Chapter 31: Spirit Spring Source
"Brother Hao, hahah, we've really gotten lucky this time. Who would have thought that his worthless Kong Lin forest held such a secret." A rotund man in his mid to late twenties said while holding a large, blue stone.
It wasn't bigger than the one Fa Xiaolan had found at the bottom of the previous Qi Lake, but there wasn't a single one.
The other man, the one named 'Hao', also held two. Both were of equal size to the one the rotund man held.
They wore the same sect uniform— a plain gray robe with blackish edges. The symbol of a mountain etched onto a round badge decorated their chest; the symbol of the Mount Ching Sect.
A large smile, filled with just as much greed, creased their lips. "Brother Li is right. Our luck has increased ever since we met that strange fellow." He smiled from ear to ear, then continued. "First, we didn't meet any of them bothersome snakes, and second, we find these? Once we hand the crystals over to the sect, we'll definitely get a generous reward." Brother Hao nodded and licked his lips.
"Huh? Why should we hand them over? Can't we use them for ourselves?" After saying that, Brother Li's head met with Brother Hao's palm, as the latter scolded.
"Idiot, do you have a Spirit Valley to use them on? If you use these just anywhere they're going to end up wasted, just like in this lake."
"Ou ou ou ou, Brother Hao, you didn't have to hit me so hard." The rotund Li said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Bah, who hit you hard? If that hurt you then I'm stronger than I ought to be." He then smacked the round man again. "See? I'm the one getting hurt by your copper skin. Stop acting. That strange fellow gave you a good offensive technique. I only received a cultivation technique I can't even use!"
"Hehe… Brother Hao, stop joking. Even if I have my copper skin, that doesn't mean your foundation establishment cultivation base doesn't hurt. It did hurt, see, my neck is all red now."
"Oh stop joking, we're both at foundation establishment, idiot."
The round man's eyebrows frowned, and he adjusted the rope that held his white daoist robe tied to his waist. Of course, he made sure that the blue stone within his hand didn't go anywhere. "Brother Hao, if you keep insulting me, I'll get angry." He said, but after a moment of silence, the two started laughing.
"Alright brother, let's get going. We can grab a drink after we get our rewards. I'm sure we'll get at least 10 middle grade spirit stones for each stone we bring back, hahaha."
"Brother Hao is right, so very right. However, what if they decide to search our bags of holding? Those things we received from the fellow, won't they be discovered?"
Brother Li took a moment to think about that matter, and a smirk appeared on his lips as he came up with a plan. "We'll hide them somewhere if that happens, and come back to get them later."
"Right, that's a good idea. Brother Hao, let's go then. I'm hungry…"
However, right as they turned to leave, something collided with both of their skulls.
"What was that? It kinda tickled me." The round man looked around, clueless. The other man, though, Brother Hao immediately went on high alert.
"That was a spiritual attack you blockhead! Raise your defenses right now!"
"Tsk." A tiny clicking of tongue echoed in their ears, and soon a barrage of attacks was upon them. Fire rose from the ground as if the earth had split open; the heat oozing off of it making their hair curl.
Both stepped backward at the same time, landing near the edge of the lake. Some koi fish splashed about, the water inside their home rising to dangerous temperatures.
"Brother Hao, what is going on?"
"An attack! A fire cultivator is attacking us. Brother Li, be careful and place your barriers."
Saying that, he slapped his bag of holding and pulled out a few paper talismans, which he then activated with Qi and placed them on his chest. The fat man did the same, and two to three round Qi barriers surrounded them.
At the same time, the blue stones within their hands disappeared, replaced with weapons. The fat man held a metallic whip— serrated blades strung together by a thick, yet sturdy rope— and the other one had a large sabre.
Brother Hao's blade shone with a faint light, and he then slashed forward at the lingering wall of flames. He split it in two, and the remaining wind put out the rest of it. "Charge out, charge into the forest– Huh?"
He screamed, but his words remained stuck in his throat as he saw a Spirit Beast creep out of the darkness. It appeared out of nowhere, its figure gradually becoming visible as it walked through the shadows.
Within moments they saw it— a large bird, about the size of a toddler, with beautiful red, orange and yellow feathers— looking at them with sharp killing intent. Its orange eyes shone as it stood there. Yet, despite it not doing anything else, both men sensed their blood freezing in their veins.
Something deep within their souls told them that the creature before them was dangerous, yet the fear and anxiety coursing through their bone marrow made them unable to act right away.
Behind them was a fiery inferno, in front of them was an unknown beast who sent shivers down their spine. Their only option was to fight.
***
Well I didn't expect the Myriad Qi Needles to be so ineffective. The difference between these guys' reactions and the other seven or eight that tried to kill me during my evolution was like heaven and earth.
At the very least, only a few of them were immune to my Qi needles, but both of them here could endure them without any issue. What was the difference?
I had to give it to them, they looked stronger at the very least. That guy's sabre attack could cut off a hundred people's heads, if I had to guess, and the whip the fatty pulled out looked even scarier.
Did they talk about some sort of copper skin? Was that a technique that made one's skin tougher? If so, that was incredibly interesting. Did they have it on them? Argh, even if they did, I couldn't read it…
Even if they didn't, once their sect found out about this Qi Lake, the peace of the forest would get destroyed by greedy humans looking for lore blue crystals. I couldn't allow that, not while Mother and I still lived here.
Are they scared of me? I thought as I looked at them just as hard as they looked at me.
They looked at me with trembling pupils, as if what they saw before them was Mother, and not a way smaller, way cuter version of her. Was that the effect of Tiny Blood Lord? Before, when the other humans saw me, they were either greedy or wanted to outright kill me.
These two, however…
Oh, they charged at me. Finally.
I figured it was a good time to test out the Bloodline Skills I'd gotten, and maybe rank them up as well.
