts to harvest the plant, it continued to learn, grow, and kill. Eventually, it got to the point where it seemed that the Venus Flytrap was completely cornered and countered by the combined assault of multiple disciples in the Qi Consolidation stage. A sword was heading straight for the stem connecting it to the soil. Once this was hacked off, Cerulean would surely die.


    But Cerulean wouldn''t go without fulfilling her owner''s wishes. She willingly let herself be separated from her root and flew into the air with her large jaws directly over the person who tried killing her. Her mouth closed shut and he no longer had an upper half to his body. This didn''t mean she was done just yet though. Cerulean instinctively used her qi to strengthen the remaining part of her stem and bounced over to the closest disciple, tearing him apart with her huge teeth.


    The rest quickly tried to flee out of the backyard but couldn''t due to the piercing grass that didn''t seem to want any of them to leave. Unintentionally aiding Cerulean in slaughtering the intruders that came past the boundary. They fed off of the remaining pieces of meat, flesh, and blood from those that died from Cerulean. As Cerulean killed the last human inside the boundary, she used the last of her qi to hop back into the soil she was born in. Now she could only wait for death as she successfully did what her owner asked her to do.


    "Of course, the sect''s Little Monster would grow something like this in her backyard... A true freakish existence in the form of a Spirit Plant." An elder sighed.


    "I''m excited to see just how monstrous her companions are in the Grand Tournament." Another elder said, watching the disciples flee from the Little Monster''s backyard.


    "I can''t wait to see her usher in a new age for the Golden Serpent Sect! At the Meeting of Great Talents, there''s no doubt that we''ll win for sure."


    Their conversation was halted as the both of them sensed an incredibly pure qi source heading towards Jing''s backyard. She followed the massive wave of insects and birds to this location before investigating what could excite so many spirit beasts inside her own sect. After watching the unusual Cerulean Venus Flytrap, she decided that something like this was frankly impossible. Even if it was a mutation of some sorts, mutations still had their limits. But regardless, she couldn''t let a valuable plant of this absurdity just die.


    Elder Ru walked into the Little Monster''s backyard with the elegance and beauty of a gentle queen. She grabbed the cherries that grew from the Venus Flytrap''s leaves and stored them into her storage ring before making her way over to the dying Spirit Plant. It savagely attacked her despite being on the verge of death, shocking both elders witnessing the sight. But this wasn''t the part that they were most shocked about. It was when they saw Elder Ru calmly petting its head as it bit her arm with everything it had. The Flytrap used all its remaining strength to tear her arm off but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn''t even pierce her skin.


    "Aren''t you cute? I''m interested to learn more about you and your owner but you don''t need to worry. I''m here to help you." She whispered to the plant as qi flowed from her arm not being gnawed on.


    She transferred her qi into the plant and watched as its stem began growing. The stem already knew where it wanted to go. It went straight into the soil underneath itself to replant itself. As this was happening, Elder Ru began collecting the golden-colored nectar from inside its mouth and some of the soil. Once she cleaned Cerulean Devil''s mouth clean of all the nectar and took a small portion of the soil, she left just as soon as she came. Leaving both elders in complete disbelief.


    "We absolutely must find ourselves in Little Monster''s good graces."


    "I''m going to ask one of her followers to become my disciple, right this instant!"


    "Don''t you already have 3 disciples that treat you better than their own father?"


    "What do I need with such trash!? Do you think any of those brats will reach half the height that the Little Monster or her followers will!?" Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#._52446886208002282">#._52446886208002282</a> for visiting.


    "I suppose that does make some sense... I should do the same."


    "Don''t forget! The Little Monster is a freak! Her followers should be the same too! So, prepare adequate gifts for them!"


    "Right! We better do this before any other elders get any ideas!"


    Unbeknown to the two loud high-ranked elders, they weren''t the only ones who decided to watch the situation in Little Monster''s backyard. Many more elders hid to watch the situation to see if there was anything they could gain from this situation just like the disciples. They would''ve gone in to steal the cherries and nectar themselves but when a powerful figure such as Elder Ru appeared on the scene. There was nothing they could do as one of the pillars of the sect strolled in, intent on taking all the goodies in sight. Now the only thing they could do was prepare for the change in hierarchy inside the sect as the Little Monster and her followers were everyone''s focus.

 Chapter 170 - 164: Li Li & Plinky!

    "Where do we play first?" Plinky asked as he swam through the air glowing a golden light.


    "Follow me! I know the perfect place for us to have fun." Li Li took the lead and flew ahead, deep into the Immortal Forest.


    Li Li led him into the incredibly dangerous Inner Layer of the Immortal Forest. An area where spirit beasts at the Core Stage and Qi Transformation realm stay. Ever since he''s made it to the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm like his mom, he''s been coming here more often now that he could stand up against Core Stage spirit beasts. Sadly, he couldn''t kill the Qi Transformation stage animals yet. He was still too weak.


    Plinky happily followed Li Li into this dangerous area despite being a 1st stage Qi Gatherer. Normally a 1st stage Qi Gatherer wouldn''t be able to handle the amount of qi concentrated this deep in the forest but after ingesting Li Li''s anomalous blood, he has already made his way to breaking the limits of what is considered normal for beings of this plane. Calling him a Super Fish would be an understatement to his true capabilities. But even so, taking on Core Stage and Qi Transformation staged spirit beast is far too much for him at the moment.


    Li Li realized this. He wasn''t stupid enough to send his first Demon to something that would get him killed. They were going somewhere else to have their fun. It was a secret that only Spirit Beasts knew as far as Li Li understood. Many cultivators at the higher realms understood that Spirit Beasts could transform into human forms once they reach a high enough cultivation stage. But not many of them knew that some of these unbelievably strong Spirit Beasts have created communities of their own deep inside the Immortal Forest, hidden from view by humans and cultivators alike.


    Down below the two, a city could be seen. With their eyes, they could spot several animals of various cultivation stages chatting, doing business, or fighting. Li Li led Plinky down into the city. They landed down in the middle of the road and continued on foot there. Li Li walking on his legs while Plinky swam on the side of him, just barely floating above the ground.


    "This is Squirrel City." Li Li explained.


    "Squirrel?" Plinky questioned.


    "The leader of this place is King Squirrel. He is the strongest Spirit Beast around for now."


    "Oh. Is it fun time now?"


    "In here. You can have your fun in here." Li Li motioned to the front of them.


    Plinky had to turn his head up to take in the giant building built eerily similar in the same way that a human''s coliseum would be. Not that he knew what a human coliseum was in the first place. He was only born a day ago. Li Li did know what a coliseum was and was placing Plinky inside to see what he could do. While he would be chatting with a friend...


    "Can I eat them?" Plinky asked before he was sent inside.


    "No. They don''t really allow killing inside the city except for killing criminals." Li Li answered.


    "Can I eat after I have fun?"


    "Yep! I''ll bring you somewhere that has really delicious food!"


    "Yay! Okay! I''ll go have some fun now that I''m really strong!" He swam into the arena.


    The metal gate shut behind him with a crash as he made it inside the arena. His eyes saw all the other animals far higher than him in the cultivation stage staring down at him. And waved with his little fin at them. In the middle of the animals standing, flying, or sitting up there, he saw a human and Li Li! Li Li flew to the side of the human sitting in the biggest chair and started talking with him. His thoughts were about to wonder about who that human was but Plinky''s attention was soon grabbed by the big bird staring at him.


    "You''re going to play with me?" Plinky asked.


    "Is this a joke?" The Ostrich asked, feeling the cultivation realm of his opponent.


    "I don''t think you''re strong enough to play with me..." Plinky frowned.


    The ostrich was a 1st stage Qi Consolidator. Hearing this from a strange spirit beast that looks smaller than his big toe was completely insulting! He was planning on holding back on account of their massive stage difference but now? The floating animal could only blame itself for having such a big mouth.


    ______________________________________________


    "Ah, Li Li, my good friend. It is nice to see you again. It''s been a while since you last visited. I was afraid something horrible had happened to you." The handsome human smiled.


    "Hey Squirrel King. I''ve been busy spending time with my mom but I might be visiting here more often because now I''m finally doing that thing I said I would last time we talked." Li Li greeted back.


    "The human female?" He asked, his eyes seemingly trying to fish for something inside him.


    "Yep." Li Li didn''t know what he was fishing for but it didn''t matter. He had nothing to hide. He met his deep eyes with pride.


    "Well, I may have some recommendations for your Heavenly Demons if you''re taking entries." King Squirrel took a sip of his spiritually rich wine.


    "Oh." Li Li didn''t expect this. "Who did you have in mind?" He always thought that King Squirrel was apathetic when it came to anything that didn''t directly benefit him.


    "It looks like the match is starting. I''ll tell you after I see what your first Demon can do." He grinned, clearly interesting in seeing the outcome of the fight. "I might have to discard my recommendations if he''s too strong, you know?"


    "He''s still very young. Plinky has much time to grow." Li Li said. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_52475406116242970">#!_52475406116242970</a> for visiting.


    "Pfft! Bwahahaha! And how old are you, Li Li?" King Squirrel jokingly asked.


    "I''m different from others around my age because of my mother. Don''t try and compare me other kids."


    "You''re all youths in my eyes, you know?" He smiled.


    "You''re an Earthly Immortal but I''ve doubt you seen anyone like me before, am I right?" Li Li asked.


    "You are right about that. You are one of a kind Li Li. I''ve seen thousands of mutants and Spirit Beasts with unnatural strength but none of them came close to the unusualness that is you. And you said your mother is the same for humans?"


    "Maybe. Out of the other humans I''ve seen so far, yes."


    "You still haven''t given up that ridiculous notion that you''re human yet, huh?"


    "Just because I look different from other humans doesn''t mean I''m not a human."


    "A child''s ignorance is truly a beautiful thing."


    "No one is being ignorant. It''s simply the truth."


    "Well, when you reach my realm, you can fully claim that you are your mother''s child. At that point gaining your human form will be a piece of cake. But let me give you some advice, once you decide on your human form, you can never change it again except with exceptionally rare treasures."


    "I can fully claim it now. And thanks for the advice."


    "I do have a question for you..." King Squirrel stroked his beard. "That is a fish, if I''m not mistaken, correct?"


    "Plinky is a fish that can breathe on land." Li Li explained.


    "How?" Fish don''t just breath on land. Even the most powerful of fish can''t just come onto land and breath or swim through the air like it was water.


    "His qi element is Yang. I guessed it had something to do with that." Li Li told him.


    "Yang qi!? You must be joking with me." King Squirrel couldn''t believe it.


    "You, out of everyone here, can tell if I''m joking or not."


    Plinky was constantly radiating Yang qi around himself in the form of that golden light.


    "Your Heavenly Demons might become a stronger force than I thought... I guess I can throw away the spirit beasts I was planning to send your way. Almost none of them would stand a chance against that fish except those in the Core Preparation stage and above."


    "He is a lot stronger than I thought he would be but he is still too immature. But maybe this bird wasn''t enough to force him to be serious. I''ll have to see in the future." Li Li spoke.


    Over the course of his match, Plinky continued to play around with his opponent till the very end. He toyed with him like an a.d.u.l.t would with a child. Plinky was faster than the ostrich and could avoid anything he threw at him. His kicks and slashes couldn''t touch Plinky. While at the same time, Plinky could''ve ended it in a single blow with his deceiving appearance. With a single tackle, Plinky plowed into the ostrich. The 1st stage Qi Consolidator went flying into the wall, completely knocked out with no chance of getting back into the fight.


    "He was too weak to have some real fun with. Oh well. Time to eat!" Plinky swam up to Li Li as Li Li collected his winnings for him.


    "This is for you." Li Li handed him his beast cores.


    "Waah..." Plinky''s eyes shined at the sight of the delectable cores.


    "Let''s go get some food like I said we would. See you around King Squirrel." Li Li wave goodbye.


    "Bye Squirrel King!" Plinky excitement could be seen in the way he swam.


    "Farewell Heavenly Demons. I look forward to seeing how you grow in the future." King Squirrel waved goodbye.

 Chapter 171 - 165: Jing Has A What Now?!

    An old familiar cute and handsome face appeared in front of Jing that she hasn''t thought about or seen in a while. A small smile began to form on her face thinking about him. She was surprised to see him coming towards her like this. From what she knew, he was a shy boy that hid his feelings behind a veil of arrogance and superiority. But no doubt, he has heard of her recent accomplishments. Jing wondered if he still held feelings for her even now.


    "Jing." He spoke, staring into her eyes.


    "Zhai Shang." She spoke back with some mischievousness dancing in her eyes.


    "I see the sect has changed you."


    "You don''t seem any different from when we took the Recruitment Test. Except maybe, you''re a little stronger now." He was at the 6th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm.


    "I''ve learned a lot under my Master. But that isn''t what I came here to talk about..."


    "Which Spirit Cake would you like?" Jing asked.


    "I didn''t come to buy your cakes. I came here to tell you something."


    "Hmm... Unless you buy one of my cakes, I don''t wanna hear it." Jing teased. His cheeks reddened at her attitude.


    "Here." Without any hesitation, he placed 5 middle-ranked spirit stones on the stand and took a deep breath.


    His eyes held determination within them while his face was growing redder every second. Whatever he had to tell her must have been something he''s been thinking about for a long time now. Especially since it''s been several months since they last spoke to each other. Could it be that he was about to ask her to become his? That would be pretty funny if it was true. He did have much time to think about making this confession so, it was possible.


    "I am in love with you, Jing. Please go out with me!" He bowed his head and Jing was actually caught off guard for a moment.


    The spellmaster genius Zhai Shang just asked her to be his girlfriend. From what she has heard, Jing was one of the ugliest women in the sect because of her dark skin. It didn''t take a genius to realize that the culture of this world had a preference for what they believed was beautiful and pretty. Her brown skin was regularly seen as unwanted by every other girl she''s seen so far. Even her angels! It was amusing because Jing was quite taken by her skin and to see someone like Shang interested in her despite her skin. Jing was rather amused by this and didn''t outright tell him no.


    His face was nice to look at, his shy personality was cute, his body wasn''t bad, and he didn''t seem unpleasant at all. Maybe she''ll play around with him for a while. Who knows, it could be fun? Jing gave a soft laugh as she told him to raise his head.


    "Alright Zhai Shang, I''ll give you a chance to become my boyfriend. But it won''t be easy, I''m a hard girl to please." Her lips turned up as her eyes turned playful.


    "Really!?" His heart was plain to see on his face as he excitedly asked.


    "But first, tell me why you were so taken by me. I''ve noticed your feelings for me even when we first met but to see that you are still interested in me even after I''ve ''changed''." And just when Jing thought his face couldn''t get any redder.


    "So, it was obvious even back then..." He couldn''t stand to stare at her and turned his face. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#!_52544322909819712">#!_52544322909819712</a> for visiting.


    "It was pretty cute. I was confused at first though."


    "Can we speak about this somewhere private? Not in full view of everyone in the Inner Court?" He asked.


    "Don''t be so shy. You''re going to be the boyfriend of the ugliest girl in the sect." Jing laughed. "Come, take a seat next to me and tell me all about how you fell in love with such a girl. If you do a good job, I might just accept your confession here and now." Jing pulled a tall stool from her storage ring and placed it next to her''s.


    "You''re not ugly!" He suddenly yelled. "I... mean... I never thought you were..." His voice has gone soft.


    After that adorable little outburst, Jing knew she was definitely going to have some fun with this boy. His feelings weren''t just for show it seems. She would never admit it but hearing him say that she wasn''t ugly did warm her heart just a bit. Even Hu Tao who''s in love with her thinks she''s ugly. Jing personally didn''t think she was ugly. Just a completely average face, not too bad, but nothing special either. But definitely not ugly like everyone else thought.


    "Come on and tell me all about it, Shang." She patted the chair.


    He sat down next to her and turned his back to her, unable to face her with his face like this.


    "Back then, I heard the way everyone was talking about you before I spoke to you. When I looked over to see you for myself, I realized that I didn''t agree with them at all. I didn''t think you were ugly at all. I was taken in by your appearance... You were lovely, charming, and admirable to me. The way, you continued to give it your all when drawing those spells while trying not to let any of the comments get to you. It grabbed my heart. But even later on when you began to change from the person, I thought you were, it didn''t affect the feelings I held for you." His back was still turned away from her. "It wasn''t until recently that I could gather the courage needed to tell you all of this. I know that no one would''ve agreed with me falling in love with someone like you. And I know how this might seem fake considering how famous you are now with all the rumors going on about you possibly becoming the Sect Leader''s personal disciple."


    "Mhmm. Very strange timing." Jing didn''t disagree.


    It was very easy to think that he was doing this to solidify his future position in the sect by getting romantically involved with her. Right when everyone no longer thought of her as the ugly and untalented loser Jing who regularly got bullied by passing girls who thought they were prettier than her. But now the ridiculously powerful disciple who got strong on her own even without a Master teaching her. So, talented that she survived against a spirit beast in the Core Stage and lived to tell the tale.


    "But even if you were the same girl that struggled to make 10 Qi Shield spells, I would still be telling you the same thing as I am now." He finally turned around and looked her in the eyes. "I wouldn''t care what those around us would say about our relationship, my friends, my family, the sect, anyone. As I, Zhai Shang, will always follow my heart. No matter what anyone else says."


    "Well, let''s see if you''re telling the truth with this." Jing flashed a talisman from her storage ring.


    A flash from Shang''s eyes meant he understood what spell was in her hand. He accepted her test and held out his arm for her to place it on him, despite knowing the dangers that this particular talisman could bring him if he was lying. Jing placed it on his outstretched arm without any delay and asked a question.


    "Do you, Zhai Shang, really mean the words you just told me and not just after me because of my strength or talent?"


    It was a Truth Spell. A high-ranked talisman that very few people would own. This Truth Spell when placed on someone would find out if a person is lying or telling the truth when asked any question. If they were telling the truth, the spell would burn to ashes. For those that chose to lie even with the talisman attached to them, they would be struck with a heart-piercing pain every time they lied. Once the talisman sensed that the person being questioned was close to dying, it would change the area it caused pain, prolonging the life of the person even longer until they answered truthfully. Starting at the heart, then the organs, then the limbs, and so forth.


    "I truly do." Shang Zhai responded.


    Jing wasn''t surprised to see the talisman burn up on his arm. His piercing blue clear eyes were still staring into hers with some red painted all over his face. She had to give him credit. He was certainly dedicated. It might be fun to have someone like this as her boytoy for a while. Similar to Ju Ju but with actual emotions not locked away behind some dark past.


    "Looks like you passed, Shang. Let''s see how this relationship will play out. My new boyfriend." Jing giggled at the thought of it.


    "Thank you and I must leave now as I don''t feel I''ll be able to control myself from how happy I feel in my heart right now and would embarrass myself." He politely stood up, grabbed his cake, and quickly started walking away.


    Far in the distance, Jing could see the contained happiness in his walk as he made his way home. She had a feeling when he got home, he was going to act completely unlike the cold aloof genius Zhai Shang. Maybe he was going to scream to the heavens in joy. Maybe he would dance. Who knows? But after his little confession, Jing certainly realized that she definitely had a type.


    "What kind of business is this?" A disciple walked up to her stand after seeing Shang happily leave her stand.


    "A Spirit Cake business." Jing answered, fixing her face.


    "What the hell is a Spirit Cake?"


    "This cake is a Qi Recovery Spirit Cake. Once you take a bite of this cake, it will recover your qi."


    "Like a Qi Recovery Pill?"


    "Yes, but better."


    "How is it better?"


    "Tell me, when you eat a Qi Recovery Pill how long does it last?"


    "Only a few seconds, why?"


    "This cake will last you several minutes in comparison while giving you even more qi than a perfect-quality Qi Recovery Pill."


    "You''re shitting me."


    "How about we make a deal?"


    "What kind of deal?"


    "If my Spirit Cake doesn''t do as I described, I will give you your money back and a little extra from my own pockets. However, if it does, you must go around telling others about how great my cakes are. Do you get what I''m saying?"


    "So, you want more customers..."


    "Exactly. So, what do you say?"


    "Fine. I''m a little strapped for stones anyway and there''s this asshole that''s been bothering me anyway. If I can''t kill him with your cake, I''m coming back for my refund and to kick your ass." He placed down 5 middle-ranked spirit stones on the counter.


    "Feel free." Jing felt like laughing.


    "Be right back." He walked off with the hand-sized cake and Jing could spot a few more eyes staring at her stand.


    ''This is working out better than I thought.'' Jing was no genius at business but humans? She knew humans.

 Chapter 172 - 166: The S.e.x Chapter. (18+)

    Today was the day! It was the day of the Grand Tournament that many disciples have been preparing for since the end of the Treasured Plains. No one knew what the Grand Tournament would consist of but most believed it would be a simple fighting tournament with disciples split up by major cultivation realms. Qi Gatherers would fight Qi Gatherers. Qi Consolidators will fight against other Qi Consolidators. And so on and so forth.


    But! There has been a rumor going on that this Grand Tournament was going to be different from the others. Some have been saying that one''s fighting ability isn''t the most important aspect of this tournament! The disciples spreading these rumors have said that this information has come from reliable sources as well. Many of the disciples under high-ranked elders have said that their Masters have shared with them some information about the Grand Tournament. This made many of the disciples without Masters envious of the advantage that those that did had. So, those jealous disciples began emulating those disciples with high-ranked Masters.


    If a disciple with a good Master bought a certain item, hundreds of others would replicate him. Even if it was something as simple as a recovery pill or buying a duck to eat at home. The determination held by these master-less disciples was nothing short of amazing as they went completely out of their way to make sure that they had every advantage possible to do well in the Grand Tournament. Only in time, will it be seen if their hard work will pay off.


    ______________________________________________?


    "Yes...! Give it to me! Harder!" Wan Qing demanded as she raised and slammed her h.i.p.s down on the thick c.o.c.k she was riding.


    "Slow down! I can''t...!" The man she thought was big and tough started whining.


    He dwarfed her in size and she was rather tall for a girl. After her transformation, she still stayed the same height she was. She wished that she got as short as Jing was but knew that she really had nothing to complain about. Maybe there was a Spirit Cake or pill that could reduce someone''s height. Wan decided to ask Ying after the Grand Tournament.


    "Don''t come before me! I''m almost there..." Wan began riding his c.o.c.k even faster and harder.


    This much pleasure from her p.u.s.s.y seemed to be too much for him. She could only roll her eyes and sigh as he exploded inside her just as she was on the verge of experiencing her first orgasm in her new body. Wan lifted herself off his d.i.c.k that was now limp, dripping in her juices and his c.u.m, and went to go clean herself in the bathroom with a shower. Back when she was in her old body, he was way more impressive as a s.e.x.u.a.l partner. But after that disappointing experience, it looks like she''ll have to find someone new to relieve her s.e.x.u.a.l frustration with.


    "Bye He." She was fully dressed and leaving out his door.


    "Wait, I can do better... I saw a cake when I was making my way home... There was this brown girl. She said if I bought the cake, I would be able to please any woman or man in the world. I didn''t think something like this would happen and can tell you aren''t satisfied. Give me a second to get it from my kitchen and give me a second chance." He was completely spent and could barely move.


    ''Brown girl?'' Wan immediately knew who he was talking about. There was only one brown person in all of the Golden Serpent Sect.


    Should she stay and give him another chance? If what he said was true then, there was no doubt he would be able to do it. Anything from Jing has basically a 100% chance of working. But why hasn''t anyone told her about Jing selling Spirit Cakes? When has this started happening and today of all days?


    "Are you ready for round 2?!" He appeared back inside the bedroom with cake icing around his lips.


    Wan looked down to notice his throbbing erect p.e.n.i.s, flushed face and hurried breathing. His impressive size in both body and p.e.n.i.s was what initially led to her interest in him. Seeing him like this after some cake from Jing wasn''t too much of a surprise. And she could feel herself wanting to find out just how well would he be able to please her now. Her newly bought panties were already getting ruined just staring at his excited body.


    "Might as well... Finding someone else to do this with would be more trouble than it''s worth and basically impossible as the Grand Tournament starts in a few hours." Wan spoke as if she wasn''t s.e.x.u.a.lly excited as well.


    It didn''t take long for his large strong and masculine hands to strip her nude once more. He didn''t even bother with any foreplay as he laid her on the bed and guided it right into her v.a.g.i.n.a.


    "Ahn!? Ahn!? Ahn!?" Wan couldn''t help herself from letting out some m.o.a.ns.


    She immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment as a grin formed on He''s face. Wan didn''t understand it, but as soon as he put his p.e.n.i.s inside her, it felt like she was struck by lightning throughout her entire body. Did she come? Was that what coming was like for women? Why did she come just as he put it in? Why did it feel so damn good...?


    "Shit! What the hell kind of cake was that?! I''m about to...!" He came inside her again and Wan felt her mind going to blank from pleasure.


    She couldn''t focus on anything. It was like the world was still moving but she was nothing but a soul floating outside it. Her mouth continued to m.o.a.n for her while her body seemed to want even more from He by wrapping around his big and muscular body with her hands and legs. He pounded her like she was his worst enemy and Wan loved every second of it. Wan''s body and mind gave her no choice but to love it as her v.a.g.i.n.a took He''s pounding.


    "I love... being a girl...." Was the last thing she remembered saying before losing herself completely.


    ______________________________________________


    "You''re getting better at sucking my c.o.c.k." Hu Tao complimented her with a grin.


    Jie ran one hand up and down Hu Ta''s shaft while sucking his p.e.n.i.s. Her tongue wrapped around his member as she moved her head back and forth at a slow pace. Hu Tao placed his hand on the back of Jie''s head to go deeper and she slapped away his hand. She put a bit more effort into blowing him and went deeper than what she usually did. If she let him take the pace, he''d probably try and shove his entire thing down her throat. That was something she didn''t want to experience again.


    "You don''t know how happy I am about the Grand Tournament today. All those bastards from the Inner Court I''ll get to fight today. It''s going to be a hell of a party." His c.o.c.k twitched at the thought of all the people he was going to fight today but in actuality it was Jie''s warm mouth and eager tongue that made him close to coming.


    "I heard that this Grand Tournament is going to be different from the one 5 years ago." Jie took Hu Tao''s p.e.n.i.s out of her mouth and quickly stroked it.


    "Where the f.u.c.k did you hear that?" He asked as Jie started to climb on top of him.


    "From some of my friends." Jie lowered herself onto Hu Tao''s d.i.c.k. "Mhmm..." It slipped right inside her wet v.a.g.i.n.a and slowly started to explore her insides.


    "Shit, you''re too damn tight." Hu Tao m.o.a.ned along with her.


    "This time around, fighting ability won''t be the only thing tested by the Elders. Or at least that''s what I think. It wouldn''t make sense to change the Grand Tournament only to have it test the same things." Jie reasoned.


    "Sounds boring as hell. I just want to fight some bitches. Why the hell are they being so extra this time around?" Hu Tao gripped his hands around Jie''s ass.


    "Maybe. Ahn... it has something to do with the Meeting of Great Talents..." Jie guessed as she let out tiny gasps every few seconds while Hu Tao''s rod was doing everything it could to drive her crazy.


    "Oh yeah, I f.u.c.k.i.n.g forgot all about that shit. Thanks to Bleep, I might actually stand a chance of making it there this time around." His fingers played with Jie''s exposed erect n.i.p.p.l.es.


    "You want to represent the sect...?" Jie started panting as Hu Tao''s increased his speed.


    "I want to fight with those strong bastards in the other sects."


    "I''m close..." She whispered in his ear while holding on to him.


    "No shit. You''re squeezing the shit out of my d.i.c.k, damn."


    "Hurry up... Come with me..." She begged.


    "You asked for it." He laughed before suddenly raising up and thrusting his h.i.p.s forward, smashing into Jie as she was held in the air.


    "Hu Tao!" She screamed, wrapping her legs around his waist and placing her hands on his shoulders. Their eyes staring into one another as their voices joined together.


    "Take it!" Hu Tao gripped Jie around her waist and let her have all of his white fluid. She yelled out in ecstasy from the inside of his home with her nails trying to claw deep wounds into his muscular back.


    "I don''t know how the hell a v.i.r.g.i.n like you is able to take this much out of me but shit..." Hu Tao dropped into his chair with Jie softly breathing on top of him.


    "We need to go meet up with the others..." She reminded him. "And I''m not a v.i.r.g.i.n anymore..."


    "Give me a f.u.c.k.i.n.g second..." Even he needed a second to recuperate after blowing a load like that.


    "I need to go take a quick bath. I''m not showing up to meet everyone with your stuff inside me." Jie raised up from Hu Tao and walked to the shower with some shaking in her legs.


    "Do you know how long that''s gonna take? We might as well go at it another f.u.c.k.i.n.g time if you''re taking a bath." Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#.-(18-)_52591190129819730">#.-(18-)_52591190129819730</a> for visiting.


    "I won''t be long!"


    "Who the f.u.c.k are you yelling at!? Do you know who house you are in right now?! Where''s my respect!?" She didn''t even bother to respond to him.


    "Bitch." He made his way to the bathroom too.


    ______________________________________________?


    "We have to get ready for the Grand Tournament today... Stop..." Liu Lan tried convincing Fu Kang who wouldn''t stop plunging his member into her on top of her dressing.


    "Do you really want me to stop?" He asked with a grin.


    And before she could respond, he stole her lips and began to ram into her even harder. Liu couldn''t resist against the waves of pleasure flowing through her body and just surrendered. She softly m.o.a.ned into his ear and felt herself close to climaxing. Fu didn''t hold anything back as he gave it to her p.u.s.s.y with everything he had. Her toes started curling as her body began to erratically shake. Liu was coming! Just as she was in the midst of attaining enlightenment, Fu filled her up with his sticky white fluid, sending her over the edge.


    Fu couldn''t help but smirk seeing the rolled-up eyes, twitching, and silent orgasm Liu was having. It was this glorious sight that reenergized his p.e.n.i.s into becoming erect again. However, when he tried continuing, Liu forcefully pushed him away. She shook her head at him while taking deep breaths. Her finger pointed to the door, signaling him to leave.


    "Oh come on. I''ll be really quick. I promise." Fu begged.


    "Out...! I told you to stop coming inside me! What if I get pregnant or something, you idiot!? My parents would kill me and your entire lineage would be wiped out!"


    "You still don''t think your family would accept me even though I''m really strong now?" Fu flexed his muscles and briefly transformed into a hulking monstrosity that some could describe as the peak male body for body cultivators.


    "You would have to prove that you''re better than Gong Jun openly..." She still had trouble believing that he defeated Gong.


    "Hmph. Piece of cake! At the Grand Tournament, I''ll give him another beating he''ll never forget! Then, you can become my wife."


    "Idiot..." A small smile appeared on her face. "Now get out! I was serious, you know?!" A ball of white fire shot towards him


    "Okay! Okay! I''m leaving! I love you!" He shouted before closing the door.


    "Stupid pervert. To think I could fall in love with someone like him..." She sighed. It would take a miracle for them to be together. If she knew her father, even strength wouldn''t be enough to convince him that Fu was worth marrying over Gong. His background was not insignificant, unlike Fu''s.


    "Oh! By the way, should I tell everyone we''re together after I beat Gong or keep it a secret?" Fu put his head through the door.


    "Keep it a secret idiot! Do you know what would happen to my reputation if people knew about us? I''d be called a s.l.u.t, whore, and all sorts of other names." She told him.


    "Oh. Alright! Got cha!" He left just as soon as he came.


    The damage her family would suffer wouldn''t be small from something like this getting out.

 Chapter 173 - 167: Master Mos Students.

    Two figures stood inside a lone dojo. One was staring up at the other, crouched at the knees. The standing one had an incredulous expression on his face as he looked down at his 2nd Junior Brother. Only one was completely soaked in sweat while the Senior had a small drip on his forehead.


    "Jun, your strength has improved by leaps and bounds." Jian complimented. Inwardly, he was completely shocked.


    With that strange candy weapon and incredible sword art made specifically for that weapon, his rise to the top was all but guaranteed. As long as he didn''t die prematurely that is. For some time now, Jian has been practicing with Jun in preparation for the Grand Tournament. At first, Jian refused his request as he had better things to do than waste his time training his Junior Brother. But day after day, Jun knocked on his door with his head bowed, asking for him to train him.


    Jian didn''t understand why his 2nd Junior was being so stubborn about this until he saw the hidden flames burning within his eyes. Jun was just as prideful and talented as any one of them so, when he was willing to face rejection day after day. It suddenly struck Jian. Something has happened to Jun that he couldn''t accept on a fundamental level. And what he wanted was something he was willing to forgo his pride for. He cared not for appearances when he could be gaining far greater strength.


    Once he realized this, Jian decided to help his 2nd Junior out. He didn''t need to know the true reason for his desperate need for strength. In time, he was confident that it would reveal itself. As long as he kept a close eye on him during the Grand Tournament, he''ll find out. It wasn''t that hard to guess that Jun wanted revenge against someone from the fierceness of his blows.


    ______________________________________________


    "You''re still holding back, Jun." Jian knocked Jun to the floor with a kick to the chest.


    "I''m not..." Blood dripped from the side of his lips.


    "We''ll never get anywhere with you holding back like this. Unless you imagine me as your worst enemy, you will never improve. Do you think I can''t handle your true strength?" Jian asked.


    "I... I apologize. You''re right 2nd Senior. I won''t hold back any longer." Jun''s Jelly Sword began to shake and squirm.


    ______________________________________________


    After that day, Jun''s skill with the sword began to rapidly grow. The intensity and lethality of his sword strikes surprised Jian. There was no weak point untargeted by his blade. Its fluidity, the overwhelming prowess, and unstoppable nature. His swordsmanship was nearly flawless! Jian had to push his own skill in swordsmanship to new heights after witnessing Jun''s sword art.


    "Thank you 2nd Senior." Jun bowed his head. "Without you, I would''ve never been able to progress my swordsmanship to this level. I am in your debt."


    "Think nothing of it. Just don''t embarrass yourself or Master Mo today with your skill." He waved off Jun''s debt.


    "I won''t." Jun got up from the floor and began to walk outside the training room.


    "Did you hear about 3rd Junior?" Jian asked before he left.


    "No. I''ve been too focused with my own matters." Jun answered.


    "That''s alright then. It''s nothing too important. You can leave."


    "See you later, Senior Martial Brother."


    ______________________________________________


    "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Tang cursed as he gave it his all.


    His boomerang swung left to right, up and down, and all around to land a single blow on his 3rd Senior Brother. A casual laughter rang out from Chao as he easily dealt with anything Tang threw at him. Master Mo called Chao''s skill with the spear unparallel within this generation and perhaps the next. These last few months of training with him have led to Tang understanding just how skilled his 3rd Senior truly was. And just how damn annoying he was as well.


    "Left shoulder." Chao''s spear tip tapped against Tang''s left shoulder.


    "Guh!" His boomerang spun around him to protect himself.


    "Don''t get caught up in your opponent''s tempo so easily, Little Tang." Chao slipped right through Tang''s dangerous barrier and got up in his face.


    He had his hand gripped under the spear head that was poking against Tang''s defenseless chest. If he wanted, he could''ve penetrated right through his chest and killed him. Tang understood this perfectly. Meaning he has now lost more than 99 times against his annoying 3rd Senior in battle. Ever since he first asked him to train him, he has done nothing but lose, lose, lose, and lose! It pissed him off!


    Tang has never been angrier with himself. Even with the Apostle''s weapon, he still hasn''t come close to defeating his 3rd Senior. The fact that Chao reduced himself to the same cultivation stage as himself only pissed him off even further. This meant that 3rd Senior was simply far more skilled with his weapon. He understood his weapon, perfected the art of wielding it, and knew everything about it. Once Tang realized this difference between the two of them, he started to learn how to properly use his weapon.


    He prayed to Lord Tyanir for help. As there were no weapon arts for his boomerang in this continent. Praying to Lord Tyanir dropped him back to the start of the Qi Consolidation realm when he was ready to go to the next stage. All of his qi and progress during the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm was erased for his prayer. Knowledge from the First Apostle on how to use his weapon flowed into his mind like a long-lost lover, returning to sweetly kiss her husband and fill him with all the love she''s been storing for him at his return. However, even with this knowledge at the cost of his strength, he still could not defeat Chao.


    "You know Little Tang, instead of that useless auxiliary skill you have now. You should pick up Calming Heart instead." Chao suggested with a grin.


    "Fine." Tang frowned. He didn''t like someone calling one of his chosen martial arts useless but he couldn''t deny his senior''s experience.


    Despite how frivolous and laid back he usually presents himself, Tang understood that his 3rd Senior was an undeniable genius just like the rest of them. Him and 2nd Senior were equals in strength. Jian was more known for his calmness while Chao was more known for his playful demeanor. Neither was above or below each other. Jian was just older than Chao, which was why he was the 2nd Senior. It worked the same way with Jun and himself. Because Jun was older than him, he got to become the 4th Senior and he was forced to become the junior brother.


    "Do you think you''ll be able to catch up with him?" Chao teasingly asked.


    "Hmph. Like I would let myself willingly be surpassed by Jun. He is the one that needs to catch up to me!" Tang holstered his giant boomerang on his back.


    "I don''t know." Chao whistled. "I''ve been hearing some surprising things from Jian. If you don''t learn to control that short temper of yours in battle, you''ll never be able to pass him."


    "Isn''t that why you recommended that Calm Heart or whatever? I''ll learn it in time for the tournament and master it. Then another weakness of mine will be eliminated." Tang made it to the door.


    "I''m rooting for you Little Tang." Chao blew a kiss.


    "Disgusting freak!" Tang quickly closed the door behind him before the air kiss could reach him.


    ______________________________________________


    "Little Tang." Jun greeted with a smile.


    "Jun." Tang crossed his arms.


    "Are you heading to the tournament early?" Jun asked.


    "I''m heading to the library." Tang answered.


    "Mind if I join you?"


    "Yes. Go away."


    "Great! Let''s get going then."


    "Annoying!" Tang began walking out of Elder Mo''s mansion with Jun following on the side of him.


    "I heard you''ve been training with 3rd Senior. Is it because you heard of my training with 2nd Senior?" Jun curiously questioned.


    "No." Tang lied.


    Like hell Tang would willing ask for training from anyone other than Master Mo. As soon as he heard that Jun was receiving lessons from 2nd Senior, he made his way to 3rd Senior to do the same. There was no way in hell that Tang could accept Jun getting ahead of him. He didn''t know why he would be willing to forsake his pride to ask for guidance from their senior brother but if Jun could do it then why couldn''t he? Tang''s realized that even with the First Apostle''s weapon, he couldn''t let himself become stagnant in his growth. The world wasn''t going to willing allow him to stand on top of it even with Lord Tyanir''s blessing. So, he decided that he''ll force himself on top of it until the world has no choice but to submit to him.


    "I see." Jun cheekily smiled. "How much progress have you gained in your training?"


    "More than you." Was Tang''s answer.


    "I''m not so sure about that Little Tang... I''ve gotten pretty strong, you know?"


    "We''ll see if it''s enough to match me in the tournament."


    "We''re most likely not going to make it to the finals but I do hope to see your new strength."


    "Tch. Speak for yourself, weakling." Both Tang and Jun were in the 1st stage of the Qi Consolidation realm.


    "The confidence you hold in your strength never ceases to amaze me." Jun had to give him credit.


    "Unlike you, I never doubt myself."


    "True. True. So, what martial art are you planning on getting?" Jun changed the subject.


    "None of your business! Now quit following me!"


    "Come on Little Tang. Don''t be such a stranger. It''s been so long since we''ve talked like this." Jun placed his arm around Tang''s neck.


    "You''re just like 3rd Senior! Damn homo! Get away from me!" Tang pushed him away, clearly uncomfortable by the touch of another man.


    "Hahaha! Tang! We''re all brothers! What''s the need to act so shy for?" Jun continued to tease.


    "Who''s acting shy? I''ll kill you. Now get away from me." Tang walked a few meters away from Jun.


    "How are you ever going to seduce that Hong girl when you can''t even express yourself around your own brothers?" Jun shook his head as if Tang was a hopeless case. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''s-students._52636840531912858">#''s-students._52636840531912858</a> for visiting.


    "Shut the hell up! I''ll deal with my own problems. Don''t worry about me." Tang brandished his boomerang and nearly chopped Jun''s head off.


    "You''re my Junior Brother. How could I not worry about you?" Jun casually leaned his head back, allowing the boomerang to soar over his face.


    "Still just as annoying as ever... I should''ve left you for dead back then." Tang scoffed.

 Chapter 174 - 168: We Havent Started Yet.

    "What would I gain by joining you? I dislike Hu Tao just as much as anyone else but that doesn''t mean I hate him and want him dead. The disgusting stench of the darkness hidden in your heart is repulsive. But at the same time, the purity and conviction of your goal interests me." A man radiating with beauty and power spoke.


    His hair reached down to the floor, past his back and buttocks. At first glance, anyone could mistake him for a young woman with how feminine his face was. Soft full lips, delicate lady-like skin, and clear blue eyes that seemed to stare directly at your heart. But once you get a better look, you wouldn''t be mistaken anymore. The lean body of his seemingly radiating with power was misleading as he was far stronger than his girlish figure suggested. This was Manchu! Hu Tao''s self-proclaimed eternal rival! Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href="#''t-started-yet._52707240951474938">#''t-started-yet._52707240951474938</a> for visiting.


    "I am not blind to the heart demon festering in my heart. It will become my greatest challenge on my path to the heavens. Even now, I find it difficult to cultivate and breakthrough. However, I do not plan to keep this heart demon for much longer. Hu Tao and Heaven''s Angels... I will annihilate every single member in that group if it''s the last thing I do! And that''s a promise I make to the heavens themselves!" The young girl''s heart was laid bare.


    If anyone else could witness her right now, they would see a young girl with a dream far bigger than herself. She may have said that her goal was to destroy Heaven''s Angels but no, that wasn''t true in the slightest. They were just an obstacle on the path to her true goal. What she truly wanted was to change this unfair and despicable world into something much better and fitting to her ideals. Manchu could respect this impossible dream of hers. He himself didn''t have anything remotely close to weighing the same as her dream. This Meili was more interesting than he thought.


    Manchu understood that she came to him because of his power and history with Hu Tao. When she could be spending time cultivating and practicing her martial arts for the Grand Tournament, while here she was trying to recruit him for her cause. Either she was smarter than he thought or desperately needed his power for Hu Tao. Regardless of which one it is, Manchu wouldn''t join her just because of interest. He wasn''t a slave to his pleasures and displeasures.


    "What are you willing to offer me in exchange for joining your group?" He asked politely.


    "How does the sealed coffin of an ancient beast sound?" Meili took out a black coffin from within her storage ring. It was wrapped in hundreds of talismans and golden chains.


    With a heavy thud to the ground, a harsh and invasive presence quickly spread throughout the area. The amount of qi radiating from the coffin was enough to tell Manchu that this thing had to be on par with earth-ranked or sky-ranked spirit tools. But along with that qi was a sickening aura that would chill a normal cultivator to the bones. It was easy to see that this thing would grant great power but at the same time give some sort of curse as well.


    "What is the meaning of this?" He asked. Being given a gift that was detrimental to him? Was she truly this desperate?


    "I know what you''re thinking Manchu. But you have nothing to worry about. A coffin on this level is nothing for a man of your stature." She answered him.


    "Explain yourself." His heavy qi pressed down on her.


    "This coffin will give great power but just like you guessed there is also something unpleasant inhabiting the coffin that refuses to die even after hundreds of thousands of years of being sealed inside. If anyone touches the coffin, they''ll be granted power beyond their wildest dreams. Only at the cost of their sanity. I believe someone like you, capable of standing against Hu Tao, would be more than capable of resisting the influences of the mind from this spirit tool." She explained herself.


    "And why is that?"


    "Because you''re a genius."


    Manchu didn''t believe her for a second. She must have some sort of alternate goal here that she wasn''t sharing with him. But that coffin was calling to him. Its power was drawing him over as if it was a beautiful woman wagging her finger at him. Something like that would give him a significant boost in power for the Grand Tournament but it wasn''t as if he was going to reveal his true strength anyway. Unless he was matched up against Hu Tao. That annoying guy would do everything it takes into forcing him to give his all. It was another reason why he refused to get close to anyone. Hu Tao would use them as a chip to give him the fight to the death he so desperately wants between them.


    "I''m willing to temporarily help your group against Hu Tao and Hu Tao only. But you must find me a treasure that contains void qi within it and leave this coffin here."


    "I understand." Meili wanted to grit her teeth but bowed with a grateful smile.


    A powerful force like Manchu behind them would be more than enough for her to take on Heaven''s Angels. Especially with her Secret Weapon to deal with that annoying leader of theirs. But maybe she could still persuade him into joining her group later on. There''s no rush. With the members they have now, they are still pretty powerful. They''ll only continue to grow in strength as time goes on.


    ''Hu Tao... Heaven''s Angels... You will pay for your villainy!''


    ______________________________________________?


    "I''m alive...?" The boy questioned as he woke up in the middle of the Immortal Forest.


    His body felt different... He didn''t know how to explain it but he felt far stronger than before. That villainous fiend wouldn''t have stood a chance against him now!


    "Meili... Is she alright?! I have to go check!" He raced towards the sect, completely unaware of all the changes that took place during his rebirth.


    ______________________________________________?


    "Take my axe!" Drill squeaked. He chopped at Quon with his ax.


    "You''ll never hit me with that slow thing!" Quon blorped. He floated up into the air, avoiding the attack.


    "What are you all doing?" Kuai, Lei Zhi''s newest tamed beast, hummed. She gently floated in the air.


    "This is training." Ni Xong roared. His gauntlets meeting Drill''s ax.


    "Kuii!" SCP-999 gurgled. He tried reaching out to Kuai, the only person who wasn''t moving very quickly.


    "Training?" Kuai titled her head.


    "You don''t know what training is?" Drill scoffed.


    "Where I come from, my people don''t do this, training. Can you explain it?" She asked.


    "Training is like..." Quon racked his brain. "Making yourself better!"


    "Or fixing a weakness about yourself..." Ni Xong added.


    They could still see she was confused.


    "That little thingy in your hand! How good can you play it?" Quon asked.


    "My lyre?"


    "Yea! Try this!" Quon dashed off to grab something from the pile of junk inside the Void World and handed it to Kuai.


    She grabbed it with her hand and looked at it in confusion.


    "Does she even know how to read?" Drill questioned.


    "You can read?" Ni Xong asked.


    "It''s not that hard."


    "Then can you teach her how to use it?" Quon asked.


    "Tch! Why would I do something so annoying? What''s in it for me, huh?"


    "Don''t be a jerk dude. Just help her out." Quon said.


    "Don''t be a jerk dude. Just help her out." Drill mocked in a girly voice. "Help out nothing! Nothing in this world in free!"


    "Come on, Drill... Please?" Ni Xong pleaded.


    "Annoying! You''re all so annoying! Fine! But every single one of you owes me." He hopped towards Kuai and began teaching her how to play the flute according to the book''s instructions.


    When Kuai was fished out with Lei Zhi''s fishing rod, everyone was stunned by her appearance. She called her species, the Cursed Ones. According to Hao Gang, she was a spirit beast despite her appearance. This appearance being one crossed between a human and a fish! A human-like upper body with a fish''s tail. She had charms on par with heavenly beauties but couldn''t speak in human tongue or understand anyone besides Lei.


    "Why must I use this object instead of my lyre?" Kuai questioned.


    "Because your lyre is just some regular ole piece of junk. This flute on the other hand will make you useful."


    "How so?"


    "It can turn sound into qi and qi into sound." From the confused look on her face, Drill realized she was dumb as rocks.


    So, he performed a demonstration of what he meant by playing the flute. He blew into the wind instrument and Kuai felt her body being strengthened with qi. Then Drill''s drill-shaped tail began glowing and spinning at a rapid speed. She felt the dangerous amount of qi building up within his tail before an incredibly quick invisible beam of energy shot out from the tip into the sky and pierced the clouds with a loud bang.


    "Get it now?" He handed her the flute.


    "I believe so... Now how do I do the training with this flute?"


    "Just make it sound good or learn more ways of using it." He shrugged her off.


    "Thank you, Drill. I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Back where I came from, we never met any other intelligent species besides our own. We just lived a simple life as a cursed species, waiting for our time to die or for our sins to be forgiven."


    "Yeah, I didn''t ask." Drill rudely walked away but that didn''t stop Kuai from feeling grateful towards him.

 Chapter 175 - 169: Bings Task!

    "Take Runt with you." Hu Tao said.


    "Hmm? He might die, you know? Hell, I''m probably going to die." Bing responded.


    "He''ll be fine. He needs some experience anyway. Being cooped up in here doing nothing but training ain''t good for the kid anyway." Hu Tao then grabbed Jie by the waist and disappeared.


    ''Did he just throw his student on me to have some alone time with his girlfriend?'' Bing realized.


    "Haha looks like you''re on some harsh babysitting duty, Bing." Ying came over.


    "I''m not a baby. What the hell?" Runt voiced his displeasure. "Don''t treat me like some dead weight." Runt flared his 3rd stage Qi Gatherer qi.


    "What are you going to do if I don''t?" Ying teased.


    "Why don''t I show you what I can do?" Runt pulled out a golden ocarina from his pocket.


    The green chain wrapped around his forearm starting floating above him as he began to blow. A gentle melody came from his small figure. Bing closed his eyes and enjoyed the peaceful sound before suddenly feeling a rush of wind fly past him. Opening his eyes in surprise, Bing could see that Ying was sent flying off her feet from an invisible force. She wiped the blood from her lips and grinned at Runt.


    "That''s not an ordinary spirit tool..." Ying said. She didn''t even realize something was flying at her until it already hit her!


    Flames burst out of her back as she rushed towards Runt. Runt snapped a picture of Ying with his camera, forcing her to shield her eyes from the flash. She didn''t stop herself from running towards him though. He was waving the photo that came out of his camera and dropped the photo in surprise of what came out of it.


    "You pervert girl!" He screamed.


    "Huh?" Ying picked him up by the back of his collar and bent down to take a look at the picture.


    Upon carefully inspecting the photo, her face flushed a deep red before quickly putting it in her pocket and coughing.


    "You saw nothing. You will say nothing. Or I will kill you." She whispered into Runt''s ears.


    Goosebumps grew all over his body from the killing intent radiating from Ying. It reminded him of the time where the Patriarch of the Su Family nearly killed him just for being a beggar! This perverted girl was crazy! She was threatening to kill him over a stupid photo?! It''s her fault for wanting to do nasty stuff like that with Bing!


    "Am I understood?" Her fist was covered in flames as it began to crackle and whip near his face.


    "Yes..." Runt had no choice but to submit.


    "Good." A smile appeared on her face before she dropped him to the ground. "Actually, give me that spirit tool for a second..." She reached for his camera without his permission and went elsewhere.


    Ying then spent the next few minutes taking several pictures of herself while thinking of many things she wanted to be doing at the moment. Storing every single picture into her storage ring for later. In the meantime, Bing and Runt were getting to know each other. As they were about to go on a very dangerous task together. It would be helpful to know what the other is capable of.


    "So, Hu Tao has been teaching you a lot about fighting then, huh?" Bing guessed.


    "No, not really." Runt answered.


    "Huh?" That couldn''t be right. How else would Hu Tao of all people train others?


    "I''ve just been learning martial arts and how to use my spirit tools. Not really fighting much."


    "Oh, I''m kind of surprised. I thought Hu Tao would have you fighting for your life every single day or something." Bing shared.


    "Nope. So, who is this guy you gotta kill? What did he do?"


    "He''s tried to kill me a bunch of times. So, I''m going to go kill him for all the crap he put me through. Or I''m going to fail and die. Either or, you know?" Bing had a secret weapon that the Empress told Ying to make for him. He also had the soap that stopped them from saying the Empress''s name. For some reason she wanted him to have it on his person when he fought Leng.


    "Aren''t you scared?" Runt asked.


    "Oh yeah. I''m terrified. Scared out of my mind. Today might be my last day alive after all." Bing said.


    "You don''t sound scared at all."


    "It''s all just a front." He admitted. "You''ll learn more about it as you gain more experiences as a cultivator."


    "What''s a front?"


    "An act or a bluff to make others think the opposite of what you don''t want them to think."


    "But why do that?"


    "All sorts of reasons. I mostly use them to avoid getting killed though."


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    "I hope so because you''ll find yourself almost getting killed a lot in a group like this."


    "Really?"


    "We''re kind of taking over the sect so, I''d say pretty much."


    "We are?!" Runt couldn''t imagine trying to do something like that. The Golden Serpent Sect was one of the Three Great Sects.


    The city where he came from and all the powerful families there didn''t match up to 1% of the greatness that was the Golden Serpent Sect.


    "I''m back. I think I have enough to last me for a while." Ying handed Runt back his camera. He avoided eye contact with her.


    "I think we''re ready to be let out." Bing told her.


    "Alright. Bye!" Bing and Runt were spat out of the void world into the Immortal Forest.


    Bing grabbed onto Runt''s robes as they were falling so that he wouldn''t be injured. Tree branches scr.a.p.ed his arms and legs as they fell down to the ground. A nearby Bloody Badger leaped at them in surprise only to be grabbed by a hand that shot out of Bing''s ankle. Soon, the badger was reduced to a blood pool and a skeleton. Runt thanked Bing for helping him before following behind him as they made their way to the sect.


    "How do you plan to kill this guy anyway? Isn''t he strong?"


    "Very carefully. If everything goes well, I won''t even have to use my life-saving treasure." Bing answered. "So, make sure to follow my instructions. Otherwise, you might not make it back either."


    "Got it." Runt nodded.


    The two made it inside the sect and made their way to the Inner Court. They stood outside Huan Leng''s home before hiding themselves. Bing took out two talismans he bought solely for the purpose of killing Huan Leng and placed them on himself and Runt. Any qi that would''ve leaked from the two was trapped inside the talisman and would last until they started generating more qi than the talisman could handle. This wouldn''t be a problem for Runt who was only a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer but it would be for Bing once he puts his plan into motion.


    Bing checked to see if Leng was home by pulling out a one-time use talisman that he also spent his own money on for this task. It sent concentrated qi straight into his eyes that would allow him to momentarily see-through objects. As it lasted only a few seconds, it gave him more than enough time to see what he wanted to see. Inside the small home, Leng Huan could be seen cultivating with his eyes closed while a woman was sleeping on his bed, barely clothed. That was absolutely perfect for Bing.


    He told Runt to get as far back as possible and to watch from a distance. Under no circ.u.mstance was he to approach unless Bing gave him a thumbs up. Runt listened to his instructions without a problem and watched from a far distance as Bing began to do something with his hands. Then he felt his skin crawl as he saw multiple arms began to shoot out of Bing.


    Arms formed out of his head, cheeks, neck, shoulders, arms, chest, stomach, and all over as Bing began preparing his ultimate technique. A sphere made of yin and yang qi formed in the center of all the arms grown from Devil''s Arms. Drool leaked from Bing''s mouth as he focused his utmost concentration on properly controlling this technique. Nearly all of his thoughts were being erased one by one as he formed this attack. His fear of the plan failing to work, his fear of death, his slight hunger, his desire to kill Huan Leng, and even what he planned to eat as his last meal if he failed. The sphere began to spin slowly, causing all the arms to move along with it. Containing its power within the shell was of utmost importance. As the technique started to increase in speed, so did the arms.


    ''Yin of Destruction & Yang of Creation: Infinite Sphere Ultimate Cataclysm...'' A burst of qi from the sphere instantly destroyed the Qi Suppression talisman.


    The orb grew to the size of one''s head before being compressed by the arms to the size of a pea. By this point, it was radiating so much qi that Bing was sure everyone in the Inner Court could sense this thing. It took all the strength in his body to toss the thing towards Leng''s house. Bing dropped to the ground sapped of all his strength and qi. But he knew if he passed out now, he would not survive the explosion radius from his ultimate technique. Which is why he slapped a movement spell on himself and watched the explosion next to Runt.


    "Ah!?" Runt didn''t expect him to suddenly teleport right next to him.


    "Let''s... see... if... I won..." Bing kept his eyes open to see the aftermath.


    A bright white flash blinded him and anyone else in the surroundings. Soon after, an ear-deafening explosion rang out that drowned out any other noise nearby. Stones, wind, and dust blew him and Runt into the air from the force of the explosion even from this far a distance away. Blood seeped from their bodies just by being scrapped by the high-speed rocks and wind. However, Bing kept his eyes focused entirely on the place of impact.


    "You''re way stronger than I thought you were..." Runt was in complete disbelief at the power held by this fatty.

 Chapter 176 - 170: The Aftermath of Bings Sneak Attack!

    "Damn it..." Bing pulled out a Spirit Cake from his storage ring and ate it as he crashed to the ground.


    Runt helped him up on his feet and saw the malevolent rise of qi flowing into the air from what used to be Huan Leng''s house. As Bing gulped down several cakes to boost his strength in preparation for fighting that thing staring right at him with nothing but murderous thoughts running through its mind, he felt his body becoming stronger. He had no time to waste and knew that Leng would be coming to kill him any second now. After finishing the cakes, he tossed Runt away and finally got a good look at the monstrosity he had to kill.


    The elegant and handsome cultivator that everyone knew Huan Leng as was not standing there. A demonic beast radiating with foul qi that prickled the skin and nearly unmatched killing intent glared at Bing. His breath that resembled steam from fire meeting water was visible every time he took a breath, Leng''s eyes were unseeable due to his hair covering them, and most notable of all was the beast-like mouth on his torso loudly roaring into the air. Just with a glance, everyone could tell that Huan Leng was not in control of his mind at the moment. Whatever bloodline that was, sapped him of his sanity and sent him into an uncontrollable state.


    "Alright... Let''s see if I''m lucky enough to survive this time around..." A six-armed muscled-up Bing took a deep breath, slapping his thighs to stop them from shaking.


    He focused his eyes on Leng, held his shield at ready, and got ready for a deadly fight. It was rather kind of Leng for him to wait until he was completely ready. But Bing figured that was his luck playing into part there rather than any choice of Leng''s. Because right after he got in position to fight, Leng suddenly appeared in front of him. His fist came flying towards his face and Bing could actually see his movements!


    Two of his fists caught Leng''s during his rush while his other four slammed into his chest. Bing was physically more powerful than him! Leng was a qi cultivator! He had more of a chance of winning now if he took advantage of this information! Upon learning this, Bing tried slamming Leng into the ground only to be blasted in his ripped abs by a beam of qi from Leng''s mouth stomach. It sent him sliding backward while Leng''s figure became coated in purple qi.


    "Swift Devil!" Bing didn''t give him the chance to get used to his movements.


    His shield bashed down on the skull of the Huan Clan leader but the rapid shaking of his brain against his skull did little to stop his movements. Leng flipped forward with the strike and his leg came striking down right towards the back of Bing''s head. He blocked with his shield and reached forward with his hands to grab him by the leg. Only for Leng''s other leg to kick his shield and send him backward.


    "Swift Devil!" Bing ran back in once again. "Swift Devil!" Then suddenly dashed to the left. "Swift Devil!" Then forward, all the way around Leng before tackling him from behind with his shield.


    Leng was prepared despite Bing''s surprisingly fast movements. He struck with a leaping kick that saved himself from taking any damage. The two flew across the Inner Court together and continued their battle in full sight of everyone. Bing couldn''t spare any attention to anyone else but Leng.


    A sharp kick just flew past his head and would''ve probably decapitated him if he wasn''t as focused as he was now. He reached out to grab the leg and just like before, was blasted by that mouth stomach. It was starting to irritate him that every chance he had was getting ruined by that thing. But he knew that targeting Leng''s back had to be its weakness. As every time he tried getting behind it, it would quickly prevent him from doing so with everything it had. Not even giving him the chance to strike from behind.


    Bing had the edge in power, speed, and defense but Leng had the advantage in fluidity, flexibility, and qi. If he wanted to win, he would have to think of something to trick the beast in human skin. So, he tossed his shield right at Leng. Leng hopped over the shield and charged him now that he was without a weapon. The sole fatty of Heaven''s Angels didn''t panic at the incoming threat. He''s had more close combat experience than he ever wanted to have thanks to Hu Tao, Ying, and the Empress.


    "You can''t rely on that shield to protect you forever Fatass. Let''s play around for a bit. I''m bored."


    "What can you even do without your shield, Bing? Even I know some martial arts for if I get disarmed."


    "Slave, I didn''t give you that weapon to rely on as an extra life. Let me teach you a few things."


    The six-armed disciple took on the two-armed one in an impressive show of skill. He overpowered and outclassed Leng in pure martial arts prowess and could''ve subdued him if it wasn''t for that bloodline of his. The surprisingly agile and round disciple struck with ruthless and dominating attacks. His fists aimed at the face, throat, neck, kidney, balls, and every opportunity that appeared where there was a chance to grab hold of Leng, he went for it.


    Leng was no slouch himself, however. Even though he was outmatched in an upfront brawl, this was a life-or-death battle. There was more at play than just martial arts skills. He moved and fought like a wild beast with knowledge of martial arts but no intention to use any of it. The Huan Clan leader fought in an aggressive manner that attempted to savagely injure and cause as much pain as possible to Bing. Purposely avoiding his vitals and seemingly getting more excited as blood flowed from his wounds. Nevertheless, he instinctively knew the danger that Bing held against him. With his eagerness to strike his vitals and grab hold of him, he evaded every attempt to do so.


    Just as the face stomach was about to shoot Bing, his shield smashed into Leng''s back and sent him flying in Bing''s arms. Bing was more than happy to grab Leng in his arms and use all the strength and weight in his body to slam him into the ground. His devil hand''s tongue flicked out and he prepared himself to kill Leng by puncturing him with the tongue only to suddenly cry out in horrible pain. Heaven''s Angel''s second member stood up in disbelief and shock as a portion of his stomach''s flesh was eaten by the mouth stomach. He hopped away to get some distance and to deal with his injuries only to stare at Leng''s mad grin and wide-open stomach that ate him whole in one bite.


    ______________________________________________


    Bing reawakened in a realm that reminded him of Ying''s void world. His clothes were missing, he was completely nude, and he felt his soul being gnawed away. Standing up, Bing looked down at himself and realized that if he didn''t find a way out of here, Leng would devour him whole. Soul and all. As someone who has eaten plenty of people during his time at the Golden Serpent Sect, in a way, Bing felt as if he deserved an end like this.


    His life was nothing special. From beginning or to the end. He grew up in a low-ranked cultivation clan, with a plain little sister, and no real talent at all. It was a miracle he even made it this far in life. What he felt was supposed to happen was him failing the Golden Serpent Sect''s Recruitment Test and returning back home as a complete failure or dying in the test.


    His little sister being as plain and untalented as she was would be too unimpressive to be married off to some talented outsider. Bing''s dream of becoming a cultivator strong enough to live life as he pleased would''ve been destroyed. The next choice for him would probably have been to become a chef. It wasn''t as if he had any other talent that could help him make a living. Being a useless waste wasn''t a choice for someone like him. Neither of his parents were wealthy enough to support a glutton.


    As part of the branch family, life was harder for them. Showing off too much meant you were a threat to the main family. Being too useless meant you were a detriment to the clan. Bing was perfectly in the middle of those two extremes somewhat. Not talented at all but he wasn''t hopeless as a cultivator. So, if he lived his life a little bit humbly, he would achieve nothing and have a most mediocre life. Finding a nice mortal girl willing to settle with a man like him and then spending the rest of his life with her.


    But was that what he really wanted? Was Bing really fine with living a life like that? Of course, he would have to hold his head low and make sure to do everything he could to satisfy cultivators stronger than him like the average person, but that was normal, wasn''t it? Both mortals and cultivators did it when they encountered someone stronger.


    Then why hasn''t Bing lowered his head to anyone ever since joining Jing? Well, there has been moments where he did lower his head but that was only to trick them so that he could give himself an opportunity to attack or escape. He refused to be the cowardly and weak Fatty that others thought they could bully. Avoiding violent confrontations when he could but not backing down when forced into a corner.


    Didn''t this mean that Bing wanted anything but a life like that? A life where he had to bow his head to anyone just for survival? A life where he couldn''t voice his displeasure and dislikes without being threatened to be killed? A life where he can''t live according to his own whims?


    "I want to live life my way..."


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    "I haven''t done enough yet... I still have regrets..."


    "I haven''t had s.e.x yet."


    "I haven''t tasted enough foods yet."


    "I haven''t had my first kiss, yet."


    "I haven''t grown as strong as I wanted too."


    "I haven''t gotten married."


    "I haven''t made any children."


    "I haven''t seen my grandchildren to spoil them."


    "I haven''t had enough time to spend with my friends."


    "Lei Zhi."


    "Ying."


    "Hu Tao."


    "Qing."


    "Jing..."


    "Li Li."


    "Ni Xong."


    "Quon..."


    "And everyone else too."


    "To think that all of this happened just because you couldn''t let things go..."


    "Face this... Face that... Who gives a shit?!"


    "Reputation isn''t everything in this world, damn it!"


    "All I wanted was to be left alone but you just wouldn''t stop trying to kill me! Then you involved Ying..."


    "At that point, I couldn''t just let things be anymore. It wasn''t fine that you were trying to kill me but then you involved my friends... The first people to actually accept me as an equal and individual. Not a pawn or someone to look down on."


    "You not being able to let bygones be gone is the reason for this!"


    "I don''t f.u.c.k.i.n.g want to die!" Bing clutched his fist and radiated the qi that hasn''t been eaten away yet.


    "Not yet! I still have things to do, damn it!" A forked tongue appeared on his palm and licked the air.


    "You want to eat me? I don''t think so, you bastard!" Bing smashed his hand into the ground itself and forced his Devil Hand to suck.


    Qi and something else began to flow inside his body. With this energy, he grew even more arms with tongues of their own. As seconds went by, tens to dozens to hundreds to thousands of arms stretched out from Bing. Every single one of them devouring Leng''s void world collectively. The world itself began to crinkle, deform, and scream in pain. Bing laughed as the malicious and baleful qi began to further taint his soul and body. Leng''s voice and another''s could be heard crying out in agony as Bing continued his draining. He didn''t intend to stop until he was free.


    It turns out that with his Devil Hand, Bing was fully capable of absorbing other''s bloodlines and integrating them into himself. Now he understood how he acquired control over yin and yang qi. That woman from the Great Tower that he used his Devil Hand on. She must have held a bloodline that gave her an easier time understanding and using yin and yang qi. This knowledge would be very useful going forward... Especially now that he had a void world of his own, just like Ying.


    "Shatter and break!" Bing destroyed the void world and reappeared back at the Golden Serpent Sect.

 Chapter 177 - 171: A Cameramans Perspective.

    Runt watched everything that took place between Bing and that Huan guy. As a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer, the amount of support he could''ve brought to Bing was absolutely zero. He would''ve only got in the way and got both of them killed. But his Boss was right about how this would be good for him to tag along with Bing. Seeing a fight like that with neither party holding back against each other helped him gain some understandings for his own martial arts.


    But the most interesting part was when he took pictures with his camera in the middle of their fight. In several photos, Bing could be seen inside Ying''s void world being fed several cakes by her with a smile on his and her face. Behind Bing was Huan eating Bing by the legs first. So, it didn''t take much to see that even though Bing was fighting to kill Huan, he really didn''t want to be doing it right now. While Huan wanted nothing more than to eat Bing.


    Runt didn''t understand it. If Bing didn''t want to kill that guy right now, why was he fighting him? He knew if he was fighting against a guy who tried to kill him more than once, he would''ve killed him. His bloodline might have helped him on the streets as an orphan but that didn''t mean his life was nothing but great. There were plenty of harsh and unforgiving experiences he''s been through and saw that happened to others.


    All of those sights hardened him and filled him with a sense of urgency for strength. For his own protection. Without strength, you had nothing and you were nothing. Your words meant nothing. So, when looking at Bing who was taking on someone 4 stages above him and not losing, it filled him with a sense of respect and disbelief. This fatty didn''t want to be here but something forced him into coming here. Runt didn''t know what that was but he understood that it had to be something special to risk his life for in a fight that was not in his favor.


    And then Bing died. Just when it looked like he was gaining the upper hand, the tables turned and he was eaten by Huan. Just like in his pictures. Out of the dozens of pictures he took during their battle, there was a common sight for Huan. In all of them, he was eating something. Most of the time it was Bing but in others, it was whatever he laid his eyes on. Bing''s shield, a cultivator watching their fight, multiple cultivators watching the fight, or himself. The stomach mouth would stretch out to bite Huan''s own head.


    While with Bing, it frequently switched to several different scenarios. There was the first one where he was being fed Spirit Cakes by Ying. Another one where he was cooking up Spirit Beasts by the dozen with a smile on his face and everyone in Heaven''s Angels sitting around waiting to eat. One picture was of him just sleeping inside Ying''s void world without a care in the world. All of them were completely unrelated to what he was doing at the moment and that spoke to Runt. It wasn''t until the moment before he died that there was a picture actually related to the battle. Bing was standing over the hungry skeleton of Huan with an ocean of blood surrounding them both. A skeleton that even in death still wanted to eat and devour.


    Seeing these pictures helped Runt somewhat understand the type of person Bing was but what did this mean for him? He definitely wasn''t going to return to Ying and tell her that Bing was dead! She''d probably kill him for bringing the news to her! But Runt didn''t know where his Boss was either. There was no winning for him in this situation.


    Either he went back into the forest to wait for Ying to bring him into the void world and die after telling her the news or walk around lost and confused inside the sect until he found his Boss. The second option sounded safer for him but at the end of the day, he would still have to tell the others what happened to Bing! Runt pulled on his face as he realized that no matter what, things were going to be bad for him unless his Boss protected him. If only Bing didn''t get eaten! If only Bing didn''t lose!


    Then he would have nothing to worry about at all! Ying would be happy at his safe return and wouldn''t snap his neck. Boss would be happy that he went out and got some experience like he wanted. Bing would''ve killed the guy that''s been a thorn in his side for so long. And he would be able to go back in the void world to do whatever he wanted.


    "Why isn''t that bastard moving?"


    "Maybe he got constipated eating that fatty whole."


    "To think Huan Leng had a bloodline this powerful... He really kept his true strength hidden."


    "That''s not all either. It was a 9th stage Qi Gatherer that managed to push him this far as well."


    "He must have been a low-key genius... It''s a shame that he lost his life trying to do the impossible."


    "Really low-key. I haven''t heard of any talented fatties from the Outer Court at all. Where did he even come from in the first place?"


    "That''s a good question."


    "Hey! Did you guys hear about the elders?!"


    "Elders? What''s going on with the elders?"


    "They say that the higher-ranked elders will be paying very close attention to the Grand Tournament in search of new disciples! So, this is the only chance of finding a reliable master for a while!"


    Runt kept his ears open and alert as he pointed his camera at the motionless Huan. Those people did bring up a good point. Why wasn''t he moving? With a quick snap of his camera, Runt inspected the photo. He couldn''t keep himself from gasping once he saw what it showed.


    In the photo, Leng was sitting among countless half-devoured corpses with some of those faces resembling the people in the crowd, eating a person. Crawling up the pile at the bottom of the tower of corpses was Bing with a determined expression on his face. Reflected in one of his eyes was an image of Bing''s hand swallowing Huan Leng whole and in the other Bing happily laughing with everyone else in Heaven''s Angels. Did this mean he was still alive somehow? The way this camera worked made it so that the thoughts of those not pictured in it weren''t captured. If it was shown in the picture, it is solely what the creature or creatures being photographed at the time would rather be doing. Not anyone else uninvolved in the photo.


    So, instead of running off and looking for his Boss for protection, Runt stayed and watched. He kept his camera trained on Huan who still wasn''t moving even after half an hour of eating Bing. Some Inner Court disciples wondered what a kid as young as he was doing in the Inner Court and what kind of Spirit Tool was in his hand. But his concentration never slacked. Even when one of the Inner Court disciples threatened him to answer her questions or be beaten, he didn''t even look in their direction.


    "Do you think someone as weak as you can ignore my questions?! You''re a little cute but you definitely aren''t cute enough to ignore me! I was thinking about giving you the opportunity to warm my bed tonight but because of your annoying attitude, I''ll beat just you half to death instead!" She pulled back her hand to give him a slap.


    A puddle of black began to pool out from his shoes. The sight of the strange black liquid surprised the female disciple but did not deter her hand. The girl wouldn''t leave him alone and she was about to break his focus. Once she moved her hand to hit him, it leaped from the ground and covered her hand. She screamed as her hand began to slowly corrode away. With a burst of qi, she blasted the puddle into multiple pieces on the ground.


    "Do you mind being one once more?" Runt kindly asked.


    At his request, the sludge that took the color of darkness itself began to form together once more. His bright eyes looked into the girl''s. Did she understand that he could''ve targeted her face instead? Instead of horribly injuring her hand, she could''ve been disfigured for the rest of her life. Runt wasn''t able to find out as the girl glared at him before walking away, clutching her partially melted hand. Maybe he was too forgiving... That look in her eyes didn''t exactly make him feel the safest. The Boss always told him never to hold back, no matter who he faced off against. A baby, a girl, an old man, a grandma, a puppy, this world was not forgiving to the soft-hearted. If he was willing to punch a man in the face, he better be ready to do the same to a beautiful woman.


    "Graaaa!" Leng Huan let out a howl that shook the air.


    Runt took picture after picture once he felt that scream. His body shook from the disgusting qi but this did not affect how many pictures he took. He continued to watch the changes going on with Huan. Whatever was happening could not be natural as the yelling seemed to become painful.


    Then, a hand burst from Huan''s stomach. A thick white flabby arm held onto the upper roof of the stomach mouth as a second hand gripped onto the lower mouth. And from then on countless more hands began to come out of the mouth before a familiar round figure lifted himself up and out of the mouth. Everyone watched as Leng was quickly reduced to nothing but a skeleton and a pool of blood. In that pool, a fatty radiating with power and pure evil stood n.a.k.e.dly.


    It was at this moment a flash appeared from Runt''s camera. The following picture made him question if he knew anything about the fatty at all. In the photo, Bing sat on a throne on top of thousands if not millions of skeletons with a hazy-faced woman sitting on his lap and gently rubbing his face. Three similarly hazy-faced children surrounded his throne but each held some characteristic of Bing''s. One holding a shield, another with a black orb and white orb floating above his shoulders, and the last one with multiple arms. His qi rose to the sky and took on the shape of a thousand-armed devil while a gigantic mountain-sized shield was in the distance.


    When Runt took a second picture, it was only of Bing eating a Spirit Cake made by Ying.


    ''I don''t understand...'' Runt realized that humans are more confusing than he thought they were.

 Chapter 178 - 172: Its Time.

    "Huan Leng has been killed by an unknown Qi Gatherer." Wen relayed as he appeared at Jing''s stand in disguise.


    He had the mask she gave him on and had the appearance of a generic disciple. The average disciple wouldn''t be able to take notice of his existence unless he willed so. This much caution must mean he has important news to share besides the death of Leng. She wondered what interesting news he had to share with her, the day of the Grand Tournament.


    [Mission Completed!]


    [Bing has dealt the final blow to Huan Leng without any direct help from others or support from the host.]


    [Rewards: 5 epic tickets, Refining the Heavens, Green-eyed Angel''s Bloodline]


    Jing wasted no time in using those tickets for the upcoming Grand Tournament. It seemed like whenever a big event happened, the system would flood her with several new missions for it. She expected nothing differently for when it was time for Grand Tournament to officially start in a few hours. Considering how aggressive the missions have been getting lately, Jing wouldn''t be surprised if the missions were more unforgiving this time around. By limiting her missions to her followers, it would incentivize Jing into focusing more on their growth rather than caring all about herself. While this wasn''t something that she was against, as her followers were more than just followers at this point, Jing did know that most of those missions given to her followers would easily be solvable by her hand.


    Taking a look at the other two rewards, Jing felt like the first one was useless while the other one was a mystery. Refining the Heavens was a sky-ranked pill refining technique. This would''ve been useful for Ying if she was still practicing alchemy. But now she was a Spiritual Baker just like Jing. It still held value though, so she stored it in her inventory for later and refused to sell it to the system for store points. She would get more value out of selling it to alchemists than she would giving it to the system.


    The Green-eyed Angel''s Bloodline was a single glowing emerald pill inside a small bottle. Jing guessed that upon consumption, the person or creature that eats it will be given the bloodline of a Green-eyed Angel. What that bloodline did, she didn''t know. How useful or powerful that bloodline was, how was she supposed to know? Was there any important history behind this bloodline that she should know about, who''s to know?! Because there wasn''t a single damn useful thing inside this sect that wasn''t related to martial arts or cultivation! Now she had to ask around about the Green-eyed Angel bloodline before gifting this to one of her followers or herself. Instead of just reading about it inside a history book of some sorts! Whatever that might be!


    No one could truly understand the anger and rage that Jing felt at how this sect functioned. It just seemed so illogical and backward that it genuinely amazed her that it was still running somehow. Maybe it was because the world itself was so screwed up that it could allow a sect like this to properly work. The possibility that Jing was actually the crazy one and everyone else was sane did momentarily cross her mind but no! That didn''t make sense either. She couldn''t see the benefits in focusing on only strength when there are several other things to focus on that could augment that obsession with strength and face.


    "Before you tell me the rest of your report, do you know anything about the Green-eyed Angel bloodline?" Jing asked him.


    "Never heard of it." He answered immediately.


    "Then continue."


    "All of the Inner Court factions have been preparing for this day. The faction with the most members that make it to the finals will certainly reign as the top faction in the Inner Court."


    ''Hmm. Out of all my followers, I believe that Hu Tao, Wan Qing, Bing, and Lei will make it to the finals if the tournament is run like I think it will be. They are all quite strong compared to others in their stage. Ying is strong but going against 9th stage Qi Consolidators is too much for her at the moment. Bing and Lei are at the final stage of the first realm with sufficient skills of their own. Hu Tao is Hu Tao. Wan Qing has not been idling wasting her time inside the void world. But regardless, with some time all of the Inner Court would be in my hands.'' Even now, Lei was on a task for her regarding one of the main factions in the Inner Court. Considering he could tame that abominable thing, she trusted he''d be able to handle the job.


    "Xiao Hong has been recruited by Meili into her group after hearing about the passing of Liuxian Xun. Wuying Tang and Gong Jun have been in closed-door training ever since Gong was found nearly dead on Elder Mo''s doorstep. No changes have occurred with Princess Lan and Kang Fu. Their regular meetings have not stopped and only seemed to increase in frequency. And a lot of attention has been focused on Heaven''s Angels ever since a rumor has been circulating regarding your home." He told her.


    "Rumor?" Jing was interested. Who knew about her house already?


    "Your plant is unusual. It has killed and eaten several Inner Court disciples already. Elder Ru has taken a visit to your home and shown interest in your plant. And because of this, several high-ranking elders are interested in Heaven''s Angels and yourself." Wen said.


    "Some more attention couldn''t hurt, I suppose. I guess it''s time I officially introduce myself to the sect." Jing decided.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Announce the purpose of Heaven''s Angels to everyone at the Grand Tournament.]


    [Reward: SCP-018]


    [Failure Penalty: Reduced loyalty with followers and mocking of Golden Serpent Sect cultivators. (Followers with 100% loyalty will lose their given SCP''s)]


    "You know, I''m surprised to see that you didn''t just run off after my disappearance." Jing suddenly brought up.


    "I know that I wouldn''t be able to get far even with this mask." He laughed.


    "Is that the only reason?" Jing asked.


    "You are very generous compared to anybody else I''ve seen. I doubt I would get a better deal working under some elder for doing work as easy as this." He beamed with his white teeth.


    "Is that so?"


    "All I have to do is split myself and observe anything that happens in the sect to get stronger. There isn''t anything better than doing this. Believe it or not, I almost had a breakdown when you went missing."


    "Realized that you had to risk your life just to progress in your cultivation?" She snickered


    "Exactly. You know, I wasn''t really fond of fighting now that I think about it. My master used to call me talented in combat but I just did it cause that was what I was expected to do. Not what I wanted to do. By working as your eyes and ears in the sect, I can get strong just listening to gossip! No need to fight, risk my life, get in disputes with others, or get involved in politics. Well actually, I''m sure you''re still using me for political gain but at least I don''t have to get involved in the center of it anymore, you know?"


    "Well, I''m glad to see you are enjoying your position. And since you didn''t turn tail and flee at first chance, I suppose a reward is in order." Jing pulled out one of her rewards from the epic tickets and handed it to Wen.


    "What''s this?" He held the black orb almost twice the size of his head.


    "It''s a Pristine Black-hearted Oyster Pearl. It will aid you in training your qi control to perfection. I don''t need to tell you why that will be useful to a disciple in the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation realm, do I?"


    "Not at all!" He replied, eagerly stuffing the pearl into his storage ring with a huge smile on his face.


    "If that is all you are free to leave." Jing said.


    "Yes!" He bowed before disappearing with a cake in his hand and 5 middle-ranked spirit stones on Jing''s table.


    [Host has received Toy Bow and Arrow]


    [Host has received SCP-184]


    [Host has received The Ultimate Bottle]


    [Host has received a Pristine Black-hearted Oyster Pearl]


    [Host has received SCP-3668]


    Just like always, Jing had to prepare herself for the pain heading straight for her soul after taking in information about the SCP-related gacha rewards. The Ultimate Bottle seemed to be an anomalous object which was related to SCP''s but not SCP''s in themselves. From what she knew, objects like these were deemed simply too useless to merit further attention by the SCP Foundation. A foundation whose sole purpose was for locating and containing individuals, entities, locations, and objects that violate natural law. Which also meant they didn''t get numbers of their own to classify them. Jing could agree with that statement. She didn''t know how the anomalous objects could secure, contain, or protect anyone. If it wasn''t for SCP-914, Jing would sell these objects straight back to the system.


    But with SCP-184, she could gain some use out of it. Even if they were completely useless to her, like the toy and bottle. At the moment, none of her followers needed a weapon. She wouldn''t gift Hu Tao''s followers weapons either unless he and they completed an important task for her. So, for now, both of them were tossed in her inventory. For a bottle called The Ultimate Bottle, Jing expected more from it. Its only ability was to always land on its head when flipped. Completely useless and pointless.


    SCP-184... Now she could gain some use out of this for her new home and future homes. This SCP was a small, smooth metallic object in the shape of a dodecahedron. When inside an enclosed structure, SCP-184 expands the structure''s inner dimensions without altering its outer dimensions. Meaning that no matter how big it gets from the inside, there will be absolutely no change from the outside. Each day, this expansion will increase by several hundred meters, starting one hour after entry into the enclosed space. At the start, SCP-184 will only extend to the walls out, causing the room to become larger but not necessarily taller. For cultivators, an object like this would be a godsend for their storage rings. It would expand the dimensional space until the original dimensions have been tripled! Giving them the freedom to stuff treasure after treasure into their storage ring.


    But the capabilities of SCP-184 didn''t just stop there. Eventually, the object will begin to create entirely new rooms on its own accord. Being able to copy items from inside the structure and creating rooms that are matching with the rest of the building. In time, this process will begin to break down in an unusual manner. Items will begin to be copied but with inappropriate materials such as glass books or a wooden microwave. Rooms will be oddly-shaped with doors leading into blank walls and hallways will be tiny or twist back into around into long mazes. These occurrences will continue while the outside will never show a change.


    Jing was very excited to place this inside her home. She wasn''t afraid of having to navigate through a maze with her refined body. However, having guests will be a problem. Maybe she can think of a fun activity with her followers or the sect as they travel around inside her home. Those being able to make it to the living room will be rewarded while those who don''t starve to death. Who knows?


    SCP-3668 was a shield. An indestructible shield that had the mystical ability to manifest ghostly figures to support them when in trouble. These incorporeal figures grow in number corresponding to the threat level of the wielder of the shield. She was interested in seeing it used on herself and her followers. Just how strong were they to this SCP? Besides that, when manifested, they would hold a similar shield and resemble the wearer''s ancestors. They held the same indestructible properties as SCP-3668 and did everything they could to protect the wielder''s life without being able to verbally communicate. Upon successful defense of the wielder, the ghosts would begin to hug the wielder, kiss their forehead, or salute them.


    For completing a task that she basically figured was impossible for him. Bing did deserve something as good as this. She should give him and the others some rewards before the start of the Grand Tournament. Maybe. Jing did decide to gift them after the Grand Tournament for when they got started on tasks for her. And Jing couldn''t really gift this to Bing until his loyalty rating reached 100%. So, maybe she should reward him with something else he needs and then hopes he reaches full loyalty. If not, she''s going to be upset at this slave that refused to give her his full trust.


    "Hey! Brown girl!" Jing heard someone calling out to her.


    In the distance, it was that customer she made a deal with. His body was covered in blood but a friendly smile was pasted on his face. She assumed everything went well for him with her cake. He arrived in front of her stand and slammed down 5 high-ranked spirit stones for her Gathering of Qi Spirit Cake.


    "It f.u.c.k.i.n.g worked! I told all my pals and even some people I didn''t know about your cakes. Now let me buy that one with the money I took from that dead bastard''s ring." He asked.


    "Not a problem." Jing handed him the cake and pocketed the spirit stones.


    "I''ll definitely get a high ranking in the Grand Tournament with this! And none of those bastards I told will be able to buy any of these cakes in time for the tournament! I''ll be the only one!" He gleefully laughed as he walked away.


    Jing started closing down her stand. It was time for the Grand Tournament and she couldn''t be late. Some excitement ran up and down her body in anticipation of the system''s missions and how she could have the most fun in this tournament. As of now, her only goals were focused on the takeover of the Inner Court and her other missions she still had standing right now.


    "Let''s see if this tournament will be half as exciting as the Treasured Plains was..." Jing muttered to herself, seeing Li Li flying in the sky above, coming down towards her with the goldfish behind him.

 Chapter 179 - 173: Okay, It Wasnt Time, Sorry.

    "Let''s hope this task will go well. I have high hopes things will turn out rather peacefully with you around, Xiang." Lei Zhi gave SCP-999 a pat as Kuai and Quon floated around him.


    Many eyes stared at him as he walked up to the home of the most physically intimidating group within the Golden Serpent Sect. There were more than a couple of reasons why this was. The spirit beasts surrounding him, him being a Qi Gatherer inside the Inner Court, and him bravely knocking on the door of the Mountain Crushers. The group with the most body cultivators inside the sect. If you were a body cultivator and wanted to make it far in the sect, this faction was required for you. Unless you were picked by an elder that was also a body cultivator, you needed to join this group.


    Mountain Crushers made it their job to locate and find any body cultivator in the sect and recruit them to their faction. Excluding those from the Outer Court and those allied with other factions. They also didn''t accept no for an answer unless you were Hu Tao. Apparently, because of his personality alone, they actively refused to allow him to join and were a part of the main factions that wanted him dead. However, if you weren''t Hu Tao, you were dead meat. The Mountain Crushers wanted a monopoly of body cultivators in the sect for some reason only known to Lok, their leader.


    They had the best martial arts for those wishing to gain immortality by shattering the mortal limits of their bodies. Mountain Crushers had the most knowledge on how to progress as body cultivators. If it was related to somehow improving the body, Mountain Crushers were the people to go to. But despite this information, rarely did anyone ever go to the Mountain Crushers for advice, teachings, or to learn. This was because of their strange behaviors. Most of the disciples and elders thought that the Mountain Crushers were lunatics because of their obsession with body cultivation. There was nothing they wouldn''t try to improve their bodies.


    Taking a bath in lava, being dropped from 1,000 meters in the air, being smacked with spiked paddles, punching rocks until their fists become mangled, taking boulders to the skull, and even more, ridiculous training sessions were said to be held by the Mountain Crushers. Because of these antics, very few new members tended to last long. And the Mountain Crushers didn''t accept quitters. Either you became stronger or you died. Deserters were killed without remorse.


    "Who are you?" A young man rippled with muscles and hair greeted him at the door.


    "Hello. I would like to speak with Lok. I come on behalf of Heaven''s Angels." Lei Zhi politely smiled.


    "Heaven''s Angels..." He rubbed his chin, trying to remember why that name sounded familiar.


    "Crushers! Remind me what Heaven''s Angels are!" He turned and shouted loud enough that Lei had to cover his ears with qi.


    "Never heard of them!"


    "Is that some sort of restaurant!?"


    "Who''s at the door?!"


    "Is it a new member?!"


    "Hu Tao''s faction!" Out of the several other shouts, someone got it right.


    The look on his face became less peaceful once that was yelled out.


    "You know we want Hu Tao dead, right?" He asked.


    "No, but I''m not here to discuss Hu Tao. I would like to speak to Lok about a certain matter." Lei reminded.


    "Hu Tao''s killed a lot of our Crushers back in the Treasured Plains. So, you understand why I can''t let a friend of Hu Tao''s just stand in front of me and not crush him, right?" He explained.


    The young man was a 7th stage Qi Consolidator. If he wanted to rip Lei apart, then it would be a simple matter to do so. As a 9th stage Qi Gatherer, Lei was absolutely in the lesser position when it came to making a deal. Nevertheless, he had something that no one in the Mountain Crushers could possibly stand against.


    "I would advise against such a rash decision but I do understand where you''re coming from." Lei responded.


    "I''ll give you 5 minutes to write your will. I have to take a piss so, I''ll be right back. If you try to run, I''ll hunt you down and kill everyone you love." He threatened in a casual manner before closing the door.


    "Things never really seem to turn out how I want them but I guess I can''t really complain this time around. Hu Tao really did a number on these fellas in the Inner Court. In fact, it was quite surprising that he didn''t immediately try to kill me once he realized that I was on the same side as Hu Tao." That just left an even bigger impression of them on Lei. They had some self-control or at least that young man did.


    Lei Zhi did not waste the five minutes he was given. With some help from Quon, he readied himself to have a talk with Lok. Kuai was advised to help out with Quon if he found himself in trouble and needed help. Xiang was told to just stay on his shoulder and keep looking cute. He was how he planned to complete this task without any bloodshed and completely unlike how Ying handled the Fearsome Garden.


    "Alright. Grit your teeth and pray you''ll reincarnate into a better life, old man." The young man said as he prepared himself to throw a punch.


    Instead of doing as instructed, Lei Zhi swiftly took out his pink needles and pierced the center of the youth''s abdomen. He smirked, figuring that this was just an old man''s last show of resistance. Unfortunately for him, it was anything but that. The needle seamlessly pierced through his stone-like body built through unbelievable and harsh training. His body locked up like a scarecrow and he could no longer control his body. By cycling his qi throughout his body, it was possible for him to regain control over himself but with a few extra pokes, this too became impossible. Lei Zhi kindly strolled past the paralyzed young man and with Blind Man Can See, it was a simple matter to find Lok.


    Ever since Ying brought them into her void world, Lei has spent the past several months doing nothing but mastering his martial arts. The amount of progress he gained was enough to shock the immortals themselves. This was only possible due to the shadow that taught him the ins and outs of his martial arts. With a teacher that knew nearly everything about his martial arts, it would''ve been crazy if Lei Zhi didn''t learn everything there was about his martial arts. His only problem was that he had no people to test his skills on. Something that he knew that Jing would have no issue giving him.


    This is why he spent his monthly tasks for the sect on taking tasks involving a lot of people or ones that required him to enter towns and villages. These types of tasks would no doubt allow him to find sick or injured people that needed to be treated. Of course, Lei didn''t provide his services for free. He might be an old man past his prime but that didn''t mean he was na?ve and foolish regarding his worth! All he requested of those he treated were things that weren''t too much in his opinion. Being kind to those that deserve it, help everyone that you can from now on, do not be greedy, and seek to hoard every valuable for yourself. Simple things like that to make the world better.


    The young men were confused on why he was allowed to pass by and stared at the motionless youth at the door. As they went over to question him and figure out what was wrong, Lei Zhi was long gone. He respectfully knocked on the door that led to Lok''s room. A confused expression found itself on Lok''s face but he still came to open the door anyway. Walls meant nothing to Lei''s eyes.


    With his finger coated in Xiang''s goo, Lei tapped Lok''s bare chest and looked into his eyes with a smile.


    "Why don''t you and I have a talk, young man?" Lei closed the door behind them and let himself inside.


    ______________________________________________?


    "Ahh... That felt absolutely amazing..." Ying spoke to no one in particular.


    She stored all of the photos with her and Bing in her storage ring. The Grand Tournament was in a few hours and she felt completely great. Ying took Hao out of her storage Ring after putting some clothes on and allowed him to complain, cry, and whine about being put in there for a few minutes. With how childish and young he was, there was no way she was going to do what she just did in front of him. It would be weird and feel wrong.


    So, with a long stretch, Ying got up out of bed and took a final look around the room. It feels like it''s been forever since she''s slept here. And that wasn''t an exaggeration. There was dust everywhere when she came back in here. Now she had to see if there was anything in here worth taking to her new place in the Inner Court and from what she could see, that was basically nothing. Nothing but junk and other stuff she wouldn''t miss. Most of her important belongings were already taken inside her void world. But just on the off chance that there was anything she missed, she didn''t want to feel like an idiot later when she got comfortable in her new place.


    "Welp. Time to go see how strong I am compared to those in the Inner Court." She left her house and started walking to where the Grand Tournament was going to be held.

 Chapter 180 - 174: Now Were Getting Somewhere!

    Jing stood in the large sea of disciples. Due to her short stature, it was difficult for anyone to spot her within it. This was only important because of the latest message she just sent to her followers, telling them to meet up with her. There were some things she wanted to discuss and give them before the tournament started. Most notably, Bing and Lei Zhi for successfully completing her given tasks on such short notice.


    Above a glorious and uncountable number of stairs, the three Head Elders and Supreme Commander stood looking down on them all. Behind them were several other elders of various rankings doing the same. Jing saw no signs of the Sect Leader but that was starting to be a regular pattern from what she noticed. All the disciples in the sect were gathered here in this part of the sect, talking, discussing, and chatting together. There was no disciple that was excluded from this tournament and it was a requirement to participate or you would be crippled and expelled from the sect for your cowardice.


    Jing wasn''t particularly excited to see most of those faces up there looking directly at her but expected it nonetheless. She kept her back straight, eyes forward, and stared back at them. From Wen''s report, she knew that most of them would be watching her in this tournament. It would be unusual if they weren''t, especially after her visit to the Supreme Commander.


    She didn''t know if he''s spoken to anyone about her gift. Besides him, that elder that worked under him, and the Sect Leader, Jing figured no one else knew. Hopefully, that was the case. If people outside the sect began to learn about her, that would be more trouble than it''s worth. She hasn''t gained a solid enough footing in the world for something like that yet. This was why she was planning to take over this sect before moving on to bigger goals. How could someone like herself be satisfied with just a sect like this?


    "Oi! Where the f.u.c.k are you at Jing?" Hu Tao messaged her.


    "I''m having trouble finding you too." Ying added.


    "I can''t find anyone at all." Bing said in his message.


    Jing created a large arrow of water above her head that pointed down at herself. In a few moments, all of Heaven''s Angels were gathered together. Her eyes met Bing''s and she held out her hand. He looked confused and soon became uneasy. Maybe he didn''t understand what she was requesting from him.


    "Soap." She clarified.


    "Ooh! Here!" He handed it to her and bowed his head.


    "Everyone, open your mouths." She demanded.


    "I''m not putting that shit in my mouth again." Hu Tao refused.


    "The taste is nasty..." Ying, for once, found herself agreeing with him.


    No one looked pleased about having their tongues scrubbed with SCP-1331 again. Jing didn''t ask for their permission though. Either they gave her their tongues, or she would make them. This wasn''t up for discussion and everyone soon understood that they needed to open their mouths or else. Hu Tao showed everyone a good example of what would happen if they didn''t.


    He showed a toothy grin as he saw Jing slowly walking towards him. Hu Tao prepared himself for a fight despite being surrounded by thousands of other disciples. Having a proper fight or battle in a place like this was basically impossible. Impossible for anyone sane anyway. The mad man struck out to defend himself from the horrible tasting soap. Jing swayed her head and got in close enough to grab him.


    Hu Tao struck out with his knee to gain some distance from her. His knee met with Jing''s shin as she forced his mouth open with her hand. He tried biting down on her fingers but this wasn''t enough to stop her, she ignored being bitten as if he didn''t use most of his jaw muscles to do so and gave his tongue a scrub with the soap. After doing so, Jing removed her hand and the soap from his mouth before striking him across the face into the ground with an insanely quick high kick.


    "Biting me? Have you lost your mind?" She stomped on his handsome face without regard to his well-being. "Don''t forget your place slave just because I''ve been a little nice lately." She rubbed her foot on his face, crushing him into the ground.


    Jie and Runt immediately feared for their lives seeing Bleep take out Hu Tao so easily. They knew that she was the leader of the group but never really saw how strong she was. If she could take out Hu Tao without much problem, then it wouldn''t even take her half a second to deal with them! No wonder everyone treated her with respect!


    Ying and Wan Qing laughed at Hu Tao''s beating. Ying thought the prick deserved it and it''s been a while since she''s saw him being put in his place by Jing. Wan Qing thought it was only natural. A slave saying no to their master? A beating is all but deserved. If anything, Hu Tao''s punishment was too light in Wan''s opinion. She would''ve broken more bones if it was up to her.


    Bing understood that could''ve easily been him in Hu Tao''s place. He was her slave as well. This was something that he''s never forgotten. How could he? Your life being in someone else''s hands isn''t something that can just easily slip the mind.


    Lei Zhi thought that maybe Jing was a bit too harsh with Hu Tao but maybe this was the universe''s way of giving some karma to him from all his actions. This was most likely nothing compared to the pain he''s given to others throughout his lifetime. Despite being old, he wasn''t stupid. He knew what type of person Hu Tao was after working alongside him for so long. All those people he hurt without rhyme or reason. It was in his plans to reform Hu Tao as well once he gets enough strength. Xiang wouldn''t be able to help him reform Hu Tao, he''s already seen what it did to him. For someone like Hu Tao, only by besting the boy could he force him into changing. Using his great talent for good, dealing with those that cannot be helped no matter what. Unless he turns into one of those people himself. Then, Lei Zhi would have to put an end to the boy himself if he wants to stay true to his goal.


    Li Li didn''t think much of it. He liked Hu Tao but he does forget his place sometimes. As his mother''s slave he needed to listen to her. A beating like this looked bad but it wasn''t anything much for him. His mom didn''t need to hold back against him but he was tougher than he looked. From time to time, he even sparred with him. It was fun to fight against him.


    "Now. Let''s see those tongues, Angels." Jing gave Hu Tao one last kick across the face before turning to the rest.


    Everyone immediately put out their tongues without a shred of hesitation. A satisfied smile grew on Jing''s face as she scrubbed their mouths with the soap. After hearing them gag, wipe their tongues with their hands, and retch, Jing tossed the soap into her inventory. Now it was time to move onto other matters.


    "Say my name." Jing commanded.


    "Jing?" Ying went first.


    "Jing." Lei Zhi went second.


    "You really don''t hold back Jing! I don''t expect anything less from the woman I love!" Hu Tao put his dislocated jaw back in place with an audible crack and grinned.


    "Her name is Jing?!" Runt and Jie exclaimed.


    "You don''t need to hide anymore?" Wan asked.


    "There''s no need. I''ve told you all my plans for the sect, right?" Jing asked.


    "To change it for the better or something like that, right?" Ying asked.


    "That''s right. I hate the way the sect is currently run and once I become Sect Leader, I will improve it to a level that will shame the way it''s currently run." Jing nodded.


    "I''m glad to see you haven''t forgotten." Lei smiled.


    "I haven''t forgotten your reasons for joining me. Today will be the true start of our faction''s rise. You will be my Head Elders that will shape and structure the sect for me." She told them all.


    "Can I be the Supreme Commander?" Wan Qing asked.


    "We''ll see if you''re suited for the position. I''ll tell you now, that my Supreme Commander will need more than just strength." Her eyes glazed over all of them.


    "I will do my best." Wan bowed her head, confusing everyone else.


    "Why are you being so nice, Freak?" Hu Tao asked.


    "You are acting a little differently..." Ying supported.


    "After giving me the one thing, I''ve always wanted. I''ve decided to give Jing my everything. Loyalty, mind, body, and soul." She explained.


    "Good to hear. Now, there are a few things that I need to give to some of you before the Grand Tournament begins. Bing." She called out to him.


    "Yes, Empress?" He got on one knee and bowed.


    "For completing a task that I thought was impossible for the current you, take this." Jing handed him a small bottle with golden liquid floating inside it.


    "Thank you for your benevolence and kindness!" He shouted.


    Ying rolled her eyes at his exaggerated behavior while Wan snickered.


    "Do you know what a Golden Blood Elixir does?" Jing asked.


    "I do not!"


    "Golden Blood Elixir...?!" Jie unintentionally squeaked. Jing''s eyes glanced over to her.


    "Feel free to explain for those who don''t know." Jing gave her the go-ahead.


    "Well, I heard that it was the perfect concoction for body cultivators. Only a master alchemist could produce something as valuable as that. Once a body cultivator has drunk it, their blood would turn into gold and they would become nearly priceless! The strength that a body cultivator gains from the golden blood is as if they were strengthened more than 2 or 3 times! Plus, anyone that regularly drinks their blood would gain the same prowess as them. Meaning that people with this blood are invaluable to alchemists all over the world! If he drinks that, he''s going to become wanted by everyone who realizes he has it!" She explained.


    "Why does he get something like that? I want people all over wanting to try and get me." Hu Tao complained.


    "Don''t they do that anyway?" Ying asked.


    "They don''t count." Hu Tao waved off those from the Inner Court.


    "Can I pass on my reward...?" Being wanted by numerous powerful people is not something he was looking forward to.


    "Pass?" Jing questioned.


    "I mean, I am eternally grateful!"


    "Good. Drink up then." She said.


    Bing was planning to put it away and never drink it at all but now that the Empress has ordered him to drink it in front of her, he has no choice but to do so. With obvious hesitation, he opened the top and gulped it down in one drink. The effects were instant as his body puffed up. He felt the strength in his body rising without control. Keeping himself from breaking through into the next cultivation realm was basically impossible if it wasn''t for the help of Lei Zhi. Lei Zhi stabbed his body with his needles, helping him properly control and direct this transformation happening inside him.


    Once he could control himself again, he definitely felt stronger just like Hu Tao''s girlfriend said. So, strong that dealing with Leng would''ve probably been much easier if he took this before his fight. This strength... The Empress... Just why would she give him so much power? Is being her slave really this great? Even if he somehow made it through the Golden Serpent Sect''s recruitment test, he knew that he wouldn''t have gained anywhere near as much strength as he does now. Not even 1% of his current strength would probably match the strength of that version of him.


    "I can only thank you..." His dream of living life how he wants doesn''t seem so impossible anymore.


    [Ai Bing''s loyalty has reached 100%]


    [He is now able to receive an SCP from the Host as a gift for his loyalty.]

 Chapter 181 - 175: Okay Were Really Starting!

    "Take this as well." Jing tossed him SCP-3668 with a small slip attached to it.


    "Huh!?" Bing nearly dropped his new shield and couldn''t help but feel tears about to pour out from his eyes.


    "What''s with the special treatment?!" Hu Tao shouted.


    "The task I gave him was something I thought was impossible for him. I fully expected him to fail yet he succeeded anyway." She explained.


    "Your stupid luck never ceases to amaze me." Ying slapped Bing''s back extra hard with a wide smile.


    "Ow! I promise I''m not as lucky as you all think I am." He cried.


    "Who in the hell is going to believe a lie like that?" Ying asked.


    "Even I''m finding it hard to believe your luck is bad, Bing." Lei laughed.


    "Lei, I have something for you as well." Jing brought up as she pulled out SCP-262.


    "What a strange outfit..." Wan pointed out.


    "I''ve never seen something like that before. What kind of shirt is that?" Ying asked.


    "It''s a coat. In the right hands, it can be very useful. In the wrong hands, it be very dangerous." Jing explained.


    "A coat?" Jie questioned.


    "Clothes meant for warmth or fashion."


    "Oh, there''s a note on it." Lei started reading the note as he put on the coat.


    "There was a note on mine too!" Bing remembered.


    Jing left those notes so that the two would know what their new gifts could do. Everyone else excitedly waited for them to show off what their new gifts could do. Lei Zhi was the first to reveal his as a blue human-like arm came from within the inner linings of his coat and started feeling up his face. It cupped his chin, squeezed his cheeks, and ran its fingers over his closed eyes before retreating back into the inner linings.


    "What the hell was that?" Ying asked.


    "An arm. And apparently, this coat can make a few more." He laughed in amus.e.m.e.nt as a child-like arm with a particularly long middle finger came out next and offered him a piece of candy. "Oh, thank you." Lei handed it to Xiang who happily gurgled at the sweet treat.


    "What about yours''s Fatass?" Hu Tao asked.


    "I''ll show you guys when the tournament starts..." He said after reading the slip attached to his shield.


    "Eh? What the hell are you trying to hide?" Hu Tao walked over and snatched the slip from his hands. Bing could only sigh as Hu Tao read what his new shield could do.


    "You''re lucky that we''re about to start the tournament, you know that right?" He grinned.


    "What does it say?!" Ying snatched it from Hu Tao''s hand and started reading it aloud for everyone else to hear.


    "Wow, you really are lucky..." Runt muttered.


    "What do you have to say about this?" Ying smirked, wondering what kind of excuse he could give now.


    Bing''s response to their stares was to turn the other way and not say anything. Unfortunately for him, Ying and Hu Tao weren''t a fan of this response. They started messing with him to force him to talk. As this was happening, it seems that the elders were finally ready to begin the Grand tournament. Jing turned her head and looked back up at the elders.


    "Silence." A wave of qi spread down to every disciple, shutting their mouths.


    Everyone''s attention was grabbed by the Supreme Commander''s. Whether they wanted to or not, they would look at him and hear his words. He demanded it and he would get it. The Supreme Commander''s sharp eyes and shiny bald head captured everyone''s attention. Dressed in the sect''s robes and carrying a large 9-ringed saber on his back, the Supreme Commander''s figure radiated with power and strength. Rarely did anyone manage to see the Supreme Commander due to his high position within the sect, but when he did show himself, everyone looked up to him and gave him their respect.


    A person of his strength deserved it after all. Jing wasn''t quite sure what realm he was at but she knew it was more than the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect''s Sect Leader. From what she could sense of his power, he could probably crush that old foggy just as easily as he did to Jing. But that was just a guess after all. She hasn''t seen either of their full strengths yet.


    "Disciples. As some of you are aware, this Grand Tournament is only a prelude to the true tournament at the Meeting of Great Talents. And as such, we won''t be doing things as we usually do for the Grand Tournament. Testing solely your fighting skills won''t be of much help this year. So, we altered a few things."


    Most were shocked at the news that the Grand Tournament wouldn''t just be a regular fighting tournament to test their skills against their fellow disciples. Few expected there to be a change due to the rumors circulating around the sect. Some weren''t surprised at all as they were directly informed by their masters. This news sent a wave of unease and excitement through the disciples of the Golden Serpent Sect. Everyone still kept their mouths shut despite wanting to eagerly talk about it. The Supreme Commander wasn''t finishing speaking just yet.


    "For the first event of the Grand Tournament, we will be testing your heart." He revealed. "No matter how strong you are, how talented you are, what your background is, or how many resources you have, it will be impossible for you to reach the top without a pure heart. This test will force you to face your known and hidden heart demons and unless you are able to overcome them, you will fail and forever realize that your path to the peak of cultivation is impossible." He explained.


    Realizing that the first event had absolutely nothing to do with fighting or a person''s strength, many became nervous. They knew that refusing to test wasn''t an option as that would be the same as not participating in the Grand Tournament. Upon hearing that both their hidden and known heart demons would have to be overcame, almost everyone grew less confident. The average cultivator had at least one or two heart demons that followed them throughout a majority of their lifetime.


    A fear of death, the fear of the unknown, the fear of being forgotten, or the fear of having their karma catch up to them for all the horrendous deeds they have performed in their life. These were some of the things that the Supreme Commander was telling them they had to face against. Surpassing death itself? That was basically just telling them to fail right? How could a sane person not be afraid of death after all the hard work they put into living? Regardless of how they felt, they would have to do it no matter what!


    ''Screw death! I''m going to become an immortal!''


    ''Death isn''t the end of a cultivator''s journey. Death isn''t the end of a cultivator''s journey. Death isn''t the end of a cultivator''s journey...''


    ''I have to do everything I can to pass...''


    "Come climb up the stairs. We will begin immediately." He beckoned with his finger.


    A very small portion of disciples moved to climb the steps. None of the disciples at the sect could trust stairs. All of them remember some test involving steps or stairs being harder than it looked. So, only the foolish, mad, or confident disciples went first to climb the stairs. The others watched them to see what they could expect or if there was some way, they could make things easier on themselves. Which made the elders laugh at their naivety, there was no other way to get past this first event. There were a few resources that could possibly aid them in dealing with their heart demons but even so, they could only aid so much.


    Hu Tao was one of the first disciples to climb up the steps. Heaven''s Angels watched as he immediately stopped on the first step and froze. His eyes glazed over and he didn''t move a single muscle. Someone touched him and he didn''t budge an inch even when they tried pushing him over. But maybe that was more so because of Hu Tao''s powerful physique rather than the effect the stairs was having on him.


    Then, after 5 minutes, he moved on to the next step. And then another. It wasn''t long until Hu Tao was running up the stairs. This caused more than a few elders to look at him in shock. This boy! His heart was incredibly pure and clear! For a youth of his age to be climbing these steps this fast, there must be nothing weighing down his mind or soul! If his talent and luck were sufficient, he surely was going to become a prominent figure in the world. Many elders wondered about his background and identity to try and entice him into becoming their disciples. Someone like this wouldn''t encounter many bottlenecks in his cultivation. A few already knew of his identity and his problematic behavior but this showing of his was a great surprise to them.


    "Tch. If Hu Tao can do it so easily, there''s no reason why I can''t." Ying took a step onto the stairs and just like Hu Tao froze earlier, she did the same.


    "Hmph. My heart should be perfectly clear." Wan Qing went next.


    "I wonder what troubles I''ve been hiding in my heart..." Lei said to himself.


    "I''m not sure I want to find out about my heart demons..." Bing muttered.


    "Me either..." Runt rubbed the back of his head.


    "We don''t have a choice, you know?" Jie smiled.


    "Let''s see what demons are hiding in my heart..." Jing smiled, taking a single step forward. Li Li hopped down next to her. He was interested in what everyone else was doing too.


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Successfully make it to the end of the Grand Tournament!]


    [Rewards: 1 Legendary Ticket]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Pass the first test!]


    [Rewards: 1 Legendary Ticket]


    [Failure Penalty: Removal of the System forever.]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Impress the elders with a good showing throughout the tournament!]


    [Rewards: Random Reptilian Egg.]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Somehow have all your followers pass the Grand Tournament!]


    [Rewards: 1 Legendary Ticket]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Kill over 1,000 fellow disciples during the course of the tournament.]


    [Rewards: Extreme Violence Bracelet, Extremely Violent Ring, God-slaying Spear of Justice]


    [Mission available for host!]


    [Help over 1,000 fellow disciples during the course of the tournament.]


    [Rewards: Pure Cloud Pearl, Heavenly Armor, Angel''s Blade of Righteousness]

 Chapter 182 - 176: Hu Tao & Wan Qing.

    Hu Tao was taken to an entirely new world after taking that first step. He was no longer at the Golden Serpent Sect but instead some sort of large cave with dark red stone that resembled dried blood. Long and tall pillars that dwarfed him in size were spread across the giant cave. His mind wondered what this place was before remembering he had to take on some Heart Demons.


    All of his spirit tools and weapons were gone inside this place. The only thing Hu Tao had was the clothes on his body. Which happened to be just his robes hung around his waist, exposing his bare chest and his trousers underneath. No sandals or shoes because it feels better to kick people without them.


    He felt vulnerable without his chains. Ever since Jing gave him those chains, there hasn''t been a day since they weren''t wrapped around his body. Hu Tao showered with those chains, ate with those chains, had s.e.x with those chains around him. Shit, he couldn''t even remember what it felt like fighting without them! That''s just how used to them he''s gotten.


    "Why...?" A pair of hands grabbed him from down below. It latched onto his ankle and stopped him from moving.


    "Why did you kill me?!" Another pair took hold of his other leg.


    "Why did you kill us?" Bodies upon bodies started to rise from the ground to grab onto Hu Tao''s body and drag him down with them.


    "Hah? Hahahahahahaha! This is my Heart Demon?!" Hu Tao crushed the skull of some guy he already killed long ago.


    "All these weaklings are supposed to make me repent and feel guilt for what I''ve done!?" Hu Tao lashed out with his fist, killing even more with his qi.


    "Bahahahahaha! There is no guilt in my heart for killing weaklings! Cursing me after your death!? You should be cursing the fact that you were born so weak!" He tore through the thousands of people without a single shred of mercy, repentance, or guilt.


    The many victims of Hu Tao began to move like an ocean current as they flowed together. A mass of bodies started to pile up high. It was an unbelievable sight as the numerous corpses merged together to form one gigantic human figure that was even taller than the rock pillars. Hu Tao barely matched up to the giant''s big toe. But regardless of that fact, an uncontrollable grin was on his face as he ran towards the giant.


    "There was no need to kill us."


    "Why must you be so merciless?"


    "Can''t you spare some kindness?"


    "Aren''t you afraid of killing too much?"


    "Is there a point to all these bodies?"


    "Apologize!"


    "Repent for your crimes!"


    "Mercy will be given to those that make up for their evil actions!"


    Hu Tao felt nothing for his past actions. Why should he feel sorry for a few weaklings that were too weak to survive? It wasn''t like he intentionally went after weak cultivator either. He fought against those who were known to be strong! Surprisingly, it just so happened that they just weren''t as strong as him and died because of it.


    The truly strong ate the strong and the weak! It was the way of the world and no one would be able to change Hu Tao''s mind about that! All of his actions were just and natural. He was raised, complimented, and treated positively because of his behavior and mindset. There was absolutely nothing wrong with how Hu Tao thought and acted in his mind and heart.


    Which is why despite the size difference, Hu Tao was steadily tearing the giant mass of humans apart. His heart became clearer as it aligned with his ideals. Not a single part of Hu Tao disagreed with his past actions and current self. All of it agreed with him! And this is what gave him the strength to defeat this Heart Demon that could barely be considered a heart demon to Hu Tao.


    "A piece of cake." Hu Tao leisurely relaxed, covered head to toe in blood amongst a sea of corpses.


    The ocean of bodies and blood gently rocked him back and forth. Deep in thought, Hu Tao began to doze off since there was nothing left to fight. His mind, body, and soul became even clearer after going through this test. He was pretty sure it would be a piece of cake to breakthrough right now with how good he feels."


    "Congratulations. You are the first out of thousands to pass the first test." Some old foggy was talking to him.


    "Oh, I''m done already?" Hu Tao smirked, looking back at all the other disciples below him.


    "You can wait here till the end of the test." The clarity in this youth''s eyes was astonishing. He would definitely go far as long as nothing stops him.


    "Guess I''ll take a nap. This''ll probably take all day." Hu Tao saw many people stuck on the first step.


    ______________________________________________


    Wan Qing stared at the male version of herself. They were in a field of flowers and butterflies. The flower field expanded endlessly into the horizon. She figured if she tried running from this place, there would still only be more flowers and butterflies.


    "How does it feel becoming her slave?" He asked.


    "You and I both know how I feel about my choice regarding Jing."


    "But to throw away everything just to serve her? You barely know anything about her!"


    "I didn''t throw away everything. I am still me. I am just a me that is willing to give my everything for Jing if she asks."


    "Even your new body?"


    "If she desires it."


    "How shameful. Imagine what our sisters back home would think."


    "Shameful? If she is able to change me into this, why wouldn''t she be able to change me back?"


    "I''m not here to question Jing''s power with you."


    "Then leave already. My heart is at peace with the choice I''ve made. Jing is the woman I''ve chosen to serve for the rest of my life."


    "I see... But don''t forget everything you''ve been through with me, alright?" He asked.


    "Hmph. Don''t ask stupid questions." She turned her back as he dispersed into butterflies. "Like I could forget something like that."


    Wan returned to the sect at the top of the steps, only to see that Hu Tao was waving at her with a c.o.c.ky grin on his face. She clicked her tongue at the sight but didn''t give him the pleasure of seeing her annoyed. With an elegant and graceful gait, she made her way over to him to wait for the rest. His smile didn''t rest even as she sat next to him.


    "Quit looking at me." Wan was getting annoyed.


    "I''m not surprised a Freak like you got through so fast. You finally got your wish granted. It only took you a few seconds later than me, you know? If you didn''t show up, I would''ve been asleep right now."


    "I''m surprised someone like you could get through this so fast but I guess you aren''t the type of person to hold regrets in your heart anyway." Wan figured Hu Tao was the type of man to live life according to his desires. Never questioning himself unless forced to.


    "Hahahaha! Regrets?! Can I eat that?! Of course, I don''t have any of that shit!" He laughed.


    "I didn''t think so." Wan pulled out a small fan from her robes and began fanning herself.


    "Hey fan me too. It''s hot as hell and I don''t think this will go by as quickly as I want it to." Hu Tao requested.


    "Fan yourself, dog." She didn''t even give him a passing glance as he tried snatching her fan from her.


    She saw his hand coming close to her face and let him take the fan then laughed as it burst into a small number of butterflies and flew back towards her. Wan then continued to fan herself as Hu Tao pouted, knowing he couldn''t take it away from her.


    "Where the hell is Runt at?! What kind of Heart Demons could a brat his age even have?" He yelled, frustrated at his small loss.


    "You''d be surprised. Children can hold deep trauma."


    "He was a f.u.c.k.i.n.g street beggar. How bad could his life have been?" Hu Tao looked down to see that he was still struggling to pass the first step along with a lot of other people, including Jing.


    "Huh... My future wife isn''t handling this as easy as I thought she would." Hu Tao realized.


    "Is Jie at the first step?" Wan asked.


    "Not her! Jing!"


    "Hahahaha. You and your delusions. But are you sure that''s Jing you''re looking at?"


    "I think I f.u.c.k.i.n.g know what Jing looks like."


    "Could she have been hiding something from us that she buried deep in her heart?"


    "She is one sick twisted bitch. Probably got more than a few skeletons in her closet." Hu Tao shrugged.


    A sharp blade of wind was sent towards Hu Tao''s neck. The hair on the back of his neck jumped as he ducked down low and glared at Wan.


    "What''s the big idea, Freak? You wanna die?"


    "Don''t insult Jing in my presence unless you want to die." She glared back at him. Jing was her savior.


    "Oh, have you fallen in love with her ever since she turned you into a woman? Well, get in line bitch! You aren''t the only one who loves her." His chains were spinning on his body


    "Tch. Don''t try and vulgarize the feelings I hold for Jing into something so low. You will treat her with respect when I''m around or I''ll make you."


    "It''s been a while since we last fought. Why don''t I see if you''re good enough to order me around, Freak? The only woman who can tell me what to do is down them stairs right now." Hu Tao cracked the bones in his body.


    "Disciples, please calm yourself. Absolutely no fighting is allowed in this portion of the tournament." A core stage elder kindly informed.


    "You should thank him for saving you from the beating of your life." Hu Tao smirked.


    "That''s funny. I was thinking the same thing for you." Wan smirked back.

 Chapter 183 - 177: Yings Heart Demon.

    Ying stood inside her void world with Bing in front of her. She was ready to tell him the feelings she''s been holding in her heart ever since she''s started to understand them. It was only a matter of time before she could tell him this. For a member of the Yue Family, hesitation is weakness. Weakness will get you killed.


    She''s had this engrained into her brain ever since she was a little girl. Eliminating all her weaknesses to become a stronger person that won''t die a pathetic death. So, there was no other choice for Ying other than telling Bing her feelings. Ying felt that if she didn''t tell him soon, she wouldn''t be able to bear it anymore and explode or something.


    She wasn''t the type of person to shy away from her own problems but to tackle them head on and crush them! Any obstacles that stood in her way should only expect to be handled as soon as possible. Procrastination? Forgiveness? Mercy? A member of the Yue Family doesn''t know what that is. They only know how to survive and kill!


    Bing stood in front of her without saying a word. It made her heart race with him looking at her like this with his deep dark blue eyes. She felt hot and uncomfortable staring back at him. His swirly blue hair that Ying would love to mess around in with her fingers, those thick arms that could easily grab hold of her and hold her close, and that cute kind round face of his. Denying that she likes him would be the same as denying everything she was taught growing up.


    "Bing!" Ying shouted.


    "Yes, Ying?" He responded with a polite smile.


    ''Why did he look so manly right now?'' Ying could feel her face heating up. "I like you! So, become my boyfriend, alright?!" It took Ying everything she had to put that out.


    Bing didn''t respond as he just slowly walked towards her. A different type of smile that Ying couldn''t explain popped up on his face. He started to circle around her like she was an object to be inspected and appraised. Was he trying to see the value in her body? The Bing she knew wasn''t the type of person to care about something like that, was he?


    Ying suddenly began to become self-conscious about her own appearance! For the first time in her life, she started to think about what she looked like to the opposite s.e.x! Not her strength, courage, or cultivation stage, but actual looks! During her time in the Golden Serpent Sect, there have been no men that have tried courting her. But this wasn''t to say that she was unattractive and ugly! There were plenty of times where guys said insulting things to her that could be compliments in a way.


    "She''s got some nice tits on her, huh?"


    "She''s kind of tall for a girl though."


    "How could I be with a girl that I have to look up to?"


    "Maybe if you had an ass, I would be interested, Princess." Hu Tao''s comment also showed up.


    "Your feet are kind of big Ying. Kind of like man feet." Qing''s voice popped up.


    "Violent women are quite scary." Bing''s voice echoed in her mind.


    More and more comments from her past talking about her lackings as a woman began to spring up in her mind. As Bing''s hawk-like gaze looked her up and down. There wasn''t a time that she felt more like a woman and less than a woman than right now. The way he looked at her made her feel like a thing to be observed than a person but those eyes of his were looking at the things that made her a woman. On his 7th circle around her, Ying got fed up.


    She punched Bing in his stupidly cute face and sent him flying across the void world. He flew all the way around the void world and appeared behind her. Ying then caught his big body on the return back, flipped him around and kissed him on his bloody lips. Even if she did hold feelings for him, she wasn''t going to let him treat her however he wanted!


    "I like you Bing and I won''t accept no for an answer."


    "I refuse..." She punched him again, injuring his face even more.


    "You can''t!" Ying shook him.


    Unable to accept that he would ever reject her. Him rejecting her would be the same as saying that her feelings mean nothing to him and she was stupid to ever hold these kinds of feelings for him! If he wasn''t going to accept her, she was going to make him accept her! She might not have the greatest butt, kindest personality, and most forgiving nature as a girl but that didn''t mean she didn''t deserve to be liked. Not every girl needs to be the same! Ying refused to believe that every guy wanted the type of girl that she was the exact opposite of. She sure as hell wasn''t going to live the rest of her life trying to become that type of girl.


    "Pushy, aggressive, violent, fat boobed, woman like you are the kind I hate the most! You and your pancake ass won''t ever be enough for me!" He yelled.


    And then it was like a lightning strike inside her head, her Bing wouldn''t ever say such a thing to her unless he wanted to die. Everything started clearing up and Ying realized that this wasn''t real. This Bing wasn''t real. This situation wasn''t real. She was in the middle of the Grand Tournament doing the Heart Demon test or whatever. All of this was just showing her the fears she held in her heart. Which made Ying feel very embarrassed once she realized that her biggest Heart Demon was having Bing reject her because of how she looked and acted.


    "I fell for him harder than I thought..." Ying tossed the fake Bing away, who soon vanished in a cl.u.s.ter of bright lights.


    She fell on her butt and started to take in everything she''s learned.


    "I never realized it but I guess I really am different from other girls. Even Qing was more of a girl than I was before she changed. But so, what!? Who says that all girls have to act a certain way?! I''ll act however I feel like and if people don''t like that, too bad! Who cares if Bing doesn''t like me back because of my personality!? His eyes are just rotten and filled with nothing but fat if he can''t realize what a good wife, I would be for him! I''ll be able to find someone even better than him if he does and gloat to his face about it!" A momentary pain struck her heart at the thought of Bing rejecting her confession.


    "I''ll show him what he missed out on when I find someone new to fall in love with..." And then Ying appeared back in the Golden Serpent Sect.


    "Welcome to the top, Princess." Hu Tao greeted.


    "You took a while before you made that final step but you were still faster than the others." Qing said.


    Ying looked back to see that Jing and Lei Zhi were still on the first step. Everyone else in Heaven''s Angels has made some progress with this test. Seeing that those two were having some trouble in this test made Ying curious. Jing and Lei didn''t seem like the type of person that would struggle with this. If anything, she expected them to be first!


    "Jing hasn''t made it yet?" Ying questioned.


    Both Qing and Hu Tao figured she would be first as well. From what they knew about Jing, they didn''t know what kind of Heart Demons she was facing. It wasn''t like she was exactly a normal person. So, her Heart Demons must be much more than the average cultivator''s Heart Demons. At least, this is what Ying thought.


    "That does make sense... Jing does seem like she comes from a different plane of existence." Qing muttered.


    "I''ve been saying it this whole time. She comes from an upper realm or something. Jing doesn''t belong in this realm with us normal people. Why do you think her skin is like that? Have you ever seen someone like her before?" Hu Tao stuck with his theory of Jing''s origins.


    Neither Ying nor Qing could disprove his words but that didn''t mean they believed them either. Most of the members in Heaven''s Angels questioned why Jing''s skin was so dark and brown. As far as they knew, no one in the Evergreen continent or the neighboring continent had skin like hers. But then again, none of them have really explored even 1% of the continent. So, what did they really know about anything?


    "I wonder what Heart Demons she''s facing off against." Qing brought up.


    "Maybe it''s something like how mine was where I had to fight everyone I''ve killed." Hu Tao suggested.


    "How many people do you think Jing''s killed?"


    "No idea."


    "A freak like her? Probably just as much as me." Hu Tao seemed proud to claim such a thing.


    "Jing doesn''t seem like the type to enjoy killing people." Qing muttered.


    "Are you nuts?" Ying asked.


    "I would say that''s more about causing people pain rather than killing them." Qing knew exactly what Ying was talking about.


    "That''s true..."


    "Whatever. She''ll just tell us once she makes it." Hu Tao said glancing at Jing who he noticed had a small tear running down her left eye.

 Chapter 184 - 178: Li Li.

    "You know she''s not your birth mother." His deep mocking voice danced around his ears.


    "How could an owl be born from a human?" His soothing and calm voice questioned as if it was a fact of life.


    "Stop rejecting reality and accept it. You are an owl. She is a human." Its voice stated plainly.


    Li Li stood in front of the people talking nonsense. Looking down at his brown arms, he turned around and looked at his soul. His soul was everything he was as a being and looking at his soul, he saw what he really was. A young boy who looked to be around the age of 5 or 6 was grinning. This boy had skin as brown as a bear''s fur, hair whiter than snow, and a face that brought absolutely no attention to it whatsoever! For those in Heaven''s Angel, it would be simple for them to realize that this child had to be Jing''s relative. The similarities between them were too obvious!


    These stupid ignorant people behind him might not know, but Li knew exactly where he came from. Without his mom, he would''ve never been born. Without his mom, he would''ve never grown as strong as he is now. And without his mom, he would''ve been a cripple if she didn''t save him. So, for these idiots to say that he isn''t his mom''s son. Isn''t that just insulting him and his mom?


    In front of him were three people. The big monkey from the Treasured Plains, the Supreme Commander, and that stupid statue that broke his neck. Li Li prepared himself to perform his martial arts. With his left fist held out like a mighty spear and his right fist held close to his core, Li Li smiled. Mr. Owl''s Self Defense Lessons were ingrained into his mind, body, and soul. Just like his mom, Li Li couldn''t use Fire Girl''s shadows to directly improve his martial arts. He had to take on his shadow without hitting it once. The shadow clone of himself would then use his martial arts to their full potential, forcing Li Li to avoid and block everything it threw at him as he took in the new ways of using his martial arts.


    "Hmph. I''ll handle this stubborn idiot." The big monkey stepped forward first.


    Walking on two legs, like a human, he ran towards Li Li. Li Li extended a finger out from his left fist and with that finger, a bright purple beam of qi fired out of it. This qi attack was so quick that the monkey didn''t even realize his heart was pierced until he towered over Li Li with his arms raised to crush him. With a satisfied smirk, Li Li gently pushed his corpse out of the way to take on the next opponent.


    "You won''t take me out that easily. Have you forgotten? I''ve bested you in souls." The Supreme Commander laughed.


    "If this was the real world, I wouldn''t stand a chance against you. But here? I am supreme!" Li Li released all 1,000 souls of spirit beasts he''s captured with his Auxiliary Art: Ghost King''s Chilling Breath.


    It was like an unstoppable tsunami of ghostly spirit beasts that surged forward to kill the Supreme Commander''s clone. The loud bang from behind him didn''t even startle him as the statue tried to sneak behind him and snap his neck like before. With his body martial art, Li Li created a dome of qi to protect himself the moment he lost sight of the statue. He turned his head 270 degrees to make eye contact with the statue beating down on his barrier.


    The statue was helpless as it could no longer move now that he was staring at it. Li Li gathered and concentrated his qi into his right fist and struck the statue with everything he had. Upon impact with the statue, a giant ray of qi burst from out of his fist, shattering the statue into multiple pieces. Behind him, all one thousand of his spirit beasts were dealt with by the Supreme Commander. However, he didn''t come out of it in one piece. Multiple life-threatening wounds covered his body from head to toe. Bloody gashes, bites, and even a torn off arm were some of the injuries he suffered.


    He glared at Li Li and using the energy from his soul, attempted to obliterate him into nothingness. The young human child contested with his own soul force. By separating his soul from his body, he flew into the air and directly attacked the Supreme Commander''s soul as he destroyed his physical body. Being attacked in such a dangerous moment could only spell disaster for the Supreme Commander. Putting everything he had into killing Li Li was his mistake as he had no way to intercept this incredibly risky attack made by Li Li! No sane cultivator would ever separate their soul from their body!


    Li Li gave an innocent childish laugh as he killed the Supreme Commander and swallowed his soul. None of this was real! Knowing that, he could''ve literally done anything he wanted to try and kill the three. There were no repercussions for doing suicidal attacks. He was just simply interested in what his Heart Demons would be and wanted to know if he could beat the test like his mom.


    Maybe there were times that he questioned where he came from but as he gained more knowledge on souls, they eventually disappeared. Being able to see, control, and understand souls allows Li Li to learn more about people than they probably knew about themselves. This included himself as well. His own soul could be manipulated and studied just like anybody else''s. By comparing his soul to his mother''s, he''s learned all he needed to know about their relation. They might not share blood but they do share similarities in their souls. So, there is no doubt in his mind that he wouldn''t exist in this world without his mother. He doesn''t know how his mom made him but it was irrefutable that she did birthed him in some way.


    "You made it up but Jing didn''t?" Hu Tao questioned as Li Li opened his eyes at the top of the steps.


    Li Li looked down to see his mom still on the first step. A look of shock and worry flashed in his eyes as he saw that her soul was in complete disarray! As he was about to fly down and do whatever he could to help her, he was suddenly stopped by the real Supreme Commander. With a wave of his hand that had a funny smell to it, Li Li, all of a sudden fell asleep and dropped to the ground.


    "Supreme Commander!?" Wan Qing and Ying shouted in surprise.


    "Don''t mind me. Just continue doing what you were doing before." Just as soon as he came over, he walked away.


    "Why the hell did he put Li Li to sleep after he looked at Jing?" Hu Tao noticed.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?" Ying asked.


    "Something is going on with Jing..." Hu Tao had a feeling in his gut. Why else would someone like the Supreme Commander come over here?


    "You noticed as well, huh?" Wan said, picking up Li Li and gently carrying him in her arms.


    "Does anyone mind explaining what''s happening for me!?" Ying yelled.


    "Jing could fail." Hu Tao state what he felt.


    "Jing could fail?" Ying almost couldn''t believe her ears.


    "It''s more of a possibility now..." Wan Qing agreed with him.


    "Whatever Li Li was about to do probably could''ve helped Jing pass but the Supreme Commander noticed. So, he stopped him. This is a test for Jing." Hu Tao realized.


    "Seeing how much she''s struggling against her Heart Demons is probably a test from the Sect Leader has for her to see if she''s worthy of taking their place in the future." Wan Qing figured.


    "So, if Jing passes this, we''re definitely going to become the top faction in the sect..." Ying muttered.


    "Ha! Maybe if you weaklings got a bit stronger!" Hu Tao laughed. "We''re nothing compared to the truly strong disciples in the Inner Court. Even if Jing passes this and the Sect Leader declares her the next head of the sect, that won''t mean anything for the rest of us. We could all die just by bumping into the wrong person."


    "Yeah... All of us need to quickly increase our cultivation stages. With how much attention we''re getting lately, it would be for the best." Wan Qing added.


    "Tch, no need to state the obvious. Every cultivator''s goal is to get to the next cultivation stage. Do you think we''re all just messing around because you two are the highest ranked cultivators?" Ying scoffed.


    "If you say so." Wan didn''t mean to sound like she was suggesting that they weren''t trying their best.


    "Hmph, just wait. Me, Bing, and Lei will be climbing through the ranks so fast after this tournament that your eyes will probably pop out." Ying claimed.


    "That''ll be the f.u.c.k.i.n.g day Princess. I can''t wait to see it." Hu Tao cackled, obviously not believing her in the slightest.


    "You''ll see." Ying was confident.

 Chapter 185 - 179: Jie.

    In the first reality, Jie found herself brutally stabbing her sword into Jing''s body. Blood spraying all over herself, Jing''s screams ringing throughout the deep forest they were, far from anyone''s sight. A twisted smile was painted on her face as she laughed and laughed and laughed. The taste of Jing''s blood on her tongue was like bliss and pleasure running throughout her body. With her out of the way, Hu Tao''s attention would only be focused on her! She would be the one he would love!


    How could he fall for a girl like this anyway? Just comparing their bodies alone, she was lacking everything in comparison to her! Maybe her skin and hair were a little shinier and smoother than hers but it was nowhere nearly as light or fair! Her b.r.e.a.s.ts, her curves, her face, and her behind were all far better than this girl''s! What else did she have that Jie didn''t!?


    Jie already knew the answer to that question. It was a simple answer to a question that plagued her from time to time. Because of this answer that she already knew, Jie realized that this wasn''t real. There was no way that she could kill Jing. She just wasn''t strong enough.


    And not being strong enough is exactly why she was so envious of Jing. Hu Tao loved Jing because of her strength. She was stronger than him. He cared more about her strength than anything else about her. Because that was the type of person he was and the type of person she had to fall in love with. Killing Jing wouldn''t solve her problems. Besting Hu Tao and proving that she was stronger than him would be how to gain his love.


    But deep down, Jie realized that was impossible. She wasn''t talented enough. Her skill with the sword has improved greatly while inside Ying''s void world but compared to everyone else she saw in Heaven''s Angels, it was nothing more than child''s play. For someone who was raised in a lofty noble family and regularly praised for her talent and skill, it was the first time in her life that she could say that she felt utterly outclassed by the people around her. Jie realized that she was trash!


    Her swordsmanship was worth less than a fart against Ying''s fierce and flexible swordsmanship. She wouldn''t be able to get past Bing''s shield no matter how hard she tried. Lei''s combination attack with his spirit beasts would overwhelm her before she had the chance to defeat him. Hu Tao didn''t even need to use his hands to defeat her even if she used all her strength. This powerlessness... Jie hated it!


    Jie wanted unbelievable strength just like Jing''s! She didn''t hate her for being the focus on Hu Tao''s love. She was jealous because of how stupidly strong she was! Why couldn''t she have strength like that?! Why was it that she was the second weakest out of Jing''s group?! It didn''t matter that she was a 5th stage Qi Consolidator when it would take literally everything, she had to defeat the 9th stage Qi Gatherers in Heaven''s Angels! That just humiliated her even more!


    "Give me power! Give me enough strength to make that handsome fighting maniac forget about you and fall in love with me!" Jie shook Jing''s corpse back and forth while she mounted her.


    "I know you can do it! If you can revive back from a puddle of blood, it should be all too easy to grant me strength!" The whites of her knuckles began showing from how tightly she gripped Jing''s collar.


    In the second reality, Jie was smiling a gentle smile as she looked off into the distance. Three children could be seen roughly playing with one another while she rubbed her bulging stomach. They fought with each other while in the backyard with no regard for their own safety. One boy used a broad sword to try and decapitate his other brother. The youngest girl had silver chains wrapped around her wrists as she flicked it forward to wrap around the neck of her brother. While the oldest had a familiar grin on his face, holding both a sword in his hands and chains around his body!


    These were the lovely children that she and Hu Tao made together. They lived in a nice small home atop of a hill in a small village. He was off doing who knows what, while she had to raise their children mostly on her own. Jie didn''t have a problem with this though. She actually preferred this type of simple life compared to the hectic and chaotic world of cultivators.


    Being a nice simple wife and mother was much more preferable. She didn''t have to compare herself to other people around her, constantly work to improve herself and grow stronger, risk her life just to advance in the world. Just raise these little demon spawns that seemed to want to take every single aspect of their father and be miniature clones of him. Eventually, she''ll have to send them off to fitting sects worthy of their talent. Since they were the children of that man, of course, they would share his love for fighting and strength.


    It didn''t matter if she tried teaching them otherwise. When he popped in every blue moon, the kids would go crazy for their daddy. Jie figured that the kids had such an important focus on strength and fighting because that''s exactly what Hu Tao talked to them about when he came back. Asking them how are they progressing in their martial arts or cultivation. Because of that, the kids do nothing but train and cultivate in their free time. This forced Jie into the position of the strict parent when she had them do things other than that.


    "I hate studying! I want to practice my chain martial arts!" The youngest screamed.


    "How will studying save my life? Such a waste of time..." The second youngest complained.


    "Don''t be a bunch of f.u.c.k.i.n.g retards. You need to learn how to read! How else are you going to beat a motherf.u.c.ker''s face in when he''s talking shit to you in a letter?" The oldest berated them.


    "Watch your language." Jie admonished him with a smile, thankful that he saw the value in her efforts.


    After putting the youngest ones to bed, Jie looked out into the night sky thinking about the life she left behind. Was being a cultivator anywhere as rewarding or fun as being a mother? The warmth she felt in her heart on a daily basis was something she couldn''t say she felt as a cultivator. Every day she had something new to look forward to or learn regarding her children as they grew into their own people. When she was a cultivator, life wasn''t anything like this. But Jie still felt that something was missing...


    "Hu Tao... I miss him..."


    There wasn''t a third reality as Jie woke up to find herself at the top of the stairs. Jie started to realize what her Heart Demons were getting at. She loved Hu Tao and wanted to stay by his side as the only woman he could ever need and love. Her heart didn''t care that he was a horrible man. All she cared about was being loved by him just like how she loved him. Something that was impossible on her own. But, Jing was known for the impossible, wasn''t she? So, why doesn''t she ask her to give her a way to become strong?


    "Took you long enough." Hu Tao scoffed.


    "I took as much time as I needed." Jie responded.


    "What the hell kind of Heart Demons do you have anyway? Shouldn''t you be perfectly satisfied just being my woman?"


    "I wonder..." She rolled her eyes.


    There were less than a hundred disciples that have passed the test by now and thousands more that have failed and were overcome by their Heart Demons. The number that failed far surpassed the number of those that passed. A disappointed look was shared by the elders of the sect but it seems the Supreme Commander was more than pleased by an outcome like this. It would be easier to judge the remaining disciples with the trash filtered out. During the course of the test, he always kept an eye on Jing as she was the disciple, he was most interested in.


    The other elders weren''t blind to notice the interest the Supreme Commander had in this dark-skinned girl. For those elders that were somehow unaware of who Jing was, they were soon let in the know about her from the talkative elders. These talkative elders reached the ears of the disciples who passed and soon even more eyes were staring at Jing. Heaven''s Angels'' interest was more of concern for Jing and curiosity of what Heart Demons was she suffering through that could bring tears to her eyes?


    It must be known that in the eyes of Heaven''s Angels, Jing was an ultimate existence capable of the impossible. So, when seeing this powerful leader of theirs being brought to tears, it made them conflicted.


    "Jing is still on the first step?" Jie was more than surprised at an outcome like this.


    "She must have had a horrible experience when she was young." Qing guessed.


    "Maybe her immortal village was wiped out by the Heavens for being too heaven-defying and she was sent down to our plane by the villagers to save her life." Hu Tao shrugged.


    "That would be a difficult Heart Demon to face..." Jie thought.


    "Shut up, Hu Tao! Jing isn''t from a divine race of immortals!" Ying yelled.


    "Where''s your proof, Princess?" Hu Tao asked.


    "Where''s your proof!?" Ying sent the question straight back at him.


    "Just look at her. Jing is nothing like us. Her strength, her skin, her face, all of it is so different from the normal person. She has to be a divine child. What else could explain it?"


    "A bloodline." Ying smugly answered.


    "You bitch." He cursed. That was a good answer.


    "What did you call me!?" Ying''s fist turned into a blazing dragon as it headed for Hu Tao''s face.


    "No violence allowed during this portion of the test." Wan waved her fan and stopped Ying''s punch from reaching Hu Tao with a wall of wind.


    "I''ll deal with you later, bastard." Ying turned and crossed her arms.


    "I''ll be waiting, Flat Ass." He blew a kiss.

 Chapter 186 - 180: Runt.

    Gang Lei was a man amongst men now that he was a young man. A fit, muscular body but not muscular to the point where his shenyi was about to burst from his muscles. Long pink hair that flowed down his back and into the wind when it was windy. A slightly chubby, handsome, but still immature face that could charm any passing woman. Green ethereal chains were wrapped around his waist like a belt for his robes while a camera could be seen in his hands. Inside his robes, lied a golden ocarina.


    After being taught everything by his Boss, Lei felt that he was finally strong enough to take revenge for his parents'' killers. He didn''t know who they were, how strong they were, or if their group even existed anymore. But he would look for them anyway. Otherwise, it would feel like he''s failed his parents. If he could avenge them then, why wouldn''t he? Wouldn''t he be considered an unfilial son to his loving parents, if he didn''t do everything he could to make up for their wronged deaths? Or at the very least, try and find out why they were killed. This led him to seeking out Her. If there was anyone that could help him find his parents'' killers, it would be her.


    But he knew that asking Her for a favor would come at a price and that it did. When asking her to help him with his goal, she gave him an impossible task, knowing how much this meant to him. Her purple swirling sharp eyes seemingly stared straight into his soul. She saw all of his being with just a single look. Just trying to look at her appearance was impossible as it was nothing but a towering mass of darkness that put the wickedness of Bing''s to shame. His Boss helped in convincing her to make it less arduous because of all the good work he''s done for her.


    Giving a deep bow to his Boss for his help and an even deeper bow to the Sect Leader for being so kind. Gang was asked to cripple or kill the Nine Swords Sect''s most talented disciples instead of the entire sect as a whole. It forced him into a difficult position. He believed that she gave him the first choice of crippling them because of the old guy who was staring at him with a gentle smile along with a few dozen terrifying spirit beasts behind him. That look of his was telling him to only kill those that are irredeemable. What classified a cultivator as irredeemable? How the hell was he supposed to know?! But that fearsome orange blob waving at him on his shoulder was more than enough of a deterrent for Gang. Looks like he was going to cripple everyone as the fear of killing someone innocent and suffering re-education from that orange thing and the old guy was terrifying, to say the least.


    No one was allowed to help him but he was given a single talisman in case the Nine Swords Sect''s higher-ups interfered in her task for him. He had the choice of using it to save his life or finishing his task. The usage would be on him and if he messed up and used it at an inappropriate moment, he only had himself to blame. Upon ripping the talisman, numerous swords made out of water qi would form around him and slice at anything around him for 10 seconds. These swords held 30% of the power held by the Sect Leader. To Gang Lei, this meant that he would have only 10 seconds to be completely invincible in both offense and defense.


    The Sect Leader was more than benevolent enough to give him what he needed to start his task. She told him the current locations of all the talented disciples that he needed to cripple. Gang quickly moved out to get started before they started to move away from where they were last seen. It would be a pain in the behind if they made their way deep into the Nine Swords Sect where it would be even more difficult to sneak inside to and cripple them.


    Gang Lei isn''t an unknown face for the Golden Serpent Sect. Being the Boss''s sole disciple meant that more often than not, he was dragged into whatever trouble he decided to be involved with. Those troubles were usually tasks given by Jing but other times, the Boss just wanted to cause trouble and chaos all on his own. Forcing him to survive by fighting, bluffing, and sometimes killing just to survive in the high-level battles that his Boss fought in.


    His first target was located in a well-known city. He frequently visited a highly reputable brothel inside for a certain woman called Liquid Diamond. Upon making it to the establishment, Gang used his heaven-given bloodline to work his way in and convince everyone that he was a friend of Iron Sword. Before waiting behind the VIP door of him having s.e.x with Liquid Diamond, and blowing into his ocarina.


    The Silent God''s Ocarina was completely unfair to anyone that wasn''t aware of its capabilities. As this spirit tool allowed him to control sound itself, it didn''t take much effort for Gang to cripple the busy Iron Sword by severing his spinal cord from behind the door. His screams filled the building but by the time anyone could come to investigate, Gang was already on his way to the second target in her home village.


    Little Sword was her nickname. When he made it to her small little village in the middle of nowhere, the villagers were more than happy to tell him all about the rising of Little Sword. Coming from a small village and reaching such lofty heights like becoming a prodigy for the righteous Nine Swords Sect. She was basically their pride, joy, and deity. They went on for hours talking all about Little Sword and their experiences with her when she was younger.


    Until the woman herself came outside her home. She came over to figure out what was going on and it seemed like she didn''t recognize him or was just acting as if she didn''t. Gang wasn''t the type of person to use everything and anything to his advantage like Bing would unless he needed to. So, he didn''t consider using the villagers as a bargaining chip to convince Little Sword to let him cripple her. He just decided to play a little song with his Ocarina. Right now, his strength was restrained to the Qi Gathering realm so that he wouldn''t frighten her.


    "For showing me such kindness, why don''t I play you all a nice song as thanks? It''s the first time I''ve been treated so well by a group of strangers that I''d feel offended if you refused."


    The villagers looked forward to hearing his song. It turns out that they weren''t so happy when near the end of his song, Little Sword suddenly took out her sword and stabbed herself once in each thigh. Rendering her legs useless unless treated by a miraculous doctor or ingesting a miracle pill. Both of which would be impossible out here in this remote village. It looks like she wasn''t too talented in qi if she couldn''t recognize that he was hypnotizing her with his music. Gang took no time sticking around as he finished the job for her and severed her legs from her upper body before disappearing from the village.


    Now it was time for the final talented disciple of the Nine Swords Sect who Gang figured would be the most difficult. As he was in the middle of training on a deadly mountain filled with strong Spirit Beasts. Gang doubted he would be able to deal with him while saving his strength. So, he didn''t bother being secretive and sneaky. This was his last target so, why not finish it quickly?


    Gang ripped the talisman the Sect Leader gave to him upon confronting Heavy Sword and easily sliced him to pieces despite the numerous life-saving spirit tools he had on hand. They were cut, crushed, and severed all too easily with the water blades. Unfortunately, he had no real control over the swords themselves and when he tried, his connection was forcefully broken, damaging himself instead. Meaning, he couldn''t choose to cripple Heavy Sword even if he tried but this was much easier than fighting him in a straight-up fight while trying not to kill him.


    After completing his task, Gang returned to the sect eager to receive his rewards. However, the rewards he was expecting weren''t as great as they usually were. The Sect Leader told him the answer to the question he wanted to know. But this answer wasn''t exactly what he was expecting.


    "Your parents'' killers are dead." She told him upfront. "The noble family they were a part of has been destroyed by a rival noble family and any continuation of their existence was wiped out in that fight."


    "Thank you..." Gang bowed his head in gratitude despite the swelling of his chest and confusion in his heart.


    The people that killed his parents were dead. Not even a sliver of their lineage remained. Meaning that the past several years of his life have been entirely meaningless regarding his parent''s death. He had no goal. He had no direction. What was he to do with his life now? Just survive, like he''s always done till now? Tears streamed down his face as he was lost in thought. Jie wrapped her arms around him during this time.


    "Have you forgotten what your father has told you, idiot son?" A familiar pink-haired woman spoke to him from the sky.


    "We never wished for you to take revenge... I remember telling you to not bother with doing that at all..." His father rubbed the back of his head.


    Both were in ghostly forms floating in front of him.


    "His exact words were ''You don''t have to do anything like taking revenge for us. All we wish is for you to become someone strong and start a family of your own that you can protect... Don''t become weaklings like me and your mother. The weak only serve as food and playthings for the strong.''" His mother perfectly mimicked his father''s voice.


    "So just... live my own life...?" That was what Gang understood.


    "Exactly, boy... I want you to have a nice life. Well, as nice of a life that a cultivator can get." His father shrugged.


    "Most cultivators have tragic lives. Just look at us! Having to leave our poor baby on his own just because we were weak!"


    "Continue to become strong Gang Lei. Meet a nice girl. Fall in love. Have children of your own. Live a life better than we had." His father gently rubbed his hair as even more tears fell from his eyes.


    "Yes! I will do my best!" He yelled to the ghostly figures.


    Then Runt reappeared at the top of the steps with Hu Tao frowning at him and Jie looking concerned.


    "I passed?" Runt questioned, wiping the tears from his eyes.


    "Looks like you''re better than thousands of other people. Take a look at all the losers that failed while you made it." Hu Tao turned him around to see the distraught, disappointed, and pissed faces of those below the steps.


    "Are you okay, Runt?" She remembered that he was crying earlier.


    "Yeah, I''m fine now." He wiped his tears. "It''s nothing." A gentle and determined smile soon started to form.

 Chapter 187 - 181: Bing.

    "So, you''re the Devil, I''m turning into?" Bing casually talked.


    "I wouldn''t describe myself as such. It would be more accurate to say that I''m an extension of your true self." A somewhat similar-looking clone of himself sat across from him.


    Bing and his Devil were sitting across from one another with their legs crossed. Around them was the surrounding of Ying''s void world but he knew that this place wasn''t real. The figure in front of him was his Heart Demon and to get out of this world, he would need to come to some understanding or overcome him in some way. But he wasn''t interested in fighting or challenging Bing but simply talking to him!


    The Devil had large folded human hands as wings on his back, several mouths lining up and down his body that resembled the mouth on his hand when using Devil''s Arms, and two extra pairs of arms under his original pair. Slightly darker skin but nowhere near as dark as the Empress''s skin color. Besides those differences, he was perfectly identical to Bing! It was strange looking at somewhat that looked just like him as none of his familiar members looked similar to him on account of his weight. His father, mother, and sister looked like strangers when compared to Bing. That difference between him and his family actually prompted him to wonder several times if he was adopted by the Ai Clan or not.


    "My true self? What do you mean by that?" Bing questioned.


    "I am everything you repress and hide from your "friends."" He explained.


    "Oh." Bing now understood. "So what?" He asked.


    "Don''t you feel tired hiding yourself away from your friends? Why not let me help you free yourself and become the true Bing, you''ve always been repressing?" Devil asked in a kind gesture.


    "No. I don''t feel tired at all. I hide you away from them for a reason. You and I both know this." Bing reasoned.


    "What kind of cultivator can you call yourself by restricting yourself like this? In what world do you know of cultivators that hide a part of themself away from the world?" Devil tried to reason.


    "I don''t mind being an oddity. I don''t care much for what strangers think of me either."


    "Then what of your friends? Once they see the real you, you know how they are going to respond right?"


    "I''ve thought about it, sure. But do I know for sure? Of course not. I can''t see the future after all."


    "So, you already know that you would be an outcast?"


    "Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Bing wondered.


    "Aren''t they going to distance themselves from you and stop being friends with you?" Devil questioned.


    "Are you sure, you''re an extension of me? Because if so, you''re not that much of an extension because you don''t know my friends as well as I do." Bing peered deep into the Devil''s figure.


    "You doubt who I am?"


    "Well, I suppose it doesn''t matter who or what you are really. I am aware of my strengths, my flaws, my fears, my passions, and my goals. When you spend most of your time training, socializing, or eating, you have a lot of time on your hand to think about things. Things exactly like, what if Ying saw the part of me that I try to hide away from the rest? What if I told Jing of my hatred and gratitude for her enslaving me? What if I don''t ever get a girlfriend? You see, I know what kind of person I am, both inside and out. I know that I am not a good person, far from it actually. If half of the world''s cultivators were wiped out, I wouldn''t blink an eye as it wouldn''t have anything to do with me. Unless some of my friends were involved in that half, then I would care and be saddened."


    "Then I guess my job as a Heart Demon is quite useless, isn''t it?" Devil sighed and propped up his face with his hand.


    "Maybe if you tried putting me up against the Empress in a fight for my life but even then, the best option would be to bow my head and submit to my death. Uselessly struggling against a demonic freak like her is all but pointless. So, I don''t see how I could''ve failed this portion of the test. My soul might be permanently tainted black, full of evil and selfishness, but that does not mean that it isn''t balanced like a pure soul would be. I know that the dark desires that creep up in my mind from time to time are because of my Devil Arts but that doesn''t mean I need to let them control my mind and body. Even the evilest man could be seen a savior and a friend to some." Bing patted him on the shoulder.


    "So, you''re aware of Ying''s feelings for you?" The Heart Demon asked.


    "Huh!?" What in the world was this Heart Demon talking about?!


    "I see. As a v.i.r.g.i.n, it would make sense that you''re blind to the feelings of the opposite s.e.x."


    "Hey! Just because I''m a v.i.r.g.i.n and never had a girlfriend doesn''t mean that I don''t know anything about girls!"


    "What do you know of girls? The only girls you ever talked to before the group is your mother and sister. Those dreams you had where you had harems of n.a.k.e.d women don''t count either. Now that I think about it, you don''t even know what a n.a.k.e.d woman looks like, do you?"


    "I''ll find out eventually! What are you even getting at talking about this!? Leave already so I can return to the real world!" Bing was getting red.


    "How does it feel knowing that you would even be willing to sacrifice your body to Jing just so that you could climb the stairs of a.d.u.l.thood? Isn''t that pathetic? Someone of your strength can''t even attract or flirt with the opposite s.e.x."


    "Were you serious about the Ying thing?" Bing got real close to the Heart Demon and asked.


    "Why? So, you can use her for her body and then drop her like a sack of potatoes? Hahahaha! You and I both know that Ying isn''t your preferred type of woman. She''s too violent. Everyone knows how often you go on about having a gentle and cute wife to spoil and take care of. In what way is Ying anything gentle and cute? Hell, that freak Wan Qing is more of your ideal type of woman even if she''s a bitch sometimes."


    "You know, they say love changes a woman." Bing argued.


    "You really are desperate to lose your v.i.r.g.i.nity..." The Heart Demon looked at him as if he was trash.


    "I''m 18 years old and haven''t even had my first kiss yet! Do you know how shameful that is for a man?! Even Lei Zhi has had multiple s.e.x.u.a.l partners in his youth at an age even younger than me! His talent was even worse than mine, I think!"


    "I didn''t realize how much of a sensitive subject this was for you... It is pretty pathetic compared to the person I was talking to earlier."


    "Shut up. Don''t underestimate a young v.i.r.g.i.n."


    "Now that I think about it, you even had a dream about having s.e.x with Jing, didn''t you? Multiple times even though you think she''s the ugliest and most lackl.u.s.ter girl you''ve ever seen."


    "Don''t bring that up. Dreams should stay as they are. Simply dreams."


    "Some would consider it a nightmare to have someone like her forcing themselves on them. That skin, it''s just so repulsive from the standard view of beauty. Her face is nothing decent either. It really is a shame that someone so powerful can''t just make themselves more beautiful."


    "Hey, why do you think Ying is interested in me?" Bing suddenly changed the subject.


    "How am I supposed to know fatty? It definitely isn''t because of your looks though. I can say that much."


    "What the hell? I''m pretty handsome for a man of my size, you know? A random girl from the Inner Court even told me that she would have been willing to have me warm her bed if my stomach wasn''t so large." Bing boasted.


    "To think that you would be satisfied with something like that... Truly pathetic. I feel bad for the poor girl. Being interested in someone like you who will only care about her body. Not her needs, wants, likes, dislikes, and personality."


    "Ying''s my friend! Of course, I wouldn''t treat her like trash. Because now that I think about it, I''m pretty sure she''ll cripple me if I don''t satisfy her in a relationship or think about breaking up with her."


    "Do you even like her in that way?"


    "I don''t know but at this point, I''m willing to give almost anything a shot. Maybe I''ll start to fall in love with her as we spend more time together. I''m already in love with her baking skills but of course, there is more to Ying than just how well she can bake cakes. While in my selfish heart, s.e.x may be the main goal, I have to realize that if things go well, I can have s.e.x whenever I want if I don''t f.u.c.k it up! If I do fall in love with Ying and be a great boyfriend, she''ll be willing to have s.e.x with me whenever!"


    "Sc.u.m." The Heart Demon shook his head and disappeared, leaving Bing alone.


    "Maybe there''s another side to Ying, I could find out through our relationship... She can''t be all violence, confrontation, and aggression... Right?" Bing blinked and found himself at the top of the stairs.


    "Looks like you finally made it Bing." Ying slapped his shoulder using way more force than she needed to.


    "Ow!" Bing couldn''t help but cry out. "And thanks..." He rubbed his sore shoulder.


    "Oh, come on, I barely used any strength in that. Don''t be such a girl." She smiled.


    This smile of hers wasn''t the first time he''s ever looked at Ying as a woman. But after his experience with his Heart Demon, it certainly made his heart unstable. It made him question how long has she liked him. Why did she like him? As a man, he should properly respond to her feelings but she hasn''t even told him about her feelings!? What if that Heart Demon was screwing with him?! If he suddenly talked to her about becoming her boyfriend or accepting her as his woman and she rejected him, the embarrassment he would feel would be something that would follow him for years. So, why doesn''t he just act as nothing happened at all and see what fate has in store for him? Knowing his luck, it could just be his delusions because of how friendly she''s gotten because of her interest in making Spirit Cakes.


    "I''m surprised Lei and Jing are still struggling. I''d imagine that those two would be the first ones up here..." Bing commented.


    "You aren''t alone." Qing muttered.

 Chapter 188 - 182: Lei Zhi.

    The shine of the moon''s rays lightly shined upon the clear surface of the water. Light clouds were spread across the night sky. A star-less sky that could be seen in the water. Along with that peaceful view in that pond, a man''s figure could be seen sitting in front of it. His legs crossed and a pink fishing rod in his hands.


    This man didn''t have overwhelming beauty, a figure radiating with power, or an aura of youthfulness around him. It was like he was one with nature itself. Indiscernible by the n.a.k.e.d eye. At least, until he placed the first worm on his fishing hook. Taking a closer look at the worm, the man realized that the face seemed kind of similar. Orange hair, pretty skin, and a fierce disposition. But regardless, he threw the worm with the strange face into the pond to see if he could catch any fish.


    "How many lives will be taken and ruined before I gain enough strength to begin changing the world?" He asked. Not a single fish came near his hook.


    "Will the world truly be better if I forced my ideals upon others?"


    "Spreading kindness, forgiveness, and good throughout the world. Will this truly help anyone or anything at all?"


    "What if they refuse to change? What if the world prefers this cruel way of living?"


    "Is it right of me to force them to conform to my way of thinking? I don''t know for sure if having everyone act the way I''d prefer would be better at all."


    "But my thoughts don''t matter. My strength is too weak to make an impact on this world."


    "Even my allies, are not people I can affect with my ideals."


    "What gain is there to being righteous, kind, and fair? In comparison to being wicked, cruel, and selfish." Lei Zhi felt a tug on his line and once the fish took the bait, he swiftly pulled on his rod and fished up a red fish.


    "Unless you force everyone to act the way you like, I don''t see how you can reform anyone. Only those with the strongest fist can make demands of others." Ying''s voice said to him.


    "Relying on force instead of words isn''t what I''d like to do. The pen is mightier than the sword but the pen by itself isn''t enough for anyone to change anything." Lei placed the fish to the side of him before throwing another piece of bait inside the pond.


    There have been more than a few occasions where both Bing and himself tried to use words to save themselves from dangerous situations. Out of all of those times, it has worked zero times. As the two known lovers of peace and non-violence in Heaven''s Angels, they don''t ever start conflicts with others. It was a known fact and accepted by everyone in the group.


    But it was only because of the fact that they defended themselves to protect their own lives that they are still alive today. They don''t care if you beg. They don''t care if you are maimed or disabled. And they don''t care about what you say. Unless it involves something that speaks to their innate cultivator desires. This usually being treasures, martial skills, and other objects that can increase a cultivator''s strength.


    Lei Zhi has tried countless times to try and reason with cultivators in situations where death and bloodshed could easily be avoided. Cultivators being greedy, selfish, and uncaring beings only change when forced on the brink of death. And even then, it''s still a stretch to say that they would change or face their faults as human beings later on.


    "Facing your own faults...? Isn''t that the same as a Heart Demon?" Lei muttered.


    "Your goal is entirely idiotic and impossible in my opinion but I don''t really care either way. Do as you like. With enough strength, anything is possible." Wan Qing''s voice spoke to him as he fished up a beautiful fish that radiated nobility and pride.


    "Once again it comes to strength... but what if I didn''t need to rely on raw strength?"


    "Instead of trying to force people to become better humans, why don''t I make them see the error of their ways by using something similar to Heart Demons?"


    "If people had to see the darkness and evil festering in their hearts, would they be fine with such a thing? Being forced to see the type of terrible human they''re becoming and realizing that they don''t want such a thing would be perfect."


    Lei suddenly stood up. While he realized that making people see their inner selves isn''t a 100% foolproof plan to make them become better people, it is a good start. If they can handle or withstand the same thing that they put others through, and still be a horrible person, then at that point, they are beyond redemption. Unfortunately, Lei Zhi will have to use force when it comes to these types of people if they want to continue doing evil.


    "Hahaha. So, are you going to try and reform me? I can''t wait to see the day, Old Man. I''ll let you know ahead of time, if you make me wait too long, I might just kill you for bringing my hopes up. Hahaha!" A grinning fish that was too large to fit inside the pond was fished up. Covered in metal-like scales, spiky white hair, and sharp teeth that could shred through steel and metal alike.


    "That boy..."


    Lei Zhi knew Hu Tao was a lost cause. Reforming him was going to be a nigh-impossible task. His reformation process was most likely going to going to lead to his own death or Hu Tao''s death. Even if Hu Tao has to relive what he put through probably the hundreds of victims he has under his name, he would still come through fine. But there was a chance of Hu Tao actually changing for the better albeit, not actually changing at all though.


    If he made a deal with him before the start of their fight, Hu Tao might stay true to it. As that was the reason why he was Jing''s slave in the first place. He lost in their fight where he proposed that he would become the slave of whoever managed to beat him. So, if Lei managed to beat him in their fight, he may start doing more positive actions for the world because of it but inwardly, he wouldn''t have changed a bit. Eventually, this would come to a breaking point, as Hu Tao isn''t the type of person to restrain himself for long. Even now, he still fought against his slave status with Jing.


    Hu Tao promised that if she lost to him in a fight, he would be her slave no longer. So, unless Lei Zhi could find a way to satisfy the chaotic and natural troublemaker, Hu Tao, just defeating him isn''t enough. He didn''t want to kill the boy as he could still do a lot of good for this world. By making the world a better place to make up for all those he has wronged in the past, would lead to a better afterlife for the youth. But at the end of the day, Hu Tao was more trouble than he was worth.


    All these hypotheticals and what-if scenarios just to avoid killing the boy that both he and the heavens above knew deserved such a thing. Deciding to kill him for the better of the world was a simple but difficult matter as Hu Tao was a strong cultivator. Even if Lei summoned an army of spirit beasts with his fishing rod, he still doubted that would be enough to finish Hu Tao. There was also the matter of Jing. How would she react to this?


    "With the way she freely allows the boy to run free and indulge himself however he wants, I doubt she would be willing to allow me to kill him. If I can do such a thing in the first place."


    Lei Zhi would need to have a talk with Jing as well. He didn''t know if he was willing to place his ideals over his friends. If worse came to worst, he might need to leave the Heaven''s Angels in pursuit of his own goals. But that would only be running away, wouldn''t it? In his reformation plan, everyone was involved. Jing, Ying, Hu Tao, Wan Qing, Bing, Jie, Runt, and everyone else in the world. Just trying to start his reformation plans with his friends was hard enough, how could he think that he could influence the entire world with his view?


    ''This is difficult...'' Lei Zhi always knew how impossible his goal was but thinking on it with a critical view made him see just how unfeasible it really was.


    "I have to accept, that my goal is impossible as I am right now. Weak, alone, and doubtful." Lei Zhi realized.


    "For now, I have to build my strength until I''m in a position where I can practice what I preach to more than just a few individuals. Perhaps I won''t be able to start my goal until Heaven''s Angels have completely taken over the Golden Serpent Sect." He sighed.


    "Well, a start is a start. Haste makes waste. The world isn''t going anywhere after all. I can wait for a little while. I also don''t think the world is going to change significantly in a few years anyway." Lei Zhi found himself at the top of the giant set of steps.


    "Took you long enough, Lei." Ying snickered.


    "It was very enlightening, to say the least." Lei responded with a small smile.


    "That''s good. I think my Heart Demon just played a trick on me and that''s it." Bing shared.


    "Hahahaha! What the hell, Fatass? How lucky for you, huh?" Hu Tao said.


    "I guess so?" Maybe his experience with a Heart Demon wasn''t normal.


    "Your great luck is at play once again." Ying shook her head.


    "I''m envious." Lei added.


    At this point, Bing couldn''t say anything about his luck being bad anymore. He was officially the luckiest person in the group according to everyone else. And the worst thing about it was that he couldn''t deny it!

 Chapter 189 - 183: Jing. (Part 1)

    1st Life


    Harmless creatures flew, crawled, and skittered about during this bright sunny day. The forest went on endlessly in the distance. Nothing but trees and more trees could be seen. Along the way, small bushes filled with red berries were avoided by the animals as they gave off a delicious fruity smell. A small squirrel on top of a tree noticed a strange creature underneath its home and curiously came down to take a look. It sniffed the head of the animal before crawling on its face to investigate further.


    Only to see two giant white eyeballs slowly opening to take a look at it before they screamed. This scream badly frightened the poor squirrel and caused it to faint from shock. The dark-skinned young girl held her chest as her heart rapidly beat inside her body. She violently tossed the wild animal off of herself and stood up before taking in her surroundings.


    "Why am I inside a forest?"


    "Who am I?"


    "Why can''t I remember anything?"


    "Why am I dressed like some neanderthal!?"


    Her current attire consisted of a primitive orange dress with a single strap over her right shoulder and black spots over it. She was without a bra and panties for some reason so, right now she was as free as a bird in a sense. It wasn''t comfortable and she disliked it immensely. But there were more important things to focus on right now.


    Like getting the hell out of this forest and finding civilization. There were all sorts of disgusting and dangerous creatures in the woods. All she had was her two little fists to defend herself. She had no knowledge of how to survive in the forest and would definitely die a horrible death if she had to. Since there was nothing in her already basically empty memories about surviving in the woods, she had to guess that she was a city girl or something.


    The young girl didn''t know which direction to head to first. From the tree she woke up under, there was nothing but an endless sea of trees around her. She could literally head in any direction and there''s no telling if it would be right or wrong. So, that''s what she did as there really wasn''t any other choice she could make.


    Staying at the tree she woke up at wouldn''t help anyone. Who''s to say that there are even people looking for her? She didn''t know anything at all! Who just wakes up in the middle of the forest without any memories of who they are at all dressed like this?! Hell, she couldn''t even remember her own name...


    As of now, her hopes about finding help and getting out of the forest were slim. The only reason why she hasn''t broken down and cried herself into a pathetic heap was because of the warm and bright rays of the sun shining down on her skin. It gave her hope that things weren''t all bad just yet and she still had a chance to survive. Now when the sun starting to set was when she could contemplate committing suicide.


    Not really but, you know things will be a bit direr then. Her first goal right now was to try and find some people. While they wouldn''t be able to answer any questions about her, they should be able to lead her to someplace safer than this forest. The second goal, find some food and water. She didn''t know the first thing about preparing and cooking wild animals. Unless it was a small lizard, which was not something she was looking forward to eating or a fish that could easily be cooked over a campfire, she would not be able to cook it. There was also the issue where she didn''t know how to make a fire. The third goal, to not die in a stupid forest.


    So, she began her dangerous journey through the forest. She picked a random direction to walk towards and made her way through the woods. Along the way she picked up a sizable rock for protection that could be carried in both of her hands without slowing her down. This could probably crack an animal''s skull in as long as she aimed properly and didn''t freak out. Her heart was telling her that was an impossibility and facing off against any wild animal was going to end terribly for her. Maybe if she knew how to make a spear or something things would be slightly better but she doubted it.


    As she traveled through the forest, there were multiple times where she heard a sound and immediately prepared herself for combat. She jumped in fright, raised her rock above her head, and waited for something to run at her while her legs shook terribly. Out of all of those times, nothing dangerous at all was hiding in wait to get her. Just some birds, small critters, or insects. But she didn''t let this lower her guard! Just because nothing dangerous came out at her those few times doesn''t mean it couldn''t happen. There was a vital need to stay alert and ready at all times in this precarious situation. It was a situation where she was completely out of her element.


    During her dangerous and life-threatening journey, she stumbled upon a bush filled with bright red berries. Her eyes lingered on the bush momentarily as the tantalizing fruit aroma flowed into her nostrils before walking away and leaving the bush alone. She might''ve been just a little bit hungry but she wasn''t a complete idiot! Those berries were definitely poisonous with their bright colors and huge numbers. Like animals wouldn''t have been able to smell those berries from a mile away and have a feast munching on them all. There were just too many of them growing on that bush for her to believe that they weren''t poisonous.


    "They smelled really good though..." She sadly muttered as she walked past them, dreaming of what could''ve been if they weren''t obviously poisonous.


    The morning was coming to an end as the sky turned golden and her stomach was starting to rumble more fiercely now. The pain of her hungry stomach was forcing her to think of horrible things that no civilized person would even consider doing. If worse came to worst, she might have to force herself to eat some of these insects on the ground... Or maybe catch one of these tiny reptiles and eat them. It looks like she might have to force herself to learn how to make a fire very soon. She knew the process of how to do it but felt like it was something she never had to put into practice.


    Her ears caught the sound of flowing water and she immediately made her way towards it. With how parched and dry her throat was becoming by constantly swallowing her saliva, some water would be heavenly right now. There might also be some fish inside the water that she could try and catch like a proper cave girl with her hands. After filling herself with water and maybe some cooked fish later, she could sleep on top of one of these trees.


    Upon making it to the water source, she didn''t spot any animals nearby this stream. She carefully came out of the woods caressing her rock and scanned her surrounding before quickly tip-toeing over to the water. Her ears opened up and listened out for any sounds as she cupped the water into her hands and took multiple sips. After drinking the clear, cold, and refreshing water, she finally got a good look at herself.


    She wasn''t all too impressed by what she saw of her face. Lame glasses, a face that she felt wouldn''t stand out in a crowd, but good skin complexion. Just overall, unimpressive. Maybe if she was a cave girl with beautiful looks, someone would''ve found and saved her already by now. Or maybe her good looks would be a curse and they''ll want to take advantage of her. That was something she needed to be careful of... Men weren''t entirely trustworthy when it came to a lady in trouble. They could have ulterior motives. Maybe she should carry a less obvious weapon in case the first humans she encounters aren''t the helpful kind. But where would she even hide it? Up her privates? This outfit didn''t exactly come with pockets or anything of the sort.


    Colorful fish swam down the stream and just for the hell of it, she tried catching one by suddenly plunging her hand into the water. Surprisingly, it worked.


    The feeling of the slippery aquatic creature in her hand was like finding gold. She tightly latched onto the animal with both hands and tossed it onto the rocks as her eyes lit up. It frantically flopped on the rocks as part of its instincts while she began to go over how to make a fire in her mind. This was food! Now she didn''t have to go hungry tonight or eat some gross bugs! As long as she made this fire, she was going to eat today! But first, she had to pee.


    There was one good thing about this outfit. Despite how breezy it was underneath, it was easy to do her business in it as long as she raised it up over her behind. If she didn''t raise it up, there was a chance of her getting pee on her outfit. Being a cave girl was bad enough already but being a cave girl covered in piss? She absolutely refused to allow something like that to happen. It was a matter of pride as a human. After crouching and doing her business in the grass, she started collecting branches and leaves to get ready to start this fire.


    "It looks like I''m sleeping in a tree tonight..." She muttered looking at the evening rays fading away with moonlight taking its place.

 Chapter 190 - 184: That Was Quick...

    It took her well until darkness took the skies to finally get the fire started. Her hands were red and sore from rubbing the stick for so long and if her stomach wasn''t demanding her to feed, she would go to sleep. But she has finally succeeded in her task of making a fire! Such a simple task honestly took hours and from her experience with it, she was not a very patient woman. If it wasn''t a matter of life and death, she would''ve given up on the 10th failed attempt because at that point she was ready to say screw it. Starving to death sounded like a better option than bursting a nerve in her brain from anger.


    However, she stuck through with it and got a pitiful fire going. She added more leaves and gently blew the flames to keep the fire going before grabbing a stick and trying to stab a hole through the fish to cook it. It might''ve seemed stupid to think it would be easy to stab through a living creature with a regular stick but she was very tired, okay? A brief thought born from her rage at constant failure after failure made her consider ripping the fish apart and tossing it away but that would be beyond stupid. So, she gave up on trying to skewer it with the pathetic tree branch she had that wouldn''t be able to stab through a leaf.


    She briefly considered just tossing the fish in the flames and just letting it cook. Then once it looked ready for eating, she would quickly put her hand in the fire and grab the fish. But putting her hand directly in fire went against everything that made her a modern human. That option was immediately thrown off the table and it was too dark to look for another branch with the thickness and sharpness required to stab through the fish. Giving up wasn''t an option either. Considering she was lucky enough to get this fire going and catch a fish at the same time, she was going to properly cook and eat a god damn fish.


    After much consideration, she was forced to take one of the thick branches she used for the fire to use as a skewering stick. She really didn''t have any other option besides that or the plan from earlier where she''ll have to stick her hand in flames. The front tip of the stick was burnt black but the end where she grabbed it wasn''t hot at all. Once she impaled the fish on the stick and placed it above the fire, she finally felt like she could take a breath.


    "Awooo!" In the distance, a wolf''s howl echoed throughout the forest.


    She didn''t lose her grip on her cooking fish but she did place her rock much closer to her after hearing that sound. Wolves came in packs except under special occasions. Even with her rock, there was little she could do against a pack of wolves besides give them a satisfying meal. Her body had to be pretty tasty, right? There might not be much meat on her but it was something! It would be pretty funny if the wolves didn''t bother eating her because she tasted bad or something.


    ''Do wolves eat their prey alive or do they kill it first before eating? I know some animals eat and don''t bother killing the prey. Letting them slowly suffer while watching themselves being eaten.'' She thought.


    ''I definitely need to find a rock shiv or something to kill myself so I don''t have to go through something like that.'' She planned to search for a smaller weapon tomorrow.


    Several minutes went by of more scary noises going through the forest but nothing at all happening around her. Her fish was finally cooked to perfection and she ripped into it like a wild beast. It was a nice juicy thick fish too. It held plenty of meat to fill her stomach up completely. Once she ate every part of it, including the wide-open eyes of the poor little fishy, she tossed the bones away and realized it was pretty cold. It was going to be tough falling asleep tonight with all these sounds and this wind...


    Taking more than five infuriating tries to successfully climb up the tallest tree in sight, she cradled her knees to her chest and rested her head against her legs. The wind continued to blow cold air on her sensitive skin as she tried falling asleep with her rock between her stomach and knees. So, if she had to wake up with an animal nibbling on her toes or something, she can grab it and give it a nice bludgeoning on the skull. It would be a hell of wake-up that she was really hoping wouldn''t happen to her.


    Thoughts like that plagued her throughout the night along with the freezing breezy wind that wouldn''t stop. She found it hard to close her eyes for more than a second thinking about all the animals that could climb trees that could eat her. Whenever she did manage to fall asleep, she would quickly wake up from a nightmare of her being attacked or eaten. Looking up in the sky, it would still be dark as hell and nowhere near morning. Getting a good night''s sleep was impossible for someone like her. How could anyone peacefully fall asleep in such a dangerous situation like this?! Counting sheep didn''t work. Repeatedly saying, "Go to sleep." in her head worked once then she woke up after being attacked by a group of monkeys who liked human flesh in her dreams.


    She didn''t get a good night''s rest in her little tree to say the least. By the time the morning was rising in the sky once again, she was tired beyond belief. Her stomach softly grumbled once she started carefully making her way down the tree. The fear she felt throughout the night was reduced in the daytime even though she knew that animals could attack her regardless if it was day or night. Walking to the stream, she saw heavy bags under her eyes.


    "I look like crap..." She dunked her hands in the stream and began washing her face.


    "Grrr...." Her heart jumped into her throat as she heard that sound behind her.


    This wasn''t a dream. This wasn''t a drill. This was a real animal behind her right now that probably wanted to eat her. Where was her freaking rock!? God! Why now of all times did this have to happen? Her eyes frantically looked around for a rock that was similar in size to her other rock as she heard the sounds of paws running across the rocks.


    She screamed as her body went into flight or fight mode. Ignoring the large rock just a few meters in front of her, she ran as fast as she could towards the nearest tree and climbed up it faster than any monkey or squirrel could. Turning around to see the stupid animal that scared the life out of her, it turned out that it was some weird white weasel thing with sharp teeth around the size of a wolf. It bared its teeth at her as it circled around her tree while keeping its eye on her. Her heart was still beating out of her chest and seeing that such a strange animal that she''s never seen before come after her like that, pissed her off.


    Tearing off a piece of bark, she threw it down at the head of the weasel who barked and tried climbing up the tree to get her for doing so. In response to this, she only threw more and more bark down at it for scaring the life out of her. It tried with all its heart to climb up the tree and sink its fangs into her throat. She laughed and laughed as she ripped more bark off the tree and threw it down, antagonizing the big weasel more.


    "Pissed, aren''t you? Not as pissed as me, you stupid wiener dog! I hope you get a brain concussion from all this bark I''m throwing at your stupid head! Go die!" She yelled.


    "Growl! Bark! Bark! Owow!" It cursed.


    "Get the hell out of here before I cook you up tonight! A nice little wiener dog sounds about good tonight! Fish isn''t bad but I''ve never had weasel before! Keep messing with me and you''ll be in my stomach!" She threatened. She actually wasn''t interested in eating it at all.


    "Caw!"


    "Caw?" She looked up and behind her to see a giant bird flying down towards her with its talons stretched out.


    She was snatched out of the tree by a giant bird with its feet tightly gripped around her shoulders. It felt like it was crushing her bones with its grip! Struggling with all her might, she reached up to free herself before this stupid bird flew her too high up. Pinching, squeezing, clawing, and wildly flailing, did nothing to help her situation. Because of her actions, the bird figured she was more trouble than she was worth when they were about 3,000m up. So, she fell from the sky as that bird flew off into the distance.


    So, this was it, huh? She didn''t have enough courage to turn around to see how far she was from the ground as death was imminent regardless. Waking up in this crapsack world with no idea about anything at all, only to die like this. How was that fair?


    It wasn''t fair at all! Who said she wanted to wake up in this place?! Why did she have to die like this? Why was all of this even happening?! Suddenly waking up in the middle of a forest with no memory about who she is or even the world she was in. She knew for a damn fact that that weasel and that huge bird weren''t normal animals.


    ''I don''t want to die...! I really don''t want to die! Someone save me please!'' Her tears were swallowed by the sky as the ground suddenly became covered in blood, bones, and organs.

 Chapter 191 - 185: Jing. (Part 2)

    2nd Life


    "What the hell is even going on!" A dark-skinned young girl kicked a rock into a bush filled with bright orange berries.


    The smell of the berry bush nearly sent her off her feet from its delicious fragrance. But she didn''t grab one to take a bite. Despite lacking memories of anything about where she was, who she was, and what was even going on, she knew that bright things in the wild equaled poisonous. She might''ve been dressed like some sort of primitive woman from the time before civilization with a one-strap leopard print dress but that didn''t mean she was one! Her memories are gone but thankfully her common sense hasn''t left the building either.


    "Waking up in some weird forest with nothing but the clothes on my back. Totally vulnerable to everything and anything out here." She picked up a thick branch and a rock as she crouched underneath a tree.


    She decided to fashion herself a weapon for protection in case she ran into any dangerous wild animals. By using the rock against the sides of the branch near the tip, she could sharpen it into a pointy stick. But she wasn''t a primitive girl! There just weren''t any modern and civilized weapons out here for her to utilize. It was only natural to make do with what was available as a normal girl with common sense.


    The rock was sharp enough that it kind of resembled a knife but who would choose to use a knife over a spear? Someone without common sense, that''s who. But just on the off chance that her spear breaks, this rock could be nice as a backup weapon. The thing was, she had nowhere to pocket it. Her dress didn''t come with pockets and she wasn''t shoving anything inside herself. She briefly thought about putting it between her b.r.e.a.s.ts but unfortunately, they weren''t big enough to keep it from slipping through and falling to the ground.


    "Where is civilization? Where is civilization? Where is civilization?" She sang to herself.


    Traveling through the woods with a spear and no idea where she''s headed. The only thing she could do to keep herself from being bored was sing, chant, and panic at every noise she heard nearby. This only kept her entertained for a little while until her stomach started to grumble and rumble. Now she had to find something to eat. Hopefully, she could find some berries that didn''t look poisonous or fruits because she didn''t know the first thing about hunting or preparing dead animals.


    Hours went by without any signs of any fruits or berries, leaving her quite starved and desperate. The sun was about to go bye bye and the moon would soon take its place in the sky. She would have to find someplace to rest soon. Maybe some sleep would take her mind off the pain in her gut. Sleeping for dinner isn''t that uncommon for some people her age. This would be a situation where she felt that restraining herself from eating the leaves off of a tree and going to sleep instead would be for the better.


    Up ahead, there was a dark cave near a cold clear pond. The pond could fit around fifty or more humans at max capacity and looked relatively safe in case she ever ran into trouble. Wolves or bears wouldn''t go into the water to chase prey, would they? Wasn''t it only bees that stayed above the water if their enemy went underwater? God, she hoped so.


    After taking several sips of the pond water, she went to explore the cave where she could see nothing inside. It only took a few moments for her to instantly regret that decision. In a matter of a single minute, she was soon running out of the cave at full speed screaming her lungs out as an animal was right on her tail. No, she didn''t jump into the pond like she was pondering about earlier.


    ''You''re kidding! You''re kidding! I''m so stupid! Of course, a freaking giant lizard would be sleeping inside a cave! It makes perfect sense!'' She inwardly cursed with every breath.


    The big lizard wouldn''t pass up a free meal and chased the slow prey. It believed it would catch up to the food in no time but even after an entire minute of chasing them, they''ve yet to stop and it was pretty cold out. Exerting this much energy for prey that seemed like it was more trouble than it was worth wasn''t worth it. If it tried too hard and still didn''t manage to catch the food, it would die of the cold! So, it stopped chasing the meal and slowly made its way back to its cave.


    The human on the other hand doubled over and puked out the water she drank earlier after pushing herself beyond her limits. Then she fainted in her puddle of vomit and didn''t wake up till it was morning. What greeted her when waking up was a horrid rancid stench of stomach bile and morning breath. She had puke all over the left side of her face and hair, stomach roaring to the heavens, and stained piss etched on her legs. As the civilized and modern girl she was, she swiftly returned to the pond and dunked herself inside to clean herself.


    Without drying herself, she quickly made her way elsewhere to hopefully find people or a way out of this damn forest. Humans weren''t suited to live in the wild anymore. They''ve moved past that point in their evolutionary history. Now they belonged in cities and such. A city sounded much more pleasant than this disgusting terrifying forest.


    "God, I''m so hungry..." She groaned.


    By this point, even the fat little round bugs crawling on the ground looked like juicy little snacks ripe for the taking. Maybe it wouldn''t be so bad to just try one bug... Should she cook them or eat it raw? If she wanted to cook them, then she''d need to make a fire and collect a good amount of them that would fill her stomach. But one, making a fire was not something she had experience with, and two, having a bunch of bugs crawling around in her hands without squishing them was going to be impossible. Her hunger was beginning to think for her but she still had an innate dislike for insects.


    ''Keeping them alive doesn''t matter. What matters is that I eat their stupid tasty looking meat. Just don''t squish them and it''ll be fine. I have to put something in my stomach or I''m going to go crazy...'' Her eyes frantically looked around in search of the biggest insects.


    The best she could find was a single ant carrying a small leaf somewhere. She followed the little ant without disturbing it. While she wouldn''t be able to eat big insects, ants usually number in the hundreds, thousands, or millions in their ant hills. As she was crawling on the forest''s floor following a mindless ant, something stumbled into her during her search for food.


    "Skree!" An emerald green fox with a large fluffy tail around the size of a large dog pounced at her.


    An instinctive scream rang out from her as she was bit and clawed by the wild beast. Her survival instincts kicked in as she did everything, she could to protect her throat and kick this animal away from herself. It latched onto her arm with its sharp teeth and caused her to scream even louder from the pain shooting up in her arm. She used the small rock from earlier to stab the fox in its eye but it still didn''t release her arm. So, she stabbed it until it did. Gushing blood from both herself and the animal, as its growling and her screaming combined into one horrible symphony between man vs nature.


    Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stabstabstabstabstabstabstabstabstab!


    By the time she felt its jaw loosen, there was little feeling in her arm. She didn''t realize when she started crying but tears were falling down her face as she dry heaved from killing the animal. The fox was dead and she wasn''t in a better condition. That pond was too far away to try to travel to for cleaning her wounds. It was shameful but dealing with her injuries came first. Why did it have to hurt so badly...?


    She moved away from the dead fox with both her spear and rock in hand. With the rock, she started to cut off a piece of her clothing to use as wrappings for her injured arm. Cutting from the top or bottom wasn''t an option unless she wanted to reveal her b.r.e.a.s.ts or v.a.g.i.n.a to anybody she meets. So, she had to make do with the middle section of her leopard skirt. Exposing her navel didn''t seem like much of a problem when compared to the other two.


    After doing an absolutely amateur and horrible job at cutting the dress and patching up her wounds, she grabbed the dead fox by the tail and dragged it away. For nearly killing her, becoming her meal was the least it could do. Right?


    Unfortunately, everything started to get blurry for some reason. She tried taking her glasses off, scrubbing her eyes and then putting them back on but that still didn''t work. Why does it take so much effort just to walk now...?


    ''Did I eat one of those berries and just blocked it out of my memory...?''


    The ground suddenly came straight towards her before everything went black.

 Chapter 192 - 186: Jing. (Part 10)

    10th Life


    "Hello!? Can you guys help me out here?! I need some help... bad." She shouted at the two passing figures ahead.


    Covered in blood and injuries, she was barely able to wobble her way towards them. She just got done killing some huge weird squirrel thing that had a taste for human blood and nearly became its meal! It was only thanks to the fact that she found an abandoned sword lying in a bush that she was alive right now. The quality of the sword wasn''t good and it broke in half after she killed the animal but it was better than just using her fists.


    The two figures weren''t the same height. One was much taller than the other which made her wonder if it was a child and an a.d.u.l.t coming towards her. Hunters? Hopefully, they would be kind enough to save a girl on the verge of death. Even if she wasn''t all that pretty.


    She soon passed out and the two figures finally caught up to her. The taller man looked down at the girl with a strange gaze in his eyes. The young boy crouched down low and cupped her face with his hand to get a better look at her. A look of disappointment flashed across his face before he looked up at the older gentlemen.


    "I would be a laughing stock if I brought her back as my servant, wouldn''t I?" He asked.


    "I wouldn''t recommend it, Young Master. We know nothing of her background or how she ended up like this. Plus, a servant with an appearance such as this would only bring trouble."


    "She''s a mortal Liang. How much of a background could she have and isn''t obvious how she ended up like this? Look at those wounds. I also find her appearance interesting. Have you ever seen anyone with skin like this before? She could be a rare talent among mortals."


    "Young Master Kai, I don''t suggest taking this girl in. It might just be a passing whim of yours but who''s to say she even wants to become your servant? What if she has a family or is an ungrateful mortal?"


    "Don''t care. She''s my servant now." Kai placed a small white pellet in the girl''s mouth before picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder with a smile on his face.


    "I don''t believe this is wise Young Master Kai..." Liang sighed, knowing that he wouldn''t be able to convince the Young Master otherwise at this point.


    "I can already see it now. Her becoming a famous well-known swordsman being able to contend with geniuses and prodigies alike even with her poor background." Kai continued to smile, dreaming of the future. "And also! If she''s strong enough, she could beat away all those annoying women trying to get close to me because of my family. I''ll say, no woman is worth considering unless she can defeat my servant." He grinned.


    "What if she''s absolutely hopeless in both martial and cultivation affairs?"


    "Hmm." That was something to think about. "I guess she could still serve as my bed warmer. She might not be very attractive but she still has some use in keeping women away from courting me."


    "I don''t see why you''re so against being engaged, Young Master Kai."


    "I''m a man Liang! A young man that still has his entire life ahead of him! Why should I be restrained so early in my life? I demand freedom to live life how I please! A woman will only take that away from me."


    "You''re only 13, Young Master..."


    "Exactly! Now how do you think Mother and Father are going to react when I bring this girl back home, declaring her my personal servant?"


    "They''ll strongly resist along with everyone else in the clan."


    "Just the words I wanted to hear." Kai laughed loudly.


    "Why do you make it your goal to upset the Master and your mother?"


    "Tch, because they''re annoying. They don''t care about me. All they care about is the clan''s interests." He mocked in his father''s voice at the end.


    Liang understood why the Young Master thought like this. His parents rarely had time to spend with him throughout his childhood. Leaving him to grow mostly on his own. He rejected playing with the other clan children as he thought they were suck-ups. They only wanted to be his friend because of his status in the clan. Not because of the type of person he was. Because of this, it made him somewhat of an outsider in his own clan. It was sad to say but Liang believed he was the only friend the Young Master had.


    This strange girl he picked up in the forest might just be his attempt at gaining a friend with someone who doesn''t know of his background. He was 13 years old this year. Going 13 years with a middle-aged man as your only friend would be quite strange. So, maybe he shouldn''t be too harsh on this girl. She could be the only chance of making the Young Master happy and potentially make him more accepting of others.


    ¡­


    "Finally awake?" Kai smiled as he looked down on the brown-skinned girl.


    "Where am I...?" She asked, still a bit dazed.


    "You''re at the magnificent Yingjie Clan!" Kai said with some pride.


    "Where?" She had no idea what a Yingjie Clan was. Did people still form clans in this day and age?


    "Hah? Do you really not know about the Yingjie Clan?" Kai was confused and surprised at the same time.


    "Should I?" She questioned.


    "It''s not like it''s one of the top Clans around or anything. On par with the Huan Clan, Zhai Family, Hong Family, or the Gong Clan." He responded sarcastically.


    "Am I supposed to know what those names are too?" She asked, completely confused about this entire situation. The boy only looked at her as if she was crazy.


    "I know mortals don''t know much about the cultivation world but aren''t you too ignorant?" Kai scratched his head.


    "Mortal? Are you not mortal or something?" She was getting irritated with his attitude.


    "Not since I was a child." He grinned before creating a ball of electricity in his hand.


    She jumped back from the supernatural act out of shock. Her eyes widened as she looked at the young boy who just created lightning from his fingertips.


    "Hehe. Amazing, isn''t it?" He tossed the ball into the air and juggled it.


    "How are you... No, wait! How is that even possible! Magic isn''t... But..." Everything about this situation seemed wrong. Nothing made any sense. Humans aren''t supposed to harness the powers of nature at their hands just yet! They haven''t reached that stage in tech---


    She suddenly gripped her head as a massive spike of pain struck her.


    "Whoa! Are you okay!? What''s wrong?" Kai tried to help her up.


    "I''m... fine..." She lied. "I just have a severe case of amnesia and don''t understand what the hell is going on." She shared.


    "Amnesia?" Kai didn''t know that word.


    "Memory loss. I don''t know who I am, where I am, and why I''m even here."


    "Well, I already answered the second question. I can answer that third one too. You''re here because I saved you from dying."


    "Thank you for that..." She adjusted her glasses and looked into his eyes.


    "I didn''t save you for a thanks." He giggled.


    "Then why did you save me?" She would like to know.


    "To become my servant!" He announced as if it was some huge great deal in becoming his servant.


    "No thanks, but I do appreciate your help in saving me from dying."


    "Pfft!" He suddenly burst out laughing. "Do you know how many women would kill to take your spot if I told them that very same thing?" Kai asked.


    "What does that have to do with me?" While she appreciated him saving her life, that didn''t mean she was willing to give her life to him.


    "I saved your life. That means you are indebted to me for the rest of your life. Get it?" Kai tried to explain simply.


    "No. Saving someone''s life doesn''t give you control over their life. In what world does that make sense? Oh hey, I did this one little act, now your entire future belongs to me. Hur dur." She mocked with a stupid tone.


    "You''re not right in the head." Kai insulted.


    "You''re kind of stupid too." She insulted back.


    "Now you''re calling me, stupid? You don''t even know your own name!"


    "You say it like that''s some fault of mine. That''s like blaming a blind person for being blind. You see how dumb you sound now?"


    "Shut up! You! Ugly girl!"


    "I''d rather be ugly than be an idiot any day."


    "Why did I even save you?! You ungrateful woman!"


    "I already said thanks for saving me. But you''re seriously messed up in the brain if you expect me to get on my knees, bow my head to you, and give you my life for saving me. Maybe I''ll give you a gift or something later when I get myself together but I''m definitely not being your servant."


    "Get yourself together? How could someone like you without any idea of how the world works with an appearance like that get anywhere? The only chance of you making it anywhere is 6 feet under!"


    "Maybe if I was a fool like a certain someone else, that would be the case."


    "You know if anyone else was in my place right now, you would''ve been smacked ten times now! You should be grateful that I''m such a kind and forgiving master!"


    "Pfft! You seriously think I''m going to be your servant with an attitude like that? How low is your IQ? How would saying something like that make me want to serve you at all? Oh, you should be happy I''m not beating your face in. I know some other people that would and you should be glad I''m not one of them." She mocked once again.


    "Liang!" Kai shouted.


    A white-haired middle-aged man came into the room with a sword on his waist. He was dressed in long robes and had a kind look on his face.


    "I''m afraid young lady, that you don''t really have a choice in the matter... If you want a better chance of living." Liang told her.

 Chapter 193 - 187: Michelle?

    "Why is that?" Hazel frowned at the man.


    "Because news of your status has already been spread among the clan." Liang informed.


    "And how does that affect me?"


    "You will be killed if you separate yourself from the Young Master."


    "What?" She chuckled and thought he was speaking nonsense just to scare her.


    "I''m pretty popular with the ladies. Many of those ladies wouldn''t mind killing you to take your place as my servant. So, if they happened to see you wandering about alone, well, you can say goodbye to any sort of future you wished to have." Kai grinned.


    "Was I seriously saved by a bunch of nutcases?" She muttered.


    "I understand your confusion and disbelief but this world isn''t forgiving just because you''re ignorant or logical. There are only two paths for you. Become Young Master Kai''s servant and grow strong enough to protect yourself from any assassinations or leave and be helplessly killed."


    "Yep yep. Only those two choices." Kai annoying added.


    "Ahuh... Just show me the way out already." She refused to believe them.


    "What?! Do you seriously not believe us!? You will die, you know!" Kai anxiously yelled.


    "I''ll take my chances. Just point me in the direction of the nearest city." She hoped these nut jobs would let her leave.


    "Fine! Go and die, stupid ugly girl! Show her to the city Liang!" Kai crossed his arms and turned away with a pout.


    Liang led her out of the Yingjie Clan and brought her to Yellow Jade City. She thanked him for showing her the way and ventured inside the city. He only looked at her with pity before turning away.


    Now that she was finally in a city surrounded by humans and no dangerous wild animals. After taking a second to realize that she has absolutely nothing to her name and wouldn''t be able to get far despite making it to civilization. The first thing she planned to do was get a job! Can''t be a productive member of society without contributing to it with some manual labor. She walked inside a blacksmith''s shop and rang the bell. There was no particular reason why she chose a blacksmith''s shop over any other shop. It was just that she had a feeling that a job like this wouldn''t be bad considering all the people carrying swords and other dangerous weapons around their waists and on their backs like it was the most normal thing in the world.


    Seriously! Even children were carrying around little swords of their own. Some were play fighting with each other with the swords while their fathers and uncles cheered and gave them advice for improvement. It was at that point that she thought that maybe this city wasn''t as civilized as she thought it was. Or maybe that was just her amnesia acting up. This could''ve always been normal and seen as civilized. She couldn''t remember anything about how society functioned, she only had a feeling that things were different from how she thought they should be.


    "What do you want girlie?" A bearded heavy-set man with a large gut and a hand-sized hammer in his hand greeted her.


    "Are you hiring? I''d like to work in your establishment." She got straight to the point.


    He looked at her with a look of disbelief before looking around. Then he walked from behind the counter and took a look outside the shop for some reason.


    "Aren''t you a little too old to be making jokes at your age?" A disappointed gaze found itself on her.


    "I''m not joking sir. I''d like to become a blacksmith or an apprentice." She told him.


    "So, you''re saying... You want to be a blacksmith over being a seamstress or something more ladylike?" He was confused why a young gal like her was even looking for a job.


    Didn''t she have a family or something to take care of her? Tengfei knew he wouldn''t have his daughter out and about looking for a job. He''d have her cleaning, cooking, and being at home while looking for a nice respectable man for her to marry and take care of her. Either this lass''s family situation is horrible or she''s nuts.


    "Yes sir." She nodded.


    "What''s your name, girlie?" Tengfei sighed, moving back behind the counter.


    "Uhh..." A name is required to fit into society. "Call me Michelle." Michelle told him.


    "What''s your real name, kid?" Tengfei asked again.


    "That is my real name." Michelle doubled down.


    "Fine." Tengfei didn''t wanna argue with her. If the kid wants to have a weird name who is he to stop her?


    "What do you know about metalwork? Your father did any smithing?"


    "I know absolutely nothing but I''m eager to learn!" Michelle lied about that last part with a big smile on her face.


    "What use are ya then!?" Tengfei shouted in an annoyed tone.


    "I could man the counter or clean up the back while watching you work. When you have the time, you could teach me how to work the metals and when you''re busy, I can just do other stuff. Eventually, I''ll be able to help you and lighten up your load." She tried to reason.


    "You think a little lass like you can handle working in a place like this for more than a week?" Tengfei chuckled.


    "I know so, sir." She didn''t really have any other options unless she wanted to sell her body. Which was not going to happen under any circ.u.mstance.


    "Fine, Mi-Michelle..." He still had issues trying to pronounce that name. "Get to sweeping." He handed her a broom.


    "Thank you for the opportunity..."


    "Tengfei. Boss Tengfei."


    "Thank you for the opportunity, Boss Tengfei!" Michelle gladly grabbed the broom and began sweeping the front area.


    "If anyone comes in just tell them to ring the bell." He told her before lumbering to the smithing area.


    "Yes, sir!" Michelle figured older men like spunky go-getters to work for them.


    She didn''t mind acting unlike herself for the job. Money made the world go round after all. With money, you were set. Without money, you are nothing. So, Michelle worked her tail off doing menial tasks around the shop for hours. By the end of the working day when the shop was about to close, Boss Tengfei handed her some silver coins in a small little bag. Michelle guessed this was the currency here.


    "You cleaned up well. Here some yuan for your work. Come back early in the morning tomorrow. I''m heading home." He said his goodbyes as he led her out of the shop.


    "Thank you so much Boss Tengfei!" Michelle shouted as he walked off in the distance.


    He didn''t have to pay her today but she guessed he figured out her dire circ.u.mstances. Hopefully, with this, she''ll be able to afford some food and a place to sleep tonight. Considering she had work tomorrow of probably the same thing she went through today. It would be for the best if she spent her money on food if she can''t do both. A full stomach is more important than a comfortable rest.


    Michelle found herself a decent reputable inn to spend the night at. Decent and reputable by having the least number of men and women with swords going into the building. She ordered a room for an entire week and spent most of her money. Skimping out on buying food for a week of comfortable rest! There was a reason for this sudden flip-flop of opinions.


    Sleeping outside in this unfamiliar, dangerous, and barbaric city with nothing but the money around her waist and the nice clothes that Kai''s clan clothed her with was not going to happen. Her broken sword from the forest was gone and she knew no other ways to protect herself. It was much safer to sleep inside this inn than somewhere on the streets even if she had to go hungry. Michelle thought it was scary enough just wandering through the city during the daytime! She couldn''t imagine how different it will be when the moon is up. Nighttime was the perfect time for low-lives, criminals, and sc.u.m to come out and do their business. Being the small and harmless little thing she was, she''d be devoured by them before she could even scream.


    So, Michelle made it to her room and sadly counted up her remaining coins before choosing to fall asleep. There wasn''t much else she could do right now. No books to read, no bathroom to take a bath in, just a room with a bed, covers, pillow, a window, and another room inside that led to a hole in the ground. She believed she knew what the hole was for but actively blocked it out of her mind because of how badly she wanted to reject it. Civilization seemed a lot less civilized than she felt it should be. The only difference between doing her business in the city and in the wild is that she doesn''t have to keep an eye out for any wild beasts and there are nice safe walls surrounding her.


    "Welp. Here''s to my new life, I guess. A future blacksmith goddess in the making..."


    As Michelle drifted off to sleep, it slowly became night. At the entrance of the inn, a man dressed in regular clothing walked inside. A shiny silver sword hung on his waist and his body radiating with elegance. It made the innkeeper quite nervous just looking at him, he figured this man must be a cultivator!


    "What can I help you with, respected sir?" The innkeeper asked.


    "Have you seen a dark-skinned girl coming into this establishment?" He asked plainly.


    "Yes, sir! She''s on the 2nd floor, room 215." He answered without pause.


    "Thank you." He walked past the innkeeper and pulled out his sword as he headed to the room.


    The innkeeper let out a breath of relief as it wasn''t his life that was in danger anymore. It sucked that that girl was going to die but it was better her than him! He had a family to raise and take care of. If she didn''t want to die, she should''ve never offended whoever that cultivator was.


    Once the cultivator made it to room 215, he easily broke into the locked room. With some not-so-silent footsteps, he made his way over to the sleeping girl. She was a heavy sleeper it seems. That was good for him. There wasn''t going to be much of a struggle.


    "I apologize but you must die for My Lady''s sake." He plunged his sword into the chest of the girl who suddenly opened her eyes and stared into his eyes. She reached out with her hands to grip the sword but it did nothing to prevent her from dying. In a matter of seconds, she passed away and Banbang exited the building after accomplishing his task.

 Chapter 194 - 188: Guess This Path Wasnt It..

    20th Life


    "What do you mean you haven''t seen a brown girl come in here? You dare lie to me, mortal?" Banbang unleashed his sword for anyone to see.


    "I swear upon my life that no brown girl has ever come into my inn! Please do not kill me! I have a family!" The innkeeper slammed his forehead on the floor of his dirty entrance.


    "Tch..." Banbang sheathed his sword before walking away. He must have walked into the wrong inn.


    Thanks to that lucky circ.u.mstance, Leah managed to live that night and go back to work in the morning as a blacksmith''s apprentice. The Innkeeper''s daughter was manning the counter earlier, so the Innkeeper was telling the truth. Days, weeks, and months passed as a simple apprentice to a blacksmith that wasn''t even the best in the city. Leah learned everything she could about metalworking and seemed to have some talent in forging according to Tengfei. It only took about 5 years before she surpassed him through nothing but hard work, constant learning, and the imagination to experiment and think out the box.


    Tengfei eventually passed on his shop to her after losing to her in a small little competition. Their competition took place for over a week in which both of them used their skills to make the best sword. As Leah has a general dislike for swords for some reason, she decided to change up her sword quite a bit into a unique shape. It curved at the end of the tip and had a crescent guard in front of the area where the wielder would hold the blade. She called them Hook Swords. While Tengfei created a sword that anyone would be able to identify as a regular sword.


    To test which weapon was better, Leah proposed the idea of having two martial artists fight with one another while using their created swords. Tengfei was fine with this idea but didn''t know who would want to do such a thing for free. Leah convinced her boyfriend to do it with his friend. They had no problems with doing it since they got to keep such awesome blades for themselves after the battle. So, both of them performed in the middle of the city using both Tengfei and Leah''s swords.


    Normally two weak cultivators wouldn''t bring much attention even in a city like Yellow Jade City where cultivators are treated almost like immortals. And they didn''t! Leah''s boyfriend lost in the fight because of how complex and how much skill her hook swords required to properly use. But Tengfei still declared it his loss. As a man and a respectable blacksmith, he knew the difference between their creations. There was no point trying to be stubborn. He taught the girl everything she knew. Using what he taught her, she began trying new things to become even better than he was. Soon, he was left in the dust but he didn''t give up just like that. He too began to learn from her and improve his old rusty skills some more.


    "Tch. I should''ve got someone more talented to try my hook swords..." Leah bit her fingernail in irritation.


    "I''m sorry, okay? I didn''t know if I had to slice, hook, or stab with these things. It''s so confusing." He held up the hook swords.


    "I''ll explain it to you later. Thanks for the help. Bye now." Leah turned away from him and stared at Tengfei.


    "Do I still get to keep the..."


    "Yes. Now go."


    "You oughta be nicer to the boy. Keep treating him like that, he might run away to a nicer gal who will support him and his dreams." Tengfei loudly laughed.


    "Aiming to be a cultivator is suicidal and stupid. It''s an impossible dream that leads to an early death for people like him. He has no resources, a weak spine, and little talent for cultivation. I don''t see why he still tries." Leah shook her head.


    "It''s every young man''s dream to become a powerful immortal lass. Roaming through the world without restriction. The freedom to do whatever you please whenever you want. It''s the ideal life!"


    "Complete and utter nonsense... What''s wrong with a simple and safe life?"


    "Isn''t your dream even more ridiculous than his though? All he wants to become is a powerful cultivator. You want to become the greatest blacksmith. I don''t think I need to tell ya, who''s dream is crazier."


    "Blacksmithing is different from actively defying the heavens. One doesn''t have a high chance of death every week and takes far less effort to make a living with." She logically explained.


    "Alright lass, whatever ya say. I know I won''t get anywhere trying to argue with a stubborn nut like yourself. Anyway, you can have my shop. My daughter recently got accepted at Emerald Grass Slaying Sect."


    "Oh, congratulations." Leah might have thought pursuing a career in cultivation was foolish and suicidal but that didn''t mean she thought all cultivators were idiots.


    "Staying here and taking care of her was all that was keeping me in this city. Now that she''s moved away, I''m doing the same."


    "Where are you moving?"


    "Grass City."


    "Well, thanks for the raggedy shop, I guess. Maybe if I hire a few contractors, I can expand the place a bit and make it into a more presentable shop."


    "Does it really look that bad?"


    "It''s probably the worst shop in the entire city and I''ve looked around. Small, ugly, and unimpressive. Now that I get a good look at it, I''ll probably have to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it anew." It was just that bad in her opinion.


    "Well, it''s yours now. Do whatever ya like, Leah." Tengfei couldn''t help but chuckle at her honesty.


    "Thanks for not turning me away that day all those years ago." Leah said with her back turned.


    "You know, I was really thinking about doing it too." He joked.


    "I''m glad you didn''t. Otherwise, I don''t think I would be here now. Maybe. Probably."


    "You''re welcome, kid. See ya around."


    "Be safe." She told him.


    "You too."


    Tengfei left Yellow Jade City and never returned after that day. Leah and her boyfriend, Aotian, lived a relatively peaceful life after that. Leah continued to practice and hone her blacksmithing skills while improving the shop to attract more customers. Until one day, she took on an apprentice of her own. Unlike how she was as an apprentice, her apprentice was a real pain in the rear. She considered firing him on several occasions just on the fact of how annoying he was alone! But never followed through on doing so because of his young age and desperate circ.u.mstances.


    Eventually, it came the time for Meng Bao, the apprentice, to make a sword of his own. It was shoddy work that Leah would never let hang up on the wall of her store but it was acceptable for his first time. Meng Bao thought otherwise. He believed it was a masterpiece and Leah was a stupid blind ugly hag for insulting his work. So, while she was out one day, he sold the sword to a customer at the same price that Leah would sell one of her weapons. Meng Bao didn''t understand why but Leah didn''t sell regular swords at her shop. A customer would need to place a custom order in if they wanted her to make a sword for them. Which would cost more money than just buying one of the long-handled axes on the wall or spears or knives.


    So, a few days later, Leah was met face to face with an angry customer who had no problems threatening her life and wrecking her shop for selling him a trash sword.


    "Do you know how I got this scar?! It''s because of this useless sword that I bought from here!" He angrily yelled while pointing to the carved x on his face.


    Sir. I''ve told you before that the weapon in your hand is not something that I''ve put up for sale. Every single one of my works has been etched with a signature of mine. Just take a look." She grabbed several of the weapons knocked on the floor from his tantrum and pointed to the signature with the letter L on each of them.


    Not that anyone understood what this letter was in this place but she did make it look cool. Mortals loved what cultivators thought was cool, strong, beautiful, or whatever. So Leah played with that to her advantage and had her cultivator boyfriend so some free advertising for her. By making a little show in front of her shop praising her L signature and how masterfully designed her weapon was, she got some nice new customers.


    "So, you''re calling me a liar?! A mortal woman like you is calling me, a cultivator, an immortal! A liar! I see. You truly don''t value your life, do you? Do you think I won''t kill you?" He was beyond belligerent at this point.


    Leah realized that there was no point trying to reason with someone like this. As a mortal through and through, there was no chance of her being able to escape or fight her way out of this. He was in front of the only exit of the shop and she had no way to get in contact with Aotian. It looks like even this career is dangerous. Even if you''ve done nothing wrong, cultivators are the deciders of life and death. If you upset them as a mortal, you can only pray that they don''t kill you.


    Unfortunately, Leah wasn''t one to accept her death peacefully. She was going to fight with everything she had. Even if she looked pathetic or retarded. It was better to die fighting than to accept an unjust, unreasonable, and completely stupid death! It pissed her off that this stranger was spouting off at the mouth at her with some nonsense and had the right to kill her at his whim! Nothing would happen to him after her death because she was just a woman and a mortal! Screw that! A small regret welled up in her heart upon realizing how powerless she was in this situation. Maybe if she was a cultivator something like this wouldn''t be happening in the first place.


    "I don''t think you''re a liar, sir. I just believe that a mix-up has occurred." Leah rested on her knees to the floor with a spear right next to her.


    "It''s too late for that. You should''ve been bowing and apologizing the second I walked into this trash shop! Pray that you''ll reincarnate in a better life and as a man this time!" He swung his sword down just as Leah was rising upward with the spear with a fierce glint in her eyes filled with rage.


    Her fantastically forged spear easily pierced through the man''s throat as her head went flying into the air. A pissed-off expression appeared on her face as her head landed next to the "trash sword" she supposedly sold to him. Engraved at the bottom of the blade was a familiar signature that she had a part in making, MB.

 Chapter 195 - 189: Jing. (Part 30)

    30th Life


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." Liang advised from the open window.


    Banbang''s blade stopped just above the girl''s b.r.e.a.s.ts as she continued to sleep. His eyes looked over to Liang sitting on the window sill with a calm look on his face. It was Yingjie Kai''s personal bodyguard. What was he doing here instead of protecting Kai? Did this girl really hold that much value that he would send someone like Liang just to protect her even after she refused to become Kai''s servant?


    "What would happen if I lower my blade some more?" Banbang asked while doing exactly what he was asking.


    "Do you really not value your life? You''re courting death!" Liang glared.


    From his shout, Hazel''s eyes sprung open as her legs kicked out at Banbang''s figure. Being the 8th stage Qi Gatherer he was, it was more than simple for him to dodge a mortal''s kick. But, Liang was even stronger than he was. And from the qi he was releasing from his body right now, it would be a very bad idea for him to try to do anything to this mortal right now.


    Hazel tried to kick the freak away only to push herself out of the bed! She couldn''t move the weirdo''s body even with all of her strength! After falling to the ground, she got up and looked around the room for the nearest object she could use as a weapon. Which happened to be the uncomfortable pillow that fell out the bed with her.


    "What the hell do you want?!" Hazel held the pillow in both of her hands like a weapon, looking at the still intruder.


    "I just wanted your life but it looks like my Young Lady won''t be getting what she asked." He sighed. "I''m leaving. Don''t kill me when my back is turned, please." Banbang requested to Liang.


    "Why did you want to kill me!? What did I even do!?" Hazel shouted, taking in the existence of Liang on the window.


    "You were an eyesore to my lady. She isn''t the only one who thinks so either." Then he left the room and walked down the hallway.


    "I suppose it was a good idea of Young Master Kai to have me follow you in secret. Otherwise, you would''ve died in your sleep." Liang muttered more to himself than the girl.


    "Isn''t that right!" Kai suddenly appeared in the front door with a smug look on his face. "Are you ready to become my servant now? I just saved your life, you know? Again! I might add!" He straightened his back and rose his nose.


    "Shut up! For just a second..." Hazel held the bridge in between her nose and forehead as she tried to take in everything that just happened.


    "You...! You...! You ungrateful woman!" Kai pointed his finger as his face grew red.


    She was about to die. No, she was going to die if it wasn''t for Liang. Why was she going to die? Because Kai told everyone that she was his servant. Kai was really special to a number of women for some reason. Sure, he was a handsome kid but killing her just because she was said to be his servant? Something about this situation didn''t make any sense and that bothered her.


    Nothing about this seemed reasonable and logical. That only infuriated Hazel even more. She hated things that she couldn''t understand when they should be easily understood. A person should understand why someone is trying to kill them. Hazel has nothing to her name at all! There was no value in killing her that she could see. But apparently, there was value in being a woman and being close to Kai. With that value, it gave a number of people a reason to want to kill her.


    "If I become your servant or whatever, will people stop trying to kill me?" Hazel asked.


    Kai turned his head as if he didn''t hear her say a thing. Hazel sighed and took a breath of air in an annoyed manner. Maybe if she thought of it as a babysitting job, dealing with him would be easier.


    "I''m sorry for yelling at you. Thank you for saving my life once again."


    "That''s more like it..." A smile soon returned to his face. "And nope. People will only want to kill you even more as my personal servant." He answered her.


    "Why in the hell would I want to become your personal servant then?" She didn''t understand.


    "Because Liang will personally teach you how to defend yourself." He explained.


    "Defend myself?"


    "Martial arts." Lightning generated around his fist with a crackle and pop.


    "It''s an opportunity few mortals ever get to have. It would be in your best interest to take it." Liang added.


    ''While learning supernatural martial arts sounds good and all, is it worth giving my life to some brat?'' Hazel tried to reason. "How often will I get paid?" She asked, this was the most important point for her.


    "Paid?" Kai questioned.


    "Money, cash, whatever is used to pay people here. I''m not going to work for you for free, even if you saved my life twice." Hazel broke it down in simpler terms for him.


    "Do I have to pay her?" Kai asked Liang.


    "It seems so if you truly wish for her to be your personal servant. If not, she will refuse and suffer multiple more attempts on her life." Liang said.


    "Why are you being so troublesome!? Don''t you understand that you will die if you don''t become my personal servant? You''re acting like a greedy merchant." Kai huffed angrily.


    "I only asked to be paid. I don''t see what you''re so angry about." Hazel figured learning super martial arts would be better than not learning them even if she wasn''t getting paid.


    She just added the getting paid part to see if he really would. There''s no reason why she shouldn''t try to get benefits to herself when possible. It looks like it was going to work out well in her favor as well with how hard little Kai was thinking over there.


    "Fine! I''ll pay you but you must listen to all of my commands like a servant should! And no calling me stupid either!"


    "Most commands and a place of my own to cook, sleep, and store my belongings, and we have a deal." Hazel added.


    "No! No! No! You''re trying to take advantage of me!"


    "How am I supposed to be a good servant for you if I can''t take care of my own health? Do you want your personal servant to be starving, sickly, weak, poor, and dirty? Imagine what everyone would say about me being your personal servant then."


    "Hmm... That doesn''t sound good..." Kai tried picturing her next to him in the future in that state. Flies flying around her, her body being all skin and bones, and snot leaking down her face. He wouldn''t want her around him like that at all. So, maybe it wouldn''t be a bad thing to let her have some things to take care of herself.


    "Fine but that''s it! You will become my personal servant who will be paid and given a proper house to clean yourself, cook for yourself, and rest. No more conditions!" Kai put his foot down.


    "Deal." Hazel nodded her head. ''Maybe I could''ve gotten a servant of my own if I asked...'' This kid is kind of a pushover.


    "Now follow me! Liang has a lot to teach you these next few months. The sooner you''re able to be useful to me, the better." Kai led the way out of the inn for her and Liang.


    "My name is Hazel." She included.


    "Yingjie Kai. Your new master." He was extra happy to include that second part.


    Liang stayed out of the Young Master''s dealing with Hazel. While he was generally displeased with Hazel''s attitude towards the Young Master, he was wise enough to realize that her relationship with him will only help him grow. By working as his personal servant, she will from time to time advise him and help him learn more about the world. As she seems to understand it well enough. They might come at odds from time to time but Liang believed this was only going to be a good thing for the future. As long as the girl had some talent for cultivation. If not, then all of this was a complete waste of time.


    The next several months of Hazel''s life was spent learning about the world, learning martial arts, and being put through insane, illogical torture sessions that were considered training lessons. A normal person wouldn''t have been able to survive the 8 months of learning she spent with Liang. However, Hazel had literally no other choice but to get through it, or she would die. Die during the training or die outside of training. Many of the things she thought were normal or common were soon hidden or tossed away as this world was nothing like she felt it should''ve been. She had to learn how to be merciless. How to be ruthless. How to be a killer. Several things she never would''ve thought about before taken in as Kai''s servant.


    "Is there a point to you taking a liking to that ridiculous sword over a regular one?" Kai asked.


    "Yes." Hazel answered without answering. Letting the silence hang for several seconds after replying to him.


    "Well?! What is it!?"


    "Does it really bother you to not know?" She asked.


    "Yes. Now tell me."


    "If you must know, I just like it more than a normal sword." Hazel cradled the freakishly tall sword in her arms.


    It was wrapped in a purple cloth and tied at the place where the handle would be. This sword was taller than any person and could barely fit inside most of the Yingjie Clan''s homes without being carried horizontally. Hazel was gifted this weapon after not finding any suitability with any of the other swords in the Yingjie Clan. None of the other clan members could use it long before being driven insane by its power and it took a lot of convincing by Kai to his parents, the leaders of the clan, to gift it to her, an outsider. Since that incident was a whole nother mess and then some, Hazel made sure she put the weapon to good use. And good use she has.


    Most of the Yingjie clan members that tried using the spirit weapon had very little luck in mastering it in combat. It was simply too long and was said to drive the wielder crazy! Finding the perfect distance to fight, knowing whether to slash and hack or use it like a spear because of its long length and just carrying it around! All of it played a part. Hazel refused to give up and continued to utilize this weapon to its highest potential. Many months went by of her sparring against Liang and constantly losing. She lost, and lost, and lost. There would be times where she felt like she should just give up and use a regular blade but she knew that''s exactly what everyone expected of her. Even Liang told her to give up and just use a normal sword.


    But she refused! Hazel had an innate dislike for regular swords that couldn''t be explained! So, she kept on because it was unique and she was stubborn. Every flaw in her swordsmanship that Liang mercilessly targeted with his sword was slowly corrected upon in each training session until those weaknesses were erased completely. Just getting her swordsmanship to an acceptable level took five months. Now came the part of improving it to the next level. Which she heard from Liang was a lifelong journey for a swordsman. Her current goal was to find a high-ranked sword martial skill for herself.


    "I should''ve never given you that thing..." Kai regretted asking her in the first place now.


    "I think it suits me quite well." Hazel smiled, rubbing her sword against her cheek.


    "Ugh. Whatever. I''m just happy you finished the training before the Nine Swords Sect recruitment test started. Now let''s go before we''re late." Kai got up from his seat.


    "We should stop by the Clan Head before we go. He might give us useful items that could help us during the test." Hazel recommended.


    "Tch, like I''d need help from that old man. I''m a genius, after all. I''ll pass easily."


    "Are you stupid, Master Kai?" Hazel asked simply.


    "Excuse me?!"


    "Do you really think the Nine Swords Sect is short on geniuses? What geniuses haven''t they seen before? It would be better to prepare for the unexpected than to expect things will turn out in our favor." Hazel advised.


    "Uuuugggghhhh! Okay! I''ll ask for a few things from my Old Man! Will that make you happy?!" He shouted.


    "I''m only concerned about your safety, Master Kai." Hazel said with a smile that the both of them knew was fake.


    "So annoying..." Kai crossed his arms and made his way to his father and mother to tell them the news.


    "As your personal servant, it''s my duty to think about your wellbeing."


    "Shut up! I get it already!"

 Chapter 196 - 190: The Journey Ahead.

    Hazel traveled alongside Kai next to her on their way to the way the recruitment test of the Nine Swords Sect. On her back was her incredibly long sword that she was slowly taking out of its sheath. Kai heard her taking off the cloth on the swords and was confused for a moment before taking a look in their surroundings. After sensing the presence of several figures stalking them, he soon stopped her. He also didn''t want to feel that disgusting qi of that sword of hers so early in their journey. It would leave him in a bad mood the entire walk there.


    "Stop. Just let them follow. We''ll deal with them if they decide to hinder us." Kai ordered.


    "Aren''t you merciful?" Hazel responded sarcastically before wrapping her sword back up. She was excited to finally put her training to the test. It wasn''t like she was going to kill them. If she could help it that was.


    This sword was more of a cursed sword rather than a spirit weapon in her opinion but it fills both roles well. It sapped the sanity of the user but brings their body to its full potential. When using it, it feels like her mind and body are broken free of the locks that are innately placed on all human beings. Complete freedom to think and use her body in whatever way she pleased. Neither Liang nor the Clan Head, Kai''s father, understood how she could remain sane for as long as she has with the blade when no one from the clan could handle using it for more than a month. Hazel didn''t either but she sure as hell wasn''t letting it go anytime soon.


    "What do you think the test will be like?" Kai asked.


    "A straightforward one. A righteous sect like the Nine Swords Sect wouldn''t have anything too complicated. Probably going to test our talent, strength, and combat ability. That''s all I can think of them doing." Hazel answered.


    "Sounds like it''s going to be a piece of cake then." Kai was relieved.


    "Hmm? What makes you think that?" Hazel was confused how he came to that conclusion.


    "What''s there to worry about if they are just testing those three things?" Kai was confused what she was questioning.


    "Master Kai, you don''t seriously believe that you are number 1 throughout the heavens, do you?" She looked at him as if he was stupid.


    "Don''t look at me like that! I''m not stupid!" He shouted. "Give me a second to think..."


    "I said no such thing." Hazel smiled as he began thinking for himself about what could be difficult about the test.


    "I know what you were thinking with that look and I''ve already got it! What if I had to face off against someone just as talented as I was? Then just relying on my talent wouldn''t be enough. I''d have to rely on my wits and skills." Kai answered.


    "Not bad. You can use your brain to think." She complimented him. "But have you thought about the reason why these people started following us as soon as we left the clan grounds? Who they are?" Hazel continued her questioning. "If you can''t provide a satisfactory answer, I''ll cut them down in the next 10 seconds." Better to be safe than sorry after all.


    Unless they had significant backgrounds, which would make her question why someone with an important background would be following them in the first place, she would deal with them. Either they were after her life, Kai''s life, or would have something to gain from their deaths. None of the Yingjie Clan said they would follow them but Hazel wasn''t na?ve enough to believe something like that. To let the golden child of their clan on his own with just her by his side? The Yingjie clan hated her but they respected her loyalty. If it wasn''t for the stubbornness of Kai, she would''ve already been killed by the clan. So, they must have placed a very strong cultivator to watch over them since she couldn''t sense them. This was reassuring but at the same time not.


    Her life would not be saved if an emergency happened, only Kai''s. If anything, they might''ve been given the order to let her die if anything does happen just so that she was finally out of the way. Like she said before, Hazel was not well-liked in the Yingjie Clan. Her attitude, her appearance, her mysterious background, the way she walks, how she talks, how intelligent she was. Everything she did was criticized and picked apart by the Yingjie Clan. Hazel had no love or forgiveness for the Yingjie Clan. If they weren''t the reason why she was as strong as she is now, she would...


    Actually, she was still going to exterminate the clan when she gets strong enough. They bothered her far too much to consider keeping them alive. Only Liang and Kai would be spared. Liang might be harder to spare as he isn''t as dumb as Kai. Weaving a lie for Kai to believe would be easy enough.


    "Of course, I know who they are and why they''re following us! They''re followers of other clans or noble families sent to keep an eye out on me to report back to their masters." Kai confidently answered in only two seconds.


    "And leaving them alive will benefit you how, Master Kai?" Hazel asked as if she was talking to a five-year-old.


    "Fine!" Kai already knew that leaving them alive would be a pain in the ass. He just didn''t want to feel her disgusting sword''s qi so early in the morning. "Take care of them and make it quick. I don''t want to be around that sword for too long when it''s not covered." He ordered.


    Inwardly, a wide grin appeared on Hazel''s face as the command was given. Just as she tossed off the spiritual cloth on the sword and got ready to dash forward, the watchers instantly took off to a further distance. This didn''t stop Hazel though. As the sword that was more than 3 meters long was finally unleashed from its bindings, it immediately infused its power with its beloved wielder. Releasing a wave of malicious, hostile, and disgusting qi into the surroundings.


    Kai watched as Hazel silently took off towards the observers. With the strength given to her by the cursed sword, it easily allowed her to catch up to them and combat them. He was happy that they ran so far away. Now he didn''t have to feel that sword anymore. But he was upset at the same time too. Why did he, the master, have to wait on his servant? And why the hell was his servant doing things on her own without his command?


    Multiple times his family has told him to properly train her as his servant. Beat her when she didn''t listen, punish her when she didn''t do an adequate job, and more but he never did any of those things. It wasn''t that he''s never tried. It was just that it never worked. All of his attempts were met with violent rejection. If he slapped her, she slapped him. If he punched her, she kicked him in the balls. If he ran to get Liang to help him punish her, she would sneak into his room when he slept and ambush him!


    It was like they were equals and she was only acting the part of his servant so that his family wouldn''t execute her! From time to time, he really questioned what she thought about him. Did she see him as her master or just an equal? Kai wondered why has he allowed this to go on for so long but deep down, he knew why. Finding a replacement for Hazel wouldn''t be hard. Women would be coming out in droves for the chance of being by his side.


    But Hazel wasn''t like those women. She was different... His talent, his looks, his background, she didn''t care about any of that. Hazel focused on who he was as a person, separate from the Yingjie Clan. The woman gave no care to the difference in their status. Treating him like a silly little brother rather than a master that deserves and demands respect from her. It went against everything he was raised to believe and it didn''t feel all that bad. Having a friend that respects you, argues with you, and is willing to talk to you on the same level is nice.


    During the time Hazel was getting trained by Liang, he did attempt to search for friends after they had a particularly nasty fight. Him with a black eye on the right side of his face, and her with a black eye on the left side of her face. He was forced to beg his annoying Old Man to have her not executed. But besides that, he realized that trying to make friends wasn''t anything like it was with Hazel. All the other clan kids only cared about sucking up to him and getting on his good side. They would never disagree with him even if he said something as ridiculous as, "Tigers are just dogs with claws." What they saw in him wasn''t a person but a tool to use to benefit themselves.


    He was sure that Hazel was doing the same but he could tell that she actually cared about him. Those people he tried to recruit as his friends only cared about him as a means to improve their own lives. After rejecting them as potential friends, he began to look at Hazel in a new way. She might''ve been annoying, ugly, fierce, and sharp with her tongue but she looked at him in a way that no one else did.


    "I''ve returned." Hazel slowly walked towards Kai with her sword wrapped and her body completely free of blood.


    "Let''s get a move on already." He turned and crossed his arms with a small smile. "Such an annoying servant."


    "It was the smart thing to do." Hazel wanted to make sure he knew that.


    "Whatever."

 Chapter 197 - 191: Stupid Barbarians...

    "Welcome potential disciples to the Nine Swords Sect Recruitment Test!" A small figure shouted to the thousands of young men and women below.


    Her voice permeated loudly into the ears of the crowd through the use of qi. Hazel was surprised to see the barely discernable pint-sized person up there. Qi was an amazing phenomenon capable of miraculous things. To think that reverting someone''s age or appearance was possible. That was what she believed when looking at the tiny figure up those steps. Maybe that why was all the old people in the Yingjie Clan looked so young. Somehow, qi had an effect on one''s body and made them look or stay younger longer.


    "For the first part of the Recruitment Test, you all will have your talent measured by this talent-measuring rock! All you have to do is give it your strongest punch or kick and it''ll do the rest. Now come on up, we have quite a few of them for all of you. You''ll know if you passed or failed just by the reaction of the rock." She informed.


    And as if that was the call for the start of the race, the people started running up the grand staircase leading up the sect. Hazel pulled back on Kai''s robes to stop him from getting caught up with the rest of the overeager people.


    "What''s the big deal, Hazel!? They''re going to get noticed first if we don''t hurry!" He jerked himself out of her grip.


    "It is not a race. Why are you in such a rush? Do you think the Nine Swords Sect would be lacking in talent-measuring rocks? Are you assuming that you would somehow gain more attention or focus by the sect if you''re the first one up those stairs to get your talent measured?" She questioned him, as she always did when he was about to do something stupid.


    "Tch! So annoying!" He slowed himself down and calmly walked behind the racing disciples.


    "The Nine Swords Sect isn''t a sect that would allow themselves to miss out on talents even if they''re the last to get their talent measured. Plus, we get to avoid that massive brawl that''s about to break out on the stairs." Hazel smiled.


    "Brawl? I don''t see anyone brawling."


    "GAH!" A disciple came flying down the stairs from above them.


    It was only an educated guess on Hazel''s part. When you have this many overeager young people in one place all going for the same thing. It''s only a matter of time before violence breaks out. That is also something she learned during her eight-month training period. The "civilized" people in this place seemed to love violence, fighting, and power. But Hazel understood why. Power was basically everything here. There seemed to be little care for rules, laws, and the such. Because with power, you can skip out on those things! Why care about anything when you can punch it to death or slice it to death with a sword?


    ''Stupid barbarians...'' Hazel thought to herself as she saw the thousands of men and women fighting to the death just to punch some rocks.


    "Oi! Who just touched my ass!? I''ll kill you and all 10 generations of your family''s ancestry!"


    "You dare place your hand on a member of the Boling Family?! You''re courting death!"


    "Hahahaha! I''ll get my talent measured first! I''ll cut down anyone that stands in front of me!"


    "I see why you stopped me now." Kai spoke.


    Fire, lightning, water, wind, earth, swords, fists, legs, and more were included in that fight ahead of them. Even walking behind them on the steps was dangerous! Some of the disciples included in that battle were an even higher cultivation stage than himself! It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that he could lose his life just by standing close to those eager people. So, as a precaution, both him and Hazel walked back down the steps until they felt safe enough to keep walking behind that mess.


    "My arm! How the f.u.c.k am I going to punch the rock without my dominant arm, you pieces of shit!?" A disciple roared out in rage after losing his arm to a passing wind blade.


    "You can kick, you bastard. Quit crying and get out of the way!"


    "Who dares to stand in front of this Daddy when he has his big long sword in hand?!"


    The disciple who lost his arm went on a rampage after losing his arm. In his rage, his skin began to emit steam and turn dark red like a demon. He soon began to wildly lash out at anyone nearby to cripple them in any way he could, just like he was. In no time, he was kicked down the stairs by someone far higher than him in the cultivation stages and his eyes landed on Hazel and Kai.


    It was Hazel''s first time seeing someone with a bloodline. She would''ve loved to find out more about him but Kai had other plans. The bloodline cultivator leaped towards them and Kai killed him. He covered his hand in lightning before shoving his fist through the chest of the red man and tossing his corpse down the stairs. Hazel was disheartened to see that but thinking about it again, now wasn''t the time for such a thing anyway. Finding another bloodline cultivator shouldn''t be too hard once they get accepted into the sect.


    "Trash." Kai grinned as they continued walking up the stairs.


    Hazel was honestly impressed by the savages still fighting. Even knowing that they could lose their lives or get crippled, they continued to fight with one another. While more than a few started running down the stairs once they felt their life was in danger, many more didn''t have the choice to flee. All of this fighting was literally for nothing! Nowhere did the elder state that only a certain number of people would get to have their talent measured. Being first or last didn''t matter at all! It was complete insanity. And if the people around her age were like this, Hazel couldn''t imagine a large group of a.d.u.l.t cultivators aiming for something.


    This also made Hazel question something. Where in the hell were the elders? Why weren''t they putting a stop to this or at least making sure people weren''t dying? Did they not care about them until they were officially accepted into the sect? It seems so. That kid elder was nowhere to be seen anymore.


    It only took over 5 hours before the remaining survivors made it to the top of the stairs. Ignoring all the fighting, the stairs themselves were very large. These stairs led to the mountaintop that the Nine Swords Sect was housed at. So, mountain-sized stairs in length. Even if a majority of the disciples weren''t fighting to the death to get to the top, it still would''ve taken considerable time. There was also the factor of pacing one''s self so that they didn''t wear themselves out before getting to the talent-measuring rock. This didn''t factor in when talking about the fighting disciples who didn''t care about that at all.


    Hazel and Kai were one of the last disciples to make it to the top. Kai was still somewhat upset about being one of the last to show his talent but Hazel placated him by telling him that most people save the best for last. It''s why most cultivators hide their most dangerous techniques instead of using them at the start of the battle. This was a good enough reason for him. He did think he was one of the best.


    "You are allowed to use martial arts if it helps you bring out your full strength but no weapons are allowed." An elder informed them.


    Kai smirked as lightning zapped around his fist. With a casual punch, the rock lit up with a bright yellow light before dimming. A big smile popped up on the elder''s face once he saw this. Everyone who was staring over at them because Kai was a famous youth, learned that yellow light meant good. None of them were surprised to see him almost be escorted away into the giant entrance of the sect but he refused his goodwill and stayed to watch Hazel''s results.


    "Why is someone as talented as Yingjie Kai interested in someone like that?"


    "Ah, you must not have heard but that''s actually Yingjie''s personal servant. For some reason, he keeps an ugly woman like her around and no one knows the reason why."


    "I wouldn''t be able to handle having someone like that next to me every day. She''s simply too hideous!"


    "Several women from high-ranked clans and noble families have tried courting Yingjie but he refused all of them. Many people began to think that she''s the cause of it and Yingjie is in love with her."


    "Really!?"


    "Shhh! Don''t let Yingjie hear you!"


    "Talented people really have such weird tastes..."


    Hazel made sure to remember the two of their faces before getting started on her rock. While she practiced swordsmanship, she also practiced a fist art in case she was ever disarmed somehow. Her skill in the Earthen Core Fist wasn''t anywhere close to her mastery of her sword but that was normal. It was impossible for her to focus on two different paths of martial arts. But it was good enough to get by in Liang''s opinion.


    Many eyes were now focused on her because of Kai''s focus on her. She didn''t let this affect her mentally or physically despite their many comments about her appearance. If she could survive the Yingjie Clan''s obscene and rude behavior towards her for eight continuous months, this was nothing in comparison. Hazel placed her sword on her back and got into her martial stance.


    Unlike how most fist martial arts utilize mainly the fist, Earthen Core Fist used more than just the fist. It used the entire body. Hazel''s palms were faced towards herself with her right leg forward and left leg back. Legs bent as she slowly inched towards the human-sized black rock. With a deep breath, she attacked on the exhale. Her right foot stomped the ground with a sizable crack in the ground before moving forward with her elbow covered in stone. Hazel struck the rock with her rock-covered elbow and then moved back as it lit up with a blue light.


    "Hmm..." The elder wasn''t as impressed by this. He walked over to Hazel. "Show me your sword skills." He demanded.


    "Yes." Hazel had a feeling he was giving her a second chance.


    And she would be right. The only reason he didn''t fail her on the spot was because of Yingjie Kai''s interest in her. She must hold a special place in his heart for him to stay by her side instead of moving on to the second portion of the test. However, if she wasn''t able to show sufficient swordsmanship, he would have to fail her regardless. Even if someone as talented as Yingjie refused to be accepted along with her.


    Hazel didn''t unsheathe her sword and simply grabbed it by the handle. The elder''s eyebrows rose as this but she didn''t let it get to her. Her swordsmanship was something she was quite proud of. She readied herself to showcase the results of all her training.


    "Remove the cloth." Kai ordered.


    "You think it''s necessary?" Hazel questioned.


    "Just do it." He said in an annoyed tone.


    "Yes, yes, Master Kai." Hazel did as he said and as soon as she removed the sheath, the chattering came to a close and a serious look came on the elder''s face.

 Chapter 198 - 192: It Was That Easy?

    The maniacal overbearing aura of the sword freely spread through the crowd. Knowing that her sword could possibly affect the other cultivators, she decided to use her strongest slash right off the bat. Her small body spun as her sword sliced through the air with cruel laughter before slashing right through the talent-measuring rock. Quickly placing the spirit cloth back over her blade, she looked towards the elder to see what his take on it was.


    He was currently inspecting the cut of Hazel''s attack. Everyone watching was still stunned after feeling the demonic aura of Hazel''s sword. Yes, demonic. Fushai, the elder judging the accuracy and deadliness of the female disciple''s cut, recognized that foul aura anywhere. Somehow, she was able to resist the temptations of a demon sword at her age. Just that fact alone would make every single elder inside Nine Swords Sect interested in her.


    The Nine Swords Sect was the strongest righteous sect in the Evergreen continent. Their main goal lied in eradicating all demons and threats to humanity. From time to time, they would encounter demons and objects embedded with demonic qi. These particular objects were on par with earth, sky, and heaven-ranked spirit tools. Making them quite difficult to destroy. Putting them to good use by giving them to cultivators didn''t work either as they directly corrupted any normal human or cultivator and turned them demonic. While some managed to resist the temptation of the demon qi, eventually it would catch up with them in times of peril. Not many had the willpower to resist power on the verge of death. Many were willing to throw away their humanity for the sake of living once again with even more power.


    But for some reason, this girl wasn''t corrupted at all by the demonic qi. She didn''t look like she was carrying any burden on her soul, body, or mind. Like a completely normal girl. This girl... Had to be brought to the Sect Leader as soon as possible! Maybe with her, they could transform her into the ultimate trump card against demons! At the very least, she''ll be able to put their captured demonic tools to good use or destroy them!


    "Congratulations on becoming a Core Disciple of the Nine Swords Sect! What is your name?" Fushai asked with a kind respectful tone.


    "Hazel?" It was that easy? Maybe listening to Kai sometimes isn''t a bad thing.


    "Please follow me Hazel! You can call me Elder Fushai. Everyone else, continue your testing or move on to the second test area already." He dismissed everyone else as his eyes focused only on Hazel.


    "See ya later? I guess?" Hazel waved goodbye to Kai as she was brought into the Nine Swords Sect.


    "Hmph! I''ll be in there with you in no time! Don''t think you''re getting ahead of me!" Kai shouted to her.


    "Directly made straight into a Core Disciple?! Is her swordsmanship that terrifying!?"


    "Didn''t you feel that aura from her sword? I never felt anything like it in my whole life!"


    "I''m still shaking from it!"


    "This sword strike is too profound! I cannot glean anything from it at all!" Someone cried out in frustration.


    "It barely looks like she cut it at all..."


    From a distance, the talent-measuring rock looked like it was still in one piece. But when one inspected the rock up close, they would see an incredibly thin line going from the left to the right of it. If someone pressed with enough force on the rock, it would easily tip over and reveal that it was successfully cut in half. Kai kicked over the rock in frustration and pride. Who told his servant to become so impressive that she would start to steal attention from him? Now he''s going to have to become a Core Disciple too by showing everything he had in this test.


    Fushai brought Hazel deep into the sect. He was taking her straight to the Sect Leader to report on her unusual talent never seen before in all of the thousands of years of the Nine Swords Sect glorious history. If she was lucky, she was going to be trained under the Sect Leader himself. If she was unlucky, she would be made a Core Disciple of a Head Elder. Both of which were still incredibly lofty positions for a recently joined disciple.


    Hazel was taken inside a gigantic hall that she felt would be more suitable for 7m to 10m humans instead. She felt like an ant inside this luxurious place. Majestic art lined the walls, furniture that would cost a normal mortal more than they could ever afford even in three lifetimes, and from time to time strange elders would be roaming about muttering things like justice, swords, or women. All of it was a new and unfamiliar feeling. Being treated as she had value and was worth something. Certainly not a feeling she ever felt inside the Yingjie Clan.


    "Sect Leader! I have important news to share with you!" He gave a deep bow and pushed Hazel''s head down too.


    She was irritated by it but nevertheless, couldn''t really resist an elder this powerful. She would just remember it for the future and pay him back at a later date. Before her head was pushed down, the Sect Leader was sitting very high up on a throne-like chair. At a glance, their figure looked similar to the child-like one she saw earlier before the start of the stair test.


    "Go ahead." Their voice was high-pitched too.


    "This disciple is able to resist the effects of demonic qi." He stated short and sweetly.


    ''Demonic qi?'' Hazel had no idea what he was talking about.


    "Oh... Is that right?" A smile formed on their face as they began to look at the Qi Gatherer with a little more interest.


    "Correct! Hazel, would you mind wielding your sword?" He asked, releasing his hand from her head.


    She glared at him in irritation before doing as he asked. It wasn''t like she had a choice in a situation like this. The only thing she hoped was that something bad wouldn''t come out of this. Hazel easily held on to her sword as it flaunted its aura around her. Its power flowing through her body with ease and comfort.


    The demonic qi went to every single part of Hazel''s body and nourished it with demonic qi, hoping to turn her into a demon eventually. It was a living force but at the same time, it was not. As it wasn''t capable of realizing that Hazel was somehow immune to the effects of its demonic qi and actively took advantage of it by strengthening her inner organs and body with it. But it tried and tried again, tirelessly without stopping to convert her.


    Hazel''s eyes glowed a dark shade of purple and anyone within 100 meters should be able to sense her. Fushai and the Sect Leader both watched her calmly stand there. Not reacting in the slightest to the obscene amount of demonic qi flowing through and around her. Both of them could clearly see that her soul was undisturbed by the energy in the slightest. Which didn''t make any sense to either of them.


    "You." The Sect Leader called out to her. "Hazel, was it? Hold this for me." A large brown gourd came slowly levitating down towards her.


    "Okay?" Hazel grabbed the object with both of her hands and suddenly felt a massive increase in strength flowing through her body.


    Immediately, she dropped to her knees on the ground with her eyes closed to gain as much as she could from this influx of energy. Both hands still tightly gripped around the gourd as it began unleashing a deathly wail. From the inside of the gourd, a tiny black creature with sharp claws, an arrow-shaped tail, and a mouth filled with many dagger-like teeth crawled out. It stared at Hazel who was deep in meditation and hissed at her.


    Neither the Sect Leader nor Fushai could''ve expected its reaction next. The demon spawn made a small leap and crawled onto Hazel''s face before licking it. After doing that strange action, an uncountable number of similar demons started to crawl out of the gourd. All of them crawled onto Hazel''s body as if her body was the most suitable place for staying to them. Then, once all of them covered every inch of her body, they sunk into it.


    "Interesting..." The Sect Leader was the only one capable of processing what happened. Fushai was completely lost.


    "What just happened...?" He asked.


    "They''ve nested inside her like parasites. She''s become the new home for the demons." The Sect Leader casually explained.


    "Does that mean she''s a demon now?"


    "Well, look at her. How does her soul look?"


    "It still looks normal... but that doesn''t make any sense... How can..." Fushai was at a loss for words.


    "Completely incomprehensible. I know!" The Sect Leader laughed at the freakish young girl.


    "Any normal person would''ve been torn apart or turned into a terrifying demon by now!" Even he, an elder at the 4th stage of the Earthly Immortal realm, was freaked out by this girl!


    The gourd was now completely free of demons and now any person could use it as well! She didn''t just absorb the demonic qi, she can completely control it without losing herself to it! With this girl in their sect, it looks like the time for demons has come to an end. As long as she''s properly taught, she will no doubt, bring a new age to the Nine Swords Sect!


    "I will take her as my personal disciple." The Sect Leader announced.


    "Understood! Should I return back to the recruitment test?" Fushai asked.


    "Yes, that''s fine. Just leave her here. I''ll watch over her." The Sect Leader waved them away.


    "I''ll be leaving now." Fushai bowed before walking away.

 Chapter 199 - 193: Time Has Passed.

    "I wasn''t really expecting something like this to happen when I came here..." Hazel looked down at the little girl with loose clothes and a common sword hanging on her waist.


    "What exactly were you expecting?" She flashed a small grin.


    "Nothing like this, that''s for sure."


    "You aren''t aware of the true potential of your ability. It''s only normal for you to be confused." She shared.


    "Is it safe for me to absorb all this demonic qi? I''m breaking through very quickly. Isn''t this bad for my foundation or whatever?" Hazel remembered Liang talking about something like that.


    "Eh, don''t worry about that. You got me here. I''m pretty strong so, there isn''t much I can''t fix." She gloated.


    "Well, okay." She shrugged as she continued to absorb and pocket some of the demonic weapons inside the Nine Swords Sect vault.


    The gourd from earlier was now strapped to her back. This thing was able to suck up things like a storage ring and take it to a pocket space but unlike a storage ring, this could take in living objects, can speed up, slow down, or stop time inside the pocket space, and be used as a weapon! As the sect leader''s fourth but only living disciple, she was allowed to keep more than she should''ve. For the rest of the spirit tools she couldn''t take, they would be given to the elders or disciples that contribute heavily to the growth of the sect or its prestige.


    "What now?" Hazel asked after cleansing all the demonic objects.


    "Now I train you until you''re ready to be exposed to the world."


    "How long will that take?"


    "100 years if you''re talented."


    "I don''t think I want to be the sect leader''s sole disciple anymore." Hazel wasn''t looking forward to training for 100 years but then again, wouldn''t she basically be invincible at that point?


    She sure hoped so, because the look the Sect Leader was giving her wasn''t a look that said she could step back from this.


    "Call me Master Mao. And don''t worry, all three of my other disciples died during their training but that''s because they decided training was too much and they wanted to explore the world instead before completing their training. You should be fine as long as you don''t think about running away before I say you''re ready." She casually waved while walking forward.


    "Just had to pick the unique sword..." Hazel cursed as she followed behind.


    Fortunately, Master Mao had a change of heart about 5 years in. After hundreds and thousands of foiled escape attempts by Hazel, one day, there was no need to anymore. Master Mao realized that holing her up inside the sect for so many years wouldn''t be the best for her to develop into a proper Daoist. According to Master Mao, she needed to experience the good, the bad, and the ugliness in the world. So, she sent her off as a Corpse Collector for the sect and told her not to return until she''s strong enough to beat her or was being chased by countless pursers strong enough to force the Nine Swords Sect into action.


    "The Sect Leader sounds pretty fickle." Kai said, journeying alongside her.


    Both Kai and Hazel have developed into proper young a.d.u.l.ts under the guidance of the Nine Swords Sect. Kai looked much more mature and handsome now that he''s gained some teachings under a Head Elder. His shoulders were a bit broader, his jaw squarer and firmer, and his body was lean and filled with muscle. A sword hung around his waist but everyone that knew him knew it was more of an accessory rather than his true choice of weapon. Which were his fists! But this did not mean he held no knowledge of sword techniques, it was just that his master would beat him upside the head till he turned stupid if he didn''t.


    Hazel hasn''t seemed to have changed much in the five years she spent with the Sect Leader. At least, outwardly that is. She''s grown somewhat fuller in the chest and behind while her face and petite frame didn''t look like they changed at all. If you asked Kai, he would say that she hasn''t changed at all in his opinion. Whether he thought this was a good thing or not was an entirely different matter.


    "You haven''t changed all that much, huh? Still the same ole attention seeker from before." Hazel gave a small grin.


    "Unlike you, who basically went missing for five years with no contact with anyone, I actually made some friends and acquaintances." He crossed his arms.


    "Oooh. Master Kai has finally made some friends? You learned how to socialize with your peers and treat them as equals? No looking down on them as peasants or trash?" She responded in an amazed tone.


    "Shut up you annoying woman! Maybe you should''ve stayed hidden away for 95 more years! You clearly haven''t changed at all!" He shouted.


    "I''ve changed. Just look at me. Don''t I look like a mature woman?" Hazel gave an arrogant pose with her sword.


    "You look like someone gave a child a sword that was too big for them and now they think they''re the greatest swordsman in the world."


    "Tch. What do you know? Obviously, a little boy like you wouldn''t have eyes for anything." She clicked her tongue, annoyed at his answer.


    "Who are you calling little!? I''m taller and bigger than you now!" He was an entire head above her now. If he wanted to crush her, he would be able to completely envelop her body in his.


    "Not mentally or spiritually." She gloated.


    "Like you can even measure something like that."


    "It''s obvious for anyone with a brain." Hazel continued to boast.


    "Whatever. Tell me how you passed ahead of me in cultivation. Last I remembered, you were completely mediocre in cultivation." Right now, Hazel was a 9th stage Core Stage cultivator.


    "Do you really have to ask?" She rolled her eyes.


    "Just tell me already!" Kai was a 7th stage Core Stage cultivator.


    "The Sect Leader, duh." She answered without answering.


    Kai took a second to think before responding, "That makes sense. The Sect Leader of a sect like this would be able to turn trash into a diamond." He nodded his head.


    "Trash?" Hazel raised her index finger up into the sky.


    Suddenly, the ground underneath Kai''s feet rose and sent him off his feet to the ground. Hazel laughed at his dirtied figure with no remorse. Calling someone like her trash, he deserved it. While she wasn''t the most talented doesn''t mean he gets the right to call her trash. She mostly lashed out because it''s what her master said about her talent too.


    "You wanna go, darkie!?" Kai jumped up to his feet and balled his fists.


    "Eh, you''re mad? You''re seriously pissed? Over a little joke?" She looked at him as if he was wrong for being upset. "Such a child." Hazel shook her head in disappointment.


    "I''m not a little kid anymore! You can''t trick me anymore!" He rushed at her.


    A slight warmth came to her heart seeing that she couldn''t easily fool him anymore. It looks like the time in the Nine Swords Sect without her didn''t make him worse. At least, from what she can see now. His soul, heart, and body were all incredibly pure. Hopefully, it would stay that way. Besides Kai and Liang, there weren''t many people for her to think or wonder about in the five years of training with her master.


    "I guess not." She rose her hands in defeat as he came rushing at her, leaving herself completely open to be hit.


    Seeing her so defenseless sucked away his conviction and drive to punch her out of him at a rapid pace. Once he was only two steps away from her, he dropped his fists and looked into her eyes. Behind the clear blue eyes of his, she could see something else. Something he was hiding from her?


    "Why did you leave me by myself...?" He turned away as he asked this.


    "Master Kai, you know I didn''t have much of a choice..." Hazel hugged the poor boy who''s been on his own for five long years. A boy with little social skills, no companions to socialize with, and little to no support from his family.


    She tried to get in contact with him for all of those years. Hazel wasn''t some soulless shell of a person, she too had nights where she thought of Kai. All of those escape attempts would lead to her eventually meeting up with him at least once. He was the first friend she ever made and probably only friend now that she thought about it. Unless she counted her master, who was annoying but stupidly strong.


    "Do you know what I had to go through...? Without you?" He sobbed.


    "No. I don''t. But I''m here now. I won''t leave you on your again, Master Kai." She ruffled his hair taking in his now manly scent.


    "If you try and leave me again, I''ll kill you... Only the master can dismiss his servant. The servant can''t leave on her own." He softly spoke.


    "Of course. I''m sorry." She reassured him.

 Chapter 200 - 194: A Honorary Corpse Collector!

    As official Corpse Collectors of the Nine Swords Sect, it was their duty to investigate the disappearance of any disciples that went out on righteous tasks and find them or eliminate what killed them. Only freaks willingly signed up as Corpse Collectors and everyone knew this. Who would willingly want to go after demons, powerful cultivators, and carry around corpses to bring back to the sect? Only an insane person would! The Corpse Collectors even had their own domineering symbol that anyone who knew of the Nine Swords Sect could recognize. A ghoulish hand rising from a grave making a fist!


    They were known as the most dangerous group of cultivators from the sect. No one was willing to get in their sights. As the Corpse Collectors don''t stop coming until they''ve collected the corpse they went looking for. 99% of the time, they usually created more corpses by the end of their missions. Some causalities couldn''t be helped as their temperaments weren''t normal.


    "So, who is this guy we''re looking for?" Kai asked as they made it to the prosperous city of Rain Mountain City.


    "A 5th stage Core Preparation disciple named Xia Cao." Hazel answered with a disappointed tone.


    "Hey! How am I supposed to remember all the details about some dead guy?!"


    "You literally only need to know his name and stage... And we don''t know if he''s dead or not yet. That''s what this is for." Hazel shook a talisman in her hand that was slightly glowing a white light only visible to cultivators.


    "If he''s gone missing for 3 months, then he''s definitely dead."


    "So, you remember how long he''s been gone but not his name or cultivation realm?" She stared at him with confusion visible on her face.


    "Stop making it seem like I''m stupid! Not everyone''s brain works the same way, alright? Get off my back!" Kai walked ahead of her.


    "You don''t even know where you''re going. I''m the one with the Search Talisman." Hazel waved the talisman in the air.


    Kai tried to snatch it out of her hands but he was just slightly slower, missing the talisman entirely. This pissed him off and Hazel knew he was about to explode any second now. So, she dropped the talisman and let him catch it before it could fall. Now with the Search Talisman in his hand, he led them all across the city.


    The Search Talisman got brighter and brighter once it came near the soul of who it was searching for. Alive or dead, it didn''t matter. There was only one circ.u.mstance in which a Search Talisman couldn''t find someone''s soul. That was when their soul was destroyed or eaten. This was a situation that hasn''t occurred for hundreds of years but none of the Corpse Collectors would let their guard down. They were known as insane for a reason.


    A Search Talisman only worked when a person allowed it to inspect their soul. Allowing anyone to find them if they get their hands on the Search Talisman that inspected their soul. This was a requirement that every disciple in the Nine Swords Sect had to go through once they were officially accepted. Only Head Elders and the Sect Leader were allowed to give these out. For thousands of years, it was mostly the Corpse Collector''s most trusted members that were allowed to use them. Due to special circ.u.mstances, Hazel and Kai were given one. Most likely because of Hazel being the Sect Leader''s disciple.


    Hazel and Kai were gawked at like local attractions by the cultivators in Rain Mountain City. Hazel could see Kai feeling proud over this fact but she hoped that he was able to sense the negativity focused on them as well. Not everyone was happy to see that the Nine Swords Sect disciples have come to their city. She figured that they probably had something to hide that they didn''t want their righteous sect sniffing out and investigating. Lucky for them, they only had one task in this city today and that was to find Xia Cao.


    "Corpse Collectors..."


    "Who would be stupid enough to kill a Nine Swords Sect disciple in our city!?"


    "Out of the strongest forces in the city, there''s only those three that could even think about doing so."


    "Tri-Frog Family, Great Mountain Clan, and Raven''s Claw..."


    "Which one do you think done it?"


    "Probably Raven''s Claw. They''re known to commit horrible crimes even during the day!"


    The Search Talisman brought Hazel and Kai into a high-class brothel. Hazel could only giggle at Kai''s reddened face upon seeing all the half-n.a.k.e.d women walking around the place. Many rich gentlemen quickly tried to hide their face once they recognized that they walked in. No one would like to be seen by a group like theirs which speaks of righteousness, justice, and all that is good in a place like this.


    "You''re the owner of this place?" Hazel asked the well-dressed sweaty man with a long and crooked nose.


    "Y-Yes... Is there anything I can do to help you?" He asked.


    "What''s your name?"


    "Lao Leng. Boss Leng."


    "Nice to meet you Lao. Don''t be nervous, all I have for you is a few questions. You won''t be in any trouble even if you can''t answer them, alright? So, it''s okay to relax." Hazel could see him about to jump out at the seams.


    Lao Leng took a deep breath before taking out his handkerchief and wiping his sweaty forehead, neck, and hands.


    "What can I answer for you?" He looked a lot more respectable now.


    "Has a man named Xia Cao entered your establishment? A 5th stage Core Preparation stage cultivator with a scar on his left cheek." She questioned.


    "Uhm..." It wasn''t ringing any bells for him. "Let me go get my girls. One of them should know!" In a few minutes, all the girls in the brothel were standing behind him just as nervous as he was earlier.


    He asked them the same question he was just asked by Hazel. Kai was admiring the scene behind him now that the girls were in front of them. Hazel was surprised a handsome boy like him was able to keep his innocence for five years in the sect but then again, the Nine Swords Sect isn''t the type to indulge in such matter. As a righteous sect, they needed to keep up appearances inside and outside the sect. No disciples were allowed to harass others, randomly assault others, or steal from each other. They kept their focus on strengthening themselves, their sword skills, and making the world a better place in their eyes.


    "Little Snow served a customer like that a few months ago." One of the nearly topless girls called out. She had a pair of white bandages wrapped around her large b.r.e.a.s.ts and a long skirt.


    "Ah, I remember that too. He was the customer that was said to have been given special service to by Little Snow." Another girl added, she wore a tiny little skirt with nothing underneath and nothing covering her pale b.r.e.a.s.ts or perky n.i.p.p.l.es.


    "Did you see them leave together?" Lao asked.


    "No." They shook their heads.


    "Where is this Little Snow?" Hazel asked.


    "She was just here when we were talking about the Corpse Collectors being here..."


    "Did she leave?" Kai asked.


    "All the girls inside the store are right here, so, I suppose so." Lao answered.


    "Do any of you know where she lives or might run to in case of danger?" Hazel politely asked.


    "I know she has a boyfriend in Raven''s Claw!" Someone excitedly shared.


    "You can find Raven''s Claw at the Fighting Arena. That''s where their boss stays, you might be able to get some answers out of him." Lao suggested.


    "I see. Let''s go then, Kai." Hazel began walking upstairs as the Search talisman began to glow brighter and brighter.


    Eventually, the light reached its peak in front of a certain door of the brothel. Hazel took no caution as she walked straight in as a fully nude man was sitting on the bed. His first reaction was anger at being given such an ugly girl to serve him but once he saw the Corpse Collector symbol on her robes, he immediately bowed his head and kept his mouth shut. As a 9th stage Qi Consolidator, it would be too pitiful if he died because he didn''t take two seconds to use his eyes.


    "This is the room where he died but I think they took away his corpse." Hazel explained to Kai.


    "Unless they chopped his body up into little pieces." Kai brought up.


    "Then there would be a smell in this room but do you smell anything like a corpse?"


    "I guess not." Kai began searching through the room regardless.


    "Let''s go to Little Snow''s home to see if she''s there." Hazel said after he found nothing inside the room.


    "What? Why? Don''t you think she''ll be at the Arena with her cultivator boyfriend?" Kai was confused.


    "Could be. Why don''t we split up and see? You check the Arena, I''ll check the house." Hazel suggested.


    "Whatever. Just don''t die or I''ll kill you." He kindly warned her to be careful.


    "It''ll only be for a short while. I won''t take long." Hazel reassured him.


    Hazel took one of the workers at the brothel to show her to Little Snow''s house while Kai went on his own to the Arena. It was a famous spot for the people inside Rain Mountain City. Cultivators and martial artists going at it with the intent to kill for wealth, resources, and fame! Who wouldn''t want to watch such an exciting event unfolding every month?

 Chapter 201 - 195: An Unexpected Surprise...

    Hazel forced her way inside the empty home of Little Snow. Inside was a horrible mess that Hazel believed was made recently. Clothes, sheets, and furniture were strewn all over the place. If Hazel didn''t know any better, she''d say Xia Cao''s body was separated into pieces and hidden throughout the house. When Little Snow came home, she destroyed everything to find the missing parts and hightailed it out of here.


    This would play out in Hazel''s favor because of one of her many friends she made over the past five years. Hazel picked up one of Little Snow''s fallen panties on the floor and asked one of the infant demons inside her to track the scent. The small black creature with little sharp claws for hands and a pointy nose spread open her arm from the inside and crawled its way out. Blood, flesh, and bone were visible during this process but Hazel could feel nothing at all from it. Her demon spat on the opening in her arm and it rapidly closed back up without a trace before giving the underwear several sniffs.


    After doing its job correctly, it crawled up Hazel''s arm and happily sprawled itself out on her shoulder. Demons couldn''t speak human language but had their very own demon language. To a human, it would sound like evil gibberish apparently. Her master thought it did anyway. Hazel just thought it sounded like gibberish gibberish. Like a language that human babies would speak.


    "Aka tiki baba!!!" It suddenly screamed as it pointed at the closet.


    Hazel didn''t even take a second as she stabbed her demonic sword into the closet after being told that someone was inside. Yes, Hazel could speak demon now after having them live inside her like a hive of insects for five years. It was still wrapped in the cloth she placed over it five years ago but even with this, the sword wrapped in thick cloth was still able to pierce through the door and the hidden assassin behind it with her demonic qi. She felt it stab through flesh and heard someone groan from behind the door. A twisted smile slowly began to form on her face as she wondered who was hiding in the closet watching her.


    Could have it been a real assassin? She was just making a guess before but could it be true? Why else would someone this talented in hiding their presence be inside the house of Little Snow? If it wasn''t for her demon spawn, she wouldn''t have even known about them being inside there.


    "You''re a demonic cultivator...? From the Nine Swords Sect...?" It looks like he saw her little friend after all.


    "I have a few questions for you assassin." Hazel pulled her sword out, with the tip covered in blood and opened the closet door.


    Her assassin held his stomach as he looked into Hazel''s eyes. He wore a mask and outfit that hid everything about him but his eyes. Clear blue eyes that would be able to put any regular woman into a trance. As soon as she opened the door, he jumped forward to strike with his concealed sword. It looks like he wasn''t going down so easily.


    Hazel blocked the strike with ease as the assassin attacked her with a lethal assault in his final moments. Black liquid oozed from his wounds because of her demonic sword. While Hazel would love to play with him as his life slowly drains from his body, she had questions she needed to be answered. So, she didn''t go too far against him.


    With a casual swing of her covered sword after leaning back and avoiding a chop headed towards her neck, she swiped at his legs and tripped him. His weakening body condition allowed her to overpower him despite his high cultivation stage. But he was determined to give everything he had and refuse to answer her questions before he died. He even used his Qi Domain to try and kill her!


    "I''m not going down without giving it my all. What would be the point of cultivating for so long only to die without a fight?" He has now placed his life on the line to kill her.


    Qi Domain was an exclusive technique available to every cultivator in and above the Core Stage. It released a bubble-shaped dome that changed the field to the user''s advantage. The range would increase every stage and the only cost would be a majority of the user''s qi. By vibrating the core created in the Core Preparation stage, the user''s condensed qi would form outward into the bubble.


    Right now, this assassin''s Qi Domain enveloped the entire house. The wind suddenly kicked up into a frenzy that blew Hazel''s twisted hair strands into the air and robes all around. Her infant demon dug its claws into her so that it wouldn''t be blown away and torn apart by the wind. It wasn''t the first time Hazel was inside someone''s Qi Domain as her master was very thoroughly in explaining the pros and cons of using Qi Domain.


    This innate technique for every Core stage cultivator was a do-or-die type of technique. Either your foe died during the Qi Domain or you''ll die after your qi is all used up. A Core stage cultivator will be as vulnerable as a mortal after using Qi Domain but during it, it''ll be like they''ve increased their strength twice or thrice times over! Overall, a very powerful but risky move only saved for when one is unable to escape from the blanket of death enclosing on top of them.


    There were only three methods for dealing with a Qi Domain. Kill the user, escape before it completely forms, or form your own Qi Domain as soon as your opponent does. Hazel didn''t want to do the first one, as she had some questions for him. It was too late to escape the house and to form her own Qi Domain.


    By exerting himself so much in trying to kill her, he''ll only aggravate his wounds even further and send himself even closer to death. After spending five years with her master, Hazel wasn''t the only one to grow under her master. Her sword grew alongside her like a loving leech. It developed an interesting ability to infuse its demonic qi into the bodies of the things it cut. This demonic qi when improperly controlled by Hazel became a poison that wreaked havoc on the body of non-demonic beings. Anyone cut by her sword would experience a slow excruciating pain that would slowly increase the more time passed or whenever they received another cut. It wouldn''t end unless Hazel forced her sword to stop it or they destroyed the sword. When properly controlled, they would slowly turn into a demon if they didn''t have a strong soul.


    "Does it hurt?" Hazel asked as a sharp blade of wind cut across her cheek, dripping blood from her face. She slowly walked towards him without protecting herself at all.


    She could see the pain on his face from how scrunched up it was. An angry grimace stared back at her as he turned up the wind an extra notch. Now it was like a miniature hurricane inside the house. Hazel''s body was filled with cuts from the wind and crap flying around inside the Qi Domain. He didn''t hold anything back as her left arm went flying in the wind after being severed from her torso.


    "It''s okay to be honest." She caressed his face with her remaining right arm. Right now, her body was filled with blood and injuries. "I''m surprised you can still stand right now but don''t worry it''ll be over soon." Hazel complimented him.


    Fear and terror began to settle into the assassin''s heart. Why hasn''t she tried to protect herself? She''s just ignoring his Qi Domain with no care to her own safety. He would''ve loved to take advantage of this situation if it wasn''t just so damn creepy! Here she was smiling and gently rubbing his face while she was being killed! And the pain in his organs was worsening every minute... It was enough to make him want to scream and cry out for his mother. But he was a respectable assassin, how could he lose his nerve to a little pain?


    "Die already you crazy bitch..." The assassin stabbed the Corpse Collector through the gut as she held on to him.


    He assumed this was her last moments. By clinging onto him with her nails, she could inflict some lasting damage on him before passing on. Seconds passed, and her strong grip still hasn''t weakened. Suddenly, he began to hear high-pitched cackling from her body that didn''t resemble her voice in the slightest. Then, a sharp flash of pain struck him from the girl''s poison.


    "Agh!" He cried out.


    "Achi-baba!"


    "Achi-baba!"


    "Achi-baba!"


    The demons chanted as they crawled out from the woman''s cuts. As a human, his instinctual reaction was to free himself and flee as fast as possible but the corpse of the girl just wouldn''t let go! He controlled his Qi Domain into cutting her remaining arm off as the black demons pounced at him.

 Chapter 202 - 196: Finishing Things Up.

    Under the effects of his Qi Domain, many of the demons were cut in half from his wind but not all of them.


    "Don''t kill him." He heard as more pain struck his body along with the already present persisting pain from the girl''s sword.


    The demons bit, clawed, and crawled all over him as he did his best to deal with them. Which was a difficult task because of all the pain plaguing his body. Even for a Core stage cultivator like himself, it was the first time he''s ever been in so much pain. He didn''t know how much more of it he could take...


    Eventually, the number of demons exiting from the Nine Swords Sect disciple became too much for him to handle even with his Qi Domain. At first it was only a few, then that few became a dozen, and that dozen turned into hundreds. Ai De could no longer resist as he was overwhelmed by the evil creatures. Before everything turned black, he had to wonder. Why in Heaven''s all-encompassing name was a Corpse Collector for Nine Swords Sect, a demonic cultivator?


    The most righteous sect in all of the Evergreen continent. The big grandfather of righteousness among all the sects. Has a powerful demonic cultivator inside their sect. Just... why...?


    "Accata!" The demons shouted one after the other.


    A fat pink demon crawled out from Hazel''s missing arm and began rapidly licking her injuries all over. Her fatal injuries were soon recovering at a rapid pace and in no time, she was back on her feet in perfect condition. She gestured to the small creatures to return back to her as she went over to save the assassin from dying.


    "Ai, save him as well." Hazel ordered the child-sized demonic creature.


    "Akare asaid..." It shivered looking at the nearly dead assassin. Pink-skin, pudgy belly, claw-like hands, human-like feet and teeth, and a cowardly nature.


    "He''s not scary, trust me. Now please hurry before he dies on me." Hazel unstrapped her gourd from her back and began to take out some tools from within.


    Ai walked over to the assassin like a grossed-out child would be walking towards a dead body. She poked his injury, causing him to let out a pained groan, startling her. Looking back at Hazel''s giggling to herself while taking out sharp tools, she knew that disobeying her wouldn''t be good. Some of those things might be used on her!


    So, she gathered her nerves, took a deep breathe, and began licking the bloodied body of the assassin. Her drool held spiritual qualities that increased the recovery process within living beings. Ai made sure to make the process quick so that she could return back to Hazel and not mess with anymore humans. In her opinion, they were quite disgusting and scary.


    Ai De began to rouse from his sleep half an hour later. Hazel was glad to see this, it''s been some time and she needed to meet back up with Kai eventually. Hopefully he wasn''t causing any trouble. They''ve only been separated for a couple hours, how much trouble could he possibly get into?


    "Little Assassin. I hope you had a good rest. I think it''s time you finally tell me what I''ve been wanting to know." Hazel stabbed one of her tools into his hand.


    "Aggh!!" Ai De tried rising up and gaining some distance only to realize that he couldn''t use any qi! ''The Qi Domain! That''s why!'' He suddenly realized.


    "Ah, where are you trying to go?" Hazel asked with a playful smile as she stabbed another one in his leg, partially pinning him to the floor.


    He screamed once more and quickly understood that this girl was the black sheep of the Nine Swords Sect! What righteous cultivator would have a face filled with pleasure and joy when torturing someone?! It didn''t take long before Ai De was subjected to the most brutal and inhuman torturing that one could go through despite being completely willing to share everything he knew.


    "I''m trying to tell you! I''m from Gre---AHHHH!" Hazel stabbed a black knife into his gut when he tried to spill, painting her face with blood.


    "Sh, shh, shhh... Not yet... Seeing you completely helpless like this, is invigorating." It was like hearts replaced Hazel''s eyes.


    It was the first time in her life that she''s felt this way. Completely in control, in power, nothing stopping her from doing whatever she wants to someone. Why did something so terrible feel so good? Hazel understood that this was unusual and wrong even though he tried to kill her but a silent voice in the back of her head was telling her to continue. To keep exerting her control over this man until she felt waves of pleasure overtake her.


    "Why!? Why are you doing this to me!? Please! Just kill me instead!" Ai De wailed in agony.


    Hazel completely lost herself in her instincts that she never knew existed until now. It was like meeting an old forgotten lover all over again. Even when she was training with her master for five years, she never felt anything like this. Not once... And it wasn''t like Hazel hasn''t fought and killed a person before. She''s killed plenty of demons captured and held at the sect on her master''s orders. Fighting in life-or-death battles with demons usually stronger than her honed her instincts and fighting ability to an incredible degree. But there was never a situation where she managed to dominate and overpower someone like she did to this man. Her master never allowed it by continually increasing the strength of the demons or demonic cultivators.


    So, it was very surprising that this guy managed to hide himself so well in her presence. His martial arts must be focused in hiding and killing without a presence. An unfortunate weakness of that focus was that his combat ability was subpar. Hazel saw several flaws in his swordsmanship that she could''ve easily taken advantage of. It wouldn''t have taken her more than five or ten seconds to completely kill him if she wanted without his Qi Domain.


    With the help of Ai, Hazel managed to satisfy herself from evening to the morning of the next day. Eventually she allowed the assassin to tell her everything. Then she sucked him into her Demon Gourd without killing him. It would be too merciful of her to allow him such a peaceful death after trying to kill her on her first mission out of the sect. There are several fun new little ideas that flowed into Hazel''s head after her session with Ai De. What was strange about them was as if they were always there, just waiting to flow inside her head.


    Hazel left Little Snow''s house and made her way to the Arena after receiving some directions from strangers. It turns out, Ai De was an assassin from the Great Mountain Clan. He was the man that killed Xia Cao on orders from his patriarch after the patriarch''s daughter was r.a.p.ed by Xia Cao and i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.ed by him. To cover-up the assassination, they tried framing it on Raven''s Claw so that when the Nine Swords Sect''s Corpse Collectors came to investigate, Raven''s Claw would be exterminated after finding Xia Cao''s corpse connected to the woman of a prominent member of Raven''s Claw.


    Ai De was ordered to follow and watch the Corpse Collectors on the off chance that they somehow found the truth or a clue that would lead them to the Great Mountain Clan. Unfortunately, he was found out by her infant demon even though his cultivation technique focused around hiding one''s presence was at the sky-rank. Forcing him into last fight of his life. Now that Hazel knew all the information, it was time to collect Kai and to exterminate the Great Mountain Clan.


    While personally she agreed with the decision of the patriarch from the Great Mountain Clan, as a Corpse Collector, this was her duty. You kill one of the members of the Nine Swords Sect, everyone involved in their death will die along with them. She would actually be punished by the sect if she didn''t exterminate their clan. So, it was unfortunate. Hazel would''ve probably done something far worse if she had a daughter that was r.a.p.ed, but this was the way of the world. Something she wouldn''t be able to change until she''s strong enough to overthrow her master as Sect Leader of the Nine Swords Sect.


    Once she became that strong, spreading her influence and ideals across the continent would only take a few words and loyal companions around her. That is something she''ll have to start on now that she''s finally out in the world. The only issue she had was Kai... What exactly was she going to do about him? His mind was clearly cracked and unstable after her five-year disappearance. In his head, she was his personal servant for the rest of her life. How could she be satisfied with such a title? Even if she cared for the man she looks at like an annoying younger brother, she had her own dreams and goals. Dreams and goals that''ll be an issue if she was forced into being his little servant eventually.


    ''I still have to deal with the Yingjie clan for everything they put me through as well. If he somehow found out about that, would he still be willing to have me as his servant? He''d be more likely to want to kill me instead, right?'' Hazel just didn''t know enough about Kai. A lot changes in five years it seems.

 Chapter 203 - 197: Jing (Part 100)

    100th Life


    "Why...? Why did you do it?!" Kai shouted in furious anger.


    Behind him stood the bodies of June''s current followers. Followers she gained while exploring through the continent as a Corpse Collector for the Nine Swords Sect. June was pissed to say the least upon seeing this sight. Killing her allies just because she decided to exterminate his useless clan that basically abused, mistreated, and borderline tortured her for months? Even stupidity had its limits. If he was willing to stand beside his dead family over her, then was there any reason for her to keep him alive? It only made her even more upset when she thought about the fact that he didn''t even like his family! He should be thanking her for sparing Liang even if he''s a cripple now.


    June wasn''t a saint. Liang didn''t see reason and was willing to give his life to protect Kai''s parents, the leaders of the Yingjie Clan. Just being able to cripple his cultivation was a miracle in itself instead of taking his life. But his mind was still intact and he could still function like a normal mortal, so what was the problem?


    "I am a petty woman, Kai." June admitted without shame. "Since you''re dumb, I''ll explain it in a simple manner. The Yingjie Clan mistreated me when I was weak and vulnerable for my entire stay in their clan. Now that I am strong, I paid back what I was given to me tenfold." There was no emotion on her face as she explained this.


    That was when Kai realized there wasn''t a single bone in her body that regretted what she did. The torture she put his parents through, crippling Liang when he was the one to help her into the person she is now, and destroying the clan he was going to become the patriarch of! She didn''t care one bit about any of that! This evil ungrateful woman! Demonic vile ugly woman who only cares about herself! Pure wickedness incarnate!


    "I don''t mind doing the same to you as I did to Liang. While I do care for you Kai, kind of like an elder sister, I cannot let you interfere in my plans for the future any further. Those people you killed on your way up here were my friends, you know?" A slight look of sadness glinted in June''s eyes before they were replaced with a certain coldness that sent a shiver into Kai''s heart.


    Those months she spent with them weren''t something that could be just erased and forgotten. Each of them was met under unusual circ.u.mstances but in June''s heart, that only made it more special. So, when June saw Kai arriving at her camp covered in the blood of her friends, it took a lot of willpower to not kill him immediately. She planned to return to the sect with them and challenge her master and the sect elders eventually.


    "You killed my entire family. Do you think that can compare to just losing some friends?!" Kai spat with visceral hatred. "You can always make new friends but family is something that never can be replaced."


    "Haah..." June sighed. "You didn''t give one crap about your clan. Tell me the real reason why you''re upset. I never heard you say one good thing about your clan." June took out her sword.


    "A lot of things can change in nearly six years. But what would you know anything about me?" He glared. "Even when we finally met again almost a year ago, not once did you ask me about my experience. You didn''t care at all about what I went through! You only thought for and about yourself! If you showed the slightest interest in me, then maybe you would know about why I''m upset about you killing my clan!" Kai began wrapping golden chains around his hands.


    "Instead of trying to guilt me, why don''t you just come out and say it? I do not regret killing the Yingjie Clan and never will. Because of them, there was a time that I hated the color of my skin and the look of my face. Even staring at the mirror in the morning was something I avoided. After being taken in by my master, I learned to love myself and every part of me. Even the parts I eventually found as a Corpse Collector. It was one of the reasons why your mother was in such a horrible condition compared to your father. She was a constant harasser of mine." June shared.


    ______________________________________________


    "To think a girl as ugly as you could take my son''s heart." Mei Yingjie, Kai''s mother, spat on the floor in disgust.


    ''Don''t respond. Don''t respond. Don''t respond.'' June repeated to herself as she simply smiled at the wife of the Patriarch of the clan.


    "You do know that your entire existence is a stain on this clan, right? If you didn''t rake your nasty claws into my son''s heart, you''d be killed without a thought! You''re lucky he threatened to run away if we did anything to you."


    ''Don''t say anything. Don''t say anything. You''ll deal with her when you''re stronger. There is nothing to gain from giving her a reason to do anything to you.'' June continued her mantra as visible veins of anger popped up on her forehead.


    "Are you getting angry? Upset? I''m only telling the truth. You have to be the ugliest woman in the world but it looks like you have some value in bed. Otherwise, I don''t see what other reason why my son would be so insistent on keeping something like you around."


    June was surprised by how little Kai took after his mother but didn''t think he took after his father either because only a certain type of man could marry this type of woman. An ignorant one or someone just as similar as she is. Being the leader of a clan like this where she''s openly mocked day by day, she one hundred percent doubted that it was the former. Mei''s hatred of June spread to the rest of the clan who only repeated the words she told her. Forcing June into a situation where only when she was training with Liang or with Kai that she could get a break from being treated like the clan''s communal crap hole.


    ______________________________________________


    "I will be doing the world a favor by getting rid of someone as villainous as you." He suddenly disappeared.


    "I guess I should''ve expected an idiot like you couldn''t understand how something like this is better for the world. You were raised by those people after all. But I''m sure you''ll be more likely to listen to reason when all your limbs are cut off and your incapable of moving without the help of someone else. Sometimes I''m too nice for my own good." June shook her head, taking the cloth off of her sword.


    A massive invisible wave of demonic qi spread across the Immortal Forest. Any animals and spirit beasts weaker than a Qi Transformation cultivator immediately went into hiding, died of shock, or began fleeing in massive numbers from the opposite direction of where June was standing. Kai was sent flying backwards, crashing through multiple thick trees just from her unsheathing her unbelievably long sword. He couldn''t resist against the powerful force of demonic qi that released from it and was in disbelief as he saw June transforming into something inhuman.


    "I''m not going to play around with you Kai." Was June''s only warning as her body changed.


    June''s brown skin slowly began turning darker and blacker until it was the color of darkness itself. Her twisted hair grew until it covered her figure and extended several meters around her. The human-like hands she previously had were now claw-like with the tips of her fingers becoming pointed and sharp. This was her demonic form when she fully allowed her sword to influence her body but she was still human in soul and could revert back to her normal appearance.


    "This is your full strength...?" Kai questioned, staring in disbelief at the demon in front of him.


    "What do you think?" She asked as if he was mentally challenged.


    There was a reason why June was using this much effort to deal with Kai. And that reason was, there was no way he was capable of killing her friends without having a strength similar to her own. When he arrived in front of her, he was in perfect health. Meaning, he didn''t really kill her friends and they let him come to her for some reason or he killed them effortlessly. It was possible that it was the first one but the chance of it happening wasn''t higher than the second option either.


    Kai really was a genius among geniuses. It wouldn''t be surprising to June in the least if he somehow jumped up in power in only a few months of training. Especially when he had motivation like revenge to do so. Maybe he even sold a part of his soul to some being for power. All she knew was that he wouldn''t come to her without having something prepared to deal with her.


    "I guess she was right when she said I''ll need something like this..." Kai softly muttered to himself.


    ''She?'' June heard him loud and clearly.


    Kai took out a golden pill in the shape of a sphere and attempted to swallow it whole. June projected her sword intent and diced it into dust before he could do such a thing. She didn''t need to know what the pill did to know that it wouldn''t be beneficial for her to allow Kai to swallow it at the start of their fight. An incorporeal blade long enough to slice all the trees around them in half formed behind June. A sword similar to the one she had in her hand but giant!


    Sword intent can only be formed by those with extensive mastery of the sword. It was the mark of the true prodigy of the sword! Anyone that couldn''t form one by the time they were in the Qi Transformation stage was trash! With sword intent, one could use anything as a blade! Even nothing at all as sword intent manifested by using the energy of qi in the air rather than the qi of the cultivator.


    June controlled the ecosystem destroying long sword into performing a vertical slash downward. A deep maniacal laugher rang out from the sword wind of this sword, eerily reminiscent of a demon''s laughter. She saw as Kai helplessly stared at the incoming blade but didn''t lower her guard. It couldn''t be this easy.


    Ding!


    June''s physical sword blocked Kai''s sudden attack that was basically borderline teleportation. Her eyes caught the red talisman attached to the center of his chest as if it was merged with his body instead of attached onto it. The qi inside his body explosively increased while his body also grew in strength. She could tell that this strength came at a severe cost though. Blood dripped from his eyes and with each punch thrown from him, she could hear the cracking of his bones and see the ripping of his skin. His body couldn''t take whatever power was etched on that talisman.


    A sword strike aimed at his left arm barely went into his skin at all as he landed a fierce blow onto June''s chest, nearly shattering all the bones in her torso. Seeing that slashing wasn''t working, June tried stabbing her sword through his body only to get the same results. Meaning, she''ll have to use her other martial arts if she wants to survive long enough. Otherwise, with the force of his punches, it won''t take long for her to be killed.


    With a powerful stomp to the ground, a gigantic mound of earth rose from the forest''s floor and shot Kai far into the sky on top of it. Raising three finger up into the air brought three more similarly sized rock pillars to shoot at Kai. From this distance, he was nothing more than just a dark figure in the sky as the rock mounds exploded into several boulders from colliding. None of this was to kill Kai but simply to give her time for this!


    "Qi Domain expansion..." A dome filled with demonic qi threatened to swallow a majority of the Immortal Forest whole.


    The cackling and laughter of millions of demons rose in response to this Qi Domain.

 Chapter 204 - 198: Jing. (Part 500)

    June''s body ripped open like the maw of a ferocious beast. Demons of various shapes and sizes began to flood out of her body like a tsunami. They cackled, giggled, and hollered upon being freed. A dense amount of demonic qi began to distort and alter the surroundings. The grass turned black and eagerly absorbed the demonic qi releasing from the demons. The trees were no different in how they swallowed the foul qi, shedding their leaves for sharp twisted brown branches that seemingly moved on their own. Easily being able to pierce through steel and flesh alike.


    Kai crashed in the middle of the tens of thousands of demons with a humongous crater, causing thousands of demons to fly into the air. His fierce glare was focused solely on June''s figure. He ripped through the demons while making his way to June, putting her body back together. However, the demons weren''t that much of a pushover. Otherwise, why would June summon them?


    There were Nurse Demons, Strong Demons, Speed Demons, Fire Demons, Earth Demons, Lightning Demons, and all sorts of other demons! Each one carefully crafted by June for a certain use. This army of the wicked focused everything they had on Kai as June directed them as their mother. Kai''s absurd strength was able to squish any of the thousands of demons by themselves but when they focused their power together under June''s lead, it was another story. Now that June was in control of all of the demons, Kai couldn''t take a single step forward.


    Demons wrapped around his arms, legs, torso, and neck. Elemental qi attacks indiscriminately attacked his body regardless of if there were demons attached to him or not. Kai screamed to the heavens as he urged his body to continue forward. He attempted to open his own Qi Domain, only for June to shut that down. The Assassin Demons focused their scythe-like arms into striking at Kai''s vulnerable points. His neck, heart, and genitals. This forced him into turtling up, halting his momentum even more.


    "I will not lose to you!" Another golden pill appeared but this time from his storage ring.


    June was unable to prevent him from swallowing this one. So, she prepared for the unbelievable surge in power he was about to obtain. The demons began to fuse into one another. The five years she spent collecting and creating those demons, all gone. For the creation of the ultimate demon. All the hundreds of thousands of demons ran into each other until only one demon was left.


    They towered over June''s figure while their eyes locked onto Kai. Its figure resembled June''s heavily. Her twisted strands of hair, shadow-black skin, finger claws, and a completely unassuming face that brought little attention to it in comparison to its strength. If it wasn''t for its absurd power, most would recognize it was just a strange looking human or bloodline ability. June was quite satisfied with her new child. She was sure that its strength was above her''s right now.


    When Kai suddenly appeared in front of her with his fist pulled back, ready to punch her, Li Li, the fused demon, caught his fist with ease and began giggling. Its high-pitched voice matched its age as it looked at Kai with excitement in its eyes.


    "Quit messing around, Li Li. I''ll find you someone more fitting for you to play with later." June didn''t want any sudden surprises happening. She ordered him to finish Kai so that she could go prepare herself for whoever gave him that pill and talisman.


    "Naga!" It whined.


    "Li Li..." June glared at the newly formed Fusion Demon.


    "Soka..." It hung its head as it apologized.


    With very little effort, Li Li tore off Kai''s limbs as he screamed to high heavens. With a single tap to his dantian, all the effort he''s made into cultivating since his childhood was gone in an instant. June then ordered Li Li to heal Kai so that he wouldn''t die. August spat on his wounds and then dropped Kai on the ground with little care.


    "You know Kai, sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if I didn''t follow you and Liang back at that hotel. But for some reason, I feel like it was a good thing that I did." June gentle cradled Kai''s limbless body.


    "Kill me... So that I can join my family..." He angrily glared at her.


    "Now why would I do something like killing my own master? You have a long life ahead of you Master Kai. After what you''ve done to me, how could I let you off so soon?" She whispered into his ear. "You should be grateful that I''ve given you a second chance at life."


    "Tch. Another failed disciple..." A familiar voice sounded out from the air.


    June looked up only to realize that suddenly, there was a hole in her heart and her master was levitating above her.


    "Master Mao...?" June didn''t understand.


    "Goocha!!!" Li Li exploded with enough demonic qi to alter several kilometers of the Immortal Forest. It jumped after the sect leader of the Nine Swords Sect.


    Why did her master try to kill her? Why did she take Kai''s side when she spent five long years with her together? Was there something she did wrong that made her deserving of death? June''s first thought went to the Yingjie Clan''s extinction, but she had a legitimate reason for doing so. The Yingjie Clan held demonic tools and refused to give them up. That was worthy of being wiped out according to what her captain in the Corpse Collector said. So, that couldn''t be the reason...


    "Why...?" June asked, doing everything she could to save her own life. A fierce pained scowl painted her face.


    "Isn''t it obvious? On the path you were going, it was only a matter of time before you succ.u.mbed to your demonic impulses. But since you''re about to die, I guess I should be honest. Your freaky physique and clever mind frightened me. At first, I doubted you would go far but with all the accomplishments you''ve racked up in only a few months as a Corpse Collector and what I''ve seen from this battle. I no longer had any time to doubt and I had to act." Her master, wait no... Killer, backhanded Li Li across the Immortal Forest.


    June realized that nothing she could do at this moment would be enough to save herself. With the remaining time she had on this planet, she gathered all the demonic qi in the nearby surroundings, from Li Li, and within herself. To curse her previous master with her dying breath. As she attacked her ex-master with a soul curse and expended the rest of her life force, one of the last things she thought about was...


    ''If I had a second chance, I would never take in someone as my master again...''


    ______________________________________________


    500th Life


    Tia took a glance at her masked assassins as they surrounded her inside Ancient Diamond City. Each one holding a blade, ready to put an end to her life any second now. She let out a small smile as she placed her self-made machete over her shoulder. Being inconspicuous isn''t really an option for someone with an appearance like herself. Her plan was to lie low, cultivate, and use up all the treasures she gained from the secret realm she snuck into. But it looks like she could have a little bit of fun before starting.


    "I''m surprised the Nine Swords Sect thinks that I''m worthy of being targeted. A single wandering cultivator like myself can''t possibly frighten a sect as powerful as yours, can I?" She chatted.


    "How did you?!" One of them shouted before silencing himself.


    "Oh, it looks like my little guess was right." Sadly, that wasn''t good news either.


    If a sect as large and powerful as the Nine Swords Sect was aiming at her, she needed to quickly improve her cultivation and get out of the city. If they know she''s here, then it''s only a matter of time before they trap her in like a rat. Especially after dealing with these "assassins." They couldn''t even take the time to at least try and look like they were assassins. Sure, they had on black masks and outfits but their posture and aura screamed righteousness.


    "Tch. It doesn''t matter if she''s figured it out. As long as we kill her, we will be properly rewarded by the sect."


    "Your time has come, Mad Slasher!"


    "You''ve killed far too many of our peers in the secret realm! Now every righteous sect in the continent will be chasing after your head!"


    "Ha!" Tia laughed in mockery. "Like you righteous sects really care about dealing with evil cultivators. If that was true, you''d be in a lifelong war with the Golden Serpent Sect! What you''re really after is this, aren''t you?" She flashed a mocking smile as she shook a golden medallion in front of their faces.


    "The Ancient Dragon''s Medallion! She really did get her hands on it!" Greed unsurprisingly filled their eyes.


    "We must take it for the Elders!"


    "You want it? Take it!" Tia tossed the shiny accessory into the air.


    "You crazy woman! What if it breaks!?" Every single one of them jumped up to grabbed the medallion for themselves.


    They might''ve said that they were here to take the medallion for their sect but no one here believed it for a second. All of them were briefed on the power held by the Ancient Dragon''s Medallion. If they were able to bind it to themselves and gain its power, rising to the heavens in a single leap would be the only expected outcome! Even if they were a mortal!


    "I''d expect behavior like this from the Golden Serpent Sect but it is useful to see that the most righteous sect isn''t as righteous as they make themselves out to be. Not that I was expecting you all to be any different." Golden lightning surged around her machete.


    Tia released a bright yellow crescent made of lightning qi towards the righteous cultivators as they all attempted to grab the medallion. Forcing them all to make a critical decision that would decide their fate going forward. Should they risk it all and attempt to grab the medallion to change their mediocre fate? Or should they forego the heavenly treasure and preserve their life to live another day? But it didn''t really matter which choice they made in the end.


    Tia''s already taken in the power hidden in the medallion for herself. That necklace was nothing more than a useless piece of gold. But she still needed time to consolidate her earnings from it. This power was something she needed to slowly understand and train. Time that she might not have if she doesn''t get out of this city in time.


    Her lightning ripped right through the cultivators. Leaving them in bloody chunks on the floor. Some tried to defend against her attack but her lightning cared little for it. Lightning was one of the strongest forces of nature. Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, all of them had to bow in reverence to lightning! A flash of lightning could momentarily generate enough heat that''s five times hotter than the sun!


    For some reason, Tia had genius-levels of comprehension when it came to the five elements. Perhaps more but she''s only been able to come in contact with the five so far. When trying to understand martial arts related to those five elements, it was like knowledge hidden from somewhere inside her came flowing into her brain. A feeling that made her feel like she''s always knew about them but it was only now unlocked when she began to realize how some things didn''t add up regarding what was explained in the martial arts.


    It was always ethereal, indistinct, and sounded like complete nonsense but somehow everyone else could understand the mumbo jumbo. Tia didn''t work with mumbo jumbo. She worked with facts and logic which turned out to help her far more than the people she''s met with. They got confused by the flowery words and descriptions of how lightning, fire, and water worked. While she knew exactly how they worked. The only reason why she doesn''t completely master multiple elemental martial skills is because she doesn''t exactly understand how qi works. Just the elements.


    Tia searched the corpses for any useful loot but only managed to find some recovery pills and qi pills. She''s heard plenty of stories of how famous legendary cultivators found earth, sky, and even heaven-ranked martial arts or spirit tools from the corpses of other cultivators. Maybe since those stories are so wide-spread, everyone started carrying less important items on their bodies so that if they do die, those that killed them won''t get a windfall of treasure from them. It does make sense. Rather than empowering the sc.u.mbag that killed you, it''s better to leave them with nothing.


    "It''s time to get out of here..." She muttered to herself.


    Hopefully they haven''t locked down the city yet. If they have, it wasn''t going to be easy fighting her way out. Tia didn''t have any skills that disguised her or made it easier for her to sneak around. She only came about her martial arts through nothing but luck and determination. Yellow Jade City''s underground life was more than willing to get her started on her cultivation journey as long as she worked for them.


    In time, she managed to find her lucky break and split from the Dark Moon Gang. Traveling through the world to increase her own strength, making a name for herself, and somehow finding herself on the bad side of every righteous sect in the continent. Tia knew that she wasn''t all that different from the average cultivator. The only reason why she was labeled as an evil cultivator was because she screwed over the Nine Swords Sect in the secret realm. Maybe she''d be wanted by every evil sect in the continent if it was the Golden Serpent Sect that she stole from.


    After killing her way out of Ancient Diamond City and staying on the move, she soon found out that the Nine Swords Sect was very thorough in making her one of the most wanted cultivators in the continent for killing their disciples and taking the medallion. Tia learned of the giant bounty on her head from the numerous assailants after the Ancient Dragon Medallion. They were more than happy to let her know everything about what was going on with her current circ.u.mstances regarding her bounty. Even if she didn''t say a word, they''d spout off at the mouth about what was going on once they found her.


    "Let me go! If you value your life, you''d better unhand me now!" An arrogant little genius wriggled and squirmed all tied up.


    "How much do you think the Nine Swords Sect would be willing to pay to have you back?" Tia asked.


    "They''d stop at no expense to kill you! Take these talismans off me and fight me like a proper cultivator!" He shouted, completely unaware of the precarious situation he was in right now.


    "No expense, you say? I guess I shouldn''t put you through some fun activities I had planned if I want this to work out well." She sighed.


    With how frequent these righteous cultivators come after her, rarely did she have the chance to show them the true meaning of suffering. Thankfully, this juicy fat cow landed in her hands eager to bring her head in to his master in the Mortality Ascension realm to show the results of his training. Training that he didn''t even get the chance to show off because of Tia''s clever ambush. With the help of a few mortals she paid, she managed to ambush and avoid a hard-fought battle with a once-in-a-million-year genius.


    She paid the mortals to say that they saw a brown-skinned woman living out in the forest and this was all it took to hook Mr. Genius in. They led him to an abandoned part of the forest with an old dilapidated wooden shack. Telling him that she usually is seen inside there, they soon quickly left out of fake fright. Mr. Genius held his head high and back straight as he waltzed right in without a second thought. Because of this, Tia easily got the drop on him.


    Hiding above the door while holding her breath and restraining her qi, she waited and waited until his beautiful long black hair appeared under her. By striking foot first, her leg crashed onto his neck, smashing him into the floor and breaking the wooden boards. He cried out in pain as Tia quickly attached several talismans onto his body. A strength limiting spell, qi-draining spell, and a mind-numbing spell that relaxed one''s brain.


    But it wasn''t over with just that. Mr. Genius wasn''t known as a once-in-a-million-year genius for nothing. He quickly flared his genius qi and even though Tia stabbed her machete into the walls of the house, she was still sent flying outside into the forest as the old house wasn''t sturdy enough to withstand Mr. Genius''s restrained strength. It exploded into pieces and he quickly got to trying to remove the talismans but how could Tia let him do that so easily? What would have been the point of setting up this trap?


    Tia tossed another talisman straight at his face as she coated her body in lightning qi and streaked like a lightning bolt all the way behind the genius. He reacted to the two-pronged attack just quick enough but she still drew blood from him because of the talismans draining his strength. She didn''t let her advantage go to waste and aggressively chopped and slashed at the prodigy with surprising skill. Skill that was gained through several life and death battles as there wasn''t a single martial art dedicated for machetes. From what she knew, if you didn''t practice the sword or fist, you were practically out of luck. Because for some reason no masters made martial art manuals for other weapons.


    "Damn you! Only an evil cultivator like yourself would set up such a devious trap! Using innocent mortals just to lower my guard? Despicable!" Mr. Genius shouted as Tia cut his body several times. She kept silent as there was no point talking in a fight when her victory wasn''t 100% confirmed.


    Eventually, it got to the point where he couldn''t resist any longer. This was when Tia tied him up and started preparing to get some cultivation resources from his powerful sect. She would have to carefully think of this plan. From her experience, the big sects were cunning and unforgiving. They will certainly set up a trap for her if she lets them take command of the negotiations.


    "Advancing is impossible without the resources hoarded by the big sects..." She muttered. That dragon medallion gave her a heaven-ranked cultivation technique that sucked up spirit stones like water through a straw! While she was far stronger than her current cultivation realm suggested, she needed twice as many resources to advance. A fair but annoying trade off...

 Chapter 205 - 199: A Robbery?

    "I will only say it once. You will give me 50 peak-ranked spirit stones for the safe and uninjured return of your genius. My price will not lower and if you attempt to waste my time, I''m sure your sect will be willing to send other profitable geniuses to me that the Golden Serpent Sect would be willing to pay for. As an evil sect on par with your strength, there''s no doubt in my mind that they have wicked martial techniques that can brainwash or steal the talent from geniuses." Tia relayed to Mr. Genius''s master and some elders from the Nine Swords Sect.


    "Release Shu Dai immediately and we''ll leave you with a complete corpse!" He responded back.


    Tia didn''t like this response. She mercilessly chopped off Dai''s left arm as he released a shrill scream. Unaware that she would be so ruthless and crazy enough to harm him in front of his Mortality Ascension realm master. Realizing that she was completely nuts and was willingly to maim and kill him, he quickly sunk into fear.


    "Master... Save me..." Tears were falling from his eyes.


    "Now the price has increased to 100 peak-ranked spirit stones. Oh, and I wouldn''t get so excited just yet Mr. Mortality Ascension. If I see you move even the smallest bit, I''ll decapitate him before you can even think about saving him." Tia could see in his eyes he wanted nothing more than to rip her apart.


    "And if you think you''re faster than me, a simple Core Stage cultivator, normally, you''d be right. However, I placed a special technique inside Dai''s heart. There are three ways it could activate. If my heart stops beating, if my brain suddenly shuts down, or I will it so. So, I''d recommend you just give me what I asked as I''m not opposed to chopping off a few more limbs and asking for triple of what I initially asked for. You have 30 seconds." Tia was not playing around.


    "She''s got us Elder Cao... Unless we sacrifice the life of your son for her''s, we can only give her what she asked." The Major Elder''s eyes looked into the distance.


    Only known to him and Elder Cao, they brought several other high-ranked elders to aid them in ambushing the Mad Slasher. Finally putting an end to her and taking the Ancient Dragon Medallion that should''ve found itself in their hands back then. They hid in the distance to not reveal themselves and would only act when given the signal by Elder Cao. Elder Cao has yet to give the signal.


    "You think I don''t know that!? Go into my treasury and give her what she asked! Now!" Elder Cao was at his breaking point but his son was everything he had. The lower-ranked elder did as he asked and disappeared at his fastest speed.


    He coddled Shu Dai, spoiled Shu Dai, and taught that boy everything since he was a baby. Everything was supposed to go perfectly for both of them but his stupid son just had to leave the sect on his own when he was busy cultivating. Now he''s run into this unfortunate situation that will definitely leave a wound on his heart and soul. All the work and resources he''s put into making sure that his son''s cultivation journey was smooth and easy gone to waste in only a few days!


    Elder Cao could barely contain himself from blowing a casket and doing everything it took to save his son and kill that disgusting repulsive bitch! But he knew that she must have something in place to protect herself and escape besides that technique inside his son''s body. What that something was? It could literally be anything. His only hope was that it wouldn''t prevent him from being able to track and find her after he saves his son.


    "20... 21... 22..." Tia counted, playing both on the nerves of Dai Shu and Elder Cao.


    Dai Shu was terrified out of his mind, shivering and shaking like he''s inside a blizzard. Wondering which limb was she going to take next. Was it his arm? His leg? What if she decided it was his third leg!? In such a frightening situation, it was no surprise that Dai Shu was unable to think clearly and control himself. He''s never been in a situation like this before or anything even remotely similar.


    His father was only a few meters away but even he couldn''t prevent him from losing an arm from this woman. Despite being a Mortality Ascension cultivator, he was helpless in the face of a Core Stage cultivator! All this information only frightened Dai Shu of the Mad Slasher even more. Even in their fight, he knew that her skills were not bad. It held more ferociousness and experience than his own. Coupled with her cunning and demonic mind, it was no surprise she overpowered him.


    "28... 29..." Tia stood behind the tied up and helpless Dai Shi.


    He was unaware what she was going to chop next and could only scream in terror as he heard the sound of the wind being slashed apart behind him.


    "Stop! I have what you asked!" The Major Elder just barely arrived back to their meeting point deep in the Immortal Forest.


    Breathing heavily, sweating, and with a storage ring in his hand for Tia to see, he pleaded with her eyes to stop. Tia stopped as he did make it exactly at 30 seconds. Her machete barely scraping the right leg of Dai Shu, letting blood drip from the small cut. She brought her machete back over her shoulder and emotionlessly looked at the Major Elder.


    "I''m waiting." She told him.


    "Before I show you this, you must promise to release Young Master Shi!" He suddenly yelled.


    "Are you brain dead? Why would I release him before getting what I asked and making sure of my own escape?" Tia asked him.


    "Then at least patch up his arm so he doesn''t bleed to death!" He changed his demands.


    He was bleeding a sizeable pool near her feet but cultivators were durable. Mr. Genius should be able to handle a little blood loss. Plus, she was the one making demands here. If she let them start making demands, she already lost.


    "Toss me the ring and quit wasting my time. He won''t have long with you delaying his recovery. The faster you make sure I have what I asked, the faster you can start helping him." She announced.


    "Throw her the ring and quit wasting time! My son is as pale as a ghost!" Elder Cao shouted.


    The Major Elder did as he was ordered and with her machete slightly cutting into Dai Shu''s neck with blood dropping down from the wound, she emptied out the storage ring. Elder Cao was pleading with the heavens that the Major Elder did what he was told and didn''t skimp out on the spirit stones. Unconsciously, a relieved breath escaped his throat as the Mad Slasher counted up all the stones and looked content. After sucking up all the stones back into the storage ring, she started forming a movement array right in front of them.


    "Do not move a single inch!" Elder Cao suddenly screamed.


    He knew what she was doing and so did everyone else. But she has yet to release the technique inside Dai Shu''s heart. Unless he wanted his son to die just when he was so close to saving him, then he could only let her complete the formation to escape. Unfortunately, his sudden scream altered the Mad Slasher that they weren''t the only four out here.


    Tia can''t say she was surprised to learn that there was a hidden force surrounding them. She would''ve done the same thing but just slightly in a smarter manner. However, it didn''t feel good to realize just how terribly this could''ve ended for her if she wasn''t careful and Father Mortality Ascension over there wasn''t such a caring father. In her pocket, she had several teleportation spells on the ready for emergencies but since Daddy was kind enough to let her take their stones and escape whenever she wanted, why not make a teleportation array and secure her escape more safely?


    She knew that no matter how much time passes, Father Mortality Ascension would not let her off for what she''s done to his son and put him through. Along with the Nine Swords Sect who also will be hunting her with even more passion than before because of this embarrassing incident she''ll make sure to spread around. So, since their bridge was already collapsed without any hopes of being repaired, why not break it a little more? Tia''s got what she needed and with this many peak-ranked spirit stones, she could stay low for a while and just build up her strength until she''s run out and needs to get more.


    Once she completed the teleportation formation, she tossed Dai Shu towards his father. The relief and comfort that the father and son found once they were together again was something that was instantly destroyed. Tia burst Dai Shu''s heart with lightning technique just as she was being spatially moved more than 13,000-li away. Leaving the father only seconds to spend time with his son before he could no longer do so.


    "Fa...ther..."


    "My Shu... My little Shu... My boy... My baby... It''s going to be ok. Daddy''s going to save you. Don''t worry." Dai Cao began infusing his qi into the boy''s body, prolonging his life.