Phoenix Fire was a no brainer, as I waved my wing and created a few basic fireballs. They weren't anything fancy, but by using Precise Flame Control, I could make the fire concentration even denser.
With a thought, I sent them flying toward the two, who nimbly dodged out of the way. However, with another thought, the fireballs stopped in their tracks and turned, hitting them in the back.
"Ah, what the hell?!"
"What sort of technique is this?"
Clearly, they had never expected an attack to just turn back after being shot. That was the power of Precise Flame Control. Without it, doing that would have been way more difficult.
I couldn't get them with the same thing twice, though. Nor did I intend to.
I focused on a point right behind them, and used Ember Step to dash in between their legs, a giant trail of Phoenix Fire following me as I landed.
Sensing the dangers, they stepped to the side, but in that moment I used Elemental Wave, and created half a dozen fire waves that spread out in rapid succession.
The two jumped once, twice, thrice… However they couldn't dodge all of them. The fourth wave collided with their barriers, the fifth wave cracked them and the sixth wave burned the hairs on their chest— and their skin.
Their screams of pain echoed through the forest, though they weren't quite dead, only hurt.
Oh and they decided to finally fight back.
"Die, demon!" The fatty yelled, his skin glowing with a coppery ting as the flames burned off his clothes. He whipped with the blade whip toward me, its tip reaching me in less time than it took to blink.
My feathers stood on their end, but something in the back of my mind told me how to dodge. Despite the fact that it only needed a moment to reach me, I turned my head to the side, and it didn't even scrape the fluff at the back of my neck.
Then, I jumped instinctively, dodging the other man' s sabre attack, and flapped my wings mid air to dodge a second whip shot. At the same time, I summoned more Phoenix Fire, and concentrated it into a spinning tornado, with the two at the center.
It didn't last very long though, as the fatty screamed and slammed down with his feet, shaking the earth.
The wind scattered my flames in all directions, breaking away the entrapment.
Oh, come on! I worked hard on that tornado!
I dove down upon the skinnier man, aiming a perfect peck at his skull. However, I missed— rather, he dodged— and I could only resort to using my claws.
However, that failed as well, as my attempt at digging his eye out was met with an irony resistance. Sparks flew off as the sabre parried my claws, and sent me flying upward.
I took the opportunity to raise even higher, and looked at the two from above. Despite the wild barrage of attacks, neither of them seemed particularly bothered by my fire. Unfortunately, that was the only thing I could use.
Taking a look at my Qi reserves, I had about half left. The lake within my dantian looked quite depressing when it was half empty. But it was far from wasted.
Since it was the first time I'd ever used these new Bloodline Skills, this gave me a good idea of how effective they were, as well as the time between uses. The mental skills like Precise Flame Control had no cooldown, but took a big toll on my mental strength, while skills like Ember Step and Elemental Wave had an incredibly short cooldown, but not short enough to use them in quick succession.
Aside from that, I felt the Phoenix Reflex skill do its work while in the middle of the battle. The amount of information I could gather was amazing, and my reaction speed had increased by a large amount.
However I wasn't sure it would be enough to kill them. It didn't look like I did much damage, and that pissed me off.
Were the people from the other sect just weaklings or are my bloodline skills this weak? No, they're a Phoenix' skill, even if I'm not even a year old, they shouldn't be weak. Am I using them wrong? I really wish Mother had given me some lessons… I'll have to ask her.
My feathers itched, and I dodged to the side just in time, as a Sabe Qi flew right past me. I didn't even get some time to think mid battle? These guys are seriously courting death!
I considered what I've learned so far about my Bloodline Skills, and dove.
The two sent wave after wave of attack, but I dodged all of them using my skillful air control and Phoenix Reflex, as well as my acute battle sense. They had no choice but to dodge out of the way as I crashed in between them, activating Elemental Wave, then ran away with Ember Step.
The place where the wave originated from got bombarded with attacks, but I didn't stop to inspect if they'd gotten hit or not. After a few seconds of waiting time, I stepped again, leaving a trail of fire behind me, activated another wave, then cheated and used Side Step to get out of the way.
I repeated that process until they were surrounded with flame waves, and had no choice but to dodge. They had no time to attack, as they would either need to protect their feet from getting burned or their entire body from getting burned.
The fatty's skin began dimming, returning to its original, human-like color. It seemed that keeping it activated consumed a large amount of Qi.
He slapped his bag of holding, a talisman appearing in his free hand, and it was in that moment that I acted.
An opening!
I shot off of my feet and flew straight at him, dodging the other guy's desperate attempt to save his friend.
As I neared, I spread my wings and gathered all the fire created by the waves, concentrating it in a large ball of dancing flames, which I then shot toward the fat man.
By the time he reacted, it was far too late. The size of the ball would make one think it would be slow, but in reality it traveled the distance of a few feet in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
The fireball exploded as it collided with the man, and pieces of his body flew everywhere. There were a lot fewer pieces than I'd originally expected, though, and my Phoenix Reflex told me to get out of the way immediately.
Yet, just as I moved, a hand from within the dispersing explosion grabbed my leg.
The fat man's chubby fingers coiled around and pulled me downward. I tried kicking and scratching, but nothing seemed to make the man budge.
"Brother Li, what have you done?!" The skinny man screamed as he shot a Sabre Qi toward me, which I just barely managed to dodge by sacrificing the tip of my wings. "What happened? Your appearance… this-"
Fuck, not again!
I grumbled and raised a wall of fire between me and the skinny guy, trying to get the fat man off of me. However, his iron-like grip tightened the more I struggled, and a loud scream shook my mind.
The explosion disappeared, revealing the figure of the man's deep bronze-like skin. His eyes glowed with an ominous red light, and he seemed to have grown by a few sizes. His right hand— the one he manipulated the whip with— had disappeared, but began growing once again.
At least my attack wasn't completely useless.
I thought while bracing myself with Strengthened Constitution and hoping that the Dragonbone Tempering skill did its job.
Whatever attack was coming next would definitely hurt.
Bring it on! I snickered inwardly, fighting spirit burning within me.
Chapter 32: Dragons Flames
The copper-skinned man didn't disappoint. Just like a Spirit Beast, he slammed me against the ground four to five times before noticing that had little effect on me.
I bled, that much was granted, but my wounds closed faster than they were created, and even if having my bones broken and repaired hurt like hell, at least they were still usable after.
It looked like after evolving, my regeneration had increased by quite a bit. However, I didn't know how long I could take this abuse for. If there wasn't a limit to the damage I could take, there was a limit to my patience.
Finally, he stopped, and threw me against a tree as he clutched his head with his hand. It looked like whatever transformation he'd gone through had done some damage to his mind.
Hehe… doesn't that mean he's weak to spirit attacks?
Just as I thought that, I summoned a dozen or so needles and sent them flying toward his head. Much to my surprise, they bounced right off of him.
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue and felt quite dejected. I paid good money for the skill, and now it was useless against two random foundation establishment cultivators? And one of them looked like he went berserk for heaven's sake!
I sighed and stood up, my wounds having already healed, though my body still hurt. If mental attacks didn't work, and my fire didn't work on this guy, then I could only try physical attacks!
Activating Iron Claws and imbuing them with fire, I side stepped to get closer, dodging another Sabre Qi attack, then ember stepped to appear right below the man. The fire created by the skill distracted him for a second, giving me the opening required for me to jump and high kick him in the face.
My claws met some initial resistance that got melted away by the Nirvanic Flames, as opposed to the Phoenix Fire I'd used until then. One couldn't deny the efficiency of the strongest flames within the known realms.
He screamed in shrill pain, and turned around as my claws dug into his fatty face. I flew away, leaving a bloody gash that closed up fast, leaving only scars behind.
Using my entire skillset feels better, but even then, that guy is strong. And I'm doing all of this with the Tiny Blood Lord title equipped and the debuff from the Elemental Wave. Perhaps I wasn't as strong as I thought I was, or cultivators in this world aren't as weak as I thought them to be.
Either way, this is fun!
Fire burned within my soul as something awakened inside. It'd been a while since I've had a fight this thrilling. Even the fight against the eight cultivators after I evolved didn't make me feel this alive.
So what if I bled? So what if I had broken bones and my feathers got ripped out? This was what it meant to be a cultivator, to fight, to defeat opponents, to win, to defy heaven!
I let out an excited screech as I flew high into the sky, the sound echoing far and wide, then dove back toward the skinny man.
Shaping my body for maximum velocity, I plummeted to the ground, with the skinny man's skull as my target.
He dodged, of course, but I'd expected that. Upon landing, I created Nirvanic Flamesimbued waves and shot off my feet right at his chest.
The man looked scared, but raised his sabre and parried my claws. That time around, I gave resistance, and effortlessly— almost too easily— pushed it down. I took advantage of the opening by waving my wing and summoning a tiny Nirvanic Flame that I then shot toward him.
It didn't look like he was expecting something like that, as he looked in stupefaction at the innocent-looking attack before screaming in horror as his face began to melt from the growing flame.
He reacted rather fast, and took a few steps back before jumping into the lake to cool his face. When he got out, the skinny man looked like a ghost that climbed out of hell.
With a burnt face, scorched clothes, half balding head and angry expression— he looked like a demon. Paired with his copper-skinned berserker Brother Li, the two made for quite a pair.
The former seemed to have regained some of his sanity, as he joined Brother Hao's side, though his eyes seemed redder than before.
I spread my wings and stretched my body, getting ready to fight once again. Between the skinny man's sabre attacks and the copper skinned fatty's resistance and strength, these two were the strongest cultivators I'd fought to date.
"Brother Li, are you still there?" The skinny man asked, giving the big man a glance with the corner of his eye. "I think the technique that fellow gave you is faulty… this. How did it come to this?"
"Grrr…" was the only reply he got, but that was enough to show a decent level of sanity. The skinny man nodded, then looked me up and down.
"I fear that's not just any Spirit Beast. Brother Li… That one's a Phoenix." He explained, and I felt a little surprised. Few cultivators managed to discern that I was a Phoenix, after all, I didn't exactly look the part.
That Brother Hao didn't reply, but the red in his eyes intensified for a moment. He let out a steaming breath, clenched his fists; and charged.
I was ready for the attack, and side stepped it using Side Step, summoning a wave upon landing and used Ember Step to get closer to the skinny man. The wave hit as I appeared beside him, but the Sabre Qi was already upon me when I landed.
It seemed that my attack pattern had become way too obvious, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. When one attacked, they were wide open.
Relying on my Strengthened Constitution and Dragonbone Tempering, and Heaven's Protection, I took the man's attack while dissolving some of it with my Nirvanic Flames.They lessened the impact my body got once we inevitably collided.
However, I used the Myriad Qi Needles and attacked him. I knew that his spiritual defense was quite high, however I wanted to see just how many of them he could endure!
Man's most spiritual part was the head, however the spirit existed within the entire body, and I doubted he could protect it all in equal measure.
A dozen needles shot toward him. Most disappeared into thin air upon hitting his body, but a very small portion managed to get through.
His left arm and right leg had been hit successfully. He lost all feeling in them from the point of impact down, and he fell to one knee while the grasp on his sabre weakened.
The attack hit me anyway, though.
The barrier shattered as if it was nothing more than an air bubble, and the impact made me let out a pained groan.
It was painful, so very very painful. The Sabre Qi created a rather deep gnash in my beautiful plumage, and the red dye that was my blood would be hard to get rid of. Luckily, my regeneration speed was fast, and the wound closed.