    "What are you waiting for!? Go take out every life-saving treasure in my home and get them so that I can save my son!" He yelled at all the elders in the distance. All looked on, realizing that an injury like that was not something that could be helped.


    "He''s gone Elder Cao... We should split up and search for the girl before she gets too far. We can avenge yo---" A thin red line appeared on his neck before his head and body collapsed to the ground.


    Shocked expressions and gasps rang out from the death of Elder Pao. Elder Cao was the only Mortality Ascension cultivator here. If he went crazy and killed them all, there really was nothing that could save them. All of them were at the Qi Transformation stage or Core Stage.


    "I''m on it!" The Major Elder that previously went to Elder Cao''s home disappeared.


    However, despite looking as if he was going to do what Elder Cao wanted. He actually went to Disciplinary Hall and reported Elder Cao''s betrayal to the Head of the Disciplinary Hall. A Mortality Ascension cultivator that was on the same level as Elder Cao as far as the Major Elder knew. The Disciplinary Hall Master naturally didn''t believe the Major Elder but it wasn''t like he had anything better to do at the moment. So, he followed him out to the Immortal Forest. If he wasn''t joking, then it was good for him to be out here to stop Elder Cao from killing anyone else. If he was, then he would receive severe punishment for lying and wasting his time.


    Once the Disciplinary Hall Master arrived with an empty-handed Major Elder, Elder Cao did not take it lightly.


    "Where is it? Elder Niu?" Elder Cao asked with his bloody sword in hand while cradling his son still barely clinging onto life.


    "I did not bring it. Traitors of the sect are not to be helped under any circ.u.mstance." Major Elder, Elder Niu, calmly responded.


    "So, you''ve doomed my son, that''s it..." Dai Cao softly chuckled as a massive burst of qi exploded from his body.


    Qi in the form of swords flew towards Elder Niu without restraint. Disciplinary Hall Master Kong''s eyes widen in surprised as he saw this attempted murder happen right under his eyes! He hastily saved the life of Elder Niu by blocking with his sky-ranked Heaven Piercing Staff. All of those qi swords were at full power! If he didn''t step in to block it, Elder Niu would be sliced to pieces right now!


    "Elder Cao! Are you aware of your actions!? Please calm yourself and talk to me! I can still reduce the severity of your punishment if you calm down!" Kong tried to reason.


    "Haha... Punishment? Don''t you think I''ve been punished enough? My only son has been killed right in front of me... And I was helpless to do anything about it." He gently closed the eyes of his son and softly laid him down before standing up.


    "Can anyone explain what happened to me!?" Kong softly yelled, not understanding anything at all.


    "The Mad Slasher held Elder Cao''s son hostage for 100 peak-ranked stones. After taking the stones from him, she killed his son and got away. Elder Ren tried convincing Elder Cao that we should chase after the Mad Slasher but he killed him for suggesting that over saving his son that couldn''t be saved." Elder Niu quickly tried to explain.


    "How in the hell did a simple Core stage cultivator outwit all of you!?" He quietly shouted. "What''s the point of you all living so long if some upstart brat can play you like helpless children?!"


    The elders around couldn''t really make an excuse. If they knew that Dai Shu was going to die anyway, then they probably could''ve done something about it. But they weren''t able to see the future! How would they know doing exactly what Elder Cao ordered them to would lead to this? If they disobeyed his order, they probably would''ve died at his hands anyway just like Elder Ren for getting his son killed and acting on their own. There was no winning in that situation. The Mad Slasher was just too cunning and Elder Cao was too emotional. For an old man already thousands of years old, he could just make more children! At least, that''s what the other elders were thinking.


    "I''m going to kill my son''s killer. If you try to stop me, I won''t be held responsible for what happens to you. That goes for you too Kong." Dai Cao calmly explained with a soft voice.


    "Elder Cao, I know the timing isn''t good, but you must return back with the sect with me to face punishment. If you leave now after your actions, there won''t be much I can do to spare you from the wrath of the sect''s rules. Someone of your realm must realize that there isn''t a need for you to leave right this instance. The Mad Slasher will show up again and throwing away all you''ve done for the sect for this small setback isn''t worth it."


    "Small setback...? Is that what my son is to you? Me losing my son is just a small setback?" Dai Cao could only laugh.


    Kong just couldn''t understand it. Elder Cao could literally make hundreds of children. While very few of them would have the talent that Dai Shun had, still, it wasn''t like he was irreplaceable! They had geniuses of his level aplenty! Plus for someone his age, children shouldn''t mean so much to him that he was willing to risk everything for them. Not just anyone could reach the Morality Ascension realm. Only the luckiest, talented, and those who knew how to keep their own lives could. It seems Elder Cao only had the first two or at least one of the two...


    "You chose your words poorly Kong." Dai Cao disappeared and Kong quickly went after him to stop him. Someone of his stage couldn''t be easily replaced.


    "Wait! Elder Cao!"

 Chapter 206 - 200: The Aftermath of Success.

    Much time has passed since the shameful incident that the Nine Swords Sect suffered by a wanderer cultivator. Ever since that day, the search for the Vile Mad Slasher has only become even more unbelievable. The Nine Swords Sect were openly mocked by both the Golden Serpent Sect and the Blossoming Water Palace for allowing a single wandering Core stage cultivator to humiliate them so badly. She didn''t suffer a single wound and came out of the incident richer than ever! Even though the Blossoming Water Palace are usually on the same side as the Nine Swords Sect, they couldn''t help themselves. What the Nine Swords Sect went through was really embarrassing after all.


    Seeing that the two other biggest sects in the continent were making fun of the Nine Swords Sect, all the lesser sects felt that it was okay for them to partake in the mocking as well. What was the Nine Swords Sect going to do? Kill everyone that made fun of them? They''d really be a disgrace if they unleashed all their unreleased hatred on innocent people that had nothing to do with it. Which is exactly what they did in a way. Anyone outwardly making fun of them were viciously attacked. Forcing the majority of the continent to make fun of the Nine Swords Sect behind closed doors. Except the Golden Serpent Sect and Blossoming Water Palace. The Golden Serpent Sect was by far the loudest of anyone making fun of the Nine Swords Sect. Leading to several major skirmishes between the two sects but not all out war just yet.


    "It''s like the Nine Swords Sect wanted to parade the fact that they were basically bullied into giving the Vile Mad Slasher their money! Hahahaha!"


    "I''d seriously consider committing suicide if I acted as retarded as Dai Cao! All those stone just for some useless waste that couldn''t even handle a wandering cultivator!"


    "I heard that Dai Cao went mad after that incident. He betrayed the Nine Swords Sect for not saving his son and is killing anyone that comes after him while he searches for the Vile Mad Slasher."


    "Is that true!?"


    "Gotta be. Everyone''s saying it."


    "Where is the Vile Mad Slasher then?"


    "After they got away flawlessly from the Nine Swords Sect, they''ve disappeared from the face of the continent. And I gotta say, I don''t blame her. With 100 peak-ranked spirit stones, why would I have to go anywhere ever again? You do know that peak-ranked spirit stones are the highest ranked spirit stones in the world! There are no spirit stones above that!"


    "Oh man... When the Vile Mad Slasher comes out of seclusion, I have a feeling that something big is going to happen."


    "With how her relationship is with the righteous sects, I would say now is the perfect time to become an evil cultivator. Because I don''t think she will spare them."


    "Do you think the Vile Mad Slasher is looking for a partner? I''d be willing to help her give it to those righteous snobs. My cousin was killed by a righteous cultivator just because he spilled some wine on his robes when he was drunk."


    "My wife was taken by a righteous cultivator who said that her future would be better serving as his servant than as a mortal''s wife. I hope the Vile Mad Slasher chops his balls off!"


    Gossip like this was all over the continent and the situation only devolved even further as the Nine Swords Sect continued to lash out at anyone daring to make fun of them. This led to the prestigious and respectable image they''ve been building for thousands of years to slowly fall along with the other righteous sects while the Golden Serpent Sect and other evil sects began to grow in popularity. Many youths were inspired by the story of the Vile Mad Slasher. They admired her cunningness, her courage, and her cutthroat attitude. Not just anyone could do what she did and be able to replicate it with such flawlessness.


    In fact, millions of others attempted to do just what she did in hopes of getting rich as well. Less than a dozen managed to make it work out in their favor while only three could do it just by themselves. The sects that people were trying to scam, for the most part, just killed the genius that got captured and the person attempted to make demands. While it was a painful loss considering how talented the genius was, it was far better than having to go through what the Nine Swords Sect did. Reputation was everything for sects! Without reputation, you were nothing and couldn''t survive. With reputation, you flourished and thrived!


    Those three that were able to replicate the Vile Mad Slasher eventually joined up together to search for the woman that inspired them all. All of them were wanted by righteous sects just like her so, they had a common trait and goal together. The first one was a young man known as the Evil Alchemist. His frame was small and petite, almost harmless like a small girl. However, the deadly concoctions he could make with a few herbs were enough to frighten cultivators above his own stage! It was because of this skill that he poisoned an entire sect in only a matter of hours before demanding their entire treasury. If they refused, all of them would die at his command. Evil Alchemist''s contagious poison pill severely weakened the bodies of the cultivators inside and their condition would continue to deteriorate the longer they held him up. With a shiny golden pill that he convinced them was the antidote, they all listened to him like obedient dogs.


    The second one was a young girl. Little Miss Killer, similar in stature to the Evil Alchemist but far prettier and a lot more terrifying. By seducing the sect leader''s son with her alluring body and sweet words, he fell into her trap like a bear to honey. In the middle of the night after they got done m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e, she stabbed him with the sky-ranked spirit weapon he gifted her for becoming his woman. With the Dragon Tearing Knife planted in his c.h.e.s.t, she used a similar martial art that the Vile Mad Woman used that held the life of the sect leader''s son in her palm. After explaining to him what she just did, she demanded that he take her to the treasury and open it up for her to steal all of the sect''s valuables.


    Little Miss Killer performed her robbery at the perfect opportunity because it was while the sect leader was in deep seclusion to breakthrough to the next realm. With the sect leader son''s life in her hand, the other elders were helpless to stop her as she flew off into the sky with him. She threatened to slice his throat if any of them dared to follow them but promised the safe and complete return of the sect leader''s son once she got away. Considering the sect leader''s son life was at stake, no one could choose to act on their own and possibly get him killed. All of them knew how much the sect leader doted on his son. It was why he was the only one other than the sect leader who knew how to get into the treasury! After getting away completely free with so much treasure and resources, it didn''t take long for Little Miss Killer to stop relying on seduction and instead of her martial prowess to dominate others.


    The last and final person to replicate the Vile Mad Slasher was an unassuming man. Black hair, closed eyes, fair complexion, and a disposition that made a person think nothing of him. He was known as the Master of Slaughter and for good reason. One second, he might be the harmless looking handsome a.d.u.l.t and another he''ll turn into the avatar for war! Many believe that two separate people live inside the Master of Slaughter just because of how drastic the change is.


    Master of Slaughter''s story wasn''t anywhere near as complex as Little Miss Killer and Evil Alchemist. All he did was promise to slaughter the sect unless they gave him 90% of their treasury. Of course, they laughed off the insane man. A week later, he returned with an army of tamed Worm Dragons that completely devasted the sect that refused to give in to his demands. Eventually, they were forced into submitting unless they wanted even more of their sect destroyed and their members killed. The losses were too great. Worm Dragons are humongous worms known for their destructive ability, longevity, and inability to be tamed. They are just basically mindless insects that only seek destruction, food, strength with brains smaller than a seed. How could they be tamed!? But somehow the Master of Slaughter was able to do so with just his voice alone. And that wasn''t all! Whenever he was targeted during the battle, any injuries and attacks he suffered would quickly recover and heal while he became even stronger!


    So, when these three met up to find the famous Vile Mad Slasher. It turned into quite the worrying situation for the righteous sects. Many assumed that with their natures, it would be impossible for them to connect and join up together without tearing each other apart. However, Tia was quite pleased with the three.


    "I am willing to place my skills in your devious hands." Evil Alchemist gave a respectful bow.


    "I think you''ll be pretty fun to hang out with. I can''t wait to see all the fun we''ll have together!" Little Miss Killer smiled with her knife shining in the sun''s rays.


    "I''m only here because I don''t like being on the losing side... And he wants to become your man." Master of Slaughter explained.


    "Cool. I always wanted to have friends. Usually they betray me and I''ll kill them or I have to leave them for dead because they can''t run away fast enough when we run into something dangerous. So, make sure you can keep up with me, alright? I''m not that good at taking care of others." Tia smiled.


    Of course, she didn''t really trust these strangers on their first meeting but she was willing to give them a chance. With how strong she is now, it would take a lot to harm her. None of them gave her any obvious sense of danger but only with time can she be sure. So, for now, she''ll let them follow her. Taking on the pissed off Nine Swords Sect and the other righteous sects is not something she can handle alone. At least not until she''s in the Earthly Immortal realm. Which is probably going to take a couple centuries or millenniums as far as she knows if she doesn''t start robbing again for resources.

 Chapter 207 - 201: The Beginning of War.

    "Vile Mad Slasher! Give up! You can''t possibly escape our entrapment!" A righteous cultivator shouted.


    "I have to say, I''m quite impressed you all had the wits to sniff me out here. You know, for being so old, you all aren''t too used to using your brain anymore." Tia laughed.


    "Hmph. Nothing but a false bravado! She knows there is no way out and is trying to buy time for her allies to find her." Head Elder of the Nine Swords Sect, Nuam Nam, laughed as well.


    "I wouldn''t be so quick to lead them to their deaths. Take a second to think with those withered and aged brains of yours. If I am here, where are my men?" Tia threw out the bait.


    "Who knows! Don''t listen to her words and kill!" Nuam Nam led the attack with his golden longsword.


    ______________________________________________?


    Tia could only sigh. It''s been months since she left closed door seclusion and a lot has happened since then. The three she met after coming out wanting to follow her weren''t the only ones who wanted to do so. After Tia had a little fun with the three, thousands of others were willing to follow under the Vile Mad Slasher. A title that Tia did not create of her own volition nor supported it. It was too crass and vulgar for her taste. She was neither Vile or Mad. A slasher, yes, but what else could she do with a machete? Tickle?


    With those thousands of expendable savages, Tia had to plan and strategize how to perfectly control and use them. It was a new experience for her leading so many men and women but they were more than simple to control. What did every cultivator want? Power, safety, and freedom. None of which, at the time, she could reliably promise. An army or group needed control. Ruling through power would work for a short time but eventually she would need to think of a functional system that could properly control a group like this. So, she let them cause some chaos to satisfy them for the time being.


    By leading them into battles that they would win with 100% certainty and allowing them to loot everything to their heart''s d.e.s.i.r.e, it very quickly created a sense of loyalty within the group. A group that they apparently decide to call the Mad Dragons. Tia didn''t understand their obsession with calling her mad. Just because she thought in a way that was different from everyone else and actually decided to do things about it didn''t mean she was crazy. Stupid savages...


    So as the months went by with Tia leading the Mad Dragons into exterminating several righteous sects, strengthening her group, becoming a better leader, and building her own strength, she entered a full-blown war with every righteous sect in the continent. The Nine Swords Sect led all the righteous sects into fighting against her group. A plan that would no doubt easily be able to take care of a wild and uncontrolled group like hers. Unfortunately, the Nine Swords Sect got a little greedy.


    They planned to absorb and merge the lesser sects under them. This hidden plan of theirs was found out by one of the Nine Swords Sect''s closest allies. Causing all the righteous sects to be dubious of the intentions of the Nine Swords Sect. At first, they believed it was to rid the world of the Vile Mad Slasher, leading to a more prosperous age for righteous cultivators and sects alike. But once their secret plan was revealed, many were hesitant to join them in their battle.


    Of course, the Nine Swords Sect denied crafting such a devious plan but considering that the sect that first spread the news of this plan was mysteriously destroyed in a single night without a single survivor. It made many more sects and cultivators who call themselves righteous clam up and go quiet. Not responding to the requests for help by the Nine Swords Sect in wiping out the Mad Dragons.


    To quickly save their reputation from falling anymore, they pointed their fingers at the Mad Dragons and blamed it on them. While it would make sense for the Mad Dragons to do so it also made sense for the Nine Swords Sect to do the same! But the Mad Dragons were quite vocal in their denial of exterminating the Supreme Flower Sect.


    "Like hell we killed them. We leave nothing in our wake when we go to battle."


    "Hihihihi! Do you think that we wouldn''t be gloating about destroying that sect if we dealt with them?"


    "Also, didn''t you notice they had all their clothes and none of the houses were destroyed? Of course, we didn''t have a hand in it."


    It was quite hard to place the blame on the Mad Dragons as this wasn''t like them at all. When they went to war, they truly left no morsel untouched. Everything of their enemies were looted and grabbed for themselves. Even the worthless junk was gathered for some reason. It was as if they just took everything just because they could! Not for any need or want for such items.


    But the Supreme Flower Sect still had everything. When the wandering cultivators heard of their demise, they quickly went to loot whatever they could in the remains. The only thing they found were endless corpses strewn about but all their stuff was untouched! These looters had no issues helping prove the Mad Dragon''s statement. There truly were valuables left at the Supreme Flower Sect that wouldn''t be there if the Mad Dragons attacked.


    Tia decided to use the Nine Swords Sect horrible flounder to her advantage even further. By using one of her followers as a fake survivor of the extermination of the Supreme Flower Sect, she had him admit to everyone that it was indeed the Nine Swords Sect that destroyed their sect. With him having only one arm and one leg, it was very convincing to everyone else. Especially when Tia decided to make it more convincing by adding a few sword-like scars on his body and face. This follower of hers was gifted great rewards for his sacrifice and devotion.


    Once again, the Nine Swords Sect refused to admit to any sect exterminating. Only the top members of the Nine Sword Sect knew of their dealings with the Supreme Flower Sect and the Pillar Elder that personally had a hand in the destruction of it, knew he had killed every single member of the sect. He counted! That was when they realized that they fell right into the trap set by the Mad Dragons. This only turned their already unfixable relationship into a generation-spanning hatred that wouldn''t be solved even if millions of years passed.


    ______________________________________________?


    "Lightning, guide my hand." Tia grinned as numerous Qi Transformation cultivators came at her with swords.


    A concentrated burst of electricity flashed from her forehead that super charged her brain. This self-taught technique would normally kill anyone else that wasn''t Tia if they tried it. That was because with this lightning qi, she was actually altering her brain into making her into the ultimate fighting being. For normal humans, to respond to an external threat, their brain must first recognize the threat and then send instructions to the muscles to react. With her altering, instead of going to the brain first, they would head straight to the muscle allowing Tia to respond to different threats instantly. She could alter it to respond to killing intent, touch, someone stepping within a certain range around her, and specific responses made by her opponents. Specific responses such as taking out a pill, pulling out a movement talisman, and etc.


    A thin blue aura of lightning coated her body as she disappeared from in the encirclement of all the cultivators. In the same moment she dodged their swords, she attacked at the same time. Her machete slashed, cleaved, stabbed, and hacked at the elders without giving them the chance to resist. Hell, they didn''t even get the opportunity to react! Well, some could react. Out of the dozens of elders, Tia managed to kill 8 after activating her secret technique. The remaining four were a bit special. One was one major realm above her. One specialized in defensive martial arts. One specialized in body cultivation and the last one who practiced a strange technique that made him her machete pass right through him.


    The only threats were Nuam Nam, the Mortality Ascension realm cultivator and the ghost guy. For the other two, if it wasn''t for their tough bodies, then they would be dead just like the others because neither of them could react to her speed. Allowing her to inflict countless slashes on their bodies with her machete, drawing a pool of blood underneath them that rose above their feet. Nuam Nam could just barely keep up with her thanks to his higher realm. Ghosty was unable to contribute and was too afraid to exit his ghostly state because he knew what would await him if he did.


    "Get out of the way you fools! You''re only holding me back!" Nuam Nam insulted.


    "I''m trying!"


    "Just grab her! She can''t move so fast if we got her in our grip!"


    "I will get out of your way Elder Nam!" Ghosty quickly fled into the distance and Tia could do nothing to stop him. He could even run through trees and lightning without a problem.


    Tia''s body continued to carve up the two cultivators and pressure Nuam Nam. Only a few seconds have passed since their battle started and she''s already unleashed more than a hundred thousand cuts between the three. Nuam Nam seemed to have gotten fed up. While he wasn''t nearly as bloody or injured as the other two, he was still unable to land a single hit on her.


    "Enough!" A fierce shockwave of qi and sword intent spread outward from him in a 10km radius.


    "Whoa. That was a surprise..." Tia suddenly appeared just outside the edge of Nam''s attack completely unharmed. "No wonder he''s a Head Elder with that much power." Everything that was within that 10km was reduced to dust, including the two body cultivators.


    She still had a lot of qi left. This technique didn''t drain much qi during use. Tia would''ve been pissed if it did. She had to put hundreds of thousands of captured enemies through multiple sessions to create and perfect this martial art. Creating martial arts is a lot more troublesome than she thought it would be. All it took was one little mistake when trying to figure out the best route through the qi pathway for one to become completely crippled. Not to mention having to poke around and learn about the inner qi system on her own. Such a hassle. Someone should''ve written all this information down already instead of forcing her to do so. How long have there been cultivators? And no one decided to write about the inner qi system, how it works, and the fact that everyone''s inner qi system is completely different from each other!?


    "So, you survived..." Nuam Nam stared at her from a few meters away.


    "Did you really think such a simple technique would be enough to deal with me?" Tia asked, feeling insulted.


    "I''ll show you a simple technique..." He growled. "My sword art, Heaven''s Final Decree, will be simple enough to handle you. No matter how fast you are. I, Nuam Nam, will kill you soon enough!" Nam viciously smirked.


    "You never stood a chance against me Nam. And to prove that, I''ll let you activate your Qi Domain and transform yourself into your main element." Tia knew of the vast difference in their strength and skills. Those are the only two ways he could save himself from perishing here.


    "Hmph! Silence Vile Mad Slasher!" He rushed at her with his sword.


    It only took a few moments before the immense pride he felt in his swordsmanship fell apart. With Lightning''s Will, Tia didn''t need to rely on her own martial prowess at all. Her body automatically responded and fought for her to kill Nuam Nam. His sword skills fell apart in the face of overwhelming speed and precision. Tia''s body found the flaws in his swordsmanship without even knowing about how he utilized it!


    Nam blocked another lethal chop from the Slasher''s blade before suddenly feeling his back being sliced apart. He turned once he felt the pain to tear apart the annoying fly only to receive another mark on his back. To respond to the lightning-fast attacks, he formed a barrier of qi around himself and when he felt a strike on the barrier, he attacked at the same moment. Unfortunately for him, Lightning''s Will didn''t respond to the barrier''s actions but his own, meaning that this attack of his which he thought was genius. Only turned against him as the Slasher''s blade nicked his throat.


    "Don''t say I didn''t give you a chance." Her voice seemingly spoke in all directions.


    Nuam Nam for some reason felt fear for his own life. His senses exploded with alertness as he tried to activate his Qi Domain. Tia could only laugh with mockery as her machete found itself stabbed through Nam''s heart from the front. Blood shot from his mouth as he tried to say his final words.


    "The name''s Tia by the way. I don''t see why you all insist on calling me that annoying nickname you gave me." Tia made sure to fry his heart to a crisp by electrifying her machete while it was impaled in him.


    With cultivators these days, you can never be too careful. Which is why after burning him to a burnt crisp with her lightning, she decapitated him and split his skull. After doing this, she figured that it was finally over but while her Lightning''s Will was still active, her body jumped far into the sky and clasped something in her hand before shocking it.


    "Release me!" A tiny voice screamed in pain.


    "What the hell...?" Tia altered her brain into giving her some control again.

 Chapter 208 - 202: Wheres My Halo?

    "Now, I wonder what is this..." Tia grinned as she looked at the strange bead with Nam inside.


    This was something she''s never seen before and had no knowledge of whatsoever. She was sure that she just killed Nuam Nam but here he was in this strange new form, completely fine. Tia tossed it in the sky and attempted to cleave it in half with her machete to kill him for good. Only for the bead to be sent flying far off into the distance.


    "Uh oh..." Tia quickly dashed after the bead after realizing that brute force wasn''t the answer here.


    She had to find out what the hell that bead was and why Nam was still alive! Information was power and a lack of information was only a death sentence waiting to happen. Tia ran through the Immortal Forest with lightning coating her body, enhancing her speed several times over. Eventually, the bead bounced against a mountainside and dropped into some bushes that Tia hacked away. Picking up the dazed and stunned infant Nam, she began questioning him.


    "Let go of me!" Tia shocked the bead, electrocuting him and causing him to yell in pain.


    "I will curse you with my dying breath!" Another zap.


    "You disgusting vile woman...!" An extra-long shock.


    "Please stop shocking me... I''m sorry, okay...? I''ll answer anything you wish to know..." Tia sent some more lightning through the bead.


    "Please..." He was brought to the verge of tears from the pain. "We have 212 sects in an alliance with us, not including the Blossoming Water Palace. Over a million cultivators ready for war, and dozens of Mortality Ascension cultivators with only a few Earthly Immortals." Nam spilled to stop the pain.


    "Hmm? How many of those Mortality Ascension cultivators are stronger than you?" She soon asked.


    "Only 1, the younger brother of the Sect Leader." He answered.


    "Why are you in this form?"


    "Upon making it to the Mortality Ascension stage, a cultivator will focus all their efforts on condensing a soul core. With a fully condensed soul core, a cultivator will have a second chance at life. If they suffer a fatal blow and perish, their soul core will keep their soul from entering the reincarnation cycle. The bead cannot be broken or destroyed but can only be used once a century. It will last an entire day before the cultivator forms a new younger body weakened and without any qi." Nam didn''t hold anything back in his explanation.


    "I see... Well, congratulations Nam. You have 24 hours to convince me to not kill you when you escape this soul core." Tia gave a small giggle.


    "Wasn''t the information enough!?" He cried.


    "That was only expected."


    "Wha!?"


    He soon went quiet as he began thinking as hard as he could. In the meantime, Tia went to find her men. The information she got from Nam was useful when she encounters more Mortality Ascension cultivators and eventually step into the realm herself. But first, she had to get past the Qi Transformation realm.


    Several months passed before eventually, the righteous sects had enough. They began organizing and taking this war seriously between them and the Mad Dragons because they were actually starting to lose because of how great a strategist that Tia was! From time to time, the Golden Serpent Sect would aid the Mad Dragons by selling them spirit tools and weapons or buying the stolen loot gained from the ransacked righteous sects they''ve destroyed. The righteous sects knew that this war could end in their loss if the Golden Serpent Sect decided to completely support the Mad Dragons and lend them their disciples and elders.


    So, several sect leaders of the righteous faction joined together and directly flew straight to the Demonic Vile Mad Slasher. Evil Alchemist, Little Miss Killer, and Master of Slaughter stood by her side as they arrived. Tia ordered everyone else to flee the area as far as they could or they would die from being caught up in the battle. It was time to put everything on the line to try and put an end to this war. If they gave her a few more years, then maybe Tia actually could''ve won this war.


    The battle between the major cultivators of the Mad Dragon against the sect leaders of the righteous sects lasted for nearly a week. Tia was the last remaining Mad Dragon covered in injuries and bruises but the sect leaders were not in great shape either. Evil Alchemist managed to poison them all with a deadly concoction before dying, leaving them deathly poisoned and weakened. Only the sect leader of the Nine Swords Sect had a chance of survival after this battle. The rest were goners.


    "Just couldn''t handle being robbed once... Could you?" Tia angrily spat blood on the ground.


    Lightning, earth, water, fire, and air all circled around her in a sphere. Each of these five elements at the tip of her fingers. Her braided hair was no longer twisted together and now a complete mess along with her outfit. Blood dripped from several parts of her body as her face twisted into a vicious snarl.


    She was going to die just because this old grandma couldn''t accept a single loss! It''s just a robbery! It wasn''t necessary to put a giant bounty on her head because of it. Not like there are laws or anything here that explicitly say stealing is illegal and there are punishments for it. Maybe inside the Nine Swords Sect there''s a rule like that but this is the outside world! There''s a different system out here.


    "Heh... You little brat. Do you really think all this is because of that stupid incident?" Blood dripped from the side of the Nine Swords Sect''s sect leader''s mouth. "Hahaha. You really are just a brat! That event might have played a hand in it but this was more than just that."


    "Explain yourself, you old bat. Why did you suicidal old foggies just rush in here? My life can''t be worth that much to you, can it?" Tia questioned.


    "Hihihihi! You really don''t know anything at all!" She just laughed even harder. "You grew too strong for your own good. There''s a reason why there have only been Three Great Sects for thousands of years! If we ignored someone like you, then that balance we''ve built for the last millenniums would be destroyed! Especially with how quickly your forces grew."


    "So you were scared..." Was what Tia took from that. "You god damn stupid savages...! Do you really think I care about something like your precious little balance of power!? Did you think I wanted to destroy all of you and then replace you as the greatest force in the Evergreen continent or something like that?! I only participated in this stupid war because you wouldn''t leave me alone! Now I''m going to..." Tia was pissed beyond belief and couldn''t even finish her statement as she screamed in anger.


    "Fine... If I''m going to die, I''m going to make sure to ruin as many of you as I can. Even you two watching in the distance." Tia''s eyes met with the sect leaders of the Golden Serpent Sect and the Blossoming Water Palace. The leader of the Golden Serpent Sect only smiled while Blossoming Water Palace''s leader scoffed.


    Tia vibrated the core inside her dantian as her body slowly transformed into a mixture of all five elements: lightning, earth, water, fire, and wind. Her head becoming lightning, her arms fire and water, and lastly, her legs becoming earth and wind. In the middle of those five elements, a sixth element took her torso, qi in its natural state. Then Tia suddenly vanished from the battlefield. Unfortunately, her plan was stopped as a massive barrier appeared created by several thousand spellmasters brought by the Nine Swords Sect and the Blossoming Water Palace.


    "Sorry Demonic Vile Mad Slasher. Your fight with the Nine Swords Sect has yet to end." Golden Serpent Sect''s Sect Leader laughed.


    "I will remember this..." Tia cursed as she expanded her domain as far as she could and assaulted the remaining living righteous sect leaders.


    The world turned into chaos as the planet itself seemingly came alive. Several bolts of lightning striking from the sky, massive waves of water flowing across the ground, gigantic mounds of earth rising and crashing, incredible blankets of flames flying across the air, and last but not least, unstoppable winds tearing and blowing through the area. Only the sect leader of the Nine Swords Sect could withstand the assault before Tia ran out of qi.


    "To think there would be a day that I''d be pushed this far by a Qi Transformation cultivator..." The grandma inside a child''s body cursed.


    "Like hell, I''ll die to you again..." Tia gripped her machete with the last of her strength and walked forward.


    "What the hell are you on about...?" She asked.


    "I''m sick and tired of dying...!" Tia didn''t understand the words coming out of her mouth either but felt that the words were coming from her very soul.


    Tia''s machete slashed downward to decapitate the grandma but her attack was blocked from an overhead block by the grandma''s sword. This battle continued for a few more minutes before the end came. As a Qi Transformation cultivator, Tia was severely outmatched by an Earthly Immortal in terms of qi. An Earthly Immortal could use the world''s qi to fuel their techniques while those below the Earthly Immortal stage could only rely on the qi inside their dantian. The Nine Swords Sect''s leader was grievously injured by Tia with a stab through her heart but Tia was killed by decapitation. Marking the end of the Mad Dragons and the mysterious wandering cultivator that took the Evergreen continent by storm in only a few years.

 Chapter 209 - 203: Jing. (Part 2000)

    2,000th Life


    Courtney smiled as she stood over the sleeping boy in the Qi Gathering stage. She found him inside this hidden treasure trove on the side of a cliff just after risking her life jumping off a cliff to escape from more than a few wicked cultivators. Apparently, she had the perfect body for their master or whatever and wanted to capture her to give to him for whatever purpose. Considering she''s been living in this continent for a few years now, she had a couple of thoughts on what he wanted to do with her. And when being taken forcefully as his wife or concubine is the most positive outcome, it was easy to understand why Courtney would refuse their offer.


    Inside the cliff side previously covered with numerous tough vines, she saw several valuables this boy has been hoarding for himself. A small garden of Evergreen Violets, a small pool of Divine Gold Water, and several small martial art manuals piled near the boy. With the Evergreen Violets, she could purify her dantian to have purer qi. Purer qi would reduce the difficulties in breaking through, increase the power of her qi, and make it easier to control. For the Divine Gold Water, it would completely remove the impurities from within her body and if she stays inside long enough it was also possible to drastically improve her own body by remaking it from scratch.


    She could see the boy was waking up soon. Courtney quietly made her way over to his defenseless body, gently wrapped her self-crafted meteor hammer''s chain around his throat, and prepared herself to see how he looked when he''s just woken up by being strangled. While she did have some questions for him, Courtney could save that after the strangling. A boy of his realm shouldn''t have made it this deep inside the Immortal Forest. Any spirit beast would be able to kill him with just a slap.


    "Hey there little brother..." Courtney gently whispered into his ears. "I hope you don''t mind sharing a few of these treasures with big sister." She smiled before tightening her chain around his throat and watching his eyes nearly bulge out of his skull.


    "Guk! Huak! Huk!" He choked.


    P.l.e.a.s.u.r.e seemed to flow into Courtney''s body from how he wildly flailed around. She could see a shiny purple ring on his index finger and suddenly an impressive sword coming into his hands. Courtney had to wring his neck upwards as she stood up to prevent herself from being sliced but she never stopped choking him. The sound of him choking was like a heavenly musical performance for her ears that sent her body crazy. Even as a full minute passed, he still had plenty of energy left in him to move around which only excited her more.


    Because of how feisty and attached to living he was, Courtney decided to have some extra fun herself by slipping a hand into her u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r and pleasuring herself while choking the Qi Gatherer with only one hand. His will to live eventually brought him to knocking her against the cave wall in an attempt to bash her skull against the wall before he suffocated. Courtney''s fingers moved just as fiercely as this boy was attempting to keep his own life until eventually that sword he had in his hand was pointed at his own stomach. He drove it towards his own stomach in an attempt to kill them both.


    "You''re impressing me more and more, you know that?" Courtney laughed as she released the hold of her meteor hammer''s chain and kicked the boy away before he could perform a double suicide.


    Taking her hand out of her p.a.n.t.i.e.s drenched in her juices, she flicked it with a wave of her hand before rushing over to the downed boy. He eagerly took this chance to gulp as much air as he could when he should''ve been using it to get up and prepare to fight her off. Courtney used this chance to grab her chain again and tighten them against his neck once more but not before sharply kicking his hand, making the sword fly into the Divine Gold Water. Her eyes could tell that the sword wasn''t an ordinary blade either because of its appearance but her main focus was letting herself finish. Him having a bit more fight in him only made her wonder just how much could he handle.


    As she was strangling him for a second time while getting herself off, she couldn''t get into it like she did before. That was because the weak handsome idiot decided to give up struggling now that he lost his sword. All signs of fight and resistance were gone. Now he was just waiting for death to take him.


    "How boring. You were a lot more fun when the thought of death terrified you." Courtney loosened up her hold around his throat as she got up from the floor.


    "Hack! Hack!" He violently coughed before taking deep breaths of air again. "Who are you...?" That was his first question.


    "Who me?" Courtney smiled.


    Before giving him a ruthless kick across the face that sent him flying away into the wall and loosening a few teeth from his mouth.


    "No one special. Just a wandering cultivator you can find anywhere." She answered.


    "Why are you doing this...?" He viciously glared at her, not understanding that it only excited her more.


    "Do I need to provide you a reason for my actions?" She slowly walked over to him. ''So, it turns out that his will wasn''t broken yet even in the face of death. Good... I can have a little more fun.''


    "If you want the treasures, I''ll give them to you! Just let me leave..." He tried to bargain.


    Courtney kicked him in his stomach and a heavy groan escape from his c.h.e.s.t. She then stomped on his back multiple times before kicking him over onto his back. A quick glance into his eyes revealed fear but not deathly fear. There was something he was hiding. A trump card but what kind of trump card? Why hasn''t he used it yet? Has she not pushed him far enough yet?


    Or maybe, it''s a trump card that he has no control over. Nothing but questions. Earlier he stopped struggling and accepted that he was going to die. Perhaps death was the answer in triggering the trump card. But what kind of insane bloodline would that be? Wouldn''t any sect go crazy in accepting an immortal disciple?


    ''Hmm... An immortal slave sounds pretty useful...'' Courtney thought of it in a different way.


    But it''s going to take some time to train him and whip him into shape. Taking a second look around her surroundings, she was going to need time to properly consolidate all these treasures in the first place. Doing both shouldn''t be too much of a problem. He was just a Qi Gatherer while she was in Core Preparation realm, two major realms above him.


    Courtney had faith in her abilities that she should be able to break him before using up all the treasures in this place. The first treasure she had her eye on was that shiny little ring on his finger. Who knew how many more treasures he had stored in that thing? Her first plan to find out just how much he had hidden in there.


    "Take a quick nap for me, will you?" Courtney knocked him out with a well-placed kick to the back of the skull.


    He dropped like a sack of potatoes to the ground as Courtney went to grab his storage ring. As she tried ripping it off his finger, a powerful wave of qi blew her away when she tried doing so. Her head smashed against the cave wall and it hurt bad, pissing her off. She went to try again but instead of directly trying to take the ring off, she wanted to skip pass its defensive measures by cutting off his index finger. Another strong wave of qi tried to stop her from doing so but she was prepared this time. Courtney coated her body in qi and with a small knife hidden in her clothes chopped down to cut the finger off.


    Unfortunately, this still didn''t help as she was sent flying away once more.


    ''Fine. If the finger is a no-go, then I''ll try the whole damn hand!'' Just how smart could a ring be?


    With her knife pressed against the wrist, she sliced down only to feel heavy resistance stopping her. Once again, she was blown back by the qi but she did not give up! It was obvious that there was something incredibly good inside the storage ring. She would have to be a fool to give up so soon!


    After countless hours of trying to take the ring, Courtney finally managed to think of a plan that used the storage ring''s power against it. By wrapping a small chain coated in her qi around the ring finger, she tried cutting off the ring to get it to blast her away again. When it felt her intention to gain the ring, the defensive mechanism came into play and tried blowing her away. Courtney madly laughed as she tightened the chain around the finger, causing the defensive qi wave to work in her favor by aiding her in tearing the finger off along with the finger. The boy screamed as he woke up with his finger missing but Courtney didn''t give a rat''s a.s.s about that.


    "You''re mine now, you stubborn ring!" She easily removed the ring off the detached finger and placed it on her middle finger before binding to it.


    Courtney''s eyes were nearly blinded by the treasures residing inside.

 Chapter 210 - 204: A New Goal?

    It took half a year for Courtney to gain everything she could inside this cave. Now with a tremendous increase in her personal strength and Tang Seng fully trained, it was time to take revenge on those Ghost King Immortal Sect disciples who forced her into this situation in the first place. While she was thankful, her jumping off that cliff could''ve also led to her death if she wasn''t lucky enough to get caught in some strong vines on her way down. So, it only made sense to go "thank" them in person.


    She climbed up the sheer cliffside with the silent Tang Seng following behind her. After a certain point during his "training", he realized that no matter how much he begged, pleaded, or threatened her, none of it mattered. He understood that she didn''t care for his background, what he could offer her, or anything at all. Trying to reason with her was an impossible task and frankly a waste of breath. Eventually, he realized his position and fate in life was to serve as this woman''s slave. No one would come to save him and because of his bloodline, there wasn''t a chance that she would let him go on his own. Not that he could escape from her anyway after all those rare resources she took from him.


    Courtney and Seng made it up the top of the cliff after a few hours of non-stop climbing. She didn''t know where the Ghost King Immortal Sect was, just that the disciples that forced her off that cliff were from it. And frankly, it''s been a while since that incident happened... Now that she was finally free from that small cave with fresh air flowing through her lungs, she could think more clearly now. Why waste her own time chasing after some weaklings that would stand no chance against her now when she could do something more productive for herself? While she did want to test her new strength, it would be better to solidify her own strength.


    Remembering the direction of the nearest city, Courtney started to walk in that direction. Desperate to get out of the wild and have some semblance of normality again, she was looking forward to reaching the city. For some reason, she disliked being in the wild for too long. As if she experienced horrible things out here that she could never forget. She wouldn''t admit it but having Tang behind her helps alleviate that feeling just a bit.


    Right now, she was still waiting for him to run off at the first taste of freedom since they finally got out of that cave. But it seems he was playing his game a lot smarter than she thought he would. Courtney didn''t believe she had Seng completely controlled even with half a year of "teaching." So, she would just wait until he tried to run before placing him back in that hell.


    Once they made it to the city, Courtney''s first stop was to a restaurant to eat real food. In those six months with Tang, the two of them had to eat nothing but pills to stop themselves from starving. Tasteless, instantly dissolving pills that could never leave them completely full but wouldn''t let them still feel hungry either. It was a new kind of torture that Courtney never believed she would have to suffer through. She never imagined that not being allowed to starve or gorge yourself would be something so horrible. Definitely, something she''ll have to try out eventually for the next person who gets on her bad side.


    The two of them didn''t gather much attention inside the city not that either of them was expecting to do so. There was nothing special about either of them except Courtney''s brown skin tone. At least, that was what Courtney thought until they ran into a member of the Tang Family that recognized Seng. And from his first words, she had an idea of how Seng ended up in that cave.


    "You... You should be dead...!" A handsome youth cried out as if he''s seen a ghost.


    Seng''s eyes narrowed into a murderous glare as he pulled out a completely black blade. He readied himself into a position to kill but didn''t move forward. Courtney gave a small smile at the sight of this but it didn''t completely make her trust him. However, she did realize what happened between the two. But that didn''t mean she had to let Seng get revenge.


    "You. Tell me your background." Courtney demanded.


    "Are you that freak''s woman!? Did you somehow save him back then!?" He questioned.


    "I won''t repeat myself. Answer my question." A crowd was now starting to form around them.


    "If Master Jiao''s men couldn''t kill you, then I''ll just finish the job!" He unsheathed his sword and moved forward, completely ignoring Courtney.


    "Isn''t that Young Master Tang? Sole disciple of Silent Ghost from the Ghost King Immortal Sect?"


    "Why is he trying to kill those two?"


    "They must have got on his bad side. Ever since he was accepted as Silent Ghost''s disciple, he''s been roaming through Sunny City unrestrained."


    "Doesn''t that kid look awfully similar to Young Master Tang?"


    "If you look past his messy hair and filthy body, maybe..."


    Courtney sent one of her meteor hammers streaking through the air towards Young Master Tang. With her strength, it was impossible for him to react in time. However, not impossible for his life-saving treasure to react. A white transparent barrier of qi formed around his body that saved him from Courtney''s meteor hammer from smashing in his face.


    On seeing that his master''s gift activated and saved his own life, he immediately stopped himself and looked at the powerful brown girl. It only took him an instant to realize that she was someone out of his league and if he continued acting the way he has, it would be a simple matter for him to die here. So, he gave a respectful bow and focused all his attention on her instead of his should be dead brother. Even his master couldn''t save him if he willingly walked into his own death!


    "I apologize for my rude behavior Miss Immortal. I am willing to answer any questions you might have for me." He spoke in a polite manner.


    ''All it takes is a show of superior power and these brutes are all too willing to try and talk things out... It''s irritating but it''s ingrained in the culture here.'' Courtney was annoyed.


    They don''t care for the farmers, business owners, and other occupations that this society is actually run by. Cultivators don''t do anything productive for the world. Not even the righteous sects that claim they are for the weak and helpless. It''s a load of crap. Righteous cultivators, wicked cultivators, wandering cultivators, all of them are only in it for themselves. No one is looking out for humanity as a whole. No one wants to improve and take the world to the next stage in evolution. They''re completely content in staying where they are doing what they''ve been doing for thousands of years already! It''s completely insane in Courtney''s opinion! All this power and they use it for what!? Wars? Expanding territories? Gaining more power? At least build a society and culture that is actually improving itself every decade!


    ''Actually... Why don''t I just do that?'' Courtney suddenly thought.


    "Forget it. In your next life, make sure to actually confirm you''ve assassinated someone when carrying one out." Courtney gave Seng the green light.


    He charged forth without restraint and plunged his big black sword right through Young Master Tang''s c.h.e.s.t. With Courtney already taking care of the life-saving treasure given to Tang by his master, Seng had nothing to worry about. After pushing his brother off of his blade, he stabbed him through the heart before decapitating him. Many of those watching the confrontation quickly fled in terror after seeing the brutal kin-slaying. They let everyone know about the duo that did not put the Ghost King Immortal Sect in their eyes and to avoid them at all costs.


    "Let''s go for now. To get started on this idea of mine, I need money. Lots and lots of money." Courtney began walking through the city streets.


    "And I''m sure that the Ghost King Immortal Sect wouldn''t mind donating to my cause... Actually, now that I think about it, I''m sure many wicked sects wouldn''t mind giving me some money if I asked them nicely for it. Wicked sects don''t need money as they are only going to use it to harm the world instead of helping it anyway."

 Chapter 211 - 205: Jing 10,000.

    10,000th Life


    "My suffering is finally over..." Ming muttered to herself as she looked down on the leaders of the Three Great Sects.


    All of them were on their knees, filled with injuries, and completely helpless before her. She sat upon a glorious throne sprinkled with blinding black stones and luxurious golden color. All these resets of dying, failing and repeating it all over again. Finally, it will come to an end.


    "I knew I should''ve used all my power to exterminate you once I heard about the trouble you caused in the secret realm!" Mao Li, leader of the Nine Swords Sect, spat with hatred.


    "Save your breath, Mao. We''ve lost fair and square to this strange woman. At least die with some dignity." Pei Qing, leader of the Golden Serpent Sect, kept her back straight as she looked into Ming''s eyes.


    "No! No! No! Shut it you old bat! You may be fine with dying but I''m not! I''ve spent far too many years to just die like this to some freaky brat!" Mao Li struggled with everything she had to break free from the hair-like bindings restricting her.


    "I knew I should''ve just run to Tian Kingdom..." Shi Ran, leader of the Blossoming Water Palace, sighed. Regretting ever teaming up with Mao and Pei.


    "Strange choice of last words. See you later." Jing gave a carefree wave as she decapitated all three sect leaders with a single blade of water that flashed through the air.


    Their Soul Beads rose in the air. Mao Li''s bead turned into a blur as she tried escaping out of the room. Pei Qing and Shi Ran stayed where they were, knowing that escape was futile. If she could take on all three of them in a war and win. Once they were captured by her, they knew was no chance of them being able to escape without divine intervention.


    Mao Li''s shrill screams echoed throughout the room as Ming''s water gripped around her soul bead. Once a cultivator has made a soul bead, it is impossible for anyone to break open. Even if a cultivator was in the final realm, they wouldn''t be able to crack it open. However, that didn''t mean it was impossible for one to feel pain while inside it.


    Clear and distinct memories floated through Ming''s mind as she thought about how many of her deaths were at the hands of this vengeful, cowardly grandma. All of them were either sudden, cruel, or aggressive. She spared no mercy for the woman she called her master on more than one occasion. A cold somewhat empty look was present in her eyes as she tortured Mao''s soul.


    In many of her past lives, she imagined this day would feel o.r.g.a.s.mic. Finally giving her what she deserved. But, after so many deaths and finally reaching the end... Ming feels hollow. Everything she''s gone through for over tens of thousands of lives wasn''t real. All the friends, allies, enemies, lovers, pets. None of them were real. They felt real, looked real, and acted real. But if she killed herself right now, everything would reset. And from the outskirts of that forest, everything would start anew. With no one but herself remembering anything that happened.


    Even if she walked up to one of her many lovers and revealed everything to them. They wouldn''t understand anything she''s said. All of it felt pointless but now with this, everything should end. And she should return back to the real world. Ming created a clone made of Primordial Water to watch over the three sect leaders and left her throne room. She was greeted with several familiar faces as she left. Some used to be her enemies. Some have killed her. Others were husbands and wives she''s married in past lives. A majority were just friends that used to be strangers. Now that she''s eliminated her biggest threats in the continent, everyone wondered what her plan was now. Was she going to set her eyes on Tian Kingdom next to slaughter? Or was she going to expand her group to every part of the Evergreen continent? Many figured it would be the first choice because of her behavior during the Ten Year War with the Three Great Sects.


    There were no survivors that lived through the war apart of the Three Great Sects. Ming''s sudden rise and her group''s unexplainable growth shocked the continent. On the surface, she came from out of nowhere with a group of mysteriously powerful cultivators. She and her group slaughtered anyone that opposed them throughout the land mercilessly. Many of those that opposed them were directly allied with the Three Great Sects. The smaller sects that were neutral were mostly ignored by them.


    No one knew how to react as Ming''s group grew more and more in power. Eventually, their growth, influence, and power began to scare the Three Great Sects. Prompting them into stomping out this upstart group before they can grow further. The most supportive of exterminating the group was the Nine Swords Sect who suffered the most losses from the group. Blossoming Water Palace had the least losses but it seemed like the mysterious group was targeting the Nine Swords Sect and their allies the most.


    All of her past lives gave Ming knowledge, experience, and power that no one could stand against. The Ten Year War with the Three Great Sects was like child''s play. Numerous lives leading others. Numerous lives making mistakes and dying for them. Numerous lives being on the winning side of a war and the losing side of a war. Ming lived through it all until war was nothing but a game. She knew the behavior, mindset, and tendencies of the sect leaders like they were characters inside a novel. If she was willing to sacrifice a few things, then the war could''ve ended in half the time. But she saw no need for such a thing as it was better to finish things without haste.


    As Ming looked at everyone that was going to disappear before her eyes soon. A thought briefly flashed through her mind. What if the life before all these resets wasn''t real either? Would there be any point to living? Sure, she could recreate her accomplishments here once more but what would be the purpose?


    ''Maybe I could find the answer once I reach One With All.'' Ming thought.


    The world around her paused once she had that thought. Everyone around her no longer talked or moved. It was as if life itself was frozen. Ming could still move around freely but she couldn''t sense anything at all. Meaning that whoever was doing this was far more powerful than herself. Perhaps it was the immortal that controlled this world.


    Everything began to fade away. The very world in front of her eyes began to peel away like layers on a cloth. Everywhere she looked, she only saw whiteness until eventually there was nothing but herself and the whiteness. Then that whiteness cracked until she was in a land of flames. Massive mountain-sized volcanos rose from the ground and expanded across the distance. Several volcanic eruptions shot out into the atmosphere as a small table appeared in front of her. A seat rose from underneath her and gently rested underneath her bum.


    Two figures appeared in front of her along with some tea on the table. The first was a simple-looking youth that seemed to shift into a different body every second. Ming felt that he wasn''t as ordinary as he appeared. Despite looking like an average young man, she knew for a fact that he was anything but. Even though his body was changing rapidly, his face and aura stayed the same. She felt as if he was one with the world. So ordinary that if she looked away for a second, she might forget his existence in this land of fiery chaos.


    Ming then imagined herself smashing this cup against his face and strangling him before realizing that he had no weak spots. It didn''t matter how many ways she attacked him, she knew that he would be prepared for it. As she thought of all this the man himself was kindly smiling at her without saying a word. The second figure resembled a butler in Ming''s opinion but he was staring at her with annoyance in his eyes.


    As if her very presence irritated and bothered him. He too was a figure without weak points. Ming was the weakest person here. She doubted even if she used all her trump cards and power, escape was a possibility.


    "Well? Do you mind explaining what is going on?" Ming spoke.


    "Before I do that... after successfully passing my test I should reward you. I didn''t expect you to ever escape that test of mine if you were as weak as I thought you were."


    "Test...?" Ming questioned.


    All of her lives were just a test for this man? Deep in her heart, Ming wanted to explode and rip this man to shreds but her brain put a hold on that. Why would he test her? What did he get out of testing her? Is there any reason that it had to be her that was tested?


    "Yes, a test." He took a sip of the tea before continuing.


    "You see, as the tester of my system I had to make sure you were an adequate host for the system. Finding that out should''ve been something I''ve done before giving you the system and reincarnating you over to this world but I was lazy. So, I decided to intervene in the middle of your heart demon test to quickly do so."


    "System? Reincarnation? World?" Ming didn''t understand a thing he was saying.


    "Oh, I should also return to you your original memories after I give you your reward. That''ll be disorientating so don''t freak out. I''m still kind of new to this being an Immortal thing." A beam of light shot out of his index finger and penetrated Ming''s forehead.


    "We''ll call her Leah..." A giant woman cradling her in her arms spoke to an equally giant man dressed in a strange outfit.


    She was in a building of white and bright lights. Everything was blurry and she had no control over her body. In no time at all, the world shifted into something different. Now she wasn''t surrounded by giants anymore and some memories floated into her head. School, technology, cars, buildings, ethics, morals, common sense.


    ______________________________________________


    "I loaned you that 5 dollars to pay me back. Now, added with interest you owe me 20 dollars. If you don''t pay me back my money by Friday, guess who is getting beat up at recess."


    Leah stood over a boy as small as herself being held down by two other boys with his face pushed into the dirt behind the school building. Tears streaked down his cheeks but no one cared.


    "I''ll pay you back... Please don''t hurt me Friday..." He begged.


    "That''s what I wanted to hear. I''ll be looking forward to my money Jonathan. Boys, punch him in the head." Leah ordered.


    "What?! Why! I said I was going to give you your money back!" The boy loudly w.h.i.n.ed.


    "It should''ve never come to this point in the first place Jonathan. My money should''ve been paid back the day after I loaned you the money." Leah coldly responded as two thuds banged on the back of his head.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, you''ve decided to try and cheat me out of my money, Ryan?" Leah stood inside an abandoned factory with several men around her.


    Her arms were crossed as she stared at the man tied up in front of her. Numerous bruises and injuries filled his body but no one here cared about such a thing.


    "Did you think that just because you gained superpowers you could skip out on what you owed me? You''re far too na?ve to think you can cheat someone like me." Leah gestured over to one of her men.


    He silently handed her his bat and they all watched as she walked over to the tied-up man.


    "Once the existence of supers started to become known, I''ve thought of several methods to defend myself against them. Just in case one of them tried to do exactly what you did. I invested in several stocks, projects, and got to know many people. Many of them were also interested in supers. Either learning their weaknesses and strengths, researching and testing on them, or learning anything they could about them. In fact, one such scientist wanted to know if there was any difference between a normal person''s corpse and a super''s corpse. He was willing to pay me over 500k for a single super corpse. 1 million if they were still alive." Fear was beginning to settle into Ryan''s heart.


    When Ryan first began to put his powers into use his initial thoughts were to gain as much money as he could while avoiding attention from the police and the government. How could he expect that trying to cheat his first loan shark would lead to him getting captured!? His superpower to control solar energy was useless against the loan shark group equipped with weapons that not even the military probably had! He was pointed at with miniguns, grenade launchers, light-based weaponry, and more! But that wasn''t the worst part either. They even investigated his background and threatened to get his family involved if he dared to resist.


    Even now, his poor mother and father were watching through a phone as he was tortured by the loan shark boss. She used that bat that was given to her to put him through a merciless beating. Everyone could see the joy and p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e she got from putting him through pain. Some of her men could even see her n.i.p.p.l.es poking through her suit.


    It wasn''t until Ryan was on the verge of dying that she stopped herself.


    "Call up Doctor Hamza and tell him to send me the money if he wants a live super." She ordered to her right-hand man.


    "Yes Ma''am." Steven replied.


    As one of the two men who spent the majority of their childhood with Leah, he was already used to such things.


    "Boss, I have a question." One of her workers spoke up.


    "Your name is?" Leah asked.


    "Kenny."


    "What''s your question, Kenny?" Leah walked over to Ryan''s phone, hung up on his parents, and handed it to one of the other men for them to destroy.


    "What about all the money that Ryan owed us?"


    "Dr. Hamza will be paying us more than what we gave to Ryan. I suspected Ryan to be a super after he requested so much money from us. He didn''t care about the high-interest rate and only seemed to be interested in getting as much cash as she could. This led me into investigating his background and sending people to watch him. Ryan didn''t have a job that paid high enough to pay us back. His family wasn''t wealthy. No one in his social circle had any money and he didn''t have any history with gambling. It led me to think just how was he going to cheat me out of my money." Leah took a seat in the chair as she caught her breath.


    "Then news from one of my men that I sent to spy on him came back with good news. They found out that he was a super after he prevented a gas station robbery when getting gas. After that, all I had to do was prepare to take him on." Leah explained.


    "I see..." The strongly built newcomer was in awe of his new boss.


    "Alright. Let''s get out of here and make sure to keep a good eye on him. Never underestimate a super." Leah warned.


    Supers were mortals given abilities that seemingly defied the laws of the world. However, it seemed that technology wasn''t obsolete just yet. With enough money, research, and time, normal people will have a fair chance against supers. Leah was going to make sure that she was prepared anyway. After all, all she wanted to do was live the best life she could. She didn''t plan to let anyone get in the way of that. Supernatural abilities or not.


    ______________________________________________


    "She''s the one that made me do it! I never wanted to experiment on all those innocent people! She said if I didn''t experiment on them, she''d kill me and my family! Please don''t kill me!" A man dressed in a white lab coat pleaded and begged to the man holding him by the collar with pure rage spewing from his eyes and body.


    Behind him stood four others dressed in colorful outfits almost just as furious as him. Leah looked at all six of them with a playful look in her eyes. It seems one of the major research facilities she was funding was found out by the "heroes" and they somehow found out her location. She wondered just how they managed to find her but then again, it wasn''t like she was in some secret bunker or anything. Right now, she was just in her office.


    Because of all of her work, many heroes look at her as a "villain" despite all the good she''s done for the world. Leah has sunk money into numerous projects across the world in hopes of advancing the world. Some may have been focused on the research of supers but all of them were legal. Dr. Hamza seemed to have started his own secret project without her knowledge.


    It turns out, you don''t need to kidnap supers to research and test on them. Most supers are just regular everyday people. So, Leah funded a research facility that would offer money to supers that were willing to be tested on, questioned, and researched by scientists at this facility. There was no torture, kidnapping, or threats needed. Just offer them a large amount of money and people were willing to do pretty much anything.


    The information gained from them would then be shared across several other projects funded by Leah until she''s gained as much information as she needed about supers. Their blood, hair, DNA, all of it was within her hands to do with as she pleased as they all signed a very long contract giving her freedom to take such things. With all of that, she began to sink money into organizations that would help create weapons or other objects that could be used against supers from those willing supers that signed up for the research facility.


    "I knew someone as rich as you couldn''t be good! All rich people are evil!" One of the heroes pointed at her.


    "Ahem..." Another hero coughed, presumably a rich one.


    "Except you Green Hood. You''re probably the only good one." She quickly complimented.


    "Leah. I''ve come to put an end to your inhuman testing and put you behind bars." Captain Hero said, dropping Dr. Hamza on the floor.


    "I didn''t realize heroes were the police now." Leah giggled.


    "Consider it citizen''s arrest!" Planet Boy shouted.


    "You do realize that to make a citizen''s arrest, you must find me in the middle of committing a criminal act or escaping from and presently fleeing from police, right?" Leah kindly informed.


    "You supers may have been given powers beyond the normal person but that doesn''t mean you are above the law. You''ve broken into my place of business, destroyed my property, and are now threatening me with physical violence. Now, I''ll give you one chance to leave now or face the full extent of the law." Leah pulled out her phone, ready to call the police.


    "Is she right...?" Planet Boy asked.


    "Do we have any proof of anything we''re accusing her of?" Nightmare, the teenaged super dressed in all black, asked.


    "She gave Dr. Hamza the money needed to cruelly experiment on all those innocent people and children." Lady Fabulous pointed out.


    "But did we find anything that proved that she was directly involved in any of it? Like doc.u.ments, letters, text messages, emails, or anything like that?" Nightmare asked.


    "Are you kidding me?" Green Hood sighed. "We found the big bad but we don''t have any proof of their wrongdoings to put them in jail?"


    "The only person we could get put in jail is Dr. Hamza and he''s most likely nothing more than just a scapegoat..." Planet Boy was irritated.


    "Leah. Is Dr. Hamza telling the truth? Did you truly know nothing about his testing and all the lives he''s ruined and played with?" Captain Hero asked. His stare saying that she better tell the truth or else.


    "Is there any proof saying that I did?" She smiled, answering him without admitting anything.


    "I see... Then are there any other laboratories like Dr. Hamza with other people in similar situations?" He asked after.


    "Who knows? There could be hundreds or there could''ve been that single one. What would I know anything about it?" She gave a playful shrug.


    "I see..." Captain Hero sighed.


    Before suddenly flying towards the unarmed Leah with his fist pulled back. Leah''s eyes zeroed in on Captain Hero as his fist came plunging through her c.h.e.s.t. Everyone was shocked at this sudden murder. Not even Captain Hero''s closest companions could''ve expected something like this from him. However, the biggest shock wasn''t just Captain Hero''s violent assault. It was the fact that Leah''s insides were filled with nuts, bolts, and metal! She was a robot!


    The robot suddenly leaned into Captain Hero''s ear as it felt that it was close to shutting down.


    "Martha Thomas and Jeffrey Thomas..." She whispered into his ear.


    Captain Hero''s eyes went wide as he felt his power going out of control from panic, worry, and fury. First, it was his brother that was captured and experimented on. Even after saving him, Captain Hero understood that he would never be the happy, confident, and hopeful man he once was. Because of her, she took away his brother''s reason for living and made him less of a man than he was before. Now she knew of his wife and baby boy''s name.


    "Captain Hero?" Planet Boy slowly walked over to him.


    He was knocked to the ground as Captain Hero shot out through the roof of the skyscr.a.p.er and flew at his fastest speeds back home. His wife and child should still be at the house unprotected. There should be no possible way that she could take his family hostage before he arrives back. It took Captain Hero only one minute to fly across the city to get back home but he was still too late.


    Leah was inside his home with a gun pointed to his wife''s head. Her arm was wrapped around her from the back, cuddled up on the couch together. There were visible bruises on his wife''s face and his son was crying loudly in her arms. She looked at Captain Hero with despair in her eyes while Leah only smiled at him. To be honest, she didn''t expect that the big hero would actually try to kill her. The public knew him as the ultimate good guy without a single body count to his name. Guess it was worth it preparing all these plans to take care of these powerful heroes. Maybe going out in public without wearing a mask wasn''t the smartest. It was very easy to find out his personal identity.


    "Don''t you dare hurt her..." Cracks began spreading through the walls of the house just from his power alone. What that power was, Leah didn''t know yet.


    Captain Hero seemed to have several powers wrapped into one. But from what her men investigated, she should know all of them. Unless he hid a few from the public''s eye. Even so, she still had nothing to worry about.


    "Cain Hiligun. How can you say something like that when you just killed me?" Leah asked. Did this man have no shame?


    He had no words to respond to her.


    "She''s an innocent person! She isn''t involved with our business! Leave her out of this!" Cain shouted.


    "Was I not an innocent person?" Leah questioned.


    "Don''t play innocent with me. We both know you approved Dr. Hamza''s experiments. You probably have several more just like that throughout the country!" Cain argued.


    "I don''t like your tone Cain. You don''t seem to understand the position you''re in as if you are capable of making any demands. This isn''t a negotiation. You will shut your mouth and you will listen to me. Otherwise..." Leah softly banged the gun on the back of Martha''s head.


    "Please don''t hurt my baby..." Martha pleaded. Leah ignored her.


    "Cain, inject this into your neck." Leah pulled out a syringe from her pocket and tossed it at Cain.


    "What is..." His question was interrupted by a bang of Leah''s pistol shooting through the floor.


    The baby cried even louder when the pistol went off and Cain realized that this woman wasn''t playing around. He did as she asked and injected the fluid inside the syringe into his neck. If it was for his family''s safety, he was willing to do anything. Right now, he was just regretful that he got them caught up in his hero business... Despite being a hero for years, this is the first time anyone''s ever come after his family.


    "Ooh... The metal actually pierced his skin..." Leah muttered in surprise.


    The effects of the liquid inside the syringe activated immediately. Cain dropped to his knees as his veins became visible all over his body. He roared out in immense pain while Leah watching licked her lips in obvious enjoyment. Eventually, the pain became too much before he went unconscious.


    "Move in to transport Captain Hero and his family. Hurry up as well before the other supers arrive. I don''t want any mistakes or else." Leah spoke into a phone as she released Martha from her grip and stood up."


    "Yes Ma''am." A voice from the other end of the phone responded.


    ______________________________________________


    "Oh, Cain... There''s no reason to look at me like that. I only did what any reasonable woman would do when encountering the perfect male." Leah smiled as she looked at the n.a.k.e.d chained-up Cain.


    "You will pay for this..." He vowed from the deepest part of his heart.


    "You''ve been saying that for the past ten years. It''s time to get a new catchphrase." Leah laughed.


    "I will break you... I will rip you apart... I will tear you limb from limb..." Curses spewed from his mouth continuously.


    "It''s amusing that you mentioned that. Remember that good dream you had a few years ago that felt too real? Where you did exactly that to me in the dream after I took your seed?"


    "..." He glared at her.


    "Haven''t you ever wondered how your wife and baby boy are?" Leah asked.


    "Of course, you have! I''ve been waiting for the perfect moment to show you how their lives have been without you in it. And even after ten years have passed, you still haven''t given up and you don''t know how happy that makes me. If you can keep yourself from going insane after seeing this video, then maybe I can consider letting you go free." Leah pressed a button on her phone and a digital screen popped up on the wall of the cell.


    At first, Cain was simply going to ignore her and refuse to look. Until he heard his wife and son''s voice again. It''s been years since he''s heard their voices and seen them in real life. The only chance he had at seeing them was in his dreams. His eyes veered towards the screen and panic soon filled his soul.


    The look in his wife and son''s eyes was that of fear and fright. His wife was calling his name as if the person she was looking at was him. From how the video was recorded, he could only see through the eyes of the person taking the video. Meaning he had no idea what the person recording this video looked like. Then his mind went blank as the person in the video began brutally murdering his family with inhuman strength and speed. Cain''s son briefly clashed with the man after he killed his wife but he was still too young and inexperienced. He was soon killed as well and despite wanting to tear his eyes away, Cain couldn''t. He just couldn''t look away because the person in the video was wearing a familiar outfit...


    After the two were murdered, the point of view began to slowly pan outward.


    "No.."


    "No...!"


    "No!!!"


    "How could?!"


    "I couldn''t!"


    "Why don''t I remember?!"


    "It has to be fake!"


    "It has to be!"


    After the camera panned out, it revealed Cain covered in his wife and son''s blood with a smile on his face.


    "Oh, but it is. And that isn''t even the worst part. Take a look at this." Leah swiped the screen on her phone and the video changed.


    In this video, it showed Cain fighting and murdering all of his teammates and friends throughout the city. He could clearly tell that was him in the video and all of it seemed similar. Because in one of his dreams, everything went down exactly how it did in the video! In his dreams, he was escaping from this mad woman''s facility but could it be that he was really killing all of his friends during that dream?!


    "Thanks to you, I managed to introduce a bill that forced every super to register themselves and out themselves to the federal government or they would be punished. My idea was liked by several other countries and governments who decided to replicate what we''ve done over here. However, it wasn''t possible without a special little fluid that you may remember injecting in yourself. Meaning that, those countries would have to pay millions or even billions to keep their supers under control for that serum I made."


    "Now, I''m the ric.h.e.s.t woman on the planet and also the most powerful. All thanks to you, I am able to live my best life." Leah gave Cain a kiss on his cheek.


    It looked as if Leah s.u.c.k.e.d his soul out with that kiss. All the lights in his eyes were gone and seemingly all brain functions. She could still hear his heart beating though. Seeing him in this state drove her absolutely mad as she began unclothing herself as he''s realized that he''s lost. He''s lost in every way and was brought to the lowest low.


    As Leah p.l.e.a.s.u.r.ed herself with his meat rod, the man himself felt absolute despair and hatred towards himself. Over the course of their i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e, eventually, the man broke down into tears. Thanks to Leah reminding him of the horrible acts he''s done during s.e.x, he truly felt no d.e.s.i.r.e to live any further. All he wanted was to pay for the crimes he''s committed and apologize to all those he harmed before being sent to Hell. After taking in his seed for the umpteenth time over the course of a decade, Leah has given birth to four super children.


    With this final seed, it should be five. Leah put an end to the sad sack after getting one final use out of him. There were still plenty of other threats across the seas that she had to take care of now that her fun with this toy was done. None of them were as powerful as Captain Hero but that didn''t mean they wouldn''t be as useful. If she wanted to keep her place as the most powerful woman on the planet and living her best life, then being negligent wouldn''t help.


    ______________________________________________


    "Welcome back." The immortal smiled.


    "..." Ming... No... Jing? Leah?


    She was trying to put together all the confusing memories together. Out of 10,002 lives, it was more than difficult to try and put together a main dominant identity. It took her 10 minutes before she could consolidate all of them and get herself together. She looked at the being that intruded into her life and played with her like a toy.


    "I wouldn''t get any ideas, monkey. If it wasn''t for my master, there wouldn''t have been a second chance for you. You should be grateful he decided to reincarnate you at the end of your life."


    "Who said I wanted to be reincarnated in the first place?" She asked.


    "You dare use such a tone with me!?" Terrifying power radiated from his body.


    "Now now, she does have a point." The Immortal calmly waved his hand and the pressure on her disappeared.


    "Wouldn''t the issue be fixed as long as you don''t remember a few things? Boom. Fixed." He tapped her forehead and everything went black for Jing.


    "Now that she''s proven herself to be a worthy host for my system, all I need to do is update a few things and then let her do as she please so I can get back to enjoying the things on the Blue Star."


    "Master, I still don''t understand why you favor that mortal as much as you do. She doesn''t understand her place at all!"


    "After reading a few thousand novels on the Blue Star, I always wanted to see what if the Big Bad from the finale was put in a New Game+. I''ve seen it happen to main characters, side characters, and transmigrators but what about the villains? Villains deserve love too."


    "I understood absolutely nothing you''ve said, Master."


    "I''ve been telling you to read some of the stuff they have on the Blue Star with me but you refuse. They make some good stuff in that dimension. Way better than anything we have over here." He happily chuckled.


    "I suppose I can take a look..."


    ______________________________________________


    "Jing!" Multiple familiar voices called out to her from atop of the steps. One of them even called her mom.


    "I''m back...?" Tears flowed down Jing''s eyes without her control.


    [Updating System! Progress 1%]


    [As the system is in the middle of updating, some functions may be unavailable during this time. Good luck host!]

 Chapter 212 - 206: I Missed You All...

    Jing was the only person left on the stairs. Everyone else either failed behind her or made it up top and passed. All of their eyes were on her while tears ran down her face. Unconsciously her feet started moving up the stairs, increasing their pace every second. Murmurs began to arise from the crowd.


    "Took her long enough to get started moving. She was on that first step the entire time!"


    "I thought she would die of old age before she moved again."


    "Damn it! Fine Doulin, take my money. I thought she would fail for sure for how long she was taking."


    "Hehehe! Didn''t you see how much focus the elders were giving her? You need to be more observant man. She''s going to become a big character. Just watch how many spirit stones I get betting on her throughout this tournament."


    As Jing glided up the large staircase without any issues, memories flashed across her mind. These memories didn''t solidify until she saw all of their faces once more. Hu Tao, Wan Qing, Ying, Li Li, Jie, Runt, Bing, and Lei Zhi. Out of all her lives, none of them became notable figures and because she had no memory of them, she never got involved with any of them. Even during the last stretch of her lives, she didn''t recognize them.


    "I missed you all..." Jing softly spoke.


    She realized that all of them had any potential future at all thanks to her. No wait, that''s not true... It was only thanks to the system at all that their lives have changed for the better. Jing''s effect on them was minimal if she thought about it. Their relationship with her was all built on the system. That was why she never got involved with them during her ten thousand lives as closely as she did in this life.


    It was all luck that they were her closest companions right now. Unlike the allies, she''s made over several lifetimes. Their relationship wasn''t built upon through their character but a give and take. Jing gave them enticing rewards that fed directly into the curse that every cultivator suffers from, Endless Greed. With their curse satiated, it invoked positive emotions within them to continue their relationship with Jing. Her personality wasn''t any of their concern. But her overwhelming strength, cutthroat attitude, and boundless gifts hypnotized them into being close with her and each other.


    With her access to the system temporarily revoked because of the update, she was somewhat normal right now. However, there was not much of a difference now just because she couldn''t use the system. In fact, with the knowledge and experience of all her lives weaving and mixing through her refined brain, Jing would say she didn''t even need the system anymore. There were so many treasures littered throughout the Evergreen continent that no one knew about right now and much more that would reveal themselves in the future at certain times.


    But just because she doesn''t need the system anymore, didn''t mean that she wouldn''t use it to its maximum efficiency. Jing hated being wasteful after all.


    "You missed us?" Bing repeated her words as if he had trouble comprehending them.


    ''Mom!'' Li Li flew into Jing''s arms and rubbed himself on her. Jing gently petted him as she did miss him.


    "What the hell took you so long?" Hu Tao was conflicted.


    His instincts were telling him that this wasn''t the same Jing he talked to before the test started. And that agitated him greatly. That smile, those tears, the way she carried herself. It was like she suddenly turned into an entirely different person! If he wasn''t watching her the entire time, Hu Tao would be certain that this was a whole nother woman in front of him!


    "And what the hell happened to you...?" He asked soon after.


    "What do you mean what happened to her? She probably just went through some past traumatic experiences." Wan Qing was interested in knowing why it took her so long as well.


    "No, she''s different..." Hu Tao didn''t know how to explain it.


    "What the hell are you talking about, idiot?" Ying questioned. Jing looked no different in her eyes.


    "Hu Tao is not wrong. Something about Jing is indeed different." Lei Zhi smiled.


    Lei Zhi has always been aware of Jing''s unique and abnormal body compared to the other humans. It was rather impossible for him not to be with his auxiliary martial art, Blind Man Can See. The technique improved all of his other senses by destroying his sense of sight. He could recognize people from their heartbeat, smell, sound, physical shape, etc. The Jing in front of him wasn''t the same Jing that gave him this coat.


    The difference was minute and incredibly difficult to spot but Lei Zhi could tell. He was impressed that Tao was able to notice it as well. But he wasn''t really surprised, Tao was known for doing incredible things. What he did want to know was how the boy figured out Jing was different. Was it just his instincts alone or a martial art that Lei wasn''t aware of?


    Runt silently took a picture of Jing to figure out what everyone was talking about. This action did not escape Jing''s notice. However, she did not try to avoid the picture because she knew exactly what she wanted to do at this moment. Jing calmly closed the distance between her and the others by walking forward.


    She was finally back in the real world. No longer would she have to go through life knowing that everything around her was nothing but a sequence of events being repeated over and over and over again. Everything that was to come in the future would mostly be a surprise. With the introduction of the system, this world has already changed very much compared to the world from the ten thousand lifetimes she went through.


    There was a deep fear in the smallest crevice of her heart that this world that she believed was real was also a fake. If she died with the system, would she just restart all over in the forest again? Jing''s fear of death already waned itself out around life 800. But a fear of death was different from a fear of being trapped in a fake world for eternity. Unfortunately, it wasn''t as if she could test this thought out. If it was real, she would''ve killed herself for no reason. If it was fake, then what could she do?


    As water extended from Jing''s arms and pulled everyone in her group towards her, she realized that her only way of finding out would be to reach the final cultivation stage: One With All. Everyone was confused and completely embarrassed by the group hug that Jing forced them into in front of the entire sect. Did she not realize that this was an evil sect!? The only hugging done here is done in the privacy of one''s home between a man and a woman! Or a man and a man. Or a woman and a man! But nothing like this!


    While Runt was being crushed in between Bing and Ying during the group hug, he was startled when he looked at the photo. In the photo, Jing was plastered with a gentle smile on her face that was quite different from all the other smiles he''s seen her have. On both sides of her Heaven''s Angels were alongside her. Behind her were hundreds of faces that he didn''t recognize at all! They were either smiling along with Jing or doing her own thing. He didn''t understand anything at all...


    "Who are you and where have you taken the love of my life!?" Hu Tao shouted as he tried escaping the hug.


    "Lei Zhi. Hu Tao. You both were right. I did change somewhat after facing my heart demons." Jing calmly said.


    "I hope you all won''t treat me too differently after you start noticing the differences." She gave a soft laugh.


    "Can we be let go now?" Ying''s face was flushed red as the side of her face was forced against Bing''s face.


    "I''m never going to find a wife after this..." Bing muttered sadly. What woman would like a man that has group hugs with his friends?


    "I don''t think you have to worry about something like that." Wan Qing giggled, giving Ying a playful look.


    Ying glared at her to keep her mouth shut. Qing didn''t mind the group hug but she was certainly confused about it. Well, she did mind that she was next to the flailing Hu Tao but since Jing was in front of her, it wasn''t bad. The real question that she wanted to know was the hug for them or was it for Jing? Qing hoped that whatever she went through she could help her through it.


    "Ow! Hu Tao you just hit me! Quit acting like a kid!" Jie shouted while covering her eye with her hand.


    "This is quite an unusual scene but I hope you all don''t mind if I speak." The Supreme Commander directed his voice over to them. Laughter began to ring out after all the focus was brought on them.


    "You can speak." Jing spoke up for the rest of them but she didn''t release them from her hug.


    Ten thousand lives! She needed this. Only an idiot would be embarrassed to express their feelings in front of strangers.

 Chapter 213 - 207: A Harmless Prank?

    "Well then, for those that passed the first test, follow me as we move on to the second portion of the Grand Tournament. For those that have failed, I am disappointed in you. Continue training your mind, body, and soul if you wish to ever become someone great in this world. For the sake of our sect, I do hope you all heed my words. We aren''t known as one of the Big Three Sects because we produce trash." The Supreme Commander relayed to everyone.


    Shame and disappointment filled those that lost against their heart demons. The words of the Supreme Commander fell heavy on their shoulders but at the same time, it didn''t really help them understand how to conquer their heart demons. But this was only a small minority of the failed disciples. Most understood where the weakness in their hearts lied and that was a lack of willpower. If they had the courage to face their heart demons head-on and crush it into a pulp, they probably could''ve passed like the rest of their peers atop the stairs.


    Those that passed and those that failed all followed behind the Supreme Commander and the rest of the elders. The failures decided to continue to watch the rest of the Grand Tournament while a few chose not to so that they could train themselves to conquer their heart demons. They were taken deep inside the Immortal Forest and along the way the disciples used this time to chat with one another. Heaven''s Angels were given a lot of attention because of their strange appearances and the fact that all of them passed together.


    "You''re f.u.c.k.i.n.g stupid if you don''t think the next test is going to be a fight." Hu Tao insulted.


    "As much as I hate agreeing with him, I think he''s right this time." Ying added.


    "What do you mean this time?! I''m always f.u.c.k.i.n.g right!" Hu Tao corrected her.


    "Why do you think the next test isn''t going to be a battle, Lei?" Bing asked. He was curious about what gave him this feeling.


    "We are being brought through the Immortal Forest. My thoughts would be that we''re going to have to fight spirit beasts in a collection-type test. All of us will be sent into the Immortal Forest to kill spirit beasts. Those who rank within a certain range of beast killed will move onto the final test and then that''s where we will challenge each other." Wan Qing shared her thoughts.


    "Yeah! What the Bitch said!" Hu Tao agreed that was most likely what the second test was going to be.


    "Consider yourself lucky, the elders forbade us from harming one another before and after each test." Wan Qing threatened.


    An invisible blade of wind sliced a small portion of Hu Tao''s hair off as it sped through the trees. Hu Tao only teasingly grinned in response. Unknowingly, she just revealed the fact that no matter what he says, she wouldn''t retaliate no matter what. Giving him complete and total freedom to mess with her until the start of the next test. As far as he could tell, they were nowhere near the location of the second test yet.


    "Hehe... That''s right, isn''t it?" Hu Tao swaggered his way over to Wan Qing and smirked at her.


    "Quit looking at me with that annoying look on your face." She coldly remarked.


    Hu Tao and Wan Qing were equal in height. Despite Wan Qing''s transformation, her height remained the same. Leaving her usually taller than most men and always taller than other girls. She planned to ask Ying in private if there was some sort of cake that could reduce her height but has yet to find the chance to do so.


    As Hu Tao was playfully grinning at Wan Qing, he brazenly groped both of her b.r.e.a.s.ts suddenly! No one in Heaven''s Angel knew how to react when such a situation occurred in front of them. Hu Tao''s hands squeezed and got a good feel of Wan Qing''s c.h.e.s.t. He was quite impressed by what he felt from Wan Qing''s t.i.t.s. They felt the same as the real deal! While Jie''s fat t.i.t.s were still better in his opinion, he didn''t expect them to feel the exact same as regular tits!


    Ever since Qing''s physical change, he''s always been curious just about how much of a girl did she turn into. Usually, he didn''t give a shit about other people but how often do you see a guy turn into a chick!? And now that he''s felt her up, he was curious about what happened to her d.i.c.k and balls. Did they change into a real p.u.s.s.y too? Could this freak turn give birth?


    "You dare...?" Wan Qing''s voice was laced with killing intent.


    Hu Tao''s instincts were screaming at him to instantly retreat at full speed within the next second. It was the same as if a wave of pure unbridled murderous intent hit him at full force. His intuition told him that whatever Wan Qing was about to do to him was somehow unavoidable but who would Hu Tao be if he listened to his instincts mindlessly? As soon as the killing intent hit him, he vanished directly behind a high-ranked elder.


    Wan Qing''s giant fan that was ready to be swung forward paused. She hesitated because she knew if she unleashed everything she had, others would be caught up in the wind she releases. It would be her attacking the elders and other disciples unprovoked. Her brain quickly processed the available options she at the moment to hurt Hu Tao as much as possible. During this brief moment, Hu Tao loudly laughed at her from behind the elder while giving s.e.x.u.a.l gestures to infuriate her even more.


    ''My control over the wind isn''t precise enough to control it in a way that only Hu Tao would be harmed. Unless I have a breakthrough in the control of my qi, it is impossible to hurt Hu Tao in any way that wouldn''t be caught by the elders right now. By releasing my butterflies, I could probably hurt him but the elders aren''t stupid or blind. They''ll realize that the butterflies are mine and I''m trying to use them to harm another disciple before the start of another test. There''s also the chance that Hu Tao just kills them outright and I wouldn''t be able to stop him.'' Wan Qing''s mind ran through every available choice.


    ''Is it really impossible to pay him back for taking advantage of me?! I refuse to accept this! My body was touched by that disgusting mutt and I''m unable to do anything about it?!'' Wan Qing wanted to scream as she realized that her only choice was to hold in her humiliation and rage for now until it was time for the next test.


    "If I was you, I would''ve killed him even if I would''ve been disqualified from the Grand Tournament." Ying told her.


    "Someone please give me a reason to not listen to her..." Qing had a hard time not agreeing with her.


    "They don''t usually announce the rewards of the Grand Tournament until the final test but from what I''ve found, they are usually quite worth staying in for. Many of the top disciples that do well in the Grand Tournament often leave behind their peers afterward. Only very few disciples manage to find a way to catch up with the top disciples and that''s because they stumbled upon very rare treasures that put them head and shoulders over others. There is also the Meeting of Talents coming up soon where many future powerful figures will come together to exchange pointers with one another and compete for rewards even better than the ones that will be given at the end of the Grand Tournament." Lei Zhi tried his best to remedy the situation.


    If the two of them were children, then Lei would be more willing to forgive Hu Tao. He could just say that he didn''t know any better or he had a crush on Qing and messing with her is the only way he knows how to express himself or it was a joke. But he was a grown man and she was a grown woman. Hu Tao understood what he was doing and there was no excuse that could be given for his behavior. Lei Zhi really felt sorry for Jie for falling in love with such a man but you can''t control who you fall in love with. Lei only hoped that eventually her eyes would open and she would realize that she deserved someone better for her. It was hard to see what kind of happy future Hu Tao could give to her if this was how he acted when they were together now.


    Jie''s reaction to the event was to silently promise to get even stronger than Hu Tao. The only way she could reign in his behavior was if she was stronger than the man himself. A task that she felt impossible to accomplish on her own. Her eyes wandered over to Jing and a small hope rose within her c.h.e.s.t. Maybe Jing could find a way to help her get strong enough to keep her heart from crumbling while with this man. If not Jing, then she''ll have to perform her absolute best in the remaining tests to get an elder to notice her.


    "Hmm? Is there something on your mind?" Jing asked her after noticing her gaze.


    "Nothing!" Jie nervously exclaimed. It felt like she could see right through her!


    "Are you sure? I believe having nothing on your mind after witnessing a scene like that is something." Jing told her.


    "I mean yes! But no! I mean..." Jie was totally embarrassed. She was making herself look so stupid in front of everyone!


    "Just tell me what''s on your mind." Jing smiled.


    "I want to become stronger! I want to become strong enough to beat the hell out of Hu Tao whenever he does things that make me angry! If I was, he would think twice before messing with or talking about other women in front of me..." She let her heart out.


    "That''s certainly an interesting reason." Jing was more than amused by her declaration and the genuine emotions flowing from her words. "But stronger than the mutt..." Jing went over to Jie and gazed at her body up and down, seemingly staring at her inside and out. Jie shivered as her body was being gawked at.


    "It''s going to be the most painful experience, you''ll ever go through. I''ll give you one final chance to think over it some more."


    "I''m willing to do anything." It didn''t take her a single second to make up her mind. There wasn''t a single speck of hesitation in her eyes.


    "Very well. You have a lot to look forward to after this tournament." Jing laughed with such a tone that even the other angels couldn''t help shivering in fear.

 Chapter 214 - 208: And Were About To Begin!

    "Welcome to the second portion of the Grand Tournament." A high-ranked elder began speaking.


    In front of them stood an amazing stretch of land. Land that made most feel uneasy and hesitant to enter. The land seemed to hold not a single speck of life within it but even with this, many of the disciples could tell that many dangerous creatures seemed to inhabit the ever-expansive lifeless plain. This was the Endless Plains of Yin.


    Many departed spirits have been said to be chained to these plains. If one was to die within the plain, their soul would never make it back to the reincarnation cycle. Forcing them into wandering the infinite grassland until they were devoured by other ghosts or devoured others. A majority of cultivators on the continent went out of their way to avoid this place for good reason. As there is a frightening rumor that suggests that if one wanders into the Endless Plains without sufficient mental and soul protection their very being could be possessed and taken over by a wandering spirit within the plains.


    "This test will be very simple. All you have to do is go into the Endless Plains of Yin and bring back as many ghosts as you can." He explained.


    Everyone was obviously very apprehensive about this test. The information about the Endless Plains of Yin was being spread around those that passed and failed. No one wanted to step forward and be the first one to step out of the Immortal Forest. It was very clear where the Endless Plains begin and the Immortal Forest ended. The light brown grass s.u.c.k.e.d of all life marked an obvious contrast to the vibrant dark green grass from the Immortal Forest.


    "But as you all are now, it would be no different from asking you to commit suicide if we sent you in as you are now." The elder suddenly added. "So, take these amulets with you before stepping in." Another elder used his storage ring to release a sizable mound of identical amulets.


    They floated in the air due to the elder using his qi. All of the amulets held a silver chain that allowed one to hang from their body. The amulets themselves were wrapped in several talismans that completely hid whatever was being wrapped by the amulets. There was a perfect number of amulets for every disciple that passed. However, those that had spirit beasts were forced to part with their beasts as there weren''t enough amulets to spare for them.


    This included Lei Zhi who had to put his spirit beasts inside golden beads from the capture spell made specifically for spirit beasts. He was hesitant to put Xiang inside the golden bead because he wasn''t sure if he was even a spirit beast. But he tried it anyway and it failed. So, now he was at a loss at what to do. He didn''t want the little guy to get possessed or attacked but then he thought about the little fella''s special ability. Could it be possible for him to even make ghosts happy? Would a happy ghost still plan to do evil or would they pass on to their next life?


    "What''s up Lei?" Bing walked over to him.


    "I don''t know what I should do with Xiang. He isn''t a spirit beast so he can''t go inside the capture spell and I''m not sure if he can handle ghosts."


    "Why not put him in your storage ring?" Ying suggested, coming from behind Bing.


    "Storage ring?" Bing questioned.


    "Worth a shot, right?" Ying shrugged.


    "I''ll try it after I see if he can handle ghosts. He gets lonely easily. I don''t want to leave him in there for too long." Lei voiced his concerns.


    "Aren''t ghosts afraid of Yang energy? Why don''t we just stick together and if we meet up with any ghosts Ying can just make some fire!" Bing shared his idea.


    "If we stick together how are we supposed to catch ghosts? If you haven''t forgotten Bing, this is a competition! Remember? We''re not supposed to help each other." Ying reminded him.


    "Ehhh. No one has to know. It isn''t like the Elder said helping each other wasn''t allowed." Bing kept his voice low to keep the elders from hearing. "Plus, if we stick together, the easier it''ll be to capture any ghosts we encounter and pass this test."


    "I''m willing to follow Bing''s plan. We''ll be safer in numbers and less likely to run into trouble or be bullied by others if we''re all together." Lei Zhi nodded in agreement.


    "What about those two?" Runt pointed to Wan Qing and Hu Tao. Qing glaring at Hu Tao with enough killing intent that one could faintly see the image of a giant butterfly hovering above her.


    "They''ll catch up to us after fighting." Ying waved off his concern.


    Both Hu Tao and Wan Qing were great trackers. Hu Tao with his cloud will be able to spot us from above and easily catch up to us while we''re walking. Wan Qing''s butterflies could share anything they see or sense with her and could travel great distances. She also can fly with her giant fan so they weren''t worried about her being left behind either.


    "Sounds like we have a plan then." Jie smiled.


    "I''ll be traveling for a little while. After I''m finished with my business, I''ll rejoin with you all." Jing added.


    "Business?" Ying asked.


    "There are many powerful treasures inside the Endless Plains. I''d like to explore and find some." She answered.


    "There are?" Bing questioned.


    "Danger and opportunity always follow one another. Special places like this where few people are willing to explore always hold great treasure." Jing explained.


    "So would it be better if we separated then?" Runt asked.


    "I wouldn''t say that. You never know what you could encounter inside a place like this. Sometimes having an extra person or two could be the key to getting away with your life." Jing didn''t want to mislead them.


    "I believe we should stick together. Only if things get really bad should we split up on our own." Lei Zhi said.


    "I''m fine with that." Bing spoke up.


    "Let''s get moving then." Ying was ready.


    ''I''ll be fine inside the plains right, Mom?'' Li Li asked. He didn''t want to be left behind.


    "Yep. You''ll be fine." Jing soothed his worries.


    It was because of him and his martial arts that Jing was 100% confident in passing this test. Li Li had two martial arts that Jing believed would bring his power to an entirely new level after this test. Gluttonous Spirit, his cultivation martial art, and Ghost King''s Chilling Breath, his auxiliary martial art. Gluttonous Spirit gave Li Li the ability to see the world of the dead even while he''s alive and devour souls and spirits alike. Swallowing souls and spirits strengthen his own soul. As of now, neither Li Li nor Jing knows if there is a limit to the number of souls he can consume. However, they do know that there are limits to how he can eat a soul.


    Li Li cannot eat the souls of any living being. Li Li can''t swallow the souls of any uninjured spirits. And Li Li can not eat any souls with strong yang qi unless he wanted to injure his own soul. All of these were found out through Li Li''s own testing and shared with Jing.


    Ghost King''s Chilling Breath was similar to Gluttonous Spirit but instead of strengthening his soul directly, this martial art helped him improve his soul control. This auxiliary art gave Li Li the ability to summon, command, store, lead, sacrifice, strengthen, and control souls and spirits. It was because of this skill that Li Li understands so much about souls in the first place. He learned that beings that die with strong emotions are stronger than those that die without them as souls.


    Now ghosts were another subject that Li Li wasn''t too sure about. From what it sounds like to him, ghosts are just souls that kept their original personality or souls that want to steal the lives of others. He was excited to find out about the ghosts inside the Endless Plains of Yin.


    "How are we supposed to capture a ghost?" A disciple asked.


    "The amulets are built with more than just protection for you from getting your bodies stolen. If you encounter a ghost with the amulet on, you will be able to fight against it using your martial arts. But please understand that if your amulet somehow gets damaged or you lose it, consider yourself dead. You only have one life. Don''t throw it away by being careless." He warned.


    "Elder Lee... You still didn''t tell us how to capture ghosts..." Someone pointed out. All he did was tell them that they can fight against ghosts and don''t lose the amulet.


    "Ahem." He coughed, somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry about that. Slipped the mind. Anyway, just place your amulet on the ghost''s body when it''s weakened and you should be able to capture it within your amulet." He soon explained.


    "Now that the instructions are out of the way, you may all begin and walk inside. You have three days to capture as many ghosts as you can and escape the Endless Plains before the second test is over." Elder Lee sent them off but no one stepped forward.


    Jing was the first to step forward with Li Li perched on her shoulder. Lei Zhi, Bing, Ying, Runt, and Jie followed behind her. Wan Qing and Hu Tao stayed behind as they had unfinished business. They were the last two to enter inside the Endless Plains of Yin. Once they stepped into the realm where Yin qi reigns supreme, Wan Qing immediately chased after the fleeing Hu Tao. He laughed as if he was playing a very fun game of tag and not being chased after by a young lady who wanted nothing more than to tear him into pieces.

 Chapter 215 - 209: The Endless Plains of Yin!

    The insides of the Endless Plains of Yin were vastly different from what they saw outside it. After passing over the divide between Immortal Forest and the Endless Plains, the Golden Serpent Sect disciples felt as if they stepped into an entirely new world. The infinite plain was nothing but an illusion as the place they walked into was nothing like what they saw before. It was an incredibly frightening and confusing experience for most of the disciples.


    ''This place hasn''t changed at all...'' Jing thought to herself. Unlike in some of her previous lives, this time Jing was not as helpless and vulnerable.


    "This is definitely not the same place we were looking at..." Bing muttered as he felt his body freezing up.


    "I''ve heard rumors but I never knew anything about this." Lei Zhi spoke in surprise. He too felt chills.


    "This cold is annoying." Ying frowned as she ignited her hair into a flowing wave of orange flames.


    Unconsciously, everyone but Jing and Li Li got near her for warmth. Her flames were more than warm enough to offset the bone-chilling coldness. As they stood huddled up together, they began to inspect their surroundings more closely. Instead of walking into a grand plain filled with nothing but dead grass, they were now inside a forest that somewhat resembled the Immortal Forest.


    Gigantic strangely-shaped trees reminded some of huge versions of wild animals or humans. Resembling anything but actual trees. There were very few plants from the little they could see in this place. As of now, nothing but blue grass could be seen. A lack of plants wasn''t the only thing that the group of disciples noticed. They also noticed no sounds of insects or any animals at all. Could this place be inhabited only by ghosts?


    It was nearly pitch-black with a deep white fog covering most of the forest. Only the light radiating from the great blue moon in the sky allowed them to see anything at all. This moon was far bigger than the sun and moon from outside the Endless Plains. It made more than a few disciples uneasy like it was suddenly going to fall and crush them all.


    "I won''t let you get away!" Qing shouted.


    As she and Hu Tao suddenly passed through the divide between this place and the outside. Hu Tao had a grin on his face as he quickly analyzed his new surroundings while fleeing from Qing. His eyes took in as much as it could in seconds, leading Wan Qing deeper into the Endless Plains.


    "Well, they''re dead." A disciple commented.


    "Good. I hated that Hu Tao guy anyway."


    "Wouldn''t it be bad if a ghost took over his body though and returned to the sect?"


    "Let''s just hope he dies without getting possessed."


    More and more disciples began to curse Hu Tao behind his back. No one from Heaven''s Angels stood up in defense for him. It wasn''t as if they could anyway but a majority just didn''t want to. Ying disliked him greatly and was more than happy to curse him in his face and behind his back. Bing and Lei Zhi weren''t the types to talk badly about people in front of them or behind their backs, so they kept quiet. Runt hoped that Hu Tao didn''t run into trouble but didn''t share his thoughts with the others. Jie knew that he''d be fine.


    "Should we go after them?" Runt asked.


    "They''ll be fine. Let''s go capture some ghosts and get out of this place." Ying decided. This place was giving her the creeps. It felt like she was being stared at by multiple people but she could only see the other disciples.


    "Be safe everyone. Try not to lose your amulets and if something does happen to it, just message me." Jing told the rest as she walked off into the fog with Li Li.


    "Do you think we''re burdens for Jing?" Ying suddenly asked the group as they started walking too.


    "Burdens?" Bing was confused about how she came to this question.


    "It just seems like whenever we''re in a situation like this, Jing is always off by herself." Ying shared.


    "Oh, that is true..." Lei agreed with her.


    "Just like in the Treasured Plains. Jing was doing her own thing while we were together. I want to know why she doesn''t just travel with us." Ying brought up.


    "Isn''t Jing really strong? Could it be that she has people targeting her and she doesn''t want you all to get involved?" Jie brought her thoughts forward.


    "What people?" Bing asked.


    "Just earlier I saw a group of people following behind Jing from a distance after she walked off." Jie revealed to the rest.


    "Jing is shy at times..." Ying had no trouble in agreeing with Jie with how human Jing has been acting recently.


    "Are you suggesting that Jing might be taking on a heavier burden by herself to keep us safe because we aren''t strong enough?" Lei asked.


    "Yeah. I don''t know why else she would always split away from you guys, if not." Jie believed in her guess.


    "What if she had a secret that she didn''t want to share with us?" Bing suddenly brought up with a wild look in his eyes.


    "And what kind of secret is that?" Ying asked while rolling her eyes.


    They already knew that Jing was capable of the various impossible and unbelievable things. While Jie and Runt were still relatively new to Heaven''s Angels, they still knew that Jing was a freak. There wasn''t much that those from Heaven''s Angels felt could surprise them regarding Jing. She''s just shown and done so much already.


    She could tell them that she came from the stars, was born from the drop of an Immortal''s blood, was crafted by a divine figure to bring change to the world, and they still wouldn''t be too surprised. It was Jing after all! A woman that could reform from a pool of blood. A woman that could take on an Earthly Immortal and survive to tell the tale. A woman that held so much power but still was capable of treating others with kindness and respect.


    "Now that I think about it, I don''t know..." Bing scratched the back of his head shyly.


    Lei Zhi gave a small laugh as Bing quickly realized the same thing that the rest of them did. Any secret of Jing would not surprise them, no matter how outlandish or ridiculous it seemed.


    "How are we supposed to find these ghosts that we''re supposed to catch?" Runt asked the group.


    "That is a good question..." Lei Zhi commented. Runt looked over to him expecting an answer only to receive a kind smile and a helpless shrug from the blind man.


    "Before this test, I didn''t even believe in ghosts. So, I don''t really know." Bing said.


    "Don''t ghosts prey on the weak and helpless?" Jie remembered some stories from her childhood.


    "With us grouped up together around Ying''s flames, we are probably anything but weak and helpless." Bing realized.


    "Tch. Does this mean that all ghosts are cowards?" Ying clicked her tongue.


    "Well, they can probably only possess one person. It doesn''t make much sense to chase after a group to try and take over one person because they''ll most likely be exposed even after taking over the body." Bing tried to reason.


    "Does this mean we have to split up?" Runt suggested again.


    "Let''s keep looking around for now. We still have three days left." Ying decided.


    "I agree. It''s too early to make any decisions. We still don''t have any proof of anything we''re saying at all. These ghosts could be different from the ghosts that we were told in stories." Lei nodded.


    ______________________________________________


    ''So this is a ghost!'' Li Li exclaimed.


    As soon as his mom walked off, it didn''t take long for a ghost to target him. Because he wasn''t wearing the amulet his mom was wearing, he guessed that was why the ghost came after him. Li Li had the spirit captured by the throat as he shook it around before trying to show it to his mom. Its upper half was human while its lower half was a long tail.


    "So I can''t see ghosts even with my refinement..." Jing noticed. Coating her eyes in qi didn''t work either but there were other methods she could use to see them that she gained from other lives.


    "Release me foul bird! I''ll eviscerate you and then cook you up into a fat chicken!" The spirit threatened. Its word even reaching Jing''s ears.


    "Crush him into pieces and then blow his remains into my eyes." Jing instructed.


    ''Insulting my mom? You were asking for death.'' Li Li told him.


    Li Li threw him into the air before tearing him to pieces with his talons. His talons seemingly disappeared briefly before ghostly pieces floating in the air. The cursing spirit wasn''t even able to scream as he was reduced to something even lower than a ghost. Using his qi, Li Li controlled the separated pieces into flowing into both of his mom''s eyes as she asked.


    Jing frowned as her eyes were irritated by the intake of the ghost. She rubbed at them until all of its spiritual essence was absorbed by her eyes. Considering it was just a Wandering Spirit, she wasn''t expecting much out of it but it was a start to helping her accomplish a certain goal. After her eyes fully absorbed the spirit, Jing could now see a small part of the other world before she even reached Mortality Ascension realm.


    ''Are you okay, Mom?'' Li Li asked, worried that he did something wrong.


    "Yeah. I''m fine...?" Jing took a look at Li Li and was slightly startled by the sight of him.

 Chapter 216 - 210: On The Look For Treasure!

    Looking at Li Li with her eyes sprinkled with a faint amount of spiritual essence, she could somewhat see him as a blurry humanoid figure. This gave her quite the shock because spirit beasts didn''t have their souls look human until they''ve reached the Earthly Immortal realm and could transform into humans. But just transforming into a human wasn''t enough to gain a soul that looked human. They also needed to stay human for several decades or even centuries before their souls started to resemble a human''s soul.


    Jing didn''t know exactly what to think of this seeing Li Li''s soul similar to a human''s while he''s only at the Qi Consolidation stage. While there were several possibilities flowing through her mind, she couldn''t conclusively decide anything. Li Li''s birth was unusual in itself compared to the millions of spirit beasts she''s seen over 10,000 lives. Including the things that quickly happened after his birth, it was easy to see how easily Li Li differed from other spirit beasts.


    It was impossible for Jing to know if being born from an egg made by the system did anything to Li Li. Especially since it was updating right now and mostly unusable. But being made from the system wasn''t the only unnatural thing about Li Li. Jing refined him into the ultimate being, gave him martial arts suited for his species, and had him learn techniques that only beings near the Qi Transformation stage and above should learn.


    ''Do I look different?'' Li Li innocently asked. Li Li didn''t know what blowing that stuff into his mom''s eyes did.


    "Yeah, just a little bit." Jing gave a small smile. She had a feeling she already knew what his soul looked like in its completed form.


    ''What do I look like?'' He soon asked after, curious to know what he looked like in his mom''s eyes.


    "Like my adorable son, of course." Jing brought him into her c.h.e.s.t and hugged him. Her eyes briefly glanced behind her with a playful look in them as she began walking forward. From her waist, a canteen slowly uncapped itself as water began spilling behind her.


    This sudden display of playful affection surprised Li Li but he didn''t reject it. It did make him feel a bit embarrassed though. But since no one was around, he figured it wouldn''t be bad to let himself indulge in being treated like this. Jing didn''t hold back in showering Li Li with her love while they were alone.


    The sound of a young bird loudly laughing and a young girl making indiscernible noises inside the terrifying forest filled with ghosts and a dense fog caused many of those that heard it to slow their pace and be on their guard.


    As the normal person doesn''t know what a laughing bird sounds like, it was easy to imagine that when hearing it, they wouldn''t imagine it being a laughing bird but something more sinister and creepier. Which is exactly what Liu Jiaru, Hu Ya, and Bu Yi did. As they were secretly following behind the sect''s latest prodigy, they stopped dead in their tracks once they heard these strange noises. Liu Jiaru immediately pulled out his sword. Hu Ya and Bu Yi soon did the same after watching Liu.


    They used every sense available to them to prepare themselves for whatever threat what heading near them. The threat of evil ghosts frightened them down to their bones. Ghosts were creatures of bedtime stories after all. To scare bad children into listening to a.d.u.l.ts. It was only now that a majority of the disciples realized that ghosts were actually real!


    "Keep an eye out. We can''t let her get too far from us or we''ll lose her in the fog." Liu ordered.


    "Tch, giving me orders? Are you looking for an early death Liu?" Hu Ya threatened, turning his body towards Liu.


    "I''d love to kill you where you stand Hu Ya but I have more important things to focus on right now. If you plan to stand in my way, I won''t hold back." Liu''s left eye was glowing with a blue light.


    "You''re lucky my master is also interested in killing this girl. Don''t think that just because you''ve reached another level with that damned eye that you are stronger than me. I too had a breakthrough after dealing with my heart demons." Hu Ya reminded.


    "Didn''t ask." Liu led the way forward while keeping his eye on a strange medallion in his hand.


    The trio of unlikely allies continued to pursue their objective of putting an end to the sect''s latest genius. They followed her for several minutes until they suddenly came across a cave opening. Liu''s spirit tool was telling him that she was inside. For a brief moment, he considered the possibility that they were somehow discovered and she was leading them into a trap. But how would that be possible? Unless the information given by his master wasn''t entirely accurate...


    "What are you scared of a little dark cave?" Hu Ya mocked as his back was turned towards the cave.


    ''No one knows much of anything regarding the girl. It is possible that she has martial arts capable of sensing us.'' Liu ignored Hu Ya before he felt a sharp pain coming from his left eye.


    "Move!" He shouted as a sense of danger filled his entire body.


    In the exact instant that he warned everyone to move, three tendrils of water attempted to pierce through the three of them. As both Hu Ya and Bu Yi understood the power of Liu Jiaru''s left eye, they didn''t hesitate to listen to him. Thanks to that trust in his eye, they were able to avoid being mortally wounded by this sudden attack! The three of them immediately pulled out their weapons once more and readied themselves to face this hidden threat.


    The water tendrils began to flow into each other before slowly shaping up into a humanoid figure. It didn''t completely transform into a person but water in the shape of a human. This water being soon created a podao in its hands as it stared at the three would-be-assassins. A mouth began to form on its face as the two sides stood off against each other.


    "I''m surprised that you all were able to dodge that. It was the perfect ambush. You wouldn''t mind telling me just how you knew the attack was coming, would you?" The watery figure looked at Liu Jiaru.


    "Who are you...?" Blood began leaking from Liu''s left eye as he readied himself for battle.


    He understood just how powerful his eye was. Considering that trying to use it twice on this thing was already bringing him to his limit, Liu realized that this was an opponent he couldn''t face as he was now. Even after bringing his Eye of End to the next level, it still strained him to use it against this thing. Just who was this person?!


    "No one special." It giggled, noticing the blood leaking from Liu''s left eye.


    "Is it possible, Liu?" Hu Ya asked. He understood very quickly that this was a strong opponent after seeing Liu''s current state.


    "Flee!" Liu Jiaru answered in a different way.


    Liu Jiaru, Hu Ya, and Bu Yi instantly split off into three different directions. The water clone was quite amused by the sight of this and intrigued. It had a feeling it knew exactly what that eye was and how those three knew that it was best for them to retreat instead of facing it head-on. If it truly was the eye that it was thinking of... Then it absolutely couldn''t let this boy leave its sights.


    The clone sped after Liu. Liu felt another spike of pain from his left eye as he forced himself to dash to the left while running through the haunted forest. Doing this allowed him to narrowly avoid the lengthened podao from piercing through his back. Unfortunately, the same couldn''t be said for the gigantic tree that would take millions of stabs from his sword before being pierced like that. He saw as the weapon made of water easily slid through the thick tree trunk.


    Liu Jiaru soon realized that it was impossible for him to escape unless he used everything he had. The distance between him and the water person wasn''t increasing but slowly decreasing! They were catching up to him and it would only be a matter of seconds before they reach him. His eye could probably only save him one or two more times before forcing itself into hibernation to heal from the damages it suffered so far. He still had a genius to kill along with capturing several ghosts! Having his eye go into hibernation would put his life in risk and possibly cause him to fail this challenge.


    Forced into a corner like a wild animal, Liu Jiaru had no choice but to use a teleportation talisman and escape. His left eye felt like it was being crushed as he was teleporting away but along with that pain from his eye, he felt another source of pain. As if someone stabbed him in his stomach before he got away...


    As Liu Jiaru arrived in a random part of the Endless Plains of Yin, he felt movement coming from his slightly stabbed stomach. A perfectly clear drop of water fell from his stomach as his left eye began crying tears of blood. However, Liu could feel no pain this time. He didn''t understand what was happening. More and more bloody tears began to fall from his face.


    "You almost got away from me... That was close, holder of the Eye of End." The water droplet from before began to shape itself into a human figure.


    Its hand pierced through his c.h.e.s.t and gently grabbed onto his beating heart. Despair filled Liu Jiaru''s soul. What kind of inhuman monster did he run into...? Even with the power of future sight... It couldn''t stand against a being of absolute power... How unfair...


    His heart was crushed to a pulp before the body fell to the ground. The water clone carefully reached into the eye socket of the corpse and pulled out the entire left eye. As the clone was walking away it began to think about who would this eye work best with.


    "Hu Tao already has incredible instincts. Qing has her butterflies. Lei Zhi''s martial arts would make this eye useless. Leaving only Ying and Bing left as the remaining two choices. Bing doesn''t seem like the type to want a gift like this while Ying would accept an additional boost to her own strength. But... Bing''s personality would work best with an eye like this." Jing''s water clone spoke as it headed off into the endless fog in search of more treasures.

 Chapter 217 - 211: Wan Qing vs Hu Tao Part 2!

    "I guess ya got me cornered." Hu Tao laughed.


    He managed to flee deep inside the foggy a.s.s forest and somehow found himself at an abandoned temple with the Sissy here along with him. Now, he wasn''t running because he was scared of the Sissy. Hu Tao just wanted to find the perfect place for them to go all out as its been a while since he''s been able to have some fun. While Jing might not like that he''s going to do this with the Sissy when he has a bunch of others he could play with during this test, it wasn''t like she told him he couldn''t either.


    Jing saw the look in the Sissy''s eyes and knew that she would do everything she could to pay him back. Especially when she released all that killing intent. So, another way of looking at this situation was Jing silently giving her approval of Hu Tao wanting a good fight with Qing. At least, in Hu Tao''s mind, that''s how it played out.


    Hu Tao was pretty damn interested in seeing how powerful the Sissy''s become after her transformation. It was just a coincidence that she found herself the lucky person he chose to have some fun with. The Sissy was also pretty easy to mess with. Ying would''ve been an easy choice too but she was still too weak. Qing was the only one besides Jing to be near him in power.


    He had a feeling that she was even stronger now. How much stronger? That''s what he plans to find out in a few moments.


    "Are you ready to die?" She calmly asked.


    Wan Qing already knew that he was leading her somewhere specific. She didn''t understand why it had to be this disgusting place that looked like some sort of ancient tomb. But regardless, she would pay Hu Tao back for taking advantage of her like that. The location of where it happens didn''t matter much to her.


    "Do you know how many times I''ve heard that line before?" Hu Tao picked some ear wax out of his ear with his pinky.


    "It doesn''t matter how many times you heard that before. As it is my first and only time saying it to you." Butterflies began flying from her giant fan.


    "Oh, you''re going all out already?" Hu Tao smiled an annoying smile that pricked Qing''s nerves.


    Butterflies by the dozens then hundreds flew from out of her giant fan but there was no noticeable size decrease in the weapon despite all of the butterflies flying from the fan. Each individual insect slowly changed into a different color once they left the fan. Soon fluttering colors that Hu Tao has never even seen before began to surround him and the entire room they were in. He felt no qi being leaked from the bugs but didn''t underestimate them.


    All of Heaven''s Angels have sparred or trained with one another in Ying''s void world. Every one of them had some idea of the techniques and capabilities of the other members. But no one would say that they knew everything. Not even Jing could confidently say such a thing. As it wasn''t as if she kept an eye on every member of Heaven''s Angels at all times.


    So, while Hu Tao knew that Qing''s butterflies could do certain things, he wasn''t aware if that was everything they could do. The same went for Qing. She had knowledge of some of Hu Tao''s abilities including his chain, cloning, pocket dimension, and etc. This battle would bring out everything into the open between the two of them as Wan Qing wasn''t going to hold back. She had her own pride as a woman and cultivator to consider. Hu Tao would hold back until he was forced to give it his all. He was planning to just have some fun after all.


    Hu Tao grinned as two red clones formed from out of his shadow. They clawed their way out of the shadow and then jumped up to the surface, standing on each side of Hu Tao. Four eyes that resembled Hu Tao''s playfully looked at Wan Qing. The shadow chains covering their body like Hu Tao''s flew from their bodies and madly waved in the air, taking swatting Qing''s butterflies from around them.


    "Hmph. If you play around, you won''t even know how you died." Wan Qing warned, knowing his clones were weaker than him.


    "Haha do it if you can!" Hu Tao encouraged her as his clones dashed toward her.


    Their chains took out as many butterflies as they could. Their small size did little to affect the accuracy of the chains. Hu Tao had perfect control over his chains which was also shared with his clones however, his clones'' chains couldn''t endlessly extend like his nor could they grow the size of the ball at the end of the chain. There were many differences between Hu Tao and his clones but a majority of them weren''t negative. The biggest differences were the power difference, one was a being of flesh and blood while the other was made completely of qi, and they needed to be within a certain distance of Hu Tao to stay up.


    Wan Qing mentally ordered the butterflies into releasing their spores. The hundreds of insects began slowly flapping their wings towards the clones. An uncountable number of minuscule colorful flying dots released from their wings. Dodging wasn''t an option and neither was destroying them. Hu Tao and his clones were covered in the spores without any way to evade them.


    An annoying smile was on his face but a smirk of her own also appeared. Just as she smiled, the smirk on Hu Tao''s face quickly vanished when the effects of the spores kicked in. They were draining his qi! The clones were helpless to resist as patting their bodies down to get rid of the spores didn''t work. Hu Tao briefly used his qi to coat underneath his skin and blow away the spores on his body and clothes. This solution as small as it might''ve been due to the continuous spores still being released by the butterflies, allowed him to get the chance to retreat into another room of the tomb. He used his metal ball attached to his chains to break the wall as he fell back into another room without hundreds of butterflies.


    The butterflies took no time in flying over while releasing spores behind them. During this time, the two clones of Hu Tao have now turned into two blue glowing mushrooms on the ground. As Wan Qing was making her way over to Hu Tao, she didn''t forget to grab the two mushrooms before taking a bite of one. None of this escaped Hu Tao''s attention.


    After taking a small bite of the strange mushroom, Hu Tao felt an explosion of qi from Qing''s body and a shit-eating grin on the Sissy''s face once they made eye contact. It didn''t take a genius to realize what happened. Those spores from the butterflies drained the qi of anyone they hit until it was enough to grow one of those mushrooms. Then once the mushroom was grown with the qi of whoever the spore hit, they would give a boost in power to whoever took a bite of the mushroom. That Sissy f.u.c.k just grew stronger by taking his own qi and she still had another mushroom to eat!


    "This might be more fun than I thought it would be." Hu Tao admitted with a smile.


    Hu Tao got on all fours. His body began to move in a strange way. Like it was somewhat blurry but he was still standing still. Wan Qing didn''t know what to make of this until it hit her.


    She used her fan to block his sudden kick. Using her senses that were shared with her butterflies, she realized that he made clones again! These clones were different from the ones from before as they seemed no weaker than Hu Tao himself! She couldn''t let him take control of the battle or she would fall into his pace. Wan Qing was aggressively attacked by Hu Tao who also realized a weakness of hers.


    Wan Qing was shit at close combat! Hu Tao fought wildly in a vicious manner without giving Wan Qing the chance to breathe. He used his claws, chains, legs, and even teeth! Instead of a martial artist, it would be more accurate to call him a wild beast in the form of a human with the way he''s fighting!


    Calling Wan Qing bad at close combat wouldn''t be a completely correct assessment. It was more of the fact that Hu Tao was unbelievably talented at this range of fighting. His focus was on close-ranged fighting. While Wan Qing''s was more focused on mid-range and long-range fighting. But this did not mean she was completely hopeless if an opponent got up in her face. The fact that she still hasn''t suffered any crucial attacks from Hu Tao even after several seconds of them fighting meant quite a lot!


    Blood did spill between the two of them. This blood of theirs slowly dripped towards the black coffin layered in dust without any of their knowledge. The black coffin greedily s.u.c.k.e.d up the blood of two powerful cultivators. It seemed that this place randomly chosen by Hu Tao is the resting tomb of an ancient being. An ancient being that seemingly needs the blood of living humans for some purpose.


    "Gahahaha! Come on! Give me all you got!" Hu Tao madly laughed, continuing his assault on Wan Qing.


    "Tch! You annoying mutt! I won''t fall in your pace!" Wan Qing took another bite of the blue mushroom and her power rose even more.


    A giant butterfly formed from her qi appeared behind her and it flapped its wings once, sending Hu Tao flying away even after manipulating his chains into stabbing into the ground to stop himself from being sent airborne. The spiritual butterfly was far larger than Qing and silently flew behind her. She soon called back all of the butterflies before they could be wiped out by Hu Tao''s clones and prepared herself to punish this annoying fool. Wan Qing wouldn''t let him get that close again without suffering dearly for it!

 Chapter 218 - 212: Hu Tao Vs Wan Qing Continued!

    "Did I scare ya?" Hu Tao laughed as three clones appeared next to him mimicking his exact movements.


    Unlike the clones that came out of his shadow from earlier, these were different types of clones. They were speed clones! Clones that were just as tangible and powerful as Hu Tao himself. Because it was Hu Tao, just a Hu Tao that was able to move so fast that he was able to be in more than two places at once. This technique was a part of his movement art that was gifted to him by Jing. The Wolf Pack Hunts Together. It brought to life the movements of a wolf pack in a single martial artist.


    "You should be the one scared. At this distance, I am invincible." Qing confidently declared.


    "And they call me arrogant! Bwahahaha!" In the midst of his laughing, he suddenly vanished.


    Heading straight for Wan Qing without giving any indication he was going to attack beforehand! Qing scoffed in response to this. She simply swung her fan without holding anything back. Infusing most of her qi into her fan bringing its power to even greater heights than usual. The giant butterfly behind her flapped its wings once to aid her.


    "Have you always been this f.u.c.k.i.n.g powerful!?" Hu Tao shouted as he was blasted out of the building by an unstoppable gust of wind.


    The ancient tomb itself began to break down and collect around Qing''s wind blast before it started spiraling into the air. Branches from the gigantic trees, rocks, fog, and more debris from the tomb were swallowed up by the typhoon controlled by Qing. It grew larger and wider as Wan Qing finished eating one of the two mushrooms from before, allowing her to increase the size of the tornado even more.


    After crashing through several branches and smashing his back against a thick a.s.s tree trunk, Hu Tao got a good damn look at the insane bitch he was fighting. That cyclone was reaching the same heights as the creepy a.s.s trees. Meaning that it was just as f.u.c.k.i.n.g tall as a damn mountain. This ghost forest didn''t seem to stand a chance against it as it tore its way through without giving a shit.


    "This bitch has been holding out on me." Hu Tao couldn''t be happier to see such a thing.


    The chains wrapped around his body began to float seemingly on their own as they began to unwrap themselves from Hu Tao. His chains littered the ground around him while the ball end of the chain floated behind his back. He got on all fours like a wolf as he brought his body to its limit. Five identical speed clones appeared on the left and right of him.


    "Let''s see how fun you really are!" The wolf pack howled as they sped through the forest together.


    Weaving through the trees, leaping over branches, jumping from tree to tree, the wolves could see their prey inside the center of the tornado as it ravaged the lands. She flew along on top of her fan while searching the lands below. Hu Tao knew that jumping in the middle of that destructive whirlwind was the same as committing suicide. Just by looking at the destroyed path behind it was enough to tell him of its strength. It even uprooted some of the trees!


    Looking at the big a.s.s typhoon did give him an idea though. Hu Tao erased his speed clones before surging his qi into his chain. He sent his chain coiling and twisting into the air. The endless chain continued to swirl and wind far into the sky until it matched Qing''s tornado in size and shape! It didn''t have the same suction power as hers''s but its power was definitely superior.


    Hu Tao''s chains were unbreakable while Wan Qing''s wind was fueled solely by her qi, control over her qi, and the butterflies. As Hu Tao''s Cyclone of Chains neared Wan Qing''s Everlasting Hurricane, the two began to contest in power. Neither side seemed to have the advantage in power as it went back and forth with each of them. Hu Tao''s Cyclone of Chain could not increase its strength while Wan Qing''s Everlasting Hurricane could do so by s.u.c.k.i.n.g up more and more of the nearby surroundings. But just because it wasn''t capable of growing stronger didn''t mean it was any lesser. This was because the chains were tearing through everything s.u.c.k.e.d up by Qing''s tornado but to respond to this, it just s.u.c.k.e.d up more of the surroundings.


    Eventually, the stalemate could not continue for that much longer. In about a single minute, both fighters changed their strategy up. The Cyclone of Chains released a single chain that pierced its way into Wan Qing''s typhoon. It sped straight towards Wan Qing herself to put an end to this battle. Wan Qing stood up on her fan and laughed as the chain speared its way through her c.h.e.s.t.


    "I win." She spoke with a hole through her torso and blood leaking from the corner of her lips.


    "What the hell are you saying?" Hu Tao questioned.


    All of the junk gathered from the Sissy''s technique began falling and crashing around Hu Tao. Wan Qing was also a part of the things falling from the sky. Hu Tao walked over to her about-to-be corpse and something was bothering him about it. She was still smiling. He knew she wasn''t the type to smile if she lost. What was going on?


    "Die." Wan Qing softly said.


    Hu Tao instincts went into overdrive as he felt something approaching him. Something dangerous. Something he couldn''t see! Momentarily, he tapped into the powers residing within his chain. Becoming a being of lightning and thunder for only one moment.


    That one moment was all he needed to realize that he''s been inside an illusion, the entire time. Hu Tao reawakened back at the ancient tomb before narrowly dodging Wan Qing''s wind blade sent from her fan. He leaped up to the ceiling of the room and took in the condition of his own body. Blood leaked from several tiny cuts on his body while most of his qi has been drained. Near Wan Qing were several small blue mushrooms as she sneered at him.


    "A f.u.c.k.i.n.g illusion?! I thought you gave that shit up!" Hu Tao was pissed. Pissed at the Sissy but mostly himself for getting caught in the first place.


    "I don''t like to use it unless it''s necessary." She responded.


    "Don''t think that that shit will work on me again." He smiled a bloody grin.


    "We''ll see." Wan Qing took a bite of a mushroom as she suddenly split into multiple copies.


    There was no discernable difference between any of them from what Hu Tao could see. But sight wasn''t the only sense he could rely on in a fight. His nose sniffed, ears twitched, and qi searched. Just as he was about to attack, he suddenly remembered. In front of overwhelming strength, what can little tricks do?


    In his transformed state, he was invincible! Hu Tao stood from the ceiling of the room and laughed as he suddenly clapped his hands. From this clap, a powerful shockwave emitted from the qi gathered in his hands. Cracks spread on the ground across the room as the shockwave headed towards every part of it.


    Wan Qing''s butterflies exploded when coming in contact with this shockwave. She wasn''t expecting such strength to remain from him after being drained for so long by her butterflies. Qing too was knocked into the wall from the shockwave and just as she was about to recover, Hu Tao appeared in front of her with a grin with his fist pulled back.


    "Tch!" She clicked her tongue, annoyed.


    Just barely being able to put her fan in front of her face to block the blow, she was sent flying through the wall back into the room with the coffin. Despite blocking the attack, she was still heavily injured by it. Her arms were slightly numb with electricity racing up and down her body. She was annoyed and upset that he still had so much power left! But she wasn''t giving up just because of this!


    "These taste pretty f.u.c.k.i.n.g good." Hu Tao casually walked into the room eating some of the blue mushrooms from the other room.


    Seeing this, Wan Qing knew that she had to use all of her power or else she''ll never pay back the humiliation she was given. She too began downing blue mushrooms from her storage ring. The two of them suddenly broke away from their life-or-death battle and just started eating mushrooms. Their qi rapidly increased and grew to heights that they would never reach naturally at their current cultivation realm.


    During their brief bout to see who could eat mushrooms faster, the blood leaking from their body continued to flow into the black coffin. It was as if the coffin was s.u.c.k.i.n.g the blood towards itself once it reached the ground. This escaped the notice of both Wan Qing and Hu Tao as they had more important things to worry about.


    ''Soon...! Soon my revival shall be complete!'' A voice spoke to no one in particular.

 Chapter 219 - 213: He Succeeded?!

    Wan Qing used all of the additional qi she received from the blue mushrooms to also reach a state similar to what Hu Tao has undertaken. The atmosphere in the room began to change after downing all the mushrooms. Qing silently began to dance as butterflies flew from out of her fan. Her eyes were closed and her face seemed to be concentrated solely on this beautiful dance.


    Hu Tao stood by and watched. Interested in what the hell she was planning to show him now. Did she really think she stood a chance against him now? In this form of his? At his full power? Ha! If she really was capable of pulling something out like that, then maybe she could become his new sparring partner.


    Excitedly watching Wan Qing''s mystical dance in hopes that her power comes close to his, Hu Tao could actually feel his d.i.c.k getting somewhat hard watching it. Maybe he could ask her to teach this dance to Jie later after Qing stops being mad at him. If Jie did some shit like this for him, he wouldn''t be able to control himself from tearing her a.s.s up. Wan Qing looked alright but she just wasn''t his kind of girl. She looked like a damn girly boy with t.i.t.s and a perky little a.s.s. He also thought that she was too tall for a bitch as well.


    Countless butterflies circled around Wan Qing until there were no more butterflies remaining inside her fan. They joined her in the unbelievably stunning dance. Her body seemingly became one with Heaven and Earth, each step, each movement, all of it spoke to the qi around them. Even Hu Tao could feel some of his qi willingly wanting to escape from his body and aid Wan Qing. Until the final motion of the dance came.


    The anomalous insects all flew onto Wan Qing''s body as a small blue qi-rich cocoon surrounded her, blocking anyone from seeing the view inside. Hu Tao could easily feel the change happening to her inside that cocoon but what exactly was happening was a mystery to him. Her qi wasn''t rising anymore but there was a difference to it compared to how it was earlier. Was she somehow changing the quality of her own qi?


    ''That''s a pretty damn valuable technique. Even the Head Elders would be interested in her if she was capable of doing this for others.'' Hell, Hu Tao himself wanted to do that somehow too.


    Purifying or strengthening one''s qi without breaking through a stage or realm was a very rare phenomenon that either took a heaven-ranked technique, a legendary treasure, or a super ancient bloodline. Hu Tao wasn''t stupid though. He knew that this technique had to come at a cost for the Sissy because she was forced into using it. What that cost was, he didn''t know but planned to somehow use it to his advantage.


    After 5 minutes passed, the cocoon finally broke apart and revealed the figure inside. It appears that Wan Qing too has transformed just like Hu Tao had when tapping into the power hidden within his chains. Dark red lightning constantly discharged from his body, lightning bolts now took the place of his pupils, and his hair rose into the air electrified by the energy. His chains turned into lightning that floated around him like a secondary limb.


    Wan Qing was momentarily covered in a bright white light once she broke free from the cocoon. It only took a few seconds before that light disappeared and a new Wan Qing revealed herself to the world. Four large butterflies wings protruded from out of her lower back, two long antennas appeared from the top of her head and twitched, and her height increased to an incredible degree. She was now twice the size she previously was and could nearly reach the ceiling just by standing. This annoyed her as she wasn''t expecting to become even taller after trying this out.


    She casually waved her hand, producing an unstoppable gust of wind that blew the roof right off the ancient tomb! Now she was finally able to move her body however she wanted without bumping her head. Her wings gently flapped behind her as she looked at the now much smaller Hu Tao. A self-assured grin appeared on her face as she looked at him.


    Hu Tao could no longer control the raging demon inside his pants. His c.o.c.k was fully erect after seeing the simple demonstration of power from Wan Qing. After she gave him that shit-eating grin, he could no longer control himself as he shot forward with all of his power. Ready to have one of the best fights of his life.


    Wan Qing was disgusted by the thing protruding inside his pants but decided not to focus on that. The two of them clashed with their full power. Hu Tao''s elbow struck against Wan Qing''s leg. He seemed to have a slight advantage in power over Wan Qing but this did not worry her. During their clash, Qing''s antennas flicked forward and numerous spinning wind spikes formed behind her. Forcing Hu Tao into temporarily backflipping backward.


    The wild fighter immediately zapped himself behind Wan Qing, hoping to land a vital blow on her. His surprise kick landed on two of Wan Qing''s wings. She seemed to not even have noticed his kick. Without even turning around to face him, the wind picked up around her and formed a blade of wind to pierce through Hu Tao. Hu Tao quickly vanished once more and then appeared in front of her with his fist aiming straight for her face.


    This attack was blocked by a wall of wind and just as she was about to attack him again, he disappeared. The two continued their battle giving everything they had against one another. Hu Tao using his superior speed and power to try and overwhelm Wan Qing until she couldn''t keep up anymore. Wan Qing using her superior qi techniques and a seemingly infinite supply of qi to keep up with Hu Tao. Both of them suffering multiple injuries that slowly increased the longer the battle went on.


    Until eventually, someone interrupted their battle to the death once it was reaching its conclusion. With all the wounds the two of them suffered in the middle of their battle, a substantial amount of blood dripped out of their bodies onto the floor. This blood was pulled and absorbed into the black coffin inside the ancient tomb. A being lost and forgotten to most cultivators of this era eagerly used the powerful and unique blood of these two to fuel his resurrection.


    ''This is more than enough for me to recreate a living avatar to help bring me back entirely!''


    Unknown to both Hu Tao and Wan Qing, their combined blood was used to complete a hidden formation underneath the ancient tomb. With their blood powering the formation, the ancient spirit activated it without any more deliberation! It''s been nearly a millennium since he''s died. Shang Guan Qing Hong died as a wicked Earthly Immortal inside this cursed plane. He was ambushed and assassinated by multiple righteous cultivators simply because they were envious of his strength, riches, and influence! Now with his rival, he will slowly build his power once more before taking revenge on each of those righteous pricks for cowardly teaming up against him. Neither they nor their descendants will be able to escape his revenge. Even if he has to raze the entire continent in flames!


    Inside a dark room far below the area where Wan Qing and Hu Tao are fighting, the blood gathered from them pooled together in the center of an old formation. The formation gave off powerful qi that was greedily s.u.c.k.e.d up by the blood orb. In no time at all, the blood orb started to transform. Organs, bones, nerves, blood, all of it was being recreated into a human being! A being of flesh and blood once more!


    After thousands of years! Shang Guan Qing Hong was finally alive once again! High-pitched laughter filled with endless joy echoed from below the ancient tomb. Wait, high-pitched?


    Shang Guan Qing Hong looked down at himself and suddenly noticed that something wasn''t quite right. No one told him the legendary Rebirth Formation would have a side effect like this! Creating a mirror of blood, Shang Guan Qing Hong realized that he has been reborn with both a p.e.n.i.s and a v.a.g.i.n.a! But that wasn''t the only negative outcome of the formation either. For some reason, he was a child again as well! He looked like a mix of those two fools above! A wild mess of black hair that resembled a hedgehog and a mane, a face that was more feminine than masculine, chubby cheeks, smooth white skin, and a strange black spot where his naval should be.

 Chapter 220 - 214: Success Comes At A Cost...

    "Nooo!!!!" Shang Guan Qing Hong cried out in rage at his new form.


    A mix of lightning and wind surrounded him as he blasted through the undergrounds to the two brats above who most definitely caused this accursed form of his! There had to be something wrong with the two of them. He drew the formation perfectly, activated it when it should have been activated, and followed all the instructions he needed to follow. In his mind, there was no other explanation than the two freakish brats near the coffin he stole were the sole reason for this imperfect rebirth!


    "Hahahahaha..." Hu Tao laughed despite his body being filled with several cuts that a normal person would have died 100x over from. He laid on his back staring up at the sky where the roof of the ancient tomb should be.


    "Huff... Damn you... Just die already." Wan Qing was in a similar condition to Hu Tao with all four of her wings torn off and a single antenna cut off. She was still standing, albeit barely.


    "This was the most fun I had in a while, Wan." Hu Tao shared with her.


    "Tch. Don''t get ahead of yourself. Did I give you permission to call me by my first name?" Wan did notice this was the first time Hu Tao referred to her by name instead of a rude nickname.


    "We should do this again sometime."


    "Like hell, I would be willing to go through something like this again." Wan shut him down immediately. She wanted to kill him. She wanted to absolutely crush him with overwhelming power.


    But she wasn''t strong enough yet. Even after giving everything she had, it still wasn''t enough to force him into using all of his power. Hu Tao was lying on the ground with his c.h.e.s.t rising every few seconds like he was utterly exhausted but Wan Qing knew that he was still holding back in his fight against her. She was being looked down on and underestimated but she couldn''t do a single thing about it!


    "Why did you hold back...?" She soon asked.


    "Don''t be such a retard. What would be fun in killing someone with a lot of fighting potential? You grew this strong in only a matter of months when previously you didn''t stand a chance against me in the Treasured Plains. Next time I decide to fight you, who knows if I can hold back without losing my life?" Hu Tao smiled an innocent smile as if there was no greater joy in the world than fighting and growing stronger. Even when it came to those he''s fighting!


    "You''re the only person in this world that I believe I can call truly mad." Wan Qing shook her head but accepted this answer.


    Wan Qing wouldn''t have accepted any other answer. This answer was the most fitting for the nutjob called Hu Tao.


    ''Perhaps the only reason he hangs around Jing and the rest of us is simply to see how strong we will grow. I wouldn''t be surprised if that really was the reason.'' Wan thought to herself.


    "Like a spoiled noble brat like you could understand. Do you even have something to pursue besides being Jing''s little maid now?" He casually insulted.


    "Excuse me?" Wan Qing rose her voice. "I have plenty of goals I wish to accomplish!" She was getting upset again.


    "Name em."


    "Being a part of the most beautiful sect." Was one.


    "So, helping Jing takeover the sect." Hu Tao put that goal in other words.


    "Helping those who feel like they don''t belong and aren''t accepted by the people around them."


    "Helping Jing reform the sect." Hu Tao countered that goal.


    "To make friends."


    "You already have friends."


    "To find love."


    "You have a boy toy."


    "Get revenge on the Blossoming Water Palace for rejecting me from their sect on account of how I looked."


    "Okay." Hu Tao chuckled. "That''s the first actual goal I''ve heard so far."


    "All of them are goals worth pursuing! Not every one of them is related to Jing. Don''t insult me!"


    "Ahuh. Any more?" Hu Tao asked.


    "What about you!? I bet you don''t have any goals besides wanting to become the strongest cultivator or fighting every strong cultivator in the world or something like that right?" Wan Qing scoffed.


    "Close enough." He shrugged.


    "And you have the nerve to criticize me on my goals when you have that as your life-long goal?"


    "Sure do." Hu Tao said without shame.


    "And what gives you that nerve exactly, huh?"


    "The scale of our goals is on different levels. My goal takes me around the entire world. Your goals can be accomplished within the Evergreen Continent." He explained.


    "So! That doesn''t mean yours is better than mines." Wan Qing argued.


    "It does."


    "No, it doesn''t."


    "It does though."


    "No, it doesn''t though."


    "But it do though."


    "Shut up!" Wan Qing had enough. The longer she spent with this idiot, the longer she was pulled down to his level. In the future, she had to keep her contact with Hu Tao brief, lest she wanted to be infected by his simplicity.


    "I''m going to go catch some ghosts on my own and do not follow me." Wan Qing made sure to emphasize the last part of that sentence as she ate a piece of Ying''s recovery cake from her storage ring.


    "I need to catch some too! Wait for me!" Hu Tao also took out a recovery cake to heal his injuries.


    "I said don''t follow me!"


    "Jing wouldn''t like it if we were split up!" Hu Tao mischievously giggled as he made his way over to Wan Qing.


    As he was about to casually place his hand on her shoulder, he sensed something coming from below him. Wan Qing seemed to have noticed too because she was already moving to get out of the way. Hu Tao wondered what the hell was coming from below them. Was someone trying to split them up or ambush them? He hasn''t seen any animals in this place so, he didn''t think it was an animal but a cultivator. And it didn''t make sense to him that a ghost would be dwelling underground or had a presence like this.


    Hu Tao threw the Net of the Wild Hunting Immortal on the place where the thing was coming from. The Net of the Wild Hunting Immortal is a sky-ranked spirit tool that very few living creatures could escape from. He nabbed it from the Immortal Phoenix bastard that he still needed to capture for Jing. This spirit tool was made from extremely dense and pure qi that nearly no creature could escape from when captured.


    Both him and Wan Qing watched as the figure below them tore through the ground and tangled itself in the spiritual net. It screamed in anger and confusion at this sudden development. Once it felt its qi being restrained and strength leaving its body, it could only wail louder in rage. Upon seeing the child in the net, Hu Tao and Wan Qing had a weird feeling deep inside themselves as they saw it.


    "Why does this boy look like our kid if we banged?" Hu Tao got straight to the crux of the matter. He grabbed the net with the captured child inside it.


    "I think you mean girl and how am I supposed to know?" It was a very pretty child but had quite a fierce temperament.


    She would consider herself pretty and Hu Tao fierce, so his guess wasn''t completely off. But she knew she would never have s.e.x with Hu Tao even if he was 100x more handsome than he already is. So, this child shouldn''t be a thing. Wan Qing was not so na?ve to believe that a boy and girl getting in a life-or-death battle could produce a child even if she wasn''t properly taught of the matters between a boy and girl by her older sisters. Only an idiot could believe something like that.


    "Don''t you see his little c.o.c.k? How are you gonna say it''s a girl? Are you blind?" Hu Tao questioned, shaking the net for Wan to see the boy''s member shaking.


    "Are you blind? Can''t you see the thing underneath that thing? I''m sure you of all people have seen one of those before." Wan rolled her eyes.


    "What the f.u.c.k?" Hu Tao just noticed what she was talking about.


    "Release me now!!!" Shang Guan Qing Hong yelled.


    Shang Guan Qing Hong has never been so humiliated in all of his life. Even when he was being killed all those years ago, they never treated him with so little respect. It was the first time anyone has ever dared to question his gender, treat him like a child, and mock him in front of his face! He wanted nothing more than to rip these two to shred even if they were the only reason, he was alive right now.


    "Not until you do some explaining little freak. What the hell are you? And why do you look like our kid?" Hu Tao asked shaking the net some more just to bother the kid.


    "Stop shaking me, you foolish mortal! I''ll break your bones and feed your flesh to dogs!" Shang Guan Qing Hong shrilly screamed.


    "I don''t like your attitude brat." Hu Tao rapidly shook the net some more until eventually Shang Guan Qing Hong was forced into throwing up, still not used to his living body.


    "Foolish mortal?" Wan Qing took notice of this statement. Could this child be a ghost? But it was clearly alive, so that couldn''t be the case.


    "Apologize or I''ll shake ya some more." Hu Tao evilly grinned.


    "Wait... Maybe we can come to an agreement. A deal of some sorts..." Shang Guan Qing Hong tried negotiating.


    "Hmm..." Hu Tao looked as if he was thinking deeply about it. "Nah! Hahaha!" He continued shaking the net, torturing the suspicious weird child until they did as he said.


    If this was an ordinary child, Wan Qing would''ve long stopped Hu Tao harassment. But whatever this child was was anything but an ordinary child. She didn''t see this kid before the start of the second test, meaning that it had to have come from inside the Endless Plains. And for some reason, it took on the appearance of what the child of herself and Hu Tao could possibly look like. Wan needed to know why which is why she wasn''t interfering with Hu Tao''s bullying of the boy. They needed answers and if the child kept acting the way it was, they wouldn''t get anywhere.

 Chapter 221 - 215: Capturing A Boy/Girl & Ghost Attack!

    "I''ll speak! I''ll tell you whatever you want to know... Just stop shaking me..." Shang Guan Qing Hong has reached the limit with his new body.


    He couldn''t expel any more vomit from his gut and his mental strength has been worn thin by these two. In the state he was in now, even a ghost on the strength of a Wandering Spirit could probably takeover his new body. If he didn''t find a way to amend the relationship between himself and these two freakish brats, he was going to lose his hard-earned imperfect body! While he hated this freaky body of his, that didn''t mean he wanted to give it away either.


    "What are you?" Wan Qing questioned carefully.


    "An all-powerful immortal reincarnated back into the world of the living for revenge!" Shang Guan Qing Hong honestly shared.


    "Reincarnator?" Hu Tao narrowed his eyes at the brat.


    He already knew one person that has reincarnated before. This made him wonder if it really was this easy to reincarnate? Hu Tao thought the world of the living and dead couldn''t be crossed that easily but it seems like it f.u.c.k.i.n.g was! If he could find out how to reincarnate too, then maybe he could spend another lifetime fighting till he''s the strongest of that era too.


    "Shake him some more for lying Hu." Wan ordered.


    Wan Qing knew that reincarnation was impossible. If such a thing was possible, then wouldn''t all those powerful old cultivators nearing the end of their life do so? There would be reincarnators everywhere if it was. Because out of all the cultivators in the world, those who have reached their limit because of their age and about to die would do everything they could to get a second chance. Hell, if Wan Qing wasn''t satisfied with her accomplishments and life far later on in life, she too would probably consider reincarnating.


    "The brat isn''t lying." Hu Tao shook the net anyway just for the hell of it.


    "Why did you shake me if I honestly answered your question!?" Shang Guan Qing Hong wailed. He didn''t know how much more of this he could take.


    "Why not?" Hu Tao shrugged.


    "What do you mean she isn''t lying? How do you know?" Wan''s long eyelashes blinked at Hu.


    "Because I already know a reincarnator. But the brat isn''t telling us everything about himself. So fess up everything." Hu Tao threatened.


    "To think the day would come when I Shang Guan Qing Hong am being threatened by a brat like you! A brat that probably has yet to wean off his mother''s milk! How unfortunate can I be?" Shang Guan Qing Hong sighed.


    To respond to this arrogant comment, Hu Tao smacked the brat on its soft shiny a.s.s. Shang Guan Qing Hong couldn''t help but cry out in pain, shock, and disbelief as he was smacked on his bottom by his junior. He wanted to kill this Hu with all of his being! This unruly despicable child had to be an offspring of one of his old enemies!


    "I''m waiting." Hu Tao gave the kid another slap on the a.s.s.


    Shang Guan Qing Hong''s new body couldn''t take any more abuse. He began to start crying. Pure clear tears brought from the mental and physical stress placed on his young body. Loud wailing escaped from his mouth without his control as his emotions hit their peak. Shang hated these two. Shang hated that he was reborn mostly because of these two. Shang hated that he was being treated like this when he was much older and more m.a.t.u.r.e than both of them. Shang hated everything!


    "Are you sure this is a reincarnated immortal...?" Wan wasn''t so sure anymore. It wasn''t this easy to make an immortal break down in tears, was it?


    "Reincarnation isn''t perfect. The mind takes time to adjust to their new body." Hu Tao spoke as if he was an expert on the matter.


    It wasn''t too farfetched so that he wasn''t. He did have the doppelganger of an immortal inside his pocket dimension. Hu Tao also searched through his memories with the help of Blackie. So, he knew a few things here or there about reincarnation and reincarnators.


    "I seriously expect an explanation on how you know all this later." Wan told him.


    "Yeah, whatever. It''s not like it''s a secret or anything." Hu Tao shrugged.


    "Let''s go find some ghosts until the girl stops crying." Wan said, slowly reverting back to her original form.


    "He''s as harmless as a mouse in this net." Hu Tao brought the net over his shoulder.


    ______________________________________________


    "It looks like my camera doesn''t work on ghosts." Runt sighed.


    "That''s okay. I can kind of sense when they''re around." Lei Zhi told the young boy.


    "How?" Runt was curious about how this blind old guy could sense ghosts without seeing them.


    "It gets colder." Lei answered with a simple answer.


    "But it''s always cold." Runt didn''t get it.


    "Maybe you can find them by using your instrument." Lei Zhi suggested.


    "How would that work?" Runt questioned.


    "It''s certainly worth a try, don''t you think?" Lei kindly asked.


    Lei was simply just testing a few things here or there. Ever since they got split up from the others, they couldn''t rely on Ying''s flames to keep the ghosts at bay. Meaning they had to rely on a new method to either sense or keep the ghosts away. Only through touch could Lei Zhi faintly feel the presence of ghosts around him. This wouldn''t be too helpful because they just recently found out because of the amulets, ghosts are allowed to physically touch them as well.


    They were ambushed by a powerful spirit that forced them into splitting up. Heaven''s Angels were still able to communicate with each other by using Jing''s special message talisman. Lei Zhi and Runt were together, Ying was with Jie, and there has been no response from Bing as of yet. This led to them thinking that the ghost was chasing after Bing. Unfortunately, there was something about this fog that messed with the talisman. Leaving them unable to find each other just by infusing their qi into the talisman and having the others follow it. When they tried, the link between the two was cut off by something.


    "I guess it''s better than nothing..." Runt pulled out the Silent God''s Ocarina and began to blow into it.


    Lei Zhi "saw" the combination of sound and qi come together as it spread all around them. There was nothing in their surroundings that was spared from the sound. It expanded into the air, underground, and even through Lei''s own body. Then a violent shout came from behind Runt.


    "Give me your body child! I haven''t seen a body as perfect as yours for hundreds of years!" It cried out.


    Lei Zhi used his fishing rod and hooked it into the spirit''s body before dragging it over to himself. From underneath his new coat, a slimy tentacled arm reached out and wrapped itself around the throat of the now visible ghost. It began applying pressure to the throat as Lei Zhi bent down and placed the amulet on the spirit''s body. The ghost was s.u.c.k.e.d into the amulet without resistance and that chill he felt disappeared as well.


    "Looks like things turned out better than we thought." Lei smiled.


    "Hopefully we don''t run into a ghost as strong as the one that attacked us before." Runt stopped blowing into his ocarina.


    "Let''s keep moving. Ghosts may be scary but usually, in tests like these, it''s humans you have to look out for the most." Lei shared some wisdom.


    "What do you mean?" Runt didn''t know why should they be afraid of humans.


    "Ghosts just want to take over your body so that they can live again. But are you confident in figuring out what a human wants to do to you?" Lei asked.


    If Lei Gang was asked this question before he went with Bing to kill that one guy, then he would probably have a different answer than the one he has now. As of now, he was not confident in knowing what another human would want to do to him inside this creepy place. After witnessing the battle between Bing and that Huan guy, Runt was no longer sure of anything regarding the thoughts and feelings of people. But maybe ghosts were simpler than humans. Runt could deal with simple things.


    "No." He answered.


    "That''s why if we encounter anyone from the sect, we need to be on guard. We can''t just blindly trust anyone. Only those from our group." Lei informed.


    "Attack anyone we see, then?" Runt figured this was what he was getting at.


    "What? No! Why would you think that?" Lei was confused about how this boy got to that conclusion.


    "What do you mean by be on guard then? How else would you protect yourself if you don''t make the first move?" Runt questioned.


    "There''s nothing wrong with running away."


    "Running away?" Runt''s opinion of this old man dropped somewhat.


    "That''s right. Violence isn''t always the answer. Remember, our goal is to capture ghosts, not get into meaningless battles with our lives on the line." Lei reminded the boy.


    "I know that." Runt crossed his arms. He wasn''t going to go out of his way to look for trouble. He was only a 3rd stage Qi Gatherer after all. Compared to all the other disciples in the test, he was confident that he was the weakest out of them all.

 Chapter 222 - 216: Bings Ghostly Adventure!

    "Of course, it had to be me! Of course, the ghost would chase after me out of everyone else!" Bing moved his hefty body through the foggy forest like a small bull.


    Behind him, a hazy figure greedily looked upon his round and succulent shape. It was much larger than the average man with a body that had a belly larger than its entire ghostly figure. Perhaps the resemblance in their body shapes is what drew this spirit to Ai Bing. Or maybe there was something special about Bing''s body that sent this ghost mad.


    Whatever it was that attracted this spirit''s attention, Bing had no interest in finding out! Thanks to his sky-ranked body cultivation technique, Devil''s Physique, and multiple bloodlines he''s absorbed with Devil''s Arms, his auxiliary art, Bing had stamina that far outclassed his peers despite his appearance. While he might not be the fastest of the bunch, he would surely outlast them! But the hunger of this powerful spirit was not to be underestimated either.


    As Bing ran through the white mist that prevented him from knowing where he was going, he also wasn''t aware that during his escape, a few more ghosts decided to join the chase. They too saw the specialness of Bing''s body and wanted it for themselves. In the eyes of the ghosts, Bing was essentially the perfect human host to hold their body. His body radiated with such an irresistible spiritual aroma that it was like looking at the perfect feast in the form of a single human!


    Dozens and dozens of ghosts couldn''t help themselves as they gave in to their primal instincts of wanting to feed or become human again. All of them chased after the chubby cultivator like a pack of starving wolves. Unknown to Bing, he has just caused one of the biggest and most unnatural events to surface within the Endless Plains without even meaning to! Usually, when ghosts find one another, they wouldn''t hesitate to fight it out to devour the other to strengthen themself. However, at this moment, it seemed that all of them planned to share at least one piece of Bing for themselves! Even if it was just a small flab of his belly flesh, they were willing to tear into it with relish! There was no wasteful part of Bing that they saw.


    Tears streamed down Bing''s face as he turned to see the horde of hungry ghosts behind him. Just what kind of luck was this!? All that crap he''s heard about him being lucky was nothing but crap! How can anyone call this lucky?! Being forced into running for his life from several ghosts that want nothing more than to feed on his fragile v.i.r.g.i.n body!


    "Help me! Anyone help!!!" He shouted.


    It wouldn''t be until 45 minutes of non-stop running that Bing would finally run into another human being. He looked at them with joy and relief as he focused his vision on them and ran straight toward them. Unfortunately, this human being saw the horrifying sight behind Bing and dashed away without any regard for the fatty. Bing couldn''t let his only hope of survival just escape without him.


    "Swift Devil!" It took only a second for Bing to tackle the figure.


    Both of them rolling along the ground together. Bing keeping a tight grip on the person and the person doing their best to escape Bing''s hold. A high-pitched scream rang out from the figure that Bing was holding and it wasn''t for no reason that they screamed either. It seemed that Bing''s desperation of seeing another human being and tackling them before they could escape, led to the both of them tumbling down a very large hill together. Since Bing''s body was much bigger than the other''s, he took most of the damage rolling down the hill.


    Crashing into rocks, trees, and whatever else laid in their path. Their journey ended with a crash through a temple''s wall. Bing''s body lying next to a dusty gold statue. The person he dragged into this situation, laying on top of him.


    Bing couldn''t focus his vision to see what was on top of him. His head was still spinning from all the running and rolling. Right now, he wished for nothing more than to just pass out and wake back up inside Ying''s void world. Maybe, he didn''t need to try so hard in the test... It wasn''t like he was going to win in the end anyway.


    Just as Bing was about to get up, he suddenly noticed that his hand was gripping something incredibly soft on top of himself.


    He squeezed once.


    "Mhmm..." A girly noise came from on top of him.


    He squeezed twice.


    "You really are courting death, aren''t you?" She snarled.


    He knew it was wrong but squeezed a third time.


    This time he was harshly punished with a slap to the face. She got up from on top of him and rose her leg to kick at him while he was still down. While Bing knew he was definitely a piece of trash for doing what he did, he also didn''t want to be kicked in the nuts. He flipped up from the ground and gained some distance from the girl.


    Now that he was able to get a good look at her, he noticed that this girl wasn''t a disciple from the sect. Or at least, she wasn''t wearing anything that would suggest she was. Bing was sure that he hasn''t seen her face before they started the second part of the test. She seemed like the type of woman that would stand out without even trying. Flawless pale-white skin, long white hair that reached down to the ground but never touched it, soft blood-red eyes, a face that Bing would describe as nearly perfect and radiating the beauty of an empress but with the temperament of a princess, youthful and imm.a.t.u.r.e but still prideful and regal.


    She drew her sword and rushed at him without mercy. Bing blocked her slash with his shield and took in his surroundings. He wasn''t going to waste his time fighting with this woman even if she was incredibly beautiful and he was in the wrong for what he did earlier. Those ghosts from before wouldn''t give up so easily just because he fell down a hill. If they were willing to chase him for almost an hour, then a hill wasn''t going to be much of a deterrence for them. Fighting with this girl would only give those ghosts the opportunity to catch up to him.


    "Listen, I''m sorry about what I did. I know what I did was wrong and I apologize." Bing couldn''t give any excuses.