That didn't stop me from hurtling backward, straight toward the copper-skinned man. His hands were already in position, and I barely flapped my wings so that he grabbed my body instead of my neck.
He squeezed. Hard.
For a moment I thought I would faint, but luckily I had the sense of enveloping my body in Phoenix Fire right before he got me. His palms turned red from the heat, and any sweat that seeped through his skin immediately evaporated.
Somehow, the grip he had on my body didn't lessen one bit, though his arms began to melt.
This is bad…
I increased the potency of the Phoenix Fire, making it so the copper dripped down onto the earth. A shiver ran down my spine as a bad sense of danger crept up behind me.
Throwing caution to the wind, I summoned two dozen needles and sent them all hurtling toward the copper-skinned man's arms.
About ninety percent of them bounced off, as his spiritual defense far surpassed what I thought possible from such a burly man.
The few that did hit though weakened his defense, and by a sheer stroke of luck, the last one hit.
His right hand immediately fell, as he remained unable to use it anymore.
Straightening my body and sucking in my belly, I took advantage of the weakness and dodged the skinny man's attack. Somehow he'd crept forward and forced himself up, striking at me with a physical strike.
Thankfully, the Phoenix Reflex warned me of the danger in time, and I swiped at his legs with Tail Whip. The leg that was already weakened ended up getting severed, while the other sustained a serious amount of damage.
Blood gushed out, allowing for white bone to be visible. The man let out an excruciatingly painful grunt, but didn't relent in his attack. Even as he fell from the lack of strength on either leg, he swiped toward me with the sabre, its edge almost cutting off my neck.
I dodged by a hair's breadth thanks to Phoenix Reflex, and took a few steps back to catch my breath. The usage of the Myriad Qi Needlestook a huge toll on my mental capacity, and if I were to use it further I would be unable to control my body.
That was the limit of the skill. If my spirit wasn't strong enough, then it would be useless.
Quickly assessing the situation, I noticed some amount of clarity returning to the copper-skinned man, and the skinny one popped a pill into his mouth. The wound around his leg healed visibly, and even the damage I did to this spirit seemed to mend.
I clicked my tongue and assessed my resources.
Without even needing System to tell me, I knew that I had about fifty percent of my health left, and about forty five percent of my Qi.
I had to end this, and quick. Never could I have expected a fight against foundation establishment cultivators to drain me so much.
Of course, if it were any other Qi Condensation cultivator, they would have already travelled to the yellow springs. But I was a Phoenix, one with cultivation and the strength of a Phoenix. That meant that I could fight far above my cultivation level, but that didn't mean I would stomp my enemies.
I lacked proper techniques for a cultivator. The skills were good, but weren't fully compatible with the cultivation part of myself. I doubted that most Spirit Beasts at my level— without much Qi or awareness— could buy and use Active Skills.
Bloodline skills were what allowed Spirit Beasts to be so domineering, however there was a limit in the early stages, as I'd found out. They were powerful, sure, but my stats weren't anywhere near high enough to do proper damage.
Just how are these humans so strong…
That was a good question to ask once I survived this ordeal.
The question that remained was, how do I kill them? They knew I was a Phoenix, leaving them alive wasn't an option anymore. I attacked first, so the enmity between us could be said to be my fault.
However, in such a dog eat dog world where resources were sparse and the competition fierce, I had no choice. Besides, if they told other cultivators about this place, then they would head deeper in to look for more Qi Lakes, and the risk of mother being discovered would increase.
I couldn't have that.
Thinking about the grief Mother endured when my siblings had been mercilessly killed by humans such as them— greedy, unscrupulous and uncaring— anger flared inside my body like a fire spreading in a dry forest.
That anger exploded out in the form of a Phoenix Fire that engulfed my entire body, and the notification before my eyes right after surprised me.
[Skill: Phoenix Fire has reached the [Expert] Rank.]
Was there such a thing?
Either way, I'd just gained a new advantage. My Bloodline Skills would now be stronger, and the combination of Dragon Flames would also wreak havoc.
With that thought in mind, I made a series of wings and summoned a wall of Nirvanic Flames, accompanied by a parallel one made out of Phoenix Fire, and willed both flames to take on the shape of two large serpents.
A snake without hands is just a snake, but a snake who grows a horn is a wyrm.
As I thought that, a large, protruding horn grew out of the skull of each snake, and their appearance took on a more physical form as well.
A snake with a horn is a wyrm, but a wyrm with hands becomes a lindwurm.
The two wyrms immediately shifted to grow frontal limbs, letting out a bestial roar that threaded the line of real and ethereal.
"Brother…Hao." The copper-skinned man said, his coarse voice hiding a hint of fear.
The skinny man shook his head, a wiry smile decorating his face. "Brother Li… this…"
A lindwurm with legs becomes a lung dragon!
Another roar, and legs grew out of their body. Scales appeared over them, from head to tail, shimmering with a flickering light.
A lung dragon who takes to the skies becomes a True Dragon!
In that instant, the two looked toward the sky, and began flying. A wave of fire passed over their bodies, their now shining scales gaining more depth and a richer texture, fire dancing all over their bodies as the wind bellowed.
Rooaaaaaarrrrrr!!!!!
Chapter 33: Copper Demon; Skinny Demon
The two dragons flew higher and higher, leaving a trail of fire and awe behind them. They rose to the skies with majestic shrieks, grabbing the attention of both the skinny man and the copper-skinned man.
I took advantage and slipped into stealth, hoping that my meager Qi reserves would allow me to land a sneak attack if this attack didn't work. Though, I really wanted it to work. I used both stamina and Qi to create True Dragon shapes from the Nirvanic Flames and Phoenix Fire, and I was pretty sure the skill ranked up as well.
I didn't have the luxury to check, but I would find out after flying to safety. Scurrying over to a large bush, I sat down and waited for the dragons to descend.
Using my already spent mental prowess, I could give them a simple attack command, and they would follow it until they dispersed, or I ran out of Qi.
This Flame Dragon skill was a technique I used to use, from what I could remember. It required an actual mantra to use, but thanks to my Fire Affinity, fire knowledge, and the Precise Flame Control skill, I could recreate it without needing to know the mantra.
I didn't expect System to recognise it as a skill, but I'm glad it did.
I watched with a racing heart as the two dragons— One made out of an orange-yellow fire, and one made out of a red-orange fire— circled each other, then roared and dived toward the two cultivators.
The fearful expression on their faces was priceless, and I could only hope the dragons did their job.
A huge explosion of flames envelopped the area, and I wished I had cast a wave before going into hiding, but it was too late. I wouldn't risk exposing myself so soon.
As the fire disappeared, the intact figures of the two men slowly revealed themselves, a huge barrier protecting the two of them from the raging inferno. It didn't look like it would last for long.
The two dragons let out an angry roar, and smashed their bodies against the barrier, making it shudder. Seeing that, and the difference in size between the two and the dragons, I felt a little at ease.
However, just as I was about to allow myself to heave a sigh of relief, both of them took out a handful of pills and swallowed them as if they were candy.
Seeing that, I felt my heart ache, but nothing could have prepared me for what they were about to pull out next.
Two tiny bills the size of a small pebble appeared in each of their hands. They glowed with an eerie red light, reminiscent of flowing blood. The two looked at each other, one saner than the other, and nodded.
"I can't believe that tiny thing could force us to such a state. We won't be able to send out the distress signal from here. I'm sure the flames will destroy it, and us, before it goes out. Brother Li, this is our last resort, are you sure?" The skinny man asked as if the copper-skinned man had enough sanity to make a conscious judgement.
Much to my surprise, he nodded. "I'm afraid that fellow lied to us. These are definitely not normal pills. Did they glow like this before?" Brother Hao spoke, but brother Li's replies have gone quiet. "Brother Li, let us meet again in our next lives… if whatever this is won't take our souls before that."
He shook his head and looked at the sky, then at the surrounding flames, and then the two swallowed the pills right as the barrier broke.
The two fire dragons engulfed them, the flames consuming everything they touched with expert speed. With the air in the area growing thicker and hotter, the lake began to bubble and whatever else dwelled in there boiled to death.
However, a crimson light seeped through the yellow, red and orange inferno, growing larger and larger with each passing second. I instinctively cast Heaven's Protection and backed away, feeling an intensely powerful aura appear.
I commanded my dragons to fly away just in the nick of time, as a powerful explosion shook the earth.
From it appeared the skinny man and the fat man. The former's skin had turned crimson, and two crooked horns grew out of this head, while the latter's copper skin turned to an even deeper color.
Scale-like shapes formed on his surface, and between the ridges flowed a blood-like liquid that creeped me out.
Unlike the skinny man, whose horns rested at the top of his head, the copper-skinned man's horns were all over the place, broken in some places, sharp in others.
I couldn't believe they'd gone through such a drastic transformation in basically no time at all.
The two went from normal looking humans to demons from hell!
The skinny man's sabre turned blood red as well, and grew slightly while the fatty's metal whip had resurfaced, becoming even more demonic than before.
Could they have been duped by some sort of demonic cult? First the copper skin going berserk then that strange pill and now this… Does trouble follow everywhere I go?
All I wanted was to protect the peace of the first, but now I ended up fighting demons, a major realm and then some above me, while I was running low on Qi with no easy way to replenish it!
All I could hope was that the dragons were strong enough.
The two flaming dragons wrapped around the skinny demon, constricting around it like serpents. With the two of them tightening around him, the demon showed signs of struggle as hot air escaped his lungs.
He couldn't move, but it would take a while before his skin and bones burned away from the heat. He'd become more resilient, tougher and a hell of a lot more annoying.
The copper-skinned man rushed to help, grabbing one of the flame dragons, but how could I let it succeed?
I jumped out of my hiding spot and stealthily approached the man, priming my Iron Claw with Nirvanic Flames, I aimed straight for his ankles.
A giant who couldn't get up was worthless.
I struck at his feet and managed to cut through the scales, skin, flesh and bones, but was stopped by his bones. However, using my Tail Whip, which I also infused with Nirvanic Flames, I managed to get a clean cut and cut off both of his feet.
Unstable, he fell, letting go of the snake. Despite his new form, I could still cut through him like a hot knife through butter. However the energy I used was many times higher than before, and my resources in terms of both Qi and stamina began to thin.
If the dragons couldn't take care of them, I would be done for. My best bet would be to fly away before things get too out of hand, however could I leave these demonified cultivators out in the wild?
I wasn't a saint by any means, but their presence would attract unwanted attention.
What should I do? Think, think! There has to be a way for me to kill them before things get too out of hand.
System! Right, system! Do you have anything?
[Searching database for appropriate skills for the situation.]
[Analyzing…]
[Skills found!]
[Skill Shop]
[Light of Purification]
[Creates a holy light to fight against demonic forces. Upon use, a giant light descends from the sky, shining upon the closest demonic entities. The effectiveness of this skill depends on the user's INT and Holy Affinity. Requires Holy Affinity.]
[Cost: 5 Skill Points]
Something that doesn't require me to get an entirely new affinity??
I screamed internally as I took a few steps backward, watching in horror as the copper-skinned demon's legs healed completely.
Now that's just cheating!!
[Sorry… the best way to deal with demons is to purify them. Only Holy Affinity used through certain mantras and only by certain people can do that effectively.]
Give me options, I can't afford to look for a priest! Aren't they human still??
[System has detected a change in nature. These entities are no longer humans, but full demons.]
How is that even possible?!