    He had an idea of what he was squeezing from the beginning. It was just that when would he ever get the chance of squeezing something like that again within the next 5 years? That softness and squishiness was a feeling that his hand was never going to forget. It should last him at least 5 years in his opinion.


    "You think a mere apology is enough to excuse you for what you did?" She looked at him like he was the most disgusting thing in the world. "Cut off your left hand immediately." She ordered.


    Bing thought it was a bit much just for a little incident like this. She didn''t seriously think he was going to cut off his arm for her, did she? Did she have mental problems? Just because she looked like a princess didn''t mean that he was going to treat her like one.


    "I''ll get right to it! I will deliver my left hand to you as soon as I can!" Bing''s eyes widened before he turned and ran, leaving the girl alone in the temple.


    "Hmm?" At first, she was about to explode but noticed something strange in that fatty''s eyes.


    She turned around and saw the sea of ghosts from before rushing down towards the temple. Various emotions flashed within her eyes. Anger, fright, surprise, disbelief, and then rage! The young girl quickly chased after the fatty while planning to skewer him like a pig and roast him over a fire.


    Bing was a lot more relieved now that he had some distance between him and the ghosts. That girl should be able to distract them for a few seconds. It was such a pity though. She was pretty cute in his eyes. Too bad, she had something wrong with her brain.


    "Hehe! Thanks to her, I finally got the time to use this teleportation spell." Bing pulled out the movement talisman from his storage ring and injected his qi into it.


    "Where do you think you''re going!?" Somehow, Bing felt thin piercing cold fingers trying to dig into his shoulders.


    Just as he was being moved through space, he turned to look at the figure gripping on him from behind. Bing couldn''t help but scream as the crazy beauty from before turned into an unrecognizable monster latching onto him! She was a ghost too!? How did she catch up to him so quickly!?


    "Why me...?" Bing cried out before disappearing with a new friend.

 Chapter 223 - 217: Inside Bings Void World!?

    After teleporting to a new part of the Endless Forest, Bing knew for a fact now that ghosts were capable of being teleported with talismans. The sharp claws of the princess ghost were still holding onto his shoulders. Looking down at himself, Bing also came to a startling realization. His amulet was damaged somehow.


    "The nerve...!" Her shrill voice whispered into his ear as he felt something incredibly cold rushing into his body.


    Bing panicked and immediately freaked out to do everything he could to prevent his body from being snatched. He entered inside his Void World and began practicing Yin of Destruction and Yang of Creation. Unfortunately, in the middle of forming the technique that frightens the souls out of creatures, he was stabbed through his stomach by the long claws of the princess ghost. The pain was real! It really freaking hurt even though she was a ghost!


    Lin Jiajia could sense the terrifying technique the fatty was in the midst of creating. It wasn''t difficult for a Walking Devil-type ghost to do so. Even the weakest of spirits would be able to feel the power of his technique. This did momentarily make her question why was this delicious-looking fatty running from all those ghosts if he had something like this.


    "Wait! Wait! Wait! Don''t kill me. We can make a deal or some kind of agreement! How about this, I let you be my shadow or something like that and in exchange, I''ll feed you ghosts to eat! Didn''t you see how many ghosts were chasing me from before? It''ll be nothing to feed you until your belly can''t take anymore!" Bing hastily tried to talk his way out of this.


    Bing remembered in one of the stories passed around by the a.d.u.l.ts in his clan when he was young. It was about a young child befriending a ghost being ostracized and bullied by those around him. No one else could see the ghost and just thought the boy was crazy. Eventually, one day, the bullying became too much for the boy and he attempted to take his own life to be with the only person that ever treated him nicely. But the ghost knew that the boy would only head back to the reincarnation wheel if he succeeded. The ghost prevented the boy from taking his life as it promised to help him not get bullied anymore.


    The boy didn''t know how the ghost would be able to do that. To the ghost, it was a simple matter. It asked the boy if it would like it to become its new shadow, intertwining its life with his in a way. Since the boy had no reason to refuse, he didn''t and the ghost became his shadow. After the combining of these two beings, one living and one dead, it was very difficult for anyone to bully the boy with the help of the ghost.


    From time to time, the ghost would take over the boy''s body with his permission and teach anyone who dared to bully him a lesson they would never forget. Once the boy and ghost duo taught all of the boy''s bullies a lesson, they thought that everything would be over. But the unnatural change in the frail, timid, and weak boy from before was too much to accept. The boy was exiled from his village on the account of being a demon. His parents didn''t stand up to defend him nor did they come along with him.


    Boy and ghost left the village with their heads held high. After some convincing by the ghost, the boy was rather happy by this outcome. It wasn''t like there was anything good inside the village anyway. He and his best friend traveling together facing the world like real men. He thought, maybe this was the best ending.


    "..." Lin stayed quiet as she thought about his offer.


    As a princess that was betrayed by her own kingdom and abandoned in this hell, it would be laughable if she agreed to Bing''s offer right away. Because she was a Walking Devil, her soul was laced with malice and greed to become stronger. This malice and greed sometimes painted her mind red and frequently caused her to lash out to kill, torture, and feed. It was a difficult decision for a ghost of her level.


    "I''ll help you leave this place! If you become my shadow, you can join me and leave this place after my test is over! I don''t know how long you''ve been in this ghastly forest but I know it''s been long enough. What do you say...?" Bing was losing a lot of blood.


    Lin Jiajia was just under 290cm as she held him up in the air with her claw. Golden blood from his body was falling down her hand and being absorbed into her body. Her face was laced with a mix of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e and anger. She hasn''t forgotten about him taking advantage of her body from earlier but this blood of his was really too delicious. It was the first time she''s ever tasted something this sweet and savory.


    If she really did become his shadow, she could have this tasty blood whenever she wanted and leave this annoying place. Lin Jiajia could also get this fatty to help get revenge on the kingdom that made her like this in the first place. But she would also be tying a large portion of her strength to this fatty. She would no longer be able to leave his side and be his shadow. Maybe one day when she reaches Spirit God, she could leave him but that would take several years.


    "Thanks for thinking about my offer for so long..." Bing softly grinned.


    A sharp chill filled Lin Jiajia''s missing heart. She looked behind her and saw a giant white tiger with several human hands extending from out of its body. This strange sight would be enough to startle the average human but what hasn''t she seen as a Walking Devil? There were ghosts with all sorts of strange appearances. The creature in front of her wasn''t the strangest but it was frightening somehow. She didn''t understand it.


    Then she saw the dozens of human arms creating something above the tiger''s body. Now she knew why she had such a bad feeling when looking at it! It was forming the same technique the fatty was from before. She was too far away to put a stop to the thing. So, she focused her eyes on the fatty and threatened him with her other claw.


    "Either you kill me and I die, staying trapped in here forever. I kill you and get my body back. Or you become my shadow. It''s your choice..." Bing wouldn''t just allow himself to be completely helpless.


    "...!" Lin was pressured, upset, angry, furious, and also just a little bit surprised.


    She didn''t expect this fatty to place his life on the line like this. It was kind of manly compared to the pathetic babbling he was doing earlier. The white tiger didn''t give her any chance to consider Bing''s offer. It immediately fired off the white and black miniature sphere towards her and the fatty. Lin''s cold black eyes looked into Bing''s before she suddenly vanished.


    Bing fell to the ground as the technique came straight towards him. Golden blood leaked from his torso as he forced himself up. With a tear of his robes, Bing revealed his belly to the world. This big creamy-white belly suddenly opened up like a demon''s maw as it devoured the Infinite Sphere Ultimate Cataclysm. The amount of power stored within the ball was too much for the injured Bing to handle. He fainted as the white tiger rushed over in concern.


    ''This fatty''s body isn''t too bad...'' Lin Jiajia thought, satisfied with her decision.


    Unknown to her or Bing, both of them were being changed because of his decision to accept her as his shadow. Bing''s choice to devour his technique using Leng Huan''s bloodline instead of avoiding it was changing him from the inside and out. From time to time, Lin would take some of his blood for herself and also change from this. She was truly speechless after she''s had the time to fully digest the blood of the fatty.


    ''No wonder my instincts are so attracted to him. He has more than one bloodline in his body somehow and all of these bloodlines improve his physique but not his soul. It truly is the perfect body for a ghost to feed or possess.'' Lin Jiajia no longer had any qualms about becoming this fatty''s shadow.


    In fact, she would solely keep this fatty for herself. His body was simply too nourishing and tasty for her to ever think about sharing him. This fatty was now her property and if anyone dared to try and take him from her, she wouldn''t hesitate to rip them apart with her claws! Becoming a Spirit God was only a matter of time now and no longer a decision she had to hope for.

 Chapter 224 - 218: Lucky Ending? & Mystic Flame?!

    When Bing regained consciousness again, he was inside the middle of the Endless Plains with nothing else around him. Sitting on his b.u.t.t, he gripped his hands into his fists as he felt a difference in his power. He felt stronger but he didn''t know by how much. Bing slowly got up from the ground and dusted himself off. His eyes couldn''t help but glancing over to his shadow behind him.


    And to prove that everything he just went through wasn''t a nightmare, his shadow teasingly waved back at him. Seeing his shadow move on its own was enough of a fright to cause him to clutch his c.h.e.s.t to calm his thumping heart.


    ''So, it really was true...'' Bing couldn''t help but sigh.


    After several minutes of pacing back and forth worrying about his future, eventually, Bing realized he couldn''t stay here forever worrying about something that''s already been done. Maybe, this ghost will be a good thing for him. His amulet for the test did break and without it, he would have had no protection against ghosts at all. If the ghost in his shadow wasn''t somewhat sensible, his body would already be taken over by now.


    Bing hoped that she was going to protect him from any ghosts hoping to eat or jack his body. She did seem very strong. Even inside his own void world where he is the master of all inside, he still had to rely on persuasive words to keep his life. He wasn''t ashamed for what he had to do, if his mouth could keep his life from ending, he would run it until he could speak no longer.


    "Hey... uhm..." Bing just realized he didn''t know the name of the ghost in his shadow. "Can I get your name?"


    The name Lin Jiajia suddenly appeared in his mind but no voice.


    "Miss Lin, for my test, I need to capture ghosts with this amulet. I hope you will allow me to keep some of the ghosts we encounter along the way so I can pass my test." Bing gracefully asked.


    Bing had a feeling he heard a scoff in his mind but he wasn''t sure. Hopefully, she wouldn''t be too unruly. He didn''t know if there was a way to take a ghost out of his shadow but he would surely try his best to find out if she started causing too much trouble. The Empress would most likely know a way. As far as Bing knows, there is nothing the Empress can''t do.


    "Let''s go catch some ghosts then." Bing was a bit more confident with the ghost in his shadow now.


    ______________________________________________


    "You must have dog crap for eyes if you think I''m a helpless dainty girl that anyone can rob!" Ying leaped forward with her demonic-looking great sword that could split tigers and dragons in half.


    "AAARGH!" Jie immediately heard the screams of their fellow disciples around them.


    She saw as Ying spared some mercy for the fellows. Or perhaps breaking their bones like she was could be another form of being merciless. If she killed them outright, they''d be dead and no longer have to suffer anymore. But doing it like this was only prolonging the inevitable. Maybe they could survive but Jie highly doubted it.


    "Hmph!" Ying crushed the last would-be-robber with her sword, knocking him into a wide tree with most of his internal organs and bones severely injured.


    "Bing and Lei really are influencing me too much. I''m becoming much too forgiving lately." Was Ying''s thought as most of the disciples was alive but crippled or on the verge of dying.


    ''This is forgiving...?'' Jie and the injured disciples thought simultaneously in disbelief.


    Ying led the way forward before looking back at Jie.


    "Come on. We got some ghosts to catch." She smiled a beautiful innocent smile as if she didn''t just brutally tear through multiple men at once without a scratch on her.


    "R-Right..." Jie feels like she''ll never get used to being in Hu Tao''s group.


    Ying and Jie left the men behind without a care in the world. Some managed to swallow recovery pills and drag themselves away. Others were forced to be left behind and slowly die. A small few were even torn apart by passing ghosts.


    The two ladies traveled together with Ying leading forward with a small flame guiding their way through the white mist. Ever since they got split up from the rest because of that powerful ghost, they haven''t encountered any more ghosts. Jie thought it was because of Ying''s flames. So, Ying put out her flames and they traveled without them but they still didn''t encounter any ghosts.


    "Maybe because you''re a cultivator that focuses on fire, your yang energy is too strong. It scares away all the ghosts because the yin-energy ghosts don''t mix well with your yang energy." Jie guessed.


    "Then how am I supposed to capture any ghosts if they''re freaking scared of me?" Ying was irritated with these cowardly ghosts.


    "That strong ghost from before wasn''t scared of you. You might have to capture a strong one like that." Jie suggested.


    "Impossible." Ying knew her limits.


    Facing that terrifying ghost and somehow capturing it was impossible with her current strength. When she stood against that thing, it was one of the few times in her life that she could say she was genuinely outmatched. Nothing she could do could stand against something like that. In fact, she believed it was a miracle that most of them managed to escape in the first place.


    But she was very worried about Bing. He still hasn''t sent any messages with the talisman yet. Every few minutes, Ying couldn''t help but pull out the talisman to check for any news of Bing. From time to time, she would send out a message asking if everyone was alright but her main focus was seeing if Bing would respond.


    "If we can''t do that, we''ll have to find some way to suppress your yang energy. Can you do that?" Jie asked.


    "I''ll try." Ying''s body was like a beacon of yang energy and warmth.


    She stopped moving, closed her eyes, and began controlling the qi inside herself. Fire qi was not the type to be restrained. It craved the freedom to burn and spread as it pleased. So, when Ying attempted to restrict its freedom, it fought back against her control. This was against its innate nature!


    Jie watched as Ying''s face scrunched up in irritation as the warmth around her body seemed to fluctuate. She was even forced to jumped back as a wave of flames exploded from Ying''s body. Was it really this hard for her to control her own qi? What was going on in her body where she had trouble controlling her qi? This made Jie somewhat content that she didn''t have any elemental martial arts.


    The further you progress in your martial arts with elemental-type techniques, the more your body changes to match that element. The only exception is if a cultivator was born with a certain elemental qi affinity or chose to practice a martial art that they had little to no affinity for. This means that cultivators that practice elemental techniques have to progress on a linear path that suits that element for the rest of their cultivating journey. There is still time to change in the beginning but once a certain amount of time pass, it''ll be impossible to use other elements and go back to normal.


    "It''s my freaking body! You will listen to me or else!" Ying shouted at the fire qi in her body resisting against her.


    Another explosion of flames erupted from her body in response to this threat, forcing Jie to jump back even further. Ying felt like pummeling the hell out of her qi but knew this was her own fault. She hadn''t practiced controlling her qi enough. Fire qi was already one of the hardest elements to control because of its unruly nature. Trying to tame and suppress it was just asking for it to lash out and fight back.


    It took two hours before Ying was able to reign her flames under control. Jie was far in the distance as it was a fierce battle of control for Ying. Her flames seemed like they were going to engulf and burn everything around her without sparing anyone. Everything within 20 meters or more was burned black from Ying''s flames.


    "Ha! Stupid fire qi. You should''ve listened to me in the first place." Ying hmphed as she waved to Jie.


    Jie came running over to see Ying smiling. It looked like she finally succeeded. Hopefully, they''ll be able to progress in the test now. It would be rather embarrassing to fail because no ghosts wanted to get near them.


    "Follow me. I sensed something interesting over here." Ying felt the presence of another mystic flame.


    Because of her auxiliary art, Overbearing Amalgamation of Flames, Ying could sense Mystic Flames whenever they were near her. Mystic Flames were one of the rarest natural treasures in the world. A treasure that only those that go down the path of mastering fire qi could only ever possess. Every Mystic Flame had its own will that required one to resonate with it or dominate it with superior willpower or you would be swallowed by the Mystic Flame to strengthen itself. Ying currently only had one mystic flame that she rightfully stole from Fu Kang. It was the Frost Flame that allowed her to burn with such hotness it was capable of freezing those it hit.


    Ying figured that whichever Mystic Flame was inside this place, would definitely help her against the ghosts residing in this plane. She couldn''t believe that it wouldn''t. As she had a feeling that Mystic Flames would be related to the area where they formed. Mystic Flames couldn''t move unless they were taken by a cultivator. Naturally formed Mystic Flames stayed where they were born till they extinguished from the passing of time or were dominated.

 Chapter 225 - 219: Ying & Jie!

    Ying and Jie walked together through the endless fog to the Mystic Flame that Ying sensed. Ying''s body was no longer giving off any warmth or heat like it was earlier when they were traveling. This made Jie confident that Ying managed to restrain her fire qi completely. She was curious about how she managed to sense anything in this place.


    When Jie used her qi to sense the surroundings, she didn''t feel much of anything. The only thing she could sense was Ying. So, either Ying''s sensing ability was superior to her''s somehow despite being far below her in cultivation or she had a technique that could sense treasures? Jie couldn''t believe that Ying had something like a treasure-seeking technique. She''s seen plenty of martial art manuals in the Golden Serpent Sect''s library. None of them dared to claim to be able to sense treasures. But it still wasn''t impossible that Ying did have such a technique... Out of the millions of techniques in the world, there had to be a couple that could do something like this.


    "What did you sense?" Jie just decided to straight-up ask. It wasn''t like Ying was her enemy or anything. They were on the same side.


    "A Mystic Flame." Ying grinned. Another mystic flame would drastically boost her strength for the final test.


    "A Mystic Flame!?" Jie couldn''t help but exclaim.


    "And I''m going to snatch it before anyone else does." Ying shared her current goal.


    "How could you possibly sense a Mystic Flame!?" Jie didn''t understand.


    If anyone was able to gain control over a Mystic Flame then their strength would grow significantly! It was just unfortunate that these treasures were only limited to those with an affinity for fire qi. Leaving a majority of the world unable to even hope of gaining control over these naturally-forming treasures. This would be her first time seeing a Mystic Flame, she was a bit excited.


    "It''s not that hard." Ying responded.


    Eventually, they stumbled upon a large group of disciples from their sect surrounding an ancient building. This caused Ying''s face to slightly scrunch up. All these people would definitely interfere in getting the Mystic Flame. She knew they couldn''t be here because of the Mystic Flame. There had to be another reason for them all to gather here.


    "Hey, you." Ying grabbed some random guy by his collar.


    "What the hell!? Let go of me!" He cried out.


    "Tell me what''s going on here." She asked nicely.


    "F.u.c.k you bitch!" Were the last words he managed to get out as Ying sunk her fist into his gut. He dropped to the ground unconscious.


    "Apparently this is some immortal''s tomb. Many people suspect there to be heavenly treasures inside because as of now, no one can get inside." Jie relayed the information she''s got from the crowd, ignoring the body at Ying''s feet.


    "Why can''t we get in?" Ying asked.


    "We need three plates to fit on the door. Right now, there is only one person with a plate. We need two more if anyone wants to get inside."


    "So why are so many people sticking around here instead of looking for the extra plates?" Ying questioned.


    "If people with the two plates do make it here, they''ll be ready to rush inside the door." Jie whispered.


    "Oh, so they''re a bunch of leeches that can''t do anything for themselves and hope to get rewarded off the hard work of others." Ying did not hold back as she gave her honest opinion of the crowd.


    ''You didn''t need to say it so loudly...'' Jie lamented being next to this girl at this moment. Did she truly believe she was number 1 under the heavens?


    Many eyes wandered over to her in annoyance and anger. How dare she call them out when she was doing the same thing!? A few disciples in the crowd walked over to teach this girl a lesson. Many others simply remembered her face for when they encounter her in the future for insulting them.


    "Oi! You need some help keeping that mouth of yours shut?"


    "You must really think you''re amazing to badmouth all of us like this. Where do you get your courage?"


    "If you don''t kneel down and apologize to us, don''t blame us for being a little rude."


    Ying could feel their eyes ravaging her body. Jie wasn''t spared from their gazes either. Two young beautiful girls with fair-colored skin and large b.r.e.a.s.ts. Both Ying and Jie were the type of women that many of these male disciples wouldn''t mind tasting for themselves on a regular basis. They weren''t being recognized for their strength or cultivation stage but simply their appearance and the fact that they were women.


    Ying wasn''t the type of girl to take such insults lying down. She didn''t care about the differences between a man and a woman. All she cared about was staying true to herself and being treated with the respect that she deserves as a human being. And being looked at like a stupid juicy piece of meat isn''t one of those two things.


    She formed a fist and threw it at the one who couldn''t restrain himself from drooling as he looked at her body. Saliva dripped from his mouth as he hastily brought himself back to reality. His arms rose up to block Ying''s fist only to crumple and break as they couldn''t handle the force coming from Ying''s small fist. He was sent flying far into the distance screaming, leaving his two buddies to look on in shock.


    They pulled out their swords and no longer treated Ying like she was a s.e.x.u.a.l object that served itself to them. Now they treated her like a s.e.x.u.a.l object that could possibly kill them if they weren''t careful. Ying scoffed as she too revealed her sword. The crowd was stunned speechless as they saw the size of the humongous heap of iron forged into the shape of a sword raised above her head. They didn''t understand how such a thin woman could possibly hold something so big with ease. Her arms weren''t even shaking as she held up the blade! Now they understood how that weakling was sent flying. If anyone could hold that blade, they too would probably gain strength that was incomparable.


    Terror struck the hearts of those who were glanced at by the evil eye on the sword. If the size alone wasn''t frightening enough, the evil qi radiating from the sword itself was enough to cause them to shiver. Despite being a wicked sect, the Golden Serpent Sect didn''t force its disciples to practice evil techniques. They were able to practice any technique they want without restrictions! Even righteous techniques that were stolen from righteous sects. All the Golden Serpent Sect cared about was strength and the freedom to do as they pleased without restraint! Limiting themselves to only using evil techniques would weaken their potential.


    "If you''re not going to come at me, then I''ll just come at you!" Ying rushed toward the two with her sword over her shoulder.


    Not a hint of fire qi emitted from Ying''s body as she dashed forward. Her eyes narrowed as she prepared herself to use the second style of the Giant Blade Manual: Moving With The Blade. The two men were unprepared for her to come at them. Their response to her rush was sloppy and Ying thought that she might have overestimated them.


    Ying swung her blade horizontally to split them both in half. Her body moved along with the blade as she was brought into a dangerous spin. One of the two men leaped away to gain some distance from her while the other believed he could take it on just by clashing with his own blade. Ying spun as if she was a sword hurricane. Her blade slamming against the disciple''s sword repeatedly every second. It only took three complete spins before his blade shattered and the side of Ying''s great sword slammed into his abdomen.


    He too was sent flying off into the distance with major injuries that would lead to his death soon if not taken care of. The last remaining disciple fled off into the misty forest after he saw her take care of the other man. It was obvious to him that he was outmatched and picked a fight with the wrong person. No longer did he think of her as an object to use for his s.e.x.u.a.l p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e after dominating her. In his eyes, she was now a monster. A hidden prodigy that only bared her claws when forced to.


    "Anyone else have anything to say?" Ying turned her gaze back to the crowd.


    "Don''t get c.o.c.ky over beating some weaklings, girl. Mind your words or you won''t even realize how you died." A boy younger than her arrogantly spoke from in the crowd. He was leisurely laying on the side of the door with the third plate in his hand.


    His body was filled with strange yellow markings. On his back was a large curved weapon that Ying believed she''s seen before but can''t remember where. Her eyes looked to the handsome person next to him, and then she remembered. Those two were the Head Elder''s disciples!


    "Whatever." Ying turned away and ignored the famous prodigy, not feeling that she was inferior to him in the slightest.


    "Let''s go find one of those plates." She said to Jie.


    Jie nodded. She hoped they would be able to encounter some weak ghosts along the way. It''s been hours and she hasn''t even captured one ghost for this test yet. This test seems like it''s even harder than the first one.


    The two left the crowd in search of the other two plates.


    "Did I say you were free to leave, woman?" Ying quickly turned around and used her sword to block the sudden boomerang that almost decapitated her.


    She was sent sliding back from the force of the blow. The boomerang was sent spinning back towards the bad-tempered prodigy. He really intended to kill her with that attack! If Hao Gang didn''t warn her, it would''ve been over for her right there. Ying glared at the prodigy with killing intent in her eyes.


    "And why should I listen to a shrimp like you?" Flames crackled around her body.


    "This woman doesn''t even put me in her eyes. I don''t know whether to call you brave or stupid." He slowly got up from the staircase leading up the tomb''s door.


    "Are you sure it''s worth playing around with this woman, Little Tang? When the other two plates arrive, you''ll have less energy to get all the goodies inside." The handsome youth next to the shrimp advised.


    "You think she stands a chance against me?" He glared at his friend?


    "She certainly isn''t as weak as you believe." He warned.


    Everyone could see the mental calculations going on in Little Tang''s head. Ying scoffed as she turned back around and started walking away with Jie. Those plates weren''t going to find themselves and if that shrimp wanted to fight with her later, she''ll be more than happy to see just how strong a genius is compared to herself.

 Chapter 226 - 220: Mother & Son Bonding.

    Many unbelievable changes started to take place ever since Jing has entered the Endless Plains of Yin. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that she was single-handedly changing the ghostly biome just by walking aimlessly through the foggy forest. Well, actually, the more accurate thing to say would be that Li Li was the one changing the rules of the plane. His abilities were too potent! Some of the strongest ghosts inside this couldn''t resist Li Li''s strength and were forced into becoming his follower. Many of the spirit beasts he''s captured as his spirit followers were being sacrificed to strengthen the new ones he''s captured in the Endless Plains.


    His control and power over souls were only slowly improving the longer he stayed inside this realm. The more he saw, experienced, and fought, the stronger Li Li became. Jing had no complaints about such a thing and neither did Li Li. The two explored the Endless Plains of Yin as if it was one big game of hide and seek with the treasures and ghosts inside. As the first day of the test was coming to an end, Jing managed to find a strange stone plate being defended by a Walking Devil. A rather strong ghost for a seemingly useless item.


    Ghosts were separated into nine different realms of power just like cultivators. Wandering Spirit, Spirit Walker, Dozing Devil, Walking Devil, Spirit Emperor, Spirit King, Devil Lord, Divine Devil, and then Spirit God. Each ghostly realm was about equivalent to the immortal realms. So, a Wandering Spirit would be about as strong as a Qi Gatherer and a Walking Devil would be on the same level as a Core Stage cultivator.


    Jing didn''t know why such a ghost was defending this plate but figured it would be better to keep it on herself. While she has come into the Endless Plains of Yin before, she never managed to survive long before dying to ghosts, her fellow disciples, or both. So, most of the treasures in this place are unknown to Jing. It''s only because of Li Li that Jing dares to explore these lands without worrying.


    "I don''t feel anything special about it either, mom." Li Li said after taking a look at the plate.


    After consuming and learning so much about ghosts and soul control, Li Li no longer looked like his old self anymore. Next to Jing was a small child that resembled her greatly in appearance holding up a stone plate. It wouldn''t be too much to say that the young boy next to Jing was her son based on how similar they looked. Skin as brown as an acorn, hair as white as milk, and a face that couldn''t be described as handsome or ugly! However, his body was somewhat transparent, allowing those to see right through him.


    "Very well. Let''s keep moving then." A small smile formed on Jing''s face. Water from SCP-109 was still falling from her waist. She still hasn''t placed the cap on the canteen since she was followed from before.


    Hundreds of water clones were traveling through the Endless Plains of Yin to gather treasure for Jing. They would mostly leave the other disciples alone unless they had something valuable on them. This place was called endless after all, Jing didn''t know if a few hundred would be enough to explore this place entirely but she still had two more days left. There''s no need to rush anything.


    She''s already collected so many good things since she''s come here. She wouldn''t feel satisfied until she could grab everything inside this place for herself. Her followers would get good usage out of these treasures if she couldn''t. Instead of a test, Jing would say this is more of a vacation if anything. However, she knew the truly good stuff was still hiding deeper in the forest. As long as they take their time to fully explore before moving in deeper, Li Li should be able to grow steadily enough that the really dangerous spirits won''t be able to kill them instantly.


    Several of her water clones have been defeated but it was impossible for Jing to know who and how. It wasn''t as if her water clones were capable of transmitting information to her mentally. They would need to meet back up with her and tell her what happened. Like with her very first water clone, it managed to defeat the holder of the Eye of End and bring it back to her. But Jing was able to sense all the clones she made. By forming a mental map, Jing could highlight which areas of the Endless Plains of Yin were possibly dangerous for herself based on how often the water clones pop in a certain area.


    As of now, there were about seven areas that were off-limits for her clones. No matter how many clones she sent to those areas, they would be defeated somehow. Jing guessed that for the other areas, they just encountered strong disciples from the sect or powerful ghosts. When sending back clones to certain places, they wouldn''t be destroyed unlike when she sent them to the seven areas. She was interested in these folks capable of defeating her water clones but it wasn''t like she was able to find out who they were.


    Jing''s water clones weren''t anywhere near her true strength in power but that didn''t mean they were weak either. If Jing had to measure their strength individually, she''d say they have about 1/10 of her total power, probably. Considering Jing''s uniqueness, 1/10 isn''t a measurement anyone can underestimate. Meaning that those that beat her water clones aren''t just any regular person or ghost.


    "I wonder is Cerulean is doing okay." Li Li chatted.


    "Why wouldn''t she be?" Jing kindly asked.


    "I don''t know. I feel kind of bad that she can''t move like me and Plinky."


    "If you give her some of your blood, you might be able to help her grow strong enough to move." Jing put the suggestion out there.


    "Really?" He looked up at her with his black eyes shining with innocence.


    "It''s not impossible. Our blood is priceless. Even I don''t know everything that our blood is capable of doing. So Cerulean might be able to move or even fly if you give her a drop of your blood." Jing told him.


    "I can''t wait to get back home!" Li Li bounced up and down as they walked.


    Jing just smiled as she thought of ways to utilize her blood as well. It might be a good reward to give to the angels after completing a task for her. But she needs to perform a few tests first before feeding her blood to them. While it worked out for Drill and Plinky, that didn''t mean that it would work out for others.


    "I bet Cerulean will have missed you a lot too. She''ll be happy to receive a gift from you. She was sad when you and Plinky went off together that morning."


    "I didn''t know that. I''ll have to apologize for making her feel sad." Li Li''s face slightly scrunched up when hearing this news.


    "It''s the right thing to do." Jing nodded.


    Li Li was growing much more than she expected an owl to grow. With how intelligent he was, she needed to quickly teach him the rights and wrongs of the world. Previously she didn''t plan on doing this because he was nothing more than just a pet but now, he was nearly a human. And it was very hard to treat him as if he wasn''t her own son. She knew him ever since he was a little egg. He was just too cute and smart for her to keep treating him like a pet. Hopefully, he wouldn''t bully Shang when he introduces the two of them.


    "As a leader, it is your responsibility to make sure that you aren''t mistreating those that treat you kindly. Treat them like how you want to be treated." Jing shared.


    "I understand, mom. Thank you for telling me about Cerulean. I would never have known if you didn''t tell me."


    "A good leader also has to be aware of their follower''s feelings and thoughts. You''re just starting out, so it''s normal to make a few mistakes. I still make mistakes from time to time." Jing didn''t want him to feel like he has to be perfect. No one was perfect, not even her after living 10,000 lives. She doubted she could be perfect even with a million lives.


    "This son understands." Li Li nodded as he saved Jing''s words to memory.


    "Now mom has a question for you Li Li." Jing suddenly showed a playful grin.


    "Hmm?" He looked up at her.


    "In the Endless Plains of Yin, there are no wild animals, correct?" She asked him.


    "I haven''t seen any..."


    "So, what are we supposed to eat?"


    "....." Li Li looked around. There were no wild vegetables or fruits or even insects!


    "I don''t know!" It''s been an entire day and the only signs of life have been them or the other disciples. "We aren''t supposed to eat each other, are we?"


    "I wonder..." Jing grinned as she flashed her teeth at Li Li.


    "You can''t eat me, mom! I''m not tasty at all!" Li Li shuffled away from Jing.


    "I don''t know. You look pretty tasty to me." Jing licked her lips while staring at Li Li. She made her stomach growl loudly as Li Li looked at her in horror.


    "Just a quick taste, please?" She moved took a single step forward.


    "No!!!" Li Li ran off into the forest with Jing following behind him with a wide smile.

 Chapter 227 - 221: A Date In A Haunted Forest.

    "Quit following me damn it! If any rumors spread about us, my reputation will be ruined!" Liu Lan cursed at the grinning gorilla behind her.


    "What kind of man would I be if I let my woman wander around a place as dangerous as this?" Fu Kang flashed a pearly white smile as he closed the distance between him and Liu Lan.


    "Your woman?!" Her beautiful unblemished white skin blushed a deep red from his words but it wasn''t enough to extinguish her annoyance. "Everyone knows me as Gong Jun''s woman and if somehow my family or Gong''s family finds out about me hanging out with a boy other than Gong. You will die!" She grabbed him by his collar and shook him.


    "It sounds like you''re worried about me." He lovingly looked into Liu''s eyes.


    "Ugh! That''s not the point!" She pushed him to the ground. "You just don''t get it! My father and Gong''s family will not let you off if anyone finds out about us! It''s bad enough that Gong found out about it but if you keep pushing it by sticking to me like this, he''ll eventually explode and reveal everything!" Liu was upset.


    "Baby... You have nothing to worry about..." Kang slowly got up from the ground and dusted himself off.


    He gave Lan a deep hug and gently played with her hair.


    "Gong will not be willing to ruin his reputation by exposing us. He has too much pride to let everyone know that he now wears a green hat and was defeated by someone like me without any background." Fu Kang tried to soothe her.


    "Will you stop sticking so close to me?" She didn''t reject his warm strong embrace.


    "I''ll restrain myself when there are people around." Kang answered in his own way.


    "No, not restrain yourself. Don''t come near me at all in public. It''s safer this way." The natural masculine musk coming from his body was getting to her. Liu started to push him away before he got any ideas.


    After their multiple nights together, it was easier for Lan to feel what Kang was feeling and the same went for him. Because of his stupid double cultivation technique, it was influencing their bodies more than any regular cultivation technique could.


    "I don''t know if I can hold back my love for you for that long." He squeezed her tighter, taking in her lovely smell.


    Lan could feel that Kang was getting aroused and because of his cultivation technique, she too was getting in the mood because of it. She wanted to push him away because now wasn''t the time for something like that and she definitely wouldn''t make love with Kang in the wilderness during one of the biggest events for the Golden Serpent Sect. As a princess raised with the most lavish upbringing, how shameful would it be if she decided to let Kang take her outside like they were nothing more than beasts in heat. Too perverted!


    "I can definitely try my best if you give me a kiss." Kang looked into Lan''s golden amber-colored eyes as his hand cupped her right buttock.


    "Promise?" Lan planned to immediately push him away if he promised.


    "Promise!" She looked up into his emerald green eyes.


    "Okay fine. I promise I''ll only approach you when there are no eyes nearby." Fu Kang had to submit.


    Lan stood on the tip of her toes as she went to give Kang a quick kiss. Unfortunately, Kang didn''t plan to just have a quick kiss at all. As soon as their lips touched, a playful little tongue wanted to explore and have some fun inside her mouth. She wanted to separate herself from Kang by pushing his c.h.e.s.t but Kang only pulled her closer to him with greater strength.


    His hand that was fondling her b.u.t.t became a hand that slipped into the back of her u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r. Now she wanted nothing more than to push Kang away but that devilish skillful tongue of his added along with those talented fingers of his slipping inside her slit weakened her resolve. She knew that she would be at his mercy soon and any resistance that she could put up would be nothing against the overflowing l.u.s.t building inside of Kang. But before it devolved to that point, she pushed Kang''s c.h.e.s.t back some, allowing her to breathe.


    "At least check if there''s any ghosts or disciples around first!" Her face was flushed, she was somewhat out of breath, and there was already a damp spot in her u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r.


    Fu Kang nodded as he briefly let go of Lan and bulked up into a muscular abomination. All of his body was augmented to the extreme. Neck, arms, legs, torso, back, nothing was spared. Not even his member could escape being transformed to an unimaginable size. He focused his senses. Taking in everything around them before his eyes locked on a certain tree. On top of a branch, there was some sort of figure looking down on him! His body moved before his mind could fully understand what it was.


    Without holding anything back, Fu Kang unleashed the strength of a 4th stage Qi Consolidator and a little extra towards the person. He expected to squash them into a pulp with his newfound strength! If not that, then at the very least crushing most of the bones in their body. Kang didn''t understand how he came about this transformation but ever since he lost his cube, he felt it was deserving. After that fierce beauty stole his Spirit World, martial arts, treasures, and even Mystic Flame, Fu Kang didn''t have much left. This sudden new form quickly helped him grow in strength and because of his dual cultivation technique, it also increased Lan''s strength as well.


    "I''m surprised it took you so long to notice me but then again, getting caught up in the throes of l.u.s.t usually blinds anyone. Especially people as young as you two." The watery figure backflipped off of the tree branch and gave Fu Kang and Liu Lan a teasing smile.


    They knew she just found out the big secret they didn''t want anyone finding out about and she had absolutely nothing stopping her from revealing this news to everyone in the sect. While no one would believe such a ridiculous rumor in the first place, these two don''t know that. Fu Kang was an absolute no one in the sect while Liu Lan was ranked rather high in status. It would be more likely to say that Fu Kang was in love with Gong Jun''s woman and planned to take her for himself. This would bring about some commotion as people sized up Fu Kang and Gong Jun. The rumors would force the two into dueling as the relationship between Gong Jun and Liu Lan was much too big to let a rumor like this stay around. It would paint a negative image on both the Gong clan and Liu royal family. Both groups that are unwilling to have such a rumor staining their prestigious and powerful image.


    "Who are you!?" Liu Lan planned to get involved as well. If this thing decided to blab about them, there would only be pain and misery in her future.


    "I''m no one special. I was on my way looking for treasure and then I found you two love birds. Fu Kang and the royal princess of the Liu Family being very intimate with one another. I wonder if the future prince Gong Jun is aware of such a thing..." The feminine water figure grinned.


    Kang and Lan looked towards each other and gave a silent nod. They both understood that they had to kill this thing or else. It knew of their identities. If they let it escape, there was no telling what kind of damage it could do. The two love birds slowly circled around the water figure. One on the left and the other on the right.


    "Before you try and silence me, have you two found any treasure around here?" It casually asked, feeling no danger from the two Qi Consolidators.


    Neither answered the question as Lan pulled out her sword. The two lovers rushed at the same time. Causing the water being to sigh as it formed gloves on its fist. It raised its leg and blocked Lan''s sword strike headed for its neck while at the same time briefly clashing with Kang''s giant fist by striking backward with its elbow. Kang and the water girl were almost equal in strength, with him having the advantage.


    Lan pulled her sword out and continued to slash with deadly grace and pose. The clone was able to kick out with its leg to contest with each strike. However, this gave a clear opening for Kang to attack. Just as Lan was attacking with precision and style, Kang fought with the complete opposite. He used his superior body to his advantage. His fists would repeatedly strike the water girl like several strikes of thunder.


    While the clone knew its power was balanced, it would be too embarrassing to let itself be attacked by such an unskilled opponent. It gave up on defending against the two when they surrounded her like this and leaped into the air to avoid Kang''s fist. Now with the two in front of her, it should be easier to attack and defend. All she had to do was prevent them from attacking her on two sides again and she could have a little fun.


    "I guess I shouldn''t be surprised that you two love birds have such good synergy. It''s not often that cultivators are able to fight like that. The trust and knowledge you two have in each other boost your strength farther than normally would." Jing''s water clone complemented the ill-fated couple.


    "Hmph." Kang only snorted. Being complimented by this thing wouldn''t erase the murderous intentions he had for it.


    "Follow my lead, horny dog." Lan coated her sword in white flames.


    "Arf. Arf." He responded with a suave voice.


    The two then rushed towards the water clone intending to silence it for good.

 Chapter 228 - 222: A Date Turned Into Murder?

    Liu Lan was leading the charge with her glistening longsword burning fiercely. From what the clone could see, Fu Kang was using a combination of a fist art and a combative movement skill. However, he could be hiding something up his sleeve that she has yet to know about. He is a person of fate after all. Blessed by the heavens and all of that.


    "It isn''t often that I get to practice Flowering Domination but now that I''m in this form, I might be able to bring out its full potential. Let''s see if you two are good enough to withstand it." The water clone smiled.


    She got into a martial stance. Standing perfectly balanced on her right leg with her left leg raised up. In this fight, she planned to use nothing but her legs even if it came at the cost of her own life because of it. How often did she get the chance to truly go all out with all the skills she''s learned? Especially now that she was just a water clone and weaker than how she normally is. This was going to be fun if these two aren''t weak.


    Princess Lan got close-up into Jing''s space and slashed her sword to decapitate Jing''s head. Jing crouched to the ground as she spun and tripped Princess Lan by sweeping her feet. As Princess Lan was flying overhead, a giant gorilla-like monster came from above with his fist raised to squash Jing like a bug. A playful grin appeared on Jing''s face once she saw this. Instead of getting out of the way and avoiding the attack, she decided to strike at an unexpected moment.


    Fu Kang definitely didn''t expect her to try and attack him after noticing him. His plan was to crush her in this attack or frighten her into jumping out of the way for Lan to stab her from the back. But since she dared to come at him head-on, he wasn''t the one to not please the ladies. He put all of his strength into his fists while crashing down at her.


    Jing shot up into the air with her arm from the ground, flying towards Fu Kang with her foot like a devil''s spear trying to pierce the heavens! She clashed with Fu''s thick arms and briefly, the two stayed motionless in the air trying to contest with one another. But the two have already tested each other''s strength and Fu Kang came out on top before.


    Fu pulled back his huge fist and smashed it at Jing''s small figure. Jing used all the power behind Fu''s fist to her own advantage. She kicked out with her foot and with the power from Fu''s attack, used it to propel herself back to the ground at an incredible speed. Flipping in the air to land back on the ground on her feet, she used the force given by her from Fu to shoot back into the air with even more power and speed than before. Borrowing Fu''s own strength to use against him!


    Jing''s foot clashed with Fu''s fist once again but unlike the other two times, this time, Jing came out on top. Fu was slowly being pushed further into the air. To keep her momentary advantage, she rapidly kicked out with her feet, pushing him higher and higher into the air while damaging his arms. Fu''s power was great but his speed couldn''t match up to Flowering Domination. For every one punch he threw out, Jing threw 3 or 5 or even 10 in the same moment to compensate for her lacking power.


    However, this advantage didn''t last for long. Jing was interrupted by Princess Lan leaping towards her from behind, intent on plunging her sword through her vulnerable back. This forced Jing into temporarily halting her offensive momentum on Fu and turning around to face Princess Lan. The water clone crossed her arms while in the air as she struck out with her feet towards Princess Lan.


    Princess Lan used her sword to slash and slice at the water girl''s feet. They clashed multiple times with each fiery sword strike seemingly boiling Jing''s insides. Bubbles could be seen frothing from her water body but this didn''t seem to bother Jing at all. A calm smile was on her face as she responded to Princess Lan''s assault with a level mind and deadly fast attacks.


    Jing didn''t restrain her attacks at all as she aimed at Princess Lan''s flaws and vital points. Her foot could be used in the same manner as a spear, a knife, or a club. It all depended on the angle and manner of how she used her legs. As of now, it seemed to be more than enough to deal with Princess Lan but she wasn''t a princess for nothing. She could see that Princess Lan was slowly improving as their fight went on. But their brief clash was too brief! They were still in the air at the moment!


    Jing flipped in the air before giving Princess Lan a decisive kick that sent her flying back to the ground. Fortunately for her, she blocked with her blade just in time to avoid it but she couldn''t avoid the crash back to the ground. She turned her attention back to Fu Kang only to see a strange beast on his shoulder staring back at her. A little golden dragon glared at her before releasing a massive amount of flames from its mouth. For a dragon about the size of a cat, the flames coming out of it didn''t match what Jing was looking at.


    This wasn''t an attack she could avoid so easily. If these flames hit her while she still hasn''t cooled down from Princess Lan''s flame sword, she might just turn into steam. She wasn''t sure if she could keep her consciousness if that happened despite knowing that steam was just another form of water. That was definitely something to test for later but now, she still hasn''t satisfied herself. While she didn''t want to hurt them too badly for Prince Jun to handle later, she still wanted to see the limits of her martial arts.


    Now wasn''t the time to hold back. That dragon wasn''t a simple dragon but a creature almost on the same level as the Four Symbols. It was the legendary Treasure Dragon that was said to be born to hoard all the treasure in the world. An exaggeration but whoever managed to tame this spirit beast would surely encounter all sorts of valuable priceless loot in the future. As long as they managed to keep hold of it long enough, it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that his descendants, their descendants, and his descendants'' descendants would all live a life with unparallel luck and wealth. The Treasure Dragon had an incredibly long lifespan incomparable to average spirit beasts.


    Jing no longer held anything back as she unleashed Flowering Domination to its full extent. A powerful yellow qi aura surrounded her body as she focused all of her strength in her legs. To the observant watcher, they would be able to see a giant phantom pair of legs floating above Jing''s head. Something that both Fu Kang and Princess Lan didn''t miss as they stared in shock.


    The water clone began fiercely kicking the air while spinning. Her foot impacted against nothing but the air itself but it was as if the sky was being cracked apart with each kick. With the force of her kicks, mighty air shockwaves exploded toward the dragon''s flames. Each kick blew the dragon''s flames back toward its own mouth and if nothing was done, it would be swallowed up by its own fire.


    "Lan!" Kang called out.


    "I know!" She reached into her robes.


    The two lovers took out a red pill and swallowed them whole. Fu Kang dropped back to the ground to avoid Jing''s kicks and the flames as his body seemed to go under a painful transformation. Princess Lan was going through the same transformation as Kang. Both of their skins started to turn red as their flesh moved and vibrated. Their veins became visible and their eyes looked stretched. It was almost as if they were turning into demons but Princess Lan was a princess. A pampered little genius like her would never be given something that had the chance of turning her into a demon or anything similar to it. While she was sent to the Golden Serpent Sect, that didn''t mean the sect allowed their students to become demons. They would have to find methods to do that outside the sect.


    In their newly transformed states, it seemed their power rose to a new level. Jing expected them to become mindless because of how monstrous they looked but it seems not. What they swallowed certainly wasn''t the Berserk Pill or Mind-Altering Pill if they still had their sanity. So, it was between quite a few dozen others but Jing honestly didn''t care. If anything, them being stronger would only allow her to have even more fun.


    "Well? I''m waiting love birds. Show me the full extent of your love." She giggled in amus.e.m.e.nt. Jing''s fully released aura was no less as impressive as the two lovers.


    "Hmph." Fu Kang liked having their relationship pointed out like this but he didn''t intend to spare this girl.


    "Shut it!" Liu Lan had enough of it though it seems. She did have a small blush on her cheeks though.


    The a.d.u.l.terous pair did plan to put an end to this. Their love will surely not be exposed by someone like this!

 Chapter 229 - 223: A Pyrrhic Victory?

    Just like at the start of the battle, Princess Lan took the lead of the fight by directing Fu Kang despite him being the stronger of the two overall. Now that the two lovers have been empowered by whichever strength-boosting pill they swallowed, they''ll surely be able to handle Jing at her full power. If not, she could only shrug. Their fate was in their own hands. Just how far did their determination go if she could overcome the two of them with just a water clone with about 1/10 of her real strength?


    Jing tapped the ground with her foot to send herself flying at Princess Lan. The look on her face showed momentary surprise but Princess Lan was still able to respond to her foot nearly piercing through her skull with a blazing white slash from her sword to halt Jing''s momentum. White flames exploded from the sword that caused several bubbles to form on the clone''s body. Princess Lan smiled as she saw this.


    ''I figured out her weakness!'' All of the increased power in her body from the Berserker Pill made by Fu Kang was used to fuel the power of her bloodline.


    As the royal princess of the Liu Family, she has long since awakened her family''s bloodline. The Blazing Tyrant bloodline boasts of flames that are nearly on par with Mystic Flames! Liu Lan was even an anomaly in her family because she surpassed both her father and grandfather in talent with this bloodline. Her father only gained 1/100th of the Blazing Tyrant bloodline while her grandfather was only able to use 1/1000th of the bloodline.


    Lan was an anomaly because she was able to bring out 1/10th of the Blazing Tyrant bloodline for her own use! Unfortunately, this power came at a severe cost. If she ever tried using her bloodline to its full potential, she would lose her sanity and be swallowed up by the madness lingering in her bloodline from her ancestors. As of all of her 17 years of living, Lan has yet to figure out a method that could reliably stop herself when this happens. She only came to when everything around her has been burned to a crisp or her father directly stopped her.


    "This plan of yours is not bad." Jing complimented as her body boiled.


    "Hmph! Look c.o.c.ky all you want. I''ve found out your weakness!" Princess Lan turned up the heat even more.


    "I must say though... These flames of yours need some more training. I know of a person whose flames far exceed yours and they don''t even have a bloodline to support them." Jing broke off the clash.


    Jing could hear Fu Kang coming at her from behind. If she split her attention to him, she would easily fall into a disadvantage since they had her on both sides. The boost from the pills they ate wasn''t insignificant. But this might be the push she needed to gain the ultimate satisfaction from this battle. From the many lives, she''s gone through, there are few immortals who understand more about growing stronger than herself. Dire circ.u.mstances bring out the hidden potential inside.


    So, instead of gaining some distance from Princess Lan and Kang, Jing continued her assault on Princess Lan. Previously her attacks only aimed at Princess Lan''s vital areas which made them somewhat easy to predict but now she ramped up the skill level. Jing''s foot swiped low and tripped Princess Lan. She was knocked off her feet from the force of the sweep and spun in the air without control over her body.


    As the world seemed to turn into a spiral for the princess, she suddenly felt a sharp pain hit her jaw and things started to spin more rapidly before the pain spread to all parts of her body as multiple impacts hit her body. Liu Lan could faintly hear someone calling out for her but the pain was too much. When has she ever felt pain like this before? Not even her heart demon caused her this much pain.


    "Xiao Lan!" Fu Kang cried out as rage took hold of his mind.


    Madness took hold of him as he saw the water girl casually overpower and brutally crush his woman with her feet. The small smile on her face and crossed arms... Who was this girl?! Why was she so strong!? Being able to take them on just with her feet? She was too skilled!


    But Fu Kang didn''t let his shock impede his rage. Just as he reached the water girl, she whipped her leg out and kicked his woman far away into the dense fog. With nothing but overwhelming power and killing intent flowing through his body, his fist stuck a massive hole through the torso of the girl. He felt no resistance and this didn''t feel right to him. Something was wrong!


    "Have you forgotten I''m made of water?" Her head turned 180 degrees and a playful grin stared at him.


    "Wha...?" Seeing such an unnatural sight spooked him.


    Fu Kang pulled his other fist back and struck the girl''s upper torso, completely splattering the girl into multiple droplets of water on the ground in front of him. It kind of upset him that she managed to scare him at the end but he had no time to worry about something like that. Xiao Lan was hurt, he needed to quickly go over and heal her before her injuries worsen. His body shrunk down as the side effects of the pill kicked in. He could no longer hold his transformed state from the pain wracking through his body.


    As Fu Kang wobbled from side to side, barely able to keep himself standing as he made his way to where Princess Lan was sent flying, the water droplets began to shake before slowly moving towards each other. He was completely unaware of the familiar figure silently reforming itself behind him. However, a certain golden dragon''s eyes widened as it saw this. It quickly blew out as much fire as it could to the mass of water forming together. Thankfully, evaporating the reforming enemy and completely defeating them for good.


    "Xiao Lan... Please be okay..."


    ______________________________________________


    "Are you sure he''s trustworthy?" Hong Long asked, staring at the figure leaving their group.


    "We''ve made a deal. Manchu isn''t the type of man to go back on his word." Meili answered.


    "Why didn''t all of us go to ambush Hu Tao together instead of leaving it to that man?" Hong questioned.


    "If things don''t work out on Manchu''s end, that''s our backup plan. Bo Fai, Yanyu, are you two fine with that?" Meili soon looked over to the couple.


    "I have no issues with that." Bo Fai responded.


    He was the one to instigate most of the Inner Court into dealing with Hu Tao in the Treasured Plains. Why would he have a problem with doing something similar to him again? Especially after losing to him more than once. Bo Fai''s pride as a reincarnated Earthly Immortal has been thoroughly thrashed by that unfathomable brat. As of now, he wanted nothing more than to throttle him by the throat and kill him with his own hands.


    "If Boyfriend has no issues with it, then I don''t either!" Yanyu supported.


    "Alright then. I suppose our only job, for now, is to wait on Manchu''s signal for success or failure. In the meantime, let''s not forget to capture any ghosts we meet along the way." Meili reminded.


    "I''ll lead the way." Bo Fai decided to take the lead.


    There were quite a few useful treasures he remembered people finding in this place. It would be difficult to find them but not impossible. When they described how they came across the treasures, there were some significant clues. Most if not all of them were stored or held in places of obvious importance.


    "Oh... This is quite the line-up of faces." A blue feminine figure revealed itself to the group.


    "What are you?" Hong questioned with hostility.


    "I''d advise you not to stand in our way. As you can see, we hold the advantage in numbers." Meili kindly reminded.


    "What if I want to stand in your way?" Despite only recognizing two faces at most, one of them was a rather important person to the watery being.


    "Hmph. Some people truly can''t recognize their own limits." Hong scoffed at the suicidal fool.


    "You..." Bo Fai felt that this elemental clone looked familiar somehow.


    "Is there something special about her that you recognize?" Yanyu innocently asked.


    "I''m not sure. She does look familiar though." Bo Fai rubbed his chin.


    "I feel the same way..." Meili added, killing intent radiating from her body.


    This thing reminded her of that girl! The leader of Hu Tao''s group! But Meili wasn''t completely sure if it was related to that girl or not. Just that she felt it was similar to the girl.


    "I came over for him. I hope you all will be kind and allow me to borrow him for just a moment." The water clone pointed at Bo Fai.


    "If that was all you wanted, why didn''t you come toward us with friendly intentions?" Meili interrogated.


    "Hmm? I could''ve sworn I reigned in my excitement. Can you read hearts?" A meteor hammer formed of water slowly extracted itself from the clone''s stomach.


    "Hmph." Meili refused to answer such a question.


    "Truly courting death..." Hong Long charged forward with his large golden sword.

 Chapter 230 - 224: The Nemesis of Heavens Angels!

    "Well, I''m sure I''ll be able to get you to speak soon enough." The water clone of Jing held one end of her meteor hammer and spun the other.


    The double-weighted weapon enhanced with the water clone''s qi was more than enough to halt Hong Long''s dash. He was forced into blocking the weighted ball unless he wanted a smashed skull. Hong was surprised to feel the power behind the girl''s weapon. As a Great Prodigy, it was difficult for him to find challenges. Considering this thing wasn''t even human, it made him wonder just what kind of technique or thing this was.


    Jing pulled the other end of the meteor hammer back and began to spin the weapon. Unlike before where she only spun one end, this time she was spinning both ends around herself. The weighted ends that could crush a Winged Tiger''s skull masterfully moved around her entire body. Air swished and swooshed from the blurring speed at which the weighted ends were moving at. Hong Long watched as a small smile appeared on the girl''s face before she began to playfully skip towards him.


    The casual way she was skipping made it seem like she wasn''t skillfully controlling the meteor hammer at all! Hong Long was impressed but chalked it up to nothing but tricks. How could something like this be useful in a real fight? All it takes is one good slash from his sword and that showy nonsense would be put to an end immediately.


    Hong Long met the water girl head-on with his blade. He slashed at an angle to decapitate from below. As he was expecting his sword to be tangled up in the watery chains or his sword to cleave right through the weapon to decapitate the girl, neither of which happened. The Great Prodigy felt a blow that nearly shattered his jaw and sent him flipping into the air.


    "Ah, I think you weren''t looking closely enough Great Prodigy, Hong Long." Jing reared the other end of the meteor hammer and sent it flying towards Hong''s stomach. "A genius like yourself shouldn''t be too arrogant and underestimate opponents you know nothing about."


    Luckily for the Great Prodigy, Bo Fai saved him from suffering terrible harm by grabbing his clothes and moving him out of the way of Jing''s attack. After seeing Hong Long lose horribly against this mysterious person, Bo Fai decided to step up to the plate. Her skill was truly admirable, whoever this is. That weapon of hers was unusual as well. He''s never seen anything like that in either of his lives.


    "You have a connection with Heaven''s Angels, don''t you?" Bo Fai realized.


    "I would compliment you for such incredible deduction skills but I''d be lying." Jing thought they already figured it out.


    Jing wasn''t a fool. It was only a matter of time before people could find out the signature sign of someone from Heaven''s Angels. That signature being the usage of an unusual weapon! In a world where the top cultivators use swords or their own bodies and most forms of martial arts are centered around those two things, why would anyone bother straying from the path already set from them? Who would put in the additional effort of forging their own path when they could take the easy way and mimic those around them? While cultivators may live for thousands of years, mastering most martial arts take a lifetime to completely master. Imagine creating a martial art that could reach the peak from scratch while using a weapon that no one has ever seen before. It sounds impossible, right?


    "Since she''s confirmed that she''s from Heaven''s Angels, there is no reason for us to be merciful any longer. Everyone, we must capture her to learn more about Hu Tao''s group! If she proves too difficult, just kill her instead. They have more than a few members in their group. Killing one won''t cause too much of an issue." Meili coldly ordered.


    "Aye Aye, Leader!" Yanyu pulled out a half-broken sword with a mighty dragon etched onto the blade, ready to fight.


    "Follow my lead, Yu." Bo Fai erupted with a new look. Emperor-like robes made of flame qi coated his body. He gained burning gauntlets, blazing shin guards, and a flaming cape as well.


    "I''ll support you two." Meili fed Hong Long a valuable healing pill to fix his shattered jaw before rising up with a sheathed sword in half.


    "I have a question before we begin." Jing spoke up.


    "Ask away, villain." A white aura of qi burst from Meili''s sheathed sword.


    "Are you at odds with Heaven''s Angels because of Hu Tao?" It would be best if things were clarified first.


    "Hu Tao has hurt all of us in some way or form. He does not hide his villainous actions nor his despicable behavior. Everyone is aware of the type of person Hu Tao is, but no one does anything about it. And your Heaven''s Angels took it upon yourself to recruit such a horrible person in your group without caring about his actions. Meaning that you too support his inhumane deeds and must also be exterminated alongside him." Meili explained.


    "I see. I see. Alright, shall we begin?" Jing readied herself to take on the three cultivators.


    Jing wasn''t surprised to hear that Hu Tao managed to somehow form an entire group around killing him and those he''s close to. She was at fault as well. It was not like she really restrained his actions all that much. Only when it would prove disadvantageous to her would she do so but some of Hu Tao''s value also lied in how much trouble he stirred up without even trying. Because of his terrible personality, Jing has the chance of obtaining the secret of reincarnation from Bo Fai.


    It must also be said that Jing was personally a fan of causing chaos and mayhem as a means to accomplish her goals. What person would be more perfect for doing such things than Hu Tao? Bing, Lei Zhi, Wan Qing, and Li Li weren''t suitable because of their personalities. While they might do it if she asked, they wouldn''t necessarily enjoy doing it, unlike Hu Tao who would take great p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in riling as many people up as he can. Ying might be a good substitution for Hu Tao but that would only work best if the people she was sent against wronged her in some way.


    So, Jing was aware that the actions of Hu Tao affected her reputation as well. It affected Heaven''s Angels as a whole. But restraining Hu Tao''s actions was not the right method in using him to his full potential. All she had to do was properly direct his focus elsewhere otherwise, if he got too bored, he''ll just naturally cause some chaos without even trying. A person like Hu Tao was always needed in some way. Either his heavenly talent for combat or his unnatural ability to get on the bad side of anyone he meets. Both are abilities that are superb for aiding Jing in manipulating things to her advantage. Eventually, when she takes over the Golden Serpent Sect, his dual talent will be one of the strongest factors in helping her easily overtake the Nine Swords Sect and Blossoming Water Palace.


    "Let''s see if you''re anywhere as skilled as Hu Tao." Bo Fai took a leap forward with a single step.


    "If you saw my skills two days ago, I would''ve said no." Before experiencing the 10,000 lives, Jing was indeed weaker than Hu Tao in skill.


    Bo Fai led his attack with a straight right punch that caused Jing''s water body to boil without him even touching her yet. Yanyu didn''t follow behind Bo Fai but went to circle around Jing. Meili stayed put as the white qi glowing around her sheathed sword slowly grew brighter and brighter as seconds went by. Jing took in all this information in a matter of seconds.


    Her meteor hammer was launched toward Bo Fai''s face, only to clash with his fist. His fist sent the weighted end flying past Jing''s face. Bo Fai used this quick opportunity to attack while she looked helpless. As much as Jing wanted to take him on at close range, his flames were a bit too much and were actually suppressing her. This information surprised her greatly. Those flames aren''t any regular flames.


    If Bo Fai could hear what Jing was thinking, he''d say that she was correct. His flames indeed were not any regular ole flames but the flames of the legendary Phoenix! While they were not the most powerful of flames compared to other legendary spirit beasts who could use fire, it was still on par with them. The heat produced by these flames was enough to burn body cultivators to ash.


    Jing''s water clone wasn''t made out of any special spiritual water either. Just SCP-109''s water. While the water had some anomalous properties, none of it held any defense against the flames of a Phoenix. Put simply, Jing was outclassed in quality. Whether or not she would be able to make up this difference in quality with skill, remains to be seen.


    "Huh!?" Yanyu cried out in surprise as the weighted end of the meteor hammer hit by Bo Fai was sent flying her way.


    "Look out!" Bo Fai shouted.


    "Shouldn''t you be focusing on yourself instead?" Water tendrils began to wriggle and extend out from Jing''s body. They shot toward Bo Fai with impressive speed, seemingly about to pierce straight through his body.

 Chapter 231 - 225: I Was Outplayed?

    Bo Fai released a large amount of flames from his body that stopped the water tendrils from piercing through his body. The water turned directly into steam while the other end of the meteor hammer sent towards Yanyu was blocked by her half-broken sword. Once the weighted end made contact with the sword, it was suddenly repulsed with great force somehow and repelled far into the sky with even greater speed than before.


    Jing was forced into releasing her weapon lest she wanted to be sent flying into the sky without her control. It turns out that this group wasn''t that weak at all. They surely had some skills and tools necessary to cause some trouble for Heaven''s Angels. If they attacked one of their weaker members all at once, it might be possible to seriously injure them. As long as this wasn''t everything they had to show, of course. But considering that they planned to kill Hu Tao, Jing didn''t believe it was.


    "Not bad." Jing nodded her head, complimented the group.


    She pulled out another meteor hammer made of water from her stomach as Bo Fai came running toward her with his body burning brightly. Considering how well he countered her, Jing planned to take out the weaker ones first before dealing with him. Saving the best for last was a saying for a reason. Jing continuously hopped backward while staring into Bo Fai''s eyes with a small grin.


    ''She''s frightened and hiding her fear behind a smile to bluff me! Hmph! I''m far too old for a little girl like you to try and play mind games with me.'' Bo Fai smirked as he chased her.


    The two moved quickly through the foggy forest. Seeing him fall perfectly into her bait, made her question if he really was a reincarnated Earthly Immortal like Hu Tao said he was. But then again, reincarnation does make one arrogant. She had a period like that during her 10,000 lives in which she thought she was the number one under the heavens because of the knowledge she acc.u.mulated over time. Jing had to find out the hard way that there were many hidden experts in the world and knowledge of the future wasn''t a guarantee for your safety.


    "Kaizar''s Conquest." Jing utilized her movement art given to her by the system.


    Multiple afterimages of herself appeared on the field, seemingly taunting Bo Fai with their smile. Bo Fai only scoffed as he gathered the phoenix''s flames into a palm-sized sphere above his hand. Just as all the clones of Jing charged toward him, he crushed the fireball in his hand. A massive shockwave of heat and fire spread from his body in all directions.


    A high-pitched scream nearly froze Bo Fai''s heart solid.


    ''Yanyu! Yanyu!? What happened to her? Wasn''t that girl''s attention focused on me!?'' Bo Fai quickly controlled his flames into returning back to himself and rushing towards the sound of Yanyu.


    Once he made it over to her, his eyes couldn''t believe what it was seeing. Unlike what he thought had occurred, Yanyu was completely fine. Seeing that she was okay, Bo Fai''s thumping heart calmed itself. If something happened to her, Bo Fai wouldn''t know how to explain himself to her older brother.


    "It was a trick, Boyfriend! You know your flames can''t hurt me, remember!?" Yan Yu reminded him.


    After all the time they spent together, Bo Fai and Yanyu have gotten much closer to each other. Ever since that day where Bo Fai rescued her from dying at Hu Tao''s hands, Yanyu fell in love with him. She followed him around, endlessly searched for him when he hid from her, and always spoke to him with hearts in her eyes. Bo Fai never outright rejected her advanced because he thought of her love as nothing more than puppy love. He felt that she would surely grow out of it once she saw that he wasn''t interested.


    Unfortunately for Bo Fai, he underestimated just how far a young girl was willing to go for their first love. She did not grow disinterested even when he tried treating her coldly or insulting her. Yanyu used his criticism as motivation to improve herself and eventually took the way he constantly poked at her faults as a way of showing concern for her. Perhaps he was shy and couldn''t be honest with his true feelings about her. So, he hid his feelings behind a cold face and rude words to hide his own embarrassment.


    Eventually, even an old fossil couldn''t stand against love as strong as this. Despite becoming an Earthly Immortal in his first life, he was rather secluded from the world. He never experienced many of the things that Yanyu was aggressively shoving his way. Love, dedication, devotion, interest, companionship, and a wanting to be with him no matter what. Bo Fai could only admit defeat towards Yanyu''s strong pursing. Not even assassins after his head chased him as hard as she did.


    Bo Fai refused to directly admit that he had feelings for the girl but it was obvious to anyone that hung around them that the two held feelings for one another. He never refused her verbal or physical advances but at the same time never initiated some on his own. Yanyu took it as him being shy. Hong Long and Meili took it as him being stubborn. As if showing your feelings towards the one you like was embarrassing. He was just being a fool.


    "Then what was that--- Gurk! Huk!" Bo Fai felt something cold, wet, and hard wrap around his throat.


    The pressure tightened immediately and his vision was turning dark very quickly. Bo Fai mustered as much qi as he could to burst with phoenix flames. But before he could manifest them, he felt a sharp pain come from behind him that directly injured his liver and ruined his concentration. Now, he no longer had the ability to resist.


    "Boyfriend!" Yanyu shouted in concern as she dashed toward him.


    Jing didn''t plan on stopping. She had her meteor hammer''s chain wrapped around Bo Fai''s throat and kneed him in the liver to prevent him from using his flames. The liver was one weakness that when injured caused excruciating pain and could easily incapacitate a person to their knees. It would take a cultivator with impressive willpower to be able to focus their qi during such pain and perform qi techniques.


    Not even an old fossil like Bo Fai could resist against this surprise attack. Just as Bo Fai was about to blackout, a white flash slashed through the misty fog. Yanyu was about to reach Bo Fai and the water girl but it seems the white flash reached them first. It sliced straight through Bo Fai''s abdomen and the girl behind him. Yanyu''s eyes flashed with shock and concern.


    "Yan! Don''t forget what kind of flames he possesses!" Meili reminded her.


    The realization of what she was saying slowly poured into her mind. This understanding briefly allowed her to ignore Bo Fai''s cut in half body to focus on the water girl who was completely stunned. Yanyu''s half-broken blade roared with powerful qi radiating off of her body. The qi manifestation of a mighty dragon appeared above her body as she chopped into the water clone''s body.


    "You really sacrificed him to get me?" Jing truly didn''t expect such an outcome.


    Her mind couldn''t possibly accept that their hatred for Hu Tao would be that deep that they were willing to sacrifice a member of their own group just to kill her. Especially when the girl named Yanyu was so deeply in love with the fire boy she called Boyfriend. How could she accept her boyfriend dying in such a manner to one of her comrades? Things weren''t making sense. Jing felt that she was being played. But before she could get to the bottom of anything, she exploded into a million of water droplets after Yanyu''s blade hacked into her body.


    After dealing with the water girl, Yanyu quickly ran over to Bo Fai''s body. The upper half of his body was separated from his lower half but if you took a quick look at him, it would be difficult to see such a thing. Meili''s slash was too perfect. It cleanly sliced right through him but one would never know unless they physically tried to separate his upper body and lower body. Yanyu did her best to help Bo Fai regenerate by pushing the top half and bottom half closer together.


    "I apologize." Meili walked over and said to the two of them.


    "I''m angry with you but I know you only did it to save my boyfriend..." Yanyu was not dumb. She understood it was probably their only option to save him.


    "I''ll be on the lookout for any ghosts while we wait for the two of them to recover." Meili told her.


    "Okay." Yanyu placed Bo Fai''s head on her l.a.p as she lovingly played with his hair.


    Unknown to Meili''s group, the water droplets from before began to move. Each individual droplet slowly and steadily moved under the cover of the endless fog in the forest. Meili''s group was none the wiser as each of the droplets escaped right under their noses. Later on, reforming back into one whole and then returning back to its creator with new important information.

 Chapter 232 - 226: Bings Good Luck Strikes Again!

    A lone figure aimlessly walked through the Endless Plains of Yin. His eyes darted from side to side as if he was terrified of something suddenly showing up in front of him. But with his new "friend", there wasn''t much that scared him inside this ghastly place. Unfortunately, his friend was nothing more than just a tyrannical leech that s.u.c.k.e.d him dry every time his vitality was restored.


    As a man, how could Bing allowed himself to be played to death by such a vicious woman? But reality proved that a woman who knew the value of her own body and the d.e.s.i.r.es of a young man would always have the advantage in a faceoff between the two. It also helped that the woman wasn''t weaker than the young man but much stronger and the fact that their lives were somewhat intertwined now. Lin Jiajia tried making a deal with the fatty.


    "If you allow me to gorge myself on your blood and qi, I''ll fulfill three requests of yours when I reach the next cultivation realm." Lin was somewhat forced into making this deal.


    The delicious fatty was able to resist her attempts to drain his blood and qi quite easily. Despite his looks, he really was more capable than he looked. Not to mention stubborn as well. He quickly realized that he didn''t benefit at all from allowing her to grow from him, he only felt drained, weakened, and used as a fool. When he found that out, he put a stop to her attempts immediately.


    "Any three requests?" Bing''s mind raced as he looked up to the incredibly tall, beautiful, and sensual ghostly princess.


    "..." Lin''s pupil-less eyes stared deeply into Bing''s perverted blue eyes. She felt like ripping him apart for the thoughts she knew were floating around in his head.


    When has she ever been treated in such a way before? Men would do everything they could just to fulfill a single request of hers. She didn''t have to promise them anything or suffer being looked at like a piece of meat! But now because of this tasty fool, she had to consider being taken advantage of even in the afterlife! How ridiculous. Like hell, she would ever allow this fatty to use her as his plaything.


    "Any three requests?" Bing repeated his question to the big woman.


    "Forget it!" Lin Jiajia just couldn''t go through with the deal after realizing the v.i.r.g.i.n''s true nature.


    As a princess, there was almost no humiliation greater than being used as a s.e.x toy by a man to her. She held no interest in this fatty besides his blood, qi, and sometimes manly demeanor. If he acted like how he did when he placed both their lives on the line regularly, maybe she would be more interested in being pursued by this fatty. Maybe she would''ve accepted his three requests.


    What princess didn''t want her prince to have the courage of lions, the might of dragons, and the wisdom of a turtle? Less than perfection wasn''t something that royalty like her could accept and Bing was full of imperfections. Perhaps in a hundred years or so, he''ll m.a.t.u.r.e into a man she could consider treating as an equal. By then, he should surely get out of this boyish phase of his where he couldn''t control himself from having lecherous thoughts at every second. Jiajia could feel the boy''s eyes wandering over her body every time he came to this secret realm of his. No part of her was safe from his perverted gaze and made her want to tear him to pieces and gouge out his eyes.


    "Hey, do you know if this thing can still capture ghosts even though it''s kind of broken?" Bing asked her, dangling his cracked amulet.


    ''How should I know? I didn''t make it.'' Jiajia answered.


    "I guess I''ll have to find out myself." Bing wandered over to a lone floating spirit in the distance.


    Ever since Jiajia merged with his shadow, Bing could see ghosts now. It was a bit startling at first. Bing even ran away in fright after encountering the first ghost he saw. It wasn''t until some rude words of encouragement from Jiajia that Bing was able to gain some courage against the undead spirits inside the Endless Plains of Yin. Now that Bing realized the weakness of the ghosts inside the forest, he treated them the same as he would regular spirit beasts. Just spirit beasts that could talk.


    Bing grabbed the lone spirit by the neck with a strong grip. The spirit cried out in fright as Bing placed his cracked amulet on the spirit''s body. The ghost couldn''t resist being s.u.c.k.e.d into the amulet. Seeing this caused Bing to smile, it looked like he wasn''t going to fail at this portion of the test after all. With Jiajia as his shadow, he didn''t have to worry about ghosts possessing him and he could see ghosts too!


    Bing traveled throughout the foggy forest with much more confidence in himself now. With Yin of Destruction and Yang of Creation, it was almost as if this place was his playground to do as he pleased. Ghosts were captured inside his amulet regardless if they wanted to or not. And since all the ghosts in the Endless Plains of Yin seemed to be attracted to his body, Bing managed to capture quite a lot of ghosts.


    Eventually, Bing came across a large group of disciples from his sect. Relief filled his body as he finally saw signs of humans once again. It felt like it''s been weeks since he''d last seen a living breathing person as he traveled through this cursed land of ghosts. But the relief he felt at seeing humans again wasn''t anywhere close to the relief he felt seeing a familiar figure on the outer edge of the disciples.


    Bright orange hair, a big mass of steel on her back that was taller than herself, and a voice loud enough that he could hear it even from this far away. Bing couldn''t be happier to see Ying again! He''s been traveling for two whole days with only tasteless pills to fill him up for food. Cake! Warmth! Companionship! A void world filled with something besides disgusting grass and a mean ghost! Ying, Ying, Ying!


    Bing couldn''t control himself as he hugged Ying from behind and lifted her in the air.


    "Ying! You don''t know how happy I am to see you again!" Bing gently swung Ying left and right as he held in her the air.


    "I''ve been suffering so much without you guys. I couldn''t find you or even message you with the special talisman! Haha! I really am lucky to find you again!" Bing released all his joy for Ying to take in without any special preparations.


    At first, Ying believed she was being attacked by someone. She was about to erupt her body into flames to burn the fool alive for daring to attack her. But then something didn''t add up to her. Hao Gang would''ve surely warned her if someone was about to attack her. That meant Hao Gang recognized whoever this person is and willingly let them grab her. Then Ying heard the voice of the person who grabbed her.


    Ying wasn''t prepared in the slightest for such an ambush by the boy she had a crush on. While she has spent days worrying for his safety, wondering where the hell he was, if he was safe or not if he was thinking about her, and more. This reunion was simultaneously the best kind of reunion she could''ve expected and the worst. Right now, she could feel her face was so red, she could be mistaken for a human-shaped cherry.


    Being held up in Bing''s strong and warm embrace from behind was something she dreamed up, experiencing it in real life was another matter altogether. She loved every second of it and didn''t ask him to release her or hit him. When would she get another chance to be this physically intimate with the boy she liked a lot? Ying sure as hell wasn''t going to do something as embarrassing as that until they were officially dating. By that point, it was going to be difficult for her to separate herself from him even if he wanted her to. Once he accepted her confession, it was going to be the start of a whole new Ying!


    So, it took half a minute before Bing''s euphoria wore off. He embarrassingly and gently placed Ying back on the ground before sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Bing bowed his head and apologized for his actions. Ying balled up her fist and using a majority of her strength, punched the back of his head and buried him into the ground.


    "You scared the shit out of me, idiot!" Ying shouted with a harrumph afterward.


    Bing''s body impacted the ground with enough force to send dust flying upward and blinding most of the disciples nearby. Bing admitted that he did deserve that but man was Ying really strong... Even when he was stabbed by Jiajia, it didn''t hurt nearly as much as her punch for some reason. But regardless, Bing was still really happy to see Ying again.


    Bing bounced back up with a stupid smile on his face as he looked at Ying. Ying couldn''t help but click her tongue at this cute fat idiot. She had to turn her body to hide the embarrassment on her face. Soon, Bing realized that there was someone else with her too. He politely greeted Jie who politely greeted him back. Their relationship wasn''t that close and they''ve barely talked to one another.


    Jie was a little bit envious of Ying after seeing her and Bing''s reunion. She knew Hu Tao would never react the same way towards her even if he was trapped in a cave for 1,000 years. Maybe if she was Jing, he would. With a depressing internal sigh, Jie couldn''t wait for the end of this tournament. Jing would help her become strong enough to become a woman that Hu Tao could love.


    "What happened to you after we all got split up?" Ying asked him with her back turned.


    "Before I tell you that long story, do you have anything to eat?" Bing shyly asked.


    "Which cake do you want?" Ying was waiting for him to ask this.


    "Cleansing Physique Cake, Breath Purifying Cake, and a Heart-Clearing Cake please." Bing requested.


    Ying went into her storage ring and took out the cakes he requested before giving them to him one by one. If everyone in the crowd wasn''t staring at the group before, they certainly were now when they smelled the aroma coming from the cakes. The girl with the big sword had food and probably a lot of it inside her storage ring! Eyes of greed and malicious intent soon focused on Ying who was too busy staring at Bing who looked like he just received the greatest present in the world from her. Only Jie and Hao Gang were aware of the eyes focusing on their group. But it didn''t take long for Bing to notice the eyes greedily trying to devour his cakes.


    An impressive heavy aura spread from his body into the crowd. While those in the Qi Gathering stage averted their gaze, those above it weren''t scared of a 9th stage Qi Gatherer like Bing. Even if his aura was particularly weighty. He was willing to fight life and death with everyone here to protect Ying and her cakes for himself. Two days of eating nothing but tasteless pills changes a man and teaches him to appreciate the good things in life while he can.

 Chapter 233 - 227: Nothing Out Of The Ordinary!

    Bing wasn''t the type of person to get angry over most matters. He would describe himself as quite a reasonable and understanding individual. There were very few things in this world that could truly make him upset. Seeing the greedy looks from his fellow disciples didn''t make him angry, as he understood exactly why they were the way they were. If Ying wasn''t here and someone pulled out some very delicious-smelling food, perhaps he would be the exact same as everyone else here. Those two days of eating pills to fill his hunger really did leave an impact on him. Before the Grand Tournament, Bing took Ying''s cakes for granted but now he knows how foolish he was.


    It didn''t take but one or two bites of Ying''s cake for one''s hunger to be filled somehow. That was also the same number of bites that it took for the effects of the spiritual cakes to take effect. In the future when he wouldn''t be able to eat Ying''s cake as his leisure, he must store them for later. Take a single bite or two, then place inside his void world until he was hungry again.


    As Bing was about to step forward to defend his cakes and Ying, it turns out his determination to step forward was unneeded. Once Ying realized that Bing wasn''t admiring the cakes like he usually does before eating, she realized that something was off. Who was disturbing her precious time to admire Bing while he''s eating!? Her head turned as her pupils burned with blazing flames.


    A mighty eruption of flames towered into the air above Ying''s figure as she turned her attention to the rest of the disciples. The flaming heat torched everyone''s skin except for Bing and Jie''s. Ying''s control over her flames has improved somewhat through the shadow in her void world improving her martial arts and being forced into restraining her flames to capture ghosts. But it has only been two days since she''s arrived here. Not that much progress has been made.


    Ying didn''t even bother grabbing Hao Gang to use against the disciples in front of her. Ever since Ying was rewarded that golden ring for annihilating the Fearsome Garden, it didn''t take long for her to find out how to use it and what it could do. It turns out, Jing gave her an ancient ghost that knew long and forgotten martial arts. Each martial art being comparable to sky-ranked and heaven-ranked techniques known today. To say she was surprised by the gift was an understatement, to say the least. A ring like this was something that entire empires and kingdoms would go to war over. And she got it just for taking care of some faction in a sect. While she almost died in that fight, she still felt that it was far too good for her to receive as a reward.


    But because of this reward, she''s learned several new martial arts with the help of the shadow in her void world. That shadow''s purpose is to aid her in perfecting whatever martial art she shows in front of it. So, Ying was quite confident in being able to use these new techniques in practice. Starting with her fist art, Infinite Heaven Fist Style.


    "She''s quite confident for just a 1st stage Qi Consolidation cultivator."


    "I wonder where she gets all this confidence even though she''s outnumbered."


    "Things don''t have to get violent beauty. Just share some cakes with us just like you did with that fatty and nothing bad will happen."


    "How is it fair that he''s the only one to get cakes? I''m much more handsome than he is."


    Ying rolled her eyes. Not even the most handsome man in the world could compare to the Bing in her heart right now. A young girl''s first love is not something to be underestimated. Some are willing to take their own lives, abandon the mothers and fathers that raised them since birth, and even cut all ties with friends and family for their first love. While Ying wouldn''t say her love for Bing has reached such levels, she certainly didn''t have any other man in mind right now.


    Ying took the first move. Her eyes already locked onto the men eyeing her and Bing. It took one only to blink their eyes before Ying disappeared from her previous location. A scream and a body flying through the air were the next sights seen by the large group.


    Ying''s fist smashed into a man''s c.h.e.s.t, the state of his condition was unknown as he disappeared beyond the fog. All those threatening Ying from before quickly readied themselves for a fight. It looked like she wasn''t all talk if she could take out the 5th stage Qi Consolidation disciple in one punch. But even a genius had their limits.


    There were several of them and only one of her. While none of them may be outstanding in their own right, ants were stronger together than alone in the first place. Even an elephant could be felled by a large enough group of ants. All the disciples who wanted to take Ying''s food charged together instead of taking her on one at a time. While no one was starving to say as it''s only been two days, who would pass up a chance for free food when it''s right in front of them?


    "You bastards! Who do you think you are trying to attack my friend!?" Bing would''ve normally left Ying to sort this out on her own.


    As a person who frequently advocates peace and friendship, Bing usually avoids all signs of conflict if he could help it. But he did notice the giant cave that everyone has gathered around after his excitement of seeing Ying again wore off. Since everyone was gathered outside of it, there must be a condition necessary to enter inside the cave and if there was a condition necessary to enter the cave, that meant there was definitely something valuable inside the cave worth taking. Meaning, he couldn''t just take Ying and Jie then run away in the forest despite how much he wanted to. By running away with Ying and Jie, he''d still get his cake, group back up with his friends, and not have to engage in a fight with a bunch of strangers.


    Bing jumped in front of Ying and Jie with his shield that has grown quite a bit since he''s first got it. Previously it wasn''t even large enough to cover his stomach but now it was huge enough for him to plant into the ground and hide behind. Since it grew on blood, Bing tried feeding it his own blood once after the Empress gave him the Golden Blood Elixir. That one time was all it took to drastically change the size of the shield. It was also at that time that Bing realized that his golden blood was very powerful.


    "Haha! Kill the fatty first and leave the women alive!"


    Multiple swords landed on Bing''s shield. He was slightly pushed back from the combined strength of all the higher staged cultivators attacking him at once but soon regained his footing by utilizing Devil''s Arms. Behind his shield where the disciples couldn''t see, Bing''s flesh began to weave into itself. His fat began to be forcefully condensed into extra layers of muscle that was reinforced with his qi, improving his physical strength far more than just altering his body normally.


    Ying''s eyes glowed as if she was staring at a dreamy prince that all noble girls dream about during their teen years. Stepping in to protect her when she''s in danger, willing to take on the world just to see her safe, and courageously proving himself not helpless against the overwhelming odds. Seeing this side of Bing again nearly made her gush. But she soon shook her head and stopped such distracting thoughts. Ying''s fists lit on fire.


    Jie''s thoughts on Bing''s transformation were far different from Ying''s thoughts. She saw nothing of the sort that resembled any of the princes she''s heard of or dreamed of in her youth. Instead, she saw a horrific terrifying monster being born through the creation of tearing flesh being mixed and moved as if it had its own will. The harmless-looking fatty from before was now something she could barely recognize. Bulging veins and muscles, additional arms shot out from his torso, and a demeanor that was far different from the innocent young man she thought she knew. He was a monster. Through and through.


    A monster that was now capable of competing in strength against multiple cultivators far higher than him in realm despite just being a 9th stage Qi Gatherer. It was a sight like this that made Jie really understand just how outclassed she was and at the same time, how abnormal those from Hu Tao''s group were. If she was trained by Jing, would she too become a freak? Could such a thing even be avoided if one wanted to be strong?


    ''For my unfortunate choice of love... I have to be willing to do anything... Even if I have to turn out like these people.'' Jie''s resolve only momentarily wavered seeing Ying and Bing''s reckless behavior. After all, it was nothing more than suicide trying to face up against opponents stronger in the cultivation stage and had more numbers than you.


    "Beat em until they''re almost dead! With all of us here, they don''t stand a chance!"

 Chapter 234 - 228: Meeting Someone New!

    "Ying, do you have a recovery cake on you?" Bing suddenly asked.


    "Yeah, why? Are you hurt?" Ying responded back.


    "I was just wondering. Ying, Jie, get close to me!" Bing yelled at the two.


    Ying was about to jump out to beat these pieces of crap to death with her fists but Bing must have a plan if he told them to come near him. Jie listened to the abomination that was still considered Bing and stood close to him with her sword drawn. Ying didn''t put up a fuss about it either as she trusted Bing. With the two directly behind him, Bing directly split open his flesh and fed his shield his golden blood.


    "If you don''t want to die, please run away for now!" Bing warned everyone that didn''t want to kill them.


    Unfortunately, his warning fell on deaf ears as no one took him seriously. Bing sighed. He gave them a chance to live. Now it was up to their own ability to survive now. Not to mention, bystanders who just watch people die are sometimes just as bad as the murderers themselves. Especially if they have the ability to do something about it.


    While Bing was also one of these despicable bystanders, he still hasn''t fixed his negative karma yet. Eventually, he''ll be a hero of legend. Rescuing and saving innocent people across the lands for the sake of improving his karma. His heart might be black as the night itself but that didn''t mean he couldn''t do some good for the world. If the trash of the world took itself out, then naturally there would only be good things left, right?


    "Heheheh! Who is this fatty kidding?"


    "Ooh! We''re so scared! Please don''t kill us Mr. 9th stage Qi Gatherer."


    "We''ll do anything to survive! Please don''t use your secret technique!"


    As they were mocking Bing, they decided to stop attacking his incredibly tough shield. They split up and surrounded the trio. Bing''s shield could only defend in one direction. If they attacked in all directions, then they were nothing but sitting ducks waiting to be cooked!


    Ying and Jie readied themselves to take on the cultivators leaping at them. Only a few people managed to sense the brief but amazing spike in qi coming from Bing''s shield. After sensing this spike, they felt something in the ground below them. Their eyes widened as they suddenly jumped far into the sky. Everyone else who couldn''t sense this change in qi was helpless against the sudden attack.


    All at once, several lives were lost simultaneously. An innumerable amount of pure white bone spikes shot up from the ground. The men jumping towards them were either pierced and hung above the ground or got split in half from moving so fast before getting spiked. Those standing by just watching didn''t even realize they were impaled until it was already too late. Their blood dripping onto the sharp jutting bones as their lives were fading by the second.


    All of those who had been pierced had their blood drained completely from the bones. The l.u.s.ter and shine of the already gleaming bones increased evermore. Bing''s eyes locked onto the dangerous few that managed to sense his attack coming beforehand. There were three in total. Two girls and one guy. He only recognized one of the girls, the other two were a complete mystery to him.


    Xiao Hong. Even the most ignorant disciple heard of the Ice Princess, Xiao Hong. One of Golden Serpent Sect''s Rising Dragons. A new ranking for all of the recently recruited disciples that were prodigies. It would be simpler to think of them as the new generation of prodigies compared to the Great Prodigies who are a generation above them because they entered the sect sooner.


    Bing didn''t know the other two. He rarely ventured outside of Ying''s void world at the sect except when he had to find ingredients for Ying to make cakes for him and fulfilling his five tasks for the sect required each month. One was a girl with a cute round face but cold dead eyes that had a gr.a.p.e vein growing out of her head. The only boy had icy blue hair, a strange look on his face, and a long metal staff in hand.


    Both girls only looked his way before retreating into the forest. The guy, however, pulled out a talisman that glowed brightly before he suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "You three... Are you a part of Jing''s group?" He asked. His eyes eyeing their weapons.


    Bing didn''t know who this guy was, how he knew about Jing, what his relationship to Jing was, or if he was hostile to them. But considering he didn''t feel any killing intent coming from him, he didn''t control his bones into skewering right through him. Since this guy wanted to talk instead of fight, Bing would be happy to do so. But he didn''t let his guard down either. He was ready to kill him within a single moment with his bone spikes if he tried anything funny.


    "Who are you?" Ying glared at him, stepping to the side of Bing.


    "My name is Zhai Shang." He was slightly surprised that they didn''t know about him.


    Zhai Shang may have finally gotten the woman that had his heart but he knew almost nothing about her. Getting to know her followers to know her better would be good. He was sure they knew plenty of things about her that he didn''t know right now. Since he couldn''t find Jing herself to spend time with, her followers would be a good alternative for the time being.


    "Is that supposed to mean anything to us?" Jie confirmed his suspicions.


    "So, she hasn''t told you all yet..." Shang muttered to himself.


    "Told us what? You know the Empress?" Bing questioned.


    "Empress?" Was this how her followers referred to her?


    "He means Jing. Do you have some sort of relation with Jing? Is that why you came to talk to us?" Ying was still hostile towards him. He hasn''t explained why he approached them yet.


    "I would like to join you three." Shang asked.


    If Jing hasn''t told her followers about their relationship yet, then he wasn''t going to tell them either. It wasn''t like he was going around screaming to those he knew that he had a girlfriend either. He''d rather spend as much time with her as he can while no one knew about them yet. Because once people realize they are together, trouble and annoyances would definitely come soon after. Hopefully, he''ll be able to meet Jing by sticking together with her group.


    "No way punk! You''re suspicious as hell! Who in their right mind would allow some weirdo to join them without knowing anything about them?" Ying yelled at him.


    "I know him..." Jie spoke up.


    "You do?" Ying looked at her.


    "He''s one of the Rising Dragons. A prodigy spellmaster that''s known for his combat ability and comes from a long lineage of spellmasters. I don''t know his relation to Jing though." Jie shared.


    "I see. I am rather suspicious now that you describe it in that way. How about this, in exchange for allowing me to travel with you, I''ll share with you these talismans." Shang pulled out several paper slips from his pocket.


    Considering none of them seemed to know what they were, he spoke first to explain their value. "These are Ghost-seeking Talismans. By injecting your qi into the spells, you will be able to sense any ghosts near you. The more qi infused into the talisman, the further the search range increases." Shang knew it would be difficult to convince them with just words so, he showed off the usage of the talisman right in front of them. He surged his qi into the paper slip before vanishing a moment later.


    In the next moment, Shang could be seen with his metal staff in the distance. He thrust his pole into the air before a shrill screech rang out. With this loud screamer impaled on his staff, he returned back over to the trio. Bing, Ying, and Jie saw a ghost stuck through Shang''s weapon. This ghost had vicious claws, a long tongue, and a pure white transparent body. Shang grabbed his amulet and touched the ghost with it, capturing it inside.


    "Deal!" Ying spoke for the rest of the group as she seemed eager to acquire these ghost-hunting paper slips.


    "It was nice doing business with you." Shang gave the slips to the orange-haired girl and smiled within his heart.


    "Hehe... No problem, Zhai. Just make sure to don''t get in the way and everything will be good." Ying warned him with a big smile on her face.


    With these ghost-finding talismans, Ying didn''t have to restrain herself and control her fire qi anymore to hunt stupid ghosts! She''d find them with the talisman before capturing them by force! Now she could pass this portion of the test without straining herself at all. It''d be like hunting spirit beasts! A piece of cake!


    "Are you aware, you have a dangerous spirit residing next to you?" Shang walked over to Bing, seemingly staring at something far taller than him.


    "..."

 Chapter 235 - 229: Ying Vs Jiajia!

    Ying immediately used one of the ghost-seeking talismans upon hearing Zhai''s words. Her qi spread out and locked onto the ghostly specter floating behind Bing with her arms wrapped around his neck. Ying and the female ghost glared at each other, both somehow being able to read the other''s thoughts. Seeing her so closely wrapped to Bing was all it took for Ying to prepare herself for a life-or-death fight.


    Lin Jiajia scoffed as she saw the foolish girl. Trying to claim her source of power right under her eyes? Jiajia might be dead but that didn''t mean she was stupid! She didn''t care how that girl felt about this fatty but she had another thing coming if she thought she could get rid of her so easily. The Walking Devil ranked spirit pushed Bing to the ground as she drastically lengthened her claws to teach this stupid girl a lesson.


    "You can''t!" Bing cried out!


    Ying already ignited herself into a flaming human as she dashed towards the ghost woman. Bing''s words fell on deaf ears as a woman''s jealousy isn''t so easily quelled. The flames grew hotter and higher by the second while Jiajia''s sharp and long claws that could compare to swords in length have already reached their full length. Living girl and ghost girl seemed intent on eradicating the other without exchanging a single word.


    Jie was overall rather confused entirely. She couldn''t see the ghost that Ying and Zhai could see but she could feel a very cold and frightening aura in front of Ying. Out of everyone, only she and Zhai heard Bing''s cry. The normal reaction to finding out that a ghost has been sticking by yourself would be to freak out or ask for help so that someone can get rid of it. But why did Bing cry out, you can''t? Was he talking to the ghost or Ying?


    Either choice brings further questions. If he was talking to the ghost, then that would mean that Bing was aware of the ghost following him but hasn''t captured it for the sake of the second test. Which meant the ghost was threatening him or there was some sort of benefit to having this ghost stick around him. But if he was talking to Ying, then that would be even more suspicious. Why would a person willingly want a spirit to follow them around? Knowledge of ghosts and the like isn''t very well spread, so not many people are educated on if spirits can provide benefits to those living. The only benefit Jie could see to ghosts was providing her points in passing this portion of the test.


    Shang knew there were more uses to ghosts than the average cultivator but did that mean this portly fellow knew them as well? Ghosts were filled with yin qi, normal qi, sometimes an elemental qi due to the martial arts they practiced in their life, and malice. These creatures were useful for refining certain talismans, being used as materials for blacksmiths, and strengthening cultivators that relied on spirits to do evil. In the two days spent on this part of the test, Shang has already made several talismans from the essence of spirits when he could''ve just captured them in his amulet.


    Bing sprung back up as he was tossed away.


    "Swift Devil!" Bing rushed in between the two girls before they could harm each other.


    His great bone shield blocking Ying''s heavy greatsword while the shield he gained from the Empress blocked Lin''s claw strike. A heavy aura emitted from his once again round figure as he tried to stop the two from continuing their fight.


    "Please let me explain." He kindly asked.


    Ying spat on the ground in annoyance. The spit evaporated from her flames before it could touch the ground. She didn''t even get to cut this ghost man-stealing vixen once! Bing''s really lucky that she liked him or else she would''ve cut him down with the ghost woman.


    As Ying snuffed out her flames, Bing began to explain his history with Lin Jiajia. Jiajia stayed mostly silent as Bing was telling nothing but the truth so far. The ground beneath Ying''s feet cracked as she controlled herself from losing it all to kill this evil ghost woman that almost killed her Bing. Hearing his explanation of their relationship made her want to kill the woman even more!


    "So, you''re nothing but a blood-s.u.c.k.i.n.g leech." Ying smirked.


    "I''d watch your words more carefully commoner..." Jiajia''s eyes glowed blood red.


    "Commoner? I don''t know how long you''ve been dead but your eyes must have died long before then if you think I''m a commoner." Ying flicked her orange hair back in pride.


    "A rough man-ish gangster like you can be considered a noble? It seems like it was a good thing I died. Nobility has fallen a great distance from how it used to be." Jiajia turned her face away with a smug grin.


    "What part of me looks like a man!?" Ying held up her c.h.e.s.t with pride as it slowly bounced. "If anything, you''re more of a man you freakish giant." She bit right back.


    "Giant?! I''ll have you know, I only became this tall after I died! I was even shorter than him when I was still alive!" Jiajia pointed at Bing.


    "Heh. So, you were a midget and now a disgusting giant. Doesn''t seem like something to be proud of to me." Ying continued to flaunt her appearance.


    "I''ll tear you apart you annoying cow!" Jiajia tried rushing past Bing.


    But how could he allow her to do something like after hearing their entire conversation? Bing was already preparing to use his Yin of Destruction and Yang of Creation martial arts when they began insulting each other. In a third hand grown out of his stomach, a perfectly shaped qi sphere split between black on one side and white on the other floated above his palm. Once it was completely formed, an immense amount of qi spiked from Bing''s figure that caught everyone''s attention.


    "Jiajia. You can''t hurt my friends. I know that wasn''t a part of our deal but you do realize how crazy it would be for me to let you try and hurt my friends right?"


    "You''re threatening me?!" She fiercely glared at him.


    "I''m not threatening you. Please don''t make me out to be the bad guy. I just want everyone to peacefully reconcile and not try and kill each other." He calmly told her.


    "Ying. I know Jiajia might seem like she''s taking advantage of me because of the deal we made but without her protection, I would be helpless against the ghosts during this portion of the test. I wouldn''t be able to see ghosts nor stop them from trying to taking over my body without her." Bing explained to Ying.


    "I don''t like her. After the test is over, can''t we just get Jing to get rid of her?" Ying bluntly asked.


    ''Jing knows how to deal with ghosts?'' Zhai Shang thought to himself.


    "That''s an option..." Bing muttered.


    "If you dare consider getting rid of me again, I''ll kill us both." Jiajia told Bing.


    "It wasn''t an option after all." Bing helplessly smiled. Looks like he was stuck with this beautiful leech for the rest of his life.


    "How pathetic! Dragging someone else''s life down with you just because you''re too weak to live on your own!" Ying insulted her.


    "In this world, you have to do whatever it takes to get ahead or stay alive." Jiajia smiled.


    "Shameless giant freak!" Ying put down her sword in frustration.


    Bing let out a breath of relief as he put away his second shield and threw the Yin of Destruction & Yang of Creation: Infinite Sphere Ultimate Cataclysm towards the cave entrance. A massive explosion of whiteness overcame the group as their clothes fiercely blew in the wind from the shockwave. Jiajia went to hide inside Bing''s void world to avoid being affected by the technique. The rest of the group couldn''t hear anything over the blowing winds and explosion but the barrier placed in front of the cave cracked from the impact of Bing''s technique. Soon after, it shattered and the cave was now open for any to step inside.


    Although this barrier only needed four cultivators of differing elemental qi, brute force was another method to open it. If one was able to use all four elements then they too would be able to open the barrier easily. But finding a cultivator capable of using multiple elements was not common. Only those with special bloodlines, suicidal tendencies, woefully ignorant, or insane would think about using multiple qi elements.


    "It looks like you managed to break the barrier, Bing." Zhai pointed out.


    "I did?" Bing looked over to see the now open cave.


    "You didn''t know?" Jie questioned.


    "I didn''t expect it to actually work. I just wanted to get rid of the ball of energy." Bing answered.


    "Lucky us. Let''s go see if there''s a plate hiding inside here." Ying took charge of the group and stepped forward.


    "Plate?" Bing asked.


    "There''s a third plate missing and we want to get our hands on it before anyone else does." Jie answered him.


    "A plate to what exactly?" Shang didn''t understand.


    "Really good treasure! Probably an immortal''s tomb or something filled with many treasures." Drool leaked from Ying''s face as she thought of all the treasure she could obtain inside, especially the Mystic Flame.


    "Probably also filled with deadly traps and sealed ghosts." Bing didn''t want to be negative but he was a realist.


    "We''ll be fine." Ying waved his worries off with some unexplainable courage.


    "You don''t know that." Bing sighed.


    "We''ve been through worse." Ying laughed.


    "Have we!?" Bing honestly couldn''t remember anymore.


    "Do you normally run into trouble...?" Jie asked.


    "Heaven''s Angels isn''t without its daily, weekly, or monthly share of troubles." Bing answered.


    "If there''s trouble, we''ll be there!" Ying confidently claimed.


    Zhai Shang just stayed silent as he listened to their conversation with a passive look on his face. Learning about his girlfriend''s group would definitely be useful. Perhaps he could even help them and make himself look better in Jing''s eyes. What girlfriend wouldn''t like her boyfriend helping her out?

 Chapter 236 - 230: Stuff I Guess.

    Inside the cave, unlike what Bing was expecting, there were only dangerous traps inside and no ghosts at all. Zhai Shang easily led the way for everyone with his talismans and staff. Considering he was the outsider of the group, he figured it would be acceptable for him to deal with these little annoyances. Arrow traps, falling boulders, spike pits, and all could be dealt with by using a single talisman. Qi Barrier spell for the arrows shooting at them from out of the wall. Qi Arrow spell to split the boulders apart. Spiritual Sight spell to see all the traps coming.


    Since they were the only ones inside the cave, they didn''t need to constantly watch their backs either. If something looked valuable or worth taking, they would snatch it up and deal with the trap that came after taking the treasure. Zhai would step in to explain the treasure if he had any knowledge of it. The Endless Plains of Yin have existed for thousands of years, so it wasn''t as if he knew everything about this place. Barely anyone knew anything about it except that it was the home and birthplace of ghosts.


    ______________________________________________


    "You know, for an old ghost-like yourself, you sure do know your way around this place." Hu Tao chuckled.


    He snatched up the banner with a purple flag buried within the ground. Wan Qing behind him was also digging through the massive graveyard for treasures. The two of them easily captured the army of soldiers protecting this burial ground in their amulets to raid the place of goodies. Their strength individually was already great against groups of people. When fighting together, that already great strength increased explosively. Shang Guan Qing Hong was somewhat shocked to see the potential these two annoying brats held. Not just any two cultivators could''ve overcome the Bleeding Sword Sect''s army.


    If he was being honest, he led the two of them here so that they would die. What better way to kill arrogant brats than by leading them to their own death in pursuit of riches and treasures? But it looks like he underestimated these two... They weren''t just ordinary brats at all. It looks like he''s going to have to lead them there after all...


    He was planning to save that place for himself to perfect the foundation for his new body but the guardian of that object should be able to kill these two. No matter how freakish these two are, they won''t be able to stand a chance against a Spirit Emperor. A ghost that is on equal strengths with a Qi Transformation stage cultivator! Two little arrogant ants at the Qi Consolidation stage can only helplessly die when encountering a ghost of that realm.


    As Shang Guan Qing Hong was thinking about his plan to kill the two brats, he was suddenly smacked upside the head.


    "What the hell are you scheming?" Hu Tao questioned.


    "Nothing at all! I was just thinking about another place filled with treasures that I could lead you to!" Shang Guan Qing Hong responded like a well-trained dog.


    His pride was reduced to dregs long ago and now the only thoughts floating around his mind was that of revenge. After being forced to tears, had his bottom smacked, and just bullied overall by Hu Tao, he could no longer hold his head high as their senior. And the brats knew it too. He would only humiliate himself further if he tried to boast of his seniority and status after such events. While his pride might amount to nothing at this point, his need for revenge was overflowing within his body. The girl wouldn''t be spared either because she didn''t help him in his time of need.


    "I bet you are." Hu Tao grinned, seemingly seeing through Shang Guan Qing Hong''s plan in a single glance.


    "Yes?! Should I lead you to it now?" Shang Guan Qing Hong asked.


    "Hmm..." Hu Tao thought long and deep about the offer.


    As if the offer was something to think long or deeply about. Any cultivator would agree when asked by such an innocent-looking weak child. They could easily kill the child and run away if anything goes wrong but if it isn''t a trick, then free and easy treasures! But Hu Tao wasn''t so easy to trick.


    Wan Qing also showed some hesitation once she saw Hu Tao not immediately agreeing. Hu Tao wasn''t stupid. He''s been treating this old ghost-like shit this entire time. Not even a mentally challenged person would be willing to act so accommodating so quickly.


    Hu Tao used to work as a bandit and mercenary during his time as a mortal before he was brought to the Golden Serpent Sect. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say he knew every trick in the book. So, seeing this reincarnated ghost trying to set him up in such an obvious manner, was hilarious. Like watching an actual child try and trick an a.d.u.l.t when there''s a decade of experience between them.


    "Nah! Princess told me something interesting earlier and I want to see what everyone is up to." Hu Tao smacked him across his head once again.


    A tear dropped from Shang Guan Qing Hong''s right eye as he cursed Hu Tao deeply in his heart.


    "The plates?" Qing remembered.


    "No. The place where the plates are supposed to go. Where everyone is waiting at for the third plate." He explained.


    "I''m going to capture more ghosts instead. Have fun." Wan Qing could tell that Hu Tao was just going to cause trouble.


    "Tch. Fine but I''m not keeping the brat. If Jie finds him with me, she''s going to bitch at me and piss me off."


    "Why should I keep her? You think Jie won''t question me?"


    "She won''t get on your a.s.s like she will to me."


    "Oh, will she?" Wan Qing grinned. "Okay, how about this? I take her but you will owe me two favors in the future." She offered.


    "One favor and I won''t kick your a.s.s."


    "Now it''s three favors." Wan crossed her arms.


    "You f.u.c.k.i.n.g bitch! You''re taking advantage of me!"


    "Life is all about give and take." She shrugged.


    "Why must I go with either of you...? Can''t I just go on my own?" Shang Guan Qing Hong brought up another option.


    "Shut up!" Hu Tao yelled.


    "Quiet while the a.d.u.l.ts are speaking." Wan Qing shushed him.


    "F.u.c.k it! I''ll take the stupid brat." Hu Tao sent Shang into his pocket dimension who screamed during the entire process.


    "Now was that so hard?" Wan smiled at him.


    "F.u.c.k.i.n.g bitch." Hu Tao took out his white cloud, jumped on it, and flew away.


    "Bye! Bye!" Perhaps it was the first or second time since she''s genuinely smiled in this place. Upsetting Hu Tao was a lot more fun than she thought.


    ______________________________________________


    "There you are..." Manchu spotted the flying cloud in the distance.


    A yellow coat of qi covered his body as the ground beneath him began to quiver and shake. The ground soon opened up and completely swallowed Manchu into the ground. Speeding through the ground, he followed directly behind Hu Tao to eventually catch up with him. His only job was to deal with Hu Tao after all. As long as he was patient, eventually, Hu Tao would fall into some trouble that he could take advantage of.


    The man had a talent for attracting trouble and courting death. It was one of the reasons he avoided Hu Tao on sight. Manchu observed that it was very easy to get caught up in whatever incident Hu Tao got himself involved in if you were near him. Even if you were just innocently standing by and watching, in one moment, you could suddenly become a hostage or meat shield for Hu Tao.


    The only people that Manchu found that Hu Tao wouldn''t purposely go out of his way to harm or annoy were children. He was willing to use children as hostages to escape but he wouldn''t fight or bother them like he would anyone else he found interesting. Hu Tao also wouldn''t truly harm the children he took as hostage either. Children just didn''t catch his eye. Perhaps there was some humanity left in Hu Tao because of that but it still wouldn''t be enough to clear his negative karma.


    If Hu Tao did target children like he did everyone else, Manchu would''ve dealt with him sooner. He is already a trash human being but he isn''t complete trash. Evil without boundaries deserved execution. Manchu might be a member of a wicked sect like the Golden Serpent Sect but that didn''t mean his heart was wicked. Nor was it filled with righteousness either.


    Manchu was a man that moved according to his heart not predetermined ideologies of good and evil. At times he was willing to do evil and other times he was willing to do good. It depended on what kind of benefits would arise because of his actions. During his time as a cultivator, he has found that doing good usually led to more beneficial outcomes than doing evil. But Hu Tao... challenged this belief of his that he''s proven through the years. Hu Tao does evil and only does evil but he only seems to get stronger and more unrestrained as time goes on. Did this mean his belief was wrong or just that Hu Tao''s luck pierces through the heavens despite his behavior?

 Chapter 237 - 231: Hu Tao Doing His Thing!

    "Hahahahaha! What''s up bitches!?" Hu Tao came flying down from the sky as he crashed in front of the ancient building with hundreds of disciples waiting in front of it.


    "I see a lot of familiar faces here." He grinned. "I wonder what the hell are you lazy f.u.c.k.i.n.g pieces of shit doing here?" His lips turned up as he insulted everyone here.


    Hu Tao didn''t care at all for the status of the people here. Prodigy, genius, noble, royalty, Great Prodigy, Rising Dragon, Inner Court faction, all of it was complete f.u.c.k.i.n.g garbage compared to himself or the Heaven''s Angels. Everyone glared at Hu Tao but no one chose to speak and allow themselves to be targeted by Hu Tao first. If glares could kill, Hu Tao would''ve died over a hundred times now.


    Since no one wanted to show off what big balls they had, Hu Tao decided to do it for them.


    "Is that my man Zong hiding back there like a little chicken shit p.u.s.s.y?" Hu Tao shouted.


    Ying Zong, the leader of Great Heavens in the Inner Court, couldn''t take such an insult lightly with his position in the sect. Great Heavens position in the sect was high enough to claim it as the number one or number two faction in the Inner Court. If he allowed Hu Tao to curse him like this in front of everyone, where could he possibly hold his face up in the future? Everyone would claim that he is a little chicken shit p.u.s.s.y like Hu Tao claimed if he said nothing.


    "You just love courting death, don''t you?" Zong sighed. Getting involved with Hu Tao was always a losing battle.


    The other faction leaders were quite relieved that Hu Tao didn''t call them out. They gained absolutely nothing from getting involved in a fight with Hu Tao while he seemed to benefit always from fighting losing battles. Somehow even after sealing him successfully with the sacrifice of several hundred disciples, he managed to escape. It wasn''t until the first portion of the Grand Tournament that people realized that Hu Tao had a backing. He had a group of people that he was allied with for whatever reason and they most likely somehow freed him in the Treasured Plains.


    "Fine. I''ll play with you for a little bit." A massive amount of killing intent leaked from Zong''s body as he unsheathed his sword.


    "You don''t know how happy I am to hear that Zongy. Maybe I was wrong when I called you a little chicken shit p.u.s.s.y. I should''ve called all these other little bitches that instead!" Hu Tao laughed loudly while looking at the other faction leaders and geniuses.


    Hu Tao had yet to get into a fighting stance but most of those who have fought against Hu Tao already, know that he had no proper fighting stance. Any stance could be considered a fighting stance for this monster. So, Zong didn''t hold back just because Hu Tao''s form looked like he was full of flaws. He simply vanished, reappeared in front of Hu Tao, and swung his sword to decapitate him.


    ______________________________________________


    "Who is that?" Wuying Tang asked.


    "That man is called Hu Tao. A well-known troublemaker within the sect." Gong Jun answered.


    "Troublemaker?" He didn''t seem like a simple troublemaker to him.


    Many of the Inner Court''s faction leaders had strange expressions on their faces when looking at Hu Tao. While Tang isn''t the most observant when it came to other people''s emotions, he wasn''t hopeless. He knew something was strange about the relationship between this man and those with high reputations in the Inner Court. Tang was surprised to find this out because it was his first time finding out about this man at all.


    "He''s caused trouble for every faction and almost every genius in the Inner Court at some point. Since we''ve recently joined the Inner Court, it''s only natural that we haven''t found ourselves acquainted with a famous figure like Hu Tao yet." Jun explained.


    "How do you know all this?" Tang narrowed his eyes at Jun.


    "I have my methods." Jun politely smiled.


    "Whatever. Instead of focusing your time on pointless matters, you should train more. Perhaps if you did, you wouldn''t have ended up on death''s doorstep that time."


    "Maybe you''re right Junior Brother..." Jun turned and looked into the crowd of disciples. Still unable to spot either of the two he''s wished to find yet.


    "Huh... This Hu Tao... isn''t as bad as I thought..." Tang closely watched Hu Tao''s battle.


    "Instead of focusing on Hu Tao, I believe it would be wise to focus your attention elsewhere Junior Brother. I think you will be happy to learn that a certain girl has shown up." Jun grinned as he pointed in a certain direction.


    "Huh? What are you..." Tang spotted the beautiful figure his senior brother was talking about, Xiao Hong.


    "Guh!" Ying Zong glared at Hu Tao.


    Sweat dripped down his handsome face, his long straight black hair was messy and made his face look quite frightening with all this fog, and a bloody cut stretched across the side of his cheek. Zong was stronger than Hu Tao when it came to qi techniques and cultivation but was outclassed when comparing their bodies and combat ability. As the leader of Great Heavens, the number of times that he''s had to put his sword training to practice was not equal to the number of times he''s practiced. Very rarely did he ever have to fight with someone in a life-or-death battle like this. Putting everything he''s learned into action is an enlightening experience and an infuriating one.


    A low-class talented piece of trash like this was pushing him and bringing his skills out to the fullest. How embarrassing for someone such as himself to struggle like this in front of everyone. He had the advantage in cultivation and background. Fighting Hu Tao truly was a battle filled with nothing but losses. Even if he won, what would he gain from it? If he didn''t kill him, Hu Tao would only return another day even stronger to fight him once again!


    Many of the faction leaders did their research on the Fighting Maniac after realizing that he survived and escaped from being sealed in the Treasured Plains. From their investigations, they learned of several rumors involving Hu Tao. And one of those rumors said that losing against someone does not dissuade him from wanting to fight them. In fact, losing only makes him want to fight against them even more.


    Combat is what he lives for and striving for more strength to combat with anyone and everyone is his motto. How can anyone defeat a man like this? The only way to get rid of a problem like Hu Tao is to kill him and burn his body to ashes. If he survives, he will come again even stronger to kill whoever defeated him. That person who defeated him being completely unaware of the danger coming for him. They would be passing their time peacefully instead of training with everything they had to prepare for his return while Hu Tao would be training himself to near death in preparation for their next fight.


    "You lazy bastard. I thought the strongest faction leader would have gotten a little stronger since the Treasured Plains but you''ve barely improved at all! Do you pussies really think that playing political games and scheming will help you in the real world when you''re this weak? Don''t you realize that motherless bastards like me will always show up to kill you lazy sacks of shit that don''t know how to do nothing but move your mouths and sit on your asses?" Hu Tao''s words struck the hearts of many in the sea of disciples.


    "What would you know?" Zong spat blood on the ground as he rose to his feet. "A freak like you wouldn''t understand what I''ve been through. Not just everyone can live as simply as you do. We all have our own circ.u.mstances."


    "I can''t just watch this happen in front of me..." Hop, the leader of the Heavenly Collectors, moved forward in front of the crowd on top of his Golden White Tigress with an amulet wrapped around her tail.


    "Hu Tao is all of our enemies. We may have failed before but I refuse to believe that we can fail again. Our focus back then was to seal him away but we were too na?ve. The only way to stop Hu Tao is to kill him." Hop pulled out his golden spear.


    "A disgusting dog like Hu Tao deserved to die anyway for daring to stand against all of us." Fan, leader of the Righteous Demons, opened up his fan as he stepped forward as well.


    "I''ll help to kill Hu Tao too!" A random Inner Court disciple shouted.


    "Yeah, me too!"


    "Hu Tao killed my brother!"


    "Hu Tao crippled my cousin!"


    "Hu Tao humiliated my sister!"


    "Kill!!!" A majority of the crowd rallied together with their hatred of Hu Tao.


    "Haha... I wasn''t expecting something like this." Hu Tao chuckled. He only imagined he''d be able to rile up a few but he managed to rile up the whole damn group! Now, this was going to be a hell of a time!

 Chapter 238 - 232: The Start of Hu Taos Party!

    Seeing that 99% of all the disciples here seemed to hold a grudge against him, Hu Tao decided to take the first move. Unlike before when they ganged up on him, he now had more than a few moves up his sleeves to deal with a crowd of people. He won''t have to rely on tapping into the lightning in his chains for survival. Ever since he merged with Blackie, only qi-infused attacks could hurt him at all. But only him, Jing, and Wan are aware of this knowledge as far as he knows.


    Hu Tao flicked his finger and caught the iron ball attached to the end of his endless chain. He surged a massive amount of qi inside the metal ball and laughed as it quickly grew to an insane height in his hand. Once it reached the perfect weight for him to swing around with all his strength, he stopped infusing his qi into it. If he wasn''t careful, he could crush himself with the weight of the ball.


    Despite deciding to gang up on Hu Tao, no one decided to take the first move. Unfortunately, Hu Tao learned from his father that you should always take the first move if you could help it. It will give you an advantage over the control of the fight and they won''t expect it if you''re quick enough. All of the cowardly bastards stared at him until he was ready to attack first. If he was going against someone as godly and handsome as himself, he would''ve attacked as soon as he could.


    But now, they gave Hu Tao enough time to grow his metal ball to its perfect size. This perfect size being huge enough to cast a giant shadow over everyone here right now. He could see their legs shaking and lips quivering as they started to realize just what kind of man they stood against. With such a sight in front of him, Hu Tao couldn''t help himself.


    He laughed.


    He laughed long and hard enough till the piss and shit running down these pussies'' legs eventually turned into burning rage and hatred. After a good ten- or twenty-second-long laugh, they finally got their shit together and dashed toward him. It seems like they came to some sort of strange understanding. Hu Tao wondered what kind of f.u.c.k.i.n.g idea came to their heads in such a short amount of time.


    "He can''t use something that big without crushing himself too!"


    "Attack him while he''s helpless!"


    "How could anyone fight with such an unwieldy weapon?! He''s obviously bluffing just to scare us!"


    "It does look like I''m full of shit, doesn''t it?" Hu Tao looked up at the massive blackness above his head that blocked his view of the sky. "But do I seem like the type of f.u.c.k.i.n.g p.u.s.s.y to bluff my way out of something?" Hu Tao started to get shorter and shorter.


    "He can''t hold on much longer!"


    "He''s about to be crushed by his own weapon! What a fool!"


    "Stupid braggart! Even if I have to die, I will make sure you come with me for the humiliation you forced upon my sister!"


    With a powerful push, Hu Tao palmed the metal ball that was comparable to a meteor in the eyes of the disciples in the far into the sky. Everyone''s jaw dropped as they realized just how freaking insane Hu Tao was. Perhaps it wasn''t the first time hearing about Hu Tao''s lunacy, but it was a different matter altogether to witness it in person. None of them could survive if such a thing crashed on them.


    All but one of the disciples immediately stopped their rush and began fleeing in all directions. The one disciple whose sister was humiliated by Hu Tao chopped at him with his long sword without a shred of hesitation in his swordplay. Hu Tao grinned as he saw this brave little Qi Gatherer. He didn''t look anything special and wasn''t anywhere near as handsome as himself. But his balls were certainly bigger than anyone else here.


    Hu Tao gave him a respectful death that any brave fighter deserved. He lightly deflected the angle of the guy''s sword by pushed at the side of his blade with his palm before giving a single palm thrust onto his c.h.e.s.t. A burst of qi exploded a hole from the front of his c.h.e.s.t to the back. With a missing heart, Hu Tao expected him to instantly drop but this insane bastard decided he wasn''t going to give up even if he didn''t have a heart!


    For the first time in a while, Hu Tao could say that he was genuinely caught off guard. The heart-less bastard tapped his heart with some weird technique before falling dead to the ground. Hu Tao couldn''t resist as a strange force coiled around his heart and tightly squeezed to ensure its placement there.


    "What a crazy f.u.c.k.i.n.g bastard. How many more of you zombie-like bastards are going to show up?!" Hu Tao felt his strength weaken greatly after being hit by that strange technique.


    "Oi! Where the f.u.c.k are you all running!? Didn''t you want to kill me?!" He soon laughed it off as he got on all fours and started chasing after the fleeing disciples.


    Multiple clones emerged from Hu Tao''s body as he ripped through the fleeing disciples whose only focus was on escaping at full speed. If they weren''t fast enough in retreating, they would surely be crushed without any hopes of resisting by that falling black star above them. This impending doom caused them to make several mistakes when one of the clones of Hu Tao managed to catch up with them. Panic, fear, and the will to survive exploded within them all at once when caught. They unleashed everything they had to eliminate Hu Tao, no matter how scary he was.


    "I did not attack you nor plan to! Why are you chasing me?" Xiao Hong asked as she repeatedly hopped on giant qi-formed snowflakes.


    "Maybe I just like the look of your a.s.s. Why are you being so selfish? Just let me get a quick grab and I''ll be on my way." Hu Tao laughed.


    "Disgusting sc.u.m." She glared at him as she fired an icicle behind herself to pierce through his body.


    "Aren''t you being too cold, baby?!" He laughed even more as he narrowly dodged the sharp piece of ice that left a thin cut across his cheek that leaked black ooze.


    Eventually, Hu Tao was forced into rebounding himself off of the trees to catch up with the ice girl as she went higher and higher into the sky. With each bounce, his speed increased until his hand was almost grabbing her left a.s.s cheek. Just as he was about to get a squeeze, he suddenly felt something dangerous heading towards him. He tried pulling his arm back but somehow the object increased in speed and chopped off his right arm.


    As Hu Tao landed back on the ground with his right arm missing and leaking black ooze, he looked over in the direction the weapon was flying. The black liquid dripping from Hu Tao melted the ground underneath him. His eyes locked onto a somewhat familiar figure in the distance slowly walking towards him. Hu Tao checked his left arm to see if everything was all functional and it seemed good enough.


    "Going after my woman is different from insulting me." Wuying Tang glared.


    "So, she''s already taken? You know, women in relationsh.i.p.s taste better when taken by another man." Hu Tao grinned.


    "Hmph. A swift death is too merciful for trash like you." A bluish-gold flame-like aura of qi erupted from Tang''s body as he deftly caught his giant boomerang.


    "Before we fight, I gotta ask something though." Hu Tao''s eyes locked onto that strange weapon in his hand. "Do you know a woman named Jing?"


    "No." Tang suddenly disappeared. "Now prepared to die." His boomerang was swinging to completely sever Hu Tao''s body in half.


    "Do you really not know a woman named Jing?" Hu Tao casually asked as he tried blocking the weapon with just his left hand.


    Surprisingly, he was sent flying away even with using a majority of his strength to block. Hu Tao didn''t understand what happened. He of all people was overpowered? Only a genius body cultivator could possibly match him in strength. Something wasn''t adding up.


    "Xiao Hong. I''ll deal with this. You can go." Tang turned his head and looked into Xiao''s icy-blue eyes.


    "Thank you... I won''t forget what you''ve done for me." She didn''t know why he was sacrificing himself for her. They haven''t spoken at all before this meeting.


    "Heh. Don''t look so surprised. I''m not planning to die here. Something as slow as that can''t kill me." Tang pointed upwards at the slowly falling black ball encompassing a majority of the area around them.


    "I''ll take my leave now. If you survive, I''ll be willing to pay back this debt for saving my life." She told him before running away at her fastest speeds.


    Just as she was leaving, a chain extended like a vicious snake toward her back, ready to skewer her. Xiao Hong was unaware of the danger heading towards her but Tang wasn''t. He threw his boomerang with all of his strength to protect his woman. The boomerang seemingly disappeared from existence as it appeared just in time to save Xiao Hong from a horrible fate. It deflected the chain off into the foggy forest as the boomerang tore through the giant weirdly shaped trees that caused one to feel frightened by simply looking at them. Then, it returned in merely a second as it came flying back.


    "Look at you, Mr. Cool Guy. How many ladies do you pull acting as cool as that?" Hu Tao chuckled as he got up and dusted himself off.


    "You''re stronger than I thought..." Tang didn''t hold anything back in that hit. He tried killing Hu Tao with his full power and he barely looked all that injured.


    "Are you coming on to me now, pretty boy?" Hu Tao shined his blackened teeth.


    "Just die already." Tang disappeared once more as he rushed toward Hu Tao.

 Chapter 239 - 233: A Timely Ambush & Unexpected Task!

    Hu Tao could barely keep up with the 1st stage Qi Consolidator when he himself was a 4th stage Qi Consolidation fighter. This confused his brain greatly as he briefly didn''t understand why he was getting smacked around by this nobody. His skills weren''t bad but the real problem Hu Tao had was, he had no idea who this person was! Well, kind of. He knew that this guy was a disciple of one of the Head Elders but that''s about it.


    Then just as Hu Tao was sent flying into the air from a giant boomerang rising into his gut, it hit him. He understood why this f.u.c.k.i.n.g loser was beating the shit out of him. ??


    "You''re not as scary as the Inner Court faction leaders made you out to be." Tang jumped after the flying Hu Tao.


    "You''re not as smart as you f.u.c.k.i.n.g think you are, idiot!" Hu Tao laughed as multiple sections of his chain rose from the ground and sn.a.k.e.d towards Tang.


    Since he was in the air, it was impossible for him to dodge an attack like this. With several chains shooting towards him in all directions, Hu Tao thought this battle would be over soon. He cackled while falling back down to the earth as he watched Tang''s impending death. Even he would be strongly pressed if faced against an attack that gave him no chance to escape.


    "Hmph." Tang scoffed. "Heavenly Rotation!"


    Using his qi to propel himself, Tang rapidly spun in a circle with his boomerang. A feat that was only possible due to Tang Wuying''s connection with Tyanir! The otherworldly god of acceleration that has awakened his mind and body to a new form of qi that no other person in the world has, acceleration qi! This type of qi gave Tang agility that others couldn''t compare to.


    A spinning dome of qi appeared around himself. Hu Tao''s chains bounced off when they impacted against this barrier and fell back to the ground. The owner of the chains was watching everything as he landed back on the ground. He didn''t have much longer to continue this fight. His iron ball was going to crash any minute now and with his current strength, he doubted he could deal with this kid.


    "What''s your name, kid?" Hu Tao asked.


    "What''s the point of giving my name to a dead man?" He responded.


    "I''ll find you again when I''m not injured. You seem like you''d be fun to fight against." Hu Tao grinned.


    "Hmph. If you think I''ll let you leave just because you''re injured, you''re insane. I''m not so foolish to let someone who tried to touch my woman stay alive." Tang''s qi exploded as the yellow markings on his skin brightly glowed.


    Tang utilized Calm Heart and only focused on a single thought. Killing Hu Tao. Every unnecessary thought floating around in his brain was gotten rid of as he prepared himself to kill Hu Tao. All of his training in preparation for the Grand Tournament seeped into his bones. He''s practiced these movements daily against his 3rd Senior. While they may have failed against him, other people were a different matter altogether.


    Hu Tao would''ve tapped into the power hidden in his chains but. He was just a clone! What a f.u.c.k.i.n.g shame that a good fight like this couldn''t be enjoyed to the fullest. As his head went flying in the middle of thinking, the only regret in his heart was not being able to fight at full strength.


    ______________________________________________


    Before Hu Tao''s metal ball crashed, several of the other clones were chasing after those fleeing. Many died, some were injured, and very few got away without any injuries. All of the clones that went against the faction leaders died but brought back very useful information to Hu Tao that Jing would love to hear. That crazy bitch loved learning about everything. Names, fighting styles, habits during fighting, habits out of fighting, what kind of spirit tools and weapons they had, if those spirit tools and weapons had any special effects, and just all sorts of shit that was difficult for a man like Hu Tao to keep track of. He could barely remember to bathe sometimes.


    But of course, Hu Tao would do his best for the woman he fell in love with! There''s nothing that pains his heart more than not living up to his woman''s expectations. Hu Tao''s ball was seconds away from landing. The ground beneath him began to slowly swallow him up as he entered his pocket dimension to avoid the impact. Unfortunately for Hu Tao there was someone watching him the entire time just waiting for the perfect chance to step in.


    "It usually isn''t my style to do things this way, but it is deserving, don''t you think?" Manchu appeared next to Hu Tao''s half-swallowed body and pierced a metal sword through his throat from underground.


    Hu Tao couldn''t even f.u.c.k.i.n.g curse this f.u.c.k.i.n.g shit bag motherf.u.c.ker piece of shit before he was suddenly s.u.c.k.e.d into the sword. Manchu got a brief glimpse of the bright room inside that black ooze Hu Tao was going down into and saw two people next to the remains of a third one. He was curious about the alternate space Hu Tao had but right now didn''t have the time for such a thing. Because he sealed Hu Tao away in this Immortal Capturing Blade, the speed of the black ball above increased in speed.


    Manchu slapped a movement spell on himself and appeared on top of the ball to suck it in as well. If he tried escaping to the left or right of it to escape its range, it would simply change directions and chase him around. He wasn''t the type of person to play with fate when he saw that Hu Tao himself was planning to avoid his own weapon. So, the black sky suddenly cleared up for those below ground.


    A cloud of dust appeared underneath his feet and stopped him from falling. Now that his part of the deal with Meili was complete, all he had to do was avoid Hu Tao''s mysterious leader and capture ghosts for the remaining day left of the test. If a woman like that could chain Hu Tao down for several months, there was no doubt in Manchu''s mind that she kept very very deep secrets. She was even rumored to become the sect leader''s personal disciple in the future. It made sense that a person such as that would be capable of keeping Hu Tao on a leash.


    "Lei Zhi, I have a task for you." A message only for him appeared on Heaven''s Angels message talisman.


    "Yes?" He replied back.


    "I will soon send you a talisman that can sense life signatures. Stronger life signatures sound like a normal person''s heart beating. Weaker life signatures are weaker and harder to hear. My task for you is to save as many disciples as you can within these next three days. With your skills reaching the intermediate stage in God''s Fingers and the practical experience you''ll gain here. I believe you can save a least one thousand disciples before the end of the tournament."


    "Save as many disciples as I can...?" Lei Zhi had to open up his eyes and rub them to make sure he wasn''t seeing things.


    "That''s right. Good luck."


    Runt stood by on the side. Lei Zhi was surprised to hear that Jing had such a task for him but as he thought about it, this task was probably given to him because of who he was. While he was curious to know why she wanted him to save as many people as he could, it wasn''t like he was going to refuse either. When else could he get the chance to help people like this for a reward?


    "We got to help people now?" Runt asked.


    "Well, I do. You don''t have to if it''s too much trouble. If we encounter one of the others, you can join up with them while I try to help people." Lei Zhi didn''t want to force the boy if he didn''t want to.


    "Are we still going to capture ghosts?" Runt was the one mostly taking care of ghosts so far. He was gaining a lot of ghosts in his amulet and was proud of his progress so far.


    "Of course." Lei Zhi smiled.


    In the distance, with his spiritual sight, Lei Zhi could see a being of water and qi running toward them. He pulled out his fishing rod in preparation for this inhuman creature only to put it away after examining its facial features. It was a technique of Jing''s. In its hand was a talisman filled with potent qi.


    "To use it, just pour some qi inside of it." Jing''s water clone told him, placing it in his hand.


    "Alright." Lei grabbed the talisman and the thing that resembled Jing collapsed into a small puddle.


    "Was that supposed to happen...?" Runt questioned, a little bit freaked out.


    "I suppose its only job was to give me this." Lei figured.


    "What is that?" He asked.


    "It''ll help me save people." Lei Zhi wasted no time in putting it to use.


    Several heartbeats of varying volume came from the talisman. As the qi he sent into the talisman was sent in, some within it also came into his own body. Allowing him to accurately find the location of the heartbeats.


    "Follow me." Without a word, Lei Zhi began running off into the forest. Xiang gurgled in excitement at the fast speeds they were going.

 Chapter 240 - 234: The Happening?

    "Xiao Xi... I''m sorry I failed you, little sis... I just wasn''t strong enough to avenge you..." He Yang has yet to completely depart from this world.


    With a missing heart, it wouldn''t take long for him to die. At least, if everything went as it was supposed to. But the thing is, not just Golden Serpent Sect disciples were near the ancient building. Hundreds of ghosts hid in the surroundings, quietly watching the group of youthful young people. Biding their time to strike in hopes of gaining a great feast or living once more. ??


    So, when the group of disciples fled in terror from Hu Tao''s suicidal attack, the ghosts who remained all charged toward the dying human to take over his body and reincarnate as a living human once more. Hundreds of ghosts fought to take control over a boy''s quickly dying body. He Yang''s body eerily rose into the air as the bones in his body began to twist, crack, and pop under the invasion of malicious spirits.


    "I will never forgive you..."


    "I will never forgive you..."


    "I will avenge my sister..."


    "IwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwillIwill..." He Yang repeated this mantra in his passing.


    Malicious qi and killing intent began to consolidate around his soul into a small sapling. With the fighting of various ghosts inside his body, he began to siphon some of that energy for himself. Inadvertently supplying that sapling with nutrients to grow even more concentrated. None of the ghosts realized their essence was being s.u.c.k.e.d away by barely conscious human festering in his hatred until it was too late. By the time one noticed, the battle for possession of the human body was already over. There was one ghost remaining.


    "Eh? You''re still here brat? I''m surprised no one devoured you." The ghost swaggered over to the boy in the fetal position. "But I guess I can take the honors. It''s not like you''ll be using this body much anyway anymore." His neck stretched to inhuman lengths as his mouth cracked open wide like a snake''s.


    He Yang didn''t seem to even recognize the spirit''s malevolent aura as he was swallowed in one bite by the ghost. His mutterings never stopped even as he was being pushed down the esophagus. The insides of the ghost reached out to tear his soul apart piece by piece. As if his soul was a sweet delicacy that could only be enjoyed with careful meaningful little bites. Each portion of the soul was precious and deserves to be savored slowly.


    Seconds passed until He Yang successfully made it to the core of the ghost. Still curled up like a ball muttering away. None of the little hands inside the ghost could tear a piece from He Yang''s soul and this greatly confused them. Since tearing wasn''t working, they decided to rip a piece off instead. A soul-piercing scream came from He Yang''s mouth when the pain hit him.


    "Hu Tao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


    A monstrous amount of yin qi and soul energy exploded from within the ghost that instantly expanded its body to a huge size before popping like a blister. Its incorporeal form was soon s.u.c.k.e.d into He Yang''s gaping mouth before all that was remaining of the hundred ghost battle was a young human boy curled up in fetal position with blood-red tears running down his eyes. It would take months before he could stand once more but once he did stand, he returned to his body. His body was left in front of the ancient building but there were no signs of anyone in his surroundings and the ancient building looked partially destroyed.


    None of this mattered to him at all. There were only two things on his mind. Hu Tao and getting stronger. He Yang picked up his sword with an otherworldly look in his eyes and began to swing away. Hours turned into days, days turned into months, and months would''ve turned into years but something strange happened on the 7th month, 1st week, and 3rd day of his training. Among the ghosts in the Endless Plains of Yin, news began to spread of the human doing nothing but swinging his sword for 24 hours every day. Eventually, one of the Seven Ghostly Kings came to investigate this rumor for himself. It was the Ancient Sword Immortal.


    At first, he did not say anything to the boy. He did nothing but simply watch. He Yang didn''t interact with him either. It was difficult to say if He Yang could see anything at all, his eyes were glazed over as his mouth muttered some indiscernible words. This meeting eventually lasted over a month until the Ancient Sword Immortal was satisfied with what he saw.


    Ancient Sword Immortal slashed towards He Yang with a lethal sword technique that would surely take He Yang''s life if he did not dodge. He Yang instinctively dodged and perhaps for the first time in eight months, acknowledging someone else''s existence. His clouded eyes turned purple as he stared at the Ancient Sword Immortal.


    "I will teach you the proper way of the sword to get the revenge you seek." Ancient Sword Immortal looked down at his student.


    "..." He Yang simply balled his fists as memories flashed through his mind.


    "Follow me. It would take centuries before you''re ready to defeat whoever this person is at your pace. I have a shortcut that can cut that down into a tenth." Ancient Sword Immortal floated towards his domain in the Endless Plains of Yin.


    He Yang silently followed behind him as he sheathed his sword.


    ______________________________________________


    "Where did everyone go?" Ying wondered.


    "Something must have happened if everyone left before the plates were even collected..." Jie figured.


    "Should someone be here?" Bing asked.


    "So, this is the door that plate is for..." Shang saw the three indentations on the door of the ancient palace.


    "Yep. The treasures are inside that building!" Ying shared.


    "Earlier when we came here, there were hundreds of disciples here now there''s no one here." Jie explained to Bing and Zhai.


    "Something had to have taken place then if it could cause hundreds of disciples to flee." Shang shared.


    "If that''s true, we can only wait for the other two people to come here with the other plates. Tch! How annoying!" Ying clicked her tongue.


    She went out of her way to find a damn plate only to have to sit here and wait like the people she insulted earlier. Ying expected that the person with the other plate would show up before she did so that she could arrive with the final plate. And they were running out of time to finish the second portion of the test... There was no way Ying would allow herself to willing pass up on gaining another Mystic Flame for herself even if she had to fail the Grand Tournament. A Mystic Flame was incomparable to the rewards gained at the end of the tournament. Not that she expected to receive a reward in the first place. How could a Qi Consolidation realm cultivator stand a chance against the higher realm disciples still in the tournament? While Ying didn''t plan to give up without a fight, she wasn''t stupid enough to believe she could place top ten or three.


    "Well eventually some of them should return, right?" Bing took a seat on the palace stairs.


    "I agree. The treasures in this place are not something that is easy to skip out on even if you had to risk your life. Who knows what kind of treasures are held in a realm that''s existed for thousands of years?" Shang took a seat next to the boy.


    "I guess we just have to wait now." Jie sat on the opposite side of the stairs.


    "Can''t we just teleport in with one of your talismans?" Ying looked toward Shang.


    "Usually treasure troves like this don''t allow such a thing but I can try." Shang didn''t want to tell her no without letting her see for herself that it wouldn''t work.


    He took out a common sword from his storage ring and placed a talisman on it. The sword soon disappeared from everyone''s sight and then a loud clang was heard behind them. They saw as the sword fell right in front of the indented door severely rolled up. Shivers went through their bodies as they thought of themselves trying to teleport through the door with a talisman.


    "Damn it." Ying cursed as she sat between Bing and Jie.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, you''re one of these Seven Ghostly Kings, I''ve been hearing about..." Jing tossed the green skull in her hand up and down.


    "You freak... What are you...?" Its skull rattled in terror as it looked at the unsightly girl slightly smiling at him.


    Its terror soon turned into a horrific shriek as Li Li briefly shined a bluish-grey light from his soul lantern onto its skull for insulting his mother.


    "Thank you, son. Now Mr. Ancient Fist Immortal, mind telling me a few things about this realm and of course, a few of your martial arts? Although I look very kind, I''m not as friendly to strangers. You''ve been around long enough don''t you think? I would be doing the world a favor by getting rid of you. So, let''s make both of us happy. You give me what I want, and my son won''t enslave you for the rest of your existence." Jing gave him no other options.


    "How about..." Jing gave Li Li a look. "Skreeeeee!!!!" Ancient Fist Immortal cried out in pain.


    "I''m an immortal! I won''t submit to torture!" He rightly shouted.


    "You don''t know how happy I am to hear those words. I never tortured a soul before but there''s first for everything. This will be a very enlightening experience for me... Li Li! Make sure you''re paying close attention. We''re going to learn as much as we can about the fragility and resilience of ghosts thanks to Mr. Ancient Fist Immortal." Jing pulled out her old glasses and formed a ruler out of water.


    "Thank you, Mr. Ancient Fist Immortal." Li Li''s performed a polite bow as he thanked him with an innocent boy''s voice.


    "No... stop... No...!!!!" Unanswered cries rang out from the empty battlefield.

 Chapter 241 - 235/236: Heavens Angels.

    "I swear... I told you everything I know about the other Ghostly Kings... Please just put an end to my existence already. I beg of you." The glowing verdant skull somehow cried black tears.


    "What is this?" Jing pulled out the Ultimate Bottle that could always land on its head when flipped and collected the black tears of the Ancient Fist Immortal. ??


    "It looks tasty." Li Li licked his lips.


    "Tasty?" Jing looked at the boy.


    She felt repulsed looking at this bottle filled with black sludge-like liquid. It gave off an aura that instinctively rejected the living. Ever since Jing came back from the heart demon test, she still retained knowledge of all the martial arts she learned during that time. Meaning, any special qi that wasn''t blocked behind a bloodline was available for her to use at some point. Despite mastering only water qi in this life, she could very easily use multiple elements. Lightning, Thunder, Fire, Earth, Yin, Yang, Wind, and more. However, she saw no point in doing such a thing as water qi was more than enough for her right now. Jing would say that there was no one that knew more about her than H2O in this life but that would be foolish. Just because she''s lived over 10,000 lives didn''t mean that she was a supreme being that none could match.


    Obviously, she couldn''t match the being that sent her here because she was still here instead of ruling as an Immortal in the heavens above. There was also the fact that she couldn''t forget things anymore ever since she refined herself. Jing could tell that a part of her memories was missing because she couldn''t remember meeting the god but can remember her first life on the Earth and then waking back up on the steps of the Heart Demon Test. If this being could easily erase her memories despite her power being at its peak in her ten-thousandth life, then it proved that she wasn''t supreme.


    "Tears of an ancient ghost that''s at the Spirit Emperor realm..." Li Li muttered. "I feel like it''s very valuable for ghosts and people who have a lot of yin qi in their bodies." He told her.


    "Do you want it?" Jing asked, shaking the bottle.


    Li Li shook his head. While he would be stronger if he drank the black tears, it wouldn''t be that much of a difference. He''d be better off enslaving or swallowing the ancient ghost instead.


    "It''s too weak!" He claimed.


    "Tortured, humiliated, and now you''re insulting me... Even in the afterlife it seems I can''t escape being persecuted for how I am..." Ancient Fist Immortal w.h.i.n.ed.


    "You''re quite s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e for an old ghost, aren''t you?" Jing asked.


    "..." Ancient Fist Immortal stayed silent.


    "He looks pitiful. I''ll take him as my first ghost with the Soul Lantern." Li Li raised the lantern glowing with a bluish-white light and an L symbol etched itself into the Ancient Fist Immortal''s skull.


    An ear-piercing screech came from the body-less skull. Li Li''s lantern was forcefully burning his symbol onto the Ancient Fist Immortal''s soul. Jing and Li Li couldn''t guess how much pain this old ghost could be in. Any injuries to the soul were incredibly s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e as the soul was a person''s entire being in the universe. Unfortunately for the Ancient Fist Immortal, ghosts couldn''t exactly pass out from pain either. Something that Jing personally tested herself, meaning that there was no way for the ghost to lessen or fight the pain.


    A few seconds later, the ghost was s.u.c.k.e.d into the lantern. Now it was shining with a deep blue light. Neither Jing nor Li Li knew what this meant. Jing didn''t know because the system didn''t bother giving her any information on objects that weren''t SCPs or SCP-related. Li Li didn''t know because this was a gift given to him by his mother that didn''t know much of anything about it. He did know that he could summon the Ancient Fist Immortal anytime he wanted though. But it would be a little pointless right now as his soul was very weak and on the verge of disappearing because of his mother''s teaching lesson.


    Thankfully, Li Li could sense that being branded by him shared a little of his own soul power with the captured ghost, and being inside the soul lantern has made it so that they recovered faster. Li Li couldn''t tell what was the strange light inside the lantern was but he knew it was very beneficial to the growth of spirits. A cool spirit tool that could help him understand more about the soul and ghosts. His cultivation was focused on eating souls. His mom told him it would be better to understand what he was eating. He couldn''t just go around putting things he didn''t understand in his mouth or he''d get sick or a tummy ache. Neither of which, he''s ever experienced so far, and based on how his mother described them, he really didn''t want to find out...


    "Alright, let''s go find these other Ghostly Immortals. The Ancient Fist Immortal had quite a lot of treasure stored up despite being so weak." Jing stood up from her water-created chair and started walking out of the cave, one of the seven forbidden areas inside the Endless Plains of Yin.


    "Mom, why do we need treasure when you can make anything you want?" Li Li asked.


    "That''s a good question, son." Jing gave a small smile. "I believe that you can never have enough treasures." She answered him.


    Out of her 10,000 lives, it was spirit tools and spirit weapons that lengthened her lifespan the most during those lives. Eventually, she relied less on tools and more on her martial arts as she was nearing her ten-thousandth life, but it was still quite useful to rely on spiritual objects from time to time. They helped lessen the necessary effort required for other matters that would take time or energy from herself. Why do something yourself if you can have something else made for doing that, do it?


    "But what are we going to do with all that treasure in the first place? I don''t think we really need anything." The only people Li Li could think this treasure would be useful for were the other Ghostly Kings and that bald guy back at the sect.


    "It''ll come in use with time. We might not need it now but there is no guarantee that we won''t need it in the future. And when I become sect leader, it''s not like I can go around making things for everyone anymore. That''ll be below me. However, with all this treasure, I can just give it to my followers without exerting myself at all." She explained.


    "I think I understand." Li Li didn''t look like he understood but Jing didn''t put him on the spot.


    "Curiosity is good." Jing rubbed Li Li''s head as they made their way out of the cave.


    "But too much is bad, right?" Li Li giggled.


    "It depends on the situation." She shrugged.


    After all, it was her curiosity for understanding the world that allowed her to progressively get more powerful during her Heart Demon Test. She had used countless men, women, and children to understand things she couldn''t find information on no matter how hard she looked. Qi, souls, the different types of qi, the best way of utilizing qi, martial arts, etc. Perhaps hundreds of millions had died for her curiosity overall out of her 10,000 lives. Jing did not regret what she did in those lives though. While she didn''t know that those people weren''t real and everything would be reset if she died, it was all for the sole benefit of empowering herself with knowledge. Knowledge was everything and a lack of it could lead to death.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Sometimes the thirst for knowledge is not worth pursuing if the cost is your life. But some things in life are worth going for even if you have to sacrifice yourself. I never felt this way but I''ve seen others who have." Jing shared.


    "..." Li Li''s child-like superbrain was doing all it could to process the information he was receiving at the moment.


    Jing took the lead and went towards the next Ghostly King''s territory. Her storage ring had infinite capacity after all thanks to SCP-914. She could probably absorb the entire planet and still have room to stuff things. There was no limit to the number of things she could take.


    ''Wait!'' Jing suddenly came to a startling realization about her storage ring.


    It would be possible for her to store the Great Tower into her storage ring, wouldn''t it...? In fact, why stop at just the Great Tower? Couldn''t she take whatever he laid her eyes on? As long as it wasn''t a living human or living animal, she could put it inside her storage ring. This would be very fun to play around with... Jing had to think of a few fun ways to utilize this information to its full potential.


    "Let''s see if I can suck up this annoying fog." While Jing could see clearly and far with her refined eyes, it was still a bother to see nothing but fog, trees, and occasionally ghosts.


    Jing''s storage ring lit up with purple light as Jing indicated with her qi that she wanted to suck up the fog. Then a great change happened within the Endless Plains of Yin.


    ______________________________________________


    It took quite some time before people started to return to the ancient palace but once they realized that Hu Tao was no longer in the area, they went back to standing around the locked door. All the Golden Serpent Sect disciples could do was wait. They only had two plates out of the required three and brute force or any trickery was pointless in front of the palace doors. It was the third and final day of the second portion of the test. There was no point in going out to search for the third plate by now because once they return, the test would already be over by then! So, they could only hope that the person with the third plate would show up sometime soon.


    "I could''ve collected so many ghosts by now..." Ying felt like tearing her hair out.


    At her core, Ying was not a very patient girl. If there was one thing she hated, it was waiting. In her opinion, why wait for something to happen when she could go and make it happen herself? This didn''t count when talking about confessing her feelings to Bing though. Why not? Because it just doesn''t!


    If she had the time, she would storm out of this crowd and search this stupid creepy place up and down to find that third plate. Thankfully, there was someone willing to do that. Tang Wuying let out an annoyed sigh as he got up from his place on the stairs. Everyone below him quickly split apart to make room for him. Tang was one of the few disciples capable of killing one of Hu Tao''s clones. Clones that didn''t have Hu Tao''s power but all of his skills.


    Everyone that was able to defeat the clones had their status rise because it proved that they were skilled martial artists that shouldn''t be messed with recklessly. Not just anyone could defeat Hu Tao. Even beating a weakened Hu Tao is still an achievement in the eyes of these disciples because very few people could claim they beat Hu Tao at all in a one-on-one fight! Ying and the gang said nothing once they found out about the trouble that Hu Tao caused moments ago. They didn''t want to be the target of everyone''s hatred by pointing out that they were allies with Hu Tao.


    "Well, it is Hu Tao." Bing smiled and shrugged.


    If there was anyone willing to go against the Inner Court factions just by themself, it would definitely be Hu Tao. The only way Bing could see himself doing something so suicidal was if the Empress ordered him to or... if his friends'' lives were in danger? But if something happened to everyone in Heaven''s Angels, Bing doubted that his strength would be enough to save them all. In his opinion, he felt that he was one of the weakest angels, excluding Hu Tao''s followers. Bing wasn''t blind to his own power but compared to the others, he felt that all he had was a strong body and powerful strength. Didn''t a cultivator need more than just that to be recognized as strong?


    "He''s going to get us caught up in some annoying problems one of these days and we''ll have to clean up his mess." Ying was annoyed.


    Right now, they were completely surrounded on all sides by disciples who were harassed by Hu Tao. Some of their friends and siblings died at his hands from his attack earlier. She was sure that they would love to let out the anger they were feeling right now out on them even if they didn''t do anything. While Ying felt empathy for their situations, it didn''t mean that she would allow herself to be a target for them to release that pent-up hatred they''re feeling. Ying would cut them down with no remorse.


    If they''re really upset about Hu Tao''s actions, then get stronger and deal with him by themself. That was the way of the world. Strength was king and weakness was the source of misery. Ying knew if she lost someone she cared about to Hu Tao, she would train her mind, body, and soul to pass their limits to kill him herself. Luckily for her, there were few people she cared about in this world. And no, Hu Tao was not one of them.


    "That does sound like it makes sense..." Jie agreed. "Eventually we''re going to be recognized as Hu Tao''s companions and forced to deal with the problems he creates." She muttered.


    "..." Shang stayed silent as he just listened to as much information as he could.


    Apparently, this Hu Tao fellow is a follower under his woman that regularly causes trouble for others. Shang wondered if Jing was bothered by Hu Tao as well. If she needed help, he could discipline him for her. But he wasn''t going to assume that just because everyone else in her group was troubled by him, that would mean that she was troubled by him too. For now, he would continue to follow her followers around, help them out when they needed it, and listen to more information.


    "Hehehehe..." Ying suddenly started giggling with a mischievous smile on her face.


    "I don''t like the sound of that..." Bing mumbled.


    Ying took out Heaven''s Angels message talisman and began writing something for all the members to read.


    "Next time Hu Tao causes trouble and forces us to deal with it, how about we team up next time we meet and pummel him together?" She wrote.


    Bing pulled out his talisman and looked at Ying as if she was crazy.


    "Sounds interesting...?" Lei Zhi responded.


    "Do you really think we''re strong enough to deal with Hu Tao even together?" Bing messaged.


    "We''ll be enough." Wan Qing''s message came flying in.


    "Hahahaha! We''ll teach that annoying bastard a lesson for causing us so much trouble! Qing, do you know what mess he just caused recently?" Ying asked.


    "No, but I have a feeling it had something to do with the place where the plates are supposed to go."


    "Plates?" Jing''s message came flying in.


    "Did you find a plate, Jing?!" Ying''s attention was momentarily taken away.


    "I might have. I''ll send a clone to deliver it to you. It isn''t getting much use out of being in my hands anyway." Jing told her.


    "Please send it as fast as possible! It''s almost time for us to leave the Endless Plains." Ying kindly reminded.


    "Oh, that is true, isn''t it?" Lei remembered.


    "How are things going on your end, Lei?" Bing asked.


    "Things are going relatively well I''d say... Runt and I are doing our best to save as many people as we can while collecting any ghosts that come our way."


    "Why are you doing that?" Ying questioned.


    "To further my skills and it turns out that the youth are a lot more willing to listen to reason after being saved from dying. I believe I can use my skills in healing to reform the youth. By being indebted to me for saving them, asking them to be kind enough to save another or treat others with the respect you wish to receive isn''t much, in my opinion, to ask of them." Lei Zhi answered.


    "Sounds dumb to me. They''re just going to take advantage of your kindness and continue being the person they were before meeting you." Ying told him her honest thoughts.


    "Please don''t tell me you''re healing them for free!" Bing added.


    "I''m not that na?ve, Bing. I can recognize the value of my skills and always request something of value depending on the extent of the patient''s injuries. And I can only hope that things don''t turn out that way, Ying." Lei Zhi responded.


    "Where is Hu Tao?" Jing asked.