I screamed while dodging the fatty's attacks. At least he gave up on helping his friend while my dragons grinded away at his body. It took an enormous amount of time for my flames to act upon him.
However they worked well against the fatty up until the moment he healed all the damage I did, so what gives?!
Fine, fine, how do I get Holy Affinity??
[I don't think you have the luxury to listen to such long details that right now.]
System said while I barely dodged a whip of the man's chain. I'm being serious, I need help!
[Why not just run away? You've done it before.]
Run away? Me? The great Fa Xiaolan? From these Foundation Establishment ants?
I let out an annoyed chirp as the end of the metal whip nicked my back, an intense pain coursing through my body. Running away? Like hell I will! If they break free from here, who knows what they'll do to my forest.
Sure, it was a shoddy place, but it was my home where I and Mother lived. How could I allow anyone to destroy it?
Impossible.
[I see…]
[There is a way, but it will be dangerous.]
Which is…?
[It would require me to-]
Require you to—
The fatty didn't allow me to continue my question, and I could only ignore what system said. Not giving him the full focus he deserves would spell my death.
Think, Fa Xiaolan, how do you defeat enemies far above your level?
As I talked to myself, I dodged another whip attack, and a boulder behind me broke into a million pieces from the force of the attack.
Wait a minute— I know! How could I not think about that earlier?
A dark thought appeared in my mind— a plan that would work amazingly well or fail spectacularly.
I was willing to bet.
I sidestepped with the last bit of Qi and ran toward the skinny demon, glancing at the fatty's whip. There wasn't much intelligence left in his eyes, and whenever he attacked it would be with unspent rage. I could easily take advantage of that.
He readied his attack, pulling back his whip, and I ember stepped forward. The giant demon readjusted his position and aimed where I would appear.
It's now or nothing!
I forced myself to touch the ground faster than I otherwise would have, and jumped, then flapped my wings and took to the skies. In the same moment, I commanded my dragons to uncoil and fly away.
[Skill: Aerial Redirection has been acquired]
The skinny demon's Sabre Qi shot toward me as soon as he could move his body, but in his haste he failed to notice the unstoppable attack of his friend. I couldn't look back, nor did I dare stop flying for even a second.
I didn't have time to check what the new skill did, but I had a pretty good guess— and using that guess, I moved as much as I could out of the way of the Demonic Sabre Qi.
Arghhh!
Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. The attack nicked a good portion of the top of my wing, and the Demonic Qi started spreading with unbelievable speed. An intense, burning pain spread from there all throughout my body, and I could only tell my dragons to take care of the two demons as I fell through the sky.
Not only fell, plummeted.
I tried flapping my wins to make the crash less painful, but it did as much good as emptying an ocean with a bucket.
Leaves, branches and bushes broke apart as I fell, crashing through too many trees for me to count, each consequent hit bringing my HP lower and lower.
[WARNING!!! HP IS BELOW 20%]
[WARNING!!! HP IS BELOW 15%]
[WARNING!!! HP IS BELOW 10%]
System's messages flooded my vision, though I had no energy to deal with them. Whatever they said, it sounded important, but I had to resists the pain.
[Skill: Pain Tolerance has reached the [Expert] Rank!]
Right in the nick of time. I could already feel the pain lessen, though the uncomfortable feeling it has been replaced with didn't make me feel any better.
However, I could only thank the system, as I crased into a tree and stopped fully, falling and stopping on a rather thick branch. My mind went blank for a moment or five, and as the Demonc Qi spread, I could feel my life slipping away with every passing moment.
Is this how I'm going to die in this life?
Chapter 34: I am Fa Xiaolan!
A sect stood upon a misty valley, surrounded by green, lush forests and radiating springs.
Two towering pagodas stood parallel to each other, their ashy red roofs giving the sect an air of dominance.
Countless people stood inside those two pagodas, each level having lesser and lesser people, up until the top, where one person stood on each floor.
One woman, one man.
The man had long white hair— a symbol of old age— alongside a flowing beard of similar color. He wore blue and silver robes decorated with dragon patterns, and a beautiful token made out of a blue material. The token simply read "Patriarch."
On the opposite side, a younger woman with flowing red hair and blue eyes looked down, her gaze filled with pride. Her beautiful red and gold robes accentuated her appearance, and the intricate phoenix patterns showcased her direct rivalry with the old man.
Her token— made out of a similarly beautiful red-gold, read "Matriarch."
Neither of them looked at each other, their gazes fixated on an arena down below.
There, two people fought— a man and a woman.
They had ordinary appearances, but their aura emitted the air of true experts. People far above Foundation Establishment— true Early Golden Core experts.
The two looked young, no older than twenty five, and the arena shook as they clashed.
Water and fire emitted created steam, metal sparked and the echoes of the fellow disciples watching from below drowned out the sound of their exhaustion.
They didn't use any fantastic techniques or flashy moves. All they used was their body, weapon and proficiency.
Finally, the man made a mistake. Instead of pivoting left, he pivoted right, and that created the most minuscule of openings that the woman took advantage of. Her reddish-black hair flowed with the wind as she attacked, her sword strike switching to a hilt as she tapped the man on the stomach.
He collapsed, clutching his gut, and a bell rang as the woman raised her hands in victory.
"Winner— Shu Lingfei!" An ancient, formless voice boomed, and she walked out not long after, while the man had to be escorted.
"He fought well." The red-haired woman said, a soft smile creasing her painted lips as she looked at the old man.
He nodded, stroking his beard, and said without any shame. "Indeed. That Shu Lingfei took advantage of such a tiny mistake, I'm impressed by your disciple."
"Looks like this year's top spots are mine." She chuckled, pride evident in her voice.
"I wouldn't be so sure." The old man's lips curled into a smile. "There's still six fights left, and so far we're tied."