    No one responded and this made everyone slowly realize that something unusual was going on. Hu Tao wasn''t the type to hold his tongue or quietly watch things unfold in front of him. Ying was confused on why Hu Tao didn''t respond earlier when she made the plan to beat him up with the rest of the angels. She felt that he would''ve definitely said something like, "Bring it on!" with a bunch of curses or something similar to that. And there was also the fact that Hu Tao would never ignore Jing of all people. Meaning that something has happened to Hu Tao and he''s unable to read the message talisman.


    "He didn''t get sealed again, did he...?" Bing was scared of the possibility.


    The last time Hu Tao got sealed, both he and Lei Zhi nearly died! If it wasn''t for Ying''s timely assistance, they would be dead right now! So, Bing was hoping with all of his heart that Hu Tao didn''t get sealed again. Because only Jing would have the knowledge or power to break him out of whatever formation he got trapped in. Hopefully, they wouldn''t have to go out of their way to save him but Bing was not very hopeful about this.


    "We don''t have to save him, do we, Jing? Can''t we leave him sealed for like 5... 10... maybe a hundred years and then go save him?" Ying pleaded.


    "I say he does deserve some time to stay sealed. How long has it been since he was sealed last time? If we let him stay sealed for a few years, maybe we can avoid having our reputation ruined by that fool." Wan Qing suggested.


    "I''m in favor of keeping Hu Tao sealed for the time being." Lei Zhi agreed.


    "Very well. We''ll put off Hu Tao''s rescue for now but you all will need to find a fitting replacement for him soon." Jing conceded to their feelings. "I also would like to know who sealed him in the first place."


    Despite how useful Hu Tao was, if he was bringing nothing but trouble and headache to his teammates, he could only blame himself for having his rescue delayed. Jing couldn''t very well ignore the feelings of her followers. It would be unfortunate for Hu Tao but it was his own fault. Some time to cool his head and rest may help him. His actions had consequences and it seems the karma for his actions has finally caught up with him. Not that Jing believed in karmic retribution in the first place. Plus, if being sealed was all he got as payback from karma, Jing believes that the law of karma is quite forgiving and lenient.


    "Understood, Empress!" Bing''s message came.


    "I might have a good replacement option!" Ying''s eyes hungrily stared at the useful, coolheaded, and non-troublesome Zhai.


    "Well, I can''t wait to meet them. Hopefully, they''re as good as you think they are." Jing left the group with that message.

 Chapter 242 - 237: Finally! Lets Loot!

    Jing''s water clone wasted no time in speeding towards Ying and the others with the plate. It took around five minutes before it appeared at the ancient palace. Everyone looked at it with confusion and wariness. Despite its n.a.k.e.d look, these disciples have been put through the wringer for the last few days. Anything new and unusual was to be feared and placed on guard against. So, in the eyes of the disciples, this n.a.k.e.d girl made of water could be some sort of new ghost that wanted to kill them all.


    Jing ignored the eyes of everyone and made it to the top of the stairs leading to the palace''s doors. This was where Ying, Bing, Jie, and... Zhai Shang was sitting? She formed an umbrella of water that blocked the view of her body and held it in front of Shang''s eyes. It was too early for him to see something like this of her. This body of hers might be a clone''s body but its bodily features are identical to her original body''s. ??


    "Jing!" Shang called out.


    "Don''t tell me this is Hu Tao''s replacement..." Jing glanced toward Ying.


    "He''s way better than Hu Tao could ever be!" Ying defended her choice.


    Jing couldn''t help but sigh as she reached into her naval and took out the plate floating within her stomach.


    "Do you know him, Jing?" Jie felt something was off.


    "I guess you could say that..."


    Why was she only blocking the view of herself from Zhai only? Didn''t that mean that she had some sort of connection or relationship with him? Jie and Bing started whispering to themselves. Wondering what kind of history Jing had with Zhai.


    "Do you think he''s another slave?" Bing guessed.


    "That can''t be it... If Hu Tao was here, she wouldn''t do that." Jie figured.


    "That''s true... She''s also letting me look all I want." Bing wasn''t particularly happy about this though.


    The Empress had no s.e.x appeal in his eyes whatsoever. Small b.u.t.t, small bust, tiny body, and dark skin. None of them were qualities that Bing looked for in a woman. However, she was very scary and strong. This was more than enough to make up for her lack of appearance to Bing.


    "I''m her boyfriend! Zhai Shang is the boyfriend of Jing!" Zhai Shang was not ashamed to let everyone know of their relationship.


    If anything, he was elated to finally get it off his c.h.e.s.t. He didn''t care for the bewildered looks in the eyes of his fellow disciples or looks of disdain. His love for her went beyond his position in the sect. Shang couldn''t control the rapid beating of his heart once he saw that familiar figure appear at the bottom of the stairs.


    Everyone looked at Shang as if he was crazy. What the hell was he screaming about? Before anyone could fully take in the words shouted by Shang, a great change took place in their surroundings that quickly took hold of their attention. The fog was disappearing! The endless white fog that covered every part of the Endless Plains of Yin was rapidly receding into the distance. No one could believe their eyes nor understand why this was happening.


    As everyone''s attention was taken away, Jing mouthed a few words to Shang.


    "Save it for the real Jing, not a clone."


    Ying also used this time wisely. She snatched the plate given to her by Jing and inserted it into the indented spot in the palace doors. Now all three plates were in and Ying figured the doors could be opened now.


    "Come on! Let''s go!" Ying whispered to the group.


    Bing and Jie quickly followed behind her. Shang stayed behind with Jing''s water clone.


    "Go." She told him.


    Jing jumped off the top of the stairs and blasted a funnel of water into the air to capture everyone''s attention. After doing that, she soon blasted high-pressure jets of water towards the strongest cultivators here, excluding Wuying Tang, Gong Jun, and Juju. Then she ran into the now clearer forest without a word after almost killing her fellow disciples. She was soon chased by those she nearly assassinated and this gave the group more time to explore inside the ancient palace.


    Of course, her distraction only lasted for a few seconds for those she didn''t target. It wasn''t like she could have everyone there chase after her even if she tried killing them all. Not everyone was mesmerized by the disappearing fog. But Jing felt that those few seconds she gave them were more than enough. They were her angels after all.


    Excluding Jie and Shang, Bing and Ying should be enough to take care of them if they run into any trouble. If not, they should be able to escape with Shang''s movement spells. Jing soon dissolved herself as her job was complete. Leaving those following after her very confused and pissed off. The thing that tried killing them killed itself! Now they just wasted time chasing after it for nothing.


    ______________________________________________


    "Follow me! The Mystic Flame is this way!" Ying ran forward with everyone behind her.


    They ignored the luxurious interior of the entrance of the palace and followed Ying. As they made it past the entrance of the palace, ghosts of all kinds began to show up. Ying grinned as he gripped her amulet in her left hand and sword in her right. Bing and the others watched Ying tear through the frightening butlers and maids with relative ease. Her huge sword sliced them in half as if they were light pieces of cloth while her amulet captured their remains.


    The hallway was slashed, crushed, sliced, and torn apart by Ying''s fierce swordsmanship. Bing kept his eye out for any surprises and his shield raised. If Ying ran into something she couldn''t handle, he would jump in and defend against it for her. Then the two of them would work together to take out the ghost. Thankfully though, their group didn''t encounter anything like that.


    Eventually, Ying led them to a dark spiral staircase that extended into the bas.e.m.e.nt of the palace. Bing was the first to go down, Shang second, Jie third, and Ying last. Ying was upset that she could walk behind Bing but knew that if something attacked them on these spiral stairs, she would be helpless to retaliate. Her sword was too big to be used effectively on these narrow stairs. If she tried using her flames, she would burn everyone behind and in front of her.


    Bing had to squeeze himself down the stairs because of how narrow it was. His arms were scrapped against the wall and pillar in the middle of the spiral stairs. The only thing he could do was walk down and raise or lower his shield. He wasn''t too upset about this, what more did he need to protect himself or those behind him? While his arms were uncomfortable, a little discomfort was nothing compared to the safety of himself and those behind him.


    "I wonder why the ghosts didn''t chase us down here." Ying casually asked.


    "Please don''t jinx us." Bing just hoped they could make it to the bottom of these stairs already. It has been more than five minutes of them walking down them.


    "Maybe there''s something that even the ghosts are afraid of down here." Shang shared his thoughts.


    "Then are we walking straight to our deaths?" Jie questioned.


    "Just because the ghosts are afraid, doesn''t mean we have to be." Ying tried to calm everyone''s nerves. "Don''t forget you have me!" Ying''s hair lit up with a bright orange light and allowed the rest of the group to see more of the staircase they were walking down on.


    "Let''s get off this staircase first before talking about anything..." Bing said.


    "Is there even an end to this stupid thing?!" Ying could feel the presence of the Mystic Flame below her.


    "Hmm..." This question got Shang thinking.


    He placed a talisman on the wall of the staircase. Thirty seconds later, he placed a different talisman on the wall. Shang continued to place talismans on the wall every thirty seconds to see if what Ying said had any merit. Of course, the others questioned him on what he was doing and if it could help them.


    "It might." Shang answered.


    The results of his testing didn''t take too long to come to light. After several more minutes of walking down the endless staircase, eventually, the group stumbled upon talismans stuck to the walls.


    "We''re in an illusion or on a spirit tool." Shang shared.


    "Hang on! I can find out which it is!" Ying shouted.


    Ying struggled to turn around with Hao Gang giving her trouble in this endeavor. After a few seconds of struggling, she crouched down low and punched the staircase with all of her strength. The staircase chipped from her powerful punch and Ying grabbed that chip. With even more difficulty, Ying placed the piece from the staircase into the mouth hidden behind Hao Gang''s demonic eye.


    "Hehehehe... It looks like it wasn''t an illusion after all!" Ying victoriously laughed as her sword started transforming into a case of stairs with a sword hilt.

 Chapter 243 - 238: Stupid Freaking Staircase!

    The giant stair sword began shifting in a way that made it look like the stairs were moving on their own. As this was happening, the endless staircase they were on began rumbling and shaking. Small rocks started to fall from above them, landing on top of their heads and shoulders. Bing tried lifting his shield and placing it above their heads to protect against the falling debris but it seems it was unneeded.


    "Don''t worry! I have everything under control!" Ying shouted. ??


    "Are you sure!?" Bing''s fat couldn''t stop shaking along with the shaking of the staircase.


    Jie held on to Shang''s back with one hand and had her sword ready to protect herself in her other hand. Shang held a talisman in between his fingers, ready to activate them at a moment''s notice. Bing and the other had no choice but to believe in Ying''s words because they had no reason to think that she would lie about something like this! The stairs below them started to move from their original positions.


    Previously when they ventured down the dark staircase, it was shaped into a downward spiral. But whatever Ying was doing was somehow controlling the steps themselves. They struggled to balance themselves as the stairs split itself from the rock pillar it was twisting around. Looking down, they could only see darkness below them. Both Bing and Jie shook in fright once they realized that wherever these steps led to definitely wasn''t a normal place.


    Shang crouched on his floating stair and grabbed one of the falling rocks from above. Taking a deep breath, he tossed the rock down below and placed his ear over the edge of his platform. One second, two seconds, three seconds... Even after 10 seconds had passed, he still couldn''t hear the sound of the rock he threw landing.


    "Do not fall!" He quickly warned.


    "Wasn''t planning on it, but thanks anyway!" Bing did everything he could to lighten his body and stay completely still on his floating platform.


    He was a big person and with all the width he had, if he made the slightest movement, his floating stair could tilt one way and send him sliding off down below. While he was confident in the toughness of his body, he wasn''t crazy enough to think he could survive a fall from this height. Bing couldn''t hear any of the pebbles falling from above landing below. It was pretty obvious to say that they were pretty damn high up!


    "Ying! How long is this going to take?!" Jie politely shouted, standing as still as a stone sculpture.


    Ying''s eyes were currently closed as she was doing her best to concentrate on controlling the staircase to make a pathway down below for them and making sure her friends didn''t fall to their deaths. Qi control wasn''t something she specialized in and it turns out controlling this spirit tool in the form of an infinite staircase took a lot of damn qi control to properly use! Hao Gang even had to step in to support her in controlling the Infinite Staircase but it still wasn''t enough to fully connect all of the stairs together to reach the bottom.


    "Damn it!" Ying cursed.


    Now that Hao Gang has swallowed a piece of the spirit tool, Ying could no longer use her fire qi as long as she held him in her hand. Normally when her anger flares up, she would erupt in flames but now that she was utilizing a very unique type of qi something else happened instead. A small piece of a staircase grew on top of her stair sword. There were originally four steps going upward on her blade but now there were five.


    Feeling this change happen to her sword gave Ying an idea... Instead of trying to stupidly control each individual step of this Infinite Staircase, she could just make her own steps by feeding her qi into Hao Gang. But Ying knew she couldn''t just stop controlling the staircase yet. Bing, Jie, and Shang were still floating in the air. So, Ying infused a large amount of qi into Hao Gang.


    Several steps grew from the tip of her unusual stair blade. Ying pointed her sword downward so that it created a path to the bottom.


    "Jump over!" Ying yelled to them.


    "Are you sure about this...?" Bing nervously rubbed the back of his head.


    "Be a man and jump already!" Ying shouted in response.


    Jie, Shang, and Bing all leaped off of their platforms together. Each of them landed on Ying''s sword and it wobbled from their combined weight. The veins on Ying''s arms revealed themselves as she put more strength into her arms to hold them all up and continue building steps to reach the bottom with. Now that they were all on her sword, she didn''t have to bother controlling her qi so carefully. Ying no longer held herself back as she infused most of her qi into the Infinite Staircase Greatsword. Hundreds of steps grew from the tip of the blade in seconds, extending into the deep darkness below.


    "Bing! Qi Recovery Cake! Feed me!" Ying ordered.


    Bing wasted no time in doing as she asked. He took out a piece of the cake from his storage ring, used his finger to open up Ying''s mouth, and placed it on her tongue.


    "Sorry about this!" Bing apologized as he was feeding her.


    Ying couldn''t repress her inner d_e_s_i_r_es despite this life-or-death situation they were going through right now. When Bing''s finger touched her lip and he was about to place the cake into her mouth, her tongue gently licked at his fingers before he removed his fingers and left the cake in her mouth.


    Heat rushed to her face as she thought how shameful her actions were. Ying was really glad that it was dark in here or everyone would be able to see how badly she was blushing. She quickly chewed the cake as she tried taking her mind off of l_i_c_k_i_n_g Bing''s fingers like a pervert. He wasn''t saying anything, so he must have just thought it was an accident, right?


    ''This must be pretty serious if she needed me to feed her...'' Was Bing''s only thoughts before he mindlessly licked his finger of the cake icing left on his finger.


    ''You fat idiot! What are you doing!?'' If Ying''s face was red before, now it was a deep burning flame.


    A floating step bashed itself into Bing''s head.


    "Ow! Be careful!" Bing rubbed his head, assuming it was only a mistake on Ying''s part.


    "Don''t rush me!" Ying barked back at the perverted fat idiot. There''s no way he licked his fingers because she licked his, right? It couldn''t be...


    "Hey Zhai, do you have a spell that could help her recover her qi faster?" Bing asked.


    "I do but it seems like it would be unnecessary." Shang replied.


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Bing was a body cultivator. He couldn''t sense qi signatures as well as qi cultivators.


    "The amount of qi that she is using isn''t increasing or decreasing. If she was running low on energy, her qi would be slowly or quickly falling. So, I assume that cake you fed her is doing its job properly." Shang explained.


    "So, I guess we wait now, huh?" Jie took a seat on the stairs and took a deep breath.


    "I''ll get us down eventually. Just wait a bit." Ying told them.


    And wait they did. It took around three hours before Ying''s staircase extended far down enough to reach the bottom. Every ten minutes, Ying had to feed another piece of the stairs to Hao. The transformation only lasted for ten minutes. Luckily for Ying, there was no resting period before Hao could transform again. Otherwise, they might have been trapped here forever.


    Once their path to the bottom was finally completed, they rushed down the steps as fast as possible. They wasted so much time making a way to the bottom, who knows how long they had to loot before the second portion of the test was over. Upon making it to the bottom, they were greeted by blinding gold, weapons, and all sorts of shiny objects, an altar with a bluish-white flame floating over it, and a skeleton dr_a_p_ed in luxurious robes sitting on a throne with a brown book in his lap.


    "I call the Mystic Flame!" Ying didn''t give anyone the chance to react as she shot forward with great speed and grabbed at the floating fireball.


    "Well, it''s not like anyone else has an affinity for fire here..." Bing rolled his eyes as he headed toward the left gold pile. Specifically keeping his distance from the flame


    Jiajia forcefully kept him away from the flame. Her touch was cold like ice but even so, he could feel her claws trembling in fear as she held him. She put on a tough face but he could tell whatever that flame was, terrified her to her core. It even made him a bit uneasy for some reason. His arm broke out in goosebumps and sweat dripped from his skin just by making eye contact with the flame.


    "I''ll try my luck with the skeleton..." Shang walked towards the throne.


    "I''ll see what''s in this pile then." Jie took the right gold pile.


    "Huhuhuhu... So, you wish to take my treasure, is that it?" A disembodied voice playfully laughed from above them.

 Chapter 244 - 239: A Deadly Game.

    Ying was the only one out of the three unable to react to the disembodied voice coming from above them. Bing froze like a statue when he felt the pressure descending on his round body. His thick hands that were grabbing at the piles of gold and spiritual objects halted mid-air. Jiajia glared at the voice above him with her claws growing in length. Jie reacted in a similar manner to Bing but with her sword at the ready to be used to defend herself. Shang placed a talisman on himself that ignited and created a qi bubble around himself.


    "To think that I, the Demon God Thief, would find my end in such a cursed placed..." The voice sighed. "So, you want my treasure is that it? You want the treasure of a godly thief that managed to cause empires to go mad because of his stealing skills? It does make sense. The tomb of a godly thief such as myself would cause multiple empires to go crazy trying to rob it. There are many precious royal heirlooms and the like inside here but how could I just let you take it for free?" The voice''s tone had some playfulness to it. "Do you know how many enemies I made by stealing across the world? Back in my day, if any of these treasures were to get out, the heavens themselves might just strike you for acquiring such godlike treasures. Perhaps that''s why I died in this place, never to enter the reincarnation wheel for myself because I gained too much for a mortal!" ??


    No one interrupted the talkative ghost. Whoever this ghost was, everyone could clearly feel just how powerful he was. Shang couldn''t even secretly try and create a formation to save all of them. The ghost was able to watch his every movement, no matter how small it might be. If he was this strong even as a ghost, Shang couldn''t fathom how powerful he was when he was alive. And since he was a thief, he was probably informed about all types of tricks and schemes. Not that Shang was well-versed in them anyway. As a genius, when did he ever have to rely on petty tricks? Never, that''s when.


    ''We might stand a chance of surviving if that cow succeeds in gaining the Mystic Flame...'' Jiajia spoke to Bing from inside his void world.


    ''So we need to stall him, huh?'' Sweat dripped from Bing''s body.


    From one dangerous life-threatening situation to the next... To say that he was surprised would be a lie. As a member of Heaven''s Angels, he simply had to get used to being in such dire situations until they were just a common thing. Like waking up to eat breakfast or having a casual conversation with a peer. Was it sad to say that he was already used to the rapid beating of his heart from terror and having his mind race in thinking of ways to survive this situation with his life and the life of his friends intact?


    "I beg your forgiveness, Demon God Thief!" Bing turned his body, banged his forehead to the ground, and kowtowed to the spirit. "If you so wish, we will leave your resting place this instance and never return to bother you again!" He shouted with his body shivering.


    "Ho... So you intrude on my resting place, mess up the feng shu of my belongings and how they were placed, and then ask for forgiveness?"


    "I''m willing to do anything so that you can forgive us and let us leave with our lives!" Bing responded.


    "Now, now, I am a sensible ghost. While I can barely control myself looking at your succulent body, I am a man willing to give others a fair chance. How about this... Since your friend with the evil sword is about to take the Mystic Flame I placed to protect my treasures from ghosts, all I require is one of your lives in return." He asked politely. "You three will fight until there are only two of you remaining. You can team up or fight individually. It doesn''t matter to me." He explained.


    "You...! How could---" Jie''s righteous anger was interrupted by Bing''s sudden assault.


    "Swift Devil!" Bing tackled into Jie and knocked her into a wall.


    He winked towards Shang, who caught on quickly to what he was doing. Shang skillfully twirled his staff as he ran towards Bing. Bing fought like a complete coward. Once he saw the prodigy coming towards him, he threw piles of gold and anything within range to stop him from coming any closer. Laughter could be heard above Bing and Shang.


    "Bing! Why the hell?! You''re playing into his hands! Stop fighting!" Jie shouted.


    She ran over with her sword to break the two of them up so that they could work together to escape this situation. Unfortunately, her seemingly logical plan didn''t fit the narrative of anyone else. When Bing heard Jie coming up from behind him, an arm grew out of his back and punched her in the gut, sending her flying away once again. At this point, Jie''s patience would''ve normally run out but falling in love with the man named Hu Tao changed her.


    In truth, her patience ran out when Bing first knocked into her. When she was going to break up Bing and Shang''s fight, she was actually going to beat them half to death and force them into listening to her. Her patience hasn''t improved but actually lowered significantly. It was because of this lower patience that she asked Jing to help her become a woman that could keep Hu Tao under control and be loved by him. Jie''s poor little heart wouldn''t be able to last long if she couldn''t do anything about Hu Tao except be in love with him.


    As Jie was about to get up to half-murder Bing, she felt something fall off of her stomach. It was that strange talisman that Bing and Ying had. Her eyes narrowed as she closely read the words on the talisman. A sense of relief and anger washed over her once she read it. She was still upset about being hit by Bing but now that she thought about it, she wasn''t hurt all that much. The only damage she took was from crashing into the wall twice and even that was negligible because she coated her body in qi to brace for impact. Jie soon got up and charged back towards Bing and Shang with rage and greed in her eyes.


    "Hmm? What''s this?" Demon God Thief plucked the talisman off the ground.


    As the slip of paper floated in front of his eyes, he frowned. There was nothing on it. He tried infusing his ghostly qi into it but still nothing happened. Something wasn''t adding up... Why did that girl look like she was reading something if there was nothing on this talisman? Demon God Thief couldn''t come up with an explanation for it so, he tried ripping it up.


    "Hmm?" He couldn''t rip it. Maybe he just wasn''t trying hard enough. "Nhhhg!" Okay, this talisman obviously wasn''t normal.


    "Die!" The sound of combat temporarily recaptured his interest.


    A spray of blood shot out from the fatty''s c_h_e_s_t. He fell to the ground clutching his wound as his eyes frantically looked around the room for something to save his life with. He scooted backward with his b_u_t_t in terror from the young girl slowly inching towards him with a menacing look on her face. Demon God Thief couldn''t believe how easy it was getting these three to turn on each other. His instincts were telling him that something was off but that fatty''s injury was too severe for this to be faked. That fatty was going to die soon even if he had healing pills or got treatment soon.


    Despite this though, the Demon God Thief didn''t lower his guard. How could the king of thieves be foolish enough to believe what he saw with his eyes? You don''t become the king of thieves by simply trusting your eyes. If anything, eyes were the most untrustworthy organs! He''d rather trust his nose than his eyes!


    "Sorry, tubby." The girl grinned. "Looks like the treasure is all ours." Were her final words to the dying fatty.


    "Work harder in your next life." The handsome boy looked down on him.


    Demon God Thief was very satisfied by this outcome. Once the fatty''s breathing stopped, he would award the two survivors by allowing them to take one treasure of their choice. When they escape, they''ll inevitably tell more people about his tomb, allowing him to bring more and more people to his resting place. Some will be used for entertainment purposes while others will be nutrients for him to feed on.


    "You''re mine, you stupid flame! I, Yue Ying, will never give up something that I want! As a member of the Yue Family, asking me to give up something I want is the same as asking me to die! My conviction isn''t so weak that I would lose to a barely developed flame like you." Ying''s voice cried out.


    A purple flame erupted from Ying''s body. Two figures in particular fiercely recoiled at this purple flame. One retreated inside Bing''s body while the other floated closer to the ceiling.

 Chapter 245 - 240: Yings Trial.

    Seeing the frightful retreat of the Demon God Thief meant that Bing''s plan wasn''t just a gamble. Shang and Jie looked at one another before hearing the sounds of someone munching on something. They looked over to the bloody Bing and saw him stuffing a wedding-sized cake down his gullet.


    ''To think he was in the mood to eat even after suffering such a deep wound...'' Shang was honestly impressed.


    Ai''s willpower was not to be underestimated. Not to mention his wit and willingness to sacrifice himself. Shang knew he wouldn''t be willing to place his life in the hands of others. Ai was the only person that Shang could think of that would propose a plan like this and make himself the one to take a life-threatening injury. Zhai Shang has met plenty of people in his life but none of them had the slightest bit of courage that Ai had.


    ''It hurts! It really hurts! Why does it hurt even though its healing!?'' Bing complained.


    Eating the recovery cake was enough to mend and heal his wounds despite how deeply Jie slashed him. He wished he could describe the experience as pleasant but that would be a big fat lie. Bing''s just lucky that Ying was able to tame the Mystic Flame so soon. While he was able to manipulate his flesh to a certain extent, he didn''t believe he could control his internal organs. Faking his death competently isn''t something he could accomplish just yet. Perhaps there''s a near-death pill or something but as of now, he had no idea if such a thing existed.


    "Should we leave our escape to Ying?" Jie asked.


    "Seeing how quickly he flew to the ceiling, I suppose she stands a good chance of surviving on her own." Shang shared.


    "No... We should help her." Bing slowly got up, rubbing his previously split belly.


    "Won''t we just get in the way?" Jie questioned.


    "It''s better to have four against one than just a one on one." Bing explained.


    "I see your point... I only assumed she could handle him on her own because of how terrified he looked. But there is nothing wrong with being cautious. Especially against an old ghost like this." Shang nodded his head.


    "Are you good to fight?" Jie looked towards Bing. There was not even a scar left on his stomach.


    "I won''t die." Bing brought out his two shields and bulked up.


    "I''ll never get used to seeing you do that..." Jie had to look away because of how disgusting the transformation looked.


    "I certainly wished you warned me of that..." Shang said to Jie. His eyes had the unfortunate opportunity to see Bing''s flesh moving on its own and weaving itself around him like a type of armor.


    "I''ll go in first to distract him. Lin, help me out so that I can touch him. One of you two will explain the situation to Ying. And please make it before I die." Bing took a deep breath as he was about to face death head-on once again.


    "Swift Devil." And with that, he was gone.


    "You explain the situation to Yue. I''ll set up a formation to help us survive." Shang told Jie.


    "Got it." Jie started running towards Ying.


    A Ying who was busy celebrating her victory of claiming a second Mystic Flame for herself. Acquiring this Mystic Flame was a whole lot different from how it was taking it from Fu Kang. This was a Mystic Flame that wasn''t taken by anyone. She had to prove that she deserved to own this naturally-forming treasure from the heavens.


    Ying was taken to a world filled with nothing but the dead. An endless landscape of spirits floating about. Their eyes were unfocused. They only traveled forward. She tried talking to them, attacking them, and doing anything to get them to notice her but nothing worked. Her voice, words, and fists passed right through them. Kindness, violence, indifference, the spirits didn''t seem to care about anything but reaching their destination.


    The ghosts traveled in all directions. As Ying journeyed further and further in the white land, more and more ghosts began to fill her vision. Eventually, ghosts with the faces of her friends and family showed up as well. Ying tried interacting with them as well but just like how it was with the other ghosts, they didn''t respond to her. It wasn''t until she saw herself as a ghost that something unusual happened.


    Ying felt like she was traveling for months before she met herself as a ghost. It stared into her eyes and this slightly startled Ying. Despite traveling a seemingly endless distance, she hasn''t met any ghost that acknowledged her. So, when she encountered a ghost that could see her and looked like herself, a number of emotions erupted within her.


    This eruption being expressed in the form of a powerful punch to the face. Ying''s fist landed squarely on the face of her ghost twin. But instead of sending it flying off into the distance, Ying had suffered too much to let it off easily like that. She lifted her fist upward slightly before smashing the ghost into the ground with all of her anger.


    The white world split into a giant ravine. All of the fury building within Ying exploded with the force of that one punch. Ying wasn''t a patient person. So, when she was forced into a situation where she had no choice but to be patient, it was easy to see how she would feel upon seeing the person who made her go through a situation like that.


    Ying''s punch split the world in two and millions of ghosts fell down into the black ravine. However, Ying''s vengeance didn''t end with just a single punch. It''d be crazy to assume that she''d be satisfied with just one good punch. She hasn''t been learning Infinite Heaven Fist Style for nothing.


    "Infinite Heaven Fist Style: Never-Ending Fists!" She shouted.


    A white aura coated her fists as she let off punch after punch on the ghost clone of herself. 10 blows, 100 blows, 1,000 blows, 10,000 blows, 100,000 blows. Ying didn''t stop her fists from swinging until she was suddenly transported elsewhere. This greatly disorientated her as she felt herself making a breakthrough with her Infinite Heaven Fist Style.


    She was now in a darkly lit room with a small purple flame being the only source of light. Ying took a step forward and could feel the fear emanating from the flame.


    "You''re scared of me?" Ying asked.


    "..." It provided no response.


    She took another step and the flame fiercely shivered in response. Ying rolled her eyes. This little bastard was the whole reason she was put through that annoying trial! Like hell, she would feel bad for her tormentor, even if it was a stupid child.


    Ying made it over to the flame trying its best to burn her with its flame in great terror. Her fist came crashing down on its center as a white-bluish flame came out of her back. This flame slowly shaped itself into her figure and came toward the purple flame. It gently kissed the flame as it comfortingly took hold of it and held it in its hand. Once Frost Flames started walking towards Ying, the purple figure began to shake in fright once more.


    "Quit being so annoying! You''re mine, you stupid flame! I, Yue Ying, will never give up something that I want! As a member of the Yue Family, asking me to give up something I want is the same as asking me to die! My conviction isn''t so weak that I would lose to a barely developed flame like you." Ying shouted at the Mystic Flame.


    The Mystic Flame could feel that while it didn''t want to be claimed by a wielder like this, she was in fact worthy. Ghost Flames wanted the one to pass its test to be one with patience, the ability to walk forward even with the death of those close to them over their shoulder, and cool-headed. Even though this human didn''t seem to have any of those qualities, she did have a very important quality. Absurd Strength.


    "Ying! Bing needs your help with that flame!" Jie shouted in her face.


    "Huh? What are you-" Ying''s question got caught in her throat as Bing''s body was sent flying past her.


    With a groan, he slowly got up to his feet with blood dripping down his face. He struggled to raise his two shields up but eventually managed. The pained look in his eyes suddenly brightened once he saw Ying. To Ying, there was nothing in the world that could feel better than being looked at this way by Bing. Seeing him try so hard just for her sake, she felt an endless amount of power flowing through her body.


    Ying locked eyes with the ghostly figure floating above her with a smirk on his face. A fierce scowl appeared on her face as a contained burst of purple flames erupted from her body. Jie flinched at the sudden fire but soon felt that she couldn''t feel anything radiating off of Ying. No warmth, heat, or cold. It was like she wasn''t on fire at all.

 Chapter 246 - 241: Love Conquers All?

    As Ying was coming back to her senses, Bing was doing everything he could to delay the Demon God Thief. After using Swift Devil to charge in, he rose both of his shields to smash into the ghostly being far above himself. As his shields clashed against something, Bing was soon swiftly sent flying into a wall on the opposite side of the room. With a sharp pain running up his back and head, Bing quickly realized that his great strength as a body cultivator meant little in this "battle."


    If he could be overpowered that easily, this fight was going to be less of a fight and more of a, "How long can Bing last before his body breaks down and shatters?" To prevent something like that from happening, Bing gathered his qi to use his most powerful technique. Yin of Destruction and Yang of Creation. Multiple arms began to shoot out from his body as he needed utmost concentration and qi control to properly use this martial art.


    That sharp spike in qi as he began forming the technique wasn''t unnoticed by the ghost or anyone else. Everyone could see the explosive aura of qi surrounding Bing''s large figure. Shang did his best to hurry the Ghost Restraining Array, he was creating but at the same time, not to the point where he would make small mistakes and ruin the entire formation in his haste. A somewhat hurried pace without waste.


    For a ghost of this level, he needed to use some of the talismans his master gave him for emergency''s sake. Sky-ranked talismans were enough to work on those stronger than the spellmaster''s own realm to some degree anyway. Shang didn''t expect this formation to be greatly effective against the ghost but it would definitely be helpful nonetheless. Seeing Bing sacrifice himself so willingly once again only filled him with more respect toward the guy.


    Demon God Thief initially scoffed at Bing''s secret technique. From how much qi was required to use it, it looked like he was about to give it everything he had. As a martial artist and his senior, how could Demon God Thief think of avoiding such a move from his junior? He planned to stand his ground and take it with everything he had.


    At least, that was the plan until the little fatty actually formed a qi sphere in the center of all his hands. The previous spike in qi was nothing compared to this one once it was actually formed. Demon God Thief narrowed his eyes. He felt his soul shiver at the sight of that glowing orb. A technique on this level had to be a heaven-ranked technique if not near it. To think a lucky fatty like this would make his way into his tomb and already have a heaven-ranked technique. Wasn''t he scared of heaven''s wrath by craving too many good things?


    Demon God Thief was a martial artist and this boy''s senior, but he was also an incredibly clever scoundrel that lived long enough to tell when things like honor, respect, and morals were to be discarded. When his soul shivered at the boy''s technique before it was even completed, his life-preserving instincts kicked in. He instinctively used his wind-martial arts and tripped the boy in deep concentration. As the boy was taken off his feet and slammed back-first onto the ground, Demon God Thief expected the technique to violently recoil as the wielder lost his focus.


    But that isn''t what happened at all. Miraculously, this boy was somehow able to enter a concentration so deep that his only focus was properly forming the technique of his move and excluding all of his surroundings. In that boy''s perspective, was he, the Demon God Thief, even in his eyes anymore!? A concentration like this isn''t something one could gain just because they wanted to or even tried all their life for. It''s a type of concentration only gained through moments of luck and great intensity.


    Just like how receiving enlightenment on a martial art or cultivation. It''s something decreed by the heavens and not something that could be gained just by simply wanting it. Demon God Thief couldn''t believe that he pushed this boy so far that he needed to concentrate so deeply. While he felt a little embarrassed that he scared the boy so badly, he was also a little nervous about how to disrupt him from fully completing the technique. He had a feeling that trying to avoid it or take it head-on wouldn''t work. Seeing as the boy can grow so many arms, cutting off his arms probably wouldn''t work.


    To deal with this possible sudden threat to his life, Demon God Thief chose the simplest action. To just kill the boy before he could complete it. A concentrated invisible blade of wind began to form in front of the Demon God Thief''s finger. Just before the killing wind blade was fully formed, Shang managed to complete the array and activate it. With this formed array activating, Demon God Thief''s concentration briefly broke and so did his wind blade technique.


    Demon God Thief glared at the little spellmaster, promising to let him experience a little pain as well. The ancient ghost vanished before reappearing in front of Bing with a terrifying dagger picked up from one of the gold piles. With how deeply the fatty was concentrating, he didn''t even notice Demon God Thief slowly stabbing the knife into his belly. It didn''t take long for the specialty of that particular dagger to activate.


    Just as Bing''s orb was on the verge of exploding, Demon God Thief quickly escaped to the farthest part of the room from Bing. Bing, on the other hand, was sent flying past Ying and Jie as he came back to the world in horrific pain. With another crash into the wall, Bing could b?r?ly hold himself up. But then, he saw something that briefly washed away all of the pain.


    Ying was back! She could take care of this old ghost and he could rest for a little bit. At least, that was how he hoped things would turn out... Carefully pulling out the serrated dagger from his stomach, Bing tossed it toward Jie. Jie caught it by the hilt and carefully inspected the impeccable craftsmanship of the knife.


    "It disrupts the qi of those it stabs... I don''t know if it''ll work on him but its better than the sword you have now..." Bing told her as he dropped to one knee.


    Yep, this pain was bad. After being stabbed by that dagger, he couldn''t even hold up his muscle form anymore. He had to get his qi back under control and heal up his internal injuries... While he was relieved that he didn''t have to fight anymore, he also hoped that the three of them would be enough to deal with the ghost.


    "We just have to deal with him, right?" Ying asked Jie.


    "Yes... Then everything in this room is ours." Jie nodded.


    "Follow my lead, then. But don''t get in the way, I''m really pissed off right now." Ying entire body was radiating with purple flames.


    Her giant demonic sword turned into a mass of violet-purple flames before the ground beneath her cracked and she disappeared. Jie only realized that Ying moved once she felt the shockwave of the air blasting back towards her from Ying''s jump. Pushing the embarrassment she felt at being outclassed by all these people, she ran over to give her support any way she could. She suddenly felt multiple impacts against her ?h?st, looking down she realized they were talismans.


    "We have to be quick or those talismans will drain your qi empty." Shang had a similar number of talismans on himself.


    Jie felt her strength rising to levels she''s never felt before thanks to Shang''s talismans. She wanted to let the excitement go to her head but watching Ying actually pushing the ghost back with her sword swiftly shut that down. In her heart, she knew even with this boost, she still wouldn''t be enough to catch up with Bing or Ying. But right now, her inferiority wasn''t important. All she had to do was support Ying to the best of her abilities and kill this ghost.


    Ying slashed, sliced, and chopped the ghost with everything she had after seeing what he did to Bing. She gave it no time to rest. Her sword attacks seemed to flow endlessly and never stop. Shang gave his support by throwing lightning talismans towards the ghost to disrupt his attention and movements. Jie bided her time carefully for when the ghost decided to make some distance from Ying or Ying knocking it down below.


    Demon God Thief was ashamed and eternally furious that he was pushed to such a point by mere children! To think that the mystic flame he stole to protect his tomb would be the very thing that might kill him! His soul was screaming at him with everything to not allow that flame to touch him. This forced him into a heavy defensive position. He had to make sure that not a single ember of the purple flame touched his spiritual body or a piece of his soul would be burned away.


    Unfortunately, accomplishing that task was easier said than done. Because of the annoying spellmaster below, quite a bit of his soul has been burned away by this stupid girl who didn''t seem to know the meaning of restraint! Demon God Thief used a majority of his qi to blast her to the other side of the room. Then, he focused his attention on the little spellmaster who quickly started to run once he noticed Demon God Thief gave him attention.


    "I''m not done with you, yet!" Ying flipped through the air multiple times as she landed on the wall with her feet before shooting off towards the ghost once more. The wall cracked and broke apart from the force of her jump.


    "Annoying wench!" Demon God Thief''s attention was forcefully brought back to the girl only for him to suddenly feel lightning running through his body.


    A talisman attached itself to his back! That damn spellmaster again! With the pure lightning energy running through him, he momentarily couldn''t move his ghostly body. Demon God Thief could only laugh as he felt that ungodly-sized blade cutting through his body. How embarrassing to be defeated like this... By some brats that probably haven''t even grown any hair down there yet.


    "Fine. Take my treasure... Damn brats. You earned it, I guess..." Demon God Thief''s soul was burned into nothingness.

 Chapter 247 - 242: A Teaching Experience.

    Bing, Ying, Jie, and Shang took a ten-minute break to sort their injuries and catch their breath. Then they took as much treasure as they possibly could. Not even the Demon God Thief''s skeleton was spared from the looting as they emptied the burial place clean. Now with their pockets and storage rings filled to the brim, the group quickly got to getting out of this place and leaving the Endless Plain of Yin before they miss the time to exit for the second test.


    ______________________________________________


    "You''re quite strong Ancient Sword Immortal." Jing complimented the old ghost.


    Right now, Li Li was facing off against this Devil Lord realm spirit. A spirit strong enough to contend with the leaders of the Golden Serpent Sect, Nine Swords Sect, and Blossoming Water Palace. He wasn''t facing off against him alone though. No matter how powerful SCP-914''s refining is, it couldn''t make a being strong enough to contend with a Devil Lord. Perhaps potentially it was possible but brute strength? No way.


    Because of this, Li Li had to face off against the old ghost with thousands of captured souls from his auxiliary technique, Ghost King''s Chilling Breath and his Soul Lamp. With the help of 6 of the 7 Ghostly Kings, he was lasting a lot longer than he normally would have without them. He also got some much-needed combat experience that he couldn''t get inside Ying''s void world against the shadow.


    Specters of all colors, shapes, and realms flew across the battlefield, swarming the Ancient Sword Immortal. His sword swung non-stop with unparallel speed and sharpness. Despite being swarmed on all sides, it was as if a small barrier was formed around him. Anything that came inside that barrier was swiftly sliced to pieces. Li Li was pushed to his limits for the first time in his life as he tried everything he could to defeat the powerful ghost.


    Jing didn''t honestly expect Li Li to be able to capture the ghost and place him inside his Soul Lamp. It would be a difficult battle even if she fought the Ancient Sword Immortal by herself. She wouldn''t say that she stood no chance against him, it was just that with her current strength, she would have to rely on a lot of tricks to stand on the same level as him. Not to mention actually defeating him.


    So, why did she send her innocent son to face off the opponent that even she would have trouble with? It was quite the simple reason actually... To give him an actual fight to gain experience. Jing would have preferred him to fight in his original form compared to his human form because once they leave, he wouldn''t be able to keep up that form. But, this fight will be helpful nonetheless


    Li Li rarely fought at all and when he did fight, it was b?r?ly a fight at all. Jing would''ve had this same exact issue if she didn''t go through her heart demon test. The problem with being too strong was that you never got to realize your own flaws and work on them. It wouldn''t be effective if she trained him herself. There was a difference facing someone that loves you and wants the best for you compared to someone that is actively trying to kill you while focusing on your flaws. Either you correct those flaws or you die.


    Since Li Li was refined with SCP-914, Jing wasn''t really worried about his safety too much. But just in case, she captured a drop of his blood inside a small flask and carried it on her person so that he could revive later. It was also a little bit distressing every time she saw him get cut in half, sliced to pieces, or beheaded. Her anger grew a little bit more each time his body healed itself after a lethal injury. She was also very surprised.


    Jing expected him to get frightened and scared. To refuse to keep fighting despite her words due to fear of dying or suffering another killing blow. But that isn''t what happened at all... Each time Li Li died, he made sure that he didn''t die the exact same way. His eyes were focused on working with his captured ghosts and improving his fighting style.


    With his arms spread wide like a bird, he charged in with a flying kick. His leg impacted against the Ancient Sword Immortal''s blade as he kicked with his other leg. A rapid furious flow of kicks clanged against the ghostly sword. Each kick released an earth-shattering stream of qi from beneath Li Li''s feet.


    Ancient Sword Immortal''s face was calm as he took on the hordes of ghosts and an unfathomable spirit beast. Multiple afterimages of himself appeared doing their own motions. One was dealing with the bird''s kicks, another was killing a captured ghost, and a third keeping his eye on the brown girl watching with a smile on her face in the distance. Throughout his entire lifespan, both living and dead, this would probably be the most confusing fight he''s ever been in.


    This unusual pair came out of nowhere and confronted him. The woman politely introduced herself and then the bird. Being the polite senior he was, he too introduced himself. Then that was when everything stops being so cordial. She soon asked him in the most courteous voice if he would be willing to be captured by her son. As any normal ghost would when asked such a question, he refused.


    "That''s quite unfortunate..." She frowned. "I suppose we''ll have to do this another way then. Li Li, defeat him and then capture him in your Soul Lamp." She then ordered.


    "Greetings!" The bird known as Li Li soon bowed. "My name is Li Li, nice to meet you!" Before thousands of ghosts escaped from his body and the lamp on his waist, surging toward him like a tsunami.


    Now he''s been fighting for the past several hours despite cutting the boy down several times. No matter if his heart is pierced, brain sliced in half, or his body was reduced to chunks. He didn''t stay down. This spirit beast didn''t know the meaning of death and seemed to have a small grudge against him for killing him so many times.


    "Stupid! Idiot! Sword loser!" He thought of a new childish insult every time he attacked. "Grrr! Why can''t I win?!" Li Li wh?n?d.


    The spirit beast seemed just like a real human child but more on the freakish side. Throughout their battle, his ability to learn was absolutely monstrous. Ancient Sword Immortal was forced to slowly but consistently use more of his true power and skill as time went on. Although it wasn''t that big of an increase, this was still only a child!


    "Unbelievable..." Ancient Sword Immortal expressed as he killed the last of the boy''s ghosts.


    Despite losing thousands of his ghosts, Li Li didn''t stop in his enraged pursuit to best this ghost. The only ones left were the six Ghostly Kings. Jing captured them before the Ancient Sword Immortal could kill them. She thought they had too much value to be killed after going through some trouble to capture them.


    "Girl. I do not appreciate being used by my juniors." He used qi to suppress Li Li''s fierce struggling. Since he couldn''t kill him, he just needed to contain him.


    "You''re already dead. Being used by those alive is the best outcome for a restless spirit like yourself." Jing replied.


    "I don''t understand you. Do you believe you''ll be able to escape from me after trying to use me like this?" Ancient Sword Immortal asked.


    "I believe I used you quite well. My son has gained some valuable experience and I''ve learned a little bit more of his personality. He had quite the arrogant side I wasn''t aware of. You should feel proud being able to find some use even after refusing to pass on. What use is the dead if not their wisdom and experience?" Jing smiled.


    Ancient Sword Immortal vanished from atop of Li Li as he appeared in front of Jing, his sword already in motion to decapitate her.


    "Sadly, I''m not in need of any of your skills or experience." A barrier of water blocked the ghost''s sword strike. Jing''s face didn''t change in the slightest.


    "..." Ancient Sword Immortal didn''t expect that she would be able to block his strike.


    "I dislike the common sword and I lived a life far longer than you could understand." Jing explained.


    Before the Ancient Sword Immortal could strike again, Jing teleported to Li Li''s body.


    "Maybe we''ll meet again. If my son is anything like me, he''s the type to hold a grudge. So be prepared for a rematch in the future." Jing placed a talisman on herself as she held Li Li''s body.


    The mother and son pair left the Ancient Sword Immortal in the middle of the ruined forest. He looked on in the distance where the two disappeared at. He wasn''t quite sure what to think of at the moment. Should he feel embarrassed to be used and played around with by his junior? Angry and humiliated? Or should he take in the words of his junior and reflect on them?


    "..." Whichever his decision was, no one would know until seven months later when the Ancient Sword Immortal found himself a disciple.

 Chapter 248 - 243: Another Fruitless Endeavor.

    Flash!


    Runt''s camera momentarily blinded the injured Golden Serpent Sect disciple. As the photo came out of the camera, he waved the photo before taking a look at it. Seconds went by with Zhi and the injured youth staring at Runt. Runt slowly shook his head as a look of disappointment grew on Lei Zhi''s face.


    "What does that mean?!" The boy was startled. "Am I going to be, okay? Can I live?!" Blood leaked from all over his body.


    Jia Bao could be seen as an unfortunate youth. He entered the Endless Plains of Yin with a group of disciples that he never met before in an attempt to survive. His little group didn''t last more than two days before everything went to hell. That hell left him with a sword plunged through his gut, a single broken leg, and a hellish pain that made Jia Bao consider ending it all on multiple occasions.


    If Jia Bao was being honest, he was about to end it all before this strange doctor and his friend''s apprentice showed up. His broken sword blade was held to his throat. The cold steel pressed to his neck, sweat dripping down his body and soaking his clothes. Suffering through that pain by swallowing recovery pills just to survive on the slightest chance that just maybe... someone that wasn''t a ghost would find him and help him.


    Jia Bao wasn''t stupid. He knew better but at the same time, he couldn''t stop thinking about the smallest chance of his survival. Grabbing hold of the smallest glimmer of hope to survive... A small light of hope that might as well be the same as a flickering lantern in the night. Considering the people, he was hoping to save him came from the same sect as the people that robbed him and left him in this state. But it looks like Jia Bao''s lucky star shined bright when he was at his darkest moment.


    "He looks like a terrible person. I''ll tell you what I see after you fix him up and ask him." Runt told Lei Zhi.


    "I wasn''t expecting much but it''s still good to have clarification after all. Thanks, Runt." Lei softly ruffled the boy''s hair who jerked his head away in response, unused to the kindness of ?du?ts.


    "Before, I operate there is something that I request from all of my patients." Lei Zhi''s tone turned serious.


    "I''ll give you everything I own if you can save me..." Not that he owned much of anything anyway.


    "I''m not some greedy hoarder. I have no urgent need for the things you are thinking about. All that I ask of you is to be a respectable person. Helping those in need when you have the ability, being respectful to others, sharing some of your unneeded wealth with the unfortunate. Do you believe you can do things like that after being saved by me?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "I''ll do anything if you can really save me." Was his response.


    Lei Zhi crouched over the boy who he was amazed that lasted this long. His willpower was commendable and his body was in a horrible state from what he could see. He took out a single needle from the two pink needles that Jing rewarded him with. Helping this boy recover to his full strength and even further wasn''t a problem. It''d be incredibly painful but according to what he''s heard, cultivators would pay huge amounts of spirit stones just for the opportunity to be treated by him if he could improve their strength even just the smallest amount. Especially those ancient cultivators unable to take a single step further in their cultivation. Some might be willing to gift him mountains of spirit stones or actual spiritual mountain peaks!


    Knowing just how unbelievable his worth was now was a little bit scary. Several months ago, Lei Zhi was just an insignificant Qi Gatherer that no one would spare a single thought about. Perhaps they would pity him, ignore him, or bully him. But not a single person would show him respect or kindness. Once information about his medical prowess begins to spread, people all across the continent will begin to seek him out. Maybe he would be hailed as a Righteous Healer of some sort but Lei Zhi didn''t want to leave his fate up to others.


    "This might hurt a bit but I won''t let you die, alright? Trust in this old man." Lei Zhi gave a warm smile.


    Seeing the blind old man telling him to trust him was ridiculous in Jia Bao''s opinion. What sane person would believe such a thing from someone who''s blind? Most people wouldn''t trust a healer if they haven''t even heard of them! However, it wasn''t like Jia Bao had much of a choice. Either he dies from his injuries naturally or he lets this old man kill him. He''s already suffered through some horrible pain before, how much more could this actually hurt.


    "Alright." Jia Bao came to terms with his inevitable death. He closed his eyes and had a strained smile on his face as he gave his body to Lei Zhi. It looked like he was already a corpse if it wasn''t for the small rising of his ?h?st.


    Runt snickered while Lei Zhi restrained his smile. It wasn''t the first time someone doubted his abilities and it wouldn''t be the last. Lei Zhi ignored the boy submitting to a fate that he thought was death and started the surgery. His needle stabbed slowly and accurately. Jia Bao couldn''t help himself from screaming at first insertion. A sharp pain struck within his body like lightning and caused all of his nerves to explode in agony.


    He tried jerking up and instinctively striking the old man but the only thing that happened when he rose up was an uncontrollable rising of something out of his throat. Jia Bao vomited some type of black liquid from his mouth that caused Runt to pinch his nose to spare himself from the vile smell coming from it. The injured youth then swooned backward as he felt like he just threw up most of his organs.


    He couldn''t feel the inside of his stomach. Was this normal? What was that black stuff that just came out of his mouth? Did he somehow get poisoned too? Was that why the pain was so terrible? Jia Bao couldn''t understand anything except the fact that he felt absolutely terrible.


    Then came the second insertion. Jia Bao''s body locked up without his control. Heat rose to his face as Lei Zhi''s finger gently poked at several places on his body. His finger glowed with qi and neither Jia Bao nor Runt understood what exactly he was doing by poking him. Jia Bao could only move his eyes and the pain faded away but for some reason, he could still feel things.


    "The most painful part is already over. Now I just need to fix a few things so that you aren''t left with lasting injuries that''ll affect your future." Lei Zhi smiled to reassure the youth.


    And Jia Bao could feel his heart lighten up from that smile. This blind old man really did know what he was doing... He was going to survive... He was going to...


    Runt noticed the guy passed out. He thought it was better for him now that he couldn''t see himself being worked on. Most people ask to be knocked out or put to sleep before being treated by Lei but there are certain times when it''s urgent and that isn''t an option. He''s been traveling with Lei for days saving people left and right. His job was mainly to check how likely someone was to uphold their part of the payment for the treatment with his camera. By snapping a picture before and after, he could tell if they were truly grateful and likely to listen to Lei or were just thankful, he saved their life and would ignore his requests.


    Lei has also been teaching him a few things so that if he was ever in trouble, he could help save his own life or another''s. Runt''s thoughts mainly lied in how to earn money with the skills. He didn''t care about making the world a better place, having them become kind people or anything like that. While he wouldn''t treat someone who was completely awful, his main focus would just be getting paid. Since he was once a beggar, Runt understood the importance of money and the hearts of people. In his eyes, Lei Zhi was na?ve. People were selfish and only cared about their own needs and wants. Gratitude and paying back a debt meant nothing to them. They would only take advantage of Lei for his skills and remain unchanged in their behavior.


    So far, they haven''t met a single person that was willing to pay up their side of the treatment inside the Endless Plains of Yin. But despite that, Lei Zhi''s eyes never wavered. While he would be disappointed, he didn''t let it affect his ideals. He simply continued and moved on in search of the first person that would. And that first person could perhaps inspire a second person. It would be a continuous motion that spread across the continent. But Runt thought that was nothing more than just wishful thinking. The only thing spreading across the continent about Lei Zhi would be his skills as a doctor and his ridiculously cheap price for treatment.


    The treatment of Jia Bao didn''t take more than an hour. After his surgery, Lei Zhi requested Runt to take a photo of him. Runt didn''t refuse as he had no reason to. Only to shake his head once again. After receiving the shake, Lei Zhi poked the youth''s body several times with lightning-fast strikes, thinning his qi pathways and increasing the difficulty of his future cultivation. This way, even if he wishes to cause trouble, he''ll never become a giant in the cultivating world to continue his ways.


    Lei Zhi and Runt then moved on to the next life signature nearby, leaving the youth behind with a small protective barrier around him from a talisman.

 Chapter 249 - 244: A Rather Peaceful Journey?

    "The human body holds 872 qi points. Each qi point is responsible for the flow of qi and releasing qi from within the body. These 872 qi points are about the size of the tip of these needles and most people are only able to utilize the main 436 qi points that go along one''s qi pathway." Lei Zhi lectured as he poked an unconscious body full of qi needles.


    "Why do people only use the 436 qi points and not all of them?" Runt asked, soaking in the knowledge to the best of his ability.


    "Because those are the only ones, they''re aware of. On special occasions, people might use more than the main 436 points but that''s only if they practice a highly unorthodox martial arts technique. As far as I could tell, there is no distributed book talking about the qi points at all. Perhaps its knowledge hoarded by the most famous of doctors. I wouldn''t be surprised." Lei Zhi sighed.


    "Well, why wouldn''t they hoard it? If they horde knowledge on how to heal people then everyone would come to them. With more people coming to them, more money flows in." Runt analyzed.


    "That''s an astute observation, Runt. With the way you put it, it does make sense for them to hold such knowledge for themselves. However, have you thought about what if they didn''t keep it for themselves and shared it openly with everyone?" Lei Zhi asked, multiple arms of distinct origins began to slither out from the inside of his coat and help him out.


    After watching him perform several surgeries, they began to take a rather strange interest in helping him out in various ways. One clawed paw pressed it affectionately on his ?h?st during his work. A tentacled arm took upon itself to play with Xiang on his shoulder. The two went back and forth with either hugging each other or playing tag. Tag wasn''t the best game for the two to play while Lei Zhi was in the middle of helping someone because Xiang had to crawl himself over his neck and head to the other side of his shoulder to reach the tentacle.


    A blue hand took out a sweet-tasting candy and popped it in his mouth. Lei has never seen or tasted anything as tasty and delicious as this. He could either suck on it until there was nothing more to suck or bite it into little pieces before swallowing them. Usually, he politely requested this candy-giving arm to hand some to the younger children he treated.


    There were two rather giant-sized hands that were "fighting" with one another by arm wrestling. From what he could tell, the giant arm on the left that was hairy typically won more times than the giant on the right that was hairless. But from time to time, the hairless would pull out a surprising victory that neither he nor the hairy arm could expect. Lei wondered where she got her sudden boost in strength from.


    Those were only the arms that messed with him or did their own things. Now talking about the arms that liked to help him during surgery, they weren''t all that different in how they acted. Some were helpful, some didn''t help at all, and some liked to play around and may things a little bit more difficult for Lei Zhi. Especially when he finds out from Runt that they are unlikely to hold up their side of the payment for the treatment.


    One of those playful arms was doing something of the sort now as Lei Zhi was finishing up. It was an arm made entirely out of wood. This wooden arm has taken a special interest in learning how to disrupt and affect one''s body. Luckily for Lei, it was unable to use qi to achieve the same effects he could when using God''s Fingers. If it was, this poor young man would never be able to get an erection again, use martial arts, and eat solid food.


    A rival to this playful arm was an arm created out of stainless silver metal. Instead of learning how to mess with the human body, this arm liked to enhance and improve bodies. While Lei Zhi loved the interest this arm had, it was sad that he hasn''t come across anyone that he felt deserved such a thing. But regardless, it wouldn''t be able to unless Lei Zhi infused his qi into the coat.


    With the infusion of qi, the void world or spatial dimension where the arms reside, now allows them to use qi as well. So, the wooden arm and metal arm would be able to perform some of the medical techniques that Lei Zhi could if he allowed them. Without it, they are just harmlessly poking bodies. It still kind of gets in the way a bit, so from time to time, he has to lecture them into behaving.


    "If they shared it with everyone, then they''ll lose money." Runt thought.


    "If I didn''t speak with Jing some time ago, maybe I would have agreed with you." A weird smoking stick was placed in Lei Zhi''s mouth from an arm while another arm took out a fire-lighting device and lit it up. "But now I see that such greed and selfishness is doing nothing but hurting ourselves. With life-saving knowledge available for everyone, more people would be able to save lives. And as more and more people learn how to help people and share that knowledge with the next generation, the next generation of healers will be able to help people more efficiently and effectively. Perhaps even surpassing their masters and teachers to lead to an age where illnesses and injuries could be dealt with by a common village boy just by reading a book." Lei blew out smoke from his mouth.


    "I don''t think I''ll ever get used to those arms..." Chills crawled up Runt''s body.


    "It does take some getting used to. Even now I''m not entirely used to it yet, but they''re not bad arms." Lei smiled. They were kind of like children in a way.


    "Can you even control them?" Runt asked.


    "Somewhat." Lei chuckled.


    The realization that the arms living inside his coat weren''t completely obedient hasn''t flown over his head. Unlike the water beasts that he could fish, these arms could decide at any time to help him, ignore him, or even harm him. One such arm that tried to hurt him on a regular basis was the knife arm. It was just a knife attached to the stump of an arm. At random intervals, the knife arm would shoot out to stab at Lei Zhi.


    When it first happened, he was shocked out of his mind and couldn''t react. A plant-like arm took the knife blow for him and saved his face from receiving a knife through it. A rocky arm then punched the knife arm and back into the arm void world it went. After that situation, Lei Zhi prepared himself on every occasion to either dodge or handle the knife arm but most of the time, the other arms would come to his rescue.


    Lei Zhi tried communicating with the arm but regardless of how he tried, the knife arm just didn''t like him. Perhaps it shared a difference of ideals with him and thought it would be better used by a different wearer. In time, Lei Zhi hoped to become friends with the knife arm. Out of all the arms that have come out of his coat so far, it was the only one that actively tried killing him. If trying to be friends was asking too much, then he was fine if they were at least civil with one another.


    "Alright, I''m finished." Lei Zhi stood up with several different arms coming out of his coat.


    "Okay..." Runt took a picture of the patient before shaking his head.


    "Understood." Lei Zhi thinned the man''s qi pathways before attaching a talisman on him that created a small barrier around him. "Follow me. There''s a lot of patients ahead. Some healthy and some on the verge of death."


    "Are we running?" Runt asked as he saw Lei Zhi run off ahead. "I guess so..." Runt''s body shivered uncontrollably as some of the arms coming out of Zhi''s coat waved at him from the back.


    "It''s even freakier than my camera..." Runt muttered to himself as he took a picture of Lei.


    Lei Zhi heard the snap of the camera but didn''t say anything about it. If anything, he was rather interested in what would show up on the photo as well. He''d have to remember to ask the boy later on how the picture looked. Most of the pictures he took were melted by that black liquid he kept hidden while the pictures he thought were interesting were kept in his storage ring, a gift from Hu Tao.


    "Up ahead! Try not to separate from me! There''s a lot of people inside this place!" Lei Zhi warned.


    The two soon saw a large staircase that led to an ancient palace. At the top, the door was wide open, and with his special sight, Lei Zhi could see countless dead bodies inside and many more ghosts wandering around as well. From what he could see, the ghosts were using the deaths of the disciples to take over their corpses and return to the world of the living with a physical body.


    "Take out your instrument. There are many ghosts inside as well." Runt''s black liquid didn''t work on ghosts but his ocarina was very effective. It would be very useful with these many ghosts around.


    "Okay!" Runt grabbed the Silent God''s Ocarina from his waist and started playing it.


    "If you''re low on qi, just tell me." Lei Zhi told the boy as they burst through the entrance of the palace.


    Lei Zhi had his amulet wrapped around his neck. Runt wrapped it around his wrist inside his robes, making it hard for anyone to see it. Since Lei Zhi''s amulet was visible, all the ghosts in the entrance of the ancient palace targeted him first. The blind man wasn''t afraid of the dozens of ghosts charging after him and neither was the orange blob on his shoulder. Xiang was rather very happy to see so many friends coming to him at once.


    Unfortunately for him, Runt music seemed to stop all the ghosts in their tracks. So, no ghostly hugs for him anytime soon. Lei Zhi used the opportunity given to him by Runt to rush to someone seconds away from dying. Runt was more than glad to sweep up all the ghosts by using sound qi to pummel the ghosts into submission and capturing them with his amulet. He actually felt that he''s captured a lot of ghosts within these last three days. Maybe even within the top ten.


    "I''m done here, Zhi!" Runt jogged over to Lei Zhi helping someone who''s lying in a large puddle of blood.


    "Okay, keep watch for any other ghosts nearby. And don''t forget to tell me when you''re low on qi."


    "Got it." Runt blew into his ocarina. A peaceful serene music began to flow throughout the ancient palace.

 Chapter 250 - 245: Doing A Thankless Job.

    The old man and child duo explored as much of the ancient palace as they could. Runt being the one to take care of the ghosts while Lei Zhi focused on helping any injured disciples. He wasn''t sure if Jing was okay with him healing the ghosts who successfully took over the bodies of disciples and then exorcised them. But he felt it was helpful in raising his medical skills to do this and kept his heart free of worry. All of the ghosts he''s met so far have been nothing but villains, so Lei Zhi didn''t feel much remorse in seeing them wiped out.


    "This place is huge." Runt commented offhandedly as he took another healed patient''s goods.


    "We have come across quite a number of disciples..." Lei Zhi didn''t comment on the boy''s thievery.


    The two of them didn''t take it as stealing but as payment for the treatment. Depending on the severity of their injuries, Runt would take a certain percentage of their belongings. It worked by having those with the most difficult injuries requiring to pay more while those with smaller injuries pay less. Lei Zhi felt that this method of paying was rather fair considering many of them would have died if he didn''t step in. What use are rare martial arts, powerful spirit tools, and weapons, and valuable herbs if you''re dead? None at all.


    "I''m starting to worry if my storage ring can hold all this stuff..." Runt chuckled nervously.


    It was a new feeling for him to actually be worried about having too much on him instead of not having enough. He wasn''t sure how to feel about this but he knew it felt good to be on this side rather than the other. It wasn''t that long ago that he was a lowly beggar with nothing to his name just surviving day to day without a single goal in mind. Ever since his Boss took him in, his life has really changed for the better. Lei Gang was eternally grateful to him and hoped to one day pay him back to show his appreciation.


    "I don''t believe that''s an issue you should worry about, Runt." Lei Zhi lightly laughed. "We have been paid in quite a few storage rings." A stone-like arm came out from the back of Lei Zhi''s coat and gave Runt a thumbs up.


    "Didn''t you want some?" Runt didn''t think know what Lei Zhi was planning.


    "Of course, I''ll take a good portion of the payments we''ve received but I''m not taking all of it. You''ve been helping me quite a bit, Runt. You deserve to be rewarded and paid for your efforts as well." Lei Zhi reached behind his back to grab his fishing rod as he used the hook to slice open a young woman''s abdomen.


    Blood flew out from her stomach as the hook effortlessly tore through her skin. As Lei Zhi calmly reached into her sternum from her stomach, he grasped at her heart and began to flow qi into his hand before softly squeezing at a controlled rate. During this time, several arms couldn''t help themselves as they also wanted to explore this body on the verge of death. They also seemed to want to enter the opening that Lei Zhi''s arm was currently in but predicting that a situation like this might happened, he had only cut a hole big enough for his arm.


    Runt could b?r?ly control the bile from rising to his throat from spewing out. He''s seen a lot of gross crap as Zhi''s little apprentice. And by a lot of gross crap, he means a lot of gross crap... When thinking of a doctor or healer, he didn''t know they had to deal with so much disgusting stuff. They had to deal with piss, shit, blood, vomit, saliva, d??ks, v???n?s, t?ts, ?ssholes, and all sorts of other stuff.


    While the money he would receive as a little doctor seemed good, he didn''t know if he had the stomach to actually go through with it. Even now, just watching Zhi save this girl he knows nothing about from dying by physically pumping her heart to keep her alive and strengthen the heart, it seemed like such a thankless job for everything he has to go through. Not even mentioning if someone stronger than him asking for healing and he didn''t satisfy them, he could lose his own head! Just trying to help and do his best could lead to his own death.


    So, while Runt has learned a lot of medical techniques and knowledge from Lei Zhi. He didn''t see himself going down the same path at all. But as a man, he did feel that he should do something to pay Zhi back for his teachings. Maybe he could only heal those righteous and kind. Runt felt like Zhi would appreciate something like that.


    "There we go." Lei Zhi smiled as he felt the girl''s heartbeat with a proper and strong beat now.


    He took his arm out of her insides, sutured up her cut, took half of her belongings, and placed a talisman on her now-covered ?h?st. A small blue barrier appeared around her and the old man and child duo took their leave to the next patient. They came across many corpses, patients too far gone to be saved no matter how desperately Lei tried to help them, malicious ghosts intent on taking their bodies but mostly Runt''s, and ordinary patients.


    None of them planned to do good deeds after being saved by Lei Zhi. He wondered if there really was no youth worth saving inside the Golden Serpent Sect but then shook his head from such negative thoughts. Lei Zhi had a pretty decent idea of how to change the mindset of the current youth of today. All he needed were a few things before he could put his thoughts into practice. He would need to have a one-on-one conversation with Jing to request something from her.


    "This palace is pretty big..." Runt had explored a good chunk of the building through the soundwaves of his ocarina.


    "It must have been quite the extravagant kingdom. I wonder what happened to this land that turned it into a land made for ghosts." Lei idly chatted as Xiang gurgled and demanded attention from him.


    "I definitely wouldn''t know anything." Runt b?r?ly knew anything at all! He was just a beggar not too long ago.


    "No one places too much interest in the past and the history of old nowadays. It''s quite a shame that most people aren''t able to see the value in learning lessons from the past and the history of the world. There is much to gain in knowing one''s history." Lei shared with the boy. It wasn''t until Jing conversed with him about such subjects that he felt that he agreed with her immensely.


    "Like what?" Runt questioned.


    "Through history, we can learn how past societies, systems, ideologies, governments, cultures, and technologies were built, how they operated, and how they have changed. The rich history of the world helps us to paint a detailed picture of where we stand today. History is full of stories. Some are inspiring and uplifting; others are chaotic and immoral. Each of those stories can teach a lesson or inspire someone to do great things. Learning about the past could also help us prevent ourselves from making the same mistakes that those from before had made. If we knew how such a glorious palace like this felled, we could prevent ourselves from following down their same path by not repeating what they have done." Lei Zhi happily shared his knowledge with the younger generation.


    He didn''t know how much of it would stick with the boy or if it''ll stick at all but it''s better to tell him this now while he''s still very young. Runt has a lot of time to grow and make mistakes. Lei just hopes that the things he''s teaching the boy won''t be used for the wrong reasons. By properly instilling in him a set of morals and knowledge, hopefully he''ll be one of the few good ones in this world that can lead others into helping nurture a better world.


    "..." Runt didn''t respond and only took in the knowledge as he could.


    He didn''t understand much of what Lei was trying to say but he could somewhat get the gist of it. History was useful. Learning about the past was useful. These things could help him survive and live a better life. Runt didn''t know if Lei Zhi knew what he was talking about but he certainly did sound like he knew. Only time could tell if the things he taught him would be useful or not. Runt certainly didn''t think his Boss would say any of this stuff or try and teach him things besides fighting and killing.


    "Ah, the others are here as well." Lei Zhi spotted a group of four coming from a bottom part of the palace.


    He only knew the three of them, while the fourth was a body shape he recognized. Zhai Shang, a popular talented youth known for being a skilled spellmaster. Remembering the message that Ying sent earlier about a good replacement option for the missing Hu Tao, he wondered if he was the person she was talking about. Lei didn''t think it was a bad choice. The boy didn''t have any negative rumors about him as far as he could remember.


    "If you want, you can split with me here and I can continue on my own." Lei suggested. He didn''t want to drag the boy around if he didn''t want to be with him.


    "I''ll stick with you." Runt decided without any hesitation. He understood the value in Zhi''s knowledge and skills. Compared to going with Bing, Ying, and Jie, he would gain more by sticking next to Zhi.


    "Alright." He smiled. "Let''s go say our greetings though and introduce ourselves to Hu Tao''s replacement."


    "Boss''s replacement!?" Runt looked at him in shock.


    "Oh, I apologize. I forgot to tell you that Hu Tao is missing and no one knows where he is at the moment." Lei was genuinely sorry. In this boy''s eyes, Hu Tao probably saved and changed his entire life. "I''ll explain as much as I can on the way, follow me."

 Chapter 251 - 246: A Lucky Hand, Anyone?

    Runt didn''t exactly know how to process the information that everyone was completely fine with the Boss missing and was actually happy about it. While he was eternally grateful to his Boss, it wasn''t like he was going to give up his life or all his time to find him. So, it was just a little weird for Runt to actually understand just how much the Boss was hated by his friends.


    "We''ll save him eventually." Jie had no problem with Hu Tao being gone for the moment.


    With Hu Tao gone, she could use this time to restore her sanity, get that training from Jing, and not worry about trouble befalling her once she is recognized as Hu Tao''s woman. Once her training is complete, she''ll be more than happy to find out where Hu Tao is and save him by herself if need be. Just to lock a chain around his neck and make him understand just how much she''s held back in disciplining him after they had their first night together. Excitement filled her body as she thought of all the ways to give it to the jerk.


    "Yeah, eventually." Ying laughed.


    She planned to do the absolute b?r? minimum in finding out what happened to Hu Tao. If it was up to her, she''d leave him to rot wherever the hell he was now for centuries! That would also give her some time to increase her strength to the point where she''ll be able to overpower and finally teach that perverted ?sshole a lesson. It was only because of Jing''s order that she was going to do anything at all.


    "We are also going to properly introduce ourselves as Heaven''s Angels sometime in the future. It would be for the best if Hu Tao isn''t around when we do that because he has amassed a lot of enemies..." Bing shared.


    "Our image would indeed look more promising if Hu Tao is missing at the time." Lei Zhi agreed.


    "You don''t have to convince me how not having the Boss around is better. I get it." Runt explained. Boss wasn''t liked at all.


    "I knew you were a smart kid." Ying ruffled his hair as a shiver ran through his body.


    Runt hasn''t forgotten the threat given to him by this big sister. She was willing to kill him if he said anything about her perverted feelings for Bing. He also has not forgotten how crazy strong she was either. It would take some time before he could live peacefully with the knowledge he holds. Maybe if he becomes stronger than her...


    "You saw nothing. You say nothing, remember?" Ying whispered into Runt''s ear.


    "Mhpmh..." Runt rapidly nodded as he felt his hair getting scarily warm.


    "You really are a smart kid." Ying gave off a bright smile as she kissed his cheek.


    The kiss seemed to sizzle and burn but Runt didn''t give a single indication that he was in pain. He put on a foolish smile as it was his greatest grace to be shown kindness by Ying. The kiss mark soon vanished without a trace seconds later. Runt immediately took this as Ying reminding him that she could do much worse and leave even less of a trace.


    "I didn''t know you two were so close." Bing noticed.


    "We''re not that close." Ying shut his claim down immediately. "I''m just surprised Hu Tao''s student isn''t anything at all like him."


    "Yes, Lei is quite m?tur? and intelligent for his age." Lei Zhi complimented. "But I do have to ask, are you all sure you want to continue following me? You can leave me behind to finish this portion of the test. It''s not like I can actually win in the final portion of the test, so it doesn''t matter if I go or not." Lei asked as he led the group around the ancient palace.


    Ying, Bing, Jie, and Shang were fine with following Lei Zhi around instead of escaping the Endless Plains of Yin. He didn''t quite understand why but he felt happy about it. Not saying that he would be sad if they did choose to leave, just that them deciding to stick around with him made him happy. It''s not often that one can be happy just being around others. Well, technically, Lei Zhi is happy all the time because of Xiao Xiang on his shoulder. Even when Xiang wasn''t physically touching him, he had a real smile etched on his face. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that his determination and willpower to continue healing all of these not-so-good disciples on the off chance that they''ll change for the better was only because of Xiang. Xiang always managed to prevent him from losing all hope even when his belief hit rock bottom and he was met with constant disappointment.


    "I''m not in a hurry to leave." Bing replied with a strange smile on his face.


    "Are you trying to get rid of us, Lei?" Ying snarked with an unusual grin on her face.


    "Don''t worry, Zhi. It''s safer if we travel together rather than splitting up." Jie explained with the looks of an innocent young maiden.


    Shang, Runt, and Lei all knew that something wasn''t right with their responses. Shang couldn''t believe a group like this could be so close and friendly with one another without some sort of benefits. Runt just had a hunch that something wasn''t right with how they were smiling. Lei Zhi shared Runt''s observations as he straightened up his back and kept an eye on the trio. With his blindsight, he could see in all directions around him even if he was facing one direction with his eyes.


    Lei''s suspicions only grew heavier once he heard the three giggling together as he traveled throughout the ancient palace doing his best to save as many disciples as he could. It took around thirty minutes before Bing, Ying, and Jie''s efforts paid off. A gigantic explosion erupted from the other side of the palace. The three suspicious youth immediately took off at that noise as if it was the sign they were waiting for all along.


    "Come on!" Ying yelled at the confused three standing still.


    Lei, Runt, and Shang had no idea what was happening but nevertheless, followed behind the three. Bing, Ying, and Jie managed to see the two causes of that explosion flying through the air. The roof was blown off and this gave Heaven''s Angels the perfect view of the two cultivators fighting. One was a hulking monstrosity that resembled Bing in his transformed state but even more muscular and huge. The other was one of the sect''s Rising Dragons, Gong Jun! A look of pure hatred and madness filled his eyes as the sight of countless green swords hovered behind him.


    The sea of swords went flying towards the beast in human skin from all directions. Top, bottom, left, right, there was no way he could defend an attack like this just by blocking! As the swords flew toward him pierce him full of holes, he unleashed a bestial roar that seemed to come from one''s own heart. This shout temporarily halted the progression of the infinite blades but it did not stop Gong Jun.


    Gong Jun came speeding in with a strangely-shaped sword in his hand that honed in specifically on the youth''s thick veiny neck. The youth wouldn''t accept dying a death like this. He harnessed all the power flowing throughout his body and manifested a golden dragon coiling around his arm all the way to his fist. His fist effortlessly decimated Gong Jun into a splatter of blood rain.


    Or at least, what a splatter of blood was supposed to look like... Those watching realized that instead of droplets of blood falling down, the splatter stayed hovered in the air and the color of it was green not red. Green just like the weird sword held by Gong Jun. No one could react once the frozen droplets suddenly shaped into longswords and flew toward the muscled youth.


    He was impaled from all sides and blood leaked from him to the ground below. Eventually, the laws of gravity decided that the two were hanging in the sky far longer than they should. The youth crashed outside the ancient palace with the green swords still lodged within his body. Those interested in the fight looked out the window or smashed a wall apart from the inside to continue watching the outcome of the fight.


    The green swords slowly began to lose their solidity as they lost shape and became a formless mass of bright green goo. This goo soon started to form a human shape before revealing that it was actually Gong Jun that somehow transformed into that goo! His eyes lacked any semblance of sanity and his body radiated nothing but complete killing intent. If a high-ranked elder of the sect were watching, they''d say that Gong Jun was the perfect example of a disciple from the Golden Serpent Sect.


    Gong Jun pressed the tip of his sword against the boy''s throat. A boy that a certain someone was confident that she killed already... Everyone expected the ferocious youth to strike the final blow but he did something quite unexpected. Instead of piercing through the helpless boy''s throat, Gong''s sword enveloped his body completely. It wrapped him in some sort of green semi-solid, semi-liquid container and floated above Gong''s head.


    "I won''t let you die so easily after what you''ve done to me. Fu Kang." He muttered. "Now, to deal with my ?du?terous fianc¨¦e." He hopped back through the hole in the palace only to see his junior brother incapacitated somehow and his fianc¨¦e knocked out.


    "Don''t worry! We only came for the good stuff! They''re still alive and well!" Ying happily shouted as Heaven''s Angels took off with the valuable loot and sped off into the clear and fogless forest.

 Chapter 252 - 247: The Arrival of Heavens Angels!

    The name Heaven''s Angels spread throughout the survivors who came out of the Endless Plains of Yin when the test was over. Jing was quite surprised about this when she left the plains with Li Li. She has yet to officially announce Heaven''s Angels. Only a small number of people should be aware of their group. This led to her believing this had something to do with Hu Tao or another member of her group. As she made her way to the others, more and more information flowed into her ears about the situation.


    It turns out it was Lei Zhi and Runt who were the origins of this event. This made Jing less wary and concerned that the rumors would be negative. Only through high-level public manipulation, lies, and misinformation could someone like Lei paint something negatively. Just looking at him inspired pity and when adding his overly kind and polite personality, only an idiot would think he belongs to a nefarious group.


    "The Blind Savior saved my life! I was just ambushed for my amulet and on the verge of dying but the Blind Savior and his little apprentice saved me!"


    "I heard they stole from people though? Aren''t they just thieves taking advantage of people in desperate situations?"


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. How na?ve can you be junior brother? Think about it for a moment. You are about to die without any chance of surviving on your own. What do you do?" He asked before suddenly yelling, "Trick question! You can''t do anything! So, tell me what would you do when someone who has the ability to save your life begins to treat you no questions asked?"


    "I would think he''s a bandit trying to rob me of my goods. What cultivator would go around helping people they didn''t know anything about? Either that person is a fool or a true monk with no worldly d?s?r?s but to attain nirvana."


    "Aha, I thought the same way little junior, but the doctor and his little doctor weren''t bald!" He loudly laughed. "After treating my wounds, the Blind Savior asked me to be righteous! Do good deeds, help those in need, spare some of my fortune for the unfortunate."


    "So, it''s just a fool."


    "Yep! But hey, I''d take a stupid doctor over dying any day!"


    More and more stories similar to that one were being shared around now that they were outside of the Endless Plains of Yin. No one was rewarded for the number of ghosts they captured in their amulets but the amulets were taken back anyway and collected by the sect. Jing immediately knew they had a plan for the absurd number of ghosts captured by the disciples but information on ghosts wasn''t something she had much of. At least, the benefits to having them around at least besides like pets to fight for you. She''ll find out later when she becomes Sect Leader.


    A plan that''ll happen sooner rather than later thanks to the Heart Demon Test. She could only rise to Master of the Evergreen Continent after thousands of years and thousands of tries. Jing knew the weaknesses of each sect leader of the Three Big Sects. Playing with them won''t take much to regain her position at the top of the continent but there are quite a few things she has to do first before starting on that.


    Jing walked over to her angels and saw that Lei Zhi and Runt were surrounded by grateful disciples whose lives he saved. A small few of them kowtowed to him with gratitude asking to learn under him and pay back the debts for saving their lives. While a majority demanded the items from their storage rings back and threatened to take them back if he didn''t submit to their demands. Ying grinned as she saw these ungrateful bastards.


    "I cannot give the items back. I apologize but it is only fair to receive some form of payment from a patient after treating them. Especially ones with life-threatening injuries."


    The crowd of disciples didn''t like the sound of this. Considering they were in a group, all young, and ready to fight, they figured they could just take back their stuff from the stupid old man. He was only at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. The weak doctor compared to their numbers and spirit built courage within them.


    "You ingrates!" A young girl that wanted to learn under Lei Zhi screamed.


    "He saved your lives and you try to rob him of all his belongings in return?! You should be grateful he even considered saving your lives for the useless items that couldn''t save your lives in the first place!" A very tall and strong young man shouted, standing in front of Lei.


    "Tch." A masked boy silently pulled out his sword as he stared at the ungrateful fools threatening his savior. This action led the other two into also preparing to fight.


    Instead of letting Lei Zhi speak for himself and try to reach a reasonable and logical outcome with the unruly disciples, Ying took it upon herself as his friend to solve this annoying problem for him. She smiled at the three little courageous disciples willing to fight on the behalf of her good friend. With only a single swing of her sword, she intended to bisect all the annoying bastards into two. Ying''s sword cut through the air without mercy or any intention of stopping.


    "Please calm yourself, young lady." An elder suddenly appeared in front of the group of frightened disciples with a qi barrier that managed to block Ying''s sword seemingly effortlessly. "Please wait until the final test, you will be able to release any violent emotions there."


    "Hmph. You better thank him for saving your lives. I would''ve cut every single one of you down for scheming against my friend." Ying''s eyes narrowed at the group unable to believe they almost lost their lives for a second time so soon. "Don''t think that just because he saved your lives once, he''ll be able to do it again. Even if he warned me to wait, I''m not the type of person to just stand by and watch the people I care about suffer injustice. If I have to, I''ll give everything I have to kill you all if you ignore my warning. Even if I have to cut down an elder in the process." Ying looked at the unknown elder.


    "Disrespectful brat!" The elder reached out to slap Ying across her cheek.


    A sharp smack echoed across the Immortal Forest, gathering everyone''s attention.


    "Elder, I would like to apologize for my friend''s behavior. She didn''t truly mean what she said and was only caught up in her emotions. Our friend was nearly attacked and robbed for doing what he believed was right. If someone you cared about was about to go through a situation like that, in my opinion, it is natural that one would act like my martial sister." Bing cuffed his hands and respectfully bowed toward the elder with a bright red mark on the side of his cheek and a missing tooth.


    Something nearly snapped within Ying once she saw the elder smack Bing without holding anything back. If that was her, she''d definitely be worse off than what Bing got. Two thoughts raged within her brain at once. One thought telling her to tear this elder apart and slice him to bits for what he did to Bing. The other recognizing the purpose of Bing''s actions of protecting her and Heaven''s Angels.


    "Hmph. It looks like at least one of you knows some proper manners and etiquette as a disciple." His lips widened in a content smile before suddenly feeling a strange coldness strike his body.


    The elder knew it couldn''t be that brat with the big sword causing him to feel this way. Just to make sure, he momentarily looked over at her to realize that she was staring at him with pure murderous intent. A lowly disciple like her was looking at him with such a look!? He stepped past the fat one in an instant and tried to slap her once more for her impudence.


    "For a senior, you sure have a small amount of tolerance for the younger generation." Jing appeared in front of Ying and caught the elder''s wrist with her hand.


    "You...! Do you know who I am?!" He cried out in complete disbelief.


    Disbelief that one, so many juniors would show him such disrespect instead of cowering before him, and two, he couldn''t escape the grip of such a little girl! He used his qi to try and wrench back his arm but this didn''t seem to do anything as the girl''s grip only got tighter. She began twisting his wrist with an innocent and respectful smile on her face.


    "Elder Wu. A Pillar Elder that''s aligned with Elder Zhong." Jing knew exactly who he was.


    "And you dare...!" Veins were visible on his forehead as sweat dripped down his body as he tried to regain his arm.


    "It looks like Supreme Commander didn''t uphold his side of the deal if a lackey like you is making trouble with my angels..." Jing casually broke Elder Wu''s wrist.


    A scream came from Elder Wu because of this unexpected action. Jing threw a low kick and took the elder off of his feet as she placed a spell on top of his ?h?st. Everyone watched as the elder suddenly looked as if he was stomped by a gigantic creature as the ground around him decompressed downward. This decompression repeated every five seconds and no one could respond or react as the Elder was buried alive in front of everyone.


    Upon realizing that everyone''s eyes were on her, Jing believed now was the perfect time to make the announcement. She made stairs of water before sitting on a watery throne in the air. Her movements and the air around her spoke of elegance, power, and ambition. It wasn''t the first time she''s sat on a throne in front of thousands of people and wouldn''t be the last.


    "My name is Jing and these are my angels. Heaven''s Angels." Arrows of water pointed down on every member of Heaven''s Angels along with three new additions. "What you just saw was the consequences of a lowly pawn sent by the bidding of another to test the strength of my group. However, I dislike such underhanded tactics when done in such a boring manner. If you want to test the strength of my angels or myself, I am more than happy to allow anyone to try. As long as that testing is fair to my angels. Someone more than two realms trying to take on my angels will be thoroughly punished just as you''ve seen before either by me or my son." Li Li raised his head a little higher as he looked down on all the disciples around. "My name is Jing and I am the leader of Heaven''s Angels. That is all for now." She grinned as with a snap, several talismans attached themselves to every angel and they vanished.

 Chapter 253 - 248: The Aftermath.

    Moments after the death of Elder Wu and the revealing of Heaven''s Angel by the strange girl named Jing, those remaining at the entrance of the Endless Plains of Yin began discussing what they''ve just witnessed. Elders were not excluded from the chatter inside the Immortal Forest. It wasn''t an everyday experience to see an elder die from a disciple. If anything, it was probably an occasion that wouldn''t be repeated in a thousand years! Those elders and disciples that weren''t aware of Jing before felt lucky to witness the birth of a new genius for their sect.


    If they told anyone that a 9th stage Qi Consolidator killed a recently ascended Mortality Ascension Realm elder, not a single soul would believe them! Hundreds and thousands of cultivators could go around spreading what they just saw with their eyes and everyone else would look down on them for telling such a ridiculous lie. They''d be seen as trying to improve the reputation of their sect by making outrageous rumors of one of their geniuses. This wasn''t anything new or out of the ordinary for sects by creating rumors of themselves to look better. Most of the time it would just bring attention to this rising genius and make other geniuses want to defeat them to raise their own reputations.


    Meili was one such person hopeful that something horrible would happen to Jing and this Heaven''s Angels. Her group benefitted greatly from inside the Endless Plains of Yin thanks to Bo Fai, but even with all they''ve gained, she knew that they weren''t enough to deal with Jing yet. Unless they managed to get their hand on another peerless sealing spirit tool, they had to stay low and out of Heaven''s Angels'' sight until they had enough power to defeat them.


    Especially since Rising Dragon Manchu managed to successfully seal Hu Tao. If she came at them with the power her group had now, they would be helpless to stop her from breaking the sword Hu Tao was sealed in. Their primary goal was to avoid Heaven''s Angels and gain power. As of now, they were the biggest threat to Meili''s group.


    "She didn''t state the purpose of Heaven''s Angels, did she?" Meili asked her group.


    "Nope! Just that they were free to accept any challenges!" Yanyu cheerily replied.


    "Well, no matter. A group willing to have someone as terrible as Hu Tao within their ranks has to be just as awful as he is." Meili figured.


    "Everyone single one of them is just as guilty as Hu Tao to me. No cultivator, righteous or wicked would be willing to work alongside someone like Hu Tao. A man worse than the vilest demon known to man!" Hatred spat from Hong Long''s words.


    While he would love to do nothing more than killing Hu Tao with his own hands, he knew with the strength he had now, it would be impossible. Getting revenge for his sister''s death would have to wait for now, but his blackening heart found it difficult to simply wait and gain strength while Heaven''s Angels walked around freely. This was something that even his allies could see.


    "The time will come faster than you think." Bo Fai placed his hand on Hong Long''s shoulder. "The more you obsess over this, the more detrimental it''ll be to your cultivation. Hu Tao may have taken your sister, but do not allow him to take everything you live for now. Hong Chi wouldn''t want to see her big brother suffering like this, don''t you think?" Bo Fai smiled.


    "You... What do you..." Bo Fai''s word affected Long more deeply than he thought. "You''re right..." Hong Long hung his head down. "She''d try to support me in avenging her death. She wouldn''t want me going mad over it..."


    "You are no longer living for just one person but two. Never forget that." Bo Fai looked into the young boy''s eyes.


    "I... won''t. Thank you." Long couldn''t keep eye contact with Bo Fai.


    "You know, you can actually say some pretty cool things sometimes boyfriend!" Yanyu was surprised.


    "Shut up, idiot." He lightly thumped her on the head with his fist.


    "Hey! I''m really going to turn into an idiot if you hit my head like that!" She angrily but playfully beat on his ?h?st with her small fists.


    "I guess nothing would change much then, huh?" Bo Fai grinned.


    "You bully boyfriend!!! Don''t tease me like this in front of everyone!" Yanyu hit even faster.


    "Alright, alright. That''s enough playing around everyone." Meili smiled. "Let''s get going as we wait for the start of the final test."


    ______________________________________________


    "Hehe, what''s this? What happened to our Junior Brother?" Chao teasingly laughed.


    Gong Jun has just escaped the Endless Plains of Yin with three bodies in tow. Tang Wuying over his shoulder and Fu Kang and Princess Lan enveloped in some sort of green goop. Separate, of course. The young Rising Dragon with the strange green sword didn''t seem to hold any injuries but upon coming out both Chao and Jian could tell that something significant happened to their junior brothers. Especially with the bright wide smile on Jun''s face.


    "He was ambushed by a group of people and knocked out. They didn''t seem to want his life and only the treasures nearby." Jun explained.


    "What were you up to then?" Jian asked.


    "Dealing with my own matters. Now, if you''ll excuse me. I have something rather important to deal with." Jun tossed Tang on the ground and their amulets to one of the elders.


    Gong Jun then walked off into the distance with the two captured disciples as he covered his face. As cultivators with enhanced senses and bodies, it was quite difficult for them to ignore the small chuckling from Rising Dragon Gong Jun as he slowly vanished into the Immortal Forest. This chuckle didn''t take long to turn into full-blown maniacal laughter with qi fiercely blowing from his body.


    Neither Jian nor Chao really understood what was going on with their junior brother but didn''t think much of it since he seemed so happy. While Jun usually showed his emotions on the surface, both of them knew he hid his true self deep inside. Perhaps that was their first time seeing the true Gong Jun. Hopefully, he wouldn''t forget that he still had another part of the tournament to participate in.


    "Hey, sleepyhead!" Chao slapped the back of Tang''s head with some qi infused into his hand.


    "Who dares!?" Tang woke up swinging his boomerang towards the person who woke him from his sleep.


    "Whoa there, Little Tang... It''s just me." Chao casually leaned back and avoided the curved weapon intended to decapitate him.


    "You...?!" Tang rubbed the back of his aching head with a furious scowl on his face.


    "What happened to you two inside the plains?" Jian asked.


    "Tch! Annoying bastard always hiding things as usual. Don''t ask me anything!" Tang didn''t feel right airing out Jun''s business. He disliked Jun immensely but wouldn''t go out of his way to pry into his personal business. Even if his personal business had got him knocked out by some spellmaster.


    "I suppose 1st Junior will tell us eventually." Jian could accept this answer.


    "I can''t wait to find out what made him so happy. You think he''ll get bothered if I ask him constantly?" Chao grinned.


    "Anyone would get bothered by that, idiot." Jian calmly responded.


    "But 1st Junior has a lot of patience. It''s hard to rile him up." In Chao''s eyes, Jun was a worthy opponent in terms of making him angry or annoyed. Out of all the disciples, it was only him that he has yet to truly make angry.


    "I wish I had the same patience." Jian shared, looking at Chao with annoyance in his eyes.


    "I still don''t understand how you can teleport to my void world..." Ying questioned as Hao Gang transformed into a smaller boyish version of her.


    "She made a movement formation!" Hao Gang answered confidently.


    "That''s correct." Jing rubbed the little sword''s head as he shivered in p???sur? and fear. "It''s a complex formation because of how mysterious this world works. It works on similar rules to our world but it''s like a pocket dimension that''s a part of our main world instead of a world on its own."


    "I understood none of that." Ying replied.


    "Studying arrays and spells are a lot more complicated than one would think. They''re tied to the very essence of the world itself. It probably isn''t too much of an exaggeration to say that a spellmaster that has reached the peak would be capable of reforming the way the world works entirely." Jing shared her findings.


    "Did I waste my time going down the path of a martial artist then?" Bing suddenly questioned.


    "Ah, don''t let me confuse you. Any cultivator that reaches the end of their path is able to change the world in their own way." Jing quelled their worries.


    "Why does it sound like you''ve already done it?" Wan Qing asked.


    Jing shrugged with a small smile on her face, "Who knows?" With this casual reply, Heaven''s Angels narrowed their eyes at their leader. It wasn''t too out of the realm of possibility for them to believe that Jing has done such a thing. But it would question some of the individual theories of Jing''s background. Especially since in the past, she seemed to lack common knowledge that everyone that was anyone would know.


    "Thanks for helping me out back there Jing and you too Bing." Ying told the two.


    "It was nothing." Jing didn''t think much of it. It gave her the perfect excuse to complete one of the system''s missions in a fitting manner.


    "My body is a little bit tough, I can handle a little bit of pain for a close friend." Bing smiled with his one missing front tooth.


    "Ah, that reminds me of something..." A frightening smile slowly formed on Jing''s face as she turned toward Bing.


    Every instinct in Bing''s body was telling him to flee as fast and as far as he could at this moment. Even Jiajia couldn''t help but shiver as she stared at the short brown girl. Jiajia didn''t understand why she was afraid of a measly Qi Consolidator and this illogical instinct paralyzing her body made her want to lash out and fight. A reaction that Bing put all his power into repressing as it wouldn''t lead to anything good for him.


    From Jing''s pocket, a glowing blue eye was staring at Bing from her hand. She slowly walked over to the boy frozen in fear. Her small hand gently rubbed his face as she turned his head from side to side. Jing''s black eyes stared deeply into Bing''s dark blue eyes that couldn''t tear itself away from her''s.


    "Can I refuse? Can I please refuse?" The words came spilling out of Bing''s mouth without control.


    "Refuse? But why would you want to do that? Don''t you remember how Wan wanted to refuse my gift before thanking me for it? I would never do anything that would be bad for my angels. Don''t you agree?" Jing''s voice was slow, tempting, and very alluring.


    "This isn''t going to be like Hu Tao''s gift from the Treasured Plains, is it...?" Ying quietly asked, uncomfortable with how touchy Jing was being with Bing.


    To this question, Jing could only laugh at Ying. "You have nothing to worry about Ying. It isn''t going to be like that at all." Jing pulled out a talisman from her storage ring and attached it to Bing''s head. She could hear Ying''s sigh of relief from behind her as Bing dropped unconscious to the ground.


    When Bing''s head smacked on the ground, Jiajia flew out from his shadow to attack Jing to protect him. It only took a single glance from Jing to stop Jiajia in her tracks. Her glance pierced through the Walking Devil''s soul and rendered her immobile from fear. Jing''s been aware of Bing''s little ghost friend from the beginning.


    "Lei Zhi, come help me with this." Jing called out as she laid next to the unconscious Bing.


    "Understood. What are we trying to accomplish here?" Lei asked as he sat next to her.


    "An eye transplant." Jing answered for everyone to hear.


    "What''s wrong with his eyes?" Lei soon asked after.


    "Nothing. I''m just going to make them better." Jing didn''t waste any time as she used a tendril of water to pull out Bing''s eye.


    It was just as bloody as one would imagine someone pulling out someone''s eye in its entirety. Lei Zhi silently watched on, carefully watching to make sure that there were no mistakes or anything that needed to be corrected in the process. Jing took the Eye of End and with the thin and numerous water tendrils, began to attach the new eye into Bing''s right eye. After putting the new eye in the gaping hole on Bing''s face, Jing placed one of her healing talismans on his cheek.


    "How does it look?" Jing asked Lei.


    "Nearly perfect... The third tentacle needs to push the optic nerve slightly to the right." He instructed.


    "Understood." Jing did what was suggested and waited for Lei''s evaluation of the transplant.


    "He should be fine from what I''m looking at... We just need to wake him up and ask if there''s anything wrong to make sure." Lei nodded.


    Jing removed the talisman she placed on Bing''s head and he shot up in a fright. Upon looking at all the faces staring at him, he felt confused. Why was he lying on the ground right now next to Jing and Lei? There was a strange itchy feeling coming from his right eye.


    "What happened to me?!" He panicked.


    "You should be happy. The Eye of End isn''t something that just anyone can come across within their lifetime so easily." Jing got up from the ground and cleaned her hands with SCP-109''s water.


    "Eye of End?" Bing questioned, getting up from the soft grass as well.


    "It is said to be the eye of an ancient immortal who was conspired against and betrayed by his fellow immortals. His power was said to be too great in comparison to the other immortals and to keep balance within the heavens, they needed to cut him down into several pieces. One of those pieces is said to be this Eye of End. It gives the holder the ability to predict the future in some capacity." Jing explained.


    "What the hell? That sounds stupidly powerful!" Ying rightfully complained.


    "It has its limits. It cannot predict the future at all times without any cost to the holder. The Eye of End specializes in preventing its holder''s death, not allowing them to see the future unhindered while avoiding all troubles and gaining peerless treasures." Jing didn''t want Bing getting too big of a head from this.


    "Huh? So, it just warns him when he''s about to die or something?" Was what Ying got from this.


    "I guess you could explain it like that. It would be fitting considering Bing''s personality, which is why I chose to give it to him out of everyone else." Jing answered.


    "Bing isn''t the only one with a gift, is he?" Wan Qing suddenly questioned.


    "Hmm. I suppose I did gain a lot from the Endless Plains of Yin. I guess I can show off a little bit of what I''ve got for you all." From Jing''s storage ring piles and piles of items towered up into a small mountain.


    ______________________________________________


    "I didn''t expect you to find my angels and group up with them." Jing relaxed on a water throne she created.


    "It just kind of happened." Shang rubbed the back of his head.


    "So, what do you think of them?" Jing smiled.


    "They''re certainly an interesting bunch..." Shang smiled back.


    "I know they didn''t catch your attention just by being interesting. Why don''t you tell me the truth?" Jing''s eyes turned playful as she looked at her boyfriend being shy.


    "Don''t tease me like this." He turned his head to avoid her eyes. "I joined them to find you." Shang admitted.


    "You wanted to find me and then what?" Jing couldn''t help but grin.


    "I don''t know." His cheeks began to slowly turn red.


    "I think you do know. Shang. You wanted to find me and do something with me. I wonder what that something is..."


    "You already know the answer! Why do I have to say it out loud?" Shang could hear the whispers and murmurs from Jing''s angels behind him. It made his face even redder.


    "How can I know what you''re thinking? It''s not like I can see in your head. A normal relationship is where two partners can express their thoughts, d?s?r?s, and dreams together through words and actions."


    "How would you know...? Have you ever had a boyfriend before me?" He asked.


    "Would it bother you if I did?" Jing rested her face on her hand.


    "As long as you aren''t talking to them now... I wouldn''t have a problem with it." Shang shared.


    Oh, so he isn''t the type of man to care that his woman had a past with other men. How nice... Some of the men she''s dated cared deeply about the fact that she wasn''t a v?r??n. As if being a v?r??n made a woman special or different in some kind of way.


    "Well, you don''t have to worry about something like that. You''re my first boyfriend ever after all." Jing relieved him of his hidden worries. ''As long as you don''t count the husbands, slaves, boy toys, and boyfriends from my past lives.''


    It looked like this statement from Jing is one that caused Shang to smile out of his control. He turned back to face her playful eyes.


    "You''re my first woman as well..." Shang felt proud to announce this. His love for Jing was greater than it should be considering how little he knew about her, but that was something that would change. All he had to do was get to know her better!


    "Looks like we have a lot of firsts to have then, huh?" Jing laughed as the boy''s face turned a deeper shade of red.

 Chapter 254 - 249: Some Time To Relax.

    "That''s definitely not a relationship..." Ying refused to believe it.


    "It looks like a sweet one to me." Wan Qing disagreed.


    "It just looks like she''s teasing and playing with his emotions." Ying defended her claim.


    "Not everyone shows love and affection in the same way." Wan Qing explained.


    "That''s true. Back when I was a little bit younger and a little bit more unrestrained, I treated women quite horribly at the time. Eventually, I found out that the women I formed relationships with at that time were actually quite fond of being treated negatively by me and loved me for it."


    "Really?" Runt looked up suspiciously at Lei.


    He wasn''t the only one either. Many of Heaven''s Angels were dubious of his claims because, in their heads, they couldn''t imagine a younger Lei Zhi being anything different from how he is now. It just seemed wrong to try and picture him as a jerk who abused women that liked to be abused. The man of peace, friendliness, and reason.


    "Yes. I was no different from the youth of today. Arrogant, not caring about anyone but myself, and only focusing on power. It wasn''t until I lost my eyes that I could truly see the world for what it was and see myself." Lei shared.


    "Youth of today, huh?" Ying jabbed her finger into his ?h?st with some force but not enough to hurt him. "Is there something you want to say about us, Lei?" Ying smiled.


    "Would you say I''m wrong?" Lei smiled back not giving in to the young girl.


    "Hmph! Don''t try and stick me in the same group as other people my age! If you think I''m anything like those people that you try and change, I''ll have to punch you until you can see it." Ying felt that she''s already grown somewhat after being taken inside Heaven''s Angels.


    As much as she''s embarrassed to say it, Bing and Lei both seeped their annoying ways into her body somehow. She isn''t as ruthless as she used to be. In the past, she''d kill anyone that bothered her or tried to pick a fight with her with no hesitation. Now, she''d just physically cripple them at most unless they hurt one of her friends.


    "That''s true... I have definitely noticed a difference in your temperament lately." Lei nodded.


    "Looks like even without your eyes, you aren''t that blind." Ying grinned, satisfied with his appraisal.


    "Why are you single now then, Lei?" Wan Qing asked.


    "Hmm? Who said I was single?" Lei Zhi suddenly revealed a startling piece of information.


    "Who is she!?" Ying asked.


    "Where is she?!" Qing asked.


    "What does she look like?" Runt questioned.


    "Is she a part of the sect?" Bing couldn''t think of anyone from the sect despite asking this.


    "Hmm, I wonder..." Lei only smiled as he brushed off their questions.


    It turns out, working as a doctor while going out on the sect''s monthly tasks exposed one too many women. Both cultivator and mortal women alike seemed to hold an interest in doctors. He wasn''t a woman nor did any of his women explain why they wanted to stay with him. But he did enjoy spending time with them.


    "Don''t think you can just brush off our questions with a, ''Hmm, I wonder...''" A badly done, high-pitched imitation of Lei Zhi''s deep and usually understanding voice.


    "You''ll find out in time. It wasn''t like I was keeping it a secret or anything." Lei Zhi responded.


    "Next time you''re going out on a task, we''re coming with!" Ying declared, grabbing Bing''s hand.


    "We are?" Bing was entirely confused.


    While he was envious that Lei still could get girls with relative ease at his age, he wasn''t interested in seeing them up close. That would only hurt his self-esteem even more. Especially if they were beautiful and/or young! Lei himself just admitted that he could get girls in his youth easily and he could still get them now it seems! Bing definitely needs to ask this old tiger some tricks for himself...


    "Don''t you wanna see Lei''s girlfriend?" Ying''s fierce eyes stared at him, daring him to say no.


    "Not really..." Bing looked away.


    "I''ll go with you, Ying. I''m interested more than I usually am." Wan Qing stepped up.


    "Tch." Ying clicked her tongue at Bing. There was no place safer to keep him than beside a woman that already had a man in her heart.


    "I''d like to go as well but... I have some training to do, so please tell me all about it later." Jie kindly asked, also interested in talks of romance.


    "Should we come as well, Teacher?" Lin Shu, the only pretty student of Lei Zhi, asked.


    "Yes, I''ll bring you three along as well to gain some experience and learn under me." Lei answered.


    "Won''t this be after the tournament, though?" He Wenqing, the biggest student of Lei Zhi, questioned.


    "That''s right. For those still participating in the tournament, their monthly tasks have been put on hold for the moment." Lei explained.


    "..." Xiucai, the quietest student of Lei Zhi, nodded in acknowledgment.


    ______________________________________________


    Li Li glared at the boy claiming his mom to be his. He''d sooner kill him before accepting him as his father. It was only because his mom telling him that he couldn''t kill him that Spellboy was still standing right now after Li Li learned of his relationship to his mom. But just because his mom said that Li Li couldn''t kill him, didn''t mean that Li Li couldn''t make his life absolute hell! He''s learned a lot from his mom. There were more ways to mess with someone than physically hurting them.


    ______________________________________________


    Zhai Shang couldn''t help but shiver from the piercing glare of the owl''s stare. It was only a few moments ago that he learned that this owl wasn''t just a pet to Jing but a son! But the scariest part wasn''t that the owl clearly disliked him, it was the fact that the owl was capable of understanding human speech and complex thoughts! From the look in its eyes and the information he''s gained from the other angels, Shang knew that trying to close the distance between himself and Jing was going to be something he had to risk his life with. This owl would perhaps be his biggest enemy at the start of his relationship with Jing.


    "Li Li... You''re scaring mom''s boyfriend." Jing rubbed his head as he sat in her ??p glaring at Shang.


    "Hmph! Anyone worthy of my mom wouldn''t be such a coward!" Li Li was in his soul form. An identical mini version of Jing that was slightly transparent.


    "It looks like you have quite the challenge ahead of you, boyfriend." Jing grinned. She knew that Li Li would react in some way. "My son seems like the possessive type."


    "I won''t give up." Shang stared into her eyes. "In time, I''ll have you accept me as well Li Li. Maybe not as your father, but as the man that deserves to be by your mom''s side." Shang vowed as he looked at Li Li.


    "I''m the only man my mom needs! Shut up, stupid idiot Spellboy! Just go away and never come back!" Li Li spat on and kicked his heartfelt words with relative ease. He was only saying that stuff to get with his mom.


    "This really will be a challenge..." Shang sighed when insult after insult was hurled at his head. When has he ever been insulted to his face like this before? Never, that''s when.


    "I wish you luck! My son is very stubborn but I believe you can do it." Jing shared her thoughts.


    "I will never lose to a weakling like him!" Li Li was fine painting himself as the final boss. A final boss that would never lose to the protagonist.


    ______________________________________________


    "We don''t have much time, but I''ll do my best to train you in the short time we have. First off, let''s get rid of this thing." Jing suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Jie, taking her sword and tossing it into the distance.


    "What was wrong with my sword?" Jie asked.


    "Nothing. Now do your best to mimic these four stances." Jing''s body suddenly became unusual and abstract.


    Jie didn''t see how it was possible for her to even try to replicate the first stance! She wasn''t a snake or some creature that didn''t have bones! While she was flexible, even she had her limits. At least, that was what she thought until she saw that Wan Qing could easily replicate those four stances that Jing just did.


    "It took her some time to learn them as well but I believe you can do it, as long as you work hard and tolerate the pain." Jing would''ve gifted her a martial art created by SCP-914 but after her Heart Demon Test, she could think of quite a few techniques that would fit perfectly for Jie to help her reign in Hu Tao for herself.


    "Well, okay..." Jie had to at least give it a try.


    "I''ll help you out." Wan Qing wasn''t particularly busy at the moment, it was also very interesting to see others go through the type of training she did from Jing.


    "Thank you." It didn''t take long for Jie''s screams of agony and regret to spread throughout the void world.


    "Jing, I have something I would like to request." Lei Zhi walked over to her.


    "It won''t be free." She reminded him.


    "Of course, I''m willing to put in the effort if you''re able to grant me what I want."


    "Okay, what''s your request?"


    "I need a spirit tool. A spirit tool that will allow me to form contracts, pacts, and deals with people that both sides will have no choice but to stay true to, otherwise a fitting punishment would befall the one that breaks their side of the contract." Lei explained.


    "Hmm... I have just the thing." From her storage ring, a thick scroll large enough to rival an ?du?t''s height appeared in the air.


    "What task would you like me to accomplish?" Lei asked.


    "Write all of your current medical knowledge in a book. Once you''ve completed that, I''ll give you the scroll." Jing told him.


    "I will get it done." Lei Zhi''s penmanship wasn''t that great but Jing didn''t say that he had to be the one to physically write it. He should find someone that is good at calligraphy before starting.

 Chapter 255 - 250: The Cake Chapter.

    Most of Heaven''s Angels didn''t spend all of their time inside Ying''s void world. Jing returned back to her cake-selling business. After the success of the few customers she did have along with the large boost in her reputation from announcing her sect, there were many more customers willing to pay up for the different types of spirit cakes. Shang and Li Li helped managed the customers while she actually directly took part in making the cakes.


    She "rented out" a medium-sized shop from a disciple who didn''t want to make a fair trade for it. No one has heard from said disciple ever since Jing started up shop and no one bothered asking questions either. If a cake shop suddenly shows up in one''s sect, one''s first instinct isn''t to question where the previous owner of the shop went. It''s to ask how much do those delicious-smelling pastries cost.


    Jing specifically chose this shop out of the others despite its hagrid appearance was because it had a functioning kitchen. How was she supposed to make a cake shop without a kitchen? Not to mention she didn''t know anything about building structurally solid buildings. That was something that in her ten thousand lives she did not get around to learning, believe it or not.


    Since Jing didn''t have much time actually sell these cakes because the elders have yet to declare when the final part of the tournament will start, she had to be quick. With Shang and Li Li''s help, she had them do a little advertising for her store to gain some visitors who weren''t aware of her doing business in this isolated part of the sect. Her name has gained some high traction since the announcement of her faction and it didn''t take long for people to come and investigate what she was doing. But she didn''t need people investigating her, she needed customers willing to buy cakes! Thankfully, this is where those few past customers came in handy. They were completely happy to buy as many cakes as they could with the spirit stones they gathered in the tests or on tasks.


    "It was because of your Qi Recovery Cakes that I survived an encounter with a Bone-Tearing Mist Tiger! Each time it tried chasing me, I would use my Furious Wind Steps technique and blast away like the wind! At first, I only planned to use this technique as a life-saving technique that would only be good for one use due to the high qi consumption rate but with the cake, I can use it dozens of times more than anyone else around my rank could! I''m quickly on my way to becoming untouchable among my peers!" A cheeky young girl at the Qi Gathering realm happily chatted.


    "I never thought it would be easy for someone like me to cultivate but with your Gathering of Qi Spirit Cake, I feel like a genius effortlessly cultivating throughout the night!" A poor-looking boy with clothes that b?r?ly classified as rags smiled with blackened teeth.


    "Haha! Speaking of getting through the night easily, thanks to your Physical Performance Spirit Cake I have now conquered more than twenty beauties within the past 3 days. My s?x-based cultivation technique has skyrocketed my realm to heights I never would have thought possible!" A big-bellied man guffawed, showing off his Core Preparation Realm qi.


    With the genuine appreciation of her cakes from those three, it didn''t take much to have those just watching to come by and take a bite. Especially since she already started the alchemy process of infusing SCP-871''s cakes into spiritual materials to make the spirit cakes. Meaning, the mouth-watering smell from the pastries was now spreading outside her shop and into the noses of the soon-to-be customers. Even Jing had to take a small break every now and then to take a small bite of one of her creations despite not needing to eat or drink at all because of her refinement.


    After her Heart Demon Test, Jing had to say that the standards of food within this world were sorely lacking. If a master cook from her original world came to this place and survived somehow, his creations would be head and shoulders above any other cook here. But considering that this is a world where the fist reigns supreme, she isn''t the least bit surprised by their lack of culture in anything besides fighting. She''ll just need to introduce it later down the line.


    "I''d appreciate it if you didn''t kick me every time you walked past me..." Shang muttered to the young bird in his human-like soul form.


    It was rather startling how similar he looked to Jing and Shang still had trouble getting used to the similarities. Just because of how closely he looked at Jing made Shang want to scold the boy less. His heart couldn''t help but rapidly beat when he thought of the boy and someday having another child with Jing and himself. Would he accept his younger brother? Would he hate him? As of now, Shang believed that the owl would hate the little sibling wholeheartedly unless he changes Li Li''s view of him.


    But something like that was a far distance in the future and not something Shang dares claim will happen in time. Love is unpredictable. He would have never seen himself in a relationship like this before taking the Golden Serpent Sect''s Recruitment Test. To him, a relationship was nothing more than a trade of benefits and cons if he admired his parents'' marriage. But what his mother and father had was not something that Shang wanted for himself.


    As a genius, he had lines of beautiful female suitors willing to marry him. Marry him for his face. Marry him for his talent. Marry him for his lineage. None of these were things he was interested in just giving out to anyone. These shallow pointless things could be taken away at the drop of a coin. No, he was interested in something a little more intangible and unclear. Something that couldn''t be seen clearly until you had it firmly within your own grasp.


    "Make me." Li Li scoffed as he reached over the left part of the counter for the next customer. "What do you want?" He asked in a rude childish voice.


    "Gathering of Qi Spirit Cake, please." A girl wearing an eyepatch asked forking over 5 high-ranked spirit stones.


    "Got it." Li Li swiped her stones and placed them in the large black cauldron in the kitchen.


    Those standing behind the store''s counter could see the shine from the several spirit stones stacked inside it but not just how many stones were truly inside the pot. This led to a small little contest idea for Jing. She hung up the information on the door when the idea came to her. Maybe this idea of hers would be revolutionary for the people of this age. Out of her ten thousand lives, only in her original world did any store do something like this.


    By the end of the week, each paying customer has the chance to guess once about the number of spirit stones inside the cauldron. Jing will bring out the cauldron in front of the store so that everyone can get a good look at it and get a feel for how many spirit stones are inside for themselves. The customer with the closest guess to the actual number of spirit stones will win a free Breakthrough Spirit Cake and one-tenth the number of the spirit stones inside the cauldron. The more cakes one buys, the more chances they have to guess the number.


    Each customer was given a "blank" talisman as proof of their purchases and recommended to keep it for the contest at the end of the week. Jing would be able to recognize these blank talismans and differentiate them from others. So, if anyone tries to cheat in the challenge, which she knows they will, she gets to set an example of what happens to caught cheaters inside her shop. Jing believed it would be too lenient if she tried saying those future cheaters were courting death by trying to take advantage of her and her belongings.


    Many customers questioned what a Breakthrough Spirit Cake was, not quite able to believe the name. It was the most expensive cake in her shop, going for a reasonably high price of 5 peak-ranked spirit stones. No one has been able to buy this cake as of yet and one of those reasons was because of the disbelief surrounding its ability.


    "So, you all take me for a swindler?" Jing couldn''t help but smile. "Okay. I''m willing to allow one person and only one person to take a bite of the cake and prove its effects. You all decide who that one person will be and I''ll give it to them."


    "ALL YOU MOTHER FUCKERS BETTER BACK OFF! I NEED THAT FUCKING CAKE!" Someone immediately elbowed a person next to them in the face.


    "You need the cake!? Do you know how long I''ve been stuck at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm!?"


    "Qi Gathering Realm!? You''d just waste the cake if it was given to someone with poor aptitude like you! How far do you''d think you''d get if you made it to the Qi Consolidation Realm? The 2nd stage or 3rd?"


    "Hahahaha! Leave the cake to me! I''ve been trying to reach the Core Stage for years now! I''ll kill anyone that doesn''t think I deserve it!"


    "Didn''t you all refuse to believe her about the effects of the cake? Why are you all fighting so furiously to get that fake cake then?!"


    "If you truly don''t believe the Breakthrough Spirit Cake is real, just choose me. I don''t believe it either, but I''ll sacrifice myself for you all."


    "Tch! How is this even fair!? This chance is clearly a show for the stronger disciples to take as they please!"


    Jing was enjoying the little chaos happening within her store. Without SCP-914, Jing couldn''t afford any furniture for her store at such short notice. So, she had to improvise with water-based furniture instead. Meaning, the many disciples in her shop were beating each other half to death with water-formed tables, chairs, and the like. It brought a smile to her face seeing them so eager to kill over the smallest of reasons but that person did have a point. The strong would just eliminate the weak and the strong would just fight until the strongest remained. That strongest would then get the cake. So while Jing did enjoy a little chaos every now and then, there was also balance in chaos.


    "You make a good point. How about this? I''ll save an extra Breakthrough Spirit Cake for the end of the week alongside the one from the original challenge. There will be a second challenge that will take place for only a free Breakthrough Spirit Cake unless someone manages to buy the Breakthrough Spirit Cake before the week is over and prove its capabilities. I will have to warn you, it will be based on one''s knowledge of the world."


    With these words from Jing, the fighting soon stopped. It looked like many of the disciples didn''t like how it would be based on one''s knowledge but they were willing to accept it. Because if they didn''t, perhaps half of them or more would die right here. Maybe with this, Jing can somewhat put a need or want for knowledge into the heads of these meatheads. It will be like a trivia game from her original world.

 Chapter 256 - 251: Things Are Going.

    "Why are you following us!? Go away! Go back home!" Li Li shouted at Shang.


    After closing down the store for today, Jing was walking back home with Shang and Li Li. Something that Li Li disliked immensely. Shang wanted to spend more time with Jing and it was still light out, so he didn''t feel that he was being inappropriate in attempting to stay with her longer. Li Li thought that after selling the cakes, Shang would disappear and he would finally be able to spend time with his mom alone.


    "Who said I was following you? It is simply a coincidence that we''re walking the same way." Shang dismissed the boy''s accusations.


    "You''re lying! You''re trying to find out where we live so you can visit! I already know!" Li Li glared at Shang.


    "Oh, you live this way? I had no idea." Shang''s lips slightly turned up. "I wonder which house could possibly belong to you two out of all the houses down this way." His eyes frantically searched.


    Li Li ran forward and used his body to block the entrance to his home. Unknowingly revealing the very house that Shang was looking for in the first place. Jing couldn''t help but giggle at the sight of her na?ve son. He fell for such an obvious trick because his emotions were all riled up.


    "Oh, you live here?" Shang calmly asked, taking in the view.


    "No! We live... over there!" In his panic, he pointed to a house that was on the verge of collapsing.


    "I see now..." Shang nodded. "So, it wouldn''t be a problem if I took ownership of this house, correct?"


    "No! You can''t stay here!" Li Li''s mind raced. "Other people live here! Go back home!"


    "Well, where are they? If you live over there, then who stays here? I want to meet them." Shang stood in front of the young boy using his small body to block the door.


    Shang was not foolish enough to test fate by trying to use physical means to win the affections of Jing. Jing had to tell the bird boy that he couldn''t kill him earlier under any circumstance. It was at that moment that Shang understood that the boy wasn''t quite as harmless as he looked. If he played his cards wrong, he could possibly lose his life. The boy already looked at him as if he was going to take his mother away forever and keep him away from her till the end of time.


    "They''re out! They wouldn''t want you around their home either because they''re really strong! They''d beat you to a pulp and laugh at any spells you tried to throw at them!" Li Li boasted.


    "What''s their names? I know quite a lot of strong people in the Inner Court. Maybe I already know them." Shang tried conversing.


    "You don''t!"


    "There''s Xia Linyan, Tong Yuan, He Yuhan, Wei Chaochao, Ying Tong, Liu Guangming..." Shang went on naming names upon names. Some real, some fake. He had a feeling that the boy wouldn''t really know in the first place.


    "Just go home!" Li Li was overwhelmed. He''s never had to argue with words before and found his refined brain failing him at this moment.


    "Well, if you say so." Shang sighed.


    He walked next door to the shack on the verge of destruction. With a few simple talismans thrown here and there, it didn''t take long for the young handsome genius to alter the ruined hut into something more presentable. With a polite smile, he waved at Li Li and Jing before entering the house and fixing up the inside as well. It was at that moment a deep terror took root inside Li Li''s body that also brought forth a child''s infinite anger.


    He would live next door to them. Every day, he would have to see him. Every day, his mom would see him! Every day, he would try and take his mother away from him until he succeeded! And he couldn''t kill him! What was he to do? How could he protect his mom? Keep her away from his clutches?


    Li Li''s owl brain that was altered for the better by Jing began to think of hundreds of thousands of schemes per second. A child''s imagination was endless. Their selfishness knew no limits. It took less than thirty seconds before he came up with several ideas to keep his mom from being taken. All of which he would carry out in the near future to fully get rid of the evil man courting his mom!


    "Shall we go in?" Jing smiled at Li Li.


    "I hate him!" Li Li crossed his arms as he strolled inside their house. "I don''t know what you see in him but I''ll definitely make you see him for the bad man he is!" Li Li vowed.


    "I can''t wait, my little hero." Jing rubbed his head as she followed behind him. ''If he was a bad man, mommy would''ve already saw it.'' She thought to herself in amusement.


    ______________________________________________


    "Stop! Stop! Stop! I''m going to break! You''re going to break me! Wait! Just give me a second to catch my--- AHNNNNN!" Jie''s screams continued inside Ying''s void world before it cut off from her fainting.


    Jing''s water clone tried to "help" Jie complete the All-Purpose Meditation Stance. An unnatural inhuman pose that wouldn''t be considered something that a normal human could perform. Neither of these strange exercises looked as if they were meant for humans. Jie was unable to progress past the first pose due to her fear and weak tolerance to pain.


    Ying and Wan Qing were the only two able to keep up with these exercises daily. Ying persevered through the bone-breaking pain daily to further increase her strength. Wan Qing refused to allow herself to be content with her current strength and after Jing allowed her to become the person she always felt inside, that only further increased her need for strength. To better help and serve Jing to lead Heaven''s Angels to the peak that she wasn''t quite clear on just yet.


    Bing and Lei Zhi couldn''t deal with the pain but their greed for strength wasn''t anywhere near as high as the others. Runt was terrified after seeing Jie''s spinal cord snap on the first day and refused to even think about practicing such a horrifying exercise. It also didn''t help that he watched as Jing easily fixed her injury and then ordered her to continue before it snapped once more. Whatever was in that book of torture that Jing''s water clone read from, Runt wanted no part of it.


    Jie wasn''t the only one attempting these poses. Two of Lei Zhi''s latest disciples wanted to give it a try as well at first. Until Jie snapped her spine, then there was only one, Lin Shu. The frail-skinned little firecracker wanted to become stronger so that she never had to be saved again.


    Xiucai was the one who ducked out after seeing the horrific sight. He thought he was strong enough to handle a little pain but no. No, he was not. You don''t simply get your spinal cord snapped and then wake up ready to do it again. His need for power was great but it wasn''t to the point where he could torture himself with such pain to do so.


    All in all, everyone saw the two young women going through such a hellish experience day after day. They gained a newfound respect and fear towards them. Not just anyone could go through Jing''s training. And many never wanted to be trained by Jing ever if this was what they had to go to just to start! Yes, start! This was only the beginning, Jing''s water clone said!


    ______________________________________________


    Inside a dimly lit room, splatters of darkened blood could be seen all over the floor. Candles sat upon a wooden bench to the right side of the room if coming from the entrance of the room. Similar blood patterns could be seen on the table as well with deep gashes in the wood from some sort of tool. In the middle of the room, stood a metal contraption. Hooked to this metal contraption was a face that few would be able to recognize.


    "Fu Kang..." Gong Jun''s voice was soft but held endless malice covering him. "Was it worth it, in the end?" He was genuinely curious.


    "Every... second... of... It." A withered drained voice came from the metal tool.


    "It''s good that you''re still lively. Still willing to fight back even in a situation like this where there is no hope for you. It really helps me know that I didn''t make the wrong decision in being hasty with your due punishment." Jun smiled with blood all over him. "I destroyed your muscles, crippled your legs, tore off your fingernails, shattered any hope of you cultivating again. Even if you were saved, the life ahead of you would be a life filled with nothing but suffering and hardship."


    "Hu... Hu... Hu...." Fu Kang''s hollow laugh rang out.


    "Good!" Jun was pleased.


    It makes sense the man willing to make him into a cuck and steal the heart of his future wife would be a worthy opponent. A quick death is too good for both of them. Jun got up and left the torture room. He still had to deal with Liu.

 Chapter 257 - 252: Lei Zhis Medical Office.

    It took a few days before Lei Zhi could find someone to record all of his knowledge for Jing correctly. Runt couldn''t write, but he could read. Bing''s penmanship was not all that understandable. Ying didn''t want to. Jie was busy with her training. He could only rely on Xiucai. Lin Shu and He Wenqing came from mortal backgrounds. He was a farmer. Lin was nothing more than a stay-at-home daughter waiting to be married off.


    Xiucai came from a multi-generational ?ssassin''s clan. He was taught many things growing up but how to help others was not one of them. Lei Zhi looked forward to trying to change this boy for the better. A boy who was probably surrounded by nothing but the rawness of the world since birth. It was probably the reason why he didn''t talk so much.


    After Xiucai wrote down all the information Lei gave to him, Lei wasted no time passing it over to Jing. Lei received the life-changing giant scroll and had to store it inside his storage ring because of its size. Now that he finally got his hands on this, maybe his future for the youths of the world will happen a bit sooner than he thought. But first, he needed to get himself a more prominent place.


    Finding a more prominent place to set up shop wasn''t that difficult. In the Golden Serpent Sect, strength is king. All he had to do was challenge a disciple with the type of building he was looking for. If he won, the place was his. If he lost, well, he might lose his life for trying to take someone else''s house.


    His disciples'' eagerness to see him fight wasn''t lost on him. Both Xiucai and He Wenqing had a higher cultivation realm than himself. Lin Shu was at the 8th stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, only one stage below himself. Lei Zhi could''ve easily crossed over into the next realm by now, but he chose not to attain better rewards at the final portion of the Grand Tournament. He had a suspicion that those in different realms would be separated in different rounds. Qi Gatherers would fight Qi Gatherers and so on.


    Lei Zhi knocked on the door of the place he considered his future medical office. The place looked sizeable enough to house multiple patients, his three apprentices and himself, a large garden to grow herbs and for his spirit beasts to play around in, and a dignified appearance outwardly. His disciples mainly stayed quiet. They were chattering about seeing him fight and how he''d fight.


    The door slowly opened as a sharp-eyed young lady glared at him. A 5th stage Core Preparation Realm disciple who looked like she was just woken up from her sleep. Lei Zhi wasn''t aware that this was the home of a Great Prodigy, but he did recognize the small girl in front of him. Su Su, a cold beauty in the making. She rarely spoke to others and frequently ignored advances from men and women. Her only goal in life seemed to be reaching the pinnacle of power.


    Lei Zhi thought that she seemed quite lonely. A person needs friends growing up or they won''t grow up to be a well-functioning ?du?t. Maybe she was unable to communicate with others because of her monstrous talent at such a young age. In a society like this, the strong don''t seek friends but followers. There are no equals unless you can match one in strength.


    "..." She didn''t say a word but continued to give him a sleepy-eyed glare.


    "Hello. My name is Lei Zhi and I apologize for waking you." Lei Zhi gave a polite bow despite being the older of the two. "I know this might not be an appropriate time but I would like to make an exchange with you."


    "?" Su Su still didn''t say a word but her eyebrows rose slightly.


    Lei Zhi was rather glad that it was Su Su of all the Great Prodigies that he had to stumble upon. The girl wasn''t known for seeking battles but simply furthering her own strength. He could reason with someone like this. There wasn''t a need to fight if it could just come down to a simple transaction with both sides benefitting.


    "I am something of a doctor and I would like to set up an office within the sect for the injured and sick within the sect. On looking for an office, I came across your humble abode. I felt that it would be the perfect medical office."


    "..." Lei could tell from her face that she was thinking, ''So he wants to challenge me for my house?''


    "However, I know that you aren''t the type to enjoy meaningless battles so I thought of an equal exchange for your home." Lei smiled. "Would you be willing to give up your home in exchange for unlocking your body''s hidden potential?"


    "...!" Su Su''s half-opened eyes widened upon hearing this.


    "Hidden potential?" He Wenqing whispered.


    "Can he do that for us?!" Lin Shu excitedly wondered.


    "..." Xiucai guessed they would get their body''s hidden potential unlocked later in the future.


    "Proof." Su Su quietly but firmly requested.


    "No problem at all!" Lei was glad she was willing to listen so far. It''d be embarrassing if she decided to fight him or slammed the door in his face.


    Lei Zhi poked at his body seven times over with his fingers. His fingers landed in the middle of his forehead, center of his throat, heart, abdomen, the center of his ?h?st, pelvis, and the top of his skull. It only took an instant for the shackles in his body to unlock and the qi to come pouring out. A surprising amount of qi was released from Lei''s body that shot him past the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering Realm straight into the 5th stage of the Qi Consolidation Realm.


    "Come. Only you." Su Su pointed to Lei Zhi, refusing entry to his disciples.


    "Thank you for hearing me out." Lei Zhi quickly tapped those same spots to lock them back up, dropping straight back to the 9th stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.


    Lei Zhi was brought into the young girl''s home as his disciples were still shocked by what they saw before.


    "I knew I made the right choice in paying back my debt to this old man for saving my life!" He Wenqing balled his fists in joy.


    "Amazing... So amazing!" Lin Shu couldn''t wait to learn that for herself! Just when her opponent thought she was down and out, she''d release her hidden potential and surprise everyone with her true strength!


    Xiucai didn''t show his emotions on his face but he was just as excited as his new brother and sister. His mask played a big part in hiding his facial expressions. Lin Shu and He Wenqing placed their ears against the door to try and hear what was going on inside. Both of them waved at Xiucai to tell him to come over but he had a little more sense than to try to hear what was going on inside.


    "Ahn..." At least, that was until that noise came into his ear.


    Xiucai wasted no time in placing his ear against the door with Lin Shu and He Wenqing. There was no way their kind, polite, and taken master would do something so inappropriate! Sure, she was really beautiful and on the verge of ?du?thood but he wouldn''t! Would, he?


    Similar noises to the one from before came from beyond the door and the three disciples turned red. Their master really had a way with the ladies...


    "You should be careful Lin." He Wenqing warned with a snicker.


    "There''s no way master would look at me in that kind of way! Shut up, idiot!" She shouted with a whisper.


    "..." Xiucai took a better look at Lin. "She''s right. She''s ugly." Compared to the girl inside.


    "Ugly, huh..." Lin remembered Xiucai''s words for later. Once she has her potential unlocked, she''s going to beat him half to death for those words.


    It took over an hour before the operation was over. Lei Zhi opened up the door and wasn''t surprised to see two of his disciples falling inside. Xiucai managed to react in time and sped away from the door. They were embarrassed but their target right now wasn''t their master but the young girl their master spent an hour with alone behind doors! Inside, they could see a fully dressed Su Su looking away from them with her face fully flushed.


    "Fools..." Su Su insulted. "If any false rumors between me and him spread, I will kill you." She promised.


    Her newly awakened strength seeped into their very bones. Su Su could kill them without even taking a step as her qi gently hung around the three like an executioner''s blade hanging overhead.


    "Yes!" All three disciples responded together with a bow.


    "Miss Su will be working alongside us. She''ll take care of any unruly patients or any other sort that intend to hamper our business." After unlocking her hidden potential, Su Su decided not only to give him her house but to also work with him.


    Lei didn''t have a reason to refuse but he was interested in why she decided to work with him. Perhaps she thought there was a way of getting stronger by hanging by his side. Whichever it was, it wasn''t like he could read minds. He looked forward to helping this young girl open up and live a life worth living. If she was suppressing herself in the first place. She could be one of those rare cultivators that truly enjoy cultivating and getting stronger without caring about much else.. Only time will tell if she is that kind of person.

 Chapter 258 - 253: A Freeloaders Peril.

    Unlike the others, Bing didn''t busy himself with anything during the short break they had before the final portion of the Grand Tournament. Didn''t set up some shop, didn''t take in some followers for his Wandering Angels branch of Heaven''s Angels, train the entire time, or have any fun with someone special. He lazed around the entire time in Ying''s void world.


    Well, that was an exaggeration. Ying still forced him into getting materials, herbs, and the like for whenever he wanted a spirit cake from her. So, from time to time over the week, he would leave the sect and enter the Immortal Forest to search for stuff. He didn''t like it but thought it was fair. It''d be a bit much to expect Ying to sacrifice her time and own resources to make cakes for him and not gain anything in return. Even if she was his friend.


    Ying spent her time mostly training, cooking cakes, or cultivating in the void world with him. Usually, it was just Bing and Ying in the pocket dimension. Wan Qing busied herself with her current partner and fully enjoyed the physical perks of being a woman. Lei was accepting patients for his doctor''s office and trying to get more people to learn of the place. The Empress also had a shop but a cake shop that would drain Bing''s spirit stones dry.


    "It pisses me off looking at you, you know?" Ying sent a nasty glare his way.


    "What I do?" Bing innocently asked. He was just laying in the grass.


    "You do nothing but eat and sleep yet you''re still growing stronger every day! How is it fair that I have to sweat, bleed, and break myself to get stronger?" Ying explained.


    "I can''t really do anything about that..." Bing felt that Ying just wanted to bully him because she''s stagnated in her cultivation or martial arts again.


    "Get up! I''m tired of looking at you doing nothing. You''re going to fight me."


    "You just want to release your frustration out on me..." Bing wh?n?d. He did nothing wrong but is being punished for it!


    "Yeah, so what! Who''s making your cakes without charging you anything for them? Who''s letting you stay in her void world as a home away from home? I think asking this much of you isn''t anything at all!" Ying logically shut him up.


    "..." Bing couldn''t say anything to refute her words.


    He was basically leeching off of her without paying her anything back. Now that she put it like that, he was kind of embarrassed. Wasn''t he a man? What kind of man would depend on a woman to take care of him like she was his second mother?! Ying wasn''t his wife, she didn''t have to put up with how he''s been at all!


    "You know, you''re right... I have been taking advantage of you, now that I think about it." Bing muttered. "How about this? Every week, you can make any three demands of me!"


    Ying''s face froze for a few seconds once she heard Bing''s words. Embarrassing thoughts were the first ones to race through her mind about what kind of demands she could ask of the cute fat lazy idiot. Then she remembered that Jing could reappear in the void world at any time... So, if anything were to happen between her and Bing, it would have to be in her home at the sect or his.


    The fiery swordsman turned her back to Bing as she covered her face in embarrassment. Ying couldn''t believe what she was thinking! They haven''t even held hands! How could she be thinking of doing those kinds of things?! She had to make some progress with Bing! One of her demands would be something to bring them closer together.


    "Just three?" Ying''s face returned back to normal as she looked at Bing with a look of discontent.


    "Four?" Bing didn''t want his lifestyle to change too drastically.


    "Seven." Ying demanded.


    "That''s too much..."


    "Seven." Ying didn''t stand down.


    "How about five and-"


    "Seven."


    "Please spare me..."


    "It''s fair, don''t you think? For all I''m doing for you, all I''m asking for is for you to do seven things for me every week." Ying smiled.


    "Yeah but..."


    "Since this is such a difficult choice for you. We can just drop it and forget it." Ying said with some bite in her voice.


    "Fine... Seven demands per week and I can keep my current lifestyle..." Bing dropped his shoulders, giving in completely.


    The benefits were too good compared to the negatives. Ying was his friend, wasn''t she? She wouldn''t ask anything too ridiculous of him, right? While she did have a wild personality, that didn''t mean she would make him do stuff he didn''t want to. At least, he hoped.


    "Tomorrow. We''re going on a task together, alone." She informed him ahead of time. "Wear something nice, take a bath, and bring money."


    "Is that four demands or one...?" Bing was hesitant to ask.


    "What do you think?" Ying glared, daring him to complain already.


    Bing sighed, "I understand..." He really wanted to just lie around tomorrow and do nothing but eat and cultivate.. But thinking on the bright side, how long could a task take with the both of them going together? Unless Ying picks a ridiculously difficult task, they should be able to finish in a couple of hours.

 Chapter 259 - 254: The Start of the Finale!

    The start of the finale of the Grand Tournament was quite flashy. Fire, water, thunder, and all sorts of things exploded into the air above the sect. The elders drained their qi supply dry as they showed off the magnificence of their abilities and the sect. Pride filled their old bones looking at the amazed and idolizing gazes of the disciples. Jing scoffed at the sight of the old men getting happy at impressing a bunch of children with fireworks basically.


    She did have to admit, it was a good showing at least. While she wasn''t anywhere near as impressed at the thousands of disciples around her, it wasn''t too torturous on her eyes or ears. Jing''s angels surrounded her in a circle. Ying led the way forward with a very excited and happy look on her face. Bing stood by her side looking quite exhausted for some reason.


    Jing heard from Wan that they had their first date during the time the elders were preparing the finale of the Grand Tournament. Then they had a second and a third, and then a fourth. According to Wan, Ying dragged Bing around to all sorts of places to do all sorts of things. Jing wondered how far she''s progressed in capturing his heart. Bing looked like he hasn''t had a decent night''s rest in days. He even looked like he''s lost a little bit of weight.


    ''He is my slave... I''ll have to remind Ying to not take advantage of him without rewarding him with a good hearty meal at least.'' Jing remembered.


    Wan Qing was glowing with beauty and pride. Apparently, she spent her entire week rolling around in the sheets with her boyfriend that she claims is just a friend. With some light training on the side. She would also need to ask Wan if she''s being safe. It wasn''t that long ago that she was a man. If she suddenly ended up pregnant, wouldn''t it partly be her fault for not warning her how easily a woman could get knocked up?


    Jing did come from modern times. The amount of tv shows that glorified young girls getting pregnant was absurd. While Wan was an ?du?t, she still hasn''t been informed about some of the basic knowledge that every girl should be informed on.


    ''I guess I''ll need to include that information as well when I''m restructuring the sect for the better. General Knowledge for Women. I''ll also have to include a male version with inputs from Bing, Lei, and maybe Hu Tao? Hu Tao is debatable but I''ll for sure have to include inputs from Lei and Bing.''


    Jing thought that getting a book for men was more important than getting one for women simply because the men in this world were mostly animals. Women were nothing but tools of ?ust, children, and a means to fight loneliness. They weren''t seen as people or individuals even if they''ve acquired great power equal to or better than a man''s. It was honestly shocking because the three leaders of the Three Great Sects were women! Golden Serpent Sect, Nine Swords Sect, and the Blossoming Water Palace all had female sect leaders.


    They''ve done nothing to try and change the status quo despite holding so much power. All they''ve cared about was their own standing and power. Jing could only shake her head. These women''s reputation and strength will be reduced to dregs in history. In her 10,000 lives, she''s read several literary works in this world. Very few highlight women in a positive manner that doesn''t include their beauty, s?xu??ity, or weakness. The best praise for a powerful woman in this world was how stunningly beautiful she was. Not her intelligence, not what she''s accomplished, nor her strength.


    Jing would make sure to overhaul this world entirely to change that. It wasn''t just because she was a woman either. It was simply because she couldn''t stand living in such a primitive world. Jing wasn''t ignorant to the fact that this world wasn''t too different from her original world in terms of values. The strong ruled back there as well, just in a different way through laws, money, and etc. However, there is still a qualitative difference in values, ideals, and perceptions between worlds that she felt that she must correct. Well, not correct but forcefully change.


    Jing fully understood that she wasn''t correcting some misguided mindset held by the people of this world. She was the outsider, kind of. Living in a world about 10,000 times would make you a native of that world, wouldn''t it? What she was going to do was changing the status quo in a way that seemed unfamiliar but won''t be all too different. Many will try to fight against it, but in this world, strength reigns over all. What form that strength takes will be up to her as it won''t take too long to reach the pinnacle again. Could be laws, could be money, or it could be something else. As of now, she couldn''t tell.


    "I''m telling you, I''m not strong at all." Lei Zhi tried to convince his apprentices of his strength.


    "That sounds like something Bing would say." Ying pointed out.


    "It''s true. I would say that." Bing added.


    "Besides, I dislike fighting anyway. I''d rather that fighting with swords, fists, and qi disappeared completely than continue on. Perhaps a different method of fighting could be added. Like with chess or competitions that didn''t have contestants beating the life out of each other." Lei Zhi shared.


    His disciples clearly didn''t share his views as they seemed bored by the statement. They couldn''t imagine a world where people didn''t fight using their bodies. What would be the point of learning martial arts or cultivating at all if they couldn''t be used to hurt people!? When Lin Shu learned of her potential to become a cultivator, she planned to use it for the weak! Terrorize the wicked and help the weak. He Wenqing didn''t have as lofty goals as Lin did. He simply became a cultivator because he knew that cultivators didn''t struggle for money. By becoming a cultivator, he could help his family back out on the farm live a wealthy life they never could''ve imagined living. Xiucai didn''t want to follow in the steps of his family members. He became a cultivator to forge his own path in life despite his family''s insistence and influence.


    "It has been a while since you fought..." Ying realized. "I''m getting a little excited to see your match too." She hasn''t seen him fight after becoming a doctor.


    "I don''t plan to use my medical skills unless forced into a corner." Lei Zhi explained.


    "Tch. How boring." Ying clicked her tongue in disappointment.


    "He might fight someone strong but I don''t know anyone really powerful still in the Qi Gathering stage at the sect. Most of the strong people quickly moved to the next realm and up." Bing said.


    "I expect both of you two to be some of those people moving up..." Jing gave the two peace-loving fools a look.


    "Me and Qing have been trying to tell them!" Ying agreed with Jing.


    "Peace isn''t something that weaklings can hope for unless they have the strength to force it." Wan Qing told the two.


    "I''ll cultivate more seriously! I promise!" Bing always dreamt of having multiple women looking at him but not like this!


    "Heh, this old man won''t waste the second chance you have given him." Lei bowed to Jing.


    "Don''t forget to tell everyone about your clinic after you win your matches to get more people to know." Jing reminded him.


    "Oh, thank you. That would''ve never crossed my mind." Lei smiled.


    Heaven''s Angels were separated as they made their way to the grounds where the finale would take place. The huge area was split into multiple stages with stands for people to sit and watch the cultivators compete. Qi Gatherers were sent to the top left stage. Those in the Qi Consolidation Realm are in the top right stage. Core Preparation had the bottom left stage near the entrance and the last stage held for Core Stage Realm disciples were at the bottom right.


    Out of all the stages, the Qi Gatherers had the least amount of disciples participating. Not many of the Qi Gatherers managed to pass the first two stages due to their inexperience. Those that did were fiercely ogled at by the elders as potential personal disciples to take. The Qi Gatherers weren''t the only ones being looked at like sizzling pieces of meat. Most of the eyes were on the Qi Consolidators because Jing was included in their group.


    Jing was the talk of the sect before and her name and group fiercely resurged in popularity after the end of the second test. By now, all of her angels were identified and are currently being fought over by the elders. According to Wen''s investigations, they managed to get some good data on her angels.


    Ying being the swordsman who focused on the way of fire and sword. Bing was described as the Man-Eating Abomination in Pig''s Skin. Wan Qing, the Heavenly Butterfly who somehow managed to reverse Yang into Yin. Lei Zhi, the Blind Savior. Jie, Fighting Maniac''s Woman. Runt, Little Doctor. Lin Shu, He Wenqing, and Xiucai, Blind Savior''s Apprentices. Li Li, Peerless Demonic Owl. And Jing herself, The Peerless Angel.


    Gazes of all kinds focused on her. Jing simply ignored them and listened to the chattering of her angels around her. Today''s showing would be very important for herself and her angels. It could determine just how much opposition they''ll face when she''s in control of the sect.. Countless plans and schemes flowed through her head as she tried to determine what would be a good showing to show to the entirety of the sect. What would be the best way to make an impactful statement that pertains to her goals?

 Chapter 260 - 255: A Surprising Reveal!

    The final portion of the Grand Tournament was structured in a way that Jing did not expect at all. This made her wonder just what made the elders decide on something like this... A wicked sect like this choosing to focus on teamwork, cooperation, and all that junk? Isn''t that more of a righteous sect thing? Well, according to stereotypes anyway. Out of Jing''s 10,000 lives, both righteous and wicked sects weren''t all that different. Good and Evil were just two sides of the same coin, it just depended on with whose eyes you were looking at which side.


    "Each match will be done in teams of three!" The Supreme Commander explained. "You will not be judged on your individual strength, talent, or how quickly you defeat the other side. What we will judge is how well you collaborate with your randomly chosen partners, how efficiently you pool together your strengths and cover up for each other weaknesses, and how badly you utterly fail at the first two."


    These instructions were met with mass confusion and discontent. Those that made it this far in the Grand Tournament could be said to be some of the best disciples in the Golden Serpent Sect. The fact that they as individuals had to force themselves into looking good by working with strangers pricked them the wrong way. Why should geniuses like them work with others when they''ve done well enough on their own so far?


    Of course, not everyone thought like this. Some of those that felt lucky to have made it to the finale at all were ecstatic about this news. It gave them a second chance that they never would''ve had if this was structured like the previous Grand Tournament finales. All they had to do was work with others, their own strength wasn''t important! In that one-on-one fight, till one side surrendered, they only had one chance to show off their talents to the elders. If they were up against someone superior to them, they could only hope they lasted long enough to appeal to at least one elder. In a situation like that, it was basically impossible to showcase any valuable parts of themselves because the elders would definitely look at the winner to take as their apprentice over the loser.


    "You cannot kill. You cannot cripple. You cannot fight your teammates." Supreme Commander listed some of the do-not''s. "You can extend the fight to outside the stage due to the increased number of disciples fighting..." And then listed some of the can-do''s.


    Like before, this new information was met with a split crowd. Some were happy about it while others were upset. Those that were against it felt that it was different from the norm! No one could have expected such a drastic change. Tradition was meant to be kept the same throughout time, right? Why the hell were things changing now?!


    Those that were for it were happy about such changes. Now they truly could show everything they had without fearing being killed or crippled by their opponents! Even if they were stronger than them, so what!? This is a team fight, not a fight where your stupidly strong self can stomp over everyone and be praised for it! All they had to do was make sure they did whatever they could to work together with their partners.


    "Now that you all know what''s in store. Let''s get this started already." The Supreme Commander nodded towards the Head Elders.


    Elder Ru, Elder Mo, Elder Chang, and Elder Zhong flew to each section of the area. Only the first three were official Head Elders but Elder Zhong went along with them despite not being a Head Elder himself because he neared those three in strength. Jing gave a bright smile when she saw Elder Zhong flying over to her group. She saw that his lips momentarily twitched at the sight of it.


    ''She knows...'' Elder Zhong thought to himself.


    Elder Zhong was the master of Xun Liuxian and Jig. One of which got her temporarily killed and the other that sent her to her death through withholding valuable information. Jing was sure that Elder Zhong was aware of her involvement in the disappearance of these two disciples of his. Because of this, he held a petty grudge against her as if she was responsible for the death of his disciples.


    ''Annoying old cowardly bastard. If you didn''t want your disciples to die an early death, you should''ve taught them better.'' Jing cursed.


    "Take it." He stood over her holding a talisman in his hand.


    "..." Jing snatched it without showing any respect for the pathetic old man. Imagine, taking your petty anger out on someone, not even half your own age.


    "..." Elder Zhong smiled at this action of hers but Jing wasn''t an idiot. She could see the malice hiding behind that smile as he moved on to the next Qi Consolidator.


    There were several reasons for Jing to not be afraid of someone as powerful as Elder Zhong. While she couldn''t sense his realm since she was so far below him, in her other lives she had encounters with Elder Zhong. He was at the Mortality Ascension Realm. A useful powerhouse that any sect would want to wrap their hands around. In those other lives, she didn''t come at odds with him like in this one. He taught powerful disciples and manipulated them for his own benefit. Elder Zhong used them for more political influence within the sect and outside the sect.


    But someone like this who had to rely on schemes and tricks could never win against an old soul like herself. She''s competed with the best of the best in her past lives and was forced to adapt or die and start over from the beginning. Whether it was politics, war, chess, or fighting, Jing would claim that she had few that could compete with her. Those few that could, were to be eliminated as soon as she had the chance or recruited to her side. What would be the point of recognizing talents if you weren''t going to use them to your own benefit?


    After all the talismans were given to each group of disciples, the final portion of the Grand Tournament finally began. Each talisman had a number written on it in spiritual ink. This number would tell you the order in which you were to go up on stage and battle. For instance, Jing''s number was 879. With a quick headcount of the other Qi Consolidators around her, she could tell that she was going to be the very last to go up. Whether this was purposely done or just coincidental, she could not tell.


    Regardless, she was going to be waiting for a while to go up. So, she decided to make herself comfortable. SCP-109''s cap loosened as she made herself a large throne of water to watch the upcoming matches. Since she''s been infusing SCP-109''s infinite supply of water with her qi, it began to take traits of her own qi. Through this, she could manipulate the never-ending supply of water of SCP-109 with her auxiliary art, Idliragijenget''s Blessing despite not creating the water on her own. Since Idliragijenget''s Blessing only allows her to manipulate water created through her qi.


    It was a fascinating discovery for Jing. She didn''t realize if you soaked an object with qi for a long period of time, it would begin to take on special traits. At least, at the time it was. Jing thoroughly explored the origins and inner workings of spiritual objects and tools during her 10,000 lives. She could create them naturally with the help of the heavens, develop man-made ones, tear them apart piece by piece, and teach others these methods. But many spirit tools were nothing in comparison to the power of SCP-914. It was just peerlessly efficient when a majority of the random factor of refining an object was eliminated.


    "Looks like you''re going to be waiting a while, Jing." Ying grinned after taking a peek at her talisman.


    "Looks like it." Jing replied back.


    "Any advice?" Wan asked.


    "This is a lot easier than many people are making it out to be." Jing could hear many complaints and such with her refined ears. "Communicate with your teammates, share what you believe is your strong suit and a single weakness, and think of ways that you can combine your skills and strengths." She told her angels. "You don''t even have to be strong or talented to win. All you have to do is show you know how to work with others and use your combined strengths and abilities to their greatest extent.


    Ying, Wan Qing, Shang, and the rest listened carefully. Listening to Jing''s advice was always valuable. She was also their leader and someone who seemed older than she looked. None of Heaven''s Angels managed to pair up with one another. All of their numbers were distanced greatly. Ying in the 100s. Wan Qing in the 300s. Shang in the 700s. Because of this, Jing started to think that her group''s talismans were specifically picked out. There was no evidence but Jing trusted her instincts.


    "Doing your own thing and ignoring your chosen teammates is not recommended unless you want to fail." Jing warned no one in particular but both Ying and Wan Qing felt like those words were for them specifically.


    "Now that you told me how to pass, this''ll be easy!" Ying straightened her back with confidence. Her demonic giant sword basking in the sun''s rays.


    "I believe it won''t be that hard as long as my teammates listen." Wan Qing was worried she''d have to babysit some fools. She could fail if she was teamed up with some idiots.


    "You have to appeal to people. Don''t forget, everyone wants to pass." Jing advised.


    "I will remember..." Wan Qing nodded.


    "I hope you lose." Li Li sat on Jing''s ??p staring at Shang.


    "Thanks." Shang gave a small nod to the boy. He''d have to work extra hard to make sure he didn''t lose now.


    "I wasn''t saying something nice! Don''t thank me! I really do hope you lose!" Li Li clarified due to the confusing statement.


    "I''ll do my best to make sure I don''t lose now thanks to you, Li Li. Thank you for the encouragement." Shang balled up his fist in a look of great confidence now.


    "No! I didn''t- I wasn''t! You! I hope we meet and I''ll get to beat you up!" Li Li angrily shook his fist at Shang.


    "I hope we''re on the same team as well, Li Li." Shang misconstrued the young boy''s words on purpose.


    "No! That''s not what I said. I said-"


    The two of them continued their back and forth.. One taking great enjoyment out of it and the other getting increasingly mad about it.

 Chapter 261 - 256: Some More Changes?

    To make things easier on themselves, the elders chose to have the matches done separately. The weakest will fight first before making the way up to the disciples at the higher realms. This did make Jing wonder just how long she was going to be waiting if this was the case. The Qi Consolidators and the disciples at the Core Preparation realm were the most numerous.


    While Jing did think this method of judging was better than having them all fight at the same time, they''re going to be up here for more than a few days... She hoped they prepared food and drinks. This was a celebratory event, wasn''t it? What kind of celebration didn''t have food and drinks? Music would be nice too but the type of music in this world wasn''t to Jing''s liking. Barely did the food match up as well.