The woman shook her head, taking out a fan, hiding her face as she spoke. "I wouldn't be so sure, old Yang. My disciple's fighting order has been meticulously chosen. All of the matches I set up have gone as I expected, even the losses."
"You—" Old Yang began, but could only shook his head, swallowing any retorts he had. "It seems like the majestic Phoenix is also a fox in disguise."
"Whatever it takes to win. Next, your strongest will fight against my weakest. Tell me, what do you expect the result to be?"
Old Yang considered, though anyone could predict the result even without his experience. "Your disciple will lose, of course. A Middle Stage against a True Stage? Hmph, don't make me laugh."
She smiled, "We'll see, old Yang. Some women would do anything to reach their goals. This one's no different."
"Oh? I see, so it's something like that." Old Yang said, ignoring her last sentence. "Hmph, no wonder you got so many of the elder to abolish the lottery system."
The red haired woman chuckled and turned her gaze toward the arena, a proud smirk creasing her lips. "I couldn't help it, your Thunderous Dragon Sect is too strong, and there aren't enough women with the right constitution to practice the Ethereal Phoenix Sect's cultivation technique. This secret realm is my only ticket to better resources."
"Hmph," the old man snorted. "Fairy Xiulang sure knows how to talk. I'll give it to you this time, you've schemed well."
"Hehe, old Yang is too kind."
"Next contestants: The Thunderous Dragon Sect's Long Chen against the Ethereal Phoenix' Sect Fa Xiaolan!" The ancient voice announced, its tone slow and firm. The two leaders went quiet, and looked at the arena with little interest.
From the right side, a shirtless man with a dragon tattoo covering his entire body walked toward the center. Lighting crackled as his muscles flexed, and the Qi he let out made the air turn dense.
Long Chen's dangerous aura permeated the air, his presence alone putting huge pressure on the specially crafted tiles of the arena.
The spectators on both sides cheered and growled.
"Senior Brother Chen's cultivation has already reached True Golden Core, only one step away from Nascent Soul." A man wearing blue fighting gloves said, his eyes sparkling with adoration. "He's the strongest in our sect right now, and is the direct disciple of the Patriarch. Senior Brother Chen is our key to earning the top spots for the secret realm!"
"Yeah, there's no way Senior Brother Long Chen would lose to a nobody!" Another one added, and the women from the opposite side glared at him with an intense amount of hatred.
Though in the end they could only sigh and agree.
After all, the person unlucky enough to fight him was none other than Fa Xiaolan. A woman past her prime who only had a tip of red in her black hair. Compared to the rest of them, who at least had half of their hair the color of fire, she was a nobody.
A nobody who couldn't even cultivate their sect's techniques properly.
"It's gonna be a quick fight." One of them commented with an arrogant snort. "I should have been the one to fight that Long Chen. Now I won't be able to show off in front of the Matriarch."
Her hair was more than seventy percent red, and other colors like orange and yellow began showing up some of her strands. She was clearly someone who had a good amount of mastery over their cultivation technique.
"It's a shame, Senior Sister Xifeng. This Fa Xiaolan, who does she think she is? To think she joined our sect in her mid thirties… what does our Matriach even see in her?" Another one added, however her arrogant attitude had been shut down by a single glance from the senior sister.
"You dare question our Matriach's decision?" She growled, and the other woman cowered and lowered her head.
"I don't dare to."
"Good, keep your mouth shut from now on."
Just as she said that, the woman they talked about— Fa Xiaolan— slowly walked up the arena stairs. Her black hair had tiny tips of red, and she wore a similar robe to the rest of her sect sisters.
She was meekish, the arrogance of the others missing from her posture, but her gaze contained an unfathomable perseverence.
Fa Xiaolan stopped a few feet before Long Chen, her robe and hair unshaked, and bowed. "Disciple Fa Xiaolan greet Disciple Long Chen. This one is looking forward to exchange pointers."
Long Chen's eyes gleamed as he looked at her— a woman who had no business being a cultivator at her age. To give her credit, she had reached the Middle Golden Core stage despite her late start, but it was clear that she barely had any affinity with the cultivation technique of the sect whose robes she wore.
He smiled, then bowed.
"I am also also looking forward to it. Please, treat me well."
With that, both of them straightened their back, and let out their auras.
Long Chen's already frightening presence grew even larger, with the phantom of a crackling blue dragon appearing behind him. The tiles cracked and the air turned heavy as he let out his True Golden Core cultivation.
In contrast, Fa Xiaolan's aura only increased by a tiny bit, the Middle Golden Core cultivation others would sell their blood relatives for becoming nothing more than a party trick in front of Long Chen.
However, she didn't shake.
Blood dripped down her mouth, spilling onto the clean tiles.
Nobody expected anything else. Long Chen could throw her out of the arena with a slap of his wrist. She knew that as well.
However, even as the pressure of a True Golden Core cultivator fell upon her, she didn't budge. Her gaze was filled with the determination to win, and the black pupils of the average human began turning to a scarlet red.
Seeing that, Long Chen's aura grew even stronger as he unleashed his cultivation technique, and the dragon behind him grew even more real.
Fa Xiaolan's eyes turned completely red, and blood seeped out of them as she resisted the pressure. Then, against all odds, she took a step forward.
That step was filled with her determination, and the tiles cracked as she walked, a sea of fire growing beneath her.
"What?!"
"She— but how?!"
"Senior Brother Long Chen's aura can paralze even Upper Stage Golden Core experts, so how did she—"
"Heaven, is that the Crimson Flame Sea? How did she—"
Such questions kept being thrown out as Fa Xiaolan advanced, her aura growing with every step she took.
The red at the end of her tips spread inward, turning her once ebony black hair into a beautiful red color that seemed to animate with fire.