    ''I just got an idea.'' Jing suddenly thought as the first six Qi Gatherers were chosen to go up. "Shang, come here." Jing got up from her throne.


    She pulled out a raggedy wooden shack from her refined storage ring and gestured for Shang to follow behind her. Li Li was already glaring at Shang while holding Jing''s hand, obviously coming along as well. From its appearance, it looked like the type of building meant for doing one''s business inside. This is why several disciples and elders watched her with confused looks on their faces. It wasn''t the type of building that could hold three people at once without them squeezing inside to an uncomfortable degree.


    Jing inwardly grinned. They''d be right if this was just an ordinary shed. However, this shed was anything but ordinary since it had SCP-184 inside of it for a few days. The infinitely expanding dodecahedron with the anomalous property to expand a structure''s inner dimensions without altering its outer dimensions each day it lies inside said structure.


    "I don''t think is the time for a restroom break, Jing..." Ying couldn''t fathom what was going on inside Jing''s head.


    "If I was going to the restroom, do you think I''d invite Shang with me?" Jing didn''t know what the tomboy was thinking.


    "Then where exactly are you going? I don''t think more than one of you can fit inside there." Wan Qing was just as confused as Ying.


    "You''ll see." Jing, Shang, and Li Li went inside together.


    The two boys were more than surprised after entering through the door into an expansive room with nothing inside it.


    "Close the door behind you." Jing reminded Shang.


    "Hmm." Shang was still a bit shocked and very confused but followed her request.


    "Why did this place look so small from the outside, mom?" Li Li curiously asked, looking around the room.


    "Because of this." Jing raised SCP-184 in her hand as she placed a talisman on the wooden floor.


    "What is that, a toy?" Li Li tilted his head.


    "Just think of it as something that makes buildings bigger without looking bigger on the outside." Jing explained. "Now follow me. I didn''t think I could use this so soon." She said.


    Neither Shang nor Li Li knew what she was talking about but followed regardless. Jing turned her head to give them an important warning, "Please follow closely behind me. You might get lost if you lose track of me and it''ll take days before I can find you."


    Shang inwardly gulped but stayed silent as he observed the impossible building. He was taken through several doors, rooms, and stairs all with a wooden theme. Sparsed throughout the maze-like structure were multiple wooden objects that didn''t make sense or structural designs that weren''t quite correct. Long tiny hallways that made him feel giant, wooden doors that led to empty walls, twisting rooms that were impossible to walk through normally. It felt like they were walking for days through an entirely new world made of wood but in reality, it was only a few minutes.


    Maybe it was because of how little Shang could comprehend of this building that his sense of time has been distorted just as several parts of this structure have been as well. Li Li was somewhat on the opposite spectrum of the amazed, confused, and disorientated Shang. He was more than happy to explore the wooden maze and visibly awe at all the strange and impossible sights. His favorite was walking down the tiny hallways that made him feel like a giant! He was around the same size as his mom in those hallways even though he was little!


    Jing just silently enjoyed the reactions of Shang and Li Li. That talisman she placed down earlier was similar to a radar in it gave information about her surroundings according to how much qi was fed into it. A wave of qi would spread from the talisman that would extend outward. Its range depends on the qi of the one who planted the spell in the first place which gave it mixed reviews among spellmasters.


    Eventually, they arrived at the original room. The original room was where SCP-184 was first placed and also the farthest room from the entrance. Inside was all of Jing''s alchemy and cooking equipment. She planned to sell a different batch of cakes this time because she was sure that more than enough disciples have bought her spirit cakes in preparation for today''s fights. This time around the cakes will be less useful and more fit for a celebratory type of event.


    Now that she thought about it, maybe bringing Shang and Li Li wasn''t the best choice... They definitely didn''t know anything about making something more lively but did any of her other angels know? Weren''t they all kind of outcasts in their own way? Jing didn''t know enough about Lei''s apprentices. Jie was a noble who was unlike other nobles but still not the type of person who would know how to have a good time. Jing doubted Runt had ever been to a celebratory event before. Looks like she had to do this on her own.


    "I can''t hear anything..." Ying complained with her ear against the shack''s door. "I can''t even hear them breathing." She added.


    "I can''t hear anything from this side either." He Wenqing shared from the back of the shed.


    "This can''t be a normal shed." Wan Qing quickly understood.


    "..." Xiucai was really curious and couldn''t help but look at his group members investigating the shabby wooden shed instead of the Qi Gatherers fighting.


    "Should we take a look inside?" Jie suggested.


    "Hmm...." Ying seriously debated Jie''s question.


    Jing had to pick those two to follow her for a reason. At first, she thought that Jing was going to do naughty stuff with Shang but quickly trashed that thought after Li Li went inside with them. Plus, Ying didn''t think that Jing was the type to do something like that in front of so many people even if they were inside this shed. It was kind of stupid for her mind to even go in that direction in the first place.


    "We still have time before we go up." He Wenqing had a mischievous look on his face.


    "I wouldn''t recommend it." Wan Qing told the other angels. "Jing said that we''ll see what she was up to. So, just wait." She recommended.


    "But I wanna find out..." Ying was bored since she wasn''t able to flirt with Bing.


    "Hmph. Then go in and get caught by Jing." Wan Qing grinned.


    "Nevermind. I''ll wait." Ying didn''t know what would be in store for her if she barged into that shed but felt it would be better for her if she waited as Qing said.


    "Is she that scary?" He Wenqing asked.


    "Yes." Jie answered immediately. Her bones could still feel the pain of being snapped repeatedly.


    "..." Xiucai was already aware of Jing''s terrifying presence.


    As an ?ssassin, it was an innate action of his to snuff out a person''s strength and his chance of killing them. Xiucai was part of a multi-generational ?ssassin clan and could accurately judge anyone''s strength due to his upbringing. Out of everyone in Heaven''s Angels, he could only kill two people with his strength as of now without relying on poisons. If he relied on poison, he could perhaps take out a third.


    The first two being his martial brother and martial sister. The third being Jie before her training with Jing. Everyone else was impossible for him to take out even if he used every method at his disposal. At least, that was what his gut feeling was telling him.


    The small boy called Runt was impossible to ?ssassinate, the fatty who seemed to dislike violence just like his master, the tiny white owl, even now, Xiucai still couldn''t fully comprehend what kind of group he involved himself in. It was a terrifying experience to be around a group of people he had no chance to kill. Only back at his clan did he feel something like this. Being in close range to people that could deal with him even if they weren''t aware of his presence. Monsters... That was the only way he could describe most of the people in Heaven''s Angels.


    "We are very weak." Xiucai informed He Wenqing of their ranking within Heaven''s Angels.


    "I... I see..." He Wenqing accepted Xiucai''s words.. It wasn''t often that his martial brother spoke but when he did, it often was important to listen.

 Chapter 262 - 257: Runts Match!

    Out of all the members of Heaven''s Angels, the first to go up was Runt! As an 8th stage Qi Gatherer, he was just below Bing and Lei Zhi in terms of cultivation while equal to Lin Shu. Despite his shabby appearance, the fact that he was a part of Heaven''s Angels was known! Many eyes wandered over to his small figure with his notable pink hair and his camera hanging around his neck. Only those from his group knew the purpose and power of the camera.


    Runt had two big sisters as his teammates. Neither of them seemed to be on the same level as Ying, so he wasn''t afraid of them. The first big sister had a cold personality and ignored him entirely while the second big sister couldn''t stop talking. He didn''t know if they knew each other but as it was now, he was going to fail if this icy big sister didn''t get her act together.


    They had around 10 minutes to get to know one another before they had to fight. If they were ready ahead of time, they just had to say so with every member of the team in agreement. If not, they were forced to wait out the entire 10 minutes until everyone was on the same page. From what could be seen so far, the elders were more than happy to see teams use up all ten minutes while discussing with one another.


    "You''re pretty cute.." Talkative Big Sister smiled brightly. "You know, I''ve been looking for a little brother to dote on ever since mine died back home. He couldn''t keep up with me whenever I needed to practice my martial arts and died. Then my mom and dad kicked me out of the clan."


    Runt chose to ignore the annoying but scary big sister for now and stared directly at the quiet one.


    "Do you mind working together with us so that we can pass?" Runt''s words were cut out by a squeal as he was captured in a tight hug by the Scary Big Sister.


    "You sound just as adorable as you look!" She shook him from side to side.


    "The Supreme Commander said we''ll but judged on well we work together and use our strengths to cover up each other''s weaknesses." Runt painful squeeze on his ?h?st as he looked into Icy Big Sister''s eyes. "My weakness is that I am vulnerable up close. I''m not that good at fighting up close with people but my strength is I''m good at fighting at a distance." Runt shared one strength and weakness of himself.


    "The more you ignore me, the more I''m going to love you." The Scary Big Sister threatened.


    "My name is Runt. What''s yours?" He asked the woman trying to squeeze out his internal organs.


    "Hehe! This big sister''s name is Qin Jue! Wait! Just Jue since my mom and dad kicked me out of the clan." She corrected. "Hmm... Something I''m good at is fighting! Something I''m bad at is controlling my strength!" Jue stuck out her tongue as if embarrassed by that fact.


    Runt looked toward the Icy Big Sister. She clicked her tongue as she looked at him and Jue. He didn''t understand what her problem was. Didn''t she want to show a good showing for the elders like everyone else? Runt heard there were good prizes if you did well in the finale and made it to the end.


    "Shi Lina." Shi stated her name. "I have no weaknesses." She boldly declared. "I''m good at fighting alone and not being dragged down by trash and low-class peasants."


    ''That explains the attitude...'' Runt figured out why she was being like this.


    "I think she''s insulting us and saying we''re worthless Little Bro..." Jue whispered into his ear.


    "That''s exactly what I''m saying." Shi didn''t deny it. "Stay out of my way and don''t make me look bad." She threatened with a wave of killing intent.


    "If she''s scaring you Little Bro, I can break her neck for you." Jue didn''t mind whispering more terrifying words into his ear.


    Runt took a deep breath before talking, "We can stay out of your way. Can you fight all three of them at once?" Runt needed to know before going along with this noble. He''s seen and met her types before back at Dragon City. The best way to get along with them is to do what they say exactly to the word.


    "Hmph. They''re trash too." She shared her opinion of their opponents'' strength.


    "Great! Me and Jue will stay behind and help you out whenever you need it!" Runt exclaimed.


    "I won''t need your help." Shi quickly stated.


    "Even better! Just do your thing and ignore us." Runt gave her a thumbs up.


    "... Whatever." Shi turned as she pulled out her glowing red sword from its scabbard.


    "But Little Bro, how are we going to pass to the next round if she''s the only one doing anything?" Jue asked.


    "I have something in mind for us to do." Runt answered. "How good are you at throwing things?"


    "I can hit a Blue Cloud Eagle Hawk with a rock while it''s flying away." Jue answered with pride.


    "Really?" Runt asked with genuine interest on his face.


    Blue Cloud Eagle Hawks were known for their impressive speed. Jue was just a Qi Gatherer, so it would be crazy if she really could do that. Considering how crazy she''s been acting so far, Runt wasn''t sure if he could believe her or not. It looks like he''ll have to find out in their match...


    The other team was ready within five minutes. Runt''s team took the whole ten minutes. Their match started after the elder watching over the match called out for it to start. Shi ran forward with her sword alone. Runt had to politely ask her to put him down as the fight started. Jue wanted to decline but couldn''t after he said please. The two of them stayed behind with Runt taking out the Silent God''s Ocarina before giving Jue multiple geeks from his storage ring.


    Her first instinct was to sniff it before putting one in her mouth.


    "Sweet?!" Jue exclaimed. "What kind of candy is this Little Bro!?"


    "It''s what you''re supposed to be throwing at the enemy team to help Shi out..." Runt explained. "Please stop eating them." He had to request.


    "Sorry! They''re just so tasty! I never ate anything as tasty as this after I got kicked out by my family."


    "I''ll give you some more after we finish the fight." Jing never seemed to run out of them somehow. Even Lei Zhi had a mountain of them inside his storage ring for patients.


    "That''s a promise, Little Bro!" A frightening amount of qi soon exploded from within her body.


    Runt''s hair and clothes were blown back as he stood next to her in shock. He had a less difficult time believing that she accidentally killed her brother in a spar with this much qi. She was three stages below himself in cultivation but with qi like this, it was like she was an entire realm above him! Runt was starting to think that he got himself involved with someone really troublesome...


    Jue had no idea of the thoughts going on inside her new little brother''s head. Using her qi, she began chucking geeks at the enemy while they were engaged with Shi. The geeks were coated in her qi, giving them an extra amount of power. Groans, screams, and grunts came from the mouths of the other team as her candy landed accurately on their body. With over a dozen of geeks in her hand, she soon began to take the spotlight from Shi as the enemies were dropping like flies because of her rapid-fire throwing.


    Runt placed a small bag of geeks down at his side for Jue to take when she ran out of geeks before playing his ocarina to support them. Unfortunately, it seemed like his teammates were too strong compared to his opponents... He b?r?ly had the chance do anything with his ocarina before they were unable to continue fighting. With Jue''s unbelievable strength and accuracy paired along with Shi''s impeccable and beautiful swordsmanship, their enemies couldn''t react in time.


    Shi was capable of facing all three of them just by herself while Jue could just sit back, eat candy, and injure the enemies from a distance. If they tried splitting up where two of them tried to handle Shi and the third went after Jue, who would take the pink-haired brat?! They could only blame their misfortune for encountering two monsters so soon. Another thought soon came into their minds as the match was called.


    While one''s talent or individual strength wasn''t being judged, wouldn''t it be pretty difficult for a team to show off their teamwork if they''re eliminated before they can fully show it!? The win was given to Runt''s team for some reason that was only discussed between the elders. Runt released the breath of air he didn''t know he was holding in as he walked back to his group. He won without even doing anything really. That felt really good.


    "Good job out there, Runt!" Lin Shu smiled before her eyes started looking at something above and behind him with confusion.


    "Thank you?" Runt turned around and realized that Jue was still behind him.


    "Hello everybody. I would like to thank you for taking care of my Little Brother all this time." Jue gave a polite bow. "My name is Jue. I''m his big sister." A bright innocent smile came from her lips.


    "..." Runt didn''t know how to react to this situation. "She isn''t related to me."

 Chapter 263 - 258: Lin Shus Time to Shine!

    "I don''t mean to sound rude, but were you born like this?" Lei Zhi tried to ask as politely as possible.


    "Born like what?" Jue asked, confused about what the old man was talking about.


    "Have you always been talented in qi or controlling it?" Lei Zhi phrased it differently.


    "Nope! I''m a body cultivator because it''s cheaper." Jue happily responded.


    "Wait! Runt, didn''t you say this person wasn''t related to you? Then who is she and why is she following you around?" Bing suddenly realized.


    Runt could only spin his eyes around in hopes that Bing would understand his meaning. Bing at first tried to copy the movement of his eyes before his eyes widen in understanding. He went over to Jue and Runt felt eternally grateful. It wasn''t that he hated Jue.. He just didn''t want to become her beloved little brother and possibly die just like her last one.


    "Instead of starting off as relatives, how about easing into just being friends first?" Bing asked her.


    "But he''s too cute to be my friend. And when he grows up, I''ll definitely be unable to resist the charm he''ll have then! Unless he becomes my little brother. My mom and dad said you can''t love your family in that way or your babies will be freaks. And who even are you? Are you trying to stand between me and my little brother?" Jue shared her thoughts without a filter.


    "I''m a friend of Runt''s." Bing answered.


    "My Little Bro can speak for himself, right Little Bro?" Jue locked her eyes on Runt.


    "We should start as friends first." Runt rubbed the back of his head. He didn''t want to be involved with her much at all with how she''s acting.


    "Sniff... Sniff!" Tears flowed down her eyes. "You... You... You don''t love me...?" Snot and more tears began to flow down her face.


    "No. I b?r?ly know you. I don''t mind being friends as long as you stop acting weird." Runt gave it to her straight.


    Being born in Dragon City didn''t restrict his ability to speak his mind. A street rat was only polite when it was to their benefit. That benefit being food, saving their own life, or not getting involved with strong people. This girl that tried to latch onto him for some reason wouldn''t be spared from his brute honesty. He wasn''t a good person like Lei who did good things for people without getting appropriate payback.


    "Waaaah!" She cried her heart out but she stood closer to Runt. "I''ll," "stop," "acting," "weird!" Each break in her sentence was her sniffing her snot back up her nostrils.


    "Uh... I''m gonna go on stage now, master..." Lin Shu took her exit.


    The next member of Heaven''s Angels to go up was Lin Shu, one of Lei Zhi''s disciples. Lei Zhi, Xiang, and a few of his arms wished her luck with a wave. Bing gave her a simple good luck. Runt was too busy trying to get away from Jue who seemed determined to latch onto him with her snotty and teary face. Realizing she wasn''t going to go away, he frowned and took something out from his storage ring to wipe her face.


    "Hello, I''m Lin Shu and I have a spirit beast that''ll help us if we''re ever injured." Lin Shu gave a polite bow to her teammates.


    Lei Zhi had a limited amount of time to teach his three students anything substantial that would help them in the finale. Most of his teaching was the students watching him practice his medical skills but he had a brief moment to teach them his main martial arts, God''s Fingers, and Xianqi, his movement art. Only Xiucai was able to learn something of God''s Fingers because of his background. Lin Shu and He Wenqing could only really learn Xianqi since they were taught in such a short time.


    God''s Fingers required the practitioner to know about the human body in extreme detail. It was almost impossible for anyone unable to directly see into the human body like Lei could with his auxiliary art. It would take years for them to reach the elementary realm in God''s Finger if they went about it the normal way. Lei Zhi said he planned to purchase them something that could help with studying and retaining knowledge. However, until he does it, they''re stuck learning about the human body from scrolls and watching him treat people while being lectured on exactly what he''s doing to treat the patient.


    Lin Shu and He Wenqing thought it was the most boring thing ever to just sit and study all day but then they remembered just how filthy rich and strong they could get if they ever reach Lei Zhi''s skill. The mortal and cultivator world was always in need of more doctors. People couldn''t really complain if a doctor was too expensive to hire because they were the only ones able to save your life when you need it. Of course, they never told Lei Zhi their greed for strength and wealth. Who knew what kind of lecture he''d give them for having such selfish thoughts?


    "Call me San. I''m only really good at spinning this spear around." He gave a quick demonstration as he twirled his simple metal spear.


    "Munan." He had to think for a minute. "I''m good at killing and bad at not killing."


    "You do know we can''t kill, right?" Lin Shu asked him.


    "Yeah, I know..." A sad expression appeared on his face.


    "How about this? Munan, you try your hardest to not kill the enemy team and if it looks like they''re about to die, I''ll treat them with my spirit beast. San, you will fight with Munan and if you look like you''re in trouble, I''ll step in to help." Lin Shu planned. "Just to check, San, you''re not good at killing too, are you?"


    "I can avoid killing for sure." San gave her a thumbs up.


    "Great. Looks like we have a plan." Lin Shu reached into her pocket and took out a black glowing capture bead.


    Multiple people stared in shock at the black aura around the capture bead. There were four colors that a capture bead could glow with. The color the capture bead glowed with depended on the talent or potential of the spirit beast inside. Bronze, silver, gold, and black. Bronze being the weakest and black typically being the strongest. With a burst of black light, a pink-colored shark with a strange little white hat on her head with a red cross on it appeared. It swam through the air without moving as if it was swimming in water.


    "Her name is Muna! She really eager to treat injured people." Lin Shu had to emphasize this point. "Really, really eager." She repeated.


    "As long as she doesn''t bite me, I''m good." San shared looking at the unusual spirit beast with confusion, fear, and admiration.


    "She doesn''t look like she''ll be killed easily..." Munan sized up the spirit beast.


    She was more than twice his size and could easily tear him apart with those teeth. He''d probably die before he could even jab his knife into her fish skin. Munan turned his head. Trying to kill prey too strong would only lead to him being killed. How could he kill if he was dead? Not worth the effort.


    "Fight!" The elder started the match.


    Lin Shu moved in with her teammates. The other team charged in just like them as well. Munan was the fastest out of the three of them and directly ran into the other team. His knives went swinging everywhere as he didn''t hold back or think of defending himself one bit. Lin Shu frowned at the suicidal moron as she hopped on top of Munan and pulled out her own knife before realizing this probably wasn''t going to work out. Her knife was too short to hit anybody on top of Muna. It''d be better if she used Muna to ram into them than trying to use this knife. Maybe she could throw it? But then she''d have no knife!


    Lin Shu decided to stay on the sidelines and watch Munan and San fight. The two of them did pretty well despite it being a 2 on 3. Mainly because of how ridiculously Munan fought with his two knives. He suffered cut after cut from either himself or the enemy. With how wildly he was swinging, Lin couldn''t really tell. Has he even learned any martial arts? How did he get this far?


    The smell of blood from Munan and others reached Muna''s nose. She didn''t growl, bark, or make any other noise because sharks don''t have organs that can make sound in the way that humans do. Lei Zhi told her that after gifting her this shark to protect herself and others. Muna''s body began to slightly shake. Lin realized that she was in the mood to treat someone after sniffing the blood.


    As time passed in the battle, Lin was unable to hold Muna back anymore as she gave in to her instincts completely. Lin blasted off with the wind blowing her hair and clothes back during Muna''s rush towards the others. She could b?r?ly keep her eyes open while she held on for dear life. All she could hear was screaming around her and silence from those watching.


    It only took less than half a minute before silence overtook everything and Muna stopped swimming around. Lin Shu opened her eyes to see that everyone but herself was completely knocked out. Observing their unconscious bodies, she couldn''t see any signs of wounds or even blood. She may have made a mistake bringing out Muna when she hasn''t trained her all that well...


    "Uh, did I win?" Lin Shu asked the elders.


    Unfortunately, the elders decided no. Since her spirit beast attacked her teammates, she and her team failed. Lin tried to argue that her spirit beast helped them recover from their wounds but their decision did not change on the account of them being knocked out in the middle of battle from it. Lin clicked her tongue in annoyance before walking back to her group.


    ''Stupid elders...'' She cursed in her mind.

 Chapter 264 - 259: Lei Zhis Match!

    "You may need some more time to get along with her before being able to control Muna just yet..." Lei Zhi tried to comfort Lin Shu as she pouted.


    "Yeah, I know. I''m just mad that I didn''t show my good side at all! I just embarrassed myself in front of everyone." Lin crossed her arms, upset at the elders and herself.


    "It happens." Bing tried to be nice. "You''ll have more chances in the future." He ?ssured her.


    "It just sucks that I trained all week only to lose in such a dumb way.." Lin admitted.


    "It looks like I''m next out of our group to go next." Lei gave a helpless smile.


    "Unless you''re paired up with people that don''t wanna work together at all, I don''t see how you could lose." Bing said.


    "Hmm? Is that old man strong, Little Bro?" Jue whispered in Runt''s ears.


    "Hmm." Runt had to think for a second.


    "Very strong." Runt shared his honest thoughts.


    "Wow. Do you think he''d be willing to spar with me?" Jue asked next.


    "Yes?" Runt couldn''t give her a clear answer but he couldn''t think of a reason why the old man would refuse a regular spar.


    "Good luck, Master!" Lin Shu loudly shouted, eager to see her Master in a fight for once.


    Lin Shu wasn''t alone in her excitement to see Lei Zhi fight. He Wenqing and Xiucai also closely watched the area when they saw Lei Zhi going up on stage. Chatter began to slowly blossom from within the crowd at the sight of the old man.


    "Isn''t that the Blind Savior?"


    "I didn''t know he was a Qi Gatherer..."


    "He''s a what?! I''ve been letting some weak Qi Gatherer treat my injuries?! Why the hell can''t I feel his qi if he''s a Qi Gatherer!?"


    "That''s an interesting cultivation technique..." A higher-realmed disciple murmured.


    "Perfect for an ?ssassin..." Xiucai could see the uses of this martial art easily.


    Lei Zhi didn''t hold any information back during their week of training for the finale. That cultivation technique of his completely erased his presence at the cost of rapidly draining his qi. This drawback would be dealt with the further you mastered the technique and the benefits of using it would increase the more you understood Withering Willow. Lei explained that he learned this technique after losing his eyes to survive in the sect better.


    Xiucai was the only disciple to learn this technique from Lei Zhi as well as the only one to somewhat be able to use God''s Fingers. The cultivation technique was perfect for an ?ssassin-born cultivator like himself. Because he was born in an ?ssassin''s clan, he was taught about the human body from the age of three with real bodies. God''s Fingers was still incredibly difficult despite his upbringing. Qi points, qi pathways, the main qi points, all of that was new information for him just as it was for his martial brother and sister. So, he may have had a small advantage over He and Lin, it wasn''t as if he was heads above them.


    "Alright old man, what use are you?" A tall firmly built young man questioned as he stared down at Lei Zhi with his arms crossed.


    "My name is Lei Zhi. You can call me Zhi. I''ll be able to treat any injuries and my spirit beast can help incapacitate the enemy." Lei kindly smiled as Quon was released from his capture bead.


    Quon immediately wrapped himself around Lei and squeezed. The giant transparent octopus completed hid Lei Zhi''s body from view. Its internal organs were completely visible to everyone watching. Xiang happily greeted this tentacled friend of his by hugging his tentacles as Quon hugged Lei Zhi. The two creatures gurgled in joy as Lei was slowly being suffocated by happiness and a lack of air. Lei patted the giant octopus twice on the tentacle and it slowly unlatched itself from his body.


    Multiple octopus tentacles came from his coat and tried to greet Quon who was quite confused by the tentacles coming from Lei Zhi''s coat. He used his tentacles to grip the tentacles coming out of Lei''s coat and multiple friendly handshakes began to happen at once. Lei Zhi gave a helpless smile.


    "I know this is all quite a strange sight but it''s easier if you just don''t think about it too much. I''m something of a doctor and this guy can help out if you two are ever in trouble." Lei softly rubbed Quon''s bulbous head as he floated in the air.


    "You are right. I don''t know what the fu?k I''m looking at and I''d like to keep it that way." The big youth from before turned away. "I''m Changlin." He shared.


    "What can you do Changlin?" A youth shorter than Lei and Changlin asked.


    "I''m a body cultivator. My strength is my body. My weakness is this shitty axe of mine." Changlin pulled out a chipped metal axe that has seen some use. "But, since you said you were a doctor, I can use my secret technique that taxes my body and you can just treat me afterward." He smiled.


    "Call me Gou. I can move fast and get away fast." Gou tossed a curved dagger into the air repeatedly and caught it by the tip of the blade every time.


    "Hmm. I say the best way that we go about this would be Changlin using his secret technique while Gou and I support him from the back." Lei Zhi shared.


    "Sounds good to me." Changlin grinned, eager to use his secret technique and show off in front of all the elders.


    "No problem. As long as I don''t gotta fight anyone too strong, I''m good." Gou replied.


    "Looks like we''re ready then." Lei Zhi waved at the elder watching over the match.


    Their opponents weren''t quite ready yet and still weren''t even after 10 minutes had passed. The elder started the match regardless if they were ready or not at the 10-minute mark. At the start of the match, Changlin grinned as a dark red aura of qi coated his body. With a loud smack, he palmed his ?h?st. Multiple changes began to happen within his body that Lei Zhi saw all too clearly.


    This technique of the young man was quite strong but he was right in how it taxes his body. If he used it often, he''ll probably live less than half the average lifespan of a person. Lei Zhi and Gou followed behind the now hulking figure rippling with muscle and veins all over his body. Changlin let out a monstrous roar as he swung his axe into the hastily formed Qi Barrier.


    The spell shattered once it made contact with the shabby-looking axe and the swordsman from the other team used the opportunity to attack as soon as Changlin broke the barrier. His sword slashed across Changlin''s ?h?st but b?r?ly left a thin mark on it. Changlin laughed in ridicule, bringing his axe into the air to split the swordsman in half.


    Gou disappeared after seeing the spellmaster''s talisman thrown to the ground earlier. Lei Zhi saw him speeding off toward the spellmaster trying to make a formation. A spear-wielding young girl stood in front of the spellmaster to protect him, ready to take Gou on. Lei Zhi made his way over to help Gou since it seemed like the swordsman wouldn''t be enough to give Changlin trouble. With a smile on his face, he took out his pink fishing rod that he hasn''t used in oh so long and swung it toward the two.


    "A fishing rod...?" Lin Shu expressed in disbelief.


    "Yep." Bing smiled, it really has been a while since he''s seen that rod. "Before becoming a doctor, that fishing rod was what he used to fight with." Bing explained for the rest.


    "Really...?" Runt couldn''t believe it either.


    "Really." Bing nodded.


    "You''re kidding... How could you even...?" Lin Shu couldn''t wrap her brain around it.


    "He seemed pretty weak but maybe that old man is actually strong?" Jue questioned. Instinctively, she was able to smell a strong person from a weak person. That old man smelled weak but something was weird about him.


    Lei Zhi''s fishing hook sliced through the air as it sped alongside Gou. Gou charged head-on toward the spearman. The spearman was confused about what she should do. The fishing rod was aiming for the spellmaster but that kid with the knife was coming toward her. She frowned as she stood in front of the spellmaster and prepared to take on both.


    Gou tried to weave and sneak his way into the spearman''s guard but she wasn''t an amateur. She kept him at a distance and refused to allow him to get past her spear''s range while keeping her eye on the hook coming closer. The spearman built up qi within her body as she shouted something.


    "Wild Dragon''s Twist!" Her body and spear spun as one with the wind following her movements.


    The spear struck the incoming hook into the air and sent it flying away at an even faster speed than it had earlier. Lei Zhi whistled, quite impressed at the young girl''s strength. Gou didn''t miss the chance to take advantage of the moment after the girl pulled off her martial technique. His dagger came snaking toward her ?h?st intent on reaping her life!


    "I finished it!" The spellmaster shouted in exhilaration.


    A bright light consumed the stage and blinded nearly everyone watching.


    "Son of a bitch!"


    "I can''t see shit!"


    "I''m gonna fu?k?n? kill that twig piece of shit after this tournament!"


    Once the lights died down, everyone could see a white aura surrounding the bodies of one of the teams.


    "About damn time..." The swordsman cursed. He was only still alive because that strong idiot was playing around with him.


    "It''s our turn to go on the offensive now!" The spearman giggled.


    "I''m not as weak as I seem!" The spellmaster pulled out a sword that was far bigger than himself.


    "It looks like your sword inspired someone, Ying." Wan Qing pointed out.


    "His sword looks nothing like mine. What are you even talking about?" Ying''s sword was massive in length and thickness. That guy''s sword was just like a longsword but way longer and just a bit thicker.


    "It''s only a matter of time before people start to copy us." Wan informed.


    "You really think so?" Ying had a hard time believing anyone would want to copy her.


    "You''ll understand later." Wan Qing told her. It''s only natural that the weak would want to copy the strong.


    "All of you come at me! It''s not often I get to break this technique out!" Changlin bellowed, leaping over in front of Lei and Gou, cracking the stage apart on landing.


    "Don''t regret it!" The Spearman charged first.


    "Be careful! His body is tough and can recover from small wounds!" The Swordsman warned.


    "I''m at my strongest like this!" The Spellmaster dragged his sword behind him as he rushed behind the spearman.


    Changlin took on all three of the enemies with just his metal axe. His movements were slow but incredibly powerful. Even with the spellmaster''s formation providing support to his team, they were still just b?r?ly below him in strength. The strength of a technique that reduces one''s lifespan can''t be underestimated.


    "Well, we can''t let him do all the hard work if we want to win." Lei Zhi patted Gou on the shoulder. "Follow my lead." He instructed as his hook returned back to him.


    Lei hooked a part of the stage and ripped it out. With a big piece of the stage hanging from his hook, he tossed it toward the group slowly overwhelming Changlin with their teamwork. Seeing the incoming large piece of stone, they were forced to retreat. Giving Changlin time to breathe, Gou the chance to sneak behind them, and Lei Zhi to send his hook flying once more.


    The piece of the stage crumbled to pieces upon landing on the other part of the stage. Changlin''s axe crashed into the spearman''s spear and sent her flying out of the stage and nearly into the crowd. A barrier formed in front of the crowd and the spearman crashed into it back-first. Gou''s dagger quickly ?ssaulted the swordsman who was unprepared to be attacked right after dodging. Lei Zhi''s fishing hook easily caught the clothes of the spellmaster.


    The fisherman sent the young boy flying through the air as if he was flying a kite. It didn''t take long for the boy to lose consciousness. The next one to follow him after was the spearman who couldn''t retaliate against the overwhelming Changlin who continually attacked her after she crashed into the elder''s barrier. Changlin''s axe repeatedly struck against the shaft of her spear until she could no longer hold it in her grip anymore. Her spear fell to the ground before she did.


    The spearman dropped to her knees in defeat. Gou managed to utilize his speed with his dagger mastery to suppress the swordsman''s swordsmanship. He knocked into him with a body and sent the both of them tumbling off the stage. The dagger-wielder then held his weapon at the swordsman''s throat as he laid on top of him.


    Lei Zhi''s team was determined the winner but overall, everyone seemed impressed with both teams. Realizing the usefulness of a spellmaster in this type of fighting, how reckless one could be with a healer on their team, and combining your strengths to your advantage. Everyone applauded the battle while Lei Zhi decided to treat everyone free of charge. He gained some more cheers for doing such a thankless thing


    "Looks like I was right." Bing grinned.


    "I just got lucky." Lei responded back with a grin of his own.

 Chapter 265 - 260: The First Angel!

    "Let''s hope I''m as lucky as you are." Bing grinned, taking out both of his shields. "My new eye isn''t warning me of any danger in my match but you can never be too careful." His right eye shined with a light azure color.


    "Eugh..." Lin Shu shivered in disgust remembering the sight of Bing''s eye being pulled out back then. "I''m not going to have to do something like that, will I?" She asked while shaking.


    "Not anytime soon." Lei Zhi had to think about his lesson plan for his students.


    "How soon is soon....?" Lin Shu''s stomach was getting queasy.


    "No idea." Lei Zhi couldn''t lie. It depended on how quickly the kids learned what he planned to teach them.


    "Just know that I might have to run away the day you decide we need to learn how to transplant eyes into people." Lin Shu shared.


    "I see..." Lei Zhi took note of that for the future with a strange smile on his face.


    "Don''t smile like that! I really mean it! It was so gross when she tore it out like that! Are all of our eyes like that!? Oh heavens, I don''t wanna find out..."


    "I guess I was lucky I was unconscious and couldn''t feel anything." Bing chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.


    He heard the sound of someone sniffing him from behind and couldn''t help but freeze up in shock and confusion.


    "You smell strong but act weak. I don''t get it." Jue shared her thoughts.


    "Thank you?" Bing took a few steps away from Jue as he used his blood to adjust the size of his bone shield to match the new shield given to him by Jing that he has yet to fully use.


    "You can''t go around sniffing people. It''s weird." Runt commented.


    "But how am I supposed to find out if someone is strong or not if I don''t smell them?" Jue argued.


    "You can sniff someone without getting that close to them." Runt replied back.


    "But you''re all weird! He smells strong but doesn''t look or act strong." Jue pointed at Bing. "He smells weak and acts weak but my stomach says he isn''t." Jue pointed at Lei Zhi. "She smells weak but acts strong." Jue pointed to Lin Shu. "And you are the strangest of all Little Bro! You smell very strong! Scary strong!" Jue explained.


    "Hey! I''m not weak!" Lin Shu retorted.


    "Are you trying to say our smells are mixing together?" Bing tried to understand this girl with a few screws loose. Jue nodded.


    "And because of that, you need to stand closer to us and sniff us to see how strong we are?" Lei Zhi asked. She nodded again.


    "Why do you need to see who is strong in the first place? You should just save that for when you''re fighting someone. Not people you aren''t fighting." Runt explained.


    "I guess I don''t need to see who is strong out of all your friends, Little Bro. But I''ve always done this to find out who was strong around me. Is it bad...?" Jue didn''t want her Little Bro to get mad at her again.


    "Just ask me before you go around sniffing anyone. Eventually, you''ll learn when it is okay to do it and not." Runt sighed. ''I hope.'' It would be useful for him to know who is strong or not in the future if he can''t tell for himself.


    "Yes, Little Bro!" Jue rapidly nodded her head.


    "Wait a second, does Runt smell like the strongest out of all of us?" Bing suddenly asked remembering that she said he smelled scary strong.


    "Yes." Jue answered confidently.


    "Hmm?" Lei thought to himself on his experience with Runt in the Endless Plains of Yin. "Ah. I see why." He figured something out.


    Everyone looked at him for an explanation. Lei Zhi looked toward Runt, seeing if it was okay for him to say. Runt shrugged. It didn''t matter that much to him.


    "It''s this." A black liquid that was underneath his robes appeared on top of his hand.


    "It is this!" Jue exclaimed as she huffed the scent of the black puddle crazily.


    "Boss left this behind for me to protect me." Runt explained. "I guess it still has his scent on it or something..." He had a look of disgust on his face as he looked at Jue still sniffing.


    "Hu Tao... That makes sense." Bing nodded in agreement. If there was someone to be described as very strong and scary strong it would be him.


    "Heh, even when he''s gone, he''s still with us." Lei chuckled.


    "Who is Hu Tao?" Lin Shu asked.


    "My boss. Me and Jie are only angels because of him." Runt explained.


    "Is he super strong?" Lin Shu asked next.


    "I guess he''s the second strongest person in Heaven''s Angels." Bing answered. "The Empress being first."


    "Empress?" It only took a second for it to click inside Lin''s head before she realized who Ai was talking about. "Ooh... I can see it." Lin Shu nodded. "But wow, he''s even stronger than Yue and Qing?" She soon asked after.


    "Yep." Bing felt no shame in telling the truth. "But he also has a problem where he loves to cause trouble for himself and others. That problem of his is the reason why he isn''t here now and why we aren''t trying to help him out currently."


    "What kind of trouble?" Lin thought that everyone was pretty nice and not at all like the other disciples in the sect.


    "Let''s just say, a majority of the disciples hate his guts because of his personality." Bing tried to explain it as simply as he could.


    "Will I hate him?" Lin turned to Lei who could only awkwardly chuckle.


    "There''s a high chance you will." He answered.


    Eventually, it was time for Bing to show his stuff to the sect. He walked up to the right side of the stage with his two shields in hand, a skull necklace around his neck, and multiple metal discs flying around his body. Bing''s allies chose to leap on stage instead of walking like he did. None of them recognized each other but they recognized that many people were interested in Bing because of the loud chanting in the crowd.


    "Fatty!"


    "Fatty!"


    "Fatty!"


    "Man-Eating Abomination!!!"


    Bing actually couldn''t help himself from blushing hearing people excitedly chant for him. Maybe now that he was famous for being in Heaven''s Angels, he could get a girlfriend soon.


    "Hello. I''m Ai Bing. You can rely on me to protect you." Bing shook his two shields.


    "Name''s Lee. I''m an alchemist who only made it this far because of luck." Lee honestly shared.


    "Xiuwen. A swordsman who relied on his talent and hard work to get this far." An obvious glare was sent toward the weakling Lee who ended up on his team.


    He seemed to have no issue with Bing which Bing thought was great! Maybe those cheers from earlier really helped him out in avoiding problems with this guy.


    "Can you defend yourself?" Bing asked Lee.


    "Not that well..." Lee replied.


    "That''s fine, I can protect you. Do you have any pills that could boost our strength?" Bing asked after.


    "Yes! As long as you can protect me from getting hurt, I can throw pills to you whenever you need them! Recovery pills, a single Qi Burst Pill for emergencies, a Qi Recovery Pill, Focusing Mind Pill, Blood Recovery Pills, almost anything you would need in a fight!" Lee softly exclaimed with the two.


    "I guess you won''t be as useless as I thought." Xiuwen might have been hasty in his judgment of this trash. He wasn''t trash at all but just a pill refiner. Everyone knew they were weak in combat.


    "I say we should go about it like this, but please feel free to speak up if you disagree with my plan." Bing spoke up. "I will stand in front of Lee and protect him from any harm. Xiuwen, you will aim for their weakest member. If they try to defend their weakest member like I am doing, then aim for the one who isn''t being defended or defending. I want you to face one of their members in a one-on-one and win, can you do that?" Bing asked.


    "Hmph. I don''t know who you are or why you''re so popular but my strength isn''t something for you to doubt." Xiuwen scoffed. "Just leave whoever they are to me. You just make sure you defend that weakling well enough for him to show our cooperation skills to the elders."


    "Sounds good to me." Bing smiled.


    "Oi, alchemist, give me a qi recovery pill. I plan to go all out from the beginning." Xiuwen didn''t turn to look at Lee.


    "Here!" Lee reached into his spatial pouch on his waist and threw a white pellet at Xiuwen.


    Xiuwen caught the pellet without looking and swallowed it as he unsheathed his sword. Bing rose his shields while planting his feet on the stage and stood in front of Lee. The multiple skulls around his neck had their eye sockets began to glow. Three large purple skulls made from qi flowed out of the skeleton necklace and circled around Bing. Four metal discs continually spun around Bing and Lee to protect them.


    "Begin!" The elder shouted, seeing both teams were ready to begin.

 Chapter 266 - 261: The Man-Eating Abomination!

    The enemy team didn''t immediately shoot forward like a majority of the other teams. A spellmaster was forming a formation while two of his teammates defended him so that he could complete it. Bing and his teammates saw this happening and knew they had to stop it immediately. Almost every match with an array master who successfully set up a formation won. By now, everyone could see the value in partnering up with a spellmaster and protecting them.


    "Change of plans! Stick close to me, Lee!" Bing called out as he started to run forward like Xiuwen.


    "What am I supposed to do!?" Lee shouted as he did his best to keep up with Bing.


    "Just make sure you can throw us the necessary pills when asked!" Bing shouted. "Give us both a Focusing Mind Pill!" He asked.


    Lee struggled to reach into his spatial pouch while running but eventually managed to fish out two Focusing Mind Pills. Multiple other pills spilled out of his poach in his hurried digging but he ignored them and very inaccurately threw the pills at Bing and Xiuwen.. Bing grew an additional arm near his leg that picked up the fallen pill while Xiuwen was forced to stop his charge and jump back to catch the pill. Xiuwen glared at the horrible toss while Bing shouted out thanks. The two of them swallowed the pills and headed toward the spellmaster trying to hurry the completion of his formation.


    "They''re coming! I''ll handle the fatty!" A lean and handsome swordsman shouted.


    "I''ll deal with the cute one then." A small young girl with abnormally developed legs grinned.


    Leggy cracked the ground apart as she leaped away. Her right foot smashed into Xiuwen''s silver sword. He was b?r?ly able to stand his ground against the strength of her muscled leg. Bing saw Xiuwen slide to the edge of the stage but didn''t go over to help him. The talented young master said he was able to handle a one-on-one battle, Bing just had to trust him.


    "Swift Devil." Bing shot off like a fierce gale of wind.


    Lee was unable to keep his balance and was nearly sent flying out of the stage as Bing spun with both of his shields in front of him toward the spellmaster and swordsman. Nothing but shock and awe-filled Lee''s eyes. An ear-blasting boom shook the eardrums of everyone present. The very stage itself violently vibrated until spider-like cracks rapidly began to form all over. No one could contain their silence for much longer after seeing the power of the two Qi Gatherers in the ring!


    "Hey! Don''t you think you''re too freaking strong for a fatty!? I almost freaking died, you know!? Why are you so strong!?" The handsome swordsman was no longer handsome.


    A bright azure aura surrounded his body as all the muscles in his body bulked up. His hair turned a striking dark blue with flame-like qualities. The sword in his hand contending against Bing''s shields began to push back against Bing. Bing could also not stay mid-air like this for long.


    "I didn''t even think I''d need to use my bloodline but what the hell are you!? Man-Eating Abomination!? More like stupidly strong fat fatty fat fat!" He insulted.


    The skulls spinning around Bing began firing beams of qi toward the stationary swordsman. He cursed as he broke his clash with Bing and deflected them with his blade. Bing dropped straight to the ground and clumsily got up as fast as he could before tossing his bone shield at the defenseless spellmaster.


    "You! You''re fighting me! Focus on--! Fucking fatty!" Instead of staying to fight Bing, the flaming swordsman rushed to defend the spellmaster.


    Before he could go, Bing tossed his other shield at the legs of the swordsman and had his skulls fire qi beams toward him. Hearing him constantly cursing while turning around to face Bing and block his attacks wasn''t that bad. The new shield he got from Jing caused him to trip on his face, sliding against the cracked stage.


    "Swift Devil." Bing suddenly appeared right next to the fallen swordsman.


    He sat down on him with all of his weight. A painful cry, struggling, and lots of cursing ensued afterward. The stage beneath them cried and wh?n?d as it began to crack apart. Bing and the swordsman slowly began to sink lower and lower. Bing didn''t hold back as he used all of the weight he''s gained from Devil''s Physique, his body art. This body art didn''t solely allow Bing to absorb 100% of the nutritional value of everything he ate. It also increased the toughness and durability of his skin and the weight of his body. Right now, he probably weighed more than 100 people combined. He could control the weight so that he doesn''t go around cracking the ground with every step he took but he could not make himself lighter than his original weight.


    "Lee, give Xiuwen a Qi Burst Pill." Bing said, looking at the struggling prodigy.


    "..." Lee was blankly staring at Bing.


    "Lee?" Bing waved his hand to grab his attention.


    "Huh!? Did you say something to me?!" Lee was brought back to reality with a jump.


    "Please help out Xiuwen, he''s having trouble. I''ll deal with these two." After sitting on the swordsman, Bing sent his floating giant skulls to target the spellmaster.


    "Y-Yes!" Lee bowed for some reason and ran off toward Xiuwen.


    "You know, I got really scared when you were able to push me back after taking my attack." Bing calmly chatted. "There is almost nothing scarier to me than fighting someone strong, you know? So, when I saw you activate that strange bloodline of yours, I remembered something about my martial arts."


    The swordsman continually cursed Bing and all nine generations of his ancestry during his speech. However, he did notice that Bing''s right hand suddenly grew a mouth. That mouth smiled at him with rows of perfectly white sharp teeth and a long forked tongue. Flaming Swordsman tried raising his left hand to defend himself but the tongue stabbed straight through it and began draining his inside.


    The pain of having his innards drained while conscious was enough to cause him to scream. A shrill bone-chilling scream to the point where the elders felt nervous and wondered if they should intervene. It was at this moment that Bing realized he had never taken someone''s bloodline like this before. He never knew how painful it would be for the person on the opposite end.


    So, he violently rapped his knuckle on the back of his head and knocked him out before continuing.


    "Don''t worry, everyone! He''s not dead, I promise." Bing bowed his head toward the elders specifically while saying this as his mouth hand finished slurping up the swordsman''s bloodline.


    ''I wonder if he will still have the bloodline or not now that I''ve taken it...'' Bing looked at the still-burning blue hair of his. ''I guess I just take them for myself. Blood gets replenished all the time, since bloodline has blood in the name, I guess it works the same?'' Bing shrugged.


    Bing got up from his temporary seat only to face the loud cheers of the crowd for some reason.


    "ABOMINATION!!!"


    "Our sect has a new prodigy!"


    "I''m just glad it isn''t another handsome bastard. The heavens really don''t pick favorites if a fatty like this could be talented too. I need to work harder."


    "EAT HIM!"


    "EAT HIM!"


    "EAT HIM!"


    Bing felt a little embarrassed at all the people telling him to eat the swordsman. Sure, he has kind of eaten people before but he couldn''t taste them! It was his hand doing all the eating! And he wouldn''t eat anyone that wasn''t trying to kill him or just a horrible person in general. With a red blush on his face, Bing turned away from the adoring eyes of his fans wanting blood and walked over to Lee and Xiuwen.


    ______________________________________________


    "Tch! What is he blushing for?! He better not be looking at any women." Ying angrily grumbled to herself.


    "I do not know why you do this to yourself..." Wan sighed. "All it takes is two words for Bing to become yours."


    "???????" Ying immediately turned her attention to Wan. Her eyes bulged in interest at those two mysterious special words.


    "Become mine." Wan rolled her eyes at the ignorant girl.


    It couldn''t be easier for Ying to wrap Bing around her finger. The poor girl probably grew up knowing nothing about the differences between a man and a woman. Which was a surprise to Wan because the girl was a noble just like she was. All of Wan''s sisters heavily knocked into her head about the matters of men and women when she reached puberty. Regardless if she wanted to learn or not.


    "Do you really think it''d work?" Ying whispered.


    "Yes."


    "What if it doesn''t?" Ying asked.


    "It will."


    "But like-" Ying''s third question was interrupted with a flap of Wan''s fan.


    "I''m done talking to you." Wan placed the fan in between herself and Ying.


    "I never realize Ai was so strong..." He Wenqing muttered.


    "Weak." Xiucai pointed at the two of them.


    "Yeah, no kidding..." He Wenqing felt truly shocked to know the difference between himself and those close around him. "How long do you think it''ll take us to get that strong?"


    "A week if you really put in effort." Jie answered for Xiucai.


    Memories of Jie''s training with Jing flashed through their heads.


    "Maybe taking it slow is for the best." He Wenqing suddenly decided. Xiucai rapidly nodded in agreement. Neither boy wanted to break 90% of their bones just as a warmup exercise.


    ______________________________________________


    Xiuwen still was unable to completely defeat Leggy even with Lee''s help. After taking the Qi Burst Pill, Leggy no longer held back it seems. Bing was rather amazed at the way that she fought with her legs. It reminded him of the Empress''s fighting style. He knew that she was self-taught because there were no leg martial arts for fighting inside the sect.


    After picking up his two shields, Bing didn''t consider fighting the girl head-on. That would be stupid. Being brought up as the first angel, Bing has learned a lot from Jing. One of those things was that fighting fairly was for idiots. Unless you knew that you had an overwhelming advantage, don''t even bother.


    Which is why she was currently being ?ssaulted by multiple purple skeleton heads shooting qi beams at her and four metal discs flying around to smash into her. Her legs turned into a blur as she covered them in qi. Seeing that she was even able to keep up with this, Bing tossed one of the talismans he took off of the fainted spellmaster at her. His surprise wasn''t little when she smartly decided to avoid it and continue fighting off the skulls and discs.


    "She''s pretty skilled..." Bing murmured.


    "What should we do?" Lee asked. Xiuwen was still suffering from the effects of the Qi Burst Pill and couldn''t move his body anymore.


    "I''ll be able to deal with her but it''s going to be a lot of work unless I go all out..." Bing sighed.


    She was staring at him. Her eyes were clear and she didn''t look tired at all! Both of them knew exactly what she wanted. Leggy wanted a full-out brawl where the both of them tested their skill and martial prowess against one another till one of them fell. That was exactly what Bing hoped to avoid doing in this tournament. While it would''ve been nice to win without trying, Bing always knew in his heart that this was unavoidable.


    "Fine." Bing sighed. "But if you''re too strong, I''m forfeiting immediately."


    "Booooo!"


    "Coward!!!"


    "Pussy!!!"


    "Kick her ?ss!"


    "I won''t give you the chance." Leggy sped past his skulls and discs and appeared in front of his face with a black aura of qi coating her body.

 Chapter 267 - 262: Bings Exhausting Battle!

    "Call me Xiao Ran!" Xiao Ran''s leg whipped out toward Bing''s shields.


    "Ai Bing..." Bing didn''t like the intensity in her eyes.


    A wind-blasting clash erupted from her leg meeting the shields that blew Bing''s hair back but did not move him from his position on the ring. For some reason, she brightly smiled after seeing this. A shiver ran through Bing''s heart. This girl wasn''t a fighting maniac, was she?


    "I won''t forget it..." She smiled..


    Xiao''s legs turned into a fierce whirlwind that rapidly clashed against his shields. Bing held his ground and blocked everyone one of her attacks, hoping that she tired herself out. Unfortunately, the things that Bing hoped for usually never came true. Since she couldn''t brute force her way through his shields, she decided to use her brain instead of her legs.


    She slipped past him and arrived at his back with a spinning kick that nearly landed on the back of his neck. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise in shock, a fully formed human arm shot out from it and caught her leg before it could land. After catching her arm, Bing tossed her across the stage from the new appendage coming from his neck and rushed after her.


    "Hahahaha! What the hell are you!?" Her eyes glowed as she laughed while flying through the air.


    With multiple vertical flips mid-air, she caught herself before she flew out of the stage and immediately ran back at him. She hopped in the air, flipped a bunch, before diving toward him with her foot. Bing readied himself to block her kick with his shield but he saw her smirking! He ordered his skulls to fire at her as he began to block.


    Xiao Ran couldn''t help but smile even wider at the sight of this. Just before her foot made an impact with Bing''s shields, she somehow halted her momentum and sat on top of the shields while smiling down at Bing. She spun on top of his shields and deflected the qi blasts of his skulls with her legs. Then those legs came spinning down at an angle toward his face, forcing Bing into growing multiple arms on the upper part of his body to defend himself.


    "Amazing! Amazing! Just how many of those arms can you make?! Can you make things other than arms?" Xiao Ran asked with excitement.


    "A few, and probably." Bing only tried making something other than arms with Devil''s Arms once and he will never admit to anyone what he made.


    "Hey, you know, I like strong men." She grinned at Bing.


    "I guess it''s a good thing I''m not a strong man. I''m pretty weak in the grand scheme of things." Bing continued to block her windmill of kicks slowly coming closer to his face.


    "I usually don''t like humble men, but I think I can make an exception this time..." A brief flash of black appeared on Xiao Ran''s legs.


    Bing suddenly felt himself get kicked across the face and sent sliding to the edge of the stage, leaving a path in the stage with his feet. When he tasted the blood in his mouth, he considered forfeiting. He also had no interest in a woman like Xiao Ran, she had none of his preferred parts in a woman! Small br??sts, neither gentle nor sweet, a scary personality, and she was a really good fighter. Sure, Bing might not be trying hard or felt all that threatened, but this was only his first match! How could he know there would be a hidden dragon so soon?


    "I''m sorry but I''m not interested." Bing quickly declined her advances with a polite bow.


    "..!" Xiao Ran was shocked speechless at how quickly he rejected her. "You... Someone like you...! Dare reject me?!" That black aura now fully covered her body like armor.


    Bing could no longer see the dirt-colored eyes, weird unusual legs, and tiny but very bouncy br??sts of the girl. Now all he saw was a black figure in the shape of a human being. He couldn''t get any sense of her strength from this, meaning he couldn''t tell if this was a martial art or a bloodline. Was he in danger for stating his honest feelings?


    The sudden impact from his ?ss that sent him flying into the air made him think so. It also didn''t help that additional blows that shook up his internal organs happened while he was still figuring out what the hell was going on in the middle of the air. Bing had trouble believing that she was really holding back this much. He hoped that this technique or whatever of her''s had some sort of drawback. This was starting to get painful...


    "Shield Art: Art of Counter." Bing muttered as he was being tossed around like a ball above the stage.


    Bing''s eyes opened up completely as he gripped his shields tighter. He completely released the qi covering his body for protection, leaving him more vulnerable. An ache came from his right eye that sent a feeling of pain within his left cheek. Bing''s shield rose toward his left cheek and a light impact grazed his shield.


    Bing masterfully caught the momentum of the kick aimed at his shield and turned with it. Xiao Ran''s kick overextended, allowing Bing time to quickly grow an extra limb within a second and snatch it. With her leg in his grip, Bing used his full weight with Devil''s Physique and the two of them immediately dropped back down to the stage with a gigantic crash. The crash filled the stage with dust, rocks, and knocked away the other participants.


    Bing didn''t release his grip on Xiao Ran even when she rapidly kicked at his face with her other leg after she landed back first into the stage. He chose to tighten his grip and slam Xiao Ran multiple times across the ground. Each impact against the stage destroyed it further and cause the audience to stare in disbelief. Xiao Ran''s black armor diminished with each slam along with the power in her kicks.


    Bing continued to slam Xiao Ran into the ground until he felt that she could no longer fight. A feat that took a total of 25 slams before she was truly unconscious. Just to be safe, Bing sat on her legs as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and rubbed his bruised cheek. Out of the 25 slams, Bing was probably kicked 300 or so times in the face.


    "Did we win, yet?" Bing tiredly asked the elder watching over the match.


    "Match finished! Ai Bing''s team, lost!" The elder announced.


    "Lost...?" Bing looked over at his teammates to notice that they''ve been captured by the spellmaster inside a formation. With a disappointed sigh, Bing only had this to say.


    "I''m hungry..." Bing got off of Xiao Ran and started to walk back to his friends.


    "Sorry, Bing!" Lee shouted at his retreating figure.


    At the sight of his large wide back leaving the stage, the audience cheered at the fantastic fight he showed them.


    "Man-Eating Abomination!!!"


    "You rocked fatty!"


    "You didn''t lose in my heart Man-Eating Abomination!"


    "Is it just me or are Qi Gatherer''s getting crazier and crazier?"


    "I think it''s just because they''re in Heaven''s Angels. All of their Qi Gatherers were insane for some reason."


    "Do you think I should ask if I can join?"


    "Not before I ask first."


    "I can''t wait for the Qi Consolidators in Heaven''s Angels fight! A Qi Gatherer from their group completely demolished the stage. Do you think their Qi Consolidators will destroy it into dust?"


    "I''m upset and excited that I can''t answer you. That stage is made out of qi-enriched stone. Not just anyone could destroy it like that.


    Lei patted Bing''s shoulders on his return.


    "Good effort out there. Ying is making some spirit cakes now and told you to come over and get it whenever you want."


    "Does that offer extend to the rest of us!?" Lin Shu quickly shouted. Lei couldn''t answer her, he didn''t know if it did or not.


    "I''m going to go ask!" Lin Shu didn''t even bother listening to Lei''s response as she took Bing''s hand and hurried over to Ying.


    "..." Runt looked at the two hurrying figures through the crowd in envy. He really wanted some cakes too.


    "Are you hungry, Little Bro?" Jue asked.


    "Not really." He lied. Runt really didn''t want Jue and Yue to meet so soon.


    "Okay." A relieved breath came from Jue''s mouth as she continued eating some of the Geeks he gave her earlier when she said she was hungry.


    The first day of the finale was coming to an end as the sky began to darken from above. All of the Qi Gatherers that made it to the finale participated in a match. The next few days will be continuing with those teams until there is a final three left. Then the tournament will move on to the Qi Consolidators and continue in the same way the Qi Gatherers did.

 Chapter 268 - 263: A Small Break!

    Jing finally left her shack with Shang and Li Li, much to the amazement of everyone around them. Heaven''s Angels were not as interested as the elders were. They could sense something amazing about the shack but not what in particular. The higher realmed elders could sense the spatial qi surrounding the tiny hut and knew it was the correct decision to focus a small part of their attention on the shack during the tournament.


    The spatial qi only showed itself for a single second before the shack returned back to its normal presence. Jing showed a small smile to the powerful old fogies before making her way to a, particularly empty spot. Her angels followed behind her in curiosity as the Qi Gatherers were given a short rest period to prepare for the semi-finals. Eventually, all of Heaven''s Angels came over to Jing as she revealed what she was waiting to show from the shack.


    Seemingly out of thin air, multiple tables, chairs, and all sorts of other fancy furniture appeared all around her. Water began to flow from out of her body and shoot off into the air like miniature missiles as they exploded into various shapes. Intricately designed flowers, well-liked animals such as dragons, tigers, and a panda, swords, and other things she figured the people of this world liked. Multiple gasps, cheers, and screams rang out from the enormous size of her water fireworks that were even larger and more life-like than the elder''s show from before the beginning of the finale. .


    Water-shaped martial artists briefly clashed with popular martial arts from the Golden Serpent Sect''s martial library. Water flowers spun with such magnificence while drizzling a small amount of water that made it difficult to tell if it really was just an imitation of a flower or some sort of new spiritual herb. And some were just giant explosions.


    "You''re really amazing..." Shang slightly closed the distance between the two of them while staring into the sky.


    "Thank you." Jing replied back. With her massive qi reserves, this wasn''t all that much. Especially since she was using some of SCP-109''s infinite water supply to shape and manipulate the water with her martial arts.


    Li Li was completely enraptured by the fireworks show above and didn''t notice Shang.


    "I still don''t understand why you decided to do this. If the elders haven''t thought of it themselves, why waste the energy?" Shang was unused to doing things for others without benefits to himself nor could he really understand it. It was a sort of common trait he found with his girlfriend and her followers.


    "It''s best to introduce change slowly and positively. Only if it can''t be helped, should you drastically change things." Jing answered.


    "Why are you trying to change things? Is something bothering you?" Shang asked.


    "Yes. I wish to change the sect for the better and maybe eventually the world." Jing didn''t hide her intentions from Shang.


    "..." Shang was more than just slightly surprised to hear such courageous words from his girlfriend.


    Changing the sect is one thing but the world? Isn''t that a task as impossible as rising to the heavens themselves? Even in the past million years, there''s yet to be anyone who could claim rising to the One With All cultivation realm. Many thought it was an impossible endeavor but it wasn''t. It was just so difficult that calling it impossible felt correct. Not much information is known about the stage but the path to it isn''t blocked just harder than all the other cultivation stages combined.


    "I''ll stay by your side, helping you along the way." Shang declared. How could he be afraid as a man, when his woman had such high inspirations? He too will hold an impossible dream that he''ll work toward!


    "Oh." The ends of Jing''s lips slightly perked up.


    Eventually, the fireworks stopped and it was time to show everyone what she was doing inside the shack. Cakes upon cakes flew out of her storage ring onto the giant table in front of her. Giant cakes, large cakes, small cakes, hand-sized cakes, strangely shaped cakes, and all sorts of cakes appeared on the table. Many found their eyes forcefully staring at the cake tower that pierced through the sky. It was so huge that no one could really believe it was possible to make such a thing. In a way, they were correct. SCP-871''s cakes mutate over time. This tower cake was the result of the 5% chance of mutating and since it was so large, it was impossible for Jing to turn it into a spirit cake. She didn''t have a cauldron capable of manipulating spatial dimensions to fit it inside.


    The smell of all the cakes drove everyone at the Grand Tournament crazy. Some people couldn''t help themselves from drooling. Others had to be physically restrained by Li Li''s ghosts to stop them from leaping into the cakes and going on a feast. Overall, everyone couldn''t wait to dig into the sea of cakes sitting in front of them.


    "Go on, dig in everyone. This is the only time I''ll sell my cakes for free." Jing enhanced her voice with qi so that everyone could hear.


    It only took those short few words before the place turned into a battlefield. Not even the elders had enough restraint to stop themselves from taking at least one bite. And you only needed one bite before getting hooked on the delicious taste. Well, if that cake''s flavor was to their liking.


    There was lemon-flavored cake, chicken, peach, beef, and thousands more. Jing was initially not sure if she should make it like a flavor roulette but since there were so many, she didn''t find a problem with it. With her leaf fan in hand, Jing would fan it across the air and eliminate all traces of dust, dirt, and other trash to keep the event well-maintained.


    "Why does this cake taste like chicken!? And why is it so delicious!?"


    "Why does my cake taste like noodles? It isn''t that bad, either..."


    "Wine Cake! Hahahahah! Can I get drunk from this cake!?"


    "Ptoey! Why is this cake so sour!? My tongue is going numb from the sourness but I think I want more!?"


    Jing was pretty content with how things were going. People were socializing about the Qi Gatherer''s matches and sometimes with those Qi Gatherers. Bing, Runt, and Lei Zhi were quite popular right now with dozens of people surrounding them asking them questions trying to get to know them. Of course, that situation was playing out with most of Heaven''s Angels but the Qi Gatherers were getting the most attention excluding herself. Although the attention on Jing was different from the ones on her angels.


    There was malice, joy, pride, interest, attraction, all sorts of elders were staring at her with their own thoughts in mind. Jing ignored them all with a smile as she ate some delicious cake with her boyfriend and son. It wasn''t going to be long before all of them were serving under her, dying from rebelling, or being cast out of the sect. So, they should enjoy the status quo as it is now before she completely destroys and remakes it into something none of them will be able to expect.


    Shang ate his watermelon-flavored cake while gazing at Jing from time to time. Li Li glared at Shang staring at his mom while eating his candy-flavored cake. Jing''s cake was a mixture of vanilla, chocolate, and ice cream. She chose this one for herself. The taste reminded her of her original world. It felt nice to reminisce, the cuisine in this world was just too lacking...


    "Are you okay?" Shang asked, apparently noticing something in her eyes.


    "It''s nothing, but thanks for asking." It was going to be a while before she shared her origins with anyone.


    "Mhm. Okay." Shang continued eating, filing that down for later once he gets closer to Jing.


    The festivities continued until Jing figured it was time to bring out the refreshments. Spiritual alcohol, water, and fruit juice was served to everyone. The glasses came out of Jing''s storage ring. She spent quite a bit of cash on this stuff the week before the finale. With her current wealth, she could probably buy the Golden Serpent Sect. So, these little things didn''t make much of an impact on her overall cash.


    At first, Jing planned to serve everyone water from SCP-109. After they ingested the spiritual water, Jing would control it to stay within their bodies forever. If they ever slighted her, she would show them the meaning of pain before forcing them to kneel beneath her. Making them realize that their life was under her control forever. The thought of it made her excited but she immediately threw the plan out.


    The elders would easily notice such a thing. It would place her under high suspicion and all her efforts to generate goodwill between her and the sect would be erased just like that. Plus, the pros didn''t outweigh the cons in a significant way. Even if she had control over the lives of everyone in the sect, how would that help her in the long run? Sticking to her original plan of reforming the sect seems to be for the best even if it might take longer. It was far safer and more reliable than the alternatives.

 Chapter 269 - 264: Runt Vs Lei Zhi! Coming Up!

    Once everyone had a full belly and thirst quenched, it was time to move on to the second round for the Qi Gatherers! Everyone was in an excited and festive mood thanks to Jing''s efforts. While cultivators didn''t need to eat or drink nearly as much as mortals, it didn''t mean they disliked eating! Jing made sure to advertise her cake shop, she decided to call Heavenly Desserts. Plenty of people ranging from Qi Gatherers all the way to the elders promised to visit her store in the future while others seemed to have plans of their own about it. Maybe later down the line, she''ll begin to sell more than just cakes but as of now, she saw no reason to do so.


    Lei Zhi also remembered to advertise his clinic after hearing Jing talk about her store. He forgot to talk about it after his victory but only now done it. With this, many more people would come to visit his store and receive treatment. Of course, at the cost of making a deal with him depending on the severity of their problem.


    Lei received that idea from Jing. The more severe the problem, the more Lei should request from them in the Contract Scroll. Someone that has a toothache will only have to sign the contract and promise to do something like buying a meal for someone less fortunate than themself. While someone that''s experiencing qi deviation and has the chance of losing their ability to cultivate permanently would have to sign a multi-year long contract in where they have to do multiple good acts daily until the end of the contract period. Of course, Lei Zhi never forced anyone into signing the contracts but there was no other option for them to receive treatment from him besides signing the contract.. He no longer accepted spirit stones, spirit tools, and the like as payment options. How could he go about making a better world if he doesn''t do at least this much?


    "Since you''re the only one selling medical services in the sect, eventually they''ll have no choice but to come to you. Regardless of how they feel about the contract." Jing informed. "Until your little apprentices make clinics of their own and run it their way, you are the only option. And everyone falls sick or gets injured eventually, you know?" Jing smiled.


    It felt a little wrong but at the same time, did it really hurt anyone to do good acts? Thinking that way, allowed Lei Zhi to feel better about following Jing''s advice. His disciples also won''t be skilled enough to run a clinic on their own for a few years. So, he had plenty of time to reform and correct the ways of the people inside the sect. With a little help, perhaps he could even speed up the reformation process...


    "Bing. How would you feel about helping me reform the youth?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "As long as I don''t have to fight anyone strong, I don''t mind." Bing replied, stuffing a fishy tasting cake down his throat.


    "Ah, your Devil Arts also need people to progress..." Lei Zhi remembered. "Is your hand able to only slightly devour people or must it eat in whole?" He soon asked.


    "It can take a good amount without killing someone. Why?" Bing burped.


    "You know about that scroll that Jing gave me? With it, I can make fair deals with people who sign it. These deals are something that both sides must agree to and cannot break no matter what."


    "Sounds ridiculous." Bing got started on another cake.


    "Yes, it is. I only need you to injure the most wicked and irredeemable disciples in the sect."


    "I think Ying would be better suited for a plan like this... but I do need to improve my karma." Bing thought about it while eating. "Okay, I''ll help you, Lei. But you''ll have to give me a list of the people. Finding out information about people is not my strong suit."


    "Thank you, Bing. And don''t worry, I know an Angel that can help us with information." Lei smiled.


    "Who? The Empress?" Bing couldn''t think of anyone else.


    "We haven''t been formally introduced to him yet. I believe that Jing is the only person he comes in contact with."


    "Oh. Maybe because he gets information for the Empress, she doesn''t want his relation to us to be known." Bing guessed.


    "I wouldn''t know any more than you."


    Lei Zhi only recently found out about this fellow. During the week before the tournament, Lei came across multiple people with the exact same body on the inside. All of their organs, qi points, and pathways had no differences between them when everyone has at least minute differences with each other. Even twins had significant differences when looked at on the inside. Only when focusing his qi and martial arts to the extreme was he capable of finding the original body of the young man.


    He watched him from a distance entering Jing''s home. That was all the information Lei Zhi needed to know that he was on their side at least. The young man had some of his clones watching his clinic, which is how Lei found out about him at all. Apparently, he must be watching it on Jing''s orders for his safety or another purpose.


    "Wanna meet him?" Lei asked.


    "Nah, I''m good. Since I''m a loser, I don''t got to do anything but enjoy watching the rest of the tournament." Bing smiled.


    "It would''ve been fun to contend against you. Perhaps another time if the future allows it." Lei kindly smiled.


    "Haha, fighting against you? Sounds like a nightmare." Bing chuckled heartily with some cake flying out of his mouth.


    "I wouldn''t be so sure. Your body is changing every day. My medical techniques might not prove useful against you at all." Lei hinted.


    Lei Zhi could see the insides of everyone around him. With the thousands of people in every direction, he could accurately see the condition of their bodies clearly. It didn''t take him any effort at all to see. Because of this, he could discern exactly just how inhuman Bing''s body was shaping day by day. All of those cakes that should be filling up his stomach were refined by his Devil Arts into nourishing his qi points, widening his qi pathway, and strengthening his body. From what he could see, there was no chance of Bing ever getting full unless he was fed something with so much qi that his body couldn''t handle it. Lei had a hard time categorizing that Bing could be considered human anymore. Similar to Jing, Li Li, and the bunny.


    "I guess we''ll have to see eventually." Bing tossed a completely black cake into his shadow that disappeared into it as soon as it made contact with it.


    "I didn''t know she could get hungry for normal food." Lei realized.


    "Since these cakes are filled with qi, they''re passable she says. That cake, in particular, was mixed with yin qi." Bing replied.


    "How has it been ever since she''s merged with your shadow?" Lei Zhi couldn''t help Bing with this. Ghostly problems weren''t his forte nor was there any information about them in his medical book.


    "It''s been something..." Bing cautiously looked over to Ying in the distance.


    "Ah, I understand." Lei Zhi smiled. Two women, one guy. Must be quite stressful. Especially since one was living and the other was dead.


    "But not like I can do anything about it. She''s kind of grown on me by now." Bing was about to take a bite of a new cake only for his hand to be slapped and the cake to fall into his shadow. "Ow! I didn''t mean it that way! I was just saying I''m used to you being with me now." Bing explained while rubbing his hand.


    "Well, that''s all I wanted Bing. Thanks for helping me out after this." Lei waved goodbye.


    "No problem, Lei. I needed some good karma anyway. Better to use my Devil Arts on wicked people than anyone else." Bing shrugged. He''s planned to do something similar to this anyway eventually to progress his Devil Arts. He just never got around to it.


    Runt walked up next to Lei with Jue closely behind him.


    "We''re going to be fighting first." Runt explained.


    "Oh, I wasn''t aware of that. Why is that happening? Our fights weren''t very close." Lei was confused by this information.


    "Jie asked Jing and Jing said the elders manipulated it. They wanted to see us fight to see how strong we are. It was difficult for them to find our limits facing the others, so they thought it would be best if we fought each other and drew out our strength on our own." Runt relayed everything he heard.


    "Hmm. Do you want to reveal your strength?" Lei asked.


    "Not really..." Runt rubbed the back of his head. "But I can do it if you don''t want to. Since I''m the youngest, I don''t mind doing my keep to stay in the group." Runt shared. As a beggar, he knew life was about give and take. If you don''t provide your worth, you were worthless.


    "You should try and win. Since Hu Tao is gone, it will be difficult for you to gain resources on your own. Gaining good placement in this tournament will reward some useful prizes. I don''t need an elder to notice my potential or any of the rewards that the Qi Gatherers could gain at the end either. So, make sure to do your best to defeat me." Lei Zhi smiled.


    "I won''t hold back." Runt kind of knew how strong Lei Zhi was. If he used his needles, he didn''t stand a chance. With the fishing rod, maybe it wouldn''t be impossible...

 Chapter 270 - 265: Runt vs Lei Zhi!

    Runt stood up on stage with his teammates against Lei Zhi''s team. A black liquid flowed around his body continuously like a guardian snake. His golden ocarina shined from the sun''s light. Floating incorporeal green chains wrapped around his forearms. This was probably going to be his toughest fight yet.


    Jue couldn''t help but loudly squeal looking at the serious version of her little brother. She wanted nothing more than to just swallow him up in her arms and shake him from side to side. The only thing stopping her was the black thing circling around him! When she tried giving in to her instincts, it started melting her skin!


    "Be careful." Runt sighed. "Protect me, alright?" Runt said.


    "I''ll protect you Little Brother! Nothing will be able to get past me!" Jue confidently claimed. .


    "Oh, sure." Runt wasn''t speaking to her but whatever. "Shi. If you can do it, try and take out the small guy first. If not, help us deal with the big axe guy." Runt said to the silent beauty.


    "I''ll do whatever I want." Shi scoffed and turned her head.


    "I can kill her if you want me to, Little Bro." Jue spoke nonchalantly.


    "We''ll fail if you two fight. Just protect me and let her do her thing. I''ll try and follow her lead." Runt couldn''t agree to that suggestion. "You don''t have to listen to anything I say, but please don''t try and fight the old man." Runt tried to give her a warning.


    She didn''t give any acknowledgment of his warning. Her back was faced toward him and she didn''t even make an annoyed noise this time. Runt could only hope she listened to his advice. If not, it was going to be kind of impossible to win.


    "Begin!" The elder started the match.


    Runt immediately played his ocarina, only to suddenly see a hook flying toward him. He watched Jue step in front of him. Knowing the strangeness of everyone''s weapons in Heaven''s Angels, Runt knew things would end badly if Jue tried blocking it. He wasn''t sure if his Boss''s stuff would be able to melt through it either.


    "Don''t block it! Avoid it!" Runt warned her.


    "Huh? Okay." Jue calmly dodged the hook as Runt ducked down low, still playing his instrument.


    Shi Lina decided to ignore his advice entirely. She directly ran past the small guy with the dagger and headed toward Lei Zhi. The short let out a relieved breath of air when she passed by him. Jue stood in front of Runt to protect him from this guy but he wasn''t attacking alone. Both the short guy and big guy with the axe rushed at them.


    "How fu?k?n? annoying..." Runt muttered before blowing into his ocarina with higher intensity.


    The beautiful serene music flowed gently throughout the entire event. It gave nearly everyone a feeling of peace, relaxation, and calmness. Runt focused a majority of his qi on controlling the soundwaves within the arena. He''d be wasting qi if he cared about the soundwaves outside the ring.


    "Come on out!" Changlin brought down his axe on top of Jue''s head.


    A clear sharp bang rang out as an invisible barrier appeared in front of Jue. It completely surrounded Jue and Runt but it also seemed to stop them from attacking their opponents. Jue tried uppercutting the axe coming down on her but clashed with the barrier. Runt stared at Lei Zhi toying around with Lin. Maybe he could win if he dealt with these two fast enough...


    "Are you feeling sleepy?" A voice entered Changlin and Gou''s head.


    Both momentarily stopped in their tracks to break down the barrier. Changlin rapidly shook his head while Gou stumbled.


    "Wouldn''t it be nice to just take a nap, instead of doing all this fighting? No need to exert yourself. No need to get hurt. Just a nice relaxing nap."


    No one but Runt understood why Gou suddenly collapsed. He fell face-first onto the stage and started snoring loudly. His dagger clanging against the stage away from his hand''s reach. Just as Gou fell, Runt took down the barrier on the verge of destruction and took another peek at Lei Zhi.


    "No one will lay a hand on my Little Brother but me!" Jue announced with her rising fist.


    "I''ll break you and that kid!" Changlin horizontally slashed his axe.


    "Maybe you should aim lower? Her waist looks pretty vulnerable..." The voice reentered Changlin''s head.


    Changlin didn''t recognize the woman''s voice but felt somewhat compelled to listen. Such a beautiful, soothing voice wouldn''t lead his astray, right? He didn''t know the woman talking to him but Changlin felt like he was already in love! His axe lowered down from its initial target to aim for the girl''s defenseless wait.


    "You were right, Little Bro! He did aim for my waist, just like you said!" Jue excitedly squealed.


    Jue opened up her fist, grabbed Changlin by the head, flipped behind him, before striking her elbow into his exposed back. Her elbow dug deep into his kidney causing him to scream in pain and drop to his knees. With his entire backside completely open for her, Jue didn''t restrain herself. Not like she knew the meaning of restraint in the first place...


    Jue cracked her leg across the side of his skull, knocking him into the stage floor. She rose her foot and stomped his already slightly cracked skull deeper into the arena. Her foot was about to continually stomp him deeper and deeper but a barrier appeared over him. Runt was glaring at her.


    "Don''t kill him, idiot." He coldly admonished.


    "Sorry..." An unusual mix of fear and excitement filled her body causing her to shiver.


    Jue grabbed the somehow still conscious but greatly disorientated Changlin by the legs before tossing him out of the ring with Gou. At the same time they were finished, so was Lei Zhi with Lin. Lin was paralyzed by Quon''s venom and unable to move her body. Completely immobile but entirely conscious.


    "Follow my lead." Runt slowly walked toward Lei Zhi.


    Ever since the start of the match, Runt has used countless voices to try and affect Lei Zhi with his ocarina. He found out a while ago that he was able to use his bloodline ability in combination with his ocarina. Boss was the one to suggest it to him after he found no use in the ocarina for himself. But none of the thousands of voices he''s heard had an effect on Lei Zhi.


    His bloodline worked on everyone Runt has tried it on. Its effectiveness changed depending on how strong the person he''s using it on compared to himself. Runt didn''t understand why it wasn''t working even the slightest bit on Lei Zhi. Simple suggestions worked best compared to complicated ones. Asking someone to lend him a coin worked better than asking someone to adopt him. Lei Zhi didn''t respond to a suggestion from him asking him to blink. Was it possible that he was blind and deaf?


    "Here I come." Lei Zhi kindly smiled before vanishing from the face of the earth.


    "How did he just disappear like that?!" Someone from the audience cried in surprise.


    "Even I can just b?r?ly sense him... What the hell?" A Core Stage cultivator muttered.


    "I didn''t realize Withering Willow was so powerful with enough mastery..." An Elder commented.


    Jue rushed to Runt''s side once she couldn''t sense the presence of the old man anymore. She opened up her ears, eyes, nose, and qi to find him. Unfortunately, her martial arts weren''t suited for detection. Her little brother''s black thing protected him from the old man''s sudden attack. It dragged his body forward to avoid the hook piercing through his clothes.


    "I''m not the only one fighting." Lei politely reminded.


    "Huh?" Jue was already in motion to attack Lei Zhi when he said this.


    "Shake, Quon." Lei instructed.


    Jue felt something slimy, cold, and wet wrap around her fist. Then a sharp puncture into her skin and her entire body was no longer capable of listening to her instructions. She couldn''t even let out a scream before dropping to the floor paralyzed. Runt realized that Lei Zhi''s cultivation technique could be extended to other people besides himself...


    "It''s really a drain on the qi reserves." Runt suddenly felt something behind him.


    "Shit!" A curse flew out from his mouth as he threw one of the chains wrapped around his arm.


    The green chain wrapped around the body of the giant shark and incapacitated it. Runt then threw the other chain at Quon who deftly swam into the air to avoid it. With a blow of his ocarina, Runt manipulated the soundwaves in the air to closely follow the spirit beast and chain it up. Now there was only Lei and Runt left.


    "Tao hasn''t taught you martial arts yet, has he?" Lei Zhi asked.


    "Just a little." Runt replied.


    "I''ve learned a few things from Bing, Ying, and occasionally Jing. I don''t mind giving a few pointers if you''re up for it." Lei offered.


    "I guess I haven''t been training as hard as everyone else..." Runt thought of Jie, Lin Shu, He Wenqing, Xiucai, Shang, and Ying during the week before the finale. "Alright, I''ll exchange with you for a bit."


    Runt placed his ocarina inside his robes. He looked toward Lei Zhi before running toward him. Hu Tao never taught him much about fighting publicly. But it was a different story in his pocket dimension... In fact, Runt was the only person still able to communicate with Hu Tao even after he was sealed. He knew exactly who sealed him.

 Chapter 271 - 266: Runt Vs Lei Zhi Finished!

    "That old man used to be nothing back in the day..." A voice floated through Runt''s mind. "I could kick his ?ss while sleeping with or without his spirit beasts." The voice chuckled in amusement. "But then he started to learn about the human body. Out of everyone besides my babe, the old man is probably the most dangerous to fight."


    Runt leaped into the air and swiped his leg horizontally to kick Lei across the face. His small leg harmlessly whisked through the air but Runt wasn''t done yet. He threw out multiple kicks with his legs at surprising speed. All of the kicks were thrown with all of his strength. Lei Zhi had his regular polite smile on his face as he dodged the attacks with relative ease.


    "Right now, the old man is too much for a weakling like you. He''s been with the Princess and Fat Ass from the beginning. Fat Ass is stronger than Princess but he doesn''t have the fire the Princess has to keep improving. But both of them would still kick your ?ss without trying. The Old Man and Bing won''t accidentally kill ya while holding back. Princess might break all of your bones though."


    Runt already knew from the beginning that he had no chance of winning against Lei Zhi in a one-on-one fight. These exchanges were nothing more than a way for Lei to teach him some more. Just like in the Endless Plains of Yin, the old guy loved teaching for some reason. It was annoying but also had its benefits as well.


    After missing his initial attacks, Runt muttered something to himself and dropped to all fours. From his shadow, two red clones of himself crawled out from within and hopped on stage next to Runt. A blackish-red aura grew around his body along with a wolf-like tail swaying back and forth. "Universal Spirit Void Technique." Runt muttered. A black purple dome instantly swallowed up Runt and Lei, blocking everything that was happening in the ring.


    "With that bullshit bloodline of yours, a martial art like this would be the shit for you." The Boss''s words flowed through his head.


    Runt and his two clones stared at Lei Zhi before vanishing together. Each Runt split off into a different direction as they rushed toward him like hunting wolves. As they got closer, they began to mutter something at the same time. At the same moment, the dome began to change in shape and form from the inside and outside.


    Lei Zhi suddenly dodged as the field of qi he was entrapped within suddenly changed. A blackish-purple spike somehow formed from the side of him and nearly impaled him. Then a wolf in the form of that same qi appeared leaping toward his throat. Lei used the force of the animal to his advantage. By blocking the wolf''s bite with his fishing rod, he slid backward to give himself some distance. After sliding away, he tossed his fishing rod while also realizing that he was kind of surrounded.


    "Haha... Looks like my worries were unneeded." A giant bear was swiping down from above him while the three Runts were attacking him at the same time from below and all around him. "You aren''t lacking in martial arts at all." Lei smiled.


    Just like a hallucination in a fog, Lei Zhi''s body started to turn hazy and blurry. The wolf, bear, spikes, and three Runts all phased right through the place where Lei Zhi used to be. In the exact moment after, Runt heard the cheer of the crowd and realized that Lei Zhi was no longer within the range of his technique. He dropped it and saw that Lei Zhi threw himself out of the ring completely injured somehow.


    "The Old Man also won''t give you a hard time as long as you don''t give him any reason to. He''s a real soft bastard for kids." It looks like the Boss was right again...


    Runt dropped his techniques and dropped to his knees. The massive drain of his qi from using them all in combination nearly su?k?d him dry. If their battle went on for a single minute longer, he doubted he would''ve been able to continue fighting. The Old Man really was as strong as he thought... He didn''t even need to use his needles to defeat him. Just him and that fishing rod were enough to deal with someone like Runt.


    To the cheer of the crowd who seemed to be mostly women from the pitch of their screaming, Runt looked over to Lei Zhi to see him smiling right at him. Runt clicked his tongue as a small blush crept upon his face. Annoying Old Man is too nice for own damn good... If he wasn''t careful, he''ll get stabbed in the back by someone he trusts.


    Although many couldn''t see what took place within the black dome, that didn''t mean that everyone was blind to what went down inside. Those that could see didn''t understand why Lei Zhi threw the match but it wasn''t as if they could say anything either. What was it their business if the old guy wanted to lose to the kid? The elders also couldn''t say anything because it wasn''t against the rules to do so! They never would''ve thought that someone would willingly give the win to someone else during the Grand Tournament! However, they would make sure to take note of this in the future. Those in Heaven''s Angels are willing to sacrifice immediate benefits for companionship. It would be more difficult to try and corrupt them or turn them into traitors if any of the rest were like the old guy.


    After that first exciting semi-final round, the crowd was amped up to see any more prodigies and geniuses that were still Qi Gatherers. Runt was the only Qi Gatherer remaining from Heaven''s Angels still in the tournament. He went on with Jue and Shi Lina all the way to the finals! After Shi Lina''s one-sided loss to Lei Zhi, she was more receptive to Runt''s suggestions. Her being willing to listen more is the only reason why Runt made it to the finals for the Qi Gatherer division.


    And it was the only reason his team won. With the combination of Jue and Shi Lina''s absurd strength, it didn''t take much for Runt to support them to victory with his ocarina and bloodline. Speaking of his bloodline, Runt had to ask Lei Zhi after their fight why his bloodline didn''t work on him. His response made him speechless.


    "I made myself deaf during our fight." Lei casually laughed.


    "... How did you hear what I was saying in the fight?"


    "I read your lips."


    "Crazy Old Man..." Runt could only shake his head in disbelief. Who the hell would intentionally make themselves deaf just to test someone?! ''I guess it didn''t even matter since he''s a doctor and could fix what he did to make himself not deaf anymore.''


    Runt told the Boss about what happened and he only laughed while sitting on his throne. He laughed so hard that he could b?r?ly breathe. Runt really wished he knew what was so funny about it, he only thought it was crazy as hell! It wasn''t like it was a life-or-death battle or something. What if he went permanently deaf from it?! Did the Old Man even care? Just how far is he willing to go to change the world...?


    "In this world, there are people willing to go to any lengths for their dreams and there are losers to chicken shit too. Our people are part of the first group. Don''t forget that, Runt." Hu Tao shared.


    "What if I don''t have a dream?" Runt questioned.


    "Find one, idiot. Weren''t you just a stinky street rat? Didn''t you ever dream of becoming rich or powerful? Choose one of those two."


    "I''ll try." Runt thought about his current skills.


    "Some of those upper-class bastards really like music. If you sell your talent, you might get some nice cash and make connections. Ask my babe more about that stuff though. She''s the only one with any sense for business."


    "Thank you, Boss!" Runt bowed in gratitude.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don''t forget to be here by the morning for our spar." Hu Tao yawned.


    "Should I try and convince the others to free you from Meili?" Runt asked.


    "Forget about it. Me and Blackie are learning a bunch of cool shit together I never would''ve known if I wasn''t stuck here. Whatever bloodline my babe put into me, the more I question just where the hell did she appear from." Hu Tao shrugged off Runt''s attempt to help.


    He could get stronger here in a different way. Inside his pocket dimension, his physical strength and cultivation may not rise much but there are more things to try and improve here as well. In a realm that he had total and complete control of! What kind of training could he not make once he fully makes this realm his own with the help of Blackie!?


    "I''ll be back in the morning, Boss." Runt respectfully bowed his head as fell through a black puddle on the floor.


    Opening his eyes again, appearing back at the Grand Tournament, Jue was staring directly at him.


    "Why are you staring at me while I''m sleeping...?" Runt asked with an irritated look.


    "You just look so handsome sleeping, I couldn''t help myself from staring. But why do you sleep with this thing covering your body?" Jue innocently asked.


    The black sludge that listened to Runt''s command removed itself from Runt''s body and went back to hiding somewhere on his person.


    "It''s relaxing.." Was Runt''s only response.

 Chapter 272 - 267: Some Bonding Between Angels

    It was finally time for the Qi Consolidators to begin their part in the Grand Tournament. After multiple days of watching the smallest group go at it, it was impossible to contain the excitement flowing within the Qi Consolidators. They learned much watching the Qi Gatherers and couldn''t wait to put what they learned into use to impress the elders. It was a giant wake-up call for the geniuses in the sect.


    They couldn''t win this tournament just by being themselves. Individual talent and strength really meant nothing in these team battles. The elders were directly looking for individuals capable of working with others and working with them well. An entirely new dimension of exploration for these heaven-born geniuses used to doing everything themselves.


    It made sense after all. Inside the Golden Serpent Sect, playing nice isn''t something you see much at all. This sect embodied the phrase, "The strong thrived while the weak died." There was no mercy or forgiveness for those that are weak inside the sect. You either attached yourself to the strong like a parasite, became strong, or died.


    Jing believed this do or die mentally overall wasn''t something beneficial for the sect. Maybe during the early creation of it, but just as times change, so should we. If you aren''t changing with the times, you are foolish. Life is an endless cycle of change, adaptation, and struggle. It really is amazing to Jing that these centuries and millennia-old humans are completely unaware that they are stagnant in time and history because of their stubbornness to continue doing things the same way they''ve always been. How did they evolve from monkeys at all in this world? If they even did in the first place...


    "What''re thinking about?" Ying asked her.


    "Do you believe in evolution?" Jing asked, staring into her eyes.


    "Evolution...?" Ying questioned. "Like getting stronger over time?"


    "Nevermind." Jing shook her head. "Evolution is a gradual process based on survival and procreation. Better strength could be one of the outcomes of evolution but that''s not its purpose." She informed.


    "I haven''t heard of that either." Wan added in, slightly curious.


    "Neither have I." Shang nodded.


    "I see. Well, it''s nothing you can''t physically see for thousands or maybe until a million years have passed since your birth. Unless you have some sort of martial art capable of affecting time itself." Jing explained.


    "I never heard of a legendary martial art like that." Jie replied.


    "You''re right. There might not be a single one in all of existence." Jing responded.


    "Why does it sound like you''re going to be the first one to find it...?" Bing softly muttered.


    "I don''t think so." Jing showed a small smile. "Control over time is something too powerful for mortals to handle. The world itself would be at your mercy with enough time and with control over time, who''s to stop you?" Jing remembered back to her Heart Demon Test.


    10,000 lives was only enough to conquer a single continent. Just how many times would she have to restart if she had to take over this entire planet? A billion? A quadrillion? Not to mention those all-powerful immortals capable of wiping memories.


    "I never thought about it like that." Runt was a little confused about all this talk about time.


    "Time is very important! If I had control over time, I would make myself as beautiful, elegant, and as strong as I could!" Lin Shu excitedly shared.


    "That''s such a waste. Who cares about being elegant and beautiful when you could make so much money from controlling time?" He Wenqing shook his head in disagreement.


    "Appearances are everything!" Lin Shu argued back.


    "..." Xiucai thought it would only make things easier to kill people with control over time.


    "I could grow my herbs more effectively with time." Lei Zhi spoke up.


    "That''s true." Bing shook his head in agreement. "I could instantly make food ready for myself instead of having to wait."


    "Seriously? An incredible world-changing ability and you two would use it for something so small!?" Ying couldn''t help but get a little irritated.


    "Then how would you use it?" Bing asked.


    "To shorten the time needed to train. Training is such a hassle..." Ying sighed.


    "I would probably do the same." Jie backed her up. After her torture training from Jing, she understood the positives and negatives of training. It felt absolutely amazing afterward but during it, it was hell.


    "I would use my control overtime to try and make everything go perfectly." Wan Qing had to think for a moment.


    "Maybe if I had control over time, I could''ve stopped myself back then..." Jue figured.


    "It would be difficult for people you care about to die with this ability." Runt also realized.


    "Wait, are we thinking of the same ability?"


    "Couldn''t we make ourselves just never age!?"


    "What about other people or does it only work for ourselves?"


    "That''s a good point... If it only worked on me, I don''t think I''d find much use out of it."


    "What!? How!? You could basically know everything that would happen or you could never get old!"


    Jing didn''t show it on her face but she was very pleased to see how closely her angels were discussing such a random topic with all this fervor and excitement. It made her feel that she wasn''t a failure of a leader and could have them connect and grow bonds with one another. Initially, Jing never felt like a proper leader due to how she put herself at a distance from her followers. They kind of did what she asked for rewards and that was it. She didn''t think she was wrong to do so but it definitely wasn''t the best method in fostering good relations and bonds.


    She wanted her angels to feel like family eventually. Either to each other or the stability that a good family has while in the group. Not threatened, scared, or anything like that. Of course, problems will arise even with this but that''s normal. Nothing is perfect.


    Jing could refine a lot of things but perfection was difficult if not straight-out impossible. You couldn''t make people perfect no matter how hard a person tried. Jing herself was no exception to this. She could refine herself countless times but it''s only through acquired experience, relationships with others, and wisdom can one improve themselves.


    Jing showed a small smile as she generated a tendril of water, picked up Ying in a heated discussion, and tossed her in the ring. She wasn''t expecting to be grabbed and tossed in the large ring so she was caught off guard by the sudden appearances of two strangers around her. Jing waved and mouthed her good luck. The giant sword wielder was too busy defending her point about the best way of using time control to her advantage against the others who also defended their own points about it. Ying didn''t notice that her number was called and could''ve been expelled from the sect for not showing up.


    In a "friendly" competition such as thing, there was no reason for one to be a coward. The purpose of this competition was not to win but to see if you can work well with others and show off your useful talents besides strength! A coward who wasn''t even risking their life and couldn''t fight was absolutely worthless to the Golden Serpent Sect. Not to mention she went through two tests before this one and passed. How could someone capable of dealing with their heart demons and capturing ghosts not be able to fight with human beings? It didn''t make sense on a fundamental level.


    "How much do you want to bet she loses?" He Wenqing softly muttered while rubbing his hands.


    "5 spirit stones." Lin Shu declared.


    "..." Xiucai put up 10 spirit stones.


    "You got some apprentices Lei Zhi..." Bing weakly chuckled, not participating at all.


    "They''re young..." Lei Zhi felt that youth was the best time to make mistakes.


    "I''ll bet 100 spirit stones she''ll win." Wan Qing smiled.


    "100, eh? I''ll double that. 200, she loses." He Wenqing smirked.


    "50, she loses." Runt added in his part.


    "I''ll put 50, she wins." Shang decided to join in with the others. He had a good impression of Yue.


    "Oooh! Four for losing and two for winning! Anyone else want in?" He Wenqing looked at his master and Bing. He was a bit afraid to look over at Jing.


    "500, she wins!" Li Li placed down a spirit ring in the pile of stones.


    "Four for losing and three for winning! Anyone else?! The match is about to start soon!"


    "She''ll definitely kill me if I bet on her losing, won''t she?" Bing looked over at Lei.


    "I think you know the answer to that question better than I do." Lei smiled.


    The two both bet their stones on Ying winning. The bet ended with Ying''s victory being in favor. Most of the older angels believed in Ying while the newer ones didn''t. Everyone watched the match with a new sense of excitement and fervor.. Money was on the line and there was a lot to gain thanks to Li Li.

 Chapter 273 - 268: Yings Fight?

    "So, what can you do?" Ying slugged her greatsword over her shoulder and looked at her two teammates.


    "Shouldn''t you introduce yourself first before asking others?" A blue-haired girl scoffed.


    "Do you think you''re stronger than me?" Ying asked.


    "Hmph. Someone like you, questioning me? Do you even know your place?" She rolled her eyes.


    "I don''t think we should be arguing... How about we just get to know each other and make a plan on how to win?" A small young man quietly spoke up.


    "Okay, here''s the plan. You two follow behind me and work alongside me. There. That''s the plan." Ying explained.


    "Why do I have to follow your back? You two should follow behind me and try to stay out of my way." The blue-haired girl spat.


    "If we stay out of your way, we''ll lose just like everyone else who said that same exact thing in the Qi Gatherers division." The short guy sighed.


    "What can you do?" Ying looked down on the guy.


    "I''m a spellmaster that specializes in movement spells. My name is Kuai." Kuai introduced himself.


    "Ying. I can swing this little guy really well." She pointed at her giant sword.


    "I see..." Kuai turned away from the eyeball staring at him and shivered.


    "Hmph! If you must know! I am Shen Su! My family is known for their graceful swordsmanship." Shen introduced herself.


    "Pfft! Graceful swordsmanship?" Ying couldn''t help but laugh.


    "Is something funny!?" Shen pulled out her sword and pointed it toward Ying.


    "You know what a sword is used for, right?" Ying asked.


    "What else? A weapon!" Shen answered.


    "What''s the point gracefulness for a tool meant solely for killing?" Ying scorned.


    "There''s more to the sword than just murder!" Shen argued.


    "Only if you''re stupid." Ying shrugged her off.


    "Let''s do our best team..." Kuai sighed.


    Their ten minutes were up and the elder started the match regardless if they were ready or not. Ying and Shen glared at each other as they both moved forward. Kuai immediately tossed two talismans at their backs. The paper slips landed and attached themselves to the two young girls. Both of them felt a surge of energy running through their body, boosting their speed.


    Shen smirked as she saw Ying trip because of her unexpected newfound speed and roll straight at their opponents. Ying cursed at herself for tripping but didn''t let it mess with her momentum. She kept her eyes focused despite spinning around like a barrel. Soon, she readjusted herself and her sword began slicing through the air and the stage itself.


    Ying expected to crash and slam her sword into one of them but sadly, all three of them decided to avoid her and let her nearly roll out of the ring. Shen used the time when their attention was focused on her to attack. She performed a series of elegant sword strikes against one of their fighters. As blood gushed from his ?h?st, it seemed to look like a spiral of roses. The man dropped with the bad injury to his ?h?st while the other two attacked to avenge their fallen teammate.


    "Hmph." Shen gave Ying a look as she seemingly effortlessly fought two people at once.


    Ying was only getting more irritated by the second. Her hand ignited with a bright orange flame and gently flowed in the wind. She briefly thought about burning them all to ashes but quickly tossed it out of her head. While she couldn''t kill them all, it wasn''t like she was entirely useless. Maybe...


    After thinking about the rules again, Ying realized that her martial arts weren''t suited for sparing people. It would be far more difficult to not kill someone compared to killing them for her. Flames weren''t meant to hurt but to burn, engulf, and devour whole. If she was careful, she could use the back of her blade but even then it''s still a game of chance if they''ll live after being hit. Perhaps her best choice of fighting was with her new fist art, Infinite Heaven Fist Style.


    Ying placed her sword on her back and rushed forward. Shen was just on the verge of finishing off the two opponents but thanks to Kuai''s talisman, Ying managed to intervene in time and contribute to her team. Ying''s fist seemed to nearly impale her target as he curled up like a shrimp from the force of her punch. The people watching the match were unable to keep their eyes from looking up as the man was sent flying far into the sky. None of the elders made a move to save him despite him flying so high. Perhaps they held no intention of saving him at all.


    "She''s mine!" Shen''s sword danced toward the last opponent.


    "In your dreams." Ying blasted off with a step of her foot and appeared above the girl about to strike her down into the stage while Shen seemingly aimed for her throat.


    "Women...." Kuai sighed once again as his skin briefly flashed bright yellow.


    The falling cultivator was caught along with the remaining female opponent in an instant. Shen and Ying only managed to clash with each other with Ying coming out on top in the strength department. Ying smirked after seeing Shen forced back while Shen gnashed her teeth in hatred. Kuai placed two talismans on the back of the enemies'' heads as his skin turned back to normal.


    As the two dropped unconscious, Kuai turned and violently vomited blood. The drawbacks of his bloodline seemed quite severe but based on the astounding speed he''s shown, it''s fitting. If he was able to keep up that speed for longer than a few seconds without having his body taxed at the same time, who would be able to contest with him? He would become invincible in only a few years as long as his talent for cultivation was good enough.


    "You''ll need to train a bit more before you''re able to handle someone like me." Ying gloated.


    "Shut it, you fat-chested gorilla. There''s more to a fight than stupid monkey strength!" Shen insulted.


    "You really want to die, don''t you?!" Ying bit back. "It''s taking everything I have to not kill you right this second! You best hope that the elders choose us to win otherwise, today will be your last day!"


    "You really want to die, don''t you!? Do you even know who I am!? I''d erase you and wherever you came from with a single word from my grandpa!" Shen argued back.


    "I know you''re a flat-chested weak spoiled brat that can only rely on her family instead of herself."


    "Just wait! Just wait! Just wait! Elders! Who won?!" Shen demanded, her eyes bloodshot and spewing fire.


    The elder refereeing the match turned to the elders behind him. They began whispering to one another with lots of nodding and head shaking. Ying, Shen, and Kuai had to wait several minutes before a decision was made. Kuai was begging the elders to fail them. He didn''t know how much longer he''d be able to last with those two. He''d rather fail here than deal with two headaches.


    Ying and Shen hoped they''d be failed just so that they could tear at each other with no repercussions. Shen planned to slowly and maliciously tear open Ying''s skin with her swordsmanship. Ying was planning to thoroughly demolish and crush Shen with her fists until she was begging for death. However, the elders didn''t care one bit about their thoughts and opinions.


    It was obvious that the three of them didn''t have great synergy but it was certainly better than the synergy held by their opponents that dropped instantly. The elders came to the decision that Ying''s team won. Multiple cheers rang out for this announcement but mostly from Heaven''s Angels as many people were a little bit richer now.. The payout would''ve been larger if Ying lost but she didn''t so, it wasn''t.

 Chapter 274 - 269: He Wenqings Turn!

    "I guess I''m up next, huh?" He Wenqing chuckled.


    "..." Xiucai nodded. He gave He a pat on the shoulder for good luck.


    Out of the three of them, He Wenqing was probably the weakest in Xiucai''s opinion. He su?k?d at comprehension, his talent for cultivation was b?r?ly acceptable, and he wasn''t too good at using his head for important things. The only compliment Xiucai could give about him was that he had a strong body and was as stubborn as a farm animal. Xiucai didn''t think that He could win his match on his own.


    "Don''t lose like I did or I''ll make fun of you! One of us has to make our teacher look good." Lin Shu was devouring a small hand-sized cake next to Muna devouring a pile of half-eaten cakes.


    "Heh, I don''t plan to go out there and lose like you." He Wenqing walked toward the stage. "But thanks anyway." A black bead shined in his hand.


    "Idiot thinks he sounds cool but he''s just going to go get his ?ss kicked..." Lin Shu grumbled with her mouth full.


    "We won''t know until it''s over." Lei patted Lin Shu''s head. "For now, let''s cheer him on."


    "What do you think I was doing?" Lin Shu muttered back.


    "Hmm. Maybe I should get some cute little Burning Angels soon..." Ying wondered.


    "I don''t think we''re ready for responsibility like that yet." Bing replied.


    "Maybe." Ying didn''t dismiss him like she usually would. If she had to watch over and teach some apprentices, she''d have less time to spend with Bing.


    "I think you two should wait a few decades before deciding to teach the next generation." Wan Qing added.


    "What, why?" Ying felt like she was being insulted.


    "Agreed." Bing didn''t feel like he was ready to do anything like that yet. His goals were simple and not complex at all. Adding little disciples to watch over and teach would be so tiring.


    "Imagine shaping a living being''s present and future to exactly what you d?s?r? or the opposite of that. That''s the responsibility that all teachers share everywhere." Wan shared. "Their ideals, hopes, dreams, thoughts, actions. All are being molded and shaped by you as their teacher."


    "Just so we''re clear, you are not saying Hu Tao is more fit to be a teacher than I am, right?" Ying had to ask.


    "..." Wan couldn''t answer this as easily as she thought. "Who knows?"


    Wan thought about how unlike Hu Tao Runt turned out. While it hasn''t been long, it wasn''t like Runt was a little monster like Hu Tao or nearly as unruly as Hu Tao is. Runt was pretty cute to Wan Qing. In the way, you''d see a normal child. She kept her distance from him because he was Hu Tao''s student and may take on traits from him but so far, he was an angel in comparison to Hu Tao.


    "That''s it. I''m getting my own little Burning Angel." Ying decided, glaring at Runt''s back.


    Runt shivered as he felt Ying''s eyes on him. He chose to not turn around or say anything and stare off into the sky. An action that Bing felt was most wise as Bing expressed his sympathy for him. Well, for him and the poor sap that Ying finds as an apprentice.


    "We''ll teach a kid far better than Hu Tao ever could!" Ying heavily slapped Bing''s shoulder, nearly dislocating it.


    "We?" Confusion attacked Bing''s brain from all sides. How did Ying choosing to teach someone turn into them both teaching someone? Bing understood they were both angels but he had his own branch of Wandering Angels to eventually take care of!


    "What? You don''t wanna raise a pupil with me?" Ying''s eyes dared him to disagree.


    "..." Bing felt wronged!


    Lei Zhi warned him about questions like those from women. The right answer was to not answer at all and just smile. Considering Lei knew women, Bing did as he was instructed! In a way, Bing idolized Lei''s wisdom about women.


    "Hmph! We''ll teach the best damn pupil out of all the angels!" Ying declared with pride after seeing Bing''s silly smile.


    Bing''s heart let out a breath of relief after seeing Lei''s advice work but he still didn''t want to teach anyone. He''s just a Qi Gatherer! How could he be fit to teach anyone as he was now? He was still struggling along with his own cultivation technique. Bing''s b?r?ly comprehended the ways of the world and all of that junk! Didn''t it take decades of experience, knowledge, and exploring before one was fit to pass on knowledge to the next generation to raise them up?


    "It won''t be as bad as your thinking." Lei gently patted him on the shoulder with multiple other arms of different species. "It might even be fun, who knows?" He chuckled.


    "I can only hope..." Bing sighed with a slight shiver, still slightly creeped out by the other creatures living inside Lei''s coat.


    ______________________________________________


    "Alright, Kuai! Let''s show them how a Peaceful Angel really does it!" He Wenqing shouted.


    He Wenqing rose his farming hoe with one arm over his shoulder as a beautiful but confusing being hovered next to him.


    "I have never seen a woman so beautiful..."


    "What is that thing!? Why does she have a fishtail?!"


    "Is it possible for love to transcend race?"


    "I''ve never seen a spirit beast that resembled so closely to a human..."


    Even the elders were speechless at seeing Kuai. With the upper body of an ?du?t woman and the lower body of a whale, it was no surprise everyone was surprised to see her. The Golden Serpent Sect wasn''t near any large bodies of water like oceans. Creatures of the sea were mostly unknown to them. So, the sight of Kuai wasn''t one of impossibility but one of awe and disbelief. "So, there were also spirit beasts like this..."


    Kuai only showed curiosity at why so many humans were staring at her with varying expressions. She gently blew into her silver flute and a soundless melody escaped from it as it flowed into He Wenqing''s body. To those s?ns?t?v? to the flow of qi, they would be able to see He Wenqing''s qi raging like a furious river. The top of his robes burst into pieces and revealed his muscular-toned upper body.


    "I have a spare sword if you need one..." Teammate A gave He a look.


    "No need. I have no talent with the sword and found this hoe treats me best." He Wenqing refused.


    "Just don''t get knocked out too quickly, idiot." Teammate B didn''t care either way.


    The match started and the three of them charged toward their opponents who did the same. It was a straight-up 3v3. He Wenqing made the first impression by swinging his hoe into the stage and splitting it apart into multiple spiderweb cracks. Everyone, including his teammates, leaped from the stage when this happened. He Wenqing grinned as he swung his hoe multiple times at the airborne enemies, firing waves of hoe-shaped qi from the ground.


    "Share some with them two, please." He Wenqing told Kuai.


    Kuai''s silent song changed tempo and Teammate A and Teammate B felt reenergized with qi. He Wenqing kept the enemies busy with his hoe and tossed parts of the stage at them while they were falling.


    "Thanks!" Teammate A exclaimed, his sword glowing with fire.


    "That spirit beast isn''t half bad..." Teammate B complimented with a look of greed reflected in his eyes. His entire body softly glowing with qi.


    The two dropped to the ground and immediately sped off toward the distracted enemies deflecting, blocking, and trying to avoid He Wenqing''s attacks. After seeing them speed off ahead, He Wenqing stop attacking from a distance and joined their combined rush by running forward. His body radiating with sheer power and qi. A feat unusual for cultivators unless they were making their last stand.


    The amount of qi that Wenqing was releasing was at maximum. No cultivator is able to go 100% at all times. At least, no normal cultivator can. It''s too much a drain on one''s qi reserves. Cultivators regulate how much power they''re using when fighting. If they use too much qi during a fight, their power decreases significantly. It also makes it easier for them to get killed. While additionally making it exponentially more difficult to escape if they need to save their lives and run.


    It was a mystery for those without acute qi sensing abilities to how Wenqing was able to use so much power for so long. But those who did understood exactly how. Kuai''s flute was the key. Kuai''s flute turned sound into qi and qi into sound. She could control both spectrums of sound and qi with the flute as a medium. It wasn''t just Teammate B who looked at Kuai with a look of longing and d?s?r?.. There were several cultivators wanting to take her for themselves, her flute, or both.

 Chapter 275 - 270: Future Supreme Commander?!

    A spirit tool on that level was enough to be declared Heaven-ranked. There were thousands of martial arts that some people couldn''t fully master or practice because of their lack of qi. By having something that could give them qi, how hard would it be to become unmatched among their peers!? This spirit tool being in the hands of a 3rd stage Qi Consolidator? Even if he was in the sect''s little monster''s faction, he still wasn''t going to be safe from the countless disciples who planned to take the flute for themselves.


    Kuai herself was another matter entirely. Her value was in her uniqueness. She''s something that''s never been seen before and could sell for quite a lot on the market. All types of thoughts ran through the minds of these people. Could she/it be bedded? Was it possible to breed with this half-human creature? What of the children born from a human and her/it? Did she have abilities separate from the flute that she hasn''t shown yet? Why was her capture bead black? A color saved only for spirit beasts with heaven-ranked potential. Could she fight? Just where was this heaven-ranked potential in exactly?


    "Watch out, Kuai!" He Wenqing yelled, noticing one of his opponents purposely mislead him.


    He Wenqing thought he was going to be attacked but his opponent was intending to kill Kuai the entire time! Kuai swung her thick tail in the air and shot into the sky, looking down on the human that tried to attack her. He didn''t give up though, he shot into the air after her. She narrowed her eyes as she briefly lowered her flute from her soft plump pink lips.


    "Go away." Soft but indecipherable words to humans escaped her lips.


    A massive unseeable force passed through the air. He Wenqing''s eyes widened in shock and fright as he scurried out of the way, just b?r?ly avoiding the qi attack. His opponent crashed into the stage like a bolt of lightning from the heavens. It happened instantly and left a visible mark on the earth itself afterward. He Wenqing was quite nervous after landing back on the ground and hesitantly went over to check on his opponent.


    It turns out his worries were unnecessary as his team was soon disqualified. Kuai killed the guy who came after her. He Wenqing returned with a reddened face and Kuai followed behind him confused if she did well or not. He couldn''t bear to look at the others but there was someone more than willing to break the awkward silence.


    "You don''t plan to go out there and lose like me, huh?!" Lin Shu stood on the tip of her toes as she tried to look down on He Wenqing. "Guess who came back an even bigger loser than me!"


    "Shut it. How was I supposed to know she was that damn strong...?" Even now, He Wenqing still couldn''t believe Kuai was just a spirit beast at the 9th stage in the Qi Gathering Realm.


    "What happened with Kuai could happen to you two as well." Lei reminded Xiucai and Lin Shu. "The spirit beasts I''ve passed on to you are not to be underestimated. They are able to feel, think, and comprehend just like you are. One''s realm isn''t something that you should let limit you. Think of it more as a suggestion, I''d advise." Lei shared.


    "Sorry." He Wenqing looked at Lei Zhi.


    "You have nothing to be sorry for to me." Lei told him. "You, however, need to be more careful with humans." Lei looked up at Kuai. "Humans are weaker than the creatures where you are from, you need to be gentler with them." Kuai nodded with an apologetic expression on her face.


    "He." Wan came over to him.


    "Yeah?" He turned and looked at her.


    "Be careful. Because of your match, a lot of people have their eyes on you now. All of you." Wan warned Lei''s disciples.


    "Why?" Lin Shu asked.


    "Because people like to take things they see as valuable. And you''re still too weak to protect yourselves just yet. While you may not be one of my Beautiful Angels, you are still an angel. We take care of our own." Wan explained.


    Wan planned to become Supreme Commander after all. If she couldn''t take care of their small group as it was now, she''d stand no chance of becoming Supreme Commander after Jing''s becomes Sect Leader. Wan considered it a practice to the work she''d have to do in the future. Eventually, it''ll be her delegating tasks and rewards. Maybe she should try and find fitting martial arts and spirit tools for the new angels. Jing did say she would only directly give her main angels tasks and rewards but she gave Jie some training and gave Runt that camera.


    "Thanks for the warning, Wan, right?" He asked.


    "Right." Wan Qing felt a little happy to see the farm boy take her words to heart.


    "Appreciate it!" Lin Shu added.


    "If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me in the future." Wan soon added, feeling like a reliable big sister.


    "..." Xiucai nodded.


    The next member of Heaven''s Angels to go up to the stage next was Wan Qing! She waved a hand-sized fan and glided on the wind produced by the fan onto the stage. After making it on stage, she tossed a capture bead into the air that soon released a ferocious spirit beast that sent chills at those who saw it. A Golden Panda.


    No longer was Ni Xong the small little panda cub that could hide between his owner''s legs and was afraid of fighting. Now he towered over Wan Qing while on four legs, the thickness of his limbs were thicker than Wan''s upper body, and his teeth were sharp enough to tear through anything he got his jaws around. Two giant eye-blinding gold gauntlets hung around Ni Xong''s front paws as he stood up on his hind feet. The aura of a martial artist was visible at just a single glance. Wan Qing smiled as she gently rubbed his incredibly soft fur and stood next to him.


    "Are panda cubs supposed to grow that fast?" Bing asked. He could still remember sneaking food to the little bear not too long ago.


    "No." Lei simply answered.


    "He''s a mutant." Jing revealed. "Born differently from other Golden Pandas." That was one of her guesses for why he grew so quickly.


    "Yang!" Plinky explained in a single word.


    "Oh, I didn''t realize Golden Pandas specialized in yang qi but it makes sense." Lei nodded.


    "What does yang qi do?" Lin Shu asked.


    "It changes depending on the person''s understanding of the martial art." Bing answered. "Yang could be warmth, it could be fire, it could be the sun''s energy. There are multiple ways of comprehending yang just as there are multiple ways of comprehending yin." He should know after all. One mistake with his Yin of Destruction & Yang of Creation cultivation technique, he could be crippled for life or dead.


    "Do we need to care about that with our martial arts?" Lin Shu asked Lei.


    "With patients, yes. But for yourselves, no." Lei answered.


    "Our patients?" He Wenqing didn''t understand.


    "Some patients require specific treatments due to their constitution. Some people have yang-favored constitutions and require you to treat them with special methods or herbs." Lei explained. "I''ll teach more about this in the future. Learning about it now will only confuse you."


    "..." Xiucai nodded. He''s heard of people with special physiques but most of the time they were just cultivators with bloodlines. He wondered if what Lei was talking about was different somehow.


    ______________________________________________


    "Hmm, so you two are my teammates, huh?" Wan Qing looked at the two spellmasters.


    She didn''t know whether to call herself lucky or unlucky.


    "Trapping Spellmaster, Wang." Wang introduced himself.


    "Harming Spellmaster, Haoran." Haoran did the same.


    "Beautiful Angel, Wan." Wan Qing didn''t lack manners.


    "Do you fight with that fan and use the wind?" Haoran asked.


    "Yes, why? Do you have some sort of plan in mind for us to fight together?" Wan had a feeling.


    "That is correct..." Haoran pulled out multiple harming talismans from his storage ring. "Do you know what I''m getting at?" He turned his eyes up at her.


    "I believe so. What about you, Wang? What do you plan to do?" Wan asked.


    "I''ll set multiple trapping formations around us. If I''m understanding both of your intentions, you plan to deal with them from a distance, right?" Wang asked.


    "That''s right. If you can, try to make them easy to enter but difficult to escape. Those that get trapped can be dealt with by this guy here." Wan massaged Ni Xong''s chin.


    "Sounds good to me. I can do that." Wang nodded.


    "I suppose we''re ready then." Haoran took a deep breath.


    "We''re ready!" Wan told the elder watching over their match. He nodded in acknowledgment.


    The other team wasn''t ready yet.

 Chapter 276 - 271: Wan Qings Battle.

    "Who is that tall girl with the fan?"


    "The Heavenly Butterfly who was said to have reversed yang into yin."


    "What the hell does that mean?"


    "He used to be a guy but now he''s a girl somehow."


    "Doesn''t that go against the heavens? Shouldn''t they have been struck by lightning or something?"


    "Why would the heavens care if some guy wanted to become a girl?"


    "Because it directly goes against the heaven''s choice for them at birth! If the heavens decided you were to be a boy that''s it! You don''t get to change that. That''s like saying the all-mighty, all-encompassing, all-powerful heavens were wrong!"


    "Well, she clearly has. So shut up and just enjoy the fight."


    "I don''t care what kind of angel that thing is, they won''t stand a chance against Xiao Hong!"


    "She''s one of the top ten beauties at the sect! Not to mention from the famous Hong Family known for their impressive ice martial arts!"


    "At the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation Realm already when it hasn''t even been a year since she''s joined the sect! She''s a prodigy among prodigies!"


    "Not to mention she''s way cuter than that giant freak. She''s a girl through and through."


    Wan Qing scoffed as she heard the chatter of the crowd. She flicked her hair back as she looked at this natural beautiful prodigy. Wan smacked her hand-sized fan against the palm of her hand as she decided to take this a bit more seriously than she planned to. Her fan dispersed into several eye-catching bu??erflies that soon reformed into the shape of a giant fan. This fight was no longer just to make it to the next round but something more personal.


    Now that Hu Tao was gone, someone had to step up as the strongest angel. Unlike Hu Tao, she wanted to be seen as dependable, reliable, and someone to inspire trust and hope within people. A big sister that everyone could rely on. Graceful, beautiful, and kind to her friends.


    A small number of bu??erflies flew from out of Wan''s robes. As the elder watching over the match gave them the signal to start, hundreds of bu??erflies flew out of Wan''s robes. They flew all over the stage and just hovered. No one knew if they were dangerous or not but Wan didn''t give them the chance to think about it with the help of Haoran.


    "Flame Spell!" Haoran tossed a harming talisman toward the enemy team.


    "Don''t lose too quickly." Wan gently smile as she waved her fan toward the slip of paper burning into purple ash and transforming in a stream of flames.


    At the same time, the other team wasn''t stationary while this was happening. They unleashed their own combined attack when the elder started the match. An instant blizzard fiercely rushed toward the opposite side of the ring, eager to meet the devastating burning wind coming toward it. The two dual but opposite elements fought each other, eager to prove their superiority over the other.


    Their clash forced the elder watching over the match to provide a qi barrier to protect those watching from being injured by the impact of extreme temperatures. Haoran and Wang hid behind Wan Qing without shame. Xiao Hong''s teammates hid behind a barrier formed by a formation.


    Wan Qing was impressed to see that she had this much power. Guess she wasn''t called a prodigy for no reason. Several of her bu??erflies were frozen to death because of that icy wind and crashed to the ground. This wasn''t a problem necessarily, they bred fast with the right ingredients. She just had to order them to fly higher this time.


    A sea of bu??erflies escaped from Wan''s body and just like before surrounded the arena. However, this time flying far higher than before. Their clash of elements canceled each other out as they locked eyes. It seems like they were thinking the same thing because they both took off toward each other at the same time.


    "What about the plan!?" Haoran yelled. "Weren''t we supposed to fight from a distance!?"


    "Since the plan''s gone to crap, come help me make these trapping arrays. Her spirit beast will protect us in the meantime." Wang told him.


    "Not like I can get in between the middle of that..." Haoran wanted to protest but really couldn''t.


    Xiao Hong glided on the air as ice formed underneath her feet and increased her speed. Two pairs of bu??erfly wings made of qi sprouted from Wan Qing''s back, allowing her to fly straight to Xiao Hong. It didn''t take long for the two to collide into one another. Xiao Hong formed an ice blade to slice right through Wan Qing and Wan Qing closed up her fan while twisting to strike Xiao Hong with it. An ear-shaking clash reverted throughout the surroundings. Neither girl lost to the other in terms of strength.


    The two broke off from their clash before dashing toward each other once more. Consecutive clashes one after the other, showing off both the gracefulness of the girls and their undeniable talent in combat. In terms of combat ability, it looked like they were completely equal just like their cultivation stages! It wasn''t until Xiao Hong chose to step things up by using a portion of her Ice Giant bloodline to take the advantage in the fight. Xiao Hong''s pure white hair gained a tinge of blue at the tips as an aura of icy mist began to release from her body.


    "Not bad." Wan Qing complimented. "Looks like your finally ready to take this fight seriously?" She smiled.


    "Lookout." Xiao Hong warned.


    As soon as she gave the warning, a beam of frost qi fired from her palm. Wan Qing''s eyes widened in shock as she quickly flew up into the air. If it wasn''t for the warning, Wan Qing would''ve been frozen solid! Xiao Hong didn''t give her a second to rest though. Immediately after firing that attack, she formed dangerous icicles and threw them toward the airborne Wan.


    Wan Qing raced through the air to avoid the seemingly endless number of icicles coming after her. During her dodging, it was when a curious thought entered her head. Was it possible that Hong wasn''t able to use multiple techniques at once? If during this icicle attack, she couldn''t use that ice gliding technique or the beam attack from before?


    ''There''s only one way to find out.'' Wan Qing grinned as she opened up her fan and began to twirl in a spiral while dodging the ice attacks.


    A visible horizontal mini-cyclone formed around her. Deflecting the icicles or outright tearing them to pieces before they could reach her. As more and more wind was generated from her spinning, eventually there was no reason to avoid the ice spears anymore. Wan slowly turned with her fan fully opened and then swung it in Hong''s direction.


    Hong stopped shooting icicles at the sight of this and fired that ice beam from before. The beam quickly got to work at freezing the tornado and it was at that point, Wan Qing smiled. As the tornado fell to the ground and broke into pieces, Wan Qing suddenly appeared behind Xiao Hong. Her fan was now hand-sized as it came crashing down on Xiao Hong''s skull.


    Clang!


    Wan Qing''s fan stopped mere centimeters from the ice girl''s head. In that same instance, a fearsome storm of ice and snow exploded from her body. Instantly freezing Wan Qing without giving her a chance to resist. The entire stage was clouded white. It was nearly impossible for anyone to see what happened because of the blizzard raging.


    "You were strong..." Xiao Hong complimented as Wan Qing''s ice statue fell to the ground.


    Her expression trapped in a gloating demeanor. A timeless beauty that was unaware of the fate that befell her. Xiao Hong focused her attention on the two remaining fighters and the spirit beast seemingly uncaring about what happened to its master. Now that she closely looked, neither did the two spellmasters... Something isn''t right...


    Xiao Hong turned to look at the frozen girl but she was still there frozen. Nothing happened to her teammates. She should be able to win this with their help now. But what was this nagging feeling, poking at her head?


    It happened without warning or feeling. Xiao Hong didn''t suddenly feel an intense spike of pain. She didn''t hear someone say a one-liner before being sneak attacked. There wasn''t a smell, sound, feeling, or anything. Everything just suddenly went black and then she knew no more.


    Everyone in the audience saw what happened but still couldn''t understand why Xiao Hong fell. In their eyes, they saw it very clearly how Wan Qing never moved after firing her hurricane attack but Xiao Hong for some reason froze everything around her. Xiao Hong looked like she was looking at something on the ground but no one knew what was going on inside her head. Then, Wan Qing appeared over Xiao Hong''s head and struck her down with her giant fan.


    "Alright, let''s win this now." Wan Qing smiled as she appeared in front of Haoran and Wang.


    "You don''t need to tell me twice..." Haoran was still in disbelief.


    He provided Wan with all the harming spells she needed to wrap this up. It only took a single Lightning Spell empowered by Wan''s wind to take out the other two. The elder called the match in Wan''s team favor and Wan soon returned back to her angels, victorious. Only some of the angels truly understood how she won in the first place.


    "Shhh." Wan Qing pressed her finger to her lips at Ying. "Let''s keep it a secret until I win, okay sweetie?" Ying nodded with some reluctance but she understood why it was necessary.


    "Good work." Jing complimented.


    "Thank you.." Wan smiled, her heart feeling as proud and joyous as ever.

 Chapter 277 - Im Not Dead! (Quick Update)

    I owe you guys a couple of things besides an explanation! First, let me apologize!


    Sorry about the disappearance of chapters lately! Author had received a huge heartbreak and couldn''t really work up the will to write anything along with some other matters that also played into that heartbreak.


    Some self-reflection of myself and how to do better in the future with relationships. (Boring shit that you guys probably don''t care about.) My college semester is about to end very soon with a shit ton of ?ssignments due so that is also delaying the release of chapters. (Next year is going to be my final semester before I graduate.) And I got a job at Amazon! (Your simple warehouse job with nothing special to it.)


    So, Tuesday is going to be the big release day. I plan to release 7 SCP chapters and 4 Zoey chapters all at once if I can manage. If not, the release date for chapters will be split between Tuesday and Wednesday. I plan to get back to the regular chapter releasing scheduling by Thursday if I stick to my word.

 Chapter 278 - Chapters 272-277: More of the Grand Tournament!

    "Haha! Looks like it''s your turn next, Xiucai." Lin Shu attempted to slam her palm on Xiucai''s back for support. "Good luck!"


    Xiucai vanished from where he was standing and appeared behind Lin Shu. "..!" She wasn''t holding back with that "friendly" gesture! Lin Shu took herself off balance with the amount of force she put into the motion. That was how Xiucai knew she wanted to hurt him.


    "Hehehe... Can''t I give a fellow disciple some encouragement? Why''re you so timid, junior brother?" Lin Shu tried to play off her malicious attack disguised as "encouragement."


    "You''re the last one out of master''s disciples, Xiucai. You have to make sure you win for master''s sake!" He Wenqing suddenly appeared behind him.


    A feat impossible for a simple farmer''s son to sneak up on a trained ?ssassin since birth! Unless, he deliberately used Withering Willow to erase his presence! He Wenqing tried to grab him in a hold from behind but Xiucai''s clan didn''t train him for years so that he could be caught off guard by two mortal-born cultivators who haven''t been trained anywhere near as hard as him. Xiucai loosened his joints, slipped in between He''s thick arms and dashed toward the stage to avoid any further complications with his senior brother and sister.


    Yes, Xiucai was younger than both He and Lin, surprisingly enough. A fact that he was rather surprised by once he got a decent grasp on their temperament. But then again, Xiucai was also shorter and thinner than both of them as well. Another fact that Lin Shu loved to boast about. "You know, if you didn''t have that mask, I think you''d look more like a girl than I do." Lin Shu once commented.


    Xiucai ignored her as he and only his family knew how he really looked. He definitely didn''t promise to make sure that Lin and He never saw his true appearance. That would be ridiculous. An ?ssassin caring about judgment from others? If his mother or father found out, he would immediately be snatched back to the clan for additional training. Something that might last until he was 25 or 30 years old.


    "Have you even been listening, kid?! We''re going to need to work together if we want to win this, you know? Hello?!" A rather tall girl with a personality somewhat similar to Lin appeared in front of him.


    Slim waist, beauty suitable for seduction, but a temperament that would scare most men away. Not suitable for ?ssassinating. She waved her thin smooth hand in front of him back and forth to gain his attention but Xiucai was paying attention from the very beginning. Xiucai may have looked like he was staring off into space but an ?ssassin-born cultivator like himself was always paying attention to his surroundings. Especially if he sensed killing intent like he did from one of his teammates.


    However, it wasn''t from the loud girl still trying to gain his attention.


    "You really dare to ignore me? I''ve never seen someone so courageous, you know?" She laughed with anger behind her laughter.


    It was from the servant of the loud girl. His eyes were filled with disbelief and hostility for some reason. Xiucai wasn''t the most sensible of ?ssassins as he never really had any friends he didn''t have to kill growing up but killing intent was second nature for him. At first, he questioned how this noble managed to get on a team with her servant when all of Heaven''s Angels were split up. Perhaps it was luck or maybe the tournament was rigged.


    But then the match started and Xiucai could no longer afford to split his attention between his thoughts and his teammates.


    "Follow." Was the only word Xiucai spoke to Chu Hua and Chu Bolin.


    Xiucai tossed two shining black capture beads into the air. Hua and Bolin looked up along with everyone else as another member of Heaven''s Angel revealed their attainment of a heaven-ranked spirit beast. It made people wonder if gathering heaven-ranked spirit beasts was really this easy! Even the Heavenly Collectors, the only spirit beast tamer faction in the Golden Serpent Sect, only had a single heaven-ranked spirit beast among their members!


    "Should Heaven''s Angels be called the Heavenly Collectors?"


    "They really do have a lot of strong spirit beasts! I''ve never seen a single one of them beside the Golden Panda one from earlier!"


    "Even that one looked different from a regular Golden Panda! Didn''t you see those giant gauntlets around its fists!?"


    During this time, Xiucai wasn''t idly wasting his time admiring and questioning his spirit beasts like everyone else. As they were released from their capture beads, Xiucai immediately erased his presence and raced toward his opponents who were caught up in seeing what type of spirit beasts were being released. Many hoped it was a spirit beast as beautiful as the strange human-like one from before after hearing Xiucai was the junior brother of the cultivator with the human-fish spirit beast.


    It only took the time for one to blink for Xiucai to deal with his distracted opponents. His finger jabbed into the side of their necks one by one. Then they dropped like corpses, unable to control their bodies in the slightest. Xiucai was relieved his first match was so easy. He didn''t have to show any of his martial arts or techniques.


    Xiucai was a bit worried about using this method to win though. He didn''t include his teammates at all but at the same time he wasn''t too worried. In matches where one person can decide the outcome in a 1v3, the elders usually decide for that team to win. Especially when it ends so quickly.


    As Xiucai waited for the elders to decide the outcome, two strange, silly, and enormous creatures slowly raced their way to him. Standing on four legs, mostly black but with white spots lightly plastered in certain places, and teeth that only a beast that ate meat would have. They were both happily clicking at the sight of Xiucai while running toward him. Like they were having their own conversation together in a different language.


    Xiucai wanted to embrace the two creatures that formed a large shadow over him when they arrived from their great size but he had a reputation to keep. So, he only patted their heads while continuing to wait for the elder''s decision of the match. Guang and Hei were more than happy with this simple petting as they finally took in their surroundings.


    The Chu''s were less than thrilled about this type of outcome. They glared at Xiucai with hatred for taking attention away from them but consoled themselves by saying it was only the first match. There were still more fights to be had and they could show off their clan''s strength during those rounds. Hopefully, Xiucai would have a sudden heart attack or something, they hoped.


    Unsurprisingly, Xiucai''s team was declared the winners but to no joy of any of the elders. Like they said before, this tournament was not to find individual geniuses but to find those capable of working with others. Although, many of the elders still took note of a few talented individuals. What elder wouldn''t want to take on a genius student untaught by others?


    "This isn''t over masked boy!" Chu Hua reminded him.


    "..." Xiucai nodded in agreement. They still had matches to participate in.


    Xiucai returned to Heaven''s Angels with Guang and Hei by his side, clicking up a storm. They couldn''t stop talking about something and from time to time would start giggling as if one of them said a really funny joke. It was times like this that Xiucai wished he could speak spirit beast. He wanted to know what his beasts were talking about since they kept chatting.


    "Hmph. Hmph! You did well." Lin Shu congratulated him with a nod but he could see she was upset about something.


    "Didn''t expect anything less from you Junior Brother." He Wenqing nodded as well but didn''t look to be upset like Lin.


    "..." Xiucai gave his thanks.


    "Well done, Xiucai. Targeting that qi point was an excellent non-lethal way of taking someone unaware down. If they were on guard in any way, you would''ve had a much more difficult task in paralyzing them from the neck down. Your method in distracting them with Guang and Hei before attacking by erasing your presence was really great. A black capture bead is something that no cultivator can ignore. However, all of you, don''t forget that Withering Willow does not allow you to erase yourself as you''re attacking." Lei Zhi lectured.


    "Yes, master!" Lin Shu and He Wenqing responded loudly. Xiucai nodded along. All of them taking his words to heart.


    Guang and Hei rubbed their large heads against Xiucai''s body before walking over to the other spirit beasts in Heaven''s Angels, this being Li Li and Plinky. All the other spirit beasts were put back in their capture bead for the time being. Li Li had no issue with the two coming over. Plinky was more interested in eating any fallen spirit cakes on the ground than interacting with the two.


    "Would you two like to become one of my Heavenly Demons?" Li Li cawed, speaking in his original voice.


    "Hmm? You are a strange creature..." Guang clicked.


    "I don''t like being called strange. Call me unique." Li Li hoo''d.


    "Strange or unique, you are very strong. I don''t think even if we fought you together, we''d stand a chance." Hei noted.


    "You''re not wrong. If you wish, you two can gain strength similar to mine. All you need to do is become my friends and follow me." Lei offered.


    "Sounds like a good deal to me, brother. Kekekekekeke." Guang couldn''t help but laugh.


    "As long as there''s fun to be had, I don''t see why not." Hei responded.


    "This is a gift from me for joining me." Li Li initially wanted to split a single drop of his blood between the two brothers but decided against it. Instead, he reached into the storage ring given to him by his mother around his leg and pulled out two seeds.


    Li Li flicked the seeds at the black and white brothers and it pierced their flesh but didn''t hurt at all for them. In a matter of seconds after being coated in their blood, the seeds began to sprout!


    These seeds were from Cerulean! She made them like birds made eggs or women made babies. Li Li didn''t know exactly how Cerulean made babies just that she did. One day, when he went out to the front yard, there were these seeds and by communicating with Cerulean''s soul, he found out that these were her babies! Kind of.


    His mother explained that some creatures could create babies without a mate of the opposite s?x. This was a normal way of making children for most plants. Li Li and Jing needed mates to make babies with but Cerulean didn''t. After hearing that, Li Li was still mostly confused about the whole thing but understood that the seeds were Cerulean''s children.


    Guang and Hei felt something wriggling and rooting inside their bodies as the seeds grew at a visible rate right in front of them. They sprouted after coming in contact with the orcas'' blood. Two mini copies of Cerulean revealed themselves to the world on top of the fins of the spirit beasts. Leafy teeth, a head bigger than its green stem body, and a mischievous smirk permanently plastered on their carnivorous looks.


    "I feel strange..." Guang grumbled.


    "Unique is the word I think you''re looking for brother." Hei chuckled.


    "Hahah! Unique! We are unique now too brother!" Guang loudly giggled.


    "I am Li Li, your leader, and friend." Li Li introduced himself to his new demons.


    "My contractor calls me Guang!" Guang replied.


    "I was named Hei." Hei responded.


    "Guang, Hei, as long as you stay by my side you will have nothing to worry about in the future." Li Li promised.


    "Sounds good to me, Leader!" Guang was more than happy to hear that. His plant was attempting to gobble one of the fallen spirit cakes on the floor but couldn''t stretch that far from Guang''s back.


    ______________________________________________


    "I''m next." Shang heard his number being called.


    "Should be a piece of cake for a spellmaster like you." Ying thought.


    "Mhm." Shang didn''t refute her claim. This tournament seemed like it favored anyone but simple martial artists over anything else.


    "Good luck." Jing gave him a simple smile.


    Jing didn''t realize just how much of an encouragement that simple smile gave Shang. If before he was planning to just win, now he was planning to win with everything he had to look good for Jing. His eyes lingered on Jing''s smile for a bit too long before being kicked in the back by a certain child into the ring.


    "I can''t even look at my woman..." Shang helplessly lamented as he got up from the ground.


    "I HOPE YOU LOSE!!!" Li Li made sure to cheer him on.


    "I''ll do my best." Shang waved back as he saw the other angels giggling and smirking.


    He really made a powerful enemy by following his heart... With a sigh filled with happiness and tiredness at the same time, Shang looked over to his teammates. They seemed to know him and that made things easier for him. Both of them introduced themselves as martial artists.


    "How confident are you two in your martial arts?" Shang asked.


    Neither responded with anything resembling confidence or pride.


    "Just stick by me and attack when you have the chance." Shang commanded before signaling to the elder that they were ready.


    The other team didn''t take long to prepare either. Soon, the match started and in only a second, Shang tossed four talismans to each corner of the ring. From his storage ring, a golden sword came from out of it only to be tossed into the center of the ring with a talisman wrapped around the hilt. The other team immediately dashed toward them together but it still wasn''t anywhere as fast as Shang''s formation placement.


    A bright blue light flashed within the ring that strengthened Shang''s team. Floating blue dust fell all around the ring, passing through the bodies of Shang''s opponents but slowly covering Shang and his teammates'' bodies. Once the two martial artists felt the increase in their physique, they rushed toward the confused enemies, not willing to waste this chance given to them by Array Prodigy Shang.


    Shang stayed where he was as he watched the two. If they were capable of handling the three on their own, he didn''t need to do much more. But Jing was watching... Did he do well enough? Did he show off enough with his formation casting speed or using a sky-ranked supportive array with an earth-ranked spirit weapon as a base for the formation? This earth-ranked spirit weapon is a spirit weapon known for its durability rather than its offensive utility.


    "Try harder! Stop losing!" Li Li cheered for the other team very loudly. "Work like a team! Stop fighting one by one like idiots!" The young child angrily shouted.


    Shang couldn''t help but softly smile. He wasn''t the only one smiling either, the other angels were also amused by Li Li''s opposition to Shang. Everyone understood that he thought that Shang was trying to take his mother from him. A child''s jealousy.


    Surprisingly enough, the other team actually listened to the child and got their act together. The two martial artists on Shang''s team were now more evenly matched against the trio on the other side. However, as time went on their advantage began to dwindle despite more and more blue dust covering their bodies. It wasn''t as if the formation strengthening their bodies were wearing off but the fact that the two of them were fighting three people at once now with Li Li''s advice continually coming in.


    "Isn''t it against the rules to help people in a match?"


    "He''s just saying how it is. I don''t see how that kid would be breaking the rules."


    "I never heard any rules that said we weren''t allowed to speak during a match."


    "But look! Because of that kid, they''re winning now!"


    "So what? Strength is what matters in the end. If you were fighting someone and they were getting advice on how to beat you, are you just supposed to lose? No! You''d keep fighting until they''re dead."


    "That''s right. It doesn''t matter if they listen to the advice or not, teamwork is what matters in the end."


    The elders initially thought to silence the child''s incessant chattering but paused after seeing the benefits of his talking. That team began to perform more smoothly and cohesively after taking the advice of that child. They even got the upper hand now and were pushing the two martial artists back despite their advantage with the supportive array. This allowed the elders to judge the teamwork of both teams more deeply. So, they allowed it.


    Li Li smirked as he continued to advise the three weaklings.


    "Don''t let up even if you''re tired, stupid!"


    "If that dumb dumb in the back moves, make sure to retreat!"


    "Sloppy Girl! The dumb dumb left his base unattended! Why aren''t you trying to grab it and destroy it?!"


    Seeing the shift in the battle, Shang no longer could sit back and watch. While he didn''t think he would lose, how could he make himself look good if he didn''t win effortlessly? Shang rushed forward with his long wooden staff in hand, ready to take on the trio by himself if need be. At the exact moment he moved, so did the other team at the command of Li Li.


    "Sloppy Girl! Rip off that Conduit Spell and fall back." Li Li ordered.


    "Messy Hair and Shorty! Meet up with Sloppy Girl and get ready to defend!"


    No longer was there any hesitation in listening to the child''s words. They moved seamlessly like they were trained to listen to all their lives. All three readied themselves to take on the Array Prodigy together as one. The one referred to as Sloppy Girl took the first strike with the golden sword in her hand that she guessed was better than her regular sword. Now that the supportive array was down, things would be a bit easier for them.


    Shang''s staff slammed against earth-ranked spirit weapon but Sloppy Girl didn''t seem as if she felt any of the force Shang struck with. She gave a cute smile as the other two attacked immediately after he clashed with her on Li Li''s orders.


    "Don''t forget he''s a spellmaster! Close combat isn''t his forte! Don''t give him the chance to use any spells and you will win!"


    A ray of hope appeared in the eyes of the three that didn''t think they stood a chance of winning at all. With the little boy''s help, they were actually giving one of the sect''s Rising Prodigies an actual challenge! Could they actually win?! No, they had to win! His strength didn''t matter but how well they worked together!


    Continuous attacks from all sides badgered Shang Zhai. His skill with the staff was admirable and easily above the other team''s individually but didn''t have the killing power it usually had combined with his talismans. It was enough to keep them away but not put them down. He was genuinely surprised as the match went on. These three weren''t bad! It looks like even trash can be decent with a good enough teacher.


    "Don''t get too excited stupid! Know when to advance and know when to retreat! And don''t fall for obvious feints. Don''t forget who he is!" Li Li continued to teach.


    "Be stronger!" Plinky shouted in encouragement despite only spirit beasts being able to understand him.


    ______________________________________________


    ''To think I actually have to use some of my real strength against people like this.'' Shang sighed.


    Li Li really wanted him to lose. Shang wondered if Jing was as stubborn as this and he got that trait from her. He could definitely see Jing as the silent stubborn type. Not willing to back down but also looks as beautiful and graceful as she always does. She''s really an amazing girl... And she''s his woman!


    "Ah." Shang was suddenly struck on the forehead by the girl Li Li kept calling sloppy. A judgment he wouldn''t say was wrong. "I got distracted..." Shang was sent sliding to the edge of the ring with a red welt on his forehead.


    "I landed a hit!" Sloppy Girl cheered. An uncontrollable amount of pride and energy welled up inside her from landing a hit on the Rising Prodigy.


    "Don''t get distracted, stupid!" Li Li admonished.


    "Yes! Sorry!" She immediately ran to follow up on her successful hit.


    Ahead of her, both of her teammates were already doing what she should''ve been doing a few seconds ago. The two of them engaged with Shang first, their swords constantly slashing and slicing at his body. Shang held his staff with one hand as he defended against the two while mentally reaching into his storage ring for a few spells. They immediately went into overdrive as the warnings of the kid flowed into their heads.


    "Do not let him use his spells!"


    All three cultivators focused all their attacks on Shang with crazed determination to prevent him from pulling anything out. They no longer gave any care for defense and focused all their attacks on pure offense. Something that Shang couldn''t take advantage of while searching for the right spells inside his storage ring. Their crazed attacks forced Shang into retreating off the stage but even then they didn''t let him go alone.


    "Hehehehe... Lose! Lose!" Li Li giggled to himself, seeing Shang in a rough spot.


    "I''ve never been so humiliated..." Shang''s lips turned up. Of course, it would be Li Li that makes him feel that for the first time.


    It really was the first time he''s ever been pushed this far by someone he considers below him. The fact that trash like this needed to work together to give him a solid fight would be something to mock and ridicule. But in this strange tournament, it was something to praise! Even now, the crowd was cheering on the three trashes forcing him to reveal his weaknesses and strengths.


    "Fine. I''ll lose but I''ll lose with pride, damn it. You win this time, Li Li." Shang admitted.


    Shang slammed his staff vertically into the ground as he reached into his robe and activated a spell. An explosion of darkness expanded as the talisman burnt to ash. A small black dome captured Shang and the three cultivators. Those outside of it could not see inside and those inside could not see outside or inside.


    It was complete darkness inside the spell but Shang had no problem navigating inside. Amusing enough, the trash stuck to each other with their backs facing each other. That kid taught them too well. But, nonetheless, they were doomed to fall here and now. Shang attacked under the veil of darkness as his ally.


    His staff struck the throat of Messy Hair before coming back around and smashing him across the face into the distance. Shang''s staff then tripped Shorty off his feet as he spun it around and slammed it on top of his stomach, burying him into the ground. For Sloppy Girl, she was crazily attacking the air around her as she heard the sounds of her companions falling. Shang smacked her on the back of her head and easily knocked her out.


    With a tired sigh, he destroyed the spell with another and revealed to everyone that the match was over. As expected, Shang''s team lost and he had to walk back to Heaven''s Angels with his head hung high. He may have lost but he didn''t completely lose. Unfortunately, a certain little birdy thought otherwise.


    Li Li hopped around the defeated Shang without saying a word. He just happily hummed while jumping around him with a gloating look on his face. Li Li knew he didn''t have to say a thing. Everyone knew what he was saying though.


    ''I won! You lose. I win! You lost! You really think you can take my mom when you can only amount to this?! Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! The nerve!''


    "I lost face for us. I apologize.'' Shang bowed to Jing but also gave a slight bow to everyone else.


    "Train some more. Your skills aren''t bad." Wan Qing advised.


    "I will take your words to heart." Shang nodded.


    "Don''t be too down. He is Jing''s son after all. Although I didn''t expect Li Li to be such a great teacher even though it was done out of pure spite." Lei Zhi noted.


    "I can do anything if I put my mind to it." Li Li confidently boasted.


    "Can you turn into a girl?" Lin Shu joked, not knowing the true strength of the child.


    "If I wanted to." Li Li remembered how Wan Qing turned into a real female.


    "What about a cow?" He Wenqing joined in.


    "Of course." Li Li manipulated his soul''s shape and transformed from a human child to that of a cow calf.


    "He actually did it!" Lin Shu shook He Wenqing wide shoulders back and forth.


    "He wasn''t kidding..." He Wenqing was completely shocked looking at the somehow ordinary but at the same time not ordinary cow.


    Li Li had long white flowing hair on top of his head, his cowhide was black with white spots, and his tail was unusually long but that was it. Nothing more than that.


    ''Hmph! I told you.'' Li Li spoke to their souls while in cow form.


    Soon after, he transformed back to his human form that greatly resembled Jing. Both Lin Shu and He Wenqing bowed in reverence to the great spirit beast. Li Li was more than happy to receive such praise for something he considered quite mediocre for him now. If it was before the Endless Plains of Yin, he would still have to rely on communicating with people''s souls to talk to them and stay in his original form.


    "All hail the Great Li Li!" The two chanted.


    "Hail Li Li!" Plinky innocently praised.


    A smile too wide couldn''t be hidden on Li Li''s young face. Li Li nodded in acknowledgment. He really was great. After all, he was his mother''s son.


    ______________________________________________


    "Jie? Isn''t that Hu Tao''s woman?"


    "Hu Tao''s woman??? She willingly gave herself to Hu Tao?"


    "I don''t know. I just know that she''s in a relationship with Hu Tao."


    "Is she crazy too?"


    "I guess we''ll see."


    Jie said nothing as she made her way up to the stage. Long black hair, generic Golden Serpent Sect robes, and a beautiful appearance. It was quite strange that someone this beautiful wasn''t known already! A 7th stage Qi Consolidator as well. This woman was a complete mystery to everyone in the sect! No one could recall her before the identities of those in the Heaven''s Angels faction started spreading.


    She held a yellow umbrella in her hand and many ?ssumed that this was also a strange spirit tool or weapon! It was a trademark of Heaven''s Angels to own a strange weapon by now. So many were excited to see the prowess of this umbrella in battle! No one dared to look down on their weapons after seeing an old man toss around a cultivator with a fishing rod!


    "Maybe she''ll use it like a spear! The tip is pointed and looks sharp."


    "Or she could use it like a club."


    "What if it''s a trick and her real weapon isn''t the umbrella at all!? Maybe she hasn''t revealed her real weapon at all yet."


    "I wonder if Hu Tao''s woman is just as much of a Fighting Maniac as he is."


    "Speaking of which, where is Hu Tao!? If Hu Tao''s woman is in Heaven''s Angels, doesn''t that mean he''s involved with them too?"


    "I haven''t heard anything about Hu Tao the week before the finale... Do you think he''s dead?"


    "There would be a celebration in the Inner Court if that was true but it is strange there has been no news of him."


    "Hu Tao loves causing trouble."


    "Do you think his woman knows?"


    "She doesn''t look like she''s distraught or in mourning. Either she''s stronger than she looks or Hu Tao is completely fine."


    "The sect would be better off without a crazy fighting genius like that. He would only ruin the reputation of our sect if he was let loose to represent us in the Evergreen continent."


    When the match started, a strange fog suddenly appeared over the stage. Whiteness filled the vision of those inside and outside the ring. Those inside the ring couldn''t see anything within reaching distance. Despite standing right next to their teammates, five of the six competitors couldn''t see anything but white fog.


    "The fog will lead you." Jie''s voice whispered into her teammates'' ears.


    The two female cultivators were startled at the voice so close to their ears but listened to the directions. They felt a pulling on their clothes and skin that directed them in a certain direction. In their eyes, they could only see whiteness but they didn''t doubt the voice of their teammate. What would be the point of sabotaging someone on your team? Didn''t they all want to win and move on to the next round?


    "Strike now." Jie''s voice flowed into their minds again.


    Simultaneously, three cries rang out from within the fog. Just as soon as those screams cried out, the fog quickly dispersed to reveal Jie and her teammates standing over the defeated bodies of their opponents. Silence filled the crowd. Whether it was awe or just the fact that they were simply stunned, it was no doubt that this was one of the fastest matches of the entire finale!


    "I couldn''t see a thing..."


    "I couldn''t fu?k?n? see anything! How strong is she!?"


    "She hid her strength like a coward! Fighting Maniac''s Woman is a coward!"


    "Idiots... Of course, she hid her strength. There are still more matches after this one."


    "Only someone lacking a brain or a genius wouldn''t care about hiding their skills."


    "Isn''t it strange that an idiot is comparable to a genius in that scenario though?"


    "Don''t mention it and it won''t be!"


    Jie smiled as she returned to the others.


    "It looks like your training with Jing turned out well." Wan Qing commented.


    "I''ve certainly gained a lot..." Thinking back on her training with Jing''s water clone caused her to shiver at the memory.


    "Did you get that umbrella for completing your training?" Ying asked.


    "Mhmm." Jie nodded. "I still have a lot more training to do before I feel confident in catching up with Hu Tao." She added.


    "If you''re lucky, his strength may not change at all from the time he disappeared. Like if he was sealed." Wan Qing shared.


    "Knowing Hu Tao, he''ll probably find a way to get stronger even while he''s sealed." Bing chuckled.


    "I wouldn''t be surprised." Lei agreed.


    "Well even if he does, I''ll just do what I can. Can''t really do much than that." Jie shrugged.


    "This Hu Tao guy must be pretty strong..." Lin Shu muttered. She sometimes practiced those strange poses with Jie the week before the tournament. It was hell to go through but felt heavenly afterward with such a great boost to her physique. To think that Jie still needed to get even stronger to compete with this Hu Tao guy was absurd to Shu.


    "He''s the second strongest in the group, of course he is." He Wenqing commented.


    "..." Xiucai knew he wouldn''t be a match for this Hu Tao but he was certainly interested in how he compared to Jing in terms of danger.


    Xiucai''s instincts screamed at him to stay as far away from Jing as he could if he was planning to attack her. The best way to deal with Jing according to his ?ssassin''s instinct was to run as far away as he could while completely erasing his presence. However, he had a feeling that even if he mastered Withering Willow, she would still be able to sense him somehow. She didn''t make any sense to him. Not even the Patriarch of his clan made him feel this way.


    ''Boss did ask me to keep an eye on Shang and Jie. Shang to measure his strength and what the hell made Jing accept him as her man over Hu Tao. Jie to check if she cheated on him with some other man.'' Runt wasn''t oblivious to the fact that the boss regularly played around with other men and women during his relationship with Jie.


    It only strengthened his worldview more that the strong could do anything they pleased. As a beggar, Runt knew exactly how the world worked. Even those with flaws and terrible traits could be seen as heroes and people to look up to if they''re strong enough. How they treat people doesn''t matter, how they act doesn''t matter, all that matters is if they''re strong and not enemies with you personally. Things like compassion for the weak, helping those in need, and all that was worthless if there was no personal benefit to one''s self.


    "What''re you thinking about Little Bro?" Jue curiously asked.


    "Nothing. Just that I need to train some more as well." Runt responded.


    "I could help! If there''s one thing I''m good at, it''s training!" Jue happily offered her services.


    "I''m fine." Runt denied her offer. Boss was enough as a training partner.


    "Awh..." Jue hung her head in sorrow.


    ______________________________________________


    "So, what do you think of Hu Tao''s woman? Do you think she''ll be a threat to us?" Meili asked her team.


    "If tricks are her only method of fighting, I can deal with her easily." Hong replied.


    "Mhmm." Bo Fai agreed with Yanyu standing somewhat distantly from him.


    "Is he still looking...?" She hesitantly asked, nearly unable to control herself anymore.


    "Yes, he''s still looking." Meili answered her.


    Yanyu''s brother was closely watching her throughout the tournament. Forcing her to restrain herself from outwardly expressing her overwhelming love for Bo Fai. A new torturous experience that she rarely ever had to do because of how often they were outside of the sect adventuring or looking for treasure. Outside of the sect, there was no need to restrain herself but inside the sect was a different story...


    "Ugh!!!" Yanyu cutely cried out in anguish.


    Yanyu released her frustration through the valuable treasures given to her by Bo Fai on her opponents. Bo Fai didn''t mind the situation as much as Yanyu did. Having her constantly clinging to him was rather annoying from time to time. There was a time and a place for everything. She didn''t need to express her love for him by attaching herself to him at the hip.


    "I believe you can survive this." Xiao Hong tried to lift her spirits.


    "I don''t. I think I''m going to die because of it." Yanyu wh?n?d.


    "Don''t try to support her. She''s just overreacting." Bo Fai spoke up.


    "How could you say something like this...?" Tears welled up in Yanyu''s eyes. "Isn''t it killing you having me separated from your side?!"


    "You''re not separated from me. You''re just not clinging on to me like a baby monkey anymore."


    "You just called me a baby monkey!" She yelled at him.


    "I said you''re acting like a baby monkey, not that you were a baby monkey." He corrected.


    "That''s the same thing!"


    "No, it isn''t. But if you feel that way, there isn''t much I can do about it." Bo Fai closed his eyes as Yanyu wh?n?d even louder.


    ______________________________________________


    After several more matches, it was finally time for the sect''s Little Monster to go up and show her stuff. It was the moment nearly everyone was waiting for. Since individual prowess wasn''t as strongly focused in this tournament, how was the sect''s Little Monster going to bring her team to victory? Was she going to completely decimate the other team before they could show their stuff or somehow help out her team to win?


    No one knew what was going to happen as the dark-skinned girl got up from her watery throne and walked up to the stage with a small child following behind her. Anticipation and excitement filled their bones and made the audience restless, elders included. So many rumors spread about the Little Monster that no one really knew which ones were true and which ones were false. Many were confused on why her little brother was following her up to the stage before it was explained to them by others what that child really was.


    "Do you really think she''s as powerful as they say?"


    "It''s hard for me to believe that a Qi Gatherer could survive against a spirit beast in the Core Realm. It has to be an exaggeration."


    "What about her helping the Supreme Commander breakthrough in his cultivation!? If anything, that''s the craziest rumor I''d ever heard! How could someone so far below another in cultivation help someone higher? It doesn''t make any sense at all!"


    "No, no, no what I find craziest about the Little Monster is her followers. Only one of them was known at all before the Little Monster arrived. I refuse to believe that all of those people over there were just biding their time to show their insane talent and potential. The Little Monster had to have a hand in making them stronger somehow. Perhaps she has a hidden bloodline that no one knows about that could drastically improve one''s martial talent!"


    "Do you even hear yourself? You sound crazier than these rumors."


    "I wouldn''t dismiss him so quickly. That big-breasted girl with the large sword. I knew her before she got that evil sword. She''s a fallen noble but long ago I remember she used to be bullied. The strength and talent she had now was intentionally hidden or didn''t surface until she got that blade."


    "You really think she could improve one''s talent for cultivation...?"


    "Do you hear all the other things being said about it?! Who knows what''s true and what''s false!"


    Jing was happy to hear all the enthusiastic gossiping about her. Having her identity a mystery to those in her own sect will be helpful later on once news about her spreads to the other two big sects. No one will know her true capabilities and even if they do, it''ll be more difficult to have them actually believe it. All of it sounds completely absurd and it''s all focused around one girl. A young girl at the 9th stage of the Qi Consolidation Realm, unknown background, and no master. Unless the person was deeply paranoid and/or insane, no one should believe any of the rumors surrounding her. Only a number of elders knew that she had a hidden bloodline and of her match against the ape.


    As Jing arrived on stage, thousands of ways of winning this match surfaced in her mind. Considering her future position within the sect, only those that would bring an overwhelming result seemed to work best for this situation. Along with her declaration of her faction a week ago, it would only benefit to show how she''s fit to be the future sect leader. Not that Jing cared much at all if people thought she was suited for the position or not, but it would be more beneficial and less of a hassle if people thought she was meant for the position.


    None of her teammates or opponents were people she recognized. With a friendly smile, Jing pulled out a talisman and declared that she was a spellmaster. Much to the screaming of the crowd who were surprised by this statement. They didn''t know if it was true or if she was just bluffing. So some boldly asked a few Angels in hopes of getting an answer.


    "Just watch and find out for yourself." Ying shooed them away.


    "She did tutor underneath an array elder for a short time..." Bing muttered. "But I don''t know anything about them."


    Before the crowd could go deep in their search for this mysterious elder, the match started and forcefully grabbed their attention. They couldn''t possibly miss the Little Monster''s first match! It might be over as soon as it started just like the Fighting Maniac''s Woman''s match! Luckily enough, the Little Monster didn''t start off strong in her match and pulled out dozens of talismans from within her storage ring.


    She tossed them high into the air and just watched as they slowly floated down. No one could understand what was going on inside her head right now but her opponents didn''t waste time carefully trying to analyze her every move. If she really was as powerful as the rumors suggested, they needed to work quickly and not hold anything back. All three of them downed pills that turned their skin red like it was being steamed.


    Teammate A and Teammate B felt a powerful impact land on their backs. Two of the talismans floating in the air suddenly crashed into their backs and attached themselves to the two of them. The effects of the talisman happened immediately. In their eyes, the world around them slowed to a crawl as they felt unexplainable ease in moving their bodies.


    It was as if the world was coming to a stop while they were excluded from the world. The two of them didn''t know each other, what was going on, but they knew that it was because of the talisman. They nodded toward Jing and immediately moved forward to attack the three red opponents not even aware of the changes going on. During this time, Jing raised her index finger in preparation of something unexpected happening. The talismans continued to very slowly float down from the sky.


    Teammate A and Teammate B ripped through the three opponents with their swords. Their blades effortlessly sliced through the muscles and tendons of the drugged-up cultivators. With the spell active on their bodies, they were moving at speeds b?r?ly perspective to the n?k?d eye. However, this talisman only worked for as long as the wielder could withstand the drain on their body and qi. But in a battle, even a second was more than enough to turn the tides.


    Teammate A and Teammate B could only last 3 seconds before they dropped but Jing complimented them as they passed out from the pain wracking their bodies. They effectively immobilized the three opponents before they fainted, giving Jing free reign to do this. Multiple water droplets formed in the sky that accurately pelted several talismans. The talismans fell all around the incapacitated opponents. Jing couldn''t help but smile as she tossed a larger-than-average cherry into the air with a talisman wrapped around it.


    The talismans around the opponents lit up with a bright light as three individual trapping formations activated. The first one sparked with lightning. The second one began to fill with water. The last one ignited with bright lights.


    Electrocution, drowning, and death by pelting. All very enjoyable ways of watching one die but Jing hasn''t forgotten the no-killing rule given by the elders. So, she only slightly tortured them. The one being electrocuted only passed out with blackened skin after screaming for about 10 seconds without stopping. With the drowning one, Jing had to be more careful since a person could drown in less than a minute. She watched him carefully as the last opponent was beaten severely by the bright particles of qi slamming into his body over and over again.


    All in all, they suffered horribly before the match was forcefully called by the elder before anyone died. Jing was the last one standing if you didn''t include Li Li proudly standing by her side. Li Li dragged the bodies of Teammate A and Teammate B out of the ring as they made their way back to the Angels. Jing requested that Lei Zhi treat the two and paid him using the method he was comfortable with. She made a deal with him to complete ten good deeds within two days as payment for the complete healing of Teammate A and Teammate B.


    "Pleasure doing business with you." Lei Zhi smiled.


    "Same." Jing created two water clones that walked out of the tournament area to the nearby towns and villages near the sect.


    "Does that count as a good deed if clones do it...?" Bing muttered.


    "I guess we''ll see." Jing answered him directly. "If not, I might have to suffer a bit in the near future." Jing laughed at the thought.


    "Don''t worry! I''ll help you, mom!" Li Li spoke up.


    "Thanks, Li Li. But mom has to do this on her own. She signed the contract, not you." Jing played with his hair.


    "Hey make a contract with me too! Just like my mom!" Li Li demanded.


    "That''s not how you ask someone for something." Jing corrected him with a slight sharpness to her voice.


    "..!" Li Li''s body shook when he heard that strange tone in his mom''s voice. She never spoke to him like that before! "I''m sorry... Please let me do good deeds too with a contract." Li Li bowed to Lei Zhi.


    "Hmm..." Lei Zhi thought long and hard, leaving Li Li very anxious about what he was about to say.


    ''Why isn''t he just saying yes!?'' Li Li cursed.


    "I''m sorry Li Li, I''ll have to refuse your request. You don''t need to make a contract with me to do good deeds like your mom. All you need is the intent to help those less fortunate than you. You can do good deeds just like your mom without a contract at all. You can even help her accomplish her contract faster by helping her out by doing good deeds with her." Lei Zhi tried to reason with the young bird.


    "Fine. Come on, mom. Let''s go do some good deeds." Li Li grabbed Jing''s hand and started leading her toward the Outer Court.


    "I guess I''m leaving." Jing chuckled. "If anything comes up, just let me know." Jing waved goodbye to her Angels.


    The first round for the Qi Consolidators ended and a small break was to be held before starting the quarter-finals. Food, drinks, alcohol, mortal women, and young men from nearby settlements under the protection of the Golden Serpent Sect. It was the Supreme Commander who got the idea of this from the Little Monster''s celebration for the Qi Gatherers. Smiles, cheers, and laughter were present all around.


    "Selling medical services for anyone injured! Come and get fixed up at the Clinic of Peace!" Lin Shu shouted.


    "If you got hidden internal injuries and can''t afford expensive treatment, we take other forms of currency besides spirit stones!" He Wenqing shouted alongside her.


    "..." Xiucai held up a sign that said, "Treating those with internal and external injuries! Money not required!"


    If Lei''s reputation as one of Heaven''s Angel wasn''t legitimate, 90% of the cultivators present would believe that the Clinic of Peace was nothing but a scam. Everything they were hearing sounded too good to be true. Which was natural, as there was no clinic that refused to accept money for their services! So, instead of running straight toward the suspicious clinic, everyone kept their eye on the area where Lei and his apprentices set up shop. If it really was as it said, they''d go but they definitely wouldn''t be the first one to find out. What if it was a sham and they were actually signing up to be to test subjects for the blind old man who wanted to play doctor? Wasn''t he just a Qi Gatherer? How could he treat anyone?


    "I told you this wouldn''t work." Lin Shu glared at the cowards in the distance.


    "I agree with Lin. It feels like we''re selling a lie even though I know we aren''t." He Wenqing nodded in agreement.


    "???" Xiucai didn''t understand why everyone wasn''t jumping at the chance for free treatment.


    "Well, just give them time. Eventually, someone will come over. For the time being, try and enjoy the festivities. It''s going to get real busy soon once people do start lining up." Lei Zhi sat down and enjoyed a plate of spirit beast meat and water.


    "I couldn''t be happier to hear that, Master!" Lin Shu grabbed a large plate of food from out of one of the servants'' hands and brought it over to the others.


    "Haha! Those cakes earlier were fantastic but nothing can beat the texture and flavor of properly cooked meat!" He Wenqing snatched a thick cooked th??h of some beast and tore into it with no hesitation.


    "What would a farmer boy like you know about good meat?" Lin Shu raised her eyebrows.


    "We raised livestock and grew crops!" He proudly claimed.


    "Your family wasn''t just any farmer''s family then, huh?" Lin cheekily chuckled.


    "We were one of the best!"


    "Look at this country bumpkin being proud of something like this. You''re embarrassing!" Lin Shu couldn''t help but laugh at him.


    "We all have to start somewhere! It''s not like becoming a cultivator made me any less of a farm boy than I was before becoming one. I haven''t changed that much."


    "I hated my life back home! I never ever want to return back to my life as a mortal. I''m more than willing to throw away my history as mortal Lin Shu and give everything for future immortal Lin Shu."


    "Hm..." Xiucai thought the conversation topic was interesting...


    "What do you all think is the major difference between cultivators and mortals?" Lei Zhi smiled.


    "Power." Lin immediately replied.


    "Lifespan." He thought for a few seconds.


    "Way of living..." Xiucai answered.


    Lei Zhi took a bite of his meal, drank some watered-down wine, and then wiped his mouth clean before replying to his students'' answers.


    "None of you are wrong in your answers. That question has no single answer because the answer is based on one''s own experiences. Both Lin and He came from mortal backgrounds but have different attitudes regarding mortals and the mortal world. Xiucai was raised since birth around cultivators and also has a different outlook from the both of you. The reason I asked was that I was simply curious and wanted to know more about you all." Lei responded.


    "Hmph! I have nothing to hide about myself. I am neither a coward nor embarrassed about where I came from. I will become someone great and take charge of my own life." Lin Shu declared.


    "Becoming someone great, huh...? I don''t think I''ll be able to avoid something like that now that I''m a part of this insane group." He chuckled. "I just want to make sure my family back home can live a good life before focusing on what I want to accomplish with my life."


    "Well, you have more than enough time to figure it out. Don''t feel rushed, cultivators, have very long lifespans after all." Lei reassured him.


    "..." Assassins weren''t supposed to share information about themselves, not even to their masters.


    However, Xiucai thought that Lei was quite different from the average cultivator. While Xiucai wasn''t confident in killing him, he was confident in reading others. A skill that most ?ssassins in his clan didn''t focus on in favor of ?ssassination techniques. For some reason, Xiucai trusted this old man, and that wasn''t supposed to be the case for an ?ssassin. Xiucai was taught that ?ssassins weren''t even supposed to trust themselves, much less people they''ve known for less than a month.


    Lei Zhi noticed the minute hesitation in Xiucai''s body language but didn''t comment on it. The boy would talk when he was ready. There was no need to rush him or any of them. His job right now was to properly get to know them, teach them and set them on the right path in life as best as he could. Lei was interested in seeing just how much he could reform a child raised by ?ssassins but beyond that, he hoped to impart some humanity within him as well.


    "I think we''re going to get our first batch of patients soon." Lei suddenly spoke in the midst of their eating.


    "Hmm?" Lin Shu looked over at him in confusion with food in her mouth.


    "Over ''dere!" He Wenqing was also eating at the moment but pointed in a certain direction with his finger.


    "..!" Xiucai smelled blood in the air. There must be a fight happening nearby.


    Lei Zhi stood up. This was probably the best moment for him to attract customers. When opportunity strikes, you need to stand up straight and grab ahold of it as tight as you can. He planned to advertise his clinic when he showed up on the scene and showed off a little.


    "You all can continue eating and drinking. I''ll be back soon." Lei told the trio as he started to walk away.


    "Be safe, Master!" Lin Shu waved.


    The smell of alcohol and wine happily floated through the air among the disciples and elders of the Golden Serpent Sect. Along with the happiness and drunken mood, eventually, there would be conflicts. Especially in a wicked sect like the Golden Serpent Sect who prided themselves on their survival of the fittest teaching style and those with the strongest fist are always right ideology. When Lei Zhi arrived on the scene, it wasn''t as bad as he thought it would be.


    At best, it was just a brawl. No one pulled out their weapons to kill each other. The most severe injuries at the site of the fight were broken arms. Thankfully, no one was on the verge of dying or suffering an internal injury.. Performing surgery in an atmosphere like this would be rather difficult but thankfully Jing left him the perfect place to bring in patients. The strange shack she pulled out from her storage ring!

 Chapter 279 - 278: Ten Good Deeds!

    Li Li happily skipped along while holding Jing''s hand as they walked to the Outer Court. An innocent cute little tune was being whistled by Li Li which surprised Jing. She hasn''t introduced him to any music or even taught him how to whistle. Funnily enough, she didn''t know how to whistle even after all the lives she''s been through. Learning how to do it now would be easy but in the past, she never had enough skill using her tongue and shaping her mouth for the right whistle. Then there was also trying not to blow too much. Overall, it was a chore to learn such a meaningless skill and she gave up several times in dozens of lives.


    "Where are we going?" Jing asked her son. He seemed like he had a plan and a direction in mind.


    "I don''t know." Li Li was more than happy to admit for some reason.


    "I thought you had a good deed in mind you were taking us to. Are you just happy to be going somewhere with me, alone?" Jing giggled.


    "Mhmm! No dummy losers tagging along with us. Just me and mom!" Li Li cutely nodded his head.


    "I think I should lead the way then. I have some good deeds that won''t take long to complete."


    "Okay!"


    The Outer Court wasn''t comparable to the Inner Court. Whether it was in terms of housing, food, opportunities for advancement, getting noticed by elders, atmosphere, infrastructures, all of it couldn''t compete with the Inner Court. It made sense in a way if Jing tried thinking about it from the mindset of the elders. Those from the Inner Court proved themselves as talented in some way or their loyalty to the sect. The disciples in the Outer Court were simply going through a trial period. A trial period in where they show what they have to offer to the sect or fail and suffer for years to come hopelessly trying to show what benefits they could bring to the sect.


    Those in the Outer Court worked hard to prove they belonged in a sect as great as the Golden Serpent Sect. It wasn''t the job of the Golden Serpent Sect to make them feel like belong. They should do that on their own. We''re the Golden Serpent Sect, after all. One of the top three sects in the Evergreen Continent!


    At least, that''s one of the ways that Jing could understand it from the perspective of the elders. While that kind of made sense in a way, the strange obsession with reputation and face that the people of this world had still didn''t connect with Jing. It was like if they didn''t gain respect and had people fear them, they would shrivel up and die. Jing liked to focus more on practical means if she could help it. That would be one of the core changes when she takes over the sect.


    "How are we going to do a good deed here? There''s no one around." Li Li pointed out.


    Right now, they were standing near all the shacks in the Outer Court. Barely any thought or love was made when these "houses" were built. If one was lucky enough, their shack came with a bed. If not, they only gained a shack with cold wooden floors. Jing was one of the lucky ones when she entered the sect.


    "You can do good deeds without dealing with people." Jing smirked as she placed her hand on a shack.


    Jing consciously developed bacteria that would infect the wood of the shacks. With the power of SCP-353, Jing has created thousands of diseases on her own. Many of them were created through experimentation as Jing hasn''t left to explore the world to gather the many types of diseases prevalent throughout this world. In her other lives, she saw many illnesses but in this one, none at all that wasn''t caused by herself.


    The SCP-353 was only capable of creating viral agents that could naturally survive within the human body. Jing has brought the ability to new heights thanks to her refined body and ability to use qi. While she hasn''t experimented much with this ability due to how easy it could kill off half of the population of this planet, she has played with it a little. Cultivators were more durable against infectious bacteria but with a minor change here and there to the viral agent, they would drop as easily to illnesses like the common mortal.


    Jing knew this was one of her most powerful abilities but also one she had to practice extreme caution with. Its strength lied in its practicality, lethality, and infectious rate. While its usefulness lowered greatly against people in the upper realms, it was practically invincible against mortals and those below the Qi Transformation Realm. There were multiple reasons why it would be invincible but the biggest reason would be the lack of education plaguing the continent. Lack of education regarding health, diseases, the human body, geography. There''s also a huge lack of communication between settlements, villages, sects, and other organizations. By the time one of her diseases would be rampaging through a place, one of the escapees would have already reached a new place and infected the people there as they received news of it or even before they received news of a new illness.


    ''This SCP... is really powerful...'' Jing never gave much thought to SCP-353 because of how dangerous it was but in this world that''s lacking so much.


    Could it be possible that she could cause a revolutionary change in this world just by wiping out half the population? Well, no, that''s a stupid question. Of course, she could do that. Any world would drastically change if half the population was wiped out. What Jing initially meant by that line of questioning was that would it be easier to implement changes in the mindset of the people of this world by causing an apocalyptic pandemic. Simply put, making things easier for herself in the future.


    A scary line of thought and while the amount of chaos it would cause to this world made her shiver in excitement, things are different now. Perhaps if she gained SCP-353''s power before reaching the Golden Serpent Sect, maybe she would be more open to the idea. Back then, she had no purpose and no goal other than finding out more about cultivators and trying to become one herself. But now, she had her followers that seemed to be growing in number and strength by the week. It''ll take some time but everything is going according to plan so far.


    "That''s a lot of little bugs..." Li Li''s eyes closely watched the infectious bacteria quickly spread within the run-down shacks.


    The effects of being infected by the viral agents weren''t immediately apparent. They still looked just the same as before if you weren''t Jing or Li Li. With their refined bodies, they could see more than the average cultivator. Jing felt that this was a great start to the rest of her good deeds.


    "They aren''t bugs but microorganisms. Single-celled microbes. I''ll teach you more in-depth about them later. They''re important." Jing explained. "I''ll also need to teach Lei Zhi about them if his book doesn''t..." She muttered.


    "What are they doing to the houses?" Li Li asked.


    "Revitalizing them." Jing answered. "It''ll take some time but eventually these ugly shacks will turn into an amazing interconnected jungle. Flourishing with life, greenery, and space!"


    "So we''re going to give people a bigger place to live?" Li Li mentally processed the information given to him.


    "Pretty much." Jing nodded.


    "I don''t think a small house is bad..." It would give him more chances to be near his mom.


    "Some people do like small houses but the disciples in the Outer Court aren''t given the chance to pick if they want a large house or a small house. If they don''t like the changes that their house will have, they can request for a new one to be built at the Exchange Hall."


    "Why not?"


    "The ones in charge don''t care about the likes and dislikes of the disciples in the Outer Court."


    "Why? Don''t they want people to be comfortable? Why would they want to make them not comfortable?"


    "Because they believe it''s not any of their concern if they are comfortable or not. All they care about from the disciples in the Outer Court is their potential. If their potential is adequate, they''ll be taken to the Inner Court and then somewhat taken care of."


    "Is that good?"


    Li Li wasn''t sure what to think but he knew he wouldn''t treat his followers like that. Even if they were new to the Heavenly Demons. Why would they want to stay, be his friend, and follow him as a leader if they weren''t comfortable? It didn''t make sense to him.


    "Hmm. It''s working." Jing didn''t explicitly tell him that it was bad because she wanted him to form his own opinion about it. A questioning mind is a brilliant mind.

 Chapter 280 - 279: A Side Stop.

    After performing her first good deed, Jing led Li Li outside of the sect. The two of them wandered through the forest in a good mood. Jing somewhat excited to see how one of her schemes worked out while Li Li was just happy to be with his mom alone. It''s been a while since she''s left the Golden Serpent Sect but at the same time, it hasn''t been that long. Just a few weeks or so.


    "Where are we going now?" Li Li asked.


    "To meet up with an old friend and see how he''s doing." Jing answered.


    "Old friend?" Li Li didn''t know his mom had any friends! What was she talking about?!


    "Mhmm. You already know him but he won''t know you." Jing grinned.


    "Who is it!?" Li Li was confused! His little refined owl brain spun as he thought of all the people he met in his life and couldn''t figure out who she was talking about.


    "You''ll see." Jing just continued to smile.


    Li Li began to bounce around as he started listing off names one by one even if they didn''t make much sense.


    "Drill?" Li Li guessed.


    "Why wouldn''t Drill recognize you?" Jing asked back.


    "I don''t know! I''m just guessing!"


    "Well, you don''t need to guess. You''ll find out very soon." Jing ruffled his white hair.


    Eventually, their surroundings began to change. The vibrant green Immortal Forest suddenly transformed around them. Previously, they were surrounded by thick giant trees that couldn''t be held together by 5 people, fields of greenery all over the forest ground, and sometimes fearsome sometimes not-so-fearsome spirit beasts roaming about. But now, the giant trees were dwarfed by the size of even bigger trees. These trees glowed with a slight green aura and carried huge blue fruit radiating with water qi.


    Just as soon as Jing and Li Li stepped into this part of the forest, they were immediately attacked by some strange beast! Jing didn''t even bother to respond to the creature while Li Li fiercely retaliated against the spirit beast. An invisible force crashed into the green exoskeleton of the insect and smashed it to paste. The mother-son duo continued moving deeper into this unusually lively section of the Immortal Forest.


    "Isn''t this where you died, mom?" Li Li suddenly remembered.


    "That''s right." Jing nodded. "Reduced to nothing but a pile of blood."


    "Is that why this place feels so weird?" Li Li felt comfortable but at the same time not while exploring this place.


    "Mhmm." Jing felt quite comfortable in this place actually. Too comfortable.


    It was like she was walking upon another part of herself. If she embraced the dirt beneath her feet, would she be hugging herself as well? Maybe she can turn this place into her own personal home away from home... Turn it into an enclosed structure by forming a special array around it, place SCP-184 inside it to expand its inner structure for a few weeks or months or perhaps years, and build something inside of it. It would be the perfect base.


    "Your blood! That''s why everything is so much better in here compared to outside!" Li Li excitedly realized.


    "That''s correct. Good job." Jing praised him for his logical thinking.


    Just as Jing was about to give him a refined Geek candy, a massive log appeared above her, coming down to crush both her and Li Li to nothing but messy bits of innards. Jing''s eyes instantly caught sight of this sudden attack but at the same time, it wasn''t just a single attack. It was a three-pronged attack. By air, frontal, and her sides. The log came from above, lightning snaked out like a net as it came for Jing from both sides, and a tidal wave of water surged from her front.


    "Not bad." She complimented. "If this was anyone else at my realm, this would be enough to kill them three times over." Jing didn''t move a step as she conjured water around her.


    Four incredibly clear droplets of water circled around Jing and shot out at blinding speeds. A hole was torn through the giant log while the rest of the droplets nullified the other attacks. Li Li exclaimed when he saw the person holding the log. Jing struck her leg out and a projectile of qi smashed into the ?ssailant''s ?h?st, sending him flying away.


    "Fuck..." He coughed blood as he smashed into a tree.


    "You''ve gotten strong." Jing stepped on his ?h?st, the sound of his ribs cracking could be heard.


    "I love you..." The sound of his breathing got lower and lower as Jing seemed to be increasing the pressure in her foot.


    "Hu Tao!?" Li Li exclaimed.


    "You had a kid in the time I''ve been gone, you fu?k?n? s?ut!?" Hu Tao howled like a crazed beast as he grabbed Jing''s ankle and slowly began to lift it.


    "Have you forgotten your place, mutt?" Jing kicked Hu Tao across the face and dislocated his jaw. "What I do or who I do is none of your concern." She stomped his stomach, crushing him into the ground.


    "Bhwdhadlad hadla! Alwmdaidm!" Hu Tao tried talking with his dislocated jaw.


    "You may have your affections for me, but that doesn''t mean I am yours to claim and own. Nor am I someone you can insult at your leisure. I am your master, and you are my slave. Never forget that." Jing stared deep into the eyes of Hu Tao.


    Unfortunately, there was no sense of fear, pain, or anything that could excite her about disciplining this slave. The only thing behind the eyes of this slave was an overwhelming adoration, ?ust, and innocent sense of love. With a sigh and a small smile, she tossed a refined recovery pill into his mouth and stepped off of him. Despite how annoying Hu Tao was to the other angels, Jing had quite the soft spot for the vulgar, crass, and wild mutt. He was very useful and Jing loved useful.


    "How has the business expanded?" Jing asked.


    "No. Tell me what''s up with the fu?k?n? kid. I ain''t saying shit till I get an explanation." Hu Tao stood his ground.


    "I am his mother and he has no father. Take that as you will." Jing answered him.


    "..." Hu Tao brain paused as he tried to comprehend this explanation.


    "Hu Tao! It''s me! Li Li! You don''t remember me!?" Li Li asked.


    "Never seen a brat like you in my life." He answered bluntly.


    "What about now?!" Li Li transformed into his original snow owl form and flew around him.


    "Oh. He''s a fu?k?n? spirit beast that can transform into a human?! But his qi is at the Qi Consolidation realm. He isn''t an Earthly Immortal. Only spirit beasts at the Earthly Immortal Realm can create their human form. What the fu?k?" Hu Tao couldn''t understand the flying owl the more he heard about him. "This isn''t our Hu Tao..." Li Li was starting to understand.


    "That''s right. He''s a clone." Jing revealed.


    "But I''m even better than the original, isn''t that right babe?" Hu Tao grinned.


    "Mhm." Jing decided not to comment. They were both useful. "Answer my question. I won''t ask a second time." Jing threatened as Li Li landed on her shoulder.


    "Shit''s going perfectly, babe." Hu Tao casually strolled over, placed his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her cheek.


    "Oof!" Jing''s elbow into his gut dropped him to his knees.


    "How has the expansion gone? Have you run into any trouble so far?"


    "Hehehe..." Drool leaked from his mouth as he clutched his stomach. "The Nine Swords Sect and Blossoming Water Palace haven''t directly got involved but the groups under them are trying to give us trouble. But nothing I can''t handle, just a few greedy little ?ssholes trying to sniff out some money from us." Hu Tao explained.


    "What about those under you? Do you need pills, martial arts, some additional funds? How are they fairing so far?"


    "Those little ?ssholes could use some better martial arts if you got some. We can buy the other stuff from what we''re selling from this part of the Immortal Forest."


    "Take this." Jing started to drop multiple books from her storage ring onto the ground.


    Berserker''s Rage, a cultivation technique from the system, an unnamed sky-ranked blacksmith manual, Mantis Kung Fu, Refining the Heavens, a sky-ranked pill refining method, a nameless brown book that Jing suspected was an invaluable martial art, and some wristbands that Jing placed directly on Hu Tao''s wrists.


    "Hell yeah! Now, this is what I''m talking about babe! Did I ever tell you I love the shit out of you?!" Hu Tao crawled on his hands and knees and began kissing Jing''s feet while putting the techniques into his storage ring, rightfully bought with a large amount of money he''s made by selling the products in this forest.


    "Hm. If you run into any trouble just make sure to contact me." Jing wasn''t displeased by having her feet kissed by Hu Tao.


    However, she had to stop him once he started ???k?n? her toes. Her son was right next to her! Jing kicked him away and continued her train of thought. "Remember, expand, expand, expand. I want the Heavenly Association Group to sell everything, take everything, and have everyone wanting our products. If there is a market we don''t have, buy it or hire people skilled in that trade. Got it?"


    "I got a brain like an elephant and if I can''t remember, my right-hand man will." Hu Tao chuckled.


    "So that''s who he was." Jing let the water droplet hanging over the head of the little peeper fall onto their bald head.


    "Thank you for sparing me, Lord Jing." The small monk bowed his head as he came out into the opening.


    "There is no need for false loyalty in front of me. I understand that your allegiance is with Hu Tao and not myself." Jing waved off his performance. She could feel his killing intent earlier when she was stepping on Hu Tao''s ?h?st.


    "That''s great. It saves me the effort." The little monk stood next to Hu Tao''s side.


    "..." Li Li glared at the man. He didn''t like his attitude towards his mom.


    "Both of you take this as a reward for your efforts so far." Jing tossed two things at the duo.


    Hu Tao caught his with one hand while the monk''s gift smacked his forehead and sent him flying into a tree.


    "Oooh. Using a bow isn''t really my style but since it''s a gift from my baby, I guess I could put it to good use." Hu Tao admired the colorful green and yellow bow.


    "I apologize for my behavior Lord Jing..." The little monk realized that the boss of his boss was not someone to be disrespected despite their appearance. He clutched the bottle with the single glowing emerald pill inside and placed it within his robes.


    "There won''t be a second time. I''m leaving now. Work hard and more rewards will come in the future." Jing and Li Li disappeared with a movement spell.


    "I love that crazy woman..." Hu Tao sighed.


    "I don''t see what you see in her." His right-hand man responded.


    "Some men can recognize greatness at a glance." Hu Tao replied.


    "Oi, what the hell are you trying to say, Boss?!"

 Chapter 281 - 280: The Heavenly Association!

    "Who the hell is the Heavenly Association and why the hell haven''t they been taken care of yet!?" Luo Miao slammed her fist on the desk, cracking it into a spiderweb-like pattern.


    Many of her business partners trembled at the sight of this as all of them turned their heads, seemingly unable to give any answers to the furious princess of the Luo Clan. A clan directly partnered with the Nine Swords Sect and supplies them with several materials. Luo Miao wasn''t anywhere near happy to see that basically no one knew where the Heavenly Association came from and her anger only rose.


    "Princess! I... have returned with important news..." A woman dressed in all black, covered in blood and injuries suddenly broke through the door.


    Strangely manufactured arrows were punctured into her body. The only places that seemed to be spared were her vital organs. The masked woman had arrows pierced through her arm, one going through her th??h, another that came from the back and went all the way through to her waist, and an arrow sticking out of her back. Calling her a human-shaped hedgehog wouldn''t be a joke at this point.


    "Go on, speak before you kill over! One of you useless idiots go and bring a doctor here before someone actually useful dies on me!" Miao shouted. All of the merchants scattered outside the room at once.


    "I''ve seen the true leader of the Heavenly Association..." Miao''s follower could b?r?ly stay standing and leaned on the table, slowly painting it a small splotch of red.


    "Yao, cycle your qi and stabilize yourself. If you die before giving me the information I want, I will crush you even in death." Luo Miao threatened the anxious woman.


    Yao took a deep breath and surged her qi the best she could as she painfully and slowly dropped to the ground before crossing her legs. She followed Miao''s instructions and focused on stabilizing her injuries as much as she could.


    "To put one of my best in a state like this. I refuse to believe the Heavenly Association isn''t from outside the Evergreen continent. Those royal bastards over there dare to set sights on our continent!? Aren''t they afraid of getting indigestion!?"


    Luo Miao''s Core Stage qi was unable to rest inside her body, a thin but deep layer of sword intent radiated around her body. Making it seem as if a powerful blade was standing in her place instead of a person. A sword that intended to reap and take lives without hesitation or mercy! Barely holding itself in its sheath, the body of the blade shining with a murderous light.


    A short period later, Yao managed to fix herself up enough to share the information she''s found with her master.


    "Now, hurry and tell me what you''ve found out." Miao demanded.


    "The Heavenly Association Group''s true leader is affiliated with the Golden Serpent Sect!" Yao revealed. "I didn''t recognize their leader''s appearance but I remember it clearly! Their skin was da-"


    PUK!


    An arrow pierced through the forehead of Yao before she finished her report. Luo Miao exploded in anger as she quickly analyzed the direction that the arrow came from and shot off toward it. It took less than a second for her to find the murderer of her follower. He grinned a smile that could infuriate any person to their bones and waved at her.


    "She was a nice piece of ?ss too. I planned to have some fun with her but who knew the Nine Swords Sect would be involved with someone that uses demonic tools." He smirked.


    "This information will be useful to use against the Nine Swords Sect for our sect." The little monk added with his hands clasped together.


    The two disappeared just as Luo Miao''s sword was centimeters away from splitting their lower bodies from their upper bodies. As they left, only the grating sound of the barbarian-looking man rung in her ears. Luo Miao''s ?h?st rose and fell with increased rage and frustration as a single thought ran wild through her mind.


    ''Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect! Golden Serpent Sect!!!''


    Just as Luo Miao was on the verge of exploding from being played with, her aura suddenly calmed to an eerie silence. When has someone like her ever been taunted like this? When has someone ever directly challenged her without fear and sought to play with her instead? The Golden Serpent Sect dared to challenge her? Well, they''ll regret the day they ever decided to mess with Luo Miao! Princess of the famous Luo Family!


    ______________________________________________


    "That bitch is going crazy out there, isn''t she?" Hu Tao chuckled as Abhaya walked into his office with a grin on his face.


    "Yes, the Great Merchant Group is in an all-out war with the Golden Demon Association. It''s a great thing that Luo Miao is an easily manipulative woman when she''s angry." Abhya nodded.


    "Hahahahaha! That stupid bitch really thought we were allied with the Golden Serpent Sect''s merchant groups." Hu Tao busted out laughing.


    "Actually, it''s crazier that we aren''t allied with them at all despite Lord Jing being a disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect." Abhya had to say.


    "My woman is a genius. Even I couldn''t sense that hiding bitch in the forest. The more I think about how amazing she is the more I want to marry her." Hu Tao sighed with a loving look on his face.


    "Is it time to move to the next phase of the plan?" Abhya asked, not wanting to get into a conversation about Lord Jing with his boss. He could talk about her for hours despite basically never seeing her!


    "How intense is the fighting so far?" Hu Tao plopped his legs up on top of his desk.


    "Several bars have been destroyed and most members of the two groups fight to the death on sight."


    "Haha then yeah. Call up our boys and tell them to get their outfits. It''s time to have some fu?k?n? fun in this little war." Hu Tao pulled out a fleshy mask from his storage ring along with robes from the Blossoming Water Palace.


    "I''ll lead the Second Group and get Monkey to lead the Third Group. Are you taking the First Group or going by yourself?" Abhya questioned.


    "Hehehehe." Hu Tao giggled like a mischievous child. "Didn''t that bitch initially think we were from the Tian Kingdom or something? What do you know about them?"


    "Not much. Back at the sect, we only focused on bettering ourselves and secluding ourselves from the outside world. I did hear that they practice a different style of martial arts than we do. Instead of relying on weapons and their bodies, they rely on something called Soul Beasts. I don''t know anything about Soul Beasts." Abhya answered.


    "Shit. Well, whatever, have the First Group take advantage of those idiots by selling them good shit at stupid high prices and selling shit to the mortals." Hu Tao answered.


    "Understood. Are we moving out immediately?"


    "No better time than now." Hu Tao''s voice slowly shifted into a higher pitch as he placed the human mask on his face.


    His body slowly shifted into that of the opposite s?x. Dark brown skin, short height and limbs, petite br??sts, and an ?ss that couldn''t help but show off its plumpness. Hu Tao formed a pool of water beneath his feet and looked at his disguised appearance in its full n?k?d glory. He clicked his tongue at the sight of it in disappointment.


    "Close but this isn''t my woman." He was trying to see if he could get a sneak peek at his woman''s n?k?d body before he eventually found out for himself but no success.


    "Too attractive." Abhya said what Hu Tao was thinking. "The only similarities are the height, ?h?st, and skin color."


    "That ?sshole said this was the best on the market? I should murder him the next time I see him." Hu Tao muttered.


    "Up close, it wouldn''t work but at a distance, it should be basically identical. I think it will still have its uses."


    "Whatever. Let''s go have some fun. I know the boys are looking forward to testing out their new martial arts." Hu Tao grinned.


    He was the exact same but he didn''t know how much fun this would be. His right-hand man said the war was at its peak but did that mean the Three Great Sects started to send some of their disciples from their sects? Abhya mentioned the Great Merchant Group run by Luo Miao even went about hiring some wandering cultivators. So, there had to be some fun as long as he looked long enough.


    "I''ll inform them.." Abhya nodded with a bow as he left Hu Tao''s office.

 Chapter 282 - 281-282 Xuanyin City!

    A short but confident young brown woman walked to an inn owned by the Great Merchant Group. The Great Merchant Group made the most profits from this inn as they catered specifically to the wealthy and powerful inside here. She made no effort to slow down as she headed toward the entrance despite the looks that the guards were giving her at the door. As she made it to the entrance, two swords instantly pointed at her neck.


    "Hey, hey, hey. What the fu?k kind of service is this?!" She loudly complained without the elegance of a woman at all.


    The young woman held a wooden sword in her hand as she gave the two guards a nasty glare. She wore the robes of the Blossoming Water Palace but didn''t seem like she was a part of their sect at all. At least, for the two guards at the front, they have never seen such a rough woman from the Blossoming Water Palace. They were highly suspicious of her for multiple reasons.


    "If you''re willing to threaten someone with a sword, you better be willing to die for threatening their life."


    "Hmph! You''re not welcome here. Please leave before we decide to get rough with you." First Guard warned.


    "And why the fu?k not? I got money you d??kless son of a bitch. How the fu?k are you going to not let me inside your store when I haven''t done shit? Is this the kind of service that the Great Merchant Group gives out at its stores? It discriminates based on someone''s appearance!?"


    By now, multiple passersby''s began to crowd in the distance watching the conflict. After hearing the loud voice of the woman and seeing the swords pointed at a seemingly defenseless woman, people got curious about what was going on.


    "If you continue to make a fuss and disrupt our business, we will be forced to deal with you." Second Guard threatened.


    "And I have the right to make a fu?k?n? fuss you shitfaced bastard! Here I am, an innocent customer who only wants to eat and drink at one of the most famous inns in Xuanyin City. But for some fu?k?n? reason I''m being harassed when I haven''t even done anything! It''s no fu?k?n? wonder why everyone goes to the Heavenly Association instead. They actually know how to fu?k?n? treat people with dignity in their stores!" She continued to yell, not threatened by the sharp metal swords of the guards at all.


    "Is that true? Is the Heavenly Association really that great? Why haven''t I heard of them?"


    "I went to their inn once. The employees are scary but the food and drinks are pretty great."


    "I heard about them but never went to their stores before. I guess I should check them out if I could be treated like this by the Great Merchant Group..."


    "People like us are also treated pretty great in their stores. They treat normal people with the same amount of respect as they treat cultivators."


    "Really!?"


    "No way that''s true."


    "It really is! I saw it with my own eyes as they even let a filthy stinky beggar into their store and treated him exactly the same as a dignified handsome wandering cultivator. If that was any other store, they''d throw the beggar out before he made it to the door!"


    By now, the guards could see that the dark-skinned young girl was causing more trouble than they thought was possible. If they let this continue, it would be their bu??s responsible for the reputation of their inn being destroyed. Killing a mouthy annoying girl was better than being chewed out by their superiors. The two guards looked at each other before nodding.


    "You can''t just spew anything you want without repercussions!" First Guard swung his sword toward the defenseless girl.


    "In your next life, learn to talk less!" Second Guard chopped horizontally at the same time as First Guard.


    "Idiots." Hu Tao grinned with his tongue sticking out, an expression the crowd behind him couldn''t see.


    The inelegant young maiden effortlessly struck the metal swords out of the way. Hu Tao''s wooden sword moved without grace and frightening brutality. First Guard was struck in the throat with the wooden sword and dropped to the ground. His hands were clutched around his throat as he desperately tried gasping for air. Second Guard''s shoulder was suddenly smashed before a multitude of whacks came down on his body. Each strike with the wooden sword seemed to break bones or bruised skin.


    By the time the two guards were helpless, m??ning, groaning, and crying, eventually more guards came to check up on the situation. Seeing the young girl affiliated with the Blossoming Water Palace standing over the bodies of their men with a wicked smile on her face, it didn''t take much for them to understand what was going on. They were being attacked!


    Hu Tao couldn''t be happier to see the group of guards coming out with swords.


    "And I thought the Nine Swords Sect was all about justice, fairness, and doing the right thing! But it''s clear that they are nothing more than hypocrites no worse than the Golden Serpent Sect! All these men and they want to group up on a single girl. Where is your honor?! Where is your face!? Where is your pride?!" Hu Tao continued to slander the Great Merchant Group.


    "Shut her up and deal with her." The leader of the guards said to his men. "If anyone dares to spread rumors about this, expect a visit from us!" He said to the watching crowd.


    Multiple cultivators from the Great Merchant Group charged at Hu Tao. Hu Tao could b?r?ly keep himself from laughing. Cultivators loved their face! They couldn''t help but defend their face when it''s being attacked and disrespected!


    Hu Tao used his wooden sword like a club instead of a sword as he dealt with the weaklings. Eventually, the fight moved to inside the inn where Hu Tao was more than happy to spend some of his time destroying the fancy and luxurious interior of the inn. The inn''s customers quickly fled as they saw the young girl didn''t care if they were involved or not. She destroyed tables, split desks, injured people not involved in her fight. The young girl seemed to only be here to cause chaos and destruction and no one could stop her!


    "The Blossoming Water Palace is the best of the Three Great Sects! I''m only an Outer Disciple but here I am destroying all of the Nine Swords Sect''s disciples! Maybe instead of being a Great Sect, you should be lowered down to a Minor Sect instead." Hu Tao trash-talked as he kicked a table over.


    "Enough!" A voice filled with qi knocked into Hu Tao, forcing him to the ground with its pressure.


    Hu Tao whistled as he looked around at the amount of damage he caused so far. Pretty damn impressive, he would say. Honestly, he was surprised it took so long for someone worth a damn to come try and stop him. They just kept sending weaklings after weaklings like with enough numbers, he could be stopped or something. He strained to raise his head to look at the strong bastard capable of stopping him for a moment.


    "Damn, I didn''t know the Nine Swords Sect had pigs as their disciples." Hu Tao cackled at the sight of the big man on top of the stairs.


    "Do you know what you''ve done!? The Great Merchant Group was fine with leaving the Blossoming Flower Alliance out of our fight but now you''ve done away with all of that! No mercy shall be spared to your group! And you will be the first to die for it." Qi radiated off of his fat body.


    "I didn''t start shit fat ?ss! If you just let me in your inn to eat and drink, none of this would''ve happened. This bullshit would''ve never happened at an inn owned by the Heavenly Association. They actually know how to treat their customers."


    "Quit babbling! We always knew that the Blossoming Flower Alliance would try to reap the benefits of our battle with the Golden Demon Association! We just didn''t know when you would take action." The fatty threw away her words as nonsense.


    "So what! You think this is the only business being targeted by our Flower Alliance! Say goodbye to all your stores in Xuanyin City! We''re fu?k?n? up everything you got in this city!" Hu Tao yelled as he lit a teleportation spell and disappeared from the inn while laughing.


    "Daimon! Get the leader and inform her about the Blossoming Flower Alliance! As soon as possible!" The fatty ordered a thin figure dressed in black robes hiding in the shadows.


    "Understood."


    ______________________________________________


    In a newly built inn, filled to the brim with mortals and cultivators alike, gossip and rumors danced about. The interior was decorated quite well and the atmosphere felt inviting and comfortable for those that entered inside. For those that ate the food and drank the alcohol, there was nothing they could complain about. However, there was something strange about the employees that worked at this inn.


    It was obvious to anyone that walked into the establishment that it was affiliated with some gang. All of the employees looked like bandits! Scars on their faces or bodies, large muscular builds with hair all over, and intimidating presences that put the average martial artist nervous. Even the women working in the inn weren''t exceptions to this.


    "None of ya'' business!"


    They showed the basic amount of respect to all customers and treated no person or group more favorably than another. Unless someone decided to cause trouble inside the inn, customers were treated like customers and there was no problem. Many wished the waiters and employees were better looking while they ate their food and drank but that was only a few of the complaints the inn received.


    Despite not sharing which group they were affiliated with, it didn''t take much for people to eventually figure out which group was running this inn. There was a special characteristic of this group that wasn''t easy to hide no matter what type of business they started. All of the employees looked like bandits and miscreants! The type to start and cause trouble no matter where they went. But surprisingly enough, there were no rumors of the Heavenly Association gangsters mistreating anyone except those that caused trouble at their business locations. As time went on, the people of Xuanyin City eventually began to think of people with appearances like those of the Heavenly Association in a positive light. Not to mention, every business location run by them always had great service and amazing products to sell.


    "I heard that the Great Merchant Group and Golden Demon Association don''t dare to fight in places owned by the Heavenly Association..."


    "Me too! I don''t know if this is true or not but I heard that the last time those from the Great Merchant Group and the Golden Demon Association tried causing trouble in a place owned by the Heavenly Association both groups were beaten black and blue before being thrown outside the business."


    "Why doesn''t the Heavenly Association just use this time to wipe out both the Great Merchant Group and Golden Demon Association? If they do that, they''d have more business and less trouble to deal with!"


    "It''d certainly make life easier for me... Those two groups don''t care when or where and will fight at the sight of each other."


    "I just wish they''d spare weak people like us from their battles. You know half of my house was destroyed from a fight by two members of those groups, right? I don''t have any money to pay for repairs!"


    "Haven''t you heard about the Heavenly Association''s Home Insurance?"


    "What the hell is that?"


    "If you sign a contract with the Heavenly Association, they''ll pay for the repairs of your house in the case of an event where its destroyed or damaged by things outside of your control. Fire, tornado, cultivators, lightning, and all you have to do is pay a monthly fee for their services."


    "How much is this fee...?" He squinted his eyes. This sounded too good to be true.


    "It depends on the type of house you have. If you live in the slums, it won''t be much because the houses there aren''t as valuable as the ones owned by the nobles. I would definitely recommend you sign with the Heavenly Association because you can even keep the leftover money if there is any!"


    "This sounds like a scam man. If this insorance is so good, why aren''t more people signing with the Heavenly Association then?"


    "Insurance. And that''s because no one knows about it! The building is on the outskirts of the city on the opposite end of the entrance to the city. They don''t even have people outside the building bringing attention to it like with other businesses owned by the Heavenly Association."


    "Wouldn''t it be easy to take advantage of it though? Since the fighting between the Great Merchant Group and the Golden Demon Association is at its peak, everyone would be getting paid, wouldn''t they?"


    "That is why now is the perfect time to sign with them! I''ve been trying to bring cultivators over near my home just so that they could fight and possibly destroy my house but they never come around my place. But I''m not discouraged, it''ll happen eventually and then I''ll be a rich rich man!" He laughed as he took a deep gulp of beer.


    "Do you think the Heavenly Association has more secret businesses like that insurance one in Xuanyin City?"


    "Did you know the Heavenly Association built a dojo in the slums?"


    "That can''t be true."


    "Everyone would be talking about it if it was."


    "No! No! It is true! I''ve noticed for the past few weeks that a big group of orphans in the slums go to someplace every day in the morning. They walked together in a big little group like a bunch of stinky little lost ducklings. Eventually, I decided to pay one of the bigger kids and ask him where do they go every morning. And he told me the Heavenly Association''s Martial Arts Dojo!"


    "Did you check the place out?"


    "Is it only for children?"


    "Does it cost money?"


    "No, no, and no! The only thing those orphans are paying is loyalty to the Heavenly Association. The Heavenly Association would give them the opportunity to learn martial arts for free as long as they promise to work for their organization in the future. And those dumb orphans would promise to give away their organs as long as they got the chance to eat every day and learn martial arts like they do now."


    "Hmm... I should sign my son up for that school then... I haven''t seen a single Heavenly Association member that had a bad physique. If my son can get into that school, he''ll definitely be able to grow up strong and easily make a living with the Heavenly Association."


    "They accept girls too, don''t they?"


    "Yes. I saw more than a few girls a part of that orphan group."


    "Are they open right now?"


    "I don''t know what time the orphans leave the school. I just know that they travel together in the morning in the slums."


    In a matter of weeks and months, the Heavenly Association slowly but mercilessly eliminated most of their competition within Xuanyin City. They left the local businesses alone but took all of the customers from the Great Merchant Group, Golden Demon Association, and Blossoming Flower Alliance. It wasn''t difficult at all considering the battle at the time between the Three Great Sects. The innocent mortals and cultivators alike that lived within Xuanyin City would rather do their business with a group that seemed to actually care about their well-being and sold reputable products for both the poor and the rich. Since none of the Three Great Sects acted as if they cared about the damage and harm they were bringing to Xuanyin City and its populace.


    Where the Three Great Sects failed, the Heavenly Association stepped in. However, how could the Three Great Sects accept defeat from an unknown opponent that wanted to take advantage of their battle? Where would they put their face as the Three Great Sects of the Evergreen Continent?! For a brief period of time, the Three Great Sects put aside their differences to completely destroy the tiny little threat wanting to devour their scraps. Luo Miao, Du Chaojin, and Sun Meijing. The three leaders of the Great Merchant Group, Golden Demon Association, and Blossoming Flower Alliance came together to discuss how exactly would they deal with the Heavenly Association Group.


    "Why can''t we just destroy all their businesses and kill them!?" Luo Miao yelled.


    "Believe it or not, the Heavenly Association has some skilled martial artists in their group." Du Chaojin argued. "It wouldn''t be as simple as that to get rid of them."


    "What did you have in mind?" Sun Meijing asked, sensing Chaojin had a plan in mind.


    "We can destroy their businesses, but in a different manner from what you''re thinking, Miao." Du Chaojin smirked.


    "What the hell are you talking about you snake bastard?"


    "Just leave it to me for a few weeks. If my plan doesn''t work, we can try Meijing''s idea next."


    "Oh, and my plan is the last because it''s stupid. Is that what you''re getting at?" A sword-like aura rose from Luo Miao''s body.


    "Your plan is last because it has the biggest risks."


    "You haven''t even heard that fake bitches plan!"


    "Meijing''s plan will still be less risky." Du Chaojin said with confidence.


    "Thank you, Chaojin." Meijing gave a beautiful smile.


    "Whatever! As long as the Heavenly Association is destroyed, I don''t give a shit.." Luo Miao suddenly stood up and stormed out of the room.

 Chapter 283 - 283: An Unlikely Alliance!

    In one of the most popular up-and-coming inns owned by the Heavenly Association Group, a group of three were having a meal together. Each person wore a robe belonging to a different sect but they ate together as if they were the best of friends. They were cultivators all affiliated with the Three Great Sects peacefully eating together! Even the most oblivious of mortals would be able to realize something was off about them.


    It hasn''t even been a week since the temporary peace treaty between the Three Great Sects was enacted. When they entered the inn together, everyone had their eyes on them. At first, the mortals watched them just waiting for them to break out into a fight before being thrown out of the place by the Heavenly Association Group''s guards. But then they saw that they weren''t fighting or arguing at all. In fact, they were peacefully coexisting without bothering anyone around them. So, they went back to enjoying their alcohol and meals but still kept an eye on them from the corner of their eyes.


    This was especially true for the guards and workers of the inn who were eyeing the trio like hawks. Just waiting for them to make some sort of commotion to throw them out. While those from the Heavenly Association weren''t allowed in the businesses of the Three Great Sects after their peace treaty, the Heavenly Association did not disallow those from the Three Great Sects to stop spending their money at their businesses. They just increased the number of warriors and cultivators at their businesses.


    The one-eyed cook was informed on the order of the trio and squinted his one good eye at them before stretching his bones. His name was Pete, Single-Eyed Pete. Back in the day during his youth, he joined a bandit gang and, on their travels, he would be the one stuck with cooking duty since he was the youngest. If his meals weren''t up to stuff, he would be beaten black and blue by his fellow brothers all at once. And in a group with dozens of men, after his first collective beating, Pete never wanted to go through it again. He practiced for hours every day to improve the quality of his cooking, no matter what state the ingredients were in.


    Now he was the head cook of a fairly famous inn with the same bastards that beat him till he cried and even took his eye. Pete was going to cook this meal to perfection and he dared those pompous sect bastards to make a single complaint about his cooking. If they made even a peep, Pete and his best friend, Cleaving Pete, would fly out of this damn kitchen and chop them to pieces!


    ______________________________________________


    Making a peep was exactly what these three disciples were ordered to do by Du Chaojin. They weren''t the only ones from the Three Great Sects that planned to cause some trouble at a business run by the Heavenly Association. Hundreds of people were put up to this. Today and for the next few weeks, the reputation that the Heavenly Association Group has been stealing from the Three Great Sects would be decisively destroyed to the ground. Once their customers realize how horrible of a group the Heavenly Association is, they''ll be running back to the businesses of the Three Great Sects!


    The Heavenly Association Group could only blame themselves for bringing this destruction upon themselves. If they knew what was good for them, they''d do what any other merchant group would do when doing business in the same place as the Three Great Sects. They would''ve placed themselves under one of the three before giving a major share of their profits to them for protection from other groups. How dare the Heavenly Association Group attempt to place itself on the same standing as the Three Great Sects?! A lowly group that came from who knows where!


    Five minutes after making their order, the trio began to loudly disturb those around them by complaining.


    "What is taking so long?!"


    "Our order couldn''t have been that complicated, right?"


    "Are the cooks hired by the Heavenly Association, this inept?"


    "If I made this order at one of the inns owned by the Three Great Sects, I would''ve already had it here by now!"


    The trio continued to bad mouth the place and sing praises of the inns owned by the Three Great Sects all by themselves. No other store patron contributed to their act and just stared at them. They expected at least some whispering or murmuring by this point but there was only silence until their order was finally placed on their table. The smell teasingly flowed into their nostrils, making their mouths water. Out of the three, there wasn''t a single person who didn''t want to instantly dive into their meal but they had a mission to do. A mission that was simply more than insulting the inn and complimenting the inns owned by the Three Great Sects.


    With all the willpower they could muster, the three put their plan into action. All three of the trio simultaneously shouted as each of them found something repulsive inside their food.


    "A ???kroach!? And it''s not even cooked but still alive!?"


    "Why is there a long strand of hair in my noodles!? Truly unbelievable!


    "I could''ve sworn I didn''t order someone''s nails with my meal..."


    ______________________________________________


    "YOU FUCKING LITTLE BASTARDS I''LL CUT YOU TO PIECES AND COOK YOU INTO ONE OF MY DISHES! LET ME FUCKING GO, YOU BASTARDS! I''LL KILL EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF THEM!"


    That scream from the kitchen startled the entire inn. Multiple people in the kitchen could be seen collectively holding down someone wearing a chef''s hat and apron by the waist. In his hand was a cleaver larger than a wooden barrel, silver and stainless, but thirsty for blood. Thankfully, to the desperate efforts of the kitchen staff, the head chef was subdued before he could unleash his rage upon the trio.


    A well-dressed but malnourished and stick-like child soon walked over to the trio.


    "I apologize that your experience at our establishment has been less than ideal. As an apology from us to you, we will not charge you for your meal and at your next visit, if you so wish, you will be given a free discount for half off for any one meal." His voice was soft and weak but polite and firm.


    "You think this will be over with just a discount!?"


    "I almost ate someone''s hair because of you!"


    "Truly distasteful."


    The boy kept his waist bowed and head down as the trio unleashed their spittle upon him.


    "This is an outrage!" The Golden Serpent Sect disciple pulled out his blade that shined with a glint. "Give me one good reason to not go back there and chop that shitty chef into two for showing such disrespect toward us!"


    "We at the Heavenly Association may tolerate false rumors against us but insults to the character of our staff is not something we allow. Nor do we allow customers to incite or cause violence within our stores." The small child''s body slowly began to grow in mass.


    His shoulders, ?h?st, arms, legs, there was no part of him that didn''t grow. The boy''s uniform ripped and tore in several places since it couldn''t accommodate his growing size. By the time he was finished, he could swallow the previous version of himself with a hug and break him to pieces. His eyes were whited out as if he was unconscious but the boy was still bowing.


    "You...! You''re threatening me!? A filthy peasant that''s nothing more than just a lowly servant to some unknown group!?" The Golden Serpent Sect disciple swung down his sword without mercy to decapitate the boy.


    The sword was effortlessly caught in the boy''s hand before being broken in half with just two of his fingers. "You were warned, dear customers." At the exact moment the disciple struck with his sword, multiple guards moved in to attack. Guards that looked very similar to the young boy with white eyes and hulking figures. It took less than a second for them to subdue the trio from the Three Great Sects with their powerful berserker strength. They were knocked out and instantly thrown out next to the dumpster next to the inn.


    "If any other bastards get any ideas, that''s what will be waiting for you too!" One of the guards yelled with a wide grin on his face.


    The inn''s patrons loudly cheered after watching the entertaining show. They knew how good the services and business were at the Heavenly Association stores compared to the Three Great Sects. Perhaps if this laughable play was made before the people of Xuanyin City realized the differences between the Heavenly Association Group businesses and the Three Great Sects, it might''ve worked. However, the damage was already done. The populace of Xuanyin City understood just how they were looked at by the Three Great Sects compared to the Heavenly Association.


    ______________________________________________


    It would take a very long time for the mortals of Xuanyin City to trust those from the Three Great Sects after it was made obviously clear to them that none of the big sects cared about their wellbeing. Their property, livelihoods, and health were of no concern to those from the Golden Serpent Sect, Nine Swords Sect, or the Blossoming Water Palace. However, the Heavenly Association Group cared about them to the point where it seemed rather excessive and suspicious! At one point when the battles between the Three Great Sects reached their peak, skilled medical doctors would set up temporary clinics to treat anyone unaffiliated with the big sects for free!


    Of course, not without mentioning strange things such as health insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and even something that sounded perfect for merchants called travel insurance! Although travel insurance was advertised by the Heavenly Association Group, it was still recommended for traveling merchants that did business across cities to simply pay for the escort services run by the Heavenly Association, Guardian Angels. It wasn''t guaranteed that even with the Guardian Angels that a merchant''s merchandise would be safe.


    Both mortals and cultivators alike flocked to these strange businesses made by the Heavenly Association Group that seemed to only care about their wellbeing and their money. At first, it was as if the Heavenly Association wanted nothing more than to swallow all of their money but as time went on people began to realize it wasn''t just a sell-and-take relationship with the group. The Heavenly Association Group was more than willing to hire mortals and cultivators within Xuanyin City as long as they weren''t found to be connected to either of the Three Great Sects. Orphans from the slums, disabled elderly that had trouble doing basic tasks, people lacking any credentials, work history, or anything. It seemed like no matter who you were, as long as you weren''t affiliated with the Three Great Sects, there was a job available for you somewhere in the Heavenly Association Group and they would be willing to pay you fairly for your work.


    This completely infuriated the Three Great Sects because the Heavenly Association turned them into this city''s villains without even trying!


    "Hmph. We should''ve just done this from the start." Luo Miao smirked.


    "I didn''t realize how we were seen by those from Xuanyin City..." Du Chaojin hung his head in shame.


    "Well, hopefully with this, we''ll understand just who''s really supporting the Heavenly Association."Meijing smiled, covering her face with a fan.


    "Hmph. How could they possibly withstand the ?ssault of the Three Great Sects all at once? Even if it was the Tian Kingdom, they would be helpless before our combined might.." Luo Miao couldn''t wait to get started.

 Chapter 284 - 284: Suffering An Unexpected Lost?!

    "Praise Budda, even I wasn''t expecting something as barbaric as this..." Abhaya muttered.


    "We slapped their faces a little too hard and too often, huh?" Hu Tao cackled in amusement as he heard the news.


    A subordinate was crouched on the ground bowing to the two after relaying the information. He didn''t think they could avoid being wiped out. They were playing a dangerous game from the beginning. Perhaps, it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out like this...


    "If we pull out, all of our efforts in Xuanyin City will have been for nothing. However, if we fight back, it won''t do well for us either." Abhaya was troubled.


    Abhaya always knew that the Three Great Sects had a limit to how often they could be slapped in the face and taken advantage of. He just didn''t expect them to throw their face entirely out the window and do something like this! In fact, Abhaya had a feeling that Xuanyin City will be completely buried within the next few months. If the Three Great Sects win, their Heavenly Association would be buried with it.


    "It''s not like this place is special or anything. If shit didn''t work out, we can always start up new somewhere else. We still got a shit load of good shit from my woman''s forest. You know how valuable that stuff is. Anyone anywhere would buy that stuff in bulk." Hu Tao casually leaned back on his desk.


    If it was up to him, he''d have an all-out war with the bastards destroying his businesses. The war wouldn''t end until his side was killed or their side was killed. It was only thanks to Jing that things didn''t progress down that route. After he informed her about the attacks on several of their businesses, she gave him one order. "Don''t show them our full capabilities."


    In other words, Hu Tao couldn''t lead his men openly and start kicking ?ss all over this damn city. If he wanted to start some trouble, he would need to kill everyone involved so that no news would spread of their strength. But Abhaya also reminded him that the absence of information is also evidence of information. Abhaya had no doubt that information on their organization was already shared with the top elders of the Three Great Sects. This information would also be something that was shared weekly or even daily back with their main sects. If that information suddenly stops coming in, that means something has gone wrong and if they see that their Heavenly Association Group is still up-and-running while the Three Great Sects in Xuanyin City have disappeared. They''ll know that their organization is strong enough to compete with the Three Great Sects combined! Whether that be with power, finance, or strategy, regardless, it would be a fact that the Heavenly Association Group defeated the Three Great Sects.


    "Yes... Running away would be the best choice, however, I''m afraid with how big this attack was on our businesses, the Three Great Sects might not allow us to escape."


    "Hah? So not only do they want to destroy my shit, take my money, ruin my fun, they also want to fu?k me to death!?" Hu Tao''s qi burst from his body.


    "If it was up to them, yes. But, if they truly want to annihilate us, they''ll have to pay a heavy price if I have anything to do with it..." Abhaya''s black pupils temporarily turned light green along with a comforting slow release of qi from his body.


    "I''ll leave it to you then. If there''s anything fun, make sure to let me know. Oh, and you can leave now." Hu Tao told the subordinate still kneeling.


    "Yes, Boss!" He immediately made himself sparse.


    "If everything goes wrong, you''ll have all the fun in the world near the end, Boss." Abhaya promised.


    "I can''t wait!" Hu Tao loudly laughed. "Why do I have a feeling those prideful bastards are going to try and chew us to death? Aren''t they afraid of getting indigestion?!"


    "I''ll be heading out now to deal with everything." Abhaya bowed as he left Hu Tao''s office.


    "We''re relocating." Hu Tao sent Jing a message on the special talisman she gave him.


    "Smart choice. Don''t forget, that part of the Immortal Forest is the key. With that place, you won''t ever run out of money." Jing responded back.


    "If a really strong bastard shows up, am I supposed to just let him take it?" Hu Tao mentioned one of the concerns he had.


    "Don''t worry. I''ve set up necessary defenses for people like that. All you need to do is gather, defend, and sell."


    "You did?"


    "Yes."


    "What if I wanted a secret cut of the profits to share with myself or my boys?"


    "I expected you were using some of the products in the forest to strengthen the group in the first place. I''m surprised to hear you haven''t."


    "Well I have but not my men." Hu Tao admitted.


    "A great leader is only as great as the people that follow them. Don''t be foolish and hoard all the good stuff for yourself otherwise you might be replaced sooner than you think." Jing threatened.


    "Replaced!? Babe! Who could replace me?! You''re not talking to other men while I''m out here working my ?ss off for you right!? You know I''m only doing all this for you because I love you and want to start a family with you, right?!"


    "What a shame." Was Jing''s only reply.


    "HEY! HEY! HEY! I''LL KILL HIM, YOU KNOW! I WILL SHOW UP AND FIND OUT IF YOU''RE MESSING AROUND WITH OTHER MEN AS MY WOMAN!"


    There were no further replies from Jing no matter how often Hu Tao messaged her. With a dissatisfied expression, Hu Tao promised to visit the Golden Serpent Sect in disguise and find out the son of a bitch trying to take his woman. As soon as he''s done dealing with the Three Great Sects here and the Heavenly Association is properly set up in a new city, he''ll visit the sect. That just pissed him off. Now, he was really hoping the Three Great Sects would attempt to wipe out his group.


    It took a couple of weeks before all the stores and businesses ?ssociated with the Heavenly Association Group were all packed up and ready to leave. News and rumors spread instantly regarding the closing of multiple Heavenly Association businesses. Agitation, unwillingness, sadness, and anger filled the hearts of those living inside Xuanyin City. Once they heard that the Heavenly Association was being forced out of Xuanyin City because of the attacks by the Three Great Sects, everyone wanted nothing more than the sects to leave instead.


    "Ah, yes. Our group will be relocating to Cloud Dragon City due to the damages received from the Three Great Sects. We apologize for having to close so soon but we don''t have a choice in this matter." An employee politely but sadly informed the crowd of people outside his business.


    "Those sect bastards!" Someone angrily cried out.


    "Why can''t they just leave instead!?"


    "What''s going to happen to my insurance!?"


    "I heard they plan to give a full refund to everyone that purchased health, home, and life insurance since they won''t be here anymore."


    "What about our jobs?! Will we have to move to Cloud Dragon City with our families or are we just shit out of luck and lost the best jobs of our lives!?" An infuriated worker who wasn''t initially a part of the Heavenly Association asked.


    "I''m sorry things have come to this thanks to the Three Great Sects but it is out of our hands. However, if you and your family are willing to move, we have no problem letting you keep your job with us. All Heavenly Association stores will be giving their employees extra pay for this inconvenience caused by the Three Great Sects. I would recommend using it to help move your family to Cloud Dragon City if you wish to keep your job with us." The boss of an architecture company run by the Heavenly Association relayed.


    "Are we going to have to go back to living on the streets now, master?" A small orphan from the Heavenly Association''s Martial Arts Dojo asked.


    "No. You all are officially a part of our Heavenly Association. You and any family of yours will be coming with us if you so choose." Teacher Crimson Blood explained.


    "We can keep eating free meals and learning martial arts, brother?" An orphan asked his older sibling.


    "Yes... The Heavenly Association won''t throw us away like everyone else..." The older sibling hid his tears as his loyalty for the Heavenly Association rose like a blazing fire.


    Once the Heavenly Association was ready to leave Xuanyin City, more than half of the city''s residents planned to leave with them. Thousands of faithful and dedicated customers couldn''t bear to stay in a place that would rather favor the service and business of the Three Great Sects over the Heavenly Association. Of course, how could the City Lord of Xuanyin City allow his precious residents just up and leave like this? His livelihood would be directly impacted by this and his city would never recover from a hit like this!


    The City Lord and his soldiers combined with the disciples of the Three Great Sects stood at the gate of Xuanyin City. It seemed they weren''t letting any residents of the city leave on their watch while leaving those initially from the Heavenly Association Group alone. This caused an annoying problem for Abhaya who wasn''t expecting them to have no pride at all! It looks like even the Major Sects can be so shameless!


    This problem really had nothing to do with their Heavenly Association but at the same time, it had everything to do with their group. For weeks now, their group has been talking about moving to Cloud Dragon City. The extra pay given to their employees was for the sole purpose of allowing those to purchase property in Cloud Dragon City or set up temporary residences in inns. But it looks like to stop them from having any decent start at all in Cloud Dragon City, the Three Great Sects intended to hold these residents hostage and continue su?k?n? their money and manpower from them regardless of whether they wanted to leave or not.


    "You don''t control us! We''re free to move and leave if we wish!"


    "We are not your slaves! You can''t stop us from leaving!"


    "Who do you think you are!?"


    "SILENCE!" A qi-filled shout hushed all the riled-up mortals and weaker cultivators. "Did you ants truly believe you had any sort of freedom? Have you forgotten your position? We divine immortals are your gods and you are simply here to serve us! You should be grateful! You should be content with serving us for the rest of your lives! What greater joy can there be for a mortal than to make sure their gods are happy?!" Du Chaojin shouted.


    "Hey, look at the mouth on this guy." A voice chuckled. "I thought I was the best guy under the heavens but with the way he''s talking, maybe I''m outmatched!" He laughed.


    "Who dares?!" Du Chaojin instantly spotted the b?r?-chested figure in the crowd.


    "Heavenly Association, let''s get out of here." Hu Tao ignored the Core Staged cultivator and all of his men began moving together.


    "Boss, are we really...?" Monkey, leader of the Third Group of the Heavenly Association, questioned.


    "Yep! What can we do? They didn''t say we couldn''t leave, just the residents of Xuanyin City. This has nothing to do with us." Hu Tao smiled.


    Seeing that smile was all that those from the Heavenly Association needed to see. It wasn''t the type of smile that showed indifference. It was a smile that promised violence, chaos, and brutality! The residents of Xuanyin City had nothing to worry about if their boss was smiling like that. They might be leaving now but the Heavenly Association would soon be giving back exactly what was given to them!


    Although upset and angry, the residents of Xuanyin City understood that the Heavenly Association really had no choice. They were surrounded by the disciples of all Three Great Sects and the City Lord''s soldiers! It would be suicidal if they did try raising a fuss over a bunch of mortals like them.. The residents were brought back inside the city as the Heavenly Association Group left.

 Chapter 285 - 285: A Stress Reliever.

    "Things have developed in an interesting manner over there..." Jing messaged after receiving info from Hu Tao.


    Not even Jing could guess that the Three Great Sects would react like this for such a small town. Perhaps it''s because it''s such a small town that they''re willing to throw away their face like this. Maybe they think they can easily suppress and hide any news from coming out about it.


    "They haven''t tried to eliminate you, yet?" Jing asked.


    "Funny you mentioned that... My scouts just found a small army in wait for us just up ahead. How much fun can I have? These bastards have been pissing me off for quite a while, you know babe? I need some type of release and won''t accept an answer like, "no fun at all."


    "Here''s what you do..." Jing sent him the plan.


    ______________________________________________


    "It looks like I was still underestimating Lord Jing''s capabilities..." Abhaya muttered in amazement.


    "My woman is the greatest in the world after all." Hu Tao proudly boasted.


    "Will you be going ahead, yourself?"


    "There''s no one better! Haha!" Hu Tao cackled. "Have the group leaders lead the backup path through the forest while you go back to the city and meet up with Her."


    "Understood." Abhaya nodded. "Monkey! Rhino! Tiger! Plan B is in effect immediately! Head out!" Abhaya shouted.


    "Yes!" They responded back with a riling shout of their own. The Heavenly Association split off into the dense forest of the Immortal Forest.


    "Is everything, okay?" One of the orphans felt that something was wrong.


    "Believe in the Heavenly Association." An older orphan comforted him. "They have never let us down..."


    ______________________________________________


    Hu Tao took out his precious log gifted to him by his woman as a fierce burst of water shot out from his back, launching him forward. Abhaya smiled as he saw his Boss disappear into the distance. Abhaya muttered a Buddhist chant before his eyes turned emerald green and a giant white feathered wing grew from out of his back. It flapped slowly, allowing Abhaya to gain some air from the ground before increasing in speed and flying through the air. Straight back to Xuanyin City.


    It didn''t take long for Hu Tao to reach the ambush spot pointed out by his scouts. Without any mercy or hesitation, Hu Tao crashed in the middle of the hiding cultivators with his log and smashed several men to a pulp. Immediately after killing a dozen men, a ring of water shot out from Hu Tao''s midsection, killing multiple more cultivators with ease.


    "Enemy Attack!" Someone cried out.


    "It''s only one man!"


    "The leader of the Heavenly Association! It''s the leader!!!"


    Hu Tao''s log didn''t discriminate against gender, age, or sect. It smashed, crushed, and shattered any cultivator slow enough to get hit by it. Blood, guts, and other internal objects splattered all over Hu Tao and his thick log. It was wider and longer than the biggest of men, boasting enough power to compete with the strongest of spirit weapons despite simply looking like a log.


    "Didn''t you fu?ks want to chew me to pieces! Come on! Now''s your chance!!! The leader of the Heavenly Association is right here! Kill me and there is no Heavenly Association anymore!" Hu Tao loudly proclaimed.


    That was a lie but Hu Tao didn''t see the need to tell them that. Hu Tao was having a lot of fun releasing some of the stress these bastards built for him. Killing their men was only fair for the amount of money they caused him to lose. It was also a lot of fun killing them.


    Seeing that no one powerful stood up, Hu Tao continued to decimate the disciples of the Three Great Sects. With his log, it usually only took one swing to kill an enemy. It looks like they sent their weak bastards and thought that numbers would be enough to wipe out his group. Hu Tao was honestly impressed with how fu?k?n? stupid they were. They not only looked down on the Heavenly Association in business tactics but they also looked down on their strength. Shouldn''t that stupid bitch from the Nine Swords Sect know how strong he was after killing her ?ssassin?


    "Whatever." Hu Tao kept killing with ease until he saw a few of the bastards start retreating. "HEY! WHERE YOU GUYS GOING!?" Two black-red clones jumped out from Hu Tao''s shadow.


    Those two shadows individually split into two pairs and from those shadows, they split more until their numbers nearly matched the disciples of the Three Great Sects. All of the shadows ran on all fours like a giant wolf pack. They sped off into the distance until the enemy was completely surrounded. With ???ky grins on their faces, they began stretching their bones. Daring them to try and flee.


    As this was going on, Hu Tao didn''t stop his massacre. The previous lively brown log was now completely dark-red, red puddles flowed across the forest ground, and burnt corpses littered the battlefield. Out of all the disciples, none seemed to be a match for Hu Tao. Either individually or together. Hu Tao didn''t discriminate based on which sect the disciples were from. Nine Swords Sect, Golden Serpent Sect, Blossoming Water Palace, all of them were equal in his eyes. All deserved to die.


    "Enough!" An unfamiliar voice flowed into Hu Tao''s ears.


    "Who the hell are you?" Hu Tao looked at the unknown Core Staged disciple.


    "Someone who''s about to kill the leader of the Heavenly Association." He unsheathed his sword and rushed toward Hu Tao.


    "Oh, you''re a little fast." Hu Tao blocked his dashing slash with his log. "But shouldn''t you worry about them instead?" Hu Tao gestured with his head to the dying disciples around them.


    Once he spotted the leader of this ambush, he ordered his clones to continue killing the disciples.


    Hu Tao figured it would be fine if his strength was revealed to the Three Great Sects. However, the strength of his men couldn''t be exposed whatsoever. His woman frequently told him the core of an organization lied in how its most common members were handled. Hu Tao took that as if he took care of his men, they''d take care of him. Simple as that. And it seems to be working out pretty fu?k?n? well since he hasn''t met any traitorous bastards yet.


    "The faster I kill you, the faster those things will disappear!" He understood.


    "You''re smart too!" Hu Tao complimented. "But what if I don''t wanna fight you?" He grinned.


    "Y-You, coward...!" He cursed.


    Hu Tao began to avoid and dodge the sword strikes of the Core Stage disciple. Using the softness of water to counter the hardness of his attacks. The disciple''s sword was either deflected, avoided, or absorbed by Hu Tao''s water qi. No matter how enraged he got, how impatient and furious he grew, his attacks couldn''t land a decisive blow on Hu Tao. All around him, he could only hear the screams of the disciples.


    "Hey now, I can tell you''re worried about the wrong thing buddy." Hu Tao just broke the leader''s leg with a kick. "You should be focusing on taking the head of the leader of the Heavenly Association. Not some weaklings that couldn''t help you even if they wanted." He stood over him. "Dumbass!"


    "You''re right..." A bubble-shaped qi barrier suddenly expanded from out of his body.


    Hu Tao was caught within the man''s Qi Domain. Swords began to grow from the ground like weeds before shooting up into the air. Dozens of swords turned to hundreds and then hundreds turned into thousands. All around him, Hu Tao was surrounded by sharp metal swords pointed straight at him.


    "Boring. I thought I was going to see something fu?k?n? cool." Hu Tao clicked his tongue. "My first time being trapped inside someone''s Qi Domain and it''s by a lame fu?k like you." Hu Tao''s disappointment couldn''t be higher.


    The Core Stage disciple allowed his anger to lead him. The infinite number of swords flew at Hu Tao as if they had a will of their own. Just before they reached Hu Tao, they suddenly split apart. Now, the swords could attack from any angle, at any speed, any time they wanted.


    An attack like this was impossible to avoid. The Core Staged disciple watched as Hu Tao was skewered by hundreds of swords. Fluids shot out from his body and stained the ground. Uncontrollable laughter began to spill out from the Core Staged disciple once he saw this sight.


    "I did it..." His laughter increased in volume. "I killed the leader of the Heavenly Association!!!" The swords spiraled around him, mimicking his joy.


    Until, they disappeared and he dropped to the ground helpless, completely drained of his qi with his leg still broken badly. The bone was sharply sticking out of his leg, walking on it was impossible. But, that didn''t matter because he won. He killed the leader of the Heavenly Association Group!


    "Next time, you should keep your eyes open when you''re killing someone." Hu Tao suddenly sat on top of the weakened cultivator.


    "H-H-How...?" His body shivered in disbelief and fear.


    "What''s the point of telling a dead man my secrets?" Hu Tao asked back.


    "Spar---"


    SPLURT


    His head cracked open like a watermelon. The smell of blood, organs, and overcooked flesh flowed into Hu Tao''s nostrils. An unbelievable number of bodies surrounded him as a terrifying smile slowly formed on Hu Tao''s face. Now, this was a good stress reliever. He would''ve been happier if they sent someone strong enough to make him go all out. It was one of the rare times where Hu Tao could truly let loose without anything holding him back.


    "Oh well. Maybe that bastard thinking of taking my woman will be fun to kill.." Hu Tao hasn''t forgotten his visit to the Golden Serpent Sect.

 Chapter 286 - 286: Jings Useful Pawn.

    "Were you sent by Lord Jing?" Abhaya asked the handsome blonde sitting outside Xuanyin City.


    "That''s right! Are you Hu Tao''s right-hand man?" He asked back.


    "Correct." Abhaya tried measuring the strength of the beautiful man but couldn''t sense anything at all. It was as if he was just a regular mortal.


    "Welp, let''s get started then. All you need to do is plant these four talismans at the edges of Xuanyin City and I''ll handle the rest." He hopped down from the tree with ease.


    "There''s nothing else you need me to do?" Abhaya was confused. It sounded too simple and easy.


    "Nope. Have fun at Cloud Dragon City Vice Leader Abhaya." He casually waved with a glistening smile.


    "What is your name?" Abhaya''s single wing began to flap as he slowly took air.


    "You can call me Wen. I guess I''m the leader of Heaven''s Angels'' Intelligence Squad. You''d probably be a part of the Commercial or Business Squad." Wen laughed. "But that''s something I just made up. Jing hasn''t officially given my job a name. Actually, I''m not even sure if I''m in Heaven''s Angels yet!" He laughed even harder.


    "I see..." Abhaya muttered a silent prayer for the young man who seemed a little off in the head before flying off.


    ______________________________________________


    Wen stared at the single-winged little bald monk flying into the distance in amazement. Joining Jing helped him see all sorts of new strange sights. Honestly, it was liberating how free he could be now. Thanks to her gifting him Jester''s Infinite Cloning, he could clone himself multiple times over. Of course, duplicating did come at a heavy cost but that cost was negated by Jing''s seemingly infinite wealth and resources. To duplicate himself, Wen needed to sacrifice 100% of his qi. After doing so, he''d be so drained of energy and strength, he would instantly fall unconscious.


    Wen had the duplicates take care of him during those periods. In the Golden Serpent Sect, sometimes it wasn''t even safe to fall asleep in one''s own home. Usually, nothing would happen to a disciple. But if a disciple was known to stir up trouble or catch the attention of the wrong type of person, nowhere would be safe. However, Wen didn''t have an issue like that. Over the course of the last several months after joining Jing, his presence at the sect has basically reduced to nothing.


    He was pretty happy about it. Before meeting Jing, his life was nothing but cultivating, fighting, and keeping face for his master. A dull life that Wen didn''t enjoy in the slightest. What was so fun about fighting and defending one''s pride all the time? There were better things in life to enjoy. Like women, gambling, wasting money, eating tasty food, ultimately living life in luxury and leisure.


    With Jester''s Infinite Cloning, Wen''s life got 100 times easier. While most of his time was off collecting information and doing errands for Jing, at the same time it wasn''t at all because of his clones! His clones could handle his chores, training, and anything else he didn''t want to do while he would do what he wanted to do! Even now, this version of Wen was nothing but a clone! Jing even agreed it would be best if the original Wen stayed at the sect and lounged around instead of doing tasks for her because the clones couldn''t make clones. Only the original Wen could make clones.


    "Guess it''s time to get to work." Wen stretched his arms and gave off a long yawn as he took out a talisman.


    The talisman lit up with a purple flame and soon burned to ash as multiple bright lights appeared around Wen. Instantly, several dozen men and women of all ages, sizes, and clothes took the places of the bright lights. Wen grinned as he saw the movement spell, he got from Jing work its charm. All of these people were clones just like him!


    Jester''s Infinite Cloning didn''t allow the user to change their appearance. The reason why they all looked different was because of the strange mask given to him by Jing. This spirit tool could mask him from the world around him for the most part. Besides changing his appearance it could also mask his footsteps, qi, presence, and apparently even his soul according to Jing. Wen didn''t understand it or how it functioned but it seemed the effects of the spirit tool worked even for his clones.


    "Alright, everyone takes one!" Wen, the first clone, began passing out talismans different from the ones he gave Abhaya.


    "Man, do we really got act like bandits and gangsters?" A clone wh?n?d as he changed his face.


    "I don''t know, I think it''ll be fun. Haven''t you ever just wanted to act like absolute trash?" A female clone giggled.


    "This town looks too damn big. It''s going to take forever to hand these out to the people that want to go to Cloud Dragon City." An elderly clone sighed with one hand behind his back, his figure hunched over.


    "Let''s get going and remember, stealth and speed are of the essence." Wen relayed to the clones.


    "Yea, yeah..." The clones vanished with surprising speed as they headed inside Xuanyin City.


    Passing out the talismans wasn''t as simple of a task as the clones thought it would be. First, they had to do it all under the watchful eyes of the Three Great Sects. If any discussions about the Heavenly Association Group were being discussed in the presence of the Three Great Sects, the offenders would be violently beaten or even killed under certain circumstances. If the sects got their hands on one of the talismans, Wen wasn''t sure if it would be possible for them to find out its purpose or not. So, Wen thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Instead of handing the talismans out until all the people who wanted to leave Xuanyin City, the clones decided to find out who wanted to leave first and keep track of their information until the decisive day.


    Second, it was impossible to keep rumors from spreading. Eventually, the Three Great Sects did hear rumors of a way to leave Xuanyin City and gained knowledge of the mysterious new residents that haven''t been seen before. Multiple disciples were posted at every possible exit and entrance of Xuanyin City as a safety precaution to prevent anyone from having thoughts of leaving. Any merchants or wanderers trying to enter the city were heavily questioned and taxed.


    Third, convincing the residents of Xuanyin City that their claims were real and they were a part of the Heavenly Association Group. At first, no one was willing to believe the clones and thought it was simply a trick by the Three Great Sects to punish anyone still on the side of the Heavenly Association. To get around this, Wen started spreading rumors amongst themselves and simply let the residents of Xuanyin City hear them.


    This sprouted hope within the trapped residents of the city. The truly desperate began to hunt down the source of these rumors for themselves to see if they were really true. And it was these desperate people that helped Wen''s objective move forward. Clones met with these people and gave it to them straight about their purpose in Xuanyin City. They wanted to help those who wanted to leave Xuanyin City but they couldn''t get caught by the Three Great Sects or the entire plan might go up in smoke.


    "I won''t tell a soul!" A resident bowed.


    "No, no, no. Please tell others like yourself. We want to help as many people as we can. The Heavenly Association is not afraid of trouble but we are afraid of losing loyal customers and employees. Just make sure to avoid letting the Three Great Sects catch you. If you wish to get in contact with us, just remember the code." A clone told the resident.


    "Y-Yes! I''ll help any way I can!" Tou bowed even deeper despite his bad back and crippled leg.


    Tou''s family was saved because of the Heavenly Association. After being severely wounded because of a battle between two immortals, it was impossible for Tou to find a job to provide for his family. All hope seemed to be lost for Tou as he was repeatedly rejected from job to job because of his disability. If he couldn''t find a job to take care of his wife and children, either his wife would be forced to sell her body for other men or his 10-year-old son would have to become the man of the house. But then, the Heavenly Association arrived into town and with their arrival came an influx of jobs for all sorts of people.


    At first, Tou didn''t believe the rumors at all because of how often he was rejected for his disability. It was only when he saw with his own two eyes a one-armed man working as a carpenter for the Heavenly Association Group. The man held processed wood over his shoulder with a smile on his face and happily laughed with his coworkers who didn''t seem to discriminate against him because of his injury. Tou no longer hesitated because of the rumors, he searched several Heavenly Association businesses until he found one that worked perfectly with his injuries. He worked as a sales agent for the Heavenly Association Group''s life insurance store. The store was called Heaven''s Blessing and all he had to do was help people get life insurance or answer questions regarding their life insurance!


    It was the best job he''s ever had in his forty years of living in this world. He was treated like a normal human being by his boss and co-workers instead of being looked down on and mistreated. Sure, sometimes there was a customer that was angry because they still didn''t understand how life insurance worked but there are customers like that in every business. However, how Tou was treated was negligent in comparison to how well he was paid by the Heavenly Association. Literally, his working conditions could be the most inhumane conditions ever and he would still work for the Heavenly Association for the pay he was given.


    ''I won''t let you down..'' Tou promised as he hobbled as quickly as he could to the bar he frequented. He had to tell everyone about this opportunity as soon as possible!

 Chapter 287 - 287: A Very Useful Pawn Indeed!

    Over the course of multiple days, eventually, Wen and his many clones passed out all the talismans they had to the residents of Xuanyin City. Out of the original number of clones, completing this task wiped their numbers out by more than 75%. To keep their origins a secret, any captured or caught clones committed suicide since their lives were completely replaceable. Xuanyin City was not a large city. To complete a task like this in complete secrecy was impossible in the first place since the clones needed to rely on people other than themselves.


    A majority of the clones that got caught were simply due to the residents of Xuanyin City not being careful enough around the Three Great Sects. This leaked the news of some organization going against the Three Great Sects and further increased the surveillance inside Xuanyin City. Daily nightly hunts were made by the Three Great Sects in hopes of capturing this opposing force but the information network made by the clones was not to be underestimated. Any new information gained by a clone could be instantly shared with all other clones and the original once they''ve died.


    This unexpected benefit was exploited immensely by Wen once he found out about it. Depending on the urgency and importance of certain information, a clone could choose to instantly take their own life in order to benefit the group as a whole. Not to mention, it could be used to further increase Wen''s training. If others were said to train at a rate of 80 or 70 percent, Wen would be dozens on top of dozens of times faster than that.


    Wen was confident in saying that besides Jing herself and maybe the sealed Hu Tao, he was the strongest Angel around. Even though he was nothing more than a pacifist now, Wen was still quite proud of his unfairly gained strength. Whether it be mental skills or physical ones, Wen was training them all. The art of war through trying to win a hundred games of chess in a row, raising his martial arts to the completion realm, cooking, painting, sculpting, arrays, blacksmithing, sewing, and any other skills he could get his hands on.


    Trying to absorb all this knowledge and skills forced Wen into changing his core martial arts multiple times but Wen didn''t regret it in the slightest because each clone could practice a new set of martial arts! Eventually, he''ll gain knowledge of hundreds upon hundreds of martial arts in the near future. Mastering any martial arts he comes across will be as simple as taking a single look through the directions and utilizing his past experiences to comprehend them instantly!


    After sharing this information with Jing, Wen''s role in Heaven''s Angel became a thousand times more significant! He would be the Lead Instructor for all future members, even the core angels. Instructing them on cultivation when they need it, instructing the newest members of Heaven''s Angels, and bolstering the strength and skills of its members. His knowledge and the ability to pass on that knowledge were too powerful to be ignored or wasted! Jing didn''t give him a chance to waste this ability. His experience and knowledge would be used for their group if he wanted to continue living the idle life he had now.


    Wen had no reason to refuse. His clones would do all the teaching for the most part. In fact, a few of his clones were already being sent to Cloud Dragon City in order to support the Heavenly Association businesses. Honestly, it didn''t matter where the clones were sent, Wen didn''t believe that they would have any trouble teaching the members on account of ability. He was the senior disciple of his old master, so, it wasn''t like he had no experience in teaching and leading others.


    "I believe that''s everyone." An elder grandma disguised clone wiped the sweat off her forehead.


    "Let''s activate the array and then get out of here. I''m tired of dying, you know?"


    "I''m just grateful it''s so quick and painless."


    Wen, the first clone to arrive at Xuanyin City, activated the array that surrounded Xuanyin City. Thanks to Hu Tao''s right-hand man, it didn''t take any effort at all on Wen''s part in setting them up. Abhaya placed them on the first day of their task and left immediately after just like he was asked. Now, the movement array created by Jing began to come into play.


    All those that held the talismans passed out by the clones began disappearing from Xuanyin City one by one. Wandering cultivators that enjoyed the benefits of being ?ssociated with the Heavenly Association Group, mortals originally from Xuanyin City that enjoyed the service given to them by the Heavenly Association Group, and spies from the Three Great Sects that managed to steal talismans from residents who weren''t sneaky enough.


    The clones all cheered in joy for completing their task before committing suicide. Wen, the original back at the Golden Serpent Sect, immediately started practicing his cultivation technique to combat the mass amount of knowledge pouring into his brain. He sent one of his duplicates off to tell Jing that he completed his latest task with few issues but nothing that couldn''t be taken care of by the Heavenly Association along with the clones sent to aid them.


    "I told those damn clones to not die at the same time when there''s so many of them..." Wen complained as he continued to cultivate.


    ______________________________________________


    "Did we really escape...?" A former resident of Xuanyin City questioned.


    "I knew I shouldn''t have ever doubted the Heavenly Association!" A wandering cultivator exclaimed.


    "Wow, this city is far bigger than Xuanyin City..."


    Multiple buildings taller than even some of the huge trees in the Immortal Forest lied in front of the massive group of people. In the distance, they could see dozens of people wandering the streets, vendors selling their products, people walking in and out of buildings, and the wonder of a big city. Their first instinct was to explore but a small cough gathered their attention.


    "Alright ya bastards, follow behind me to the Auction Hall, and don''t wander off unless ya want your head cracked in." A rather tall and muscular woman threatened.


    However, the crowd was quite pleased and happy to hear the bandit-like tone from the woman. To them, that voice was nothing other than the pleasing voice of those from the Heavenly Association Group! They''d be less willing to follow if they were spoken to like nobles and cultivators. Smiles filled the faces of those from Xuanyin City as they followed behind the annoyed bandit woman happily chatting along.


    "Damn weirdos... Why''d I have to get stuck bringing them to HQ?" She muttered under her breath.


    The large group was soon brought into the auction hall owned by the Heavenly Association Group. It was the first store of their group in Cloud Dragon City and would spearhead a majority of their earnings inside the city. Of course, they had some competition with the famously known Commerical Chamber''s Auction Hall that everyone inside and around Cloud Dragon City knew of but this wasn''t a challenge that the Heavenly Association was afraid of taking on. In a few months or years, it would be their Heavenly Treasures that everyone knew of.


    "Hmm, I don''t have any information on ya''. Wait a fu?k?n? second, alright?" A man that was too large for his own good got up from the tiny seat and whispered into the ears of someone.


    The spy from the Nine Swords Sect squinted his eyes as he saw this. Was it possible that the Heavenly Association managed to extract information from everyone that worked with them? Perhaps it was foolish to use a fake name in an attempt to infiltrate the Heavenly Association... But why would such a group require to know of all of its members to such an extent?


    "Just to make sure, you aren''t some lost bastard from Cloud Dragon City that wandered in here, are ya''?" He came over to ask.


    "Aigoo... Is that bad?" The Nine Swords Sect disciple quickly changed his story as he saw some of his ?ssociates being brought to a separate room.


    "Damn stupid bastard making my work harder on me..." The giant softly cursed under his breath.


    ''I can hear you, you know!?'' The disciple wanted to chop this rude giant in half with his blade but stayed his hand.


    Right now, Guhan was deep in enemy territory and his goal was simply gathering and passing on information about the Heavenly Association. He couldn''t afford to cause any trouble or gain suspicion from the Heavenly Association.


    "Alright, what the hell do you want? Why are you here?" The giant questioned.


    "Isn''t this an auction hall? Obviously, I''m here to sell!" Guhan slammed his core sword arts on the desk along with some other precious resources he planned to use for himself.


    Tears wanted to force themselves from his tear ducts but Guhan refused to let them fall. If his infiltration went well, the number of resources that would fall his way would easily dwarf these. With this in mind, Guhan didn''t hesitate to take out his most valuable items from his storage ring to sell.


    "Kukuku. This is some decent stuff... I don''t know what kind of shit you ran into that you need to sell some stuff like this but we at the Heavenly Association will happily take it to put up for auction." The giant chuckled in joy.


    ''I will destroy this organization....'' Guhan vowed.

 Chapter 288 - 288-289: Jings Payback.

    "Everything''s coming along perfectly babe. The Commercial Chamber is sniffing us out along with some of the other groups in Cloud Dragon City but they''re just curious. Everyone knows how dogs act towards something it isn''t sure about. It either barks and growls threateningly or comes closer to sniff its ?sshole. But don''t worry, I''ll let them take a nice long whiff of our ?ss before clamping down on their throats!" Hu Tao messaged Jing.


    "Send multiple small groups to the neighboring cities. If something goes wrong with Cloud Dragon City, it would be good to have something to fall back on." Jing replied back, ignoring his crude flowery speech.


    "Anything specific or it doesn''t matter?"


    "Restaurant, forge, and dojo."


    "Got it. Talk to you later babe. Love you."


    Jing didn''t bother replying back. Hu Tao''s love was cute and would be tempting but Jing wasn''t the type of woman to betray someone''s trust without sufficient benefits. At such an early stage in their relationship, Jing couldn''t see herself leaving Shang for Hu Tao. Both were quite cute and amusing in their own ways but Jing''s sadist side felt she''d have a lot of fun teasing Shang even after several hundred years have passed. Hu Tao on the other hand would be a more spontaneous blaze of passion and ?ust. Imagining herself and Hu Tao with children only brought up little uncontrollable devils who sought nothing but to spread chaos and mayhem throughout the world. Adorable and definitely fun but even Jing needs some cooldown from chaos every now and then. But with Shang, their children could actually be quite normal in some sense.


    Speaking of children... during Jing''s refinement, she didn''t specify a majority of the changes that happened to her. It was possible that her w?mb was also changed in some inhuman way. She didn''t even know if it was possible for her to conceive nor if raising a child in her body would fundamentally change them in some way. Calling herself a human by this point was frankly a stretch. Giving birth in this body would also produce something monstrous, right?


    Jing shook her head, she just didn''t know. In her previous lives, she was human through and through. The system didn''t follow her in those lives and her body wasn''t changed as significantly as it is now. Looks like she''ll just have to wait and see.


    Jing smiled as she thought about this. ''Knowing Shang, that''ll probably be in a few decades, no?'' The cute little shy young master he was. However, Jing wasn''t planning on waiting that long to turn Shang into a man. She was a young woman with needs. If need be, she''ll devour him herself regardless of how ready he was.


    "Why''re you smiling like that, mom?" Li Li asked, perched on her shoulder with his head twisted at a 90-degree angle.


    "I was just thinking about something fun." Jing replied. "How are the others doing?" She followed up.


    "They''re getting ready to begin the quarter-finals, Ying just said." Li Li answered after reading the message on the talisman.


    "I might be cutting it close. It''ll be a little embarrassing if I lose because I was late." Jing chuckled.


    "Why are we at the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect instead of our sect?" Li Li asked.


    "Mom has an old debt to settle with someone here. Since I had the time, I figured I should pay it back before he croaked on his own."


    "Croaked? Is he going to die?"


    "In one sense." Jing reached into her infinite space storage ring and pulled out an old familiar mask.


    A wooden mask painted white. It looked aged as it was painted centuries ago. When worn, the only aspect of the wearer''s face was their eyes. There was no opening in the mask for the nose or mouth, just the eyes. Jing placed the mask over her face and couldn''t help but giggle as she saw Li Li pull out an identical smaller mask for himself. She didn''t forget that she made one for him too but it has been a while since the Treasured Plains.


    ''I wonder how she''s doing nowadays.'' Jing thought to herself.


    The mother and son duo casually walked through the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect''s front entrance. Not a soul could take in their presence. Geniuses, prodigies, elders, hall masters, none could even hear the sound of Jing''s ruffling clothes. They made their way straight to the bedridden sect leader of the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect.


    Upon first sight of him, Jing was taken aback. This decrepit old husk was the one to nearly kill her? Whatever technique or spirit tool that allowed him to look like a handsome young man that thousands of women would kill to even look at certainly did him favors. Jing couldn''t even relate this grandpa to the man that almost killed her that time.


    However, Jing would show him no mercy despite how helpless and pathetic he looked. An Earthly Immortal was dangerous even on their deathbed. The feeble slow ebbing of his life was going to come to an end soon. A painful and miserable end for someone that deserved it in Jing''s eyes. Even after she gave him what he wanted, he still attempted to kill her.


    Jing sat on the foot of the dying man''s bed and crossed her legs as she pulled out several objects from her. Ink, brush, and several blank talismans. Li Li stayed silent as his mother carefully and slowly began to draw. Her wrist was as slow as a tortoise but firm and steady like an ?du?t tiger. Each stroke, each line, all of it was done with precise and powerful movement.


    It took a few seconds but then Li Li understood why his mom wasn''t finishing these talismans in an instant. These spells weren''t your average spells... He didn''t recognize them but he could feel the qi radiating off of them even in their incomplete state. Around them, the qi from heaven and the earth flowed into his mom''s talismans. Something that Li Li wasn''t capable of doing yet.


    Harnessing the energy of the world itself in your creation is said to be a feat possible only for those that have reached the peak. Li Li wasn''t surprised to see that his mom has reached such a state, he was just surprised that it happened without his knowledge! He''s with her basically every moment of the day and didn''t know she was capable of this! Could it be that his mom was even more amazing than he thought? He had a lot more training to do if he didn''t want to disgrace their family.


    The spells took multiple hours to complete. Jing smiled in satisfaction as her deep qi reserves were mostly drained. Normally an array of this level takes months till completion but because of the abnormality with her body and the knowledge gained over 10,000 lives, it only took several hours. If others tried something like this it would take the sacrifice of over 100,000 men along with numerous invaluable treasures.


    "So you''re still alive..." A voice that b?r?ly amounted to a whisper flowed into the ears of the mother-son pair.


    "I told you, you would regret your decision." Jing placed her refined whip on the ?h?st of the ailing man.


    "To think..." He wheezed. "All these years just to be killed by some pup favored by the heavens..." Blood slowly trickled down his mouth. "The heavens are truly unfair sometimes..."


    "Don''t go blaming the heavens for your decision old man. The heavens didn''t tell you to kill me. You made that choice on your own. Take responsibility for the young life you nearly ended, old monster. All of this pain and suffering of yours is solely because of your decision to end my life that day." Jing activated the heaven-ranked trapping array, Soul-Tearing Path of Nirvana.


    The sect leader of the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect was brought into a deep peaceful sleep despite how desperately he resisted. A frightening arrow-shaped qi shot out of the b?r?ly raised finger of the old man. Jing only smirked at his final attempts to resist. She didn''t flinch at the loud bang from the impact of his attack. Li Li, on the other hand, braced heavily after sensing the terrifying amount of qi leftover from his attack. Earthly Immortals were still definitely out of his league for now!


    "Have a good rest, Patriarch Cao." Jing playfully waved at him. "Well, as good a rest you can get in an eternal nightmare." This was the last thing Patriarch Cao heard as everything went black and he could feel no more.


    As the leader of the Emerald Grass Slaying Sect whisked off into dreamland, Jing collected the bacterial agents that were responsible for su?k?n? the life force of the old man. If they were allowed to stay inside his body, he truly would die. Jing''s purpose here wasn''t to kill this guy but to use him to master her cultivation technique, Empress of Pain''s Tome. The suffering of someone at such a high cultivation stage should allow her to reach the advanced realm. At the advanced realm, Jing Causing others pain physical or mental can now increase the soul energy of the user and cause their Qi to have a commanding presence. If the user''s soul energy is stronger, they can force the opponent under their will. If not, simply pressure their opponent.


    "Is it time to go now?" Li Li asked.


    "Yes, we can return now. Hopefully, we''re not too late." Jing reached into her storage ring and pulled out a puffy white cloud grown from a cloud seed.


    Jing leaped from the window and landed on the cloud before flying back to the sect. As they were flying away, the cloud changed colors to a transparent blue.


    ______________________________________________


    Chapter 289


    Hyou was an orphan but he had the dream of becoming a Heavenly General. He lived in a tiny village that didn''t even have a name but swung his wooden sword every day in hopes of getting stronger. It wasn''t an actual wooden sword but more of a sturdy tree branch but a child''s imagination was endless. One couldn''t enter the military until one turned 15. Hyou was only eight years old yet his sword skills surpassed even the strongest man in his village.


    He had no teachers, no one to take care of him beside Granny Rei. Sure, the villagers pitied the orphan but living was already hard enough taking care of their families. No one had the money or compassion to feed an extra mouth except Granny Rei. Whose only child recently died in the war.


    "Don''t worry Granny! When I join the military, I''ll wrack up hundreds and thousands of merits to bring back and improve the village. I''ll also avenge Big Brother Ten for you!" Hyou continued to swing his sword without rest.


    "I''ll be waiting, Hyou." Granny Rei smiled lovingly at the innocent child.


    A child that b?r?ly knew anything of the world at all. So, kind and pure. Secretly, Rei hated the fact that the boy was skilled with the blade. A boy like this with his entire life ahead of him could only think about going to war, becoming a hero, and killing other men. War hasn''t done anything for Rei besides killing all the men she ever loved. Her husband was forced to conscript, her only son who died without marrying or leaving a child, and soon this bright young man as well.


    Rei wanted nothing more than to argue, fight, and dissuade this boy from joining the military but she knew it would be a futile effort. His big bright blue eyes as he talked about his dream of becoming a Heavenly General. Nothing would stop him on his path. Even if she sacrificed her remaining life span in going against him to stop him from joining, he would still find some way to be a part of the military. She knew because Ten had the same look in his eyes growing up and when he left their village.


    "Mom! I''m going off to become a Heavenly General. I don''t know when I''ll be back but when I do, I''ll finally find a wife and be sure to leave a child before heading back to the battlefield." Rei remembered his words.


    "Can you not go...?" Rei knew how selfish her words sounded but as a mother, she couldn''t help herself. He was her only son.


    "I promise I''ll be back." Ten hugged her and that would be the last time Rei saw him. His corpse was mutilated and used as an art piece for the enemy general to use against our nation. Rei never received her son''s body.


    "Hyou! Come play with me!" A high-pitched loud voice shouted as they arrived at Rei''s front yard.


    "Ughhh it''s Kou..." Hyou ?r??n?d. "Tell her I''m not here!" Hyou whispered as he went off to hide somewhere.


    Rei smiled as she grabbed her cane and got up to answer the door. A little cute tigress looked up at Rei and peered behind her in search of a stinky boy. Seeing that he wasn''t behind her, Kou looked back up at Rei and smiled.


    "Good morning, Granny Rei. Is Hyou at home?" Kou kindly asked.


    "I think we both know the answer to that sweetie." Rei softly rubbed her cute little head.


    If it was up to Rei, she''d force Hyou to stay in the village until he was 15 to get married to this beautiful young girl and do nothing but make beautiful children until their as old as she is. All this nonsense about glory for one''s country, being a hero, and killing other men. What more is there to life than living with the people you love for as long as possible? At this point, Rei didn''t know if it was the world that was wrong or she was. She couldn''t find anyone else that thought like her, so, her feeling was leaning on the latter.


    After receiving permission to enter inside, Kou found the hidden Hyou in a matter of seconds. It turns out the boy had no sense for hiding and had half of his body sticking out from his hiding place. Kou dragged him by his legs with Hyou kicking and screaming. When she decided she wanted to play, it was time to play. That little tigress was the descendent of a Giant. A race of humans known for their great strength and size. Hyou may have been talented in the ways of the sword but that meant nothing when he was without his stick to defend himself. Kou on the other hand needed nothing but her b?r? hands. The more Hyou tried to flee, the more determined and cleverer Kou got in order to get her way.


    Rei wanted to explain how a girl like Kou is what you should want in a woman but she knew that stubborn stinky boy would only reject a girl like Kou further. She could only hope when he grows up he''ll understand just how lucky he is to be liked by someone with such dedication. Things like this couldn''t be forced. Love isn''t something that can be controlled by humans but decided by fate.


    Years passed peacefully in the little town. Hyou continued his sword training every day till the age of 15. Kou continued to pester and bother him every day. Granny Rei continued to take care of Hyou for all those years until the day she was dreading came. Although Hyou and Ten looked nothing alike, the look in their eyes and the straightness of their backs were completely identical. Looking at the raggedy-dressed boy about to leave, Rei couldn''t help but compare the two boys. It was just like seeing her little Ten off once again...


    Unknowingly, tears slowly slid down her face. Rei thought she was all dried up after all the crying she did after Ten died but it looked like she still had some left in her...


    "Don''t cry Granny... I''ll be back as soon as possible! After I score a few general heads, I''ll run back home as soon as possible! If you''re ever lonely, just call Kou over. She never has anything to do." Hyou wiped the tears from Granny Rei''s face and gave her a bright smile.


    "Hmph! Who has nothing to do!?" Kou rapped Hyou on the head and knocked him to the ground with her monstrous strength.


    "Heheheh... I thought you weren''t feeling well this morning... What''re you doing here, Kou...?" Hyou painfully grimaced as he rubbed his sore head.


    "Apparently just in time to see you making Granny Rei cry." Kou replied.


    "Hey, I didn''t!" Hyou felt wronged! "Did I?" He looked over at Granny Rei.


    "No, dear. I was just thinking of old memories... Just promise me you''ll do anything you can to survive, alright? Even if you have to do something despicable or horrible..."Granny Rei asked.


    ''Old memories?'' Hyou suddenly realized what she was talking about. "I won''t let anyone kill me before I become a Heavenly General. I promise."


    "That''s not what she asked you to promise, idiot..." Kou crossed her arms.


    "Huh? Then what did you ask, granny?"


    "Nothing. Go out there and be the hero you wanted to be. Just make sure you don''t forget your old granny back home."


    "You''re lucky they don''t allow women to join the army in our country." Kou told him.


    "Thank the heavens for that..." Hyou muttered to himself. "GUHK!" Before getting kicked in the ribs by Kou who heard him.


    "Tch, like I wanted to spend more time with an idiot like you either!" Kou stormed off as Granny Rei just laughed.


    "What''d I do wrong...?" Hyou felt like his ribs were cracked.


    ______________________________________________


    Hyou survived his first campaign and was returning home until the next war or battle started. He managed to take the heads of several captains and was awarded the position of 100-man commander in his first battle along with a good amount of monetary rewards. As he walked down the path to the village, the surroundings began to get more and more unfamiliar. The luscious grass leading up to the village, the homely smell of agriculture and hard work, and the sound of the people from the village talking. An unknown feeling seized Hyou''s heart as he unconsciously picked up speed.


    "No... No, no, no. No! No! No!"


    Hyou rushed forward to the destroyed remains of his only home. There were no signs of corpses, blood, or any battle taking place here but Hyou could smell the dried blood in the air. Some buildings were burned to a crisp while others were destroyed with brute force. Where was Granny?! Where was Kou?! Where was Uncle Sei!?


    "They''re all dead, Hyou..." Boku, the village drunk, answered him posted up against a wooden barrel. "I was the only one to survive the bandit attack.


    "Tell me what happened!" Hyou grabbed Boku by the collar and stared deep into his eyes with unrelenting killing intent.


    "I wanted to help... I really did but I couldn''t... I wasn''t man enough. I was afraid..." Tears flowed from his eyes, he reeked of alcohol.


    "Answer me or I''ll kill you myself!" Hyou reached for his sword.


    "Little Kou tried to protect Granny Rei... even with her being a Giant, what can one little girl do against dozens of grown men with swords? They... humiliated her before killing her and Granny Rei. It wasn''t right... It wasn''t an ending fit for humans... A little babe like her shouldn''t have had to go through something like that..."


    "AND YOU DID NOTHING BUT WATCH!?" Hyou''s rage and sorrow peaked.


    "I didn''t want to die... I''m sorry, Hyou... I really am... I''m a coward..." He bawled like a child.


    Hyou released the drunk. He had a feeling that killing Boku right now wouldn''t solve anything. It wouldn''t abet his fury in the slightest. Killing him might actually be considered mercy if anything. Right now, he had to find out the identity and hiding place of those bandits. His heart wouldn''t forgive him if he let things go like this. No, he couldn''t continue living if he let Granny Rei and Kou perish so unjustly without avenging them.


    "Tell me everything you found out about them." Hyou turned around to face Boku only to suddenly feel a sharp pain in his ?h?st.


    "I really tried my best, Hyou... Why couldn''t you just be proud of me for surviving...?" Boku''s knife stuck into Hyou''s heart. "I already had nothing left to live for after seeing my wife and daughter get passed around and tortured by those fiends... I really didn''t need you looking at me like I was the same as those beasts..." Boku soon sliced his own throat afterward.


    The two collapsed on top of each other with Hyou violently and furiously cursing at the heavens. As everything went black, Hyou continued to swear and threaten the heavens for deciding this as his fate. Until he could no longer think. His body went still and everything was nothing no more.


    ______________________________________________


    "Hey, idiot! I want to play, get up already!" Kou''s annoying voice shouted in his ear.


    "Huh...?" Hyou struggled to open his eyes. "OOF!" A hard impact landed on his stomach and swiftly woke him up from his delirium. "What the hell!?" He angrily cursed as his eyes met with someone who should be dead.


    "Oh, you''ve grown some balls to be cursing at me to my face, Hyou." Kou grinned as she audibly cracked her knuckles.


    "I''m alive...?"


    "Not for long, you idiot!"

 Chapter 289 - 290: Jings Late!

    "Mom, what array was that? I never seen a formation like that before in the spellbook at home." Li Li asked as they were flying back home.


    "It was a heaven-ranked trapping formation. Soul-Tearing Path of Nirvana is what it''s called." Jing answered.


    "What does it do?" Li Li couldn''t sense anything different about that old guy except he was getting stronger after being placed in the formation. He wasn''t dumb enough to think his mom would help someone who tried to kill her get stronger. There had to be something he didn''t know. So, he asked.


    "The Soul-Tearing Path of Nirvana traps those within its barrier in an endless nightmare. They''ll go through several lives enduring heartbreak, agony, torture, and pain until their body in the real world perishes." Jing explained.


    "Is that why he got stronger after being put in the array? So that he won''t die so easily in the real world?"


    "No and yes. Mom made him sick then took away his sickness, that''s why he got better. The natural vitality of an Earthly Immortal isn''t to be underestimated. In normal cases, they can''t die of natural causes."


    "What are some not natural causes of death?"


    "If someone managed to reach a high cultivation stage with an unstable foundation. Relying on cultivation techniques that go against the heavens is usually the cause of that. Another unnatural cause of death is the death of the soul. That could only happen if Patriarch Cao truly succumbs to despair and his mind, body, and soul cannot take living anymore."


    "Is that what you''re hoping for with the formation?"


    "Yes. There''s no better torture than having someone give up the chance to re-enter the reincarnation wheel and erase themselves from the universe entirely. If he does despair, Mom just might bring her cultivation technique to completion." Jing happily smiled thinking how many lives of pain and death Patriarch Cao has gone through so far.


    Jing knew better than anyone the pain of having to go through the same thing over and over and over and over again. However, Patriarch Cao had it somewhat worse than she did. His memories would be kept every regression. Jing''s experience every rebirth was more of muscle memory, something she just felt that she knew or could do. Not something she knew from the beginning. It was a total blank slate every restart for her.


    "I need to eat more souls before I can complete my cultivation technique." Li Li felt that he was still a long way off from perfecting Gluttonous Spirit. His mom was already about to perfect her''s if she was lucky.


    "Don''t worry." Jing ran her fingers through his snow-white hair. "You still got plenty of growing up to do. In a few years, you might just perfect all of them if you try your best."


    "I''ll do it in one year!" Li Li vowed.


    "Mom will be cheering for you." Jing smiled.


    ______________________________________________


    "Is she back yet? Wan Qing asked turning away from her fight momentarily


    "Nope. She''s still on her way." Ying shrugged.


    "Couldn''t she just teleport here with a movement talisman?" Lin Shu questioned.


    "Nope. Elders." Ying pointed at the elders.


    "Ah, that does make sense." Bing nodded.


    "If anyone could just teleport in, where would the face of the sect''s spellmasters be?" Lei Zhi agreed.


    "Where the heck did she even go? She could''ve just done those good deeds after the tournament! It''s not like there is a time limit on the contract." Ying complained.


    "She has to complete it within two days. There is a time limit." Lei Zhi corrected her.


    "Damn it, Lei." Ying crossed her arms, annoyed.


    "With Jing''s strength, she could solve it in a matter of hours." Lei argued.


    "I agree, she must have got caught up with something outside the sect." Bing couldn''t believe it would be difficult at all to do ten good deeds.


    "Hmph. I know that." Ying turned her head and focused on Qing''s match.


    Wan Qing frowned as she saw her two teammates, Wang and Haoran doing their best to stall for time. Wang specialized in trapping spells so both he and Wan were working together to keep the enemy group from reaching them. With her strong powerful winds, it was basically impossible for the other team to avoid falling into Wang''s traps. At Wan''s request, most of the traps were not dangerous enough to finish them just injure them or annoy them. Eventually, at the 30-minute mark, the enemy team simply gave up and surrendered. Haoran smiled as a harming spellmaster, he b?r?ly had to do anything in this fight. He managed to save a lot of useful spells compared to Wang who had to use a majority of his trapping spells and formations to delay for time.


    "I apologize. As we agreed, I''ll owe you one favor for delaying time with me." Wan respectfully cuffed her fist into her hand toward Wang.


    "No problem. No problem. I just hope we''ll be able to make it through the finals, alright." Wang was completely out of breath from running around planting traps for thirty minutes.


    "It depends on who we get matched up with." Wan didn''t feel that she would lose to any of the Qi Consolidators present right now except for Jing.


    Wan Qing soon left the ring with her teammates after being declared the winner of the match. She searched the crowd and there still was no sign of Jing despite her match being next. Wan didn''t know how to feel if Jing got disqualified for not showing up to the match. It would be her own fault really. There was no need for her to leave the sect to do good deeds when she had a two-day contract period on doing it. Wan could think of dozens of ways of doing good deeds in half the time it took Jing. There had to be something important that she had to do to risk being late to her match.


    Heaven''s Angels weren''t the only ones to know of Jing''s missing status. People began to chatter and whisper as Jing''s teammates went on stage when called up. They desperately searched the crowd to find her but saw no trace of her! Their eyes tearfully looked over at Heaven''s Angels who could only shrug. She''s on her way but they didn''t know when exactly that would be. It could be in a couple of seconds, minutes, hours, or even a day later.


    "I just sent her a message that it was her turn but then she told me to somehow cause a commotion to stall for time." Ying brought up.


    "A commotion, huh?" He Wenqing rubbed his chin as he was thinking.


    "You know who would be perfect for causing a commotion?" Bing grinned.


    "Don''t say it..." Ying pinched the bridge between her eyes.


    "I''ll handle it." Wan stepped up as future Supreme Commander of the Golden Serpent Sect.


    If she couldn''t handle something as small as this, how could she handle leading the next generation of Heaven''s Angels? If she could solve this, maybe the others would look up to her and see her as someone to rely on in troubled times. The big sister of Heaven''s Angels. The reliable, strong, beautiful, Big Sister. Wan Qing scanned the crowd for the perfect target.


    "Choose him." Lei Zhi pointed to a young man in the crowd.


    "Him? Why him?" Wan questioned.


    "He''s one of us." Lei answered mysteriously.


    ''I never saw him in my life but if Lei''s saying this, he must be able to see something that I cannot.'' Wan listened to his advice.


    As the elder on the stage was calling for Jing, Wan Qing suddenly screamed as she grew created four qi wings and flew towards the average-looking young man like she''s lost her mind. Many in the crowd fled for their lives after seeing the pissed-off Wan Qing. The wind picked up harshly and even blew away some folks.


    "How dare you!?" Wan Qing shouted, swinging her closed fan at the man.


    "It was a matter of circumstance. That fool should''ve recognized her limits and stopped earlier." He spoke, his voice radiating through the crowd despite being spoken softly. He blocked her fan with just his forearm. "As her talented big sister, you should''ve kept a better eye on her. You cannot blame me for killing someone who was after my life." He explained.


    "I will never forgive you!" Wan''s eyebrows rose in amazement, he could block her attack so easily?


    Sure, she was holding back quite a bit but the weight of her fan isn''t something the average cultivator could defend against. This man wasn''t as ordinary as he looked. Plus, he was quite quick on the uptake. Wan planned to extend this until Jing managed to show up, even if she was disqualified. She felt a little bit guilty toward her teammates, but she promised to make it up to them later if she does get punished.


    "Hmph.. Are you trying to follow that fool to the grave? Know your limits!" The young man glowed with a warm yellow light and his strength increased twofold! Wan Qing was sent flying away toward the crowd and he swiftly dashed after her.

 Chapter 290 - 291: Wan Qings Sacrifice?!

    Wan Qing used her four wings to control her path. She flew upward, dodging the handsome youth''s blow that crushed the ground to pieces. His body was still glowing in a yellowish aura that increased his strength greatly. As she flapped her wings to stay airborne, Wan swung her fan downward. The wind shaped itself into a horizontal spiral as Wan rapidly spun after swinging her fan, seemingly controlling it with the movements of her body.


    "You think this young master can be taken out by such a simple technique? Just like your foolish sister, you''ll die for provoking me as well." He crushed his palm into a fist as he crushed the ground and kicked a large piece of debris toward the incoming wind.


    "Don''t you dare speak of her name, you filth!" Wan began to twirl even faster.


    The speed and intensity of the spiral wind she shot forward grew immensely to the point where it threatened those in the crowd. People screamed, cheered, and fled for their lives as they saw the exciting dramatic battle that happened out of nowhere.


    "What''s going on!?" A cultivator smiled despite the damages happening around him.


    "Apparently that handsome guy killed the bu??erfly girl''s sister and she wants revenge no matter what! Even if more than half of the sect''s elders are here!"


    "She''s so courageous! Even I wouldn''t act out like this if my brother''s killer was in front of me."


    "Hmph! A person like her is what all siblings should strive to be. If I was killed, I would want my killer to join me in death."


    "Enough!" A higher-ranked elder appeared between the rock and wind blast.


    He formed a simple qi-barrier with his palms and stopped them both before glaring at the two unruly children. Out of all days to do something as outrageous as this, they dare to disrupt the Grand Tournament!? Were they simply out of their mind or were they directly seeking death!? The elder very quickly got his answer as the flying girl didn''t stop even after he intervened.


    "If I don''t avenge my sister, I will be directly swallowed up by my heart demons. My little sister was everything to me even if she was a little dumb. I apologize elders but I cannot stop until my sister''s killer is killed." Wan Qing bowed toward the elders as she flew down at the handsome youth.


    "Just so you know, I''m simply defending myself. If anyone''s to get in trouble, it''s her, alright? I''m just preventing myself from being injured by killing this fool who doesn''t seem to know her place." He braced himself with a yellow flash around his body.


    "Good! Very good! You dare ignore my words?!" The elder felt humiliated and insulted as the two children intended to continue their battle right in front of him.


    Wan Qing seemingly split herself into four while spinning down toward the man who killed her sister. All four of the Wan''s had violent tornados cycling around them. They split up to avoid the elder and target the youth standing behind him. However, the elder could not take this insult standing down.


    Three out of the four illusions were directly attacked by the elder along with him harmlessly dispersing the tornados around them. Wan Qing b?r?ly managed to avoid his kick aimed at her face and continued her path toward her sister''s killer. He grinned as he hopped toward her, fully confident in taking her on in close combat. As the two were about to clash, the elder appeared in between them and attempted to grab hold of both of them.


    "You truly wish to throw my face into the dirt, don''t you girl?!" Elder Pao glared at Wan with slight killing intent radiating off his body.


    His hand directly passed through Wan''s ?h?st while his other caught the youth''s fist. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized that all four of the Wan''s were illusions! The sound of a skull-shattering blow echoed throughout the crowd and took everyone''s attention. Wan Qing''s fan slammed down directly on the back of the youth''s head and split it open like a watermelon. The young man''s blood spurt out like a fountain as his brain matter began to spill out from the cracks in his head.


    "..." Wan Qing wasn''t trying to really kill him! The amount of power used in that blow was even less than when they first started fighting! It was impossible for him to die from something like that! Maybe a concussion or falling into a coma if he was unlucky, but death!? No way!


    Wan Qing''s eyes desperately looked toward Lei Zhi in a panic but her face had a satisfied expression on it. Lei Zhi had a calm expression on his face and placed his finger in front of his lips. ''It''s okay.'' He mouthed. ''Calm down.''


    Lei Zhi didn''t know what technique the young man practiced but he knew that whatever it was, wasn''t something that death could stop. There were dozens of that young man around the sect, some even posed as Minor Elders. The same Minor Elders that rushing toward Wan Qing right now. They had nothing to be worried about even if Jing didn''t arrive.


    "Hmph...! A villain''s death is all but deserved!" Wan Qing had no problem with killing people however they had to have slighted her in some way!


    She wasn''t some crazed murderer that had no restraint when it came to killing innocent people. If he really was a part of Heaven''s Angels and she killed him for such an insignificant reason, her heart wouldn''t be able to take it. All of those in Heaven''s Angels were her brothers and sisters. What kind of Big Sister kills their little brother?! Ever since Jing reversed her yang into yin, Wan Qing vowed to serve her with everything she had. What better way of serving her than to do everything it took to help her with Heaven''s Angels?


    Wan Qing was soon restrained by multiple lower-ranked elders and taken away to the Punishment Hall. She was disqualified from the Grand Tournament and wouldn''t receive any rewards for making it to the finale. Her teammates were given the choice to continue as a duo but they refused and were willing to accept any rewards they could get for making it past the quarter-finals. Heaven''s Angels watched as Wan Qing was arrested, deliberating if they should intervene to save her.


    "The Empress will handle it." Bing tried to calm everyone down.


    "But what if she doesn''t make it on time!?" Ying was ready to go after Wan Qing to save her. Her sword shook as she glared in the direction of the elders who arrested Wan.


    "She''s already here." Lei Zhi smiled as he looked up in the sky.


    The others followed his line of sight and could see a small dot in the distance.


    ''He could spot her all the way from that far away...?'' Xiucai was speechless.


    Someone ?ssassinating his master was frankly impossible, wasn''t it? He wasn''t even looking in that direction. It was directly behind him. If his master decided to use a bow or another ranged weapon, wouldn''t he be invincible?


    "I guess we really don''t have anything to worry about now." Runt spoke up.


    "Can Jing go against the elders?" Lin Shu was confused. Did their leader really have enough power to influence the decision of the elders?


    "That''s a good question." Bing replied before not explaining himself further.


    "Just wait and see. Qing will be fine." Lei Zhi reassured anyone who was still worried.


    ______________________________________________


    "I suppose Wan and Wen are due for a reward." Jing muttered as she saw the outcome of their "battle."


    "Can I fight this time, mom?" Li Li asked as they neared the stage.


    "Sure. Don''t forget to focus on teamwork. That''s what the elders are judging the matches on." Jing reminded him.


    "I haven''t forgot!" Li Li happily reassured her.


    The two soon hopped off their cloud. Jing su?k?d it back into her storage ring as they jumped off. No one but those with great talent in sensing qi managed to notice Jing and Li Li land on stage. Everyone was still too excited about the battle they have just seen between Wan and Wen. They were discussing with great excitement while looking off in the direction Wan was taken.


    "A big sister like that is only worthy of respect."


    "Hmph. What''s the point of avenging someone, if you''re just going to follow them to the grave right after?"


    "I agree. It was quite foolish of her to make a commotion here. She should''ve bided her time and ambushed him after the Grand Tournament."


    "She was pretty strong though... Did you see how she made a fool out of a Pillar Elder? Elder Pao will never live this down!"


    "Heaven''s Angels are truly powerful! Even an elder wasn''t able to stop her from getting her revenge!"


    Jing waved to Teammate A and Teammate B before creating a large throne made of water and sitting down on it. Li Li hopped over to the two as Jing relaxed in her chair.


    "I''ll be leading this time! So just follow my directions, got it?" Li Li commanded.


    "Yes?" They responded quite confused.


    "You and you, guide them. They''re swordsmen just like you were." Li Li pointed behind them.


    Teammate A and Teammate B turned around but they didn''t see anyone. Who was the little kid talking about? They did feel strangely chilly though. It was strange because the sun was shining down quite heavily. Maybe it was the kid''s martial arts that was making it cold.


    "LOOK AT THE STAGE EVERYONE!" Someone''s yell brought everyone''s attention to the ring.

 Chapter 292: The Elders’ Response.

    With Jing''s late arrival and everyone''s nerves still strung from Wan Qing''s revenge, people couldn''t help but cheer at the sight of the sect''s Little Monster arriving. In their heads, only more entertainment could be found now and right after such an exciting event. The name Heaven''s Angels firmly submitted itself into the hearts of all the disciples in the Golden Serpent Sect despite only being known for a week or so! Whether it was an Outer Court disciple, Inner Court disciple, or an elder, everyone would look forward to seeing the future accomplishments of the group and those from it.


    For the elders, they were particularly interested in seeing just how this group would take the world by storm once they were let loose. There were very few groups and factions within the Evergreen continent that would be able to contend with their sect''s Heaven''s Angels once they grew in cultivation and age. If their talent and power continued at the rate it was now, they would surely become unstoppable. The higher-ranked elders felt it was such a shame that their faction was only formed recently.


    The Meeting of Great Talents was happening soon and many of the elders doubted most of the members of Heaven''s Angels would be able to grow in such a significant amount of time to even be recommended as a participant in the meeting. If the meeting was in the next 5 years, any of the members in Heaven''s Angels would be instantly chosen to participate but now? There just wasn''t enough time without resorting to drastic means. Drastic means that could potentially sever their strength for the future. Golden Serpent Sect wasn''t in such a terrible position that they lacked talents to resort to such things. Regardless, many of the elders felt pride at the group of strange talented youths that somehow escaped their notice. They felt that with them, the future of the Golden Serpent Sect would be bright no matter what. And to ensure that, they would make sure to protect these golden eggs no matter the cost.


    The Supreme Commander would''ve threatened everyone to not lay a hand on those children but he didn''t find it necessary. Especially with his positive relationship with Little Monster being known within the higher echelons in the sect. So, that young lass that was formerly a lad sent to the Punishment Hall, of course, she was going to be punished for openly defying the elders in front of everyone. It would look severe and deserved for not giving the elders the respect they deserved but away from the eyes of others, she''d be treated well and not that harsh at all. He''d already sent his trusted men to deal with her.


    So, without a single word to express his wishes, all the elders instinctively understood to not lay a hand on these children unless they wanted to court an early unnatural death. Perhaps this was the first time in history that an entire faction born from their sect would be treated in such a way. Great Heavens, Righteous Demons, Mountain Crushers, Heavenly Collectors, Reaping Warriors, Slaughtering Serpents... Sure many of these factions had their fair share of prodigies and geniuses among their groups but there was a very noticeable difference between all of them and Heaven''s Angels.


    Every member of Heaven''s Angel was a monster in some kind of aspect. Every member of the other factions didn''t hold up to that same measure. Elders with a discerning eye intended to find out exactly why that was. The Supreme Commander specifically wanted to find out if only monsters were allowed in Heaven''s Angels or did Jing somehow have the means to turn those around her into monsters? It would be interesting to see just which one it was.


    If it was the latter, the Golden Serpent Sect had no need to worry about anything for the next few hundred thousand years! Perhaps even longer if the Little Monster is talented enough to become a true immortal and breakthrough the final cultivation barrier. Their name would forever be etched in the annals of history and what greater pride is there for someone in a sect to know that their sect would be known throughout history positively?! The Supreme Commander smiled fondly as he looked at the young brown girl sitting on stage as if she was his most precious daughter and treasure. This was not ignored by the elders watching on the side.


    "If your skin wasn''t a different color, I''d think she was your own flesh and blood with the way you''re looking, Commander." Head Elder Mo grinned.


    "Heh, did I really look like that?" Supreme Commander showed no embarrassment at having this being pointed out. She was truly a special girl.


    "If I wasn''t so sure about the type of women you liked, I''d be hard-pressed to say you were in love with her." Elder Mo loudly laughed.


    "Elder Mo, please show some respect for the Supreme Commander." Head Elder Chang warned with a steely glare.


    "Get that stick out of your ?ss first and maybe I''d listen to ya''." Elder Mo glanced at the lanky old man daring him to do anything.


    "Need I remind you-" Elder Chang''s words of admonishment were interrupted before he could finish.


    "Boys. We are not alone. Please be aware of your respected positions." Head Elder Ru looked at the two the same way one would look at two arguing brats.


    "Heh. Heh." Elder Mo smirked in Elder Chang''s direction and he knew it grated on the nerves of the old bag of bones.


    Jinhai, the Supreme Commander of the Golden Serpent Sect, gently smiled as he looked at the three. He could still remember long ago when they used to be his cute little disciples that couldn''t help but attract trouble no matter what. Talented, arrogant, and incredibly skilled in their chosen fields. The world was their''s to explore and reign through unshackled. They caused multiple events and even on some occasions started multiple wars but, in the end, it still looked like they still were no different from how they were back then. And that put a smile on Jinhai''s face. Knowing that one''s students grew up healthy, strong, and mostly unchanged would bring a smile to any master''s face.


    "The Grand Tournament is a time for celebration as well as for getting to know our disciples better. Feel free to enjoy the festive atmosphere, the disciples certainly are, why shouldn''t we?" Jinhai told those who were listening in.


    "Wise words by the Supreme Commander as usual!"


    "It''s a good thing I was having as much fun as I could already..."


    "Wait, so we''re not supposed to look scary and search for disciples?"


    "You can still look for disciples but now we can have some fun while we''re at it."


    "Oh good. I really wanted to try one of those delicious-looking pastries but held myself back."


    The elders began to loosen up after hearing the words of the Supreme Commander. No longer did they need to play the role of respected, powerful, and wise elders anymore. They could just be themselves and enjoy their time here just like the disciples were. And since everyone else was doing it, it would be foolish not to do the same if one wanted to survive in this political game. Even Head Elder Chang could be seen ordering one of the mortal servants to bring him a plate full of those cakes from earlier despite the unhappy look on his face.


    All in time for the Little Monster''s match back. While it looked like the Little Monster herself wouldn''t be directly participating in the fight, it would still be interesting to see the potential of the spirit beast she raises. A spirit beast raised as a pet was an accessory to one''s own strength. If the combination of the cultivator''s martial arts and the innate strength of the spirit beast were one, it greatly boosted the strength of that cultivator. They''ve seen a little of the Little Monster''s combat potential but it didn''t seem like that cohesiveness between pet and martial artist mattered all that much since the Little Monster was a highly skilled spellmaster. All she needed to do was support the creature with talismans and truthfully, that would be enough for most opponents. Provided she wasn''t attacked by surprise or facing up against a highly superior opponent.


    Jinhai knew the little bird was capable of seeing, sensing, and controlling souls. However, he wasn''t sure how many others were capable of catching on as well besides the small portion of cultivators in their sect that dabbled in ghostly arts. As an Earthly Immortal, he had no problem seeing those from beyond the grave if he put his mind to it. Which was why it was such a huge surprise to him to see two spirits hovering over the Little Monster''s teammates. How, why, when, what was immediately thrown out of his head. Of course, someone as freakish as her would manage to take advantage of the second portion of the Grand Tournament. It should be said, how didn''t he expect such a thing to occur when the little girl helped HIM breakthrough.


    "Heart-Snatching Sword Immortal and Ocean Shattering Sword Fiend... To think you two died in the Endless Plains of Yin.." Jinhai muttered as the match began.

 Chapter 293: Li Li’s Time To Shine!

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°To think our skills would be put to use even after death...¡± Heart-Snatching Sword Immortal sighed.


    ¡°Hmph. Fitting for old ghosts like ourselves who refused to pass on naturally.¡± Ocean Shattering Sword Fiend responded.


    ¡°If this trash could even comprehend 1% of my martial arts, perhaps I''ll have something of a disciple.¡± Heart Immortal floated behind Teammate A as he placed his ghostly hand on the boy¡¯s skull.


    ¡°Ah, you did die without any descendants or disciples.¡± Ocean Fiend remembered before chuckling. ¡°Fool.¡±


    ¡°Even with all my talent and strength, it was meaningless against foes that I couldn¡¯t even touch. Specters are such unfair creatures...¡± Heart Immortal cursed.


    Teammate A and Teammate B looked at each other as both of them felt something flowing into their heads. Knowledge. Knowledge of martial arts the both of them knew they never practiced. Martial arts that were strong, powerful, and completely out of reach for nobodies like the two of them. Even the basics of these sword arts were enough to outclass the peak of their current sword martial arts.


    However, the process wasn¡¯t that simple. In exchange for this knowledge, they had to suffer in return. High-level sword techniques like those belonging to the Heart-Snatching Sword Immortal and the Ocean Shattering Sword Fiend aren¡¯t techniques that could simply be comprehended and understood even with detailed instructions of performing them. This was knowledge accumulated over an entire lifetime being transmitted through the delicate and still-developing brains of their juniors.


    So, it was understandable for those who knew what was happening to see them scream uncontrollably while pleading for mercy and forgiveness. Li Li certainly knew considering he was the one to order the two old ghosts in the first place to help the two. The referee was quite confused about whether he should start the match or not with the two boys suffering from mental ailments. With an excited expression on Li Li¡¯s face, he waved the referee¡¯s concern off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Li Li told him.


    ¡°Very well. Begin!¡± The referee started the match.


    Li Li pulled out multiple talismans from his storage ring and tossed them all in the air just like his mom did in her first match. This didn¡¯t stop the enemy team from charging forward together as a group. If anything, it seemed to only encourage them in their decision to end things fast and quick. It made sense after all. Teammate A and Teammate B still have yet to recover from learning the sword techniques from Heart Immortal and Ocean Fiend. Having to deal with only one spirit beast compared to a spirit beast and two cultivators as a group of three sounds like a bargain!


    ¡°I got it!¡± One of the male cultivators shouted as he threw something into the air toward the falling talismans.


    Everyone watched as a small red bead glowed with a bright red light before combusting into a large fiery explosion that swallowed up the talismans, destroying them before they could be activated. Relief flowed through the eyes of their members as they saw the ashes of the talismans floating down. All three members of the enemy team surrounded Li Li with their swords. There was no hesitation in their movements nor their resolve. Seemingly, all three struck with the intent to kill. Holding nothing back.


    ¡®We can¡¯t afford such luxuries after all...¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯re facing up against a monster¡¯s pet.¡¯


    ¡®Is the pet of a monster, a monster as well, or just a pet raised by a monster?¡¯


    Li Li smiled with the look of an innocent child. He blocked the first strike from the front with his finger, the second strike by pinching the blade with his other hand before it could penetrate his side, and the third with his hair gripped around the blade and handle of the attacker. All sorts of emotions sprouted up in those watching the amazing display of skill from both teams. The disciples watching from the stands were incredibly impressed by the overwhelming skill shown by the young spirit beast in the form of a child but at the same time not that surprised either. However, that didn¡¯t dampen their excitement or joy at looking at such a thing.


    The elders on the other hand analyzed both teams with close scrutiny. Impressed with the preparation showed by the first team and excellent teamwork in focusing on the superior enemy without holding anything back. Sure, the spirit beast was also impressive in how it stood up to the three but remember, this tournament was about teamwork. And as far as they could tell, the spirit beast actively crippled his teammates before the match began and tried to take on the opponents by himself. At the rate this match was going, it seemed to be clear for a majority of the elders who the winner should be.


    However, many eyes wandered over to the Supreme Commander. They all knew he had a soft spot for the Little Monster. But none of them knew if his soft spot would extend to rigging matches in her favor when they were clearly not. So, they kept their mouths shut and wouldn¡¯t decide anything until the Head Elders decided in the end. Wouldn¡¯t it be too tragic if they spoke the truth only to suffer needlessly for it?


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t bad!¡± Li Li complimented honestly with a nod.


    The three didn¡¯t let their emotions take hold of them. The blonde guy who attacked from the front surged all of his qi throughout his body and blade before continuing to slash, cut, and stab at Li Li. The black-haired guy who came at Li Li¡¯s side activated his martial arts technique, lightning sparked from his blade. The girl who tried to stab Li Li from behind simply released her grip on her sword that was tangled up in Li Li¡¯s snow-white hair and pulled out another sword from her storage ring before swinging it at him once more.


    ¡°Whoa... You guys really aren¡¯t bad compared to all the other teams I''ve seen.¡± Li Li was genuine in his opinion.


    The battle between the four continued for over multiple exchanges. Bets were made over how long the three could last against the Little Monster¡¯s spirit beast. Some said two exchanges, others said five, very few could have imagined that the three would have made it to over twenty exchanges! The boy was playing with the three instead of taking them seriously! This pissed off several people who were betting on a low number of exchanges but only caused them to be scorned by those who were aware of it from the beginning.


    ¡°Of course, he was playing with them! What kind of superior foe would compliment his opponents?!¡± He Wenqing mocked as he happily grabbed his earnings from the bets.


    ¡°Hohohohoho!¡± Lin Shu arrogantly laughed like the noble women she saw back home as she also grabbed her winnings.


    ¡°...¡± Xiucai thought if they had eyes, they could¡¯ve clearly seen that the spirit beast was going easy on them.


    ¡°Yes! Hahahahaha! I have never seen so much money at once!¡± Runt¡¯s eyes seemingly turned into coins as he greedily pocketed his earnings.


    ¡°Here you go, Little Bro!¡± Jue tried to give her money to Runt but he didn¡¯t accept them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I have my own.¡± Runt wasn¡¯t rejecting her money due to some useless sense of pride or anything. He just felt that someone as slow as her should have more money rather than less of it.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you stop them?¡± Ying looked over at Lei Zhi.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with children just having fun.¡± Lei Zhi responded.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid they might get addicted to gambling?¡± Bing chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m more afraid of the trouble they¡¯ll attract by being too good at gambling rather than that...¡± Lei Zhi laughed.


    If they ever decided to forego their sight to learn his Auxiliary Art, Blind Man Can See, there would be very few gambling games they could lose. He doubted that Shu or Wenqing would ever consider it. Xiucai was another matter, however. With his background, he might go through with blinding himself for the sake of more power. Lei Zhi couldn¡¯t reasonably tell the boy no but he would rather none of his pupils learned the technique. If this martial art got into the hands of someone like Xiucai, his assassination abilities would rise over a hundredfold. It was more powerful than Lei Zhi initially thought when he first gained it. At the time, he simply was happy he could ¡®see¡¯ again. The world wasn¡¯t just darkness anymore but something that could actually be seen and experienced.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Bing nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s remind ourselves to never let those four go off on their own without some restrictions.¡±


    Ying snickered as Lei Zhi didn¡¯t believe such precautions were necessary. While they were young, he didn¡¯t think any of them were foolish. Runt and Xiucai would do well in reigning in Shu and Wenqing¡¯s adventurous spirit. If they couldn¡¯t, they would at least make sure it didn¡¯t escalate to something they couldn¡¯t deal with. Both Runt and Xiucai were cautious young men who didn¡¯t like to attract trouble or attention to themselves.

 Chapter 294: Li Li’s In Trouble!?

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you two were this weak...¡± Li Li crouched over the still twitching and suffering bodies of Teammate A and Teammate B.


    A highly dangerous bolt of lightning came from behind Li Li and threatened to pierce through his very back while the other two enemies came rushing in from the side, trying to follow up with the incredibly fast lightning bolt. The young spirit beast in his human form didn¡¯t seem to care at all about any of the threats rapidly coming toward his figure. He continued to frown at the two unable to handle the martial arts of some old ghosts.


    Heart-Snatching Sword Immortal and the Ocean Shattering Sword Fiend were also disappointed. Ocean Shattering Sword Fiend was shaking his head while Heart-Snatching Sword Immortal buried his hands in his face when Li Li looked over at them. Neither of the old ghosts wanted to be blamed for this. They were only doing as they were ordered. How could they know both boys would react like this? It was their first time doing anything like this in the first place. It wasn¡¯t too long ago that they were simple ghostly kings protecting and defending their territory! Doing something like passing on all of their martial arts as ghosts didn¡¯t exactly come with instructions.


    ¡°I refuse to lose like Him. You two either fix them or I¡¯ll fix you.¡± Li Li threatened as the tips of his hair lit up.


    His boyish figure seemingly turning into a spiraling beast in the eyes of the ghosts, more than willing to swallow the two old ghosts. Fear struck their incorporeal bodies as they instinctively floated backward from Li Li. Neither ghost wanting to take the chance that the spirit beast was joking, decided to somehow alter the way they were passing their martial arts to the two untalented boys. Instead of sharing it all at once like they were doing, they decided to put it in steps. Once they master the previous step, they¡¯ll be able to learn more of the sword arts. Doing it this way will lessen the burden on their mind and soul.


    An explosion centered on Li Li¡¯s figure appeared as the combination attack from the three cultivators on the enemy team landed. Wind fiercely blew, smoke spread across the stage, and heat dispersed all around. Few people in the audience could see the situation in the smoke while most others could not. Some of those that couldn¡¯t be unsure if the spirit beast in human form was strong enough to handle an attack of that level. They knew they¡¯d have to use a life-saving treasure or two if they wanted to survive a combined qi attack like that.


    As the smoke cleared up, eventually the answer to the outcome of the attack was revealed. A soft glowing grey barrier was formed around Li Li and his two teammates. It withheld without a scratch and they were completely unharmed. The three cultivators on the opposite team rejoined together, haggard, sweaty, and completely tired. Seeing this sight was incredibly disheartening. It''s almost as depressing as when they realized they got matched up with the sect¡¯s Little Monster...


    Li Li smiled as he saw Teammate A and Teammate B becoming conscious once more. He took out two talismans from the storage ring and placed them on the two to help them recover faster. In a few moments, the two rose up feeling better than ever with new knowledge flowing through their minds. Seeing that the two were ready to battle, Li Li dropped his barrier and prepared to fight alongside the two.


    ¡°We surrender!¡± The trio on the other team decided together.


    ¡°Understood.¡± The referee nodded.


    Li Li¡¯s mind momentarily blanked as the three cultivators were leaving the stage. They gave up? They ran away? They decided to stop once it was finally time for him to come back? He was about to show how he was way better than that Man! That he wouldn¡¯t lose in such a humiliating way like he did! No! No! No!


    A terrifying chilling amount of qi exploded from Li Li¡¯s body, washing over the bodies and minds of everyone present. His eyes glared into the backs of the three who were now frozen solid out of fright. With his outburst, he could no longer retain his human spirit form and returned to his owlet form. His wings were raised up in preparation to take off.


    Only a small number of disciples at the Qi Consolidation realm were capable of controlling their bodies from Li Li¡¯s qi. Several elders frowned at how dense and powerful the spirit beast¡¯s talent lay in yin qi. Usually, a spirit beast with talent of this level had to be raised and surrounded by the dead and spirits for several thousands of years before it could get to this stage. Of course, the Little Monster¡¯s pet was a monster as well.


    As Li Li was about to fly toward the three, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.


    ¡°Li Li.¡± Jing¡¯s voice instantly dispersed the young owl¡¯s tantrum.


    Along with the seriousness of her voice, the overbearing yin qi weighing down on those in the crowd also lightened and disappeared. With a gesture of her finger, she beckoned the owlet over to herself. Jing always had a feeling that he¡¯d react this way when something didn¡¯t go the way he wanted. He was growing up in the Golden Serpent Sect with arrogant young masters and ladies all over the place. There were very few good role models and Jing knew that this would happen one day. She didn¡¯t know exactly when this would happen but the earlier the better. This way, she¡¯d be able to correct his behavior so that it doesn¡¯t negatively influence his future.


    Li Li didn¡¯t utter a word as his mother¡¯s angry voice struck him straight in his soul. His small body shivered like crazy as he slowly walked over to Jing with his head hung down. His mother never spoke to him in that voice before... Li Li just wanted to prove that he was better than that man that wanted to take her away from him. He didn¡¯t mean to make her angry... Li Li couldn¡¯t control his tears from falling as he got closer and closer to his mom.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m... Sor- Sorry...¡± Li Li cried as he briefly shifted his body into his human form as he stood in front of Jing.


    ¡°Sorry for what?¡± Jing questioned.


    ¡°I-¡­ I¡¯m... I don¡¯t know!¡± He bawled loudly.


    ¡°Li Li.¡± Jing felt like her heart was breaking looking at her son acting like this for the first time in his life. Maybe the only time she ever saw him like this was probably before she refined him and he broke his leg in the cave.


    Jing pulled out a teleportation talisman and transported them back home. There was no reason to make a show of this. Whether she won or lost didn¡¯t matter in the long run. Jing was planning to make it to the Meeting of Great Talents regardless if she was chosen as a participant of the Golden Serpent Sect. There were too many good opportunities there to pass up and leave to others when she could give them to her angels.


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m upset with you?¡± Jing questioned.


    ¡°Because I-I-I lost...¡± Li Li sobbed.


    ¡°I''m not upset with you because you might have lost.¡± Jing told him.


    ¡°Are you mad because I showed off my power...?¡± Li Li guessed next.


    ¡°No. I''m not mad you showed off some of your true strength.¡±


    Li Li put on a thinking face while wiping away some of his tears and snot. Jing felt tempted to wipe his messy face clean but not yet. She couldn¡¯t drop her stern attitude just yet and comfort him until he realized where he wronged.


    ¡°Is it because I tried killing those three?¡± His voice rose a pitch as he didn¡¯t believe this was right either.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m upset with you because you didn¡¯t accept the consequences of your own actions.¡± Jing explained.


    ¡°???¡± Li Li tilted his head at her, unable to comprehend what she meant.


    ¡°Do you think that this would¡¯ve happened if you chose to not play around at the start?¡± Jing questioned.


    ¡°No...¡± Li Li shook his head. ¡°If I didn¡¯t play around, I could¡¯ve done what you did and used my spells to make my teammates stronger and won...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And then when you thought you lost, you tried to kill them because you knew that you could¡¯ve won if you didn¡¯t play around. You didn¡¯t want to accept losing due to your own actions and that is why I''m upset.¡± Jing explained to him. ¡°If it was someone else¡¯s fault, I wouldn¡¯t have rose my voice at you. However, you losing was your own fault and no one else¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I understand...¡± More tears began to flow from his eyes.


    ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t want you growing up being foolish. You have to take responsibility for your actions if you want to be a good boy.¡± Jing wiped his face with a thin coat of water layering over her palm before crouching down and hugging him.


    ¡°Okay... I¡¯m sorry, mom...¡± Li Li tightly hugged her back and softly cried into her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll be a good boy, I promise...¡± He said, his words muffled.


    ¡°Just so you know, I''m not saying you can¡¯t play around in a fight either. You can play around all you want but just be aware of the consequences that playing around in a fight might bring. Like losing.¡± She reminded him.


    FukinDeadBeat

 Chapter 295: Wan Qing’s Holding.

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°Psst.¡± One of the guards tried to get her attention.


    Wan Qing looked over at him in confusion. He didn¡¯t look that much older than herself. She didn¡¯t recognize his appearance. With a defensive glare, she prepared herself for a terrible possibility that she would fight with every fiber of her being. Wan doubted the second guard next to him would step in to stop him either. Knowing this sect, he¡¯d probably just join in.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really supposed to talk about this without her approval but, I think she¡¯ll forgive me.¡± He smiled at her as the other guard continued to keep watch outside her cell. As if he couldn¡¯t hear a thing.


    ¡°...¡± Wan Qing kept her guard up despite his friendly demeanor.


    ¡°That guy you killed back there was just one of my duplicates. So, you don¡¯t have to feel bad about what you did. It wasn¡¯t a test from Her or anything like that. She also wouldn¡¯t waste her subordinates'' lives in such a way either. This guy is another one of my duplicates too, so don¡¯t worry about him caring about our conversation.¡± He explained.


    ¡°???¡± Now Wan Qing was genuinely confused.


    Then she remembered that look that Lei Zhi gave her after she killed the boy... This guard''s words were starting to make sense but was it really possible to create such realistic clones? Splitting that person¡¯s head open felt too real for it to just have been a fake... The blood, brain matter, and the expression on his face as he fell to the ground dead. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get that look out of her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I''m really good at playing dead.¡± He grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve died over a thousand times by now, I¡¯m pretty sure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re immortal...?¡± Wan Qing asked.


    Did Jing really have someone this powerful already in their group? No wonder she never told them about him. Wan Qing still felt a little hurt about the secret member in their group but understood why Jing did so. In her heart, she simply gritted her teeth and promised to become reliable enough to trust with such a secret.


    ¡°Not in the way you¡¯re thinking!¡± He rapidly shook his hands back and forth. ¡°I¡¯m nowhere near that powerful. But yeah, just wanted to let you know you had nothing to fret over. Including being sent here. You¡¯ll be out in no time.¡± He smirked before turning around and resuming his duty as a motionless guard.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Wan Qing felt relief wash over her body as she muttered the words.


    It wasn¡¯t that Wan had an issue with killing people. It was just that, it was a different matter entirely when it was about killing someone that didn¡¯t wrong or insult her. She also thought that the guy was in Heaven¡¯s Angels at the time and the only angel she could even bear thinking about killing was Hu Tao. And even that wasn¡¯t out of some hatred or anything but pure annoyance!


    Well, whatever. Wan Qing relaxed for the first time since she¡¯s been brought here and rested against the wall. Her eyelashes slowly fluttered as she drifted off to sleep. Completely unaware of the softly smiling guards and the unknown third hidden presence hiding in the room.


    ¡°Your technique is quite impressive.¡± Guard 1 spoke.


    ¡°I sure hope you didn¡¯t overhear anything, you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Guard 2 fiddled with his spear.


    ¡°Because if you had, I can¡¯t picture anything but a horrific sudden misfortunate accident happening in the very near future.¡± Guard 1 continued.


    ¡°So, while you still have the ability to move and talk. You might as well tell us under whose orders you¡¯re following and their purpose for sending you to watch a subdued prisoner.¡± Guard 2 followed up.


    ¡°...¡±


    No response. Not even a hint of someone other than themselves and the soft breathing of Wan Qing resting in her cell. Guard 1 pulled out two talismans. One was placed in front of Wan Qing¡¯s cell and the other was attached around one of the bars of her cell. The first one was to silence any noises from passing behind them while the second one created a barrier as extra protection for her.


    ¡°Hmm, which martial art should I go with to take out this guy?¡± Guard 1 questioned.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have that many spear arts. Plus, this guy looks a little talented. They haven¡¯t panicked and tried to escape even though they¡¯ve been caught.¡± Guard 2 didn¡¯t answer but rambled instead.


    ¡°Nothing wrong with going with the bare basics, I suppose. But does any of the angels even use a staff or spear?¡± Guard 1 asked.


    ¡°One of the newest additions might. You remember how it was for Hu Tao¡¯s disciple? Don¡¯t forget his girlfriend just recently got a weapon tailored for herself and she¡¯s been around for a while too.¡± Guard 2 spun his spear.


    Both duplicates suddenly disappeared and with fierce grins on their faces stabbed an empty part of the wall. The sound of metal tearing flesh flowed into their ears as blood snapped across their faces from the surprise attack. An injured figure gritted their teeth as she looked at the two who managed to not only find her but also injure her in one fell swoop. She held her hand over her deeply slashed waist.


    ¡°Ooh, a masked beauty.¡± Guard 1 whistled.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to see that.¡± Guard 2 smirked in amusement.


    ¡°Do you think she was sent by Head Elder Ru?¡± Guard 1 wondered.


    ¡°She does got the faint smell of herbs on her...¡± Guard 2 didn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°..!¡± The masked woman decided to cut her losses.


    In just that first exchange, she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to easily deal with these two duplicates as they called themselves. It also seemed like the longer she stayed, the more chances they had of discovering her identity and background instead of her finding out more about Heaven¡¯s Angels. Her initial mission was to try and recruit Wan Qing to her master¡¯s side but if she couldn¡¯t do that then make sure to try and make a deal with her. Reducing the punishment she would receive after the Grand Tournament and in return, Wan Qing would tell her useful information about Heaven¡¯s Angels. The masked woman held no doubt that Wan Qing would take her up on her offer. After all, the punishment she was going to receive was no doubt going to be severe simply because of the timing she decided to act and her blatant disrespect for the elders.


    ¡°She¡¯s planning to escape.¡± Guard 1 noticed.


    ¡°Oh, She will definitely not forgive us if we let her go with such important information about our technique.¡± Guard 2 shivered at the thought of being punished by Her.


    ¡°Sorry, pretty lady. You picked a horrible time to overhear us talking to our ally.¡± Guard 1 rushed at the only exit.


    ¡°I mean honestly, couldn¡¯t you at least wait a few days before coming to do whatever to Wan Qing?¡± Guard 2 dashed straight at the masked lady.


    As the two guards moved at the same time, so did she. She tossed a pill in her mouth and a brief burst of qi flashed outward from her body. Neither guard was able to react to the sudden growth in power from the voyeur and she slipped past them. Dashing through the Punishment Hall, she did hear the footsteps of the two guards behind her.


    ¡°Oi, she¡¯s making this difficult, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better, she¡¯s really trying to get us killed by running away so quickly with such important information.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to relax in peace like we¡¯ve done so far if this information gets out.¡±


    ¡°Who knows if whoever is behind her is friendly or not? What if it¡¯s a dumbass that doesn¡¯t know the importance of holding secrets?¡±


    ¡°We better wrap this up quick then. If she gets any further ahead, we might run into a patrolling elder.¡±


    The veiled woman felt a sharp intake of qi behind her and immediately dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way of what appeared to be... spear qi? The spear-shaped qi attack sliced apart the air and flashed down the hallway as she stared completely stunned. Now the value of this information was almost just as valuable as the other.


    ¡®There¡¯s no way I can allow myself to get captured now.¡¯ She resolved to push her body to its absolute limit.


    She tossed another pill in her mouth. Her bloodshot out of her mouth and leaked from her body, however, she stood up filled with more power than she¡¯s ever had in her life. Using all this power rushing through her body, she focused all of it on one simple objective. Fleeing with her life intact.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you make this easy for us?¡± Guard 1 appeared above her, swiping his spear in an attempt to decapitate her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one for putting my all into things. Despite how this looks, I''m actually quite the pacifist.¡± Guard 2 appeared behind her with his spear poised to pierce through her back.


    The veiled woman avoided both attacks with the agility of a cat and the flexibility of a snake. She didn¡¯t bother turning her back to the two as she swiftly ran away with all the power she could. A burst of wind and sound blew behind her, blowing the hair and outfit of Guard 1 and 2. The two guards looked at each other.


    ¡°I think we might have a problem...¡±


    ¡°What are the odds that she encounters another one of our duplicates on the way out?¡±


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to know?¡±


    ¡°Welp, guess it''s time to die.¡±


    ¡°I really hate that the only way we can share information with other duplicates is by dying...¡±


    ¡°Dying is so painful!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s kill each other at the same time. That way, we don¡¯t have to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Alright, on the count of three.¡± The two guards raised their spears.


    With an extremely fast countdown so that they didn''t lose their nerves, the two soon decapitated themselves to relay the information with the rest of Wen¡¯s clones.

 Chapter 296: Stop There Criminal Scum!

    FukinDeadBeat


    After the death of the two clones, several dozens of cultivators instantly moved at once. Every single one of them moved toward Punishment Hall. Spreading out like a fan to further reduce the chances of the voyeur escaping their pursuit. Each clone held different weapons that one could use to suspect them of being part of Heaven¡¯s Angels. Strangely shaped swords, spiked gauntlets that only covered their knuckles, multiple staff-like weapons, and one seemed to be even carrying a cooking pot in his hand with a maniacal grin on her face!


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re cooking up a rat today!¡± The supposed chef from the inner court cried out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget we still need to get information from her... So, please try not to kill her.¡± A spear-wielding disciple under a Pillar Elder politely asked with a veil masking his face.


    ¡°She also ate like two pills. So, her body won¡¯t be in a good condition when we catch her.¡± A young handsome Minor Elder added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be able to prevent her from dying for a time, I suppose.¡± The Major Elder spoke up, one hand behind his hunched over back. He stroked his long white beard in contemplation of how horrible her injuries would be.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s good that Jing let us borrow Zhi¡¯s medical book. Catching and interrogating spies is way easier when you know how to keep them from dying.¡± A child from the outer court grinned while carrying a hooked halberd behind him.


    The mysterious woman wasn¡¯t dumb enough to believe the two guards gave up that easily after revealing such important information. Instead of heading straight to her master¡¯s residence, she immediately slapped a talisman on herself and teleported outside the sect. Arriving at the entrance of the sect, two of the guards at the entrance noticed her sudden arrival. Upon noticing that outside the sect apparently meant, in front of the gate, she tried to flee as fast as she could when one of the two guards dashed at her.


    ¡®It must be one of his duplicates! They¡¯ve already infiltrated so deep!? First, it was two guards from the Punishment Hall and now one of the guards defending the entrance?¡¯ She cursed at how unlucky she was to land here.


    ¡°I¡¯ll apprehend this suspicious criminal! You call for support!¡± The duplicate shouted to his partner, pulling out his staff with sharp spiked at the end of it.


    ¡°G-Got it!¡± The other guard quickly ran inside the sect.


    The two dashed down the mountain that the Golden Serpent Sect was built upon. Wen could see blood leaking from multiple places on the woman¡¯s body and knew she couldn¡¯t hold on for much longer. Taking those two pills in succession had to internally damage her something terrible. It looks like his job in capturing her won¡¯t be as difficult as he thought.


    Wen¡¯s spiked staff smashed into the mountain cliffside, just narrowly missing the all-black clothed voyeur. Rock fragments exploded from his missed attack and pelted the woman who barely managed to dodge. The rocks slashed through her cloth and body, exposing her milky white soft skin. She threw multiple knives at his figure after his missed attack, forcing him to carefully block with his staff, allowing her to gain some distance from him.


    ¡®I can¡¯t be caught. I can¡¯t fail. I can¡¯t fail this mission before passing on my knowledge somehow!¡¯ Yanhui bit her lip in desperation.


    As they got closer to the base of the mountain, Yanhui¡¯s eyes glowed with hope. She could see a familiar group of women just below her! Yanhui didn¡¯t understand why they were down there or how they knew she was in trouble but at this moment she couldn¡¯t care less! Pulling out the last dregs of her energy, she sped towards them with everything she had left.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good at all...¡± Wen muttered as he reared his staff behind his head.


    With a merciless crack of his staff, Wen smashed his spiked staff into Yanhui¡¯s back, launching her toward the group of women seemingly waiting below for him or her. The spikes of his staff stabbed deeply into the woman¡¯s back before being violently ripped out, showering his guard robes in a spray of blood. Yanhui cried out in pain as her body was sent flying toward her allies. All of the women looked on in horror and worry as they went to catch Yanhui¡¯s body.


    ¡°Junior Sister!¡± Some of them cried out in shrill voices.


    ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Wen did not ignore this information as he softly landed in front of the group of women.


    Five to his one. Each one was close to his own cultivation stage or higher. Brute forcing his way through this isn¡¯t going to pan out well. Even if he tried to take them all out by giving everything this duplicate had, the aftermath of such a thing wouldn¡¯t end well. Looks like it¡¯s time to handle things as a pacifist should. Wen smiled as he politely cuffed his fist into his hand, greeting the women.


    ¡°Greetings. I am Shen Lao, Gate Guardian of the Golden Serpent Sect. I was just in the middle of apprehending this suspicious figure for questioning. May I know your names and purpose for standing at the base of the Golden Serpent Sect?¡± Wen didn¡¯t act submissive nor arrogant.


    His spiked staff wasn¡¯t holstered, meaning that if need be, they would be apprehended as well if they didn¡¯t give a sound reason for being at the base of the mountain and catching the criminal. All of the women glared at him with enough hatred to last him multiple lifetimes. This junior sister of theirs must be very loved. Wen could see that they were barely able to control themselves from attacking him as they looked at the wounds all over their junior sister¡¯s body. One of the women tried to feed the unconscious bloody girl a pill but Wen stopped it with a flick of qi.


    ¡°Aiding a criminal will only make yourselves into criminals. Please identify yourselves and your reasons for being here before I have to resort to force.¡± Wen knew exactly who these four girls were.


    ¡°I had enough of this guy, Eldest Sister! He nearly killed our Junior Sister and doesn¡¯t even put us in his eyes!¡± The shortest of the group erupted with qi.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Wenya for once.¡± A tall beauty pulled out a sword from its sheath.


    ¡°If you dare stop me again, I''ll break you limb from limb.¡± The weakest-looking girl who tried healing the voyeur threatened. Surprisingly enough, it did send a small chill down his spine.


    ¡°Girls.¡± The one who caught the voyeur spoke, silencing the others.


    ¡°I apologize, Mr. Shen. This is all just a major misunderstanding.¡± The most unimpressive of the group smiled kindly at him.


    Wen nearly tensed up in preparation for an attack at the killing intent hidden behind that smile. This wasn¡¯t your average cultivator... She alone would be more than enough to handle him at his full power. He¡¯s heard the rumors of this girl but the rumors really don¡¯t do her justice. She¡¯s a little bit out of his league to deal with. But it wasn¡¯t like he was planning to use force in this exchange anyway.


    ¡°A misunderstanding?¡± Wen smirked as if she was a fool. ¡°Look at her clothing and tell me that she isn¡¯t suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the Gate Guardian for the Golden Serpent Sect is on guard against someone simply for the clothes they wear?¡± She continued to smile.


    ¡°I am. It¡¯s my duty to be suspicious of everyone, regardless of their clothes. However, when someone is dressed like that suddenly teleporting in front of the gate of the Golden Serpent Sect and then immediately fleeing on being questioned, you can see why matters have come this far, yes?¡± Wen wanted to see exactly how she would defend such suspicious behavior.


    ¡°No, I cannot see any reason for things to have come this far.¡± She poked Yanhui¡¯s body in multiple places before feeding her a pill. ¡°If it was simply questioning her, then what is the reason for these grievous wounds you¡¯ve inflicted on her. It looks more like an attempt on her life if you ask me. Without my help, she would¡¯ve died in mere moments.¡±


    ¡°I gave her several warnings to stop running and give up. She can only blame herself for things to have come this far.¡± Wen lied without a problem. He didn¡¯t say a word as he tried to injure her as horribly as he could in an attempt to capture her.


    ¡°Is a Gate Guardian only this much? Has to rely on-¡± A beam of qi passed next to her face in the middle of her response. A small red line appeared on her cheek, leaking a small amount of blood down her face.


    ¡°I will not repeat myself again. Identify yourselves and your reasons for aiding a criminal under investigation.¡± Wen projected his qi outward, posturing heavily. He had the advantage to do anything he wanted since they still haven¡¯t clearly identified themselves.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s been a while since I''ve returned to the sect but have Gate Guardians really grown this bold and ignorant?¡± She questioned while touching the cut on her face as the atmosphere grew chillingly cold.


    Even the other girls started to back away at the sight of this. Wen momentarily wondered if he may have gone too far in his bluffing but still felt that he was in the right. While this girl was strong, it was strong in the sense that he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill her without risking death himself. Not strong enough to prevent him from running away at full speed if he felt his life in danger.


    ¡°Shen Lao, was it? I will remember that name...¡± She muttered to herself. ¡°I am Ai Ju. Head Elder Ru¡¯s First Disciple. All of us are Head Elder Ru¡¯s disciples and we are returning from a task given to us by our master.¡± Ai Ju explained.


    ¡°Is she included in that?¡± Wen asked for clarification''s sake.


    ¡°Yes. Now if you¡¯ll excuse us, we¡¯ll be going now.¡± The four began to walk.


    ¡°I apologize for the misunderstanding.¡± Wen cuffed his hands in a polite but non-apologetic tone. ¡°If you encounter the other guards, give them this and tell them it was all just a misunderstanding.¡± He tossed a golden token with the shape of a serpent imprinted on its front and back.


    Ai Ju caught the token and it nearly shattered to pieces from her grip as she stared at Wen. Said token wasn''t made out of any regular metal either but spirit metal...


    ¡°I hope to see you again soon Shen Lao.¡± Ai Ju and the others left with those words.


    Shen Lao felt tempted to kill himself then and there but there was no need as he locked eyes with another duplicate hiding in the distance. The duplicate offed itself as Shen Lao slowly made his way back up the mountain. It looks like they had an assassination mission in the very near future. Hopefully, that woman will be unconscious long enough for them to prepare to sneak into a Head Elder¡¯s residence.

 Chapter 297: Head Elder’s Support!?

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°Master! He nearly killed our Youngest Sister! Why won¡¯t you let us get revenge for her?!¡± Wenya shouted at her master.


    ¡°It¡¯s just some lowly Gate Guardian, isn¡¯t he? Or is his background more significant than we think?¡± Xia was just as confused and pissed off as Wenya, despite the two normally being at each other¡¯s throats.


    ¡°How big could it be that he doesn¡¯t even have our master in his eyes...?¡± Jia Li quietly pondered.


    ¡°Of course, his background is deep girls. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve torn him apart right then and there.¡± Ai Ju explained, slightly calming the worked-up girls.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the sect have labeled you as a traitor or something?¡± Wenya questioned worriedly.


    Ai Ju only gave a small laugh at that. She was Ai Ju, one of the greatest disciples in the sect. As the eldest disciple of a Head Elder, her potential and standing were too great to be thrown away for a mere gate guardian. Sure, she might have been punished by the elders for killing a Gate Guardian but it would basically be a slap on the wrist due to her position in the sect.


    It was the fact that he didn¡¯t recognize her or any of the other girls. They might have been gone for a few months but that didn¡¯t mean that all news of them would not be spread. Not to mention, to be a Gate Guardian is to undergo strict scrutiny from the sect. Your background was investigated, your character was investigated, and even those you associate with were questioned. Every single bit and piece of a Gate Guardian was placed under review by the Serpent Hall. That hall deals with the internal problems of the sect.


    For someone to be accepted by the Serpent Hall in only a matter of a few months was nothing short of a miracle or unbelievable bribery. Ai Ju was only able to deduce this after cooling her head once she had a small chat with her master when she stabilized Yanhui¡¯s condition. She looked to her master, interested in seeing if her guess was correct. No doubt, she had her own methods far superior to her own in gaining information inside and outside the sect. It was because of that, that they managed to acquire many rare plants for her out on their mission. Ai Ju¡¯s master knew the sellers, all she had to do was ensure payment was paid and no one tried to cheat them because they were women.


    ¡°That Gate Guardian isn¡¯t just a Gate Guardian. Your guess was almost accurate, Xiao Ai.¡± Elder Ru calmly smiled.


    In front of Elder Ru were hundreds and hundreds of spirit plants that would take centuries and millennia to grow. The smile on Elder Ru¡¯s face threatened to split her lip as she looked at the immeasurably valuable stock of spirit plants growing in her garden. A feat only possible thanks to the incredibly small plot of soil taken from a very unusual little disciple. If information about the types of plants in her garden was spread to the outside world, it wouldn¡¯t take long for the world to single-handedly come together to rob and wipe the Golden Serpent Sect off the face of the earth.


    ¡°Almost?¡± Ai Ju wondered what she missed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for not knowing. After all, you girls were gone for quite a while. A new group of disciples recently appeared in the sect. A very interesting group of disciples.¡± Elder Ru continued to smile.


    ¡°Is that Gate Guardian a part of that group?¡± Wenya guessed.


    ¡°You¡¯re also close but not quite there.¡± Elder Ru answered. ¡°I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s a main member but he is surely associated with them.¡±


    ¡°How could you tell? Do they have something that sets them apart?¡± Jia Li asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, they do. Does anyone want to guess what that might be?¡± Elder Ru gave them a chance to test their critical thinking skills.


    ¡°His attitude?¡± Wenya suggested.


    Elder Ru gently shook her head. The other girls continued to think back on their experience with the arrogant Gate Guardian. ¡°Was it his lack of knowledge about us?¡± Xia asked next. Elder Ru shook her head to that answer as well.


    ¡°His weapon.¡± Ai Ju suddenly realized. Elder Ru gave a small nod, indicating her to explain further. ¡°When have you ever seen a Gate Guardian using a weapon that wasn¡¯t a sword?¡± She asked the others. To their amazement, they genuinely couldn¡¯t think of a single time when entering or leaving the sect that the Gate Guardians didn¡¯t have a sword on them.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time because of how furious I was but it makes sense...¡± Jia Li added.


    ¡°So, their group uses weapons people don¡¯t use often?¡± Wenya tried to simplify it for herself.


    ¡°The method of identifying them isn¡¯t 100%, but I''ve found success in using it so far. The cute little group managed to infiltrate themselves quite deeply in the sect. As far as I know, I''m one of the very few people aware of this internal disaster just waiting to happen.¡± Elder Ru revealed.


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anything been done yet then? Have you not told anyone, Master?¡± Jia Li was confused.


    ¡°No, and I don¡¯t plan to. It was only because of their leader that this,¡± She gestured to all the spirit plants. ¡°is even possible.¡± Elder Ru let the realization settle into their heads.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re not going to wipe them out?¡± Ai Ju couldn¡¯t hide the anger in her voice.


    ¡°You can certainly try but I doubt it would end well for you all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about what happened to Junior Sister, Master?!¡± Wenya couldn¡¯t help but be displeased by what her Master was suggesting.


    ¡°I never ordered her to investigate them. She took it upon herself to satisfy her own curiosity. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t have been upset even if she died, as long as she didn¡¯t implicate me in her own foolish mission. Let me tell you here and now, I am perfectly content with the way things are unfolding in the sect.¡± Elder Ru stated plainly for all her disciples to hear as she gently caressed an incredibly rare spirit fruit grown from the soil previously owned by the sect¡¯s little monster.


    The disciples could barely believe what they were hearing. Surprise, sorrow, and betrayal were reflected in their eyes. While their Junior Sister was rash, did she really deserve to die over it? Did their master even care about them?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that you foolish girls. Do you understand the value of what I''ve gained from their group compared to you all? I¡¯ve spent years molding, training, and teaching you all but not a single one of you was gifted enough in pill refining for me to pass down my secret refining techniques to you. I took you all in on account of your potential in alchemy but none of you had the drive or motivation to continue improving yourselves in refining. You took the easy way out and focused on the martial path while benefitting from my pills, herbs, and position within the sect. I¡¯ve gained more from that little monster in a day than I have taking care of you for dozens of years!¡± Elder Ru glared at the four girls.


    ¡°Then why even keep us around...?¡± Ai Ju glared at her Master with pain in her eyes. The others were on the verge of tears.


    ¡°I¡¯ve wasted all this time taking care of you so far. I might as well keep at it, hoping you¡¯ll do something to pay back all the years and resources I put into you. However, if any of you do something as stupid as Yanhui did and implicate me again in some harebrained scheme, I''ll be the first one to hand them over to the little monster.¡± Elder Ru answered fiercely.


    ¡°Did we really mean that little to you...? Just because we didn¡¯t want to become Pill Masters like you...¡± Ai Ju asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean little to me, girls. Look, I apologize. I should¡¯ve made myself clearer. The value of you all, does not reach even 1% of this tiny plot of soil. If it came between choosing you and the path of immortality that every cultivator desires, I would choose this soil ten times out of ten. If you are upset by that, simply become more valuable. The world has no use for useless people when there is a better alternative.¡± Elder Ru simplified.


    The disciples were soon shooed out of the garden as Elder Ru went back to happily taking care of her babies. Elder Ru planned to support the sect¡¯s little monster with everything she had. That strange plot of soil that she got from who knows where was enough to satisfy Elder Ru¡¯s core desires as a pill refiner. An infinite amount of materials to make an infinite number of pills. Soon her breakthrough to immortality will only be in a matter of decades thanks to Jing. The Golden Serpent Sect¡¯s future was limitless and placing that little monster as the new sect leader would eventually place them as the #1 sect in the world with the pills she was going to make.

 Chapter 298: Nicknames and Titles!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Back at the tournament, things were heating up for the Qi Consolidators as their portion in the tournament was nearing its end. The prodigies and geniuses were finally being pitted against one another. Disciples who were raking in the money-making and placing bets made it to the point where they had no clue which genius would win or lose. Strength wasn¡¯t the defining factor of a fight in this tournament like it usually is everywhere else. No, what mattered was how well the geniuses were able to work with their teammates.


    Something that most geniuses never bothered to do. If anything, their innate nature predisposed them into categorizing their teammates as leeches or deadweight. Only Jie had anything pleasant to say about her teammates from those of Heaven''s Angels. Xiucai¡¯s teammates hated his guts. Out of Ying¡¯s teammates, one wanted to slowly flail her alive with her graceful sword techniques while the other seemed exhausted just by her existence.


    ¡°It looks like I''m going up first.¡± Ying grinned with her greatsword held over her shoulder.


    ¡°I know that blue-haired girl is annoying but try not to kill her no matter what she says...¡± Bing tried giving Ying advice. He didn¡¯t actually know if she was annoying or not but decided not to argue against Ying¡¯s description of her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Ying didn¡¯t give any promises. Even now she was still debating how to horribly kill her with little Hao Gang. Little Gang didn¡¯t mind being showered in her blood and making Ying satisfied.


    ¡°You could always deal with her after the tournament.¡± Bing tried to give a reasonable alternative for Ying.


    ¡°Bing. Why are you so concerned about this girl, you haven¡¯t even spoken to?¡± Ying suddenly asked, staring him in the eyes.


    Despite the shiver Bing felt in his bones at such a question, he didn¡¯t hold back his response. ¡°I don¡¯t see what was the point of you making it this far in the tournament if you¡¯re just going to throw it away. Didn¡¯t you want to test yourself and see how you compared to the rest of the sect?¡± Bing questioned. ¡°By giving in to her taunts, you won¡¯t do what you set out to do in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I guess when you put it like that...¡± Ying was irritated but at the same time satisfied.


    Bing wasn¡¯t interested in that small-chested bitch but was just concerned about her instead. A faint blush appeared on Ying¡¯s cheeks as she walked to the ring with a smile on her face. Ying had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t be long until they were married with ten kids if he kept this behavior up. She could only control herself so much!


    Ying¡¯s teammates made it up on the ring at the same time as her. Shen Su, the talented sword user glared at her when she arrived while Kuai, the spellmaster gifted in movement spells, simply sighed at the sight of the two. Ying was still picturing the future life for her and Bing and their many many children, so she took no notice of either Su or Kuai. Su simply threw backhanded insults at the daydreaming Ying before their match began.


    ¡°I think the Earth-Cleaving Blazing Sword Maiden will win this one.¡±


    ¡°Is that really what they¡¯re calling her?¡±


    ¡°I think Blazing Sword Maiden is good enough.¡±


    ¡°But look at that thing! It has to be mentioned in the name somewhere!¡±


    ¡°It is. The sword part.¡± They rolled their eyes.


    ¡°But it''s not just a sword!¡±


    ¡°Fine, how about Blazing Demonic Sword Maiden?¡±


    Multiple nods agreed on this nickname for Heaven¡¯s Angels only swordsman. Several disciples and sometimes elders were thinking of suitable monikers for Heaven¡¯s Angels before they were released into the wider world. Bing was called Man-Eating Abomination. Wan Qing¡¯s nickname was The Reversed Heavenly Butterfly. Lei Zhi was known as the Blind Savior.


    Bing was at first horrified by the title he was known by. Then he thought on it some more and realized, it was actually quite fitting. While the name, Man-Eating Abomination, pictured him as a blood-thirsty cannibalistic monster, at the same time it¡¯ll prove as quite the deterrent for anyone wanting to cause trouble with him. Who would want to mess with the person known to eat other human beings? He knows he definitely wouldn¡¯t.


    Wan Qing was more than pleased with her known title. It was graceful, beautiful, feminine, and accurate. While she would be fine with just the Heavenly Butterfly part, the Reversed part didn¡¯t bother her at all. After all, her yang was reversed into yin entirely. Not to mention, her connection with the strange butterfly species that somehow have taken root in her dantian and created a hive inside her. Qing hoped this didn¡¯t have an effect on the future children she planned on having. She didn¡¯t know if she was part human part butterfly at this point and if her children would be the same. Nor if that would be a good thing or a bad thing in the long run.


    Lei Zhi only smiled at his given title. While he would have preferred The Blind Healer or Doctor, savior is fine too. It¡¯s just that to him savior seems fitting for a justice-sided cultivator. Since he was a part of the Golden Serpent Sect, he was just a little surprised that they would use such a word for him. But then again, which part of him seemed at all anything like the typical wicked cultivator? Lei wouldn¡¯t define himself as either justice or wicked. In his goal of reforming the world¡¯s youths, such useless ways of identifying someone would only be counterproductive. He also thought that ultimately there was no real difference between justice cultivators and wicked cultivators at heart. Two sides of the same coin... That was how Jing described it. Quite fitting now that he thought about it.


    Su Jie¡¯s moniker was still undecided after her quick match from before. The women of the sect disliked the men¡¯s nickname for her: Fighting Maniac¡¯s Woman. She should have something that suited her and until they found that out, they should hold off on giving her a title. The men couldn¡¯t disagree with this, especially when Su Jie glared at anyone that argued against the women.


    Runt had a similar title to Lei Zhi. He was known as Little Doctor and with Qin Jue¡¯s fierce attachment to him, she was given one that was related to his. Jue¡¯s being Little Doctor¡¯s Nurse. She adored the title and had no problem with it whatsoever. Overall, Runt didn¡¯t mind being known as Little Doctor. He did plan to eventually gain money traveling as a doctor if he couldn¡¯t figure out anything else he wanted to do in the future.


    Lin Shu, He Wenqing, and Xiucai shared one title: Blind Savior¡¯s Apprentices. Lin Shu and He Wenqing were immediately not impressed with this title. There were several reasons for it but the main reason was that it did nothing to make them stand out from one another. Sure, they were all Lei Zhi¡¯s disciples but that didn¡¯t mean they were all the same!


    Lin Shu was planning to declare herself as the Beautiful Peerless Doctor. He Wenqing wanted something a little less daunting from Lin¡¯s title. He wanted something like The Common Doctor. In the future, he planned to travel across the world and treat mortals too poor to receive proper treatment from actual doctors. Back in his village, receiving medical treatment was mostly a dream due to the greedy doctor in their village.


    Xiucai told Lin and He that he didn¡¯t care what his title would be. He¡¯ll simply do what he wants to do. After he gets strong enough to deal with his clan, maybe he could make a living as a wandering doctor. If others wanted to give him a name or title for what he¡¯ll do, that¡¯s their business. All he cares about is gaining the freedom to have the choice to do whatever he pleased.


    Li Li was given the title, Peerless Demonic Owl while Jing was called The Peerless Angel or Little Monster. Most disciples started to refer to her as Little Monster thanks to the elders calling her that. Very few still call her The Peerless Angel because only one part of it seemed to fit. As far as they knew, angels weren¡¯t brown! Hell, her pet owl was better off being called Peerless Angelic Owl than Demonic but his behavior in the matches firmly suited that of someone demonic. Little Monster was much more fitting of a title for her in the disciple¡¯s eyes.


    There was her small height, unusual skin color, and inconceivable talent. The first matching with little and the latter fitting monster. Jing didn¡¯t mind the title. Out of her several lives, she¡¯s had probably millions of titles thus far. Some good, some bad, and some just strange. It didn¡¯t matter that much what she would be referred to as. In the end, when things go according to plan, history will be written the way she wants it. After all, history is written by the winners.

 Chapter 299: Ying’s Fight to the Death!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Ying¡¯s daydream with Bing and their future children ended with a harsh smack on the back from her team¡¯s spellmaster. She felt the weight on her body become significantly lighter. The smallest of steps would surely send her flying right into the middle of the enemy team. While she wanted to give a glare to the slightly-satisfied spellmaster, the annoying words of a flying bug drifted into her ears.


    The blue-haired graceful swordsman, Shen Su, couldn¡¯t help but taunt the dazed and idle Ying as she disappeared from her previous spot. ¡°Stay out of my way, you fatty-loving cow.¡± Shen Su grinned after leaving her message in Ying¡¯s ear. She charged straight into the middle of the enemy team as a fiery explosion seemed to combust from behind her.


    Ying¡¯s explosion of flames seemed to manifest into a vengeful female deity. No one could accurately describe the large woman they saw floating above the Blazing Demonic Sword Maiden but everyone single one of them could feel the fire licking their skin just by looking at her unexplainable beautiful rage. The ring melted into something black and liquid-like when Ying rushed forward in a straight line right toward Shen Su.


    Shen Su¡¯s instincts screamed at her immediately. Even before Ying moved, just the sound of the fiery combustion was enough to put her on the defensive. So, when Ying suddenly appeared behind her while she was in the middle of their three opponents, she was already prepared to dodge anything that came at her. While she didn¡¯t expect the fat cow to actually try to kill her for insulting that fat slob, it looks like she was right! Ying really did have feelings for that fatty!


    Ying only saw red as she stood over Shen Su¡¯s body. Her giant sword was raised overhead, ready to cleave the mouthy bitch into two. Not a single thought was spared for the three surrounding Shen Su or the disciples and elders that would get affected by the aftermath of her unrestrained slash. Ying didn¡¯t handle insults to herself very well. She was more than willing to kill for less. She¡¯s done so before.


    Insulting Bing? Insulting her feelings for Bing? The cute, adorable, peaceful man she decided to choose as her husband?! There was only one path for Shen Su to tread after such a thoughtless remark.


    AND THAT WAS DEATH!


    ¡°Mountain Cleaving Slash!¡± Ying shouted.


    ¡°Did I hit a nerve?¡± Shen Su smirked as multiple life-saving treasures activated on her body. Several circular barriers protected her body as hell unleashed around and behind her.


    ¡°Tch!¡± Multiple elders rushed in to contain the damage from Ying¡¯s slash.


    A sea of bright orange flames rose on the left and right sides of Shen Su. They shot into the sky, several meters tall and wide. A greedy hungry fire ocean wanting to devour all that is and ever was surged around the ring. The three surrounding Shen Su turned into ash and then nothingness before the elders could even attempt to save them. Kuai, the spellmaster on Ying and Su¡¯s team, immediately fled as far as he could with a movement talisman once he saw the loss of all sanity in Ying¡¯s eyes.


    The elders were forced into forcefully dispersing the flames with their own qi. A task that proved harder for some of the lower staged elders and caught the curiosity of a few as well. None of them had the time to focus on Ying and her target to protect the rest of the disciples. Shen Su cleverly took advantage of the fact that such a big move would definitely leave Ying vulnerable afterward. Ying¡¯s eyes bulged as she saw Shen Su unharmed and completely fine after taking her unrestrained sword move.


    ¡°If it means that much to you, I''ll send him off with you.¡± Shen Su effortlessly impaled Ying through the stomach with her blade. ¡°Maybe in your next life, you¡¯ll be able to be together.¡± She laughed.


    Despite having a cold long sword slowly thrust through her gut, Ying didn¡¯t so much as twitch in pain from it. Her eyes seemed to have turned into balls of raging fire. She stared into Shen Su¡¯s twinkling blue eyes and fiercely grabbed her thin wrists tightly holding onto the sword impaled into her body. It didn¡¯t take much effort on Ying¡¯s part to crush her wrists.


    A muffled scream escaped Shen Su¡¯s throat as she bit her lip to stop her screaming. She surged qi within her blade and began to make a mess of Ying¡¯s body through her sword as Ying dropped her wrists and slowly pulled back her fist. Blood dripped from her mouth and stomach but qi continued to build in her fist. Both Shen Su and Ying knew what would happen if that fist landed on Su¡¯s pretty face.


    Ying was neither just a body cultivator nor a qi cultivator. Just like Hu Tao, she chose to progress in both body and qi through her cultivation. She didn¡¯t believe that she could ever catch up or defeat Hu Tao if she focused on one over the other. So, with the help of Jing¡¯s resources and her own ambitious nature, she went down the most difficult and costly path. As far as she knows, only Jing, Hu Tao, and herself were the only ones to do so. Not including Li Li.


    Ying¡¯s come a long way in her body cultivation. While she was nowhere near Bing¡¯s raw strength, very few people among her peers were capable of taking a qi-less strike from her without using qi to defend. And little miss bitch used up all of her life-saving treasures to block her first attack. Ying only smiled as she felt the qi from Shen Su¡¯s sword tearing through her innards.


    Her fist continued to glow brighter and brighter until it burst into dark violet flames. Shen Su couldn¡¯t help but scream for help as Ying¡¯s fist soared toward her face. A deep innate fear filled her soul as it neared her. She didn¡¯t understand it and she didn¡¯t want to understand it. All she wanted was for this big-chested bitch to hurry up and die!


    ¡°Interesting...¡± A pillar elder easily blocked Ying¡¯s fist filled with enough power to severely injure someone more than two major stages above her. His fist glowed with a gentle white flame, seemingly eating Ying¡¯s fire.


    He separated Ying and Shen Su from one another as a small trail of blood leaked from his mouth. For a little Qi Consolidation disciple to injure someone like him, what an amazing talent... That purple flame couldn¡¯t be any ordinary flame. Although he had no proof, he had a feeling that this girl¡¯s flame was something legendary...


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± The pillar elder flicked two pills into both Shen Su and Ying¡¯s mouths before taking them and disappearing from the stage.


    ______________________________________________


    ¡°Should we be worried?¡± Bing asked.


    ¡°...¡± Jing knew the elder that took Ying from some of her past life experiences.


    Pan Yi was his name. The creator and first master of the Hell-Devouring Flames. The Hell-Devouring Flames was the name of his self-created martial arts meant for and against anything flame-natured. With this martial art, there were few flame-natured objects, beasts, and people that could harm them.


    Jing assumed that this master was interested in taking Ying as his disciple. Why he also took Shen Su, she had no clue. She doesn¡¯t remember anything about him being lecherous or perverted. Just that he only had one disciple and taught him everything before dying in a battle against the future Ice Leopard Queen. Jing didn¡¯t have a problem with him taking Ying as his disciple. As long as Ying also agreed, there was nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Ying would message us if she needed aid.¡± Lei Zhi reminded him of their communication talismans.


    ¡°Oh yeah...¡± Bing pulled out his talisman, ready to read it if a message came.


    ¡°Well, that was something...¡± Lin Shu wasn¡¯t sure how to react after such a scary and exciting match like that. Could she become that strong if she stayed in this group long enough?!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was so strong...¡± He Wenqing was terrified.


    ¡°...¡± Xiucai only felt validated in trusting his instincts earlier. This group was truly the place he needed to stay if he wanted to break free from his clan. It was only with these monsters would he truly grow strong enough to live how he pleased.


    ¡°Jie, you¡¯re not going to explode like that if someone talks about Hu Tao badly, are you?¡± Lin Shu asked.


    ¡°Maybe when I first met him. I really didn¡¯t like him back then. If someone teased me about it enough, I''d probably explode like Ying did up there. But now, there isn¡¯t much someone could say to get that kind of reaction from me regarding him.¡± Su Jie answered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any nerve points like that either do you Xiucai?¡± He Wenqing asked.


    ¡°?¡± Xiucai shrugged his shoulders. He didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Well if someone does say something about us, don¡¯t let it get to you. Me and He may not be as strong as you but we¡¯re not helpless to defend ourselves!¡± Lin Shu roughly patted his shoulder in reassurance. It was only him and Jie left in the competition from Heaven¡¯s Angels.

 Chapter 300: Approaching The End!

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°Those Heavenly Angels are pretty interesting, don¡¯t you think?¡± Gong Jun gave a small smile.


    They were the group that knocked Tang out during the second test and stole his goodies. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that he held quite the little grudge against them for ganging up on him. In Jun¡¯s mind, it was more of the fact that all of them were so strong but still ganged up on him to steal his collected treasure. He didn¡¯t stand a chance against them, which pissed him off something terrible. The week before the final test, Tang put himself through hell against 3rd Senior, Chao.


    Little Tang¡¯s anger didn¡¯t fade in the slightest as the angels were knocked out one by one in unusual ways. Attacking teammates, accidentally killing their opponents, and sometimes just not even taking the match seriously enough. Jun was rather amused to see such talented peers. Perhaps if it wasn¡¯t for this tournament, he never would¡¯ve taken notice of them. He looked forward to getting to know them in the future. Along with knocking out Little Tang, they also knocked out his fianc¨¦e during the second test. Maybe if she saw Fu Kang¡¯s loss against him, she might¡¯ve run away.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Tang didn¡¯t bother humoring Jun.


    The fool was simply looking to mess with his nerves before his match. Tang disliked this tournament¡¯s style immensely. Teamwork? Cooperation? Working with his lessers as if they were equals? All of it heavily pressed against everything Tang was taught growing up in the world and he hated the feeling. It wasn¡¯t comfortable doing something he wasn¡¯t used to.


    Everyone knew that talent was everything. What was the point of this strange tournament in the first place? While Tang could still show his superiority and talent in comparison to his teammates, it didn¡¯t feel as good if he was doing it alone. It felt like he was latched on by two blood-thirsty leeches!


    ¡°Good luck Little Tang. If you¡¯re lucky, you might face Hu Tao¡¯s woman in the finals.¡± Gong Jun waved.


    ¡°Hmph. You should watch out for yourself, idiot. You¡¯re not safe either.¡± Tang huffed as he walked to the ring with his leeches.


    ¡°I think I''ll be a bit luckier than you, Junior Brother.¡± Gong Jun looked at Xiucai from a distance. ¡®Fighting an apprentice of a disciple doesn¡¯t seem that challenging. I¡¯m interested in seeing just how far that masked disciple can push me.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Do what¡¯s expected.¡± Were Tang¡¯s only words to his two teammates.


    ¡°Yes!¡± They replied promptly.


    After seeing Tang Wuying¡¯s overwhelming talent in their first match, the two of them did everything they could to support his power in the match. Leech #1 even took up the bow when he was just a humble spellmaster. Leech #2 relied on his tamed spirit beasts to provide distractions while Tang cleaned up their enemies.


    The match started and their opponents huddled up together as Tang slowly walked toward them with his giant boomerang still attached to his back. Leech #1 wrapped talisman spells on his arrows before firing them toward the stationary group. Leech #2 sent his carnivorous group of spirit beasts forward. Tang watched it all, waiting to see how his enemies would respond.


    The arrows arrived first. They cut them down as they came but soon realized that simply blocking them wasn¡¯t a feasible strategy. After the arrows were cut, the spells still activated! Fire combusted, lightning shocked, and ice froze. The enemy trio was forced into splitting up, lest they continue to bring harm to themselves. The mixed group of man-eating spirit beasts were more than happy to see this as they chased after the lone cultivators.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re finished.¡± An audience member commented.


    ¡°Yep. They lost once they were overwhelmed by Tang¡¯s teammates.¡±


    ¡°They lost one they were put up against Rising Dragon Tang in the first place.¡±


    Even the elders saw the conclusion of this match coming soon. Tang soon disappeared from the sight of most once his enemies split up. A punch here, a kick there, and a slam into the ground over there, and the match was finished! All three opponents were knocked out instantly and the referee called the match. Tang¡¯s team won with no elders thinking otherwise.


    Then it was Gong Jun¡¯s turn. Just like he guessed, he was facing off against Xiucai from Heaven¡¯s Angels. He had a feeling the matches were rigged against Heavenly Angels for some reason. Well, that was no reason for him to let his guard down. If he lost before Little Tang, where was he going to put his face as his Senior Brother?


    ¡°Learn as much as you can.¡± Jing shared words with the little assassin.


    ¡°...¡± Xiucai now felt terribly anxious about this match after hearing those words from Jing of all people.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pray for you...¡± Lin Shu also realized that Xiucai¡¯s opponent might be much for him if Jing told him that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be here ready to fix any injuries you get!¡± He Wenqing clutched his fist in a show of support.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say he was going to lose, right?¡± Bing was confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a difficult match for sure.¡± Lei Zhi could see the dense amount of qi within Gong Jun. ¡°But the size of one¡¯s qi doesn¡¯t determine everything. Don¡¯t forget, the focus on this tournament is teamwork and cooperation.¡± Zhi reminded him.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Xiucai nodded toward his master and headed to the ring.


    Jing wondered what her angels got up to during the second test. Unlike Tang, Gong didn¡¯t harbor any dislike or killing intent toward them. Either they slighted Tang and not Gong or they must be the reason why she couldn¡¯t find any sign of Fu Kang or Liu Lan in the tournament or the week before the tournament. Did they serve them up on a silver platter for him or did he just get lucky?


    Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter all that much. While Tang and Jun¡¯s uses have been severely reduced ever since her 10,000 lives, Jing didn¡¯t plan to throw them away. Being wasteful is not a trait she planned to have nor ever had. Jing''s alter ego, Lucky, has them in her clutches quite tightly.


    As Xiucai is now, he can¡¯t win against Jun. Jun has had months with the gift she gave him. Xiucai has barely a month under Lei Zhi¡¯s tutelage. Even with the help of his spirit beast, a good showing should be all that he¡¯s capable of. Hopefully, Jun will be a good sport. Jie¡¯s fight against Tang will be rather interesting. She¡¯s even more of a noble compared to Tang¡¯s background. Her time in the group has mellowed her out quite a bit but at her roots, she was a noble for sure. Jie must be itching to show the results of the training Jing put her through before the tournament.


    So far, Jie hasn¡¯t been pushed at all in the tournament and neither has Tang. Jing couldn¡¯t quite guess who would win in their fight. Tang has had her refined weapon in his hands since the start of his time at the sect. Months of time training and honing his mastery of its power and how to wield it. Jie had no time to learn to comfortable use her refined weapon just some martial arts. She¡¯ll have to put out all the stops if she wants to win this one. Tang has too many advantages over her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to show off this time masked kid.¡± Chu Hua stood over him.


    ¡°...¡± Xiucai didn¡¯t look up at her but ignored her.


    She bit her bottom lip in furious hatred. This commoner dared ignore her!? She was a part of the famous Chu Clan and planned to show the talent of one with the blood of the Chu proudly flowing through her veins! He was nothing more than a doctor¡¯s apprentice but found the nerve to treat her like air?!


    ¡°You!¡± Chu Hua snatched him by his collar and held him up off of the ground and stared into his eyes.


    As she was about to threaten him and go on and off about her clan, Hua suddenly found her tongue stuck in her throat as she got lost in Xiucai¡¯s sparkling golden eyes. She didn¡¯t notice the index finger pressed to her throat as her heart started to ramp up in speed for reasons she didn¡¯t know. Chu Bolin did on the other hand. His spear was pressed to the back on the little assassin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Bolin threatened, killing intent harshly pressing down on Xiucai.


    ¡°Down.¡± Xiucai spoke to the now dazed girl holding him up.


    Chu Hua coughed as she placed him down, finally returning back to the land of reality. She fixed his outfit, patted any dust on him off, and stepped back away from him with her face a little bit red.


    ¡°I apologize for my rude actions. I¡¯m going to make it up to you after the tournament at that new shop.¡± Chu Hua¡¯s entire demeanor seems to have changed.


    ¡°...¡± Xiucai didn¡¯t know what to think.


    ¡°...¡± Chu Bolin was suddenly reminded his Young Miss was still a young girl despite her impressive height. She could still get crushes on boys!

 Chapter 301: Xiucai Vs Gong Jun!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Xiucai immediately summoned Guang and Hei as the match began. He locked eyes with Gong Jun who gently smiled at him. Gong¡¯s teammates focused their attention on the Chu¡¯s looked like they planned on ignoring Xiucai completely. The two land orca spirit beasts awaited Xiucai¡¯s commands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a good fight, Xiucai. No hard feelings no matter who wins, alright?¡± Gong spoke to him.


    ¡°...¡± Xiucai nodded. He had no prior or current grievances with this man.


    ¡°You know, I really don¡¯t like the feeling of being ignored so thoroughly.¡± Chu Hua grinded her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m a genius too, you know? I¡¯m just more low-key than you fame-hungry losers.¡± She was speaking about the Rising Dragons and some members of Heaven¡¯s Angels.


    Chu Hua¡¯s claims weren¡¯t unfounded. An 8th stage Qi Consolidation swordsman below the age of 18 was indeed a genius. The Chu Clan wasn¡¯t known to regularly produce geniuses but it wasn¡¯t like they weren¡¯t a significant figure in the cultivation world either. Chu Hua actually had the highest cultivation rank of everyone on the stage.


    It was just that her temperament was so bad, that people couldn¡¯t help but underestimate her. Even now, most of the people in the audience thought she was just some loud-mouth braggart. They were more excited to see the Blind Savior¡¯s apprentice face off against the Rising Dragon Gong Jun. Just how powerful were Heaven¡¯s Angels in comparison to the Rising Dragons?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Xiucai even counts as an angel, you know? I heard he only joined the group recently.¡±


    ¡°That might be true. He doesn¡¯t even have a strange weapon like some of the others.¡±


    ¡°I guess you have to prove yourself to the others before they consider you worthy of wielding a trademark symbol of the group. ¡°


    ¡°I wonder how I can become a member of Heaven¡¯s Angels...?¡±


    ¡°Heh, give it up. They only accept the gifted.¡±


    ¡°Gifted? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve been watching the same fights, I have but they mostly rely on sky-ranked martial arts and sky-ranked treasures to win.¡±


    ¡°So, they rely on their skill and luck to win? It sounds like your just envious you''re not as prosperous as them.¡±


    ¡°Anyone would be envious, idiot.¡±


    Chu Bolin had a feeling his Young Miss wanted to prove herself and let off some steam at not being the center of attention for once. He stepped aside as she strode forward to deal with Gong Jun¡¯s allies by herself. His eyes watched the two closely, ready to jump in at a moment¡¯s notice in case the Young Miss needed help. Chu Hua unsheathed both of her curved blades as she continued to slowly walk toward the two.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just some pretty face, Prince Jun.¡± Chu Hua glared at Gong. ¡°Primordial Solar Body Technique!¡± She shouted.


    Chu Hua¡¯s body glowed with a yellow light, warming and brightening the area around her. With a few casual slashes at her two opponents, bright yellow qi slashes flew at them. The two jumped away, avoiding the qi attacks only to realize that Chu Hua had complete control of the flying sword strikes. She slashed out several more and in no time, Gong¡¯s teammates were being overwhelmed by dangerous sword lights easily capable of severing a limb!


    ¡°It looks like I did underestimate you, Chu Heiress. My apologies.¡± Gong Jun wasn¡¯t above apologizing when he was in the wrong. ¡°It looks like our battle will have to wait Xiucai.¡± Gong turned to look at the masked boy, only to realize he was missing.


    ¡°!!!¡± The hair on Jun¡¯s neck rose in alarm.


    Jun felt a finger jab deeply into his neck just before he could unsheathe his sword. A relieved expression soon took his face as he transformed into Jelly. He tried swallowing the little ninja whole just to be beset by his two mutated spirit beasts. The third-generation assassin vanished from his senses as he felt his body being ravaged by the sonic cry of the land orcas.


    His jelly form shook with such intensity that he soon burst into a million little green droplets! The two spirit beasts stopped their deadly song after seeing this sight, unsure if they killed him or not. Jun quickly reformed his body when the two beasts turned their heads to look at their owner. With two quick swipes of his jelly sword, green goo was fired at the spirit beasts that swallowed them whole and immobilized them in jelly.


    Now that they were taken care of, Jun began setting up his ultimate sword technique. At least, that was what he planned to do until he felt a finger pierce through his abdomen and actually affect his main body. His jelly form shifted back into his regular one as Xiucai appeared underneath him. The sneaky assassin then struck forward with his index finger toward his forehead. Gong Jun was helpless to resist after being forced back into his main body.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t think anyone could truly affect me while I was in that state.¡¯ Gong Jun smiled helplessly.


    It would be rather embarrassing if he lost like this. Not to mention, his pride would be quite damaged even if he said all that stuff earlier about having a good fight no matter who wins or loses. That¡¯s something that only the winner says to seem like a good sport! He didn¡¯t actually want to lose!


    The goo trapping Guang and Hei released them as it rushed through the air, barely managing to save Gong Jun in time. Xiucai¡¯s finger deeply impacted the jelly but did not manage to pierce it. After his failed assassination attempt, Xiucai quickly fled as he ordered Guang and Hei to charge Gong. Chu Hua even decided to join in as she wasn¡¯t just some idiot. This was a tournament about teamwork and cooperation, wasn¡¯t it? She also told Bolin to assist her, Gong Jun wasn¡¯t a Rising Dragon for nothing.


    However, Gong Jun was no longer playing around after that close call. His jelly longsword began to violently shake and vibrate before multiple globs of green shot into the sky. Everyone watched as the sky seemed to split into several green swords before falling down like a meteor shower of blades. Xiucai¡¯s eyes widened as he hurriedly recalled Guang and Hei back into their capture beads while relying on his inhuman flexibility to dodge and avoid the falling blades. The Chu¡¯s deflected any swords falling near them with their weapons.


    ¡°This is my ultimate technique. Sword Graveyard.¡± Gong Jun politely informed. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to meet anyone amongst my peers capable of defending against it. I¡¯m excited to see if you three have what it takes. It¡¯s a work in process, you see?¡± He admitted with a chuckle.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Chu Hua scoffed as she looked at the swords implanted in the ground all around her. ¡°Bolin. Don¡¯t let him touch me.¡± She ordered as she rose her arm into the air.


    ¡°Killing Technique: Solar Armageddon.¡± A fearsome gathering of qi focused in Chu Hua¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Defensive Technique: Heaven¡¯s Inescapable Net!¡± Bolin fiercely spun his spear as he stood in front of Chu Hua.


    ¡°Impressive...¡± Gong Jun complimented before suddenly disappearing.


    A sharp shriek echoed around the ring as Jun and Bolin clashed. Jun picked up a nearby sword as he clashed with Bolin and swiped at his legs, forcing Bolin to flip out of the way. As he flipped to dodge the attack, Jun kicked two blades, one at Xiucai and the other at Hua. The sudden flying blade sliced through Xiucai¡¯s side as he wasn¡¯t expecting Jun to be able to find him before he even attacked! Xiucai got injured badly but it wasn¡¯t enough to completely take him out of the fight. Chu Bolin deflected the incoming blade headed toward his Young Miss as he finished his flip but wasn¡¯t able to block the sword slash aimed at him by Jun.


    Jun left his sword embedded in Bolin¡¯s shoulder as he grabbed another blade stabbed into the ground and slashed across Bolin¡¯s midsection. He grunted in pain as a frown formed on Chu Hua¡¯s face. She could see the blood from Xiucai¡¯s wound leaking onto the ring even if she couldn¡¯t find the boy himself. Bolin received multiple sword wounds as he tried to defend both himself and Chu Hua.


    Gong Jun¡¯s Sword Graveyard brought his opponents to their very limits. A seemingly unstoppable onslaught of swords came their way even if he wasn¡¯t directly looking at them. If they took one slash, it didn¡¯t take long for that slash to multiply with the endless number of swords around them. Chu Bolin was forced to his knees with several sword wounds across his body but his drive to protect his Young Miss never wavered even at the cost of his life.


    ¡°Tch!¡± Xiucai¡¯s sneak attack failed once again and he received a terrible cut across his chest for his failure this time.


    Xiucai fell to his knees, unable to garner the strength to move. If he forced himself with these wounds, the outcome later wouldn¡¯t be favorable for him. His master¡¯s medical skills may be unrivaled but that was no reason to act suicidal. This battle... was his loss...


    ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!¡± Chu Hua gritted her teeth in anger seeing Xiucai¡¯s sorry state. ¡°Fine! We surrender.¡± She stopped gathering solar energy from the sun and dispersed a rather terrifying beam of light into the sky above.


    The entire surroundings seemingly shuddered and shook from the force of the blast. The clouds above were pierced through and no one could tell just how much damage would¡¯ve occurred if she used that on Gong Jun. His Sword Graveyard was impressive but that beam was just ridiculous...


    ¡°Match over!¡± The referee decided.


    Chu Hua rushed over to Xiucai and hurriedly brought him over to that old man he called master, leaving her severely injured personal servant in the ring. No one could hear the sorrowful wheezing from him but Gong Jun. Gong Jun felt quite bad seeing his pitiful outcome. He fed the loyal and respectable warrior a valuable pill to aid in his recovery before leaving the stage himself.


    FukinDeadBeat


    Considering we made it to chapter 300+, I''ve decided to do a little Q & A because I didn''t do anything special for the 300th chapter and a commenter suggested it to me.


    If you have any questions big or small about the novel so far and want them directly answered, just ask in the comments or reviews! Well, hell it doesn''t even need to be about the novel, if you''re curious about me feel free to ask me some questions too!

 Chapter 302: Jie vs Tang Wuying!

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°Master, you were right...¡± Xiucai gratefully cupped his hands and bowed in front of Lei Zhi.


    ¡°Well done. It never hurts to rely on others from time to time.¡± Lei Zhi smiled, patting the boy on the shoulder instead of ruffling his hair like he wanted. ¡°Now let me fix you up, Lin, Wenqing, watch carefully.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a little too awesome junior brother.¡± Lin Shu smiled, coming over to watch.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d survive half as long as you did.¡± He Wenqing nodded in the praise.


    ¡°Told you she didn¡¯t say he was going to lose.¡± Bing was happy his prediction wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°It was a difficult fight for sure. If all the other Rising Dragons are on his level, I have my match cut out for me.¡± Jie looked toward the marked boy with his giant weapon in the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your teachings to heart and thank you everyone.¡± Xiucai bowed toward the other angels.


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha!¡± Tang didn¡¯t hold back after the judges decided against Jun.


    Briefly, an incredibly ugly snarl appeared on Jun¡¯s face before quickly returning back to his regular charming and calm appearance. He turned to look at his junior brother and senior brothers before shrugging. ¡°I knew teamwork was the main purpose but I still let my arrogance get to me. I have more training to do in the future.¡± He bowed. ¡°Good luck Little Tang in your fight. Consider my loss as a way of teaching you to look out for your teammates.¡± Their eyes met.


    ¡°All that pompous talk from earlier just for you to turn out to be nothing but a loser.¡± Tang scoffed but would secretly make sure that his two leeches wouldn¡¯t drag him down like Jun¡¯s did.


    ¡°You understood why you lost. I see no need to add anything further.¡± Second Eldest, Jian, nodded.


    ¡°Junior Brother¡¯s going to take this bracket home because of you. So, Master gains face regardless. Don¡¯t be too beaten up about it. It¡¯s a weird tournament after all.¡± Chao grinned.


    Gong Jun knew that his senior brothers were simply trying to cheer him up but he still couldn¡¯t help feeling infuriated and embarrassed. He was thoroughly slapped and couldn¡¯t make any excuses about it. Now Tang was going to gain everything while he was nothing more than a stepping stone for him to shine. The young Rising Dragon prodigy took a deep breath and sunk himself deep in meditation as he looked back on his mistakes in the match and how he could¡¯ve done better.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you both if you dare drag me down.¡± Wuying Tang softly spoke under his breath.


    ¡°Ye- Yes!¡± They stammered a response.


    Leech #1 and Leech #2 knew their end would arrive if they didn¡¯t satisfy the whims of this talented young master. They could only blame their luck for being matched up with this merciless little tyrant. While their current thoughts were on their immediate survival, neither of the two thought about how this might be a useful lesson to learn about the future. If you want to survive, sometimes holding on to the gold thigh near you is the only option.


    ¡°I usually hate copying that fool but he does indeed know how to properly use his brain at times. Don¡¯t assume that just because you fail, you two will die. Your entire family lineage will follow along with you in the afterlife if you cause me to lose face here.¡± Tang made sure they understood what truly was on the line here.


    ¡°...!¡± This young master was truly and completely insane!


    Leech #1 & #2 rapidly nodded their heads as they prepared themselves to pull out all the stops. How pitiful, the two cultivators wanted to cry. They were probably the only two people who had their entire family¡¯s lineage at stake in this tournament. A tournament that didn¡¯t even allow bloodshed!


    Unknown to the two cultivators, Gong Jun has already put into motion what Wuying Tang threatened them with to his two teammates. He had to release some frustration somehow. It didn¡¯t sit right with him that someone could drag him down so thoroughly and get away with it. Meaningless tournament or not, no one humiliates Gong Jun and lives peacefully. Not even his future wife!


    ¡°Begin!¡± The referee didn¡¯t delay this fight.


    Wuying Tang tossed his boomerang across the stage, flying to the middle of the ring before spinning into the air. Wind gathered around its fast speed as it hovered above the ring, constantly spinning. The arrow-like markings on Tang¡¯s skin glowed brightly as he placed his palm on the two leeches. Their bodies violently thumped as if there was something inside their chest fighting to get out.


    Markings similar to Tang¡¯s rapidly spread out across their skin as their eyes began to glow yellow. No one but Tang understood what was happening to the two but their opponents were wary regardless. They huddled up together and waited for any surprise attacks. Tang grinned. His advantage lay in attacking, didn¡¯t they know?


    Jie quickly led the charge forward while Wuying¡¯s teammates were still adjusting to whatever happened to them. Her umbrella was held like a sword as she charged the unarmed Wuying. She struck without mercy toward his vital points. Wuying arrogantly smirked as he effortlessly dodged the critical attacks.


    The same couldn¡¯t be said for his transitioning leeches. This forced him into engaging all three of the women at the same time to defend the leeches. Usually, when a person is tasked with taking on multiple opponents, they¡¯d be quickly overwhelmed unless they were at a superior cultivation stage. However, Wuying Tang didn¡¯t hold a cultivation advantage over his opponents.


    The only obvious advantage he held was speed. Nothing but pure overwhelming speed that allowed him to react at inhuman times. For every three attacks coming his way, he could send six attacks back in the same speed! So, instead of Tang being overwhelmed in a 1v3 situation, it was as if an equal number of Tangs were contesting with them. This was the power of acceleration qi! The blessing of Tyanir, the God of Acceleration!


    ¡°Enough.¡± Jie stated.


    Somehow, Jie slowed Wuying¡¯s movements! Jie and her teammates quickly pressed the momentary advantage given to them. A grimace appeared on Wuying¡¯s face as he understood what just happened. This little bitch took control of the wind he was pulling in with his boomerang up above!


    Tang motioned for his weapon to return to him as he received numerous little wounds from the opposing team. It was time anyway. These weaklings sure took their time. He barely shared any of his blessing with the two. If they tried to wield his boomerang, they¡¯d probably explode into a mist of blood!


    With a single swipe of his caught weapon, Jie and her teammates were forced to give distance. Seeing the newly awakened leeches, Jie knew they couldn¡¯t lose this offensive advantage. She couldn¡¯t boost the abilities of her teammates like Wuying apparently could. Jie began to spin her umbrella in her hand until it turned into a blur.


    The wind stolen from Wuying allowed Jie to form a massive spiraling tornado around her team. Elders quickly formed a barrier around the stage to prevent anyone watching to be sucked up into the ring. Tang clicked his tongue as he saw his teammates unable to resist the suction of the technique even after being blessed. This bitch isn¡¯t so easy...


    ¡°Azure Burning Dragon. Calming Heart. Accelerate.¡± Tang¡¯s qi burst outward and formed a bluish gold aura around his body.


    Tang took one of the arrows from Leech #1 as he crouched low to the ground. He infused his acceleration qi into the arrow as it hovered above his hand. The arrow began to spin at unbelievable speeds until it reached its breaking point. The metal tip was on the verge of shattering from the infusion of so much qi flowing through it. Leech #1 & #2 were already lifted off the ground and soaring their way toward the tornado.


    ¡°Go.¡± Tang softly whispered.


    An ear-piercing shriek harshly assaulted the ears of everyone in the tournament. Very few people could actually see what was taking place in the ring due to the fierce winds but those who could were shocked. The seemingly teleporting arrow sent by Wuying was blocked by Jie! However, her right hand could no longer be used from blocking the impact of the arrow! She dropped her umbrella as her arm fiercely shook from the aftershock of the attack.


    ¡°That was really fast...¡± Jie muttered in discontent.


    Jie didn¡¯t let this affect her too much. It just showed her how much more training she needed if something like that was enough to temporarily disable her. Hu Tao would¡¯ve easily handled something like that without being affected like her. Even if he was, he¡¯d still be no less strong because of it.


    The massive cyclone dispersed as Jie lifted her weapon with her unaffected left arm. She locked eyes with the boomerang-wielding Rising Dragon. With a deep breath and a flick of her weapon, ice, snow, and frost began to spread from her umbrella. Wuying hefted up his giant boomerang over his shoulder and got ready to move in with his leeches.

 Chapter 303: Finally! No More Tournaments!

    FukinDeadBeat


    The ice, snow, and frost spreading from Jie¡¯s umbrella covered the entire ring. Her teammates¡¯ swords turned into ice swords but their bodies were completely unaffected by the weather changes. Tang Wuying¡¯s team on the other hand was quickly besieged on all sides by the cold. Tang skillfully swung his boomerang around himself at blurring speeds. Not a single speck of cold was capable of passing his barrier of wind.


    Jie thrust her umbrella¡¯s tip toward Wuying¡¯s throat while her teammates charged the temporarily slowed partners of Wuying. Wuying blocked her blow without much effort and instantaneously followed up with a counter swipe of his own aiming for her neck. A wall of ice suddenly appeared in between Jie¡¯s face and the giant weapon. It shattered without much resistance but gave Jie enough time to duck underneath the attack and pierce her weapon toward Wuying¡¯s undefended abdomen.


    ¡°You¡¯re not fast enough to keep up with me. Haven¡¯t you realized it yet?¡± Tang smirked as he looked down on Jie.


    ¡°Who said I was trying to compete in speed with you?¡± Jie smirked right back.


    Tang¡¯s instincts warned him to dodge and followed through with what his guts were telling him. As he appeared behind Jie, he looked back to see a spike made of ice that would¡¯ve pierced through his skull if he didn¡¯t move. If he wasn¡¯t using Calming Heart, he was sure he would¡¯ve exploded in fury at how close to death he was. A heavenly genius like himself nearly being killed by this nobody? A woman who is only known for the man she¡¯s in a relationship with? Tang Wuying refused to accept this.


    ¡°I got the idea of this technique from a friend of mine.¡± Jie looked toward Jing momentarily as she thought back to her training. ¡°She told me that I should use this technique only when I was surrounded by multiple foes and I was alone. This situation doesn¡¯t really match but the technique will still work out. You want to know why?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Humor me.¡± Tang Wuying didn¡¯t really care. She was going to be crippled by him regardless.


    Several ice spikes shot out toward Tang¡¯s body in an instant. The icicles targeted his head, throat, heart, stomach, pelvis, and legs. Not a single part of his body was spared as the icicles flew through the air. Jie watched as Tang somehow instantly disappeared from where he was standing before sensing him high in the air and looking down on her.


    ¡°This is why.¡± More and more spikes chased after Tang.


    The entire ring became a death trap just for the speedy cultivator. Hundreds of ice spikes appeared in random places from the view of the spectators. Sometimes they formed in the air, on the stage, and several times almost pierced Jie! However, Jie only laughed after seeing him try to use her own technique against her.


    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress but definitely not to that amount.¡± Her icicles harmlessly shattered into snow against her body. ¡°Since you¡¯re faster than me, I just have to make your speed pointless. But oh wait, don¡¯t you have two teammates as well?¡± Jie let out an ohoho as the crowd suddenly focused their attention on Leech #1 and Leech #2.


    By this point, Tang Wuying could feel his emotions breaking through Calming Heart. He was being humiliated. Tang didn¡¯t give a single crap about those trashes placed with him but f he allowed her to target the leeches, his fate would be the very same as Jun¡¯s! The prodigal young master no longer bottled up his bubbling emotions. At this point, Tang Wuying was no longer holding back.


    ¡°Overdrive!!!¡± A burst of gold and blue qi exploded from Tang¡¯s body.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± Jie surged all the qi within her body.


    Only for her to realize that she was somehow staring up into the sky. Confusion ran through her mind. When did she start lying on the stage? Wasn¡¯t she just standing up about to make a difference in the match? Jie gripped her left hand and felt nothing. Her umbrella was gone as well.


    Sitting up, Jie saw that her teammates were in a similar situation to herself. Weaponless, and lying on the ring without a wound on them. Across from them, they could see Tang Wuying scrunched up like a shrimp crying out in pain while his teammates came near them. Just as Jie jumped up to defend herself from Wuying¡¯s teammates, they appeared in front of her and knocked her out of the ring. Her teammates quickly followed and that was the end of the match.


    ¡°How did I lose...?!¡± Jie was confused!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened either. One minute I was fighting against that guy and the next I was staring into the sky.¡±


    ¡°Me too! I thought I was caught in an illusion array for a second or something.¡±


    ¡°You did your best.¡± Jing came over to the confused girls.


    Very few people were capable of catching Tang¡¯s movements at the end there. Jing believed that only herself, Li Li, and the top elders could have seen it completely. If Tang wanted to make a statement, that was a hell of a way to do so. His position within the sect has firmly been planted if it wasn¡¯t already before.


    ¡°He went past his natural limits and dealt with you three. He took your weapons, carried you to your side of the stage, and returned to tell his teammates to finish you off.¡± Jing explained.


    ¡°All that training just to lose without even being able to react...¡± Jie sighed.


    She hoped to pay back and honor Jing by winning. Well, at least she made it to the semi-finals. Jie may have lost but she didn¡¯t feel that she lost face for Heaven¡¯s Angels. Even if she was officially a part of Badass Angels, Hu Tao¡¯s section of Heaven¡¯s Angels. She¡¯ll just have to train harder in the upcoming future if she wants to be strong enough to reign in Hu Tao.


    ¡°Good job.¡± Jing patted her head.


    Xiucai was the last remaining angel in the tournament but his team quickly decided to surrender after seeing Tang Wuying¡¯s battle. Xiucai was dragged away by Chu Hua as punishment for making them surrender. And thus, Heaven¡¯s Angels'' participation in the Grand Tournament has come to an end. The next several days were spent in good fun watching the remaining disciples fight. Eventually, by the month¡¯s end, the reward ceremony began and the top ten teams who exhibited traits stated at the beginning of the tournament were rewarded. This ruffled some feathers of certain people.


    Because of this strange way of rewarding, some of the teams in first place in their bracket didn¡¯t get rewarded! Usually, those teams were teams that were carried by a single person with overwhelming talent. The Elders showed repeatedly that they wanted teamwork. Their exact words were something along the lines of ¡°What we will judge is how well you collaborate with your randomly chosen partners, how efficiently you pool together your strengths and cover up for each other weaknesses, and how badly you utterly fail at the first two.¡± It was the fault of those stubborn disciples that they didn¡¯t receive anything for not listening to the elder¡¯s explicit instructions.


    Only Runt¡¯s team and Xiucai¡¯s team were rewarded from Heaven¡¯s Angels. They were given the opportunity to search through the top floor of the martial pavilion for a sky-ranked martial art, high-ranked spirit stones, and the choice of a top-quality weapon of their choosing to be made by the skilled spiritual blacksmiths of the sect. The rest were merely disappointed but everyone congratulated Runt and Xiucai. The two of them were considered the new generation of Heaven¡¯s Angels in a way with Xiucai being the most recent generation. It was simply amazing that out of everyone these two young men made it to the end of the competition.


    With the conclusion of the Grand Tournament out of the way, things were relatively peaceful for a while. Wen successfully assassinated Elder Ru¡¯s youngest disciple without any trouble. Wan Qing was punished with sweeping the sect for seven months for her actions during the Grand Tournament. Jing saw fit to reward her with a suitable cultivation technique perfectly tailored for her butterflies. Ying had a new master in the form of Pan Yi. A stern and tough elder but fair and rather desperate. She saw value in his core martial art, Hell-Devouring Flames. With that technique, she could clearly see the martial path she was meant to follow in her lifetime.


    The sect underwent a significant change as well after witnessing everything that went down in the Grand Tournament. Spellmasters, pill refiners, and other sorts of auxiliary occupations on the path of cultivation were no longer looked down upon as they were before. People taking on their monthly tasks now began to go out in pairs or groups once they saw the benefits in working with others. Even geniuses were included in this once they thought more deeply about it. Tang Wuying and Gong Jun were the sparks that lit the fire within the other prodigies. The two seemed closer than ever for some reason after their defeat in the Grand Tournament and it made people think. What kind of monster would be capable of defeating both Tang Wuying and Gong Jun if they worked together? There was also the Outer Court being completely transformed into an interconnected jungle with houses spacious enough to compete with the homes of core disciples. No one knew who was responsible but everyone in the Outer Court was grateful even though they felt like monkeys living in the trees.


    And then it was pairing season in the Golden Serpent Sect. Little prodigies and cultivators were looking everywhere for their perfect teammate to further their fighting potential. Heaven¡¯s Angels were not excluded in this aspect. Ying chose Bing as her partner without giving him a chance to speak. Lei Zhi paired up with Su Su, the little Grand Prodigy who stuck herself to Lei Zhi¡¯s side after he awakened her hidden potential. She offered it and didn¡¯t give him the opportunity to refuse. Xiucai tried to refuse Chu Hua¡¯s offer but was strong-armed into it by her aggressive advance along with Lin Shu¡¯s teasing. Runt was in a similar position as Lei Zhi and Bing with Jue partnering herself up with him. He Wenqing and Lin Shu decided to partner up because, why not? Wan Qing, Jing, Li Li, and Shang were the only ones without a partner. Shang didn¡¯t believe that he was strong enough to stand by her side in battle yet. So, he asked Jing to wait for him. Since spirit beasts in the eyes of others weren¡¯t counted as people, Li Li didn¡¯t count when he forcefully partnered himself with Jing. Jie chose Hu Tao as her partner despite her having a feeling he was going to try and pick Jing. In anticipation of that day, she trained every day to grow in strength as quickly as she could. Wan Qing simply hasn¡¯t found a person to compliment her that well in a fight.


    Jing also had a cute little surprise awaiting her after the ending of the Grand Tournament.


    *DING*


    [System has finished updating Host!]


    [Here are some notifications you missed out on while the system was updating.]


    [Multiple Missions Completed!]


    [You allowed Gong Jun to reap Fu Kang¡¯s fortune! Reward: Talent-boosting Elixir]


    [You have taken over the Inner Court through your number of supporters, superior strength, or influence! Rewards: 1 Legendary Ticket, Coffin of Undying, Restriction on Qi Consolidation Realm will be unlocked]


    [You announced the purpose of Heaven¡¯s Angels at the Grand Tournament! Reward: SCP-018]


    [You passed the first test of the Grand Tournament! Reward: 1 Legendary Ticket]


    [You impressed the elders of the sect with a good showing throughout the Grand Tournament! Reward: World-Devouring Serpent Egg]


    [You have killed over 1,000 disciples during the course of the Grand Tournament! Rewards: Extreme Violence Bracelet, Extremely Violent Ring, God-slaying Spear of Justice]


    You have helped over 1,000 disciples during the course of the Grand Tournament! Rewards: Pure Cloud Pearl, Heavenly Armor, Angel¡¯s Blade of Righteousness]


    [Multiple Missions Failed!]


    [You have failed to successfully make it to the end of the Grand Tournament! Penalty: Loss of Fame]


    [You have failed to somehow have all of your followers pass the Grand Tournament even with the system! Penalty: Massive Loss of Fame.]


    FukinDeadBeat

 Chapter 304: Long Time No See!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Jing smiled as she looked at the oh-so-familiar gigantic gacha wheel inside her soul space. A limitless amount of flashing rewards appeared on the wheel, just waiting for her to spin it twice. Even with all the strength radiating through her, Jing still felt like a bug in the face of this divine construct. To think even the gods would fall into the temptation of gambling. After all, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for Jing to be the only spinner of this godly lottery. In the grand scheme of things, she was positive that she was nothing more than just a toy for some immortal being. The chaos and turmoil she could unleash within days of this illogically large planet wouldn¡¯t benefit any godly being. All of this has to be some sort of test or game. Especially with all of these rewards, she gains from the gacha wheel.


    Jing pulled down on the side of the golden wheel and carefully stepped back as it ramped up in speed. Just like the first time she used it, it spun clockwise before turning into a speeding blur. The rewards flashed past her face to the point that her refined cultivated body couldn¡¯t keep track of it anymore. She suspected that divinity was the only way of keeping up with this immortal toy. If she tried to rig the wheel in her favor, Jing felt that her arms would directly be rubbed into nothingness as a warning. It only spun twice before Jing was kicked out of her soul space and returned back to the world of the living.


    [Host has received SCP-1425, SCP-2295]


    All these goodies at once momentarily distracted Jing from thinking about her identity as the toy or chess piece of some godly being. She started to think about how best to use these new goodies to further accelerate her control over the sect and the world beyond. After all, once you¡¯ve lived ten thousand or so lives, there is very little one hasn¡¯t done in the grand scheme of things. In a way, Jing would like to speed up this game and move on to the next stage in existence.


    Jing swiftly rose to the peak of the Core Preparation realm once her restriction was broken. For her refined body and martial arts, there was no such thing as bottlenecks or cultivating too hastily. As long as she cycled enough qi through her body, she would breakthrough. It was only because of the system¡¯s restrictions that she hasn¡¯t risen to the top of cultivation yet.


    The talent-boosting elixir would be saved as a reward for one of her angels. Same for most of the other weapons and trinkets Jing received for completing those missions. SCP-018 would be quite an effective weapon with a little control. As it is now, it was nothing more than an uncontrollable disaster waiting to happen. After receiving information on the toy, Jing could see some ways of utilizing this for her angels, but as of now, nobody needed it. The red-colored ball 6cm in diameter was able to bounce over 200% efficiency, meaning that if it were dropped 1 meter, it would bounce 2, then 4, then eight, and then 16, and so on and so forth. According to the testing done by the SCP Foundation, SCP-018 could reach speeds of over 100 km/h.


    SCP-1425 was in a similar boat to SCP-018 in that it needed some fine-tuning before it could be utilized. SCP-1425, when explained simply, gave the user mild reality-warping abilities at the cost of their sanity. It was a hardcover book bearing the title ¡®Star Signals.¡¯ To avoid going insane, Jing immediately brought the book into herself and refined it on 1:1 to replace it with an identical book just without the driving her slowly insane part. She did the same with SCP-018, just that it could be controlled by the most recent holder¡¯s will.


    SCP-2295 was very different from both SCP-018 and SCP-1425. The first difference was that it was sentient. Jing has long understood that sentient SCPs couldn¡¯t be brought into this plane of reality in their complete form. As a way of mending that fix, the sentient SCPs would try to attach their desires and goals to whoever obtained their anomalous properties. If Jing chose to take SCP-2295''s anomalous properties for herself, she would gain a desire to save and help all those that she could.


    SCP-2295 originally was a patchwork stuffed bear. It became sentient and animate when within 2 meters of a human sustaining severe damage to an organ. If there is more than one injured person nearby, it will choose the youngest. In the process of treating injuries, the animate bear will somehow produce its own surgery tools before patching together a healthy imitation of the injured organ and placing the patchwork organ inside the patient. That patchwork organ will then act as a completely healthy organ despite being made entirely of stuffing. So far, the only organ incapable of being treated by SCP-2295 is brain injuries.


    Jing chose to save SCP-2295 for one of Lei Zhi¡¯s Peaceful Angels. In a way, they could be seen as her future medical division. The more skilled doctors over there, the better her group will be off. SCP-1425 was saved for herself to use when the situation called for it. SCP-018 was stored inside her storage ring. The last object she had yet to inspect was the egg.


    With a name like World-Devouring Serpent, Jing expected this egg to be a little bigger. In reality, it was barely thicker than a grape and just as tall as one too. No special designs or anything, just a tiny white egg with a small trace of qi within it. Jing chose not to refine this creature because, unlike Li Li, its potential was already high enough to threaten planets. Li Li was just a regular owl snow owl. She doubted this serpent needed any additional help from her besides some love and care.


    ¡°Little sister?¡± Li Li frowned at Jing¡¯s sudden announcement. ¡°I don¡¯t need a little sister.¡± Li Li outright rejected Jing¡¯s announcement.


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. She¡¯s on the way right now.¡± Jing pointed to the small egg sitting on top of an array surrounded by low-ranked spirit stones.


    ¡°...¡± Li Li¡¯s eyes glared at the being inside the egg. Jing smacked his head once she felt his killing intent, and tears pooled around his eyes as he felt wronged.


    ¡°You will have a little sister, and you will treat her like an older brother should. With care, love, and respect. If anything happens to her before or after she hatches, you will be punished. Understood?¡± Jing asked, gently massaging the area she smacked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want a little sister...¡± Li Li cried as he changed his soul into the form of a human and hugged Jing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t always get what you want, baby...¡± Jing continued to fondle his head as he wrapped around her.


    After half an hour of sobbing on Li Li¡¯s part from another being taking up his mother¡¯s love and soothing on Jing¡¯s part. Li Li seemed to have mostly forgotten about his aversion and anger to having a little sister after being told by Jing the good parts of having a little sister.


    ¡°I guess having another Heavenly Demonic wouldn¡¯t be so bad...¡± Li Li wiped his tears.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Once she grows big enough, you won¡¯t even have to take care of her anymore.¡±


    ¡°Really? I only got to do it for just a little bit and then I don¡¯t have to deal with her anymore?¡± Li Li¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Jing nodded. ¡°She¡¯ll be even bigger than you will be when you¡¯re an adult.¡±


    ¡°Bigger than me!?¡± Li Li didn¡¯t know about this!


    ¡°She¡¯ll grow big enough to eat the whole planet.¡±


    ¡°What!? How do I grow bigger than a planet?! Where am I going to live if she eats the world!?¡± Li Li was getting upset about having a sister again.


    ¡°I guess as her big brother, you¡¯ll have to make sure she doesn¡¯t eat the world.¡± Jing lazily suggested.


    ¡°What!? How am I supposed to protect her, love her, and stop her from doing bad stuff!? Why do I got to do everything!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes a good big brother. If you can¡¯t do all that, you¡¯re just a bad big brother. And bad big brothers don¡¯t get hugs and kisses from Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Having a sister sucks.¡± Li Li whined, crossed his arms, and shuffled closer into Jing¡¯s body.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be better than you think, I promise. I just spoiled you a little bit too much and it upsets you when things don¡¯t always go your way.¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t things go my way? My way is the best way!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re barely two years old. How could you be so perfect?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say perfect! I said best! There¡¯s a difference...¡± Li Li¡¯s voice got quieter near the end as even he wasn¡¯t that arrogant to not realize what he was saying.


    ¡°Right, right. Of course. Just don¡¯t forget, life doesn¡¯t always go the way you want. The best you can do is adapt and work with what you got.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you think would be the best thing to do after your sister is born?¡±


    ¡°If I want to stay Mom¡¯s most loved person, listen to Mom and don¡¯t be a bad child.¡± Li Li summarized.


    ¡°Li Li is so smart.¡± Jing gave him multiple kisses on the head as Li Li giggled in joy.

 Chapter 305: Bing’s Resolve.

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°Bing. I wouldn¡¯t feel right asking you to do this for me as we agreed without helping you in some way. After you¡¯ve dealt with all the disciples, you can handle, I¡¯ll unlock your body¡¯s true potential.¡± Lei Zhi told his youthful friend.


    ¡°Cool. Do you got a list of names and directions to find them?¡± Bing asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s Chu Xing Yun, Shui Chong Xian, Mo Shaochen, Li Bao Er, Long Zu, Xue Ling Shuang, and Qian Yue. I¡¯d list more, but in account for your current strength, I chose people who weren¡¯t too high above you in cultivation.¡± Lei Zhi handed Bing a small scroll.


    ¡°Love to hear it.¡± Bing grinned. ¡°Fighting weaklings is my specialty.¡±


    ¡°The condition you bring them here doesn¡¯t matter much. As long as they¡¯re alive and breathing, I''ll be able to fix most injuries.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll see you in a bit.¡± Bing walked out of Lei Zhi¡¯s medical office.


    ¡°Good luck if you need it anyway.¡± Lei Zhi chuckled.


    The two of them have long since left the Qi Gathering realm since the conclusion of the Grand Tournament. With their strength now, it wasn¡¯t difficult to obtain valuable resources for cultivation. As long as they took the time to go out on difficult tasks for the sect, they could afford it with enough time. Bing opened up the scroll and looked at the information inside. Most of these names had the wicked deeds they¡¯ve done alongside their name. For the most part, Bing doesn¡¯t really involve himself among the disciples in the Golden Serpent Sect. The most famous disciples, what disciples did this, what disciple did that, the latest genius, and all that stuff. He mostly spent his time in Ying¡¯s void world eating spirit cakes and comprehending the infinite mystery that is the dao of yin and yang.


    Ying left the sect as she said she had to journey back home because of some family matters. Bing always forgot about Ying¡¯s noble status because she never really acted like a proper noble or mentioned it often. He knew one of her goals was to revive the name of the Yue Family. Bring it to the heights of prosperity and absolute nobility.


    It was pretty amazing because Bing never saw her as the type of person to... actually, scratch that. Ying was very emotional and scary, but she always stood up for her friends and the things she cared about. Bing was nearly mistaken because of how violent and easily set off she was at times. If it weren¡¯t for her, Bing and Lei Zhi would¡¯ve died in the Treasured Plains.


    As Bing traveled to the strongest disciple on the scroll, he ate some spirit cake on the way. Before Ying left, she baked a huge cake and cut it into hundreds of slices for him so that he didn¡¯t starve while she was gone. It was at that point that Bing could no longer allow his personal insecurity to blind him from the truth of reality. Ying had feelings for him. He knew for damn sure that he wouldn¡¯t do so much for anyone the same way that Ying takes care of him. Probably not even himself.


    The only person kind enough to take care of other people the way Ying takes care of him would be Lei Zhi if he were female. Bing thought that he would immediately know when a woman was interested in him, but that wasn¡¯t true at all. Compared to all the other angels, she made him spirit cakes the most, knew his favorite tastes, and which cakes best fit his current mood at the time. Just like a little wife who knew all of her husband¡¯s tastes after cooking for him for so long. Bing planned to propose once she returned.


    Sure, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure if he liked her the same way she liked him, but that could be amended over the course of their marriage. Bing knew for sure he was willing to protect Ying with his life. Her personality might not be his preferred type, but after working alongside her for so long, he¡¯s gotten used to her. Not to mention, even if a kind, gentle, soft-spoken, big-breasted woman came along, Bing would have no idea how to woo her in the first place. Why go for something that doesn¡¯t exist in the present when there¡¯s a real option present?


    Ying has already conquered his stomach. Either his body or heart was next. Considering how she felt about Hu Tao¡¯s lustful behavior, Bing had a feeling it might be his heart. If he compared himself to Hu Tao in terms of lust, Bing would not say that he was below him. It was just that Hu Tao had the looks, talent, and charisma to do whatever he wanted. If he wanted a woman, he¡¯d get them or get his ass kicked. If Bing wanted a woman, he could only pray she wanted to be near him in the first place. Finding a woman like Ying who had such a genuine interest in himself? Bing would be a fool not to immediately grasp this opportunity while he can. Besides her personality, Bing couldn¡¯t fault anything else of hers.


    Her looks were amazing, her breasts were bountiful, her body was perfectly sculpted, and she could cook meals worthy of immortals and beat the shit out of anyone who wanted to take advantage of her. The more Bing thought about it, the surer he was about proposing to Ying once she returned. But first, he needed to prepare some adequate betrothal gifts to pay her back for everything she had done for him. After he¡¯s done with these villains on Lei Zhi¡¯s list, he should ask for some help.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ah, hello. Are you Mo Shaochen?¡± Bing politely asked the scarred youth on top of a crying and barely dressed woman on his couch.


    ¡°Who the hell?¡± He snarled at Bing for interrupting his fun.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t really answer my question...¡± Bing frowned as he averted his eyes. If he was going to marry Ying, he instinctively knew she would beat the shit out of him for looking at another woman¡¯s private parts.


    ¡°Get the fuck out of here, fatass. I¡¯ll deal with you when I''m done.¡± He ordered with a glare.


    ¡°That also doesn¡¯t answer my question. Are you Mo Shaochen or not? I¡¯ll leave if you aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you going to do if I am, fatass? Is this your sister or something?¡± He grinned.


    ¡°So, you are Mo Shaochen?¡± Bing just wanted clarification.


    ¡°Die, Fatass!¡± While Bing was adverting his eyes from the girl with her clothes ripped open, Mo Shaochen used this opportunity to launch a surprise attack.


    Using his transplanted Eye of End, Bing saw the sneak attack coming before Mo Shaochen even thought about it. A large arm formed from out of his chest and snatched Mo Shaochen in its grip. The sounds of his bones being crushed and grounded were just as audible as Mo Shaochen¡¯s screams of agony. Even a master could be killed once taken by surprise. Once Bing broke most of the guy¡¯s bones, he tossed him over his shoulder and began to head toward his next target.


    ¡°W-Wait! I¡¯d like to thank you for saving me!¡± The girl, still with her dress in disarray, shouted.


    ¡°Then thank me by finding some fitting clothes before you get me killed.¡± Bing avoided looking in her direction as he continued walking.


    ¡°Can I know your name?!¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Bing did not see a single good outcome coming from her knowing his name. Besides, if she asks around, she could get it easily.


    After capturing Mo Shaochen, Bing made his way to the next wicked disciples on the list. In a manner just as easy as Mo Shaochen, Bing dealt with the other disciples. By forming multiple arms, Bing could carry all seven disciples known for their wickedness. Bing felt that being a body cultivator was pretty unfair in the grand scheme of things. Once you made it to a certain level, there was barely anything that could hurt you when facing off against an opponent in the same cultivation realm. Only their strongest technique could harm you, and how often could the average cultivator pull off their strongest technique? Survive that technique, and the body cultivator just needs to get his hands on them once to end the fight.


    ¡°Huh? What are you doing here so late, Ai?¡± Lin Shu opened the door. ¡°Did you get injured somehow?¡± She looked at his bloody body.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my blood. These guys are just a little leaky.¡± Bing replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people you saved...¡± Lin Shu was amazed.


    ¡°I guess you could say I saved them.¡± He didn¡¯t end their lives when he could. ¡°I¡¯m looking to give these guys to Lei Zhi. He wanted them.¡± Bing told her why he was there.


    ¡°Oh, alright. He¡¯s teaching He right now, but I can definitely go get him. These guys don¡¯t look like they can wait till he¡¯s done...¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Bing smiled at her. A few minutes passed before Lei Zhi came to the waiting area.


    ¡°Oh, you took care of this sooner than I thought...¡± Lei Zhi was surprised to see Bing¡¯s return at night.


    ¡°This eye is very useful.¡± Bing answered.


    ¡°Well, I''ll treat these guys before helping them become better human beings through the contract. Come visit me around noon tomorrow and I''ll fulfil my end of our deal.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Lei.¡± Bing said his goodbyes.


    ¡°Night, Bing.¡± Lei Zhi had his disciples bring the seven to the treatment room.


    FukinDeadBeat

 Chapter 306: Ying’s Return Home!

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Ying lovingly jumped into the arms of her giant, one-armed grandfather.


    ¡°Xiao Ying!¡± Grandfather Yue slid back from the force of Ying¡¯s tackle as he caught her.


    He happily smiled as he rubbed his beloved granddaughter¡¯s hair. Ying rubbed her face into his robes as the familiar smell of her grandfather brought joy to her heart. It''s been years since she decided to travel to the Golden Serpent Sect to get stronger and return the Yue Family¡¯s status to the once noble heights it held in the past. A meeting between two close family members after a long time should be this bittersweet.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten bigger, haven¡¯t ya? Hahaha. I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯ve been eating well! The last time I saw ya, you were barely taller than my knees!¡± Yue Gou took a closer look at his granddaughter.


    ¡°What happened to your arm, grandfather?¡± Righteous fury swiftly flowed through her blood at the sight of his empty, swaying arm sleeve.


    ¡°Nothing, a brat like you needs to worry about.¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a brat anymore! I¡¯m an accomplished swordsman after everything I went through at the sect. Our family no longer has anything to worry about now that I''ve returned.¡±


    ¡°Hee hee hee. You¡¯re gonna have to put your money where your mouth is. Come spar with this old man, and I¡¯ll see if your words are just words or not.¡± Gou gestured for Ying to come at him.


    ¡°Fine, but you asked for this, Grandfather! Don¡¯t go complaining when I hurt your back or something!¡± Ying wielded Hao Gang with both hands.


    The giant demonic blade seemed to stare right at the bare-handed old man. The strange connecting purple and black pattern engraved into the body of the blade shined with an evil light. Ying prepared herself to show her grandfather the results of her training. She went full power right off at the start! A Yue family member only knows how to move forward and crush their foes with all their might!


    Ying¡¯s body burst into flames as she leaped forward with her sword. ¡°Mountain Severing Cut!¡± She yelled as the flames caught onto the blade as well. The only thing Ying focused on was showcasing the absolute best of her swordsmanship. In the Giant Blade Manual given to her by Jing, Mountain Cleaving Slash was both the first and last sword technique in the book. Mountain Cleaving Slash became Mountain Severing Cut once the swordsman¡¯s attainments in sword arts reached their peak.


    Of course, Ying hasn¡¯t become the #1 swordsman in the world or anything just because she learned all that she could from the manual. She needed far more fighting experience against other high-level sword styles before she could claim that title. However, there was something else she gained from reaching the end of the Giant Blade Manual. Something she figured out of every angel, only herself and probably Jing have obtained. Weapon Intent.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how proud I am, Xiao Ying...¡± Tears ran down Gou¡¯s eyes as he fully unleashed the strength of a 5th stage Qi Transformation Realm cultivator.


    The upper half of his body turned into solid metal! His only hand met Ying¡¯s big sword head-on as a knife-hand. With a harsh shriek of clashing metal and burning flying sparks, Gou¡¯s knife hand deflected the angle of Ying¡¯s sword as she flew past him. Now standing back-to-back, the grandfather and granddaughter duo suddenly burst into laughter together.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my best, grandfather... I¡¯m here to finally revive the Yue Family¡¯s status to even greater heights than before...¡± Ying began to shed tears as well.


    ¡°After seeing you comprehend sword intent, I have no further doubts in your capabilities. That attack of yours could assassinate masters far above your own realm if you caught them unaware.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grandfather... For everything, you¡¯ve taught me growing up. I¡¯ve become the person I am today thanks to your teachings...¡± Ying got on her knees and bowed toward her grandfather.


    ¡°I merely set you on your path. Everything else was your own efforts. Never forget that.¡± Gou crouched down and rubbed Ying¡¯s head. ¡°Now get up off that filthy ground and tell me about your experience at the most wicked of the three great sects.¡± He loudly laughed.


    ¡°Ah! I have to tell you about all my friends!¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡± He raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re all in one big group called Heaven¡¯s Angels. I guess I should talk about my leader first and then go from there.¡± Ying excitedly chatted as they walked into the fallen Yue Family Estate.


    ¡°Are the rumors true?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, Master. I¡¯ve double-checked, triple-checked, and even personally confirmed with several cultivators on their way to Clear Wind City. Several mid-level and low-level sects are arriving for the fighting tournament between noble families. Many suspect this is only a stop to look for potential recruits for their sects as they head to their true destination somewhere in Cursed Gold Valley.¡±


    ¡°What could interest those mid-level and low-level sects but not the Great Three in Cursed Gold Valley?¡±


    ¡°Very few cultivators could guess, but from what I could investigate, the most likely situation is that a secret realm formed.¡±


    ¡°A secret realm!? And the Three Great Sects aren¡¯t interested?!¡±


    ¡°Correct, sir. Not a single person knows why they aren¡¯t intervening, but the mid-level and low-level sects decided to take the chance while they could.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it could be a trap by the Three Great Sects to wipe out their competition?¡±


    ¡°Fairly unlikely, Master. The only competition the Big Three see is themselves. The other sects are seen as lesser in every way, shape, and form by the Three Great Sects.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Make sure our family gets through the tournament with as few injuries as possible. We need to save strength to send the talented ones into the secret realm for the chance of obtaining treasures that could elevate our family into the strongest noble family in this city.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master. Should I stock up on medicine or directly inform the young masters and misses to avoid injuries during the tournament?¡±


    ¡°Both. It¡¯s better to be careful. Since those sects are coming, I''m sure the other families will be going all out to impress them while the others who got the same information we do will also save their strength.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master. Should I go prepare, or is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Ah, there is something. I heard the Yue Family¡¯s only daughter returned.¡±


    ¡°The fallen noble family?¡± The servant was confused about how his master heard about such insignificant news.


    ¡°Ha ha, that¡¯s right. I can tell by the look on your face that you¡¯re wondering how I got ahold of this information.¡± The noble head smirked.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, Master.¡±


    ¡°They threw a huge celebration for her return. It turns out she¡¯s a disciple at the Golden Serpent Sect. Were you aware of this?¡±


    ¡°Vaguely... I assumed she died in the recruitment exam hosted by the Golden Serpent Sect because the atmosphere around the Yue Family Estate was somber for weeks and months.¡±


    ¡°Well, she didn¡¯t. How do you think we should proceed? Tell our family members not to provoke her or test her and see if she¡¯s worth anything?¡±


    ¡°Master, she holds value by simply being a disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect. Regardless if she¡¯s strong or not, she could be a very valuable card in helping our family¡¯s prodigies get accepted into the sect. Perhaps a marriage proposal would be best.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how happy I am to have kept you around, Mucheng. A marriage proposal would be absolutely perfect. A fallen noble family like the Yue Family wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse if they wish to return to the status they once had in the noble community. Our family is one of the top noble families in the city. Now the question is, who should we pair with the girl...¡±


    ¡°I would recommend Young Master Nichang.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think we¡¯re overvaluing the girl by matching her with our most gifted youth?¡±


    ¡°I know he¡¯s your son, Master, but the girl¡¯s value is worth it. Even if he might get upset and act out once it''s proposed.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll talk to the boy personally. You quickly send the marriage proposal along with some gifts before any other family gets any ideas. Then you can prepare for the tournament and secret realm. Feel free to take as much from the treasury as you need.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master. I¡¯ll be going now.¡± Mucheng disappeared from his Master¡¯s office.


    ¡°Soon. Soon, this city will be in the palm of my hands. All these years, scheming, waiting, and maneuvering around. Just a little more, and it¡¯ll all be mine...¡±


    The Yue Family¡¯s celebration consisted of only those from the Yue Family. None of the other noble families bothered showing up. No one even sent gifts at the time of the celebration, firmly solidifying the Yue Family¡¯s status in the hearts of the other noble families. Ying reassured her family that they would regret not giving them the respect they deserve. Despite falling off in years, the Yue Family has been in Clear Wind City since its origin. Now it was time for all of them to remember that.


    FukinDeadBeat

 Chapter 307: Like Father, Like Daughter.

    FukinDeadBeat


    As soon as Ying woke up after the party celebrating her return yesterday, she was rudely awoken to someone busting into her room. Since she carried Hao Gang in her hand usually at all times, even when she was asleep, the intruder was face-to-face with Gang¡¯s pointy end. Ying rubbed her eyes to get the crust out of them and see who had just come into her room. Gang reassured her that it wasn¡¯t an enemy! With that confirmation, she lowered her blade and finally got a good look at the person. It was a servant.


    ¡°Young Miss! We apologize, but we need to make sure you look presentable in a short amount of time!¡± With that apology, several more female servants came into the room.


    Ying was still a little drowsy and not fully awake as the servants pretty¡¯d her up. They were surprised to see that she was so cooperative, but then again, they hadn¡¯t broken the news to her why she had to be presentable. All of the servants carefully avoided her giant sword that she didn¡¯t feel the need to let go of for some reason. Hao Gang felt left out and was a little sad. It wanted to be made pretty too!


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the sword.¡± Ying drowsily murmured.


    ¡°...¡± The servants all looked at each other.


    No one wanted to touch the evil scary eye sword, but their Young Miss wouldn¡¯t purposely have her evil sword curse them or something for touching it, would she? Out of all the Yue Family members, the young miss hasn¡¯t punished a servant before. Even after she left the vilest sect of the Three Great Sects...


    ¡°I got an idea!¡± A servant spoke up before leaving the room.


    Looks of astonishment spread when the young girl returned back to the Young Miss¡¯s room. She placed a pink bow and wrapped it around the hilt of the sword. Nervousness filled the bodies of the female servants as they didn¡¯t know if this was enough or going too far.


    ¡°Yes, you look pretty...¡± Ying told Hao Gang out loud.


    Hao Gang was basically overwhelming her joy. If he were in his spirit form, he¡¯d probably be dancing around from what Ying could feel. The dumb lovable sword just wanted to feel involved. Since Ying was being dressed up, it wanted to be dressed up too. It was definitely strange treating a sword like it was her child but considering all the other things that could¡¯ve happened to her with a demonic sword. Ying would say she was pretty lucky. Now, why the hell were the servants dressing her up again?


    ¡°Please follow me, Young Miss.¡± The head servant, Ai, waited for her at the door.


    Ying grumbled as she felt her movements restrained in the tight robes. Ai had a small frown on her face when she looked at Ying¡¯s sword. The Young Miss still hasn¡¯t released that sword yet. Is the rumor true that she¡¯s been possessed by a demon? Ai didn¡¯t think so but it was certainly strange why the Young Miss was never seen not holding it.


    ¡°Ah ha, there she is! Come, Ying. Sit next to Father.¡± Yue Tang patted the chair next to his.


    ¡°...¡± Ying scowled as she realized what was going on.


    Her father, some old guy close to her grandfather¡¯s age, some guy close to Ying¡¯s age, and another family¡¯s servants standing behind them. The boy looked her up and down with interest as her father smiled happily at this sight. It hasn¡¯t been long since Ying left the Golden Serpent Sect. But if someone looked at her the same way this pervert was looking at her in the sect, she¡¯d break all his bones!


    ¡°Father. You¡¯re out of your damn mind if you think you can just marry me off to whoever you want. I already have a b-¡± Then Ying remembered she never confessed to Bing. ¡°I will have a suitor soon.¡± She corrected her words.


    ¡°Ying. I¡¯ve tolerated your disobedient behavior since you were a little girl. I ask you to do this one thing for our family and you refuse?¡± Yue Tang glared at his daughter.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to ally with other families now that I''ve returned. All that I ask from you, father. Is that you trust in your daughter¡¯s abilities.¡± Ying leveled her own glare at him.


    ¡°Yue Ying! You will treat me with respect and dignity as your father. You will treat our guests with respect and dignity. And you will obey my command!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about your commands, old man! This is about me and my life, right?! Don¡¯t you think that I should have a say in matters concerning myself!? Doesn¡¯t that make sense to you, Father?¡± Ying looked at him as if he was a retard.


    ¡°No! The child shall listen to the father. The child will be filial in listening to their parent¡¯s wishes and demands! This is how the world works; your stubborn behavior won¡¯t change that! You will marry Young Master Nichang regardless of how you feel. This is for the betterment of our family!¡±


    Ying¡¯s fury and rage were bubbling up like a volcanic geyser from when she first walked inside the main hall. As she calmly tried to talk with her father, her temper grew further uncontrolled. No, not uncontrolled. Ying was right to feel the way she was feeling! It was better to say that her temper was growing more and more controlled! She would absolutely not marry this guy!


    Fiery-orange hot flames came alive from Ying¡¯s hair. Like a beautiful female immortal of fire and wrath, Ying stared down at her father. Ying almost lashed out in anger by turning her blade on her own father. She was nearly on the verge of losing it completely, but this man was the one who helped in giving birth to her. Out of filial piety, Ying would not act on her basic desires.


    Instead, she merely punched the wall. Cracks spread from the impact of the punch, and an entire hallway¡¯s wall crumbled to pieces. Ying regained some control over her raging fire qi, and her hair returned to normal. Or at least it did momentarily. It flickered between flames and regular hair.


    ¡°I will speak to you again after I win the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting.¡± Ying gave a respectful bow to her father and their guests before leaving the Yue Family Estate.


    ¡°YUE YING, YOU GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!¡± Ying heard her father shout.


    Ying scoffed as she wandered through the city. Despite her anger at her father, she knew that the guests weren¡¯t at fault. She wasn¡¯t that ignorant about her own looks! Who wouldn¡¯t want to snatch all this up!? It was just that her heart was set on someone else. Ying knew that marriages in the noble circle were never about love. It was all about gain and benefits. The feelings of those involved in the marriage weren¡¯t worth shit compared to the benefits to the families.


    But Ying didn¡¯t have to go along with that crap. Ever since Ying met Jing, she had a feeling that she could stand on top of the world with enough time and training. Why would she have to follow old traditions when she was strong? The strong made their own rules! And if she wanted to marry someone, it was going to be on her own damn terms! Screw Bing¡¯s background, she loved him, and that¡¯s all that mattered!


    And if someone had a problem with that, Ying didn¡¯t mind crushing them with her strength. Strength was king! Strength decided who was right and who was wrong. Ying would still do it even if she had to go against her own father. A member of the Yue Family will never retreat! He and grandfather were the two to beat that into her heart and body.


    With her heart pumping full of energy, Ying made her way inside a popular restaurant. She saw plenty of well-dressed customers going in and out. The second-best way to relieve stress was eating, of course! Since she couldn¡¯t beat the shit out of anyone. She also didn¡¯t eat breakfast either because of the servants coming into her room.


    Ying entered the restaurant and sat at a small wooden table. She waited for one of the workers to come over and ask what she wanted to order. In the meantime, Ying people watched since she didn¡¯t have anything better to do. Hao Gang expressed curiosity about what they were going to be eating. Ying couldn¡¯t answer him because she didn¡¯t know what they had on the menu. Then she realized what he had said.


    ¡°What the hell do you mean what WE¡¯RE eating? I¡¯m eating, not you.¡± Ying corrected him.


    Hao Gang sent emotional waves of hungry and sadness. This irritated Ying as it only made her feel hungrier. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you only liked to eat interesting things? What happened to that?¡± Ying questioned. Was her demonic sword going through sword puberty or something?


    Hao Gang sent positive emotions and agreed with her if it meant he could eat. He was dressed up all pretty and couldn¡¯t even eat a decent meal?! What was the point of dressing up like this if he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted!? Hao begged Ying for food.


    ¡°Fine! Just shut up! I¡¯ll order you some damn food...¡± Ying¡¯s stomach grumbled.

 Chapter 308: Ying’s Relaxing Dinner?

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°There are ya happy now, ya glutton?¡± Ying was flushed with feelings of joy and satisfaction from Hao Gang.


    The little fatty sword even transformed from how much food it ate. Instead of a giant demonic sword, it was now a giant cooked meat sword. An amalgamation of various different meats in the form of a large meaty blade! It smelled delicious. Too damn delicious. Ying could barely control herself from taking a bite if Gang wasn¡¯t filling her with feelings of fear, shock, and pleading.


    Basically, begging her not to eat him even if he smelt delicious. Ying wanted to take a little bite just to teach him a lesson for being so greedy but she wasn¡¯t sure what the hell would happen when he turned back. Would her sword just have a bite mark on it when he finally returned back to normal? How the hell was she going to fix that? Sure, she could probably still use it but it wouldn¡¯t feel the same.


    A swordsman has to know their swords from the inside and out. If Gang suddenly gained a bite mark on his body, would that change anything at all? Would he become more brittle and easier to crack or shatter in a fight? Ying didn¡¯t want to risk it just for a joke. Even if he smelled really damn good. Probably tastes amazing as well...


    Ying couldn¡¯t control the drool from leaking out the side of her mouth as her food finally arrived. A family-sized feast that could probably fill up a family of four for an entire day! Gang ate a meal portioned to a regular person because of his mouth hidden behind his eye. Ying got sick of trying to stuff foods of different sizes down it just to fill his greed.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ying didn¡¯t forget her manners as she thanked the little inn boy who struggled to deliver her order.


    ¡°No problem, pretty big sis!¡± He ran off to other tables after that.


    Ying gave a quick glare at all the assholes staring at her before focusing her attention on her meal. They¡¯ve been staring ever since she fed Gang and it was getting on her nerves. They act like they¡¯ve never seen a sword eat before! Swords drink blood all the time but when Ying¡¯s sword wants to eat meat, there¡¯s something special about it?


    ¡°That¡¯s her, alright. The Yue Family¡¯s Princess.¡± A local pointed out to the visitor.


    ¡°Tell me about her.¡± The visitor demanded, putting coins on the table.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all ya needed to say, fella!¡± The local greedily grabbed all the coins and placed them in his inner pocket. ¡°The Yue Family¡¯s only daughter goes by a couple names ever since she returned from the Golden Serpent Sect. A few of these only got into my ear a few moments before you arrived, so I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re reliable or not.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Flame Princess, Fiery Demon, Fire Immortal, Princess of Destruction, Sword Demoness, Demonic Princess, Cursed Princess, you starting to get a pattern?¡± The local chuckled. ¡°Even back at her own sect she was known as Blazing Demonic Sword Maiden. I know a guy who knows a guy that can find stuff out from the Golden Serpent Sect. So, if you need any more information about their disciples, just send more money my way, you know what I mean?¡± He winked constantly.


    ¡°Focus on the first job. Not future ones, if there ever will be one.¡± The visitor warned.


    ¡°You want more information? Well... Don¡¯t tell anyone this but, rumors are spreading quickly that the Yue Family¡¯s Princess just rejected a marriage proposal from the Han Family. She even got in a heated argument with her own father about it. The Yue Family¡¯s Head had to done something huge for the Han Family to not have retaliated for this slight on their face.¡± The local snickered. ¡°Can you imagine. One of the top noble families being rejected by one barely hanging on at the bottom? If I got rejected by someone that I was too good for, I''d probably exterminate her family.¡± He shared honestly.


    ¡°Keep me informed and more will come your way.¡± The visitor placed a small tied bag on the table and swiftly left the restaurant.


    ¡°Have I drunk too much or is that girl feeding her sword?¡± An inebriated cultivator asked his companion.


    ¡°What the hell are you even say...¡± The sober companion¡¯s words got caught up in his throat as he looked over at the table with the young girl.


    The two martial cultivators looked at her, then looked at each other, and then back at the orange-haired girl. They abruptly stood up in shock and blazingly stared in amazement. Just by seeing a young woman with a strange sword like that was enough to catch their attention. But the fact that the sword could eat people food meant that it was special. And there was something valuable about special swords.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve found our latest target.¡± The drunk one giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that girl around here before. She¡¯s got to be from out of the city instead of a local.¡± The sober one kept a close watch.


    ¡°You think she¡¯s got a strong background?¡±


    ¡°If she does, whoever is supposed to keep watch over her and prevent her from acting like that doesn¡¯t exist or isn¡¯t doing their job right.¡±


    ¡°I could bait em out before we move in to snatch the sword.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think an eating sword could go for in an auction?¡± The sober one grinned.


    ¡°We¡¯d live like kings for years.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get it done. Sober yourself up and only act like you¡¯re wasted when you pass by her table. Try and bait out if there¡¯s an expert behind her. If there is, beg for your life and if there isn¡¯t, I''ll move in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, alright.¡± The drunk one sobered himself up by cycling his qi through his body. ¡°Here¡¯s the signal.¡± He whispered something into his companion¡¯s ear.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not hungry again. You just think you¡¯re hungry because I''m eating!¡± Ying silenced her begging sword.


    The food was good enough in Ying¡¯s opinion. It was nothing compared to her cakes but few things could compare to them. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to judge the food of regular cooks with her spirit cakes. They just weren¡¯t on the same level in any form.


    Now Gang was begging for spirit cake. It tried to reason that since it already ate its meal, it was time for dessert. A statement that Ying had trouble arguing against. Desserts did come after dinner. Ying also didn¡¯t mind having a small slice of cake after this meal, so, she gave in. Feelings of success flooded through her body as Hao Gang counted this as a victory in his mind.


    Ying only rolled her eyes in small amusement. As she was reaching for the blood lobsters, some fucking drunk asshole crashed into her table as he was passing by. Food went flying everyone and Ying had a difficult time controlling herself from slicing this guy in half for interrupting her meal! He reeked of alcohol and if he dared to give her any type of shit for ruining her meal, he was going home with all his bones broken!


    ¡°I¡¯m so s-s-sorry. I might have had-¡± He hiccupped. ¡°T-Too much to drink...¡± Instead of getting up, he just laid down in the food.


    This guy was wasted out of his mind.


    ¡°Whatever!¡± Ying got up from where she was sitting and was about to go pay for what she ordered.


    ¡°W-Wait! I''ll... I¡¯ll...¡± He couldn¡¯t seem to focus or remember what he was going to say. ¡°I¡¯ll pay! As apology.¡± He slurred his words. ¡°Please let me.¡± He still hasn¡¯t gotten up from the table he fell onto.


    His hand was even absentmindedly reaching toward her blood lobsters! Ying was sure if she stayed to waste time with this drunk, he would finish up what she didn¡¯t get to finish! With an annoyed release of air from her nose, she turned around and walked her way to the counter.


    Seeing that she really walked away, the drunk hurriedly got up from the food and quickly wobbled over to Ying. As he was about to reach out to catch her attention, he dripped over his own foot and fell to the wooden floor. On his way down, he clutched his hand around Ying¡¯s leg begging her to let him repay her. It was at this moment, he suddenly felt a strange disconnect with his right hand. He could no longer clutch or move around his fingers either. He looked up at his hand to see what the hell was going on.


    ¡°A martial artist should conduct themselves with more dignity.¡± Ying lifted her slightly bloodied meat sword before kicking him across the face.


    The last thing he saw before everything went dark was his unattached right hand falling to the floor next to the girl¡¯s leg.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± His companion yelled.


    FukinDeadBeat


    Yo guys, just started up college again but this time for my Master''s degree. In English, yeah I don''t know what the fuck I''m going to do with that either but it''s too late to stop now. Not like I have anything really planned in the first person. I just like writing and reading.


    Since this story is on its way to a conclusion, I feel its inappropriate to not give it the attention and respect it deserves after writing it for three fucking years. (I started this story in 2019 guys!)


    Faster releases starting Monday.

 Chapter 309: The Prelude!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Ying looked up at the second floor to see a swordsman leaping down to cleave her in half. Hao Gang was urging her to try something, and despite her annoyance at this entire situation, she didn¡¯t mind listening to him. She¡¯s never seen this meat form of Hao Gang and wondered what the hell it could do. With Gang¡¯s urging, Ying pointed the giant meat festival of a sword at the incoming cultivator.


    Everyone inside the restaurant watching saw the swordsman and Ying clashing with their blades in a matter of seconds. The two stood a distance from each other after their clash. One smirked, while the other only seemed confused. Blood dripped down Ying¡¯s cheek. No obvious injury could be seen on the man¡¯s body.


    ¡°Heh... You should¡¯ve controlled that temper of yours, girlie. Now you¡¯re going to die because of it!¡± He confidently boasted, turning around to face Ying.


    ¡°You should talk big only when you win.¡± Ying mentally berated Hao Gang.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I do that right n-¡± A blood-curdling scream startled the entire restaurant.


    Slowly, the confident and cocky swordsman began to twist. It started with his arms. They quickly twisted themselves into an unrecognizable mangled mess of flesh. The pain was quick, unavoidable, and torturous. But it didn¡¯t end there; his legs soon followed afterward. He dropped to the wooden floor of the restaurant in agonizing and unimaginable pain. Tears dropped from his eyes; he begged and pleaded for forgiveness. Anything to get the pain to stop. All of it heavily pressed down on the hearts of those watching the fight.


    Maybe this was too cruel, some thought. While those from the world of cultivators were somewhat accustomed to sights like this. Usually, fights didn¡¯t get to this level of brutality. Most fights between cultivators either ended in a swift death or the loser fleeing to save their own life. Regardless of their thoughts on how the orange-haired beauty ended the fight, everyone would remember her in their hearts as someone not to mess with.


    Not everyone has been informed about the Yue Family¡¯s only daughter''s return to Clear Wind City. Only a special few are even aware of her existence. So, to the eyes of those watching the orange-haired beauty, she was simply a sword fairy with a ruthless disposition and a weird spirit sword! Everyone tensed up as she looked around the restaurant, seemingly waiting for more challengers. No one dared to raise their heads or make any noises. Even if they were comparable to her in cultivation, no one could tell just how the hell did she cripple that guy in the first place. At best, they knew it only took a single cut.


    Ying scoffed after seeing the reactions of everyone inside the restaurant. She went over to the counter with the shivering worker, silently begging and pleading for his life. She dropped two low-ranked spirit stones from her storage ring on the counter and silently walked out of the restaurant feeling relieved.


    On her way out, she was met face to face with a large group of martial artists. She didn¡¯t give them more than a passing glance but was slightly interested in why such a big group of cultivators came to her city. She didn¡¯t recognize their sect symbols, so they must not be that important. With a satisfied yawn, she walked past them and made her way to Clear Wind City¡¯s busiest street. Ying ate a good meal, relieved some stress, and was in the mood to play around a bit. It was still early in the day, and she had plenty of time to find something fun to do before finding an inn to stay at until the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting.


    Xue Que¡¯s eyebrows twitched in irritation after passing by the yawning beauty. Xue Que was the #1 disciple of the Heavenly Palace Sect and has been treated with nothing but fear, respect, and awe since young. No one hasn¡¯t heard of him, and no one that dared treat him carelessly. Even at this pitiful martial arts exchange meeting in Clear Wind City, most of these fat cows are only interested in trying to get their young masters and young misses accepted into the Heavenly Palace Sect.


    As the representative of the Heavenly Palace Sect, it was his job to keep an eye out for any outstanding talents that would be useful to their sect. Xue Que was irritated that he had to do this but would¡¯ve been outraged if anyone else had been chosen for this task given by the elders. He only planned to keep an eye out for any talented beauties. Recruiting a talented man for the sect would only potentially put his position as future sect leader in danger. A woman, however... Xue Que inwardly snorted. It would be best for her to put her talents to use by serving him and their future children.


    The fact that the giant sword-wielding beauty didn¡¯t recognize him or purposely chose to ignore him took most of Xue Que¡¯s attention as he walked into the restaurant. On his way in, he stumbled upon a grotesque and disturbing sight that nearly ruined his appetite. A one-handed cultivator carrying a crippled cultivator over his shoulder. The disgusting duo bumped into Xue Que without a word of apology. They even stained his glorious robes with their filthy blood!


    ¡°Hey! You filthy cripples! Do you know who you just bumped into!?¡± A disciple from the Heavenly Palace Sect shouted in righteous fury.


    ¡°I... apologize...¡± The one-armed man¡¯s breath was labored.


    He tried to continue walking out of the restaurant with his comrade, but the Heavenly Palace Sect disciples blocked his exit. ¡°Do you think you can just disrespect Senior Xue and get away with it!?¡± One person yelled. ¡°You must kneel right this second and beg for his forgiveness!¡± Another joined in. ¡°Maybe if you show enough sincerity, Senior Xue may even let you leave unharmed.¡± This disciple rubbed their fingers together, greed in their eyes.


    ¡°Please, forgive us, Senior Xue. Someone of your stature would find it beneath himself to engage with trash such as us. Please let us leave...¡± The one-armed cultivator pleaded.


    Xue Que¡¯s face was as calm as could be. Handsome, young, and powerful. No one could have expected for this well-mannered and good-looking youth to suddenly flash his sword. The two miserable cultivators were cut in half in the time it took one to blink! Xue Que simply walked past their corpses without a single drop of blood on his robes.


    Even those from his sect were surprised and didn¡¯t expect this merciless outcome. They, too, walked past the corpses and made it to a table large enough to accommodate them all. It didn¡¯t take long for people to begin walking out of the restaurant after seeing this. One brutal sight was enough for them. This restaurant was a death trap today.


    First, it was the sword fairy, and now these people? Today was not the day to enjoy a nice relaxing meal inside Qiwanghuasheng. Customers started leaving in droves. Who knew if they would be next on the chopping block? The owner of Qiwanghuasheng could only silently cry at the sight. However, Qiwang did not forget his professionalism. Tears may be falling down his cheeks, but a professional smile was stuck on his face as he took the orders of the Heavenly Palace Sect disciples.


    Heavenly Palace Sect wasn¡¯t the only sect to arrive in Clear Wind City at this time. They were simply a few of the firsts to arrive before the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting began. The Heavenly Palace Sect was supposed to meet up with the representative of the noble Han Family just like some of the other middle-ranked and low-ranked sects with connections with the noble families in Clear Wind City. But Xue Que decided to take matters into his own hands, considering it beneath himself to follow the Han Family like a dog. In his eyes, the Han Family should be wagging their tails toward him.


    It didn¡¯t take long for information to spread across Clear Wind City about the sects arriving. This sent the city into a small panic. Merchants, noble families, aspiring youths, and cultivators all took this chance to do what they could to get as many benefits as they could from these visiting sects. Yue Gou was not one of these people, unlike his son.


    ¡°Father. You know as well as I do that our family needs this partnership with the Han Family.¡± Yue Tang avoided eye contact with his father.


    ¡°Do I?¡± Yue Gou stared at his son; disappointment was prevalent in his eyes.


    ¡°You don¡¯t honestly believe that Ying has gotten strong enough to carry the family name back to the heights in which it used have!¡± Yue Tang stood up suddenly.


    ¡°What I believe is giving my granddaughter a chance to back up her words.¡± Yue Gou¡¯s voice didn¡¯t rise above a conversational tone.


    ¡°So you think I was wrong for trying to marry her off?! What¡¯s wrong with trying to do what¡¯s best for our family?! There is nothing wrong with the Han Family¡¯s future patriarch!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. But tell me the reason you insisted on pushing this so quickly. Did the Han Family pressure you into marrying Ying to their son as quickly as possible, or did the benefits of the joining together of our two families blind you?¡±


    Yue Tang merely gritted his teeth and refused to speak any further. He felt like he was digging himself a hole by answering his father¡¯s questions.


    ¡°You need more patience, boy. I¡¯m going to find Ying. In the meantime, you just need to sit put and wait till the end of the martial meeting. If she does as well as she said, refuse the marriage. If she doesn¡¯t, I''ll support you in having her married to the Han Family¡¯s kid. Is that good enough for you?¡± Gou turned his back to his son.


    ¡°I can accept that...¡± Tang couldn¡¯t see himself losing regardless of each outcome.

 Chapter 310: The Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Any rumors about the sword fairy at Qiwanghuasheng was buried by the arrival of the medium and small sects visiting Clear Wind City in search of new disciples. Of course, their true purpose was something else but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to add more people to their sects while they had the chance. While the city was doing everything it could to satisfy, please, and accommodate the sects while also draining them of their precious resources, Ying was simply relaxing until the exchange meeting. Somehow, her grandfather found her in the most expensive inn inside the city.


    ¡°Xiao Ying. Your father made a mistake but he is willing to concede.¡± Yue Gou stood at the doorway.


    ¡°He¡¯s cancelled the marriage?¡± Surprise couldn¡¯t help but seep into her voice. That stubborn jerk?


    ¡°Not exactly...¡± For a moment Yue Gou adverted his eyes.


    ¡°Explain it clearly or I''ll never go back.¡± Ying didn¡¯t mince her words.


    ¡°As long as you prove your capability at the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting, he will fully support you and disregard the nonsense about marrying you off.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like him...¡±


    Ying knew her father wasn¡¯t the type to second guess himself. If he decided to do something he would force it or try to get it through other means. Ying¡¯s eyes locked onto her grandfather¡¯s to gleam any sort of information out of him. The giant one-armed hairy grandpa broke underneath his granddaughter¡¯s fiery gaze. He smiled.


    ¡°I may have said some words,¡± He coughed with a small blush. ¡°But in the end, you still must prove yourself! If you don¡¯t give a good enough showing even, I can¡¯t save you.¡±


    Yue Gou was suddenly tackled by his granddaughter as she embraced him in a loving hug. It seemed as if words weren¡¯t needed as she expressed just how much she loved him through body language. Gou patted her back with an embarrassed laugh. ¡°Aren¡¯t you too old to be hugging your grandpa like this?¡± Although Gou said this, the smile on his face was wide enough to destroy his reputation as the Swordsman of Steel.


    ¡°Thanks, grandfather...¡± Heavens only knew what Ying would¡¯ve done if her father was set on marrying her off without giving her a chance.


    ¡°Are you ready to come back home, now?¡±


    ¡°I guess, I can.¡± Ying only left because she was pissed off and against her father¡¯s decision.


    Now the only thing she had to do was prove that the Yue Family was going to reclaim their lost strength and even go beyond it. Her father may intend to pass the family onto one of her brothers but Ying thought it would be better if she herself was the matriarch. After all, only with enough strength can one protect. And Ying didn¡¯t see herself reaching the limits of her strength anytime soon.


    The day of the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting has arrived! Anyone that is anyone has come to watch the good show that only happens every 10 years within Clear Wind City. The city lord put plenty of money and manpower into making this exchange meeting the best it has ever been in decades because of the sects visiting. In fact, he even went over budget and dipped into his personal savings! No one understood what possessed the city lord to go this far, not even his closest friends and colleagues but thanks to the city lord going all out like this, everyone could enjoy the exchange meeting regardless of their status.


    Even the low-born citizens that lived in the slums could watch from the streets thanks to the city lord buying the expensive support array, Viewing Formation! This support array is a recent invention of the quickly growing faction, The Heavenly Association! It could record in real-time anything inside the formation! It certainly made a sizeable dent in the city lord¡¯s funds to purchase the materials and formula to perform the formation but by the end of the exchange meeting, he was certain that he would make it all back in no time.


    Along with the Viewing Formation, there also came the Viewing Spell. A spell that can connect to the Viewing Formation and be viewed at any time and at any location! Of course, there is more to it but the city lord wasn¡¯t a spellmaster. He just knew that if he sold these Viewing Spells after the tournament, he would rake in the money he spent setting this thing up!


    ¡°Those freaks at The Heavenly Association just had to set up in Cloud Dragon City instead of my Clear Wind City...¡± City Lord Tian Yang cursed.


    He was great friends with City Lord Kong. They grew up together since young and even now kept in touch. City Lord Kong was the current ruler of Cloud Dragon City and he took every opportunity to brag and gloat about how wonderful the Heavenly Association was. How much of a monetary windfall his city has gained since they set up shop over there. And if he wanted, he could ask them to do him a favor and set up a branch over in Clear Wind City as long as he promised to wed his daughter to his son.


    Tian Yang called Kong a shameless bastard. Didn¡¯t he feel shame for trying to wed two juniors who are ten years apart? He obviously refused to give his daughter away to that porky little meatball of a son of Kong¡¯s. Only if this event doesn¡¯t go well, then Tian Yang will have to possibly consider giving up his precious daughter.


    ¡°This year¡¯s exchange meeting is a lot different from when I was a kid.¡± Ying muttered.


    The last time she saw the meeting was when she was seven years old. Back then, it wasn¡¯t as popular as it is now. Only the noble families and merchants came to watch the noble children fight. But now, everything was different.


    ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass us.¡± Yue Sao narrowed his eyes at Ying.


    ¡°Time to put your money where your mouth is.¡± Yue Heng smirked.


    ¡°I hope your time in the Golden Serpent Sect wasn¡¯t wasted.¡± Yue Tian didn¡¯t even look at her.


    Ying flicked off her three older brothers as the exchange meeting began. They didn¡¯t get a chance to retort or react as everyone was startled as a loud voice suddenly appeared. ¡°Welcome everyone to the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting! I am proud to announce that this is the start of the 55th exchange meeting since the creation of our Clear Wind City! I hope all the young nobles do their best to show a great showing worthy of their noble families! Now, lets begin!¡±


    The way the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting worked was that one noble youth took the stage. That noble youth would then choose someone at their stage or higher to face off against. Choosing someone with a lower cultivation was actively frowned upon and usually not done unless the relationship between the two youths were that of an older sibling and younger sibling. In that case, people saw that it was merely a learning experience or a show between the two to show off their family¡¯s martial arts. However, choosing someone with a lower cultivation and no positive relationship with only made them seem cowardly. They could only bully the weak.


    Ying leaped to the stage faster than anyone else. Most of the noble youths mocked and laughed at her. Didn¡¯t she know that being the first up was also the quickest way to get exhausted and humiliated? They say save the best for last for a reason. Apparently, someone didn¡¯t send this big-chested beauty the lesson.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Yue Family¡¯s Demonic Princess?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The fallen Yue Family! Their daughter somehow got accepted in the Golden Serpent Sect and has finally returned after years of being in the sect.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s going to give us a good showing then. A disciple from one of the Three Great Sects has to be strong.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Multiple elders had uneasy looks on their faces when information of Ying¡¯s background flowed into their ears.


    Was it possible the Three Great Sects were aware of their destination? It couldn¡¯t be, right? It must be a coincidence that one of their disciples is here. It has to be.


    Just as a precaution, many of the elders were on guard against Ying. If there was any sign of danger, they¡¯d deal with it together. In their eyes, she wasn¡¯t simply a young girl but the embodiment of the Three Great Sects! Someone that has always suppressed and taken advantage of them just because they were bigger!


    ¡°Nichang Han.¡± Ying called up the man her father thought was suitable to be her husband.


    Gasps spread throughout the crowd after realizing who she called up. Nichang Han was a rising prodigy within Clear Wind City! There was no one that didn¡¯t know of his genius. Was it possible that the Yue Family¡¯s girl simply didn¡¯t know because she¡¯s been gone for so long? She was simply courting death, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°...¡± A quivering smile soldering with rage underneath it appeared on Nichang¡¯s face as he slowly headed up to the ring.

 Chapter 311: Ying’s Dilemma!

    FukinDeadBeat


    ¡°I have to admit, I''m surprised. I truly didn¡¯t expect you to choose me out of everyone here.¡± Han Nichang kept his smile, burying his true feelings underneath.


    ¡°Since my father saw something in you, I might as well give you the chance to prove it.¡± An insidious look filled Ying¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Should I be flattered?¡± He gave a pleasant chuckle that also had the audience laughing.


    The two young cultivators pulled out their weapons and stood a distance away from each other. Excitement filled the crowd. This first match of the exchange meeting was such a big match! While few knew of Ying and her strength, just the fact alone that she was a disciple from one of the Big Three Sects was enough to rile them up. In a way, it could be described like this. Han Nichang was a local handsome celebrity while Yue Ying was a mysterious beauty from overseas.


    A sharp glare filled with killing intent focused on Ying after she pulled out Hao Gang. The pressure was immense and in a situation like this where she is preparing for battle, it was incredibly rude. Ying glanced at the elder from one of the sects. A purple hood that covered their entire body and only gave Ying a look at their bright purple eyes staring right at her sword. They were a strong bastard since they could make her sweat with just a gaze. If they affected her plan here, Ying didn¡¯t mind visiting their sect later on as payback.


    ¡°You dare look away when you¡¯re facing me?¡± Nichang dashed forward with his long sword in fury.


    Ying didn¡¯t even look in his direction as she faced the purple robed elder. With a casual wave of her sword, she clashed with Nichang. This clash didn¡¯t even last for more than a second as Ying easily overpowered the sheltered young genius. Hao Gang crashed into the handsome youth¡¯s body, shattering several of his bones in one blow. Han Nichang was sent flying like a kite across the ring! It sharply contrasted everything known about him! It was undignified, brutal, and shocking!


    Han Nichang laid limp and crumpled near the edge of the ring barely hanging onto his life. Silence filled the audience as an elder from the Han Family rushed up to the ring. He poured several elixirs down Han Nichang¡¯s throat and gave Ying a vicious glare before retreating with Han Nichang in his hands. Ying¡¯s countenance briefly faltered underneath the pressure of two cultivators at stages higher than herself. With her hand slightly shaking, she ran her thumb across her throat toward the disciples of that sect.


    Basically, spitting in the face of the elder from the medium-sized sect. Ying was practically saying that if you dare send someone from your sect against me, they won¡¯t be leaving the ring alive. She knew she¡¯s done nothing to deserve the hostility sent her way because she didn¡¯t even know what sect they were from. Not to mention, she basically played around at home until the time for the exchange meeting, having no opportunity to get on the bad side of anyone besides her brothers.


    The purple-robed elder did not like being threatened by a girl so young, genius or not. It looks like being inside the Golden Serpent Sect for so long has numbed this child¡¯s understanding of the world. You don¡¯t simply provoke someone far stronger than yourself and expect to get away with it. With a wave of his hand, a disciple in purple robes stood up. A fierce purple aura rose from his body, violently blowing away at those around him.


    ¡°Come on up.¡± Ying smirked, waggling her finger.


    The young man jumped on stage and wasted no time in starting the fight. This aggressive manner confused the other elders. They didn¡¯t like the Golden Serpent Sect brat either but did the elder of the Justice Sect have some sort of grudge against the girl? Sure, she disrespected him and gave him no face as an elder but he started it by showing visible hostility toward the child. Regardless, they didn¡¯t care much. It was just interesting.


    ¡°Die demon!¡± Ah Yuan shouted. His blade was filled with righteous energy.


    A brief look of confusion appeared on Ying¡¯s face. She coated her hand in red flames and grabbed the swordsman¡¯s blade with ease. ¡°Why did you call me a demon? Do I look like a demon to you or something?¡± Ying began exerting inhuman force on the sword with her grip, slowly cracking it.


    ¡°My justice will not be stopped here!¡± Ah Yuan surged all of his righteous qi into his blade.


    The blade shined with blinding purple light that forced many of those watching near the ring to cover their eyes. As the light was dying down, they could only hear the sound of rushing wind and then something falling to the ground. When people could finally see, they realized that she won again... Ah Yuan had a seared hole through his gut and a look of disbelief in his wide-opened eyes.


    Ying didn¡¯t give the Justice Sect a chance to grieve as she pointed to the next disciple in the sect near her cultivation to come up on stage. It took the disciple less than a second to comprehend the situation and an entire second to process it. That disciple charged at Ying from below the stage with all of their strength. The only thing on their mind was getting revenge for their senior.


    In Ying¡¯s eyes, the flaws in their movement were too many to count. It led to a swift death from Ying¡¯s sword. They were bisected from their head to their pelvis. Realizing how weak they were also led to Ying¡¯s confidence.


    ¡°You justice losers might as well come up and face me together. I¡¯ll eradicate your sect here and now instead of later since you got a problem with me.¡± Ying stabbed Hao Gang into the ground and cracked her fists.


    Before the announcer could swiftly shut down that suggestion, the Justice Sect disciples shot up to the ring. The elder in charge of the Justice Sect violently shook in rage as they closed the shocked eyes of Ah Yuan¡¯s corpse. The elders from the other sects were quite pleased with the situation. In their hearts, they wished for Ying¡¯s death because of her overbearing words matched exactly with their view of the Three Great Sects! They believed they could decide the life or death of lower-ranked sects whenever they wanted for any reason whatsoever!


    ¡°Demon Extermination Array!¡± The Justice Sect disciples formed around Ying in specific positions.


    With her hand coated in red flames, Ying blasted a torrent of fire toward the core component of their formation. Thanks to Jing, Ying knew some tricks to prevent arrays from being formed in combat against her. The Justice Sect disciples were stunned at seeing their array destroyed before it could be completed, giving Ying an opportunity to end them in one move.


    She gathered the fire qi within her body and unleashed a devasting hellstorm of flames within the ring. Several qi barriers formed around the ring, protecting the crowd below. But even with that, the audience was still forced back because of the high temperatures that couldn¡¯t be blocked off. It was when no qi other than Ying¡¯s and her sword that the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting was nearly ruined. The elder from the Justice Sect threw away all of his face and attempted to kill Ying in one blow!


    Only one was quick enough to meet him before he could reach Ying. Ying looked up at the strong hairy familiar back in front of her. A man of actual steel blocked the blow meant to take her heart.


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± Ying quickly realized she was moments away from death and didn¡¯t even know it!


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this. Get back to a safe position and stay out of my way!¡± Yue Gou yelled.


    Ying jumped off the stage with Hao Gang as the city lord¡¯s men began evacuating people.


    ¡°We need to deal with this demon now before she grows too strong! You all can sense the demonic qi within that sword just as well as me! Everyone knows that sooner or later this demon will be used by the Golden Serpent Sect to annihilate us one by one! If we get rid of her now and purify the sword, we¡¯ll have power capable of contending with the Great Three Sects!¡± Elder of the Justice Sect yelled.


    They all knew it was bullshit but it looks like the exchange meeting has been ruined anyway. Might as well take out one potential headache and go on their way. None of them held good feelings for the girl in the first place. Her absurd strength for a youth was only a detriment for her.


    Slowly, Ying was being surrounded by masters far stronger than herself. A sharp panic filled Ying¡¯s heart as she readied herself for a hopeless battle. She looked all around for any signs of escape. Only to hear a familiar voice resounding into the ears of everyone around.


    ¡°You dare conspire to kill a disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect?! A bunch of no-names like yourselves!?¡± Yue Tang stood in front of his daughter with his sword drawn. ¡°Do you have no honor? A bunch of old men like you ganging up on a single youngster?!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Unease and nervousness spread throughout the elders but they¡¯ve already come this far.


    They rushed forward together and Yue Tang released all of his power to protect his one and only daughter. A giant sword light rose from his body and pierced into the sky above.

 Chapter 312: Ying’s ???

    FukinDeadBeat


    Ying was truly and utterly out of her depth here... Despite the bad blood between herself and her brothers, at a time like this, they stood around her with their weapons drawn. Willing to lay down their lives to protect their only sister. Even if she was an annoying brat that¡¯s gotten uppity lately. But, she didn¡¯t panic and lose her mind.


    While her family was doing everything they could to withstand the assault from the medium and small sects, she sent an emergency message to Heaven¡¯s Angels, asking for help. She didn¡¯t know how long it would take for them to arrive but she would do everything she could to keep her family from dying. Ying¡¯s entire purpose of becoming strong was to help elevate her family! Without her family, what has she worked so hard all these years for?


    Ying sliced the air apart with Hao Gang. A visible spatial slit could be seen and with a single call from Ying, an outburst of grass shot out from the hole!? The tsunami of grass moved according to Ying¡¯s qi and will. It avoided those from the Yue Family and targetted their enemies.


    ¡°What? Spiritual grass?! Are you retarded, girl?!¡± A cultivator laughed as he sliced the grass apart with one swing.


    His sword effortlessly sliced it and the grass dropped like needles? The cultivator looked around to see what was so special about this spiritual grass. It didn¡¯t take long for him to get his answer as screams, cries, and yelps of pain spread throughout the disciples of the sects.


    ¡°Use your qi to forcefully expel them from your bodies! It¡¯ll hurt but it¡¯ll be better than letting them drain you like a husk!¡± An elder shouted after quickly analyzing the effects on one disciple.


    SCP-355 was only a momentary distraction. Only the disciples truly had any trouble. The elders had no problem preventing themselves from being drained by the carnivorous grass and taking it out. But, Ying didn¡¯t expect for the grass spirit to do anything substantial. It was nothing more than just something to buy her more time.


    ¡°Eat this and don¡¯t question me!¡± Ying shoved delicious smelling pastries into her brothers¡¯ mouths.


    ¡°Mhmhmhmhhm!¡± They tried to protest but their youngest sister was strangely strong!


    Sao, Heng, and Tian felt their qi surge within their bodies. Like a raging river but one that was under their complete control! If they weren¡¯t in a life-or-death situation, the three brothers would drop to lotus position and cultivate to breakthrough right this instance! However, they settled to use the power to use all of their power without restrain.


    Ying looked over to her dad and saw that even after combining his sword techniques with sword intent, he was still being overwhelmed by the sect elders. Even if she wanted to help him like she helped her brothers, she¡¯d be sliced apart before she even got the chance to say, ¡°Eat this!¡±


    Ying also ate a spirit cake for herself before unleashing her full power. The Goddess of Calmity¡¯s Fire Art transformed Ying into a being of fire. Flaming long locks, blazing pupils, a burning dress that hung tightly to Ying¡¯s figure with a deep opening in the chest area, and a giant mass of flames in the form of a sword in her hands. The orange flames shifted into a dark purple hue thanks to Overbearing Amalgamation of Flames and the Mystic Flame she received from the second test of the annual tournament.


    Dashing out of her brothers¡¯ protective circle, Ying went on a rampage. The devastating huge demonic blade cleaved through the disciples as if they were tofu. Thanks to her family distracting the strongest cultivators of the sects, Ying could freely chop their disciples up without worrying for her own safety. Of course, it didn¡¯t take long for the elders of the medium and small sects to realize what was happening due to the death screams of their students. Collectively, all of their hatred, anger, and qi were focused solely on Ying¡¯s figure.


    A spiritual weight that collapsed her to her knee. She glared back with the intensity of a thousand suns as she refused to submit to their power. Her sword stabbed into the ground, preventing her from kneeling all the way to these old bastards. It took everything she had to stay in this position, say nothing of trying to rise back to her feet.


    You¡¯d think with all this focus on Ying, the Yue Family members would be able to push in and take advantage of the moment but the Yue Family wasn¡¯t known as a fallen family for nothing. These elders from the nearby medium and small sects were a lot stronger than a noble family robbed of resources and opportunities for years. The only people capable of keeping up a good fight was the main family members. The patriarch, ancestor, and the three potential heirs. But even that didn¡¯t mean they were winning.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Ying was helpless as she saw her father being attacked from multiple angles.


    Yue Tang scowled as he suffered a mortal injury but not without taking out one of the elders with a horizontal slash. He refused to fall before his daughter escaped.


    ¡°Run you foolish girl!¡± Tang couldn¡¯t hold back the blood from spewing out of his mouth after speaking.


    ¡°I-I- No! I¡¯ll save you!¡± Ying pulled on everything from within her to stand up and rush over to her father. ¡°I can do it...!¡±


    ¡°Son...¡± Yue Gou momentarily took his eyes off his opponent.


    ¡°You dare look away while you¡¯re facing me?! You fool!¡± The justice elder rushed to take advantage of Gou¡¯s distracted state.


    Yue Gou shot backwards at an incredible speed toward his son. He landed in front of him and grabbed him before rushing toward Ying and setting him down near her. As Ying was pulling out a recovery cake for her dad to eat, the elders weren¡¯t just idly watching by.


    Gou in his Qi Transformation state did everything he could to block the combined attack from all the remaining sect elders. Ying did her best to try and ignore the struggle her grandfather was in as she fed her dad multiple recovery cakes, she even had to force him to chew with her hands. Her brothers rushed behind her grandfather and collectively transferred their qi into his body.


    The gaping hole in her father¡¯s side was slowly healing back but then a heart-shattering sound flowed into Ying¡¯s ears as she looked over to her grandfather. The culprit flicked his hand in disgust after removing it from the chest of her grandfather. He then flashed a smile at her.


    ¡°Yue Ying... You would¡¯ve made an acceptable wife, if not concubine for myself if you didn¡¯t upset all of these old fellows.¡± Xue Que stared at her.


    Ying¡¯s ghost flames erupted into the sky as Ying charged at Xue Que, the #1 disciple of the Heavenly Palace Sect. A spinning slash with all of her fury and weight behind it came straight for the young genius. Xue Que responded with a casual chop downward with his hand.


    The sound of flesh tearing and something hitting the ground came after. Huffing and puffing, Ying was crouched near the floor like a beast that exerted everything they had. Xue Que calmly looked at his missing arm and then slowly realized that the outcome of their clash did not turn out as he expected. He was missing an arm and she wasn¡¯t missing anything at all.


    ¡®Is this a dream or something?¡¯ Xue Que wondered before the pain kicked in.


    A piercing cry came from the talented genius but it was ignored in favor of putting down the talented disciple from the Golden Serpent Sect. The elders focused all of their attention on the girl that looked like she could barely stand and moved in to take advantage. As a cornered animal does when cornered, Ying struck out with everything she had!


    ¡°Ying! We¡¯re here!¡± A familiar voice flowed into Ying¡¯s ears and stayed her sword.


    From a spatial slit similar to the one she made with Hao Gang, a fatty came flying in front of her with his shields held up. He blocked all of the swords of the sect elders and with a tiger-like roar, multiple things happened at once. A female specter flew from out of Bing¡¯s shadow, several semi-corporeal armored humanoids moved into formation around Bing and Ying, and a giant flesh arm formed out of Bing¡¯s back like a tail. This hand held a black and white orb above its palm giving off dangerous amounts of qi that could certainly destroy whatever it put its mind to.


    ¡°Guys...¡± Tears pooled around Ying¡¯s eyes as she saw her friends coming out one by one.


    ¡°We¡¯re not too late...¡± Wan Qing took a quick glance at the situation.


    ¡°Point us at the enemies, Ying. We¡¯re here to help.¡± Lei Zhi stood in front of his disciples.


    ¡°Those old bastards! They killed my grandpa and almost killed my dad!¡± Ying didn¡¯t care for pride now that her friends were here to back her up. She pointed at those old fuckers with her remaining energy and did everything she could to stay conscious to watch the ensuing massacre.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not arriving sooner. I had to collect everyone.¡± Jing crouched next to Ying, placing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll make them wish they never messed with Heaven¡¯s Angels and more.¡± A small smile formed on Jing¡¯s face as she formed a whip made of water.


    ¡°Make sure to leave some for me too after I recover.¡± Ying smiled alongside with her.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll make sure to keep everyone else from going too far so that you¡¯ll have some for yourself.¡± Jing slowly strolled forward.

 Chapter 313: Ying’s Support has Arrived!

    FukinDeadBeat


    Hu Tao, the troublemaker and supposedly sealed member of Heaven¡¯s Angels, led the assault. He arrived from out of Runt¡¯s shadow with his chain and ball flailing behind him. ¡°Hahahaha! I wasn¡¯t expecting a surprise as fun as this! Looks like I gotta thank that flat ass bitch after we¡¯re done! Come on, Runt! I better see you getting some good shots in!¡± Hu tao rushed forward at the group of elders like a wild beast finally free of its chain.


    Hu Tao¡¯s chain moved like a separate independent limb capable of making its own decisions and actions. It smashed into an unprepared elder¡¯s head and buried him head-first into the ground but it wasn¡¯t finished just yet. It floated into the air, sparked with electricity, and then crashed back down onto the incapacitated elder. The elder perished through a combination of electrocution and severe internal injuries.


    ¡°Who the hell?!¡±


    ¡°Do you know who you children are messing with!?¡±


    ¡°You kids are courting death!¡±


    The elders cried out in fury and disbelief. Hu Tao merely laughed as he clawed toward a sword-wielding elder. ¡°The Golden Serpent Sect is here to put you worms back in your places! Six feet under!¡± A sword blocked Hu Tao¡¯s clawed attack but as they contested strength with one another, black ooze started to leak from Hu Tao¡¯s hand, corroding the sword. It didn¡¯t take long for the elder to decide to fall back from Hu Tao but Hu Tao was already expecting him to be a pussy shit little bitch. Hu Tao rushed into some black sludge on the ground and disappeared.


    ¡°Where?!¡± The elder couldn¡¯t finish his words as his midsection was suddenly not connected anymore.


    Hu Tao flicked his nails after appearing from behind the elder. A bloodthirsty smile was plastered on his face as he saw one particularly strong bastard just sitting and watching. It was always those cowardly bastards that let others do the fighting for them that were either the weakest or strongest. Like a wolf on the hunt, Hu Tao prowled forward toward him.


    ¡°Enjoying the view?¡± Hu Tao snuck up behind him.


    ¡°To think the Golden Serpent Sect was hiding children this talented... Surely, you all should¡¯ve been in the middle of the Meeting of Great Talents. Why are you all here instead?¡± Elder Ping questioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask boring fucking questions. If you were going to ask a question, you should¡¯ve asked me if I¡¯m going to kick your ass in 5 minutes or 10 minutes?¡± Hu Tao grinned.


    ¡°Fitting, a disciple of the Golden Serpent Sect would have a personality this repulsive.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°Flirting with me ain¡¯t going to save ya. I''m not into old fucks with sticks up their asses.¡±


    Without any warning or indication, a single sword stroke came toward Hu Tao¡¯s throat. At the same time, a giant iron meteor seemed to be falling down straight on top of Elder Ping¡¯s head. A burst of wind and qi exploded outward from the clash of their weapon intents clashing. Hu Tao¡¯s chain and ball intent vs Elder Ping¡¯s sword intent. A brief look of disbelief appeared on Elder Ping¡¯s face, finally breaking his stoic disposition so far.


    ¡°Impossible... A mere child able to match my mastery in sword intent with their own? I refuse to believe it!¡± Elder Ping slashed out in rage.


    Hu Tao tossed his iron ball attached to his infinitely growing chain at the incoming sword. With his hand on the chain, the iron ball rapidly grew as it flew toward the aged swordsman. Elder Ping was sent flying away as he was forced to block the huge ball. It took a good portion of Elder Ping¡¯s qi but soon enough, he managed to knock the iron ball away. His eyes were filled with rage at being played around with by a junior not even half his age. Sword qi manifested all around him like a cyclone of swords.


    ¡°Take a look around you, idiot.¡± Hu Tao casually picked some ear wax out of his ear.


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m not nearly foolish enough to fall for such a trick.¡± Elder Ping kept his eyes focused exactly on Hu Tao.


    ¡°Your funeral, dumbass.¡± Hu Tao¡¯s body sparked with electricity as he became a being of lightning and thunder.


    In just a single moment, Hu Tao¡¯s seemed to shift into an alternate being completely. Bright-red lightning sparked all over his body, seemingly racing to some unknown goal. His pupils turned into two bolts of lightning while his chain and ball turned into electricity completely. Unknown to Elder Ping, Hu Tao¡¯s been growing and enlarging his chain around the two of them ever since he threw his ball at him. Now, with a single crush of Hu Tao¡¯s palm, his chains came in with deadly speed!


    Elder Ping¡¯s sword qi was helpless to resist against unbreakable chains. Elder Ping was strung up by lightning itself and electrocuted into a charcoal corpse. Hu Tao shifted back into his original form with a maniac grin on his face. His eyes instantly searched for the next prey to play around with.


    ¡°Who knew being a hero could be fun?¡± He cackled.


    Runt sighed as he rubbed the back of his head searching for someone that wouldn¡¯t drain much of his strength. Jue happily stood next to him cracking her fists while sniffing her nose. She pointed at a group of disciples while excitedly nodding her head. This gave Runt the opposite impression as he ignored her and headed toward a different group of disciples.


    Jue hung her head in sadness as Runt began blowing into his golden ocarina. The group of disciples were instantly charmed and Jue didn¡¯t hold back as she charged in the middle of them. Her fists shattered bones and her kicks mortally wounded anyone slow enough to get by them. It didn¡¯t take long for an elder to notice his disciples were being slaughtered like pigs and to come rushing in.


    Elder Lixue slashed her sword toward the tall and muscular girl taking out her disciples. Jue met her sword with her leg coated in qi. Their clash resulted in Jue being forced back several feet with a deep cut on her tibia. Runt suddenly appeared next to her and a magical sound flowed out of his ocarina into Jue¡¯s wound. In real-time, the injury was being healed!


    ¡°Thanks, Lil Bro!¡± Jue was filled with joy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so reckless. She¡¯s dangerous.¡± Runt warned.


    ¡°Nothing can stand up to the power of sibling love.¡± Qi burst outward from Jue¡¯s body.


    A green incorporeal chain floated around Runt¡¯s figure while a black substance was wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet. From his shadow, two reddish-black clones made of qi clawed their way out of his shadow and crouched next to him like wolves. Runt sat down in lotus and continued to play his ocarina as his qi clones rushed toward the elder along with Jue.


    Jue felt like her entire sense of self was being energized through her Little Bro¡¯s music! There was no need to think as the beautiful sound seemed to take control over her body and mind. ¡®Let the clones take the lead. Your only job is to strike when an opening appears.¡¯ Her Little Bro¡¯s voice floated inside her head. The two clones did as they were ordered.


    The two struck with their palms. This was the Flowing Palms of Judgement! A sky-ranked martial art taught to Runt by Hu Tao! With this martial art, Runt¡¯s clones could attack with a non-stop rapid flow of palm strikes. In the midst of their attacks, Jue was performing a strange movement? It looked like she was conducting an elegant dance...


    Jue¡¯s leg struck out in the middle of her performance and suddenly a rush of qi headed straight toward the distracted Elder Lixue. Elder Lixue sensed the incoming qi attack before it came but was nearly helpless to stop it as she was caught up by the two little boys. Their palm strikes had the unusual property of targeting her qi points and disrupting the flow of her qi! A possibility only thanks to Lei Zhi¡¯s teachings during the Grand Tournament. As such, Elder Lixue¡¯s face was smashed in by qi attack reinforced with Jue¡¯s kick.


    The clones didn¡¯t hesitate to ruthlessly strike the elder while she was in distress. Although far weaker than her, even an ant can kill an elephant in the right situation. Their palms lined up side-by-side as they both targeted the elder¡¯s heart. Elder Lixue¡¯s eyes widened in fear and disbelief at the situation. Doing her utmost to surge and control the qi within her body, Elder Lixue struck out at the two with sword intent. Intending to sever their very being through sword intent.


    She was successful. The two clones were sliced into nothingness since they were originally beings of qi. Unfortunately, Elder Lixue¡¯s desperate act to protect her life left her open to Jue. Jue appeared above the elder with her Little Bro¡¯s qi supporting her all the way and struck down with her fist. Elder Lixue could do nothing but block with her sword. She and her sword were broken apart by Jue¡¯s fist. The sword shattered into a million pieces while all the bones in her body were in a similar state. Runt finished her off by controlling his invisible sound qi and piercing through her heart with a sound arrow.


    ¡°Protect me while I support the rest.¡± Runt temporarily stopped his music.


    ¡°You can count on me!¡± Jue smiled brightly as she jumped next to Runt¡¯s stationary figure.