Her aura increased as well, a glowing, yet surreal Phoenix appearing behind. It wasn't anywhere near as domineering as Long Chen's dragon, but the gasps of shock from the Majestic Phoenix Sect's side said enough about what it meant.
"A Phantom Beast?!?"
"How in the world, that Fa Xiaolan—"
"I'm going to faint, this isn't real."
"The heavens are blind, blind!"
Upon seeing that, Long Chen's fighting spirit erupted and he let out a roar that echoed like a storm. "Good, good! Here, take my strike!" Saying that, his palm turned into a claw as he struck at Fa Xiaolan.
She didn't dodge or move out of the way— she couldn't, as the pressure was too great. Instead, she raised her palm and deflected the claw. Her own hand turned into a combination of feathers and talons as she did that, but it only lasted for the millisecond they touched, then it disappeared.
Long Chen growled and struck again, excitement obvious on his face.
Fa Xiaolan defended again, and again, but each time her fire grew dimmer, her aura sniffing out little by little.
"Interesting, very interesting!" Long Chen said while laughing heartily, and he took a step back. "Fa Xiaolan, if you can take mine, Long Chen's strike, this victory, I will give it to you!"
Upon hearing that, the spectators— both from the Majestic Phoenix Sect's and Thunderous Dragon Sect's side— bellowed out, crying in shock. Neither side could keep to themselves as whispers and screams spread out.
"Did Senior Brother Chen really say that? Who is that woman?!"
"There's no way Fa Xiaolan is that strong, no way! I refuse to believe it."
"That old hag, who does she think she is?!"
"She's someone who achieved a minor enlightenment in our sect's technique, that's who she is!"
"Shut up, she has no talent, how could she be better than Senior Sister Xifeng in the technique?"
"You shut up! Can't you see the Phantom Phoenix behind her? Are you calling me blind?"
"Yeah shut it Chifeng. When did Senior Sister Xifeng materialise a Phoenix, and in battle none the less? Never! Talent this, talent that, look at the evidence in front of you!"
"You—"
However, as they spoke, the arena shook again as the dragon behind Long Chen turned more physical, and it roared as thunder danced around its body.
The Phoenix behind Fa Xiaolan lost some of its corporesence, but didn't fade away. She looked at Long Chen with an unshakeable gaze, and she spoke despite the blood dropping out of her mouth.
"I don't need pity. Surrender? Where is the pride in that, where is the honor? Fight, or die, there is no surrender!" Her voice boomed loud enough to overpower the spectators. That in turn also made them go quiet.
At the same time, the Phoenix behind her screeched as it burned to life, its phantom-like form becoming real. It wasn't near Long Chen's level of real, but the two Phantom Beasts glared at each other, then took to the sky at the same time.
Their owners also took action, with Long Chen's claw-like fist rushing toward her mid section. Fa Xiaolan wasn't any shier, and her hand— now burning with fire— acted to counter attack.
However, she wasn't a match for his strength, and the direct clash sent her flying toward the edge of the arena. She managed to stop herself by clawing at the tiles, leaving a bloody trail behind.
Water sizzled and fire extinguished above as the Thunderous Dragon and Phoenix clashed— and similarly to the scene on the ground— the Phoenix was getting overpowered.
Yet, each time it looked like it was about to be defeated, it rose with newfound strength, once again matching the dragon.
"Fa Xiaolan," Long Chen said while walking toward the woman, his steps slow an calculated. "You've got a good look in your eyes. Even amongst these women, besides the Matriach, it's clear you're the one that deserves to be called a Phoenix. I don't want to hurt you any further." He paused and looked at the sky, noticing that his dragon had coiled around the Phoenix.
"Surrender, and I will spare your Phantom Beast. It would be a shame to have to nurture it to this point again." Then, his aura increased once again, the full extent of his cultivation base collapsing upon Fa Xiaolan. "I like you; I like your spirit. Give up, surrender, and I will make you my wife. I will give you the best materials and resources, and nurture you into an immortal. What do you say?"
There was a moment of silence, then, a snicker could be heard.
Fa Xiaolan struggled to her feet, the hand she used to slow herself down now lacking fingertips. Blood covered her arms, feet and clothes, she looked like someone on the verge of death.
Yet, when she raised her gaze to look at Long Chen, there was nothing except an unyielding perseverance.
"Me? Marry you?" She coughed, this time spitting out a larger than normal amount of blood. Her gaze remained firm.
"Long Chen…" Fa Xiaolan said slowly, her pressure increasing as an ethereal flame burned in her eyes. "You're still wet behind the ears!"
She screamed, her voice so booming it defend the weaker spectators for a moment, and her Phoenix joined in. It caught ablaze, the ethereal form it once had burning into a corporeal form that made the Thunderous Dragon roar in pain.
However, it didn't let go. His master, Long Chen, did not allow him.
Yet, the man himself was also shocked, as two thick, large fire whips wrapped around his mid section and chest faster than he could blink. Fa Xiaolan held them tight, and they gripped him even tighter, rendering his attempt to struggle futile.
The once dead sea of fire on the ground came to life, all the flames that once filled the area concentrating at Long Chen's feet. His clothes and normal jewelery disintegrated into ash in less than an instant, and the mental shock he sustained left him vulnerable.
Grrroar!
The dragon high above groaned and let go of the Phoenix, retreating behind his master, trying with futility to undo the whips.
"I think the winner has been decided." Fairy Xiulang said, a proud smile hiding behind her fan.
Old Yang shook his head, looking at his direct disciple with pity. "If he hadn't held back, would the result have been so?"
"That's his weakness. He took pity on the 'weak' Fa Xiaolan and didn't go all out from the start. He didn't respect his opponent, and so he failed."
"He can't be blamed entirely for this matter. I am curious, how did your disciple grow in strength so suddenly?"
Hearing that question, Fairy Xiulang's mood darkened. "Such matters are not to be spoke with to outsiders."
"Am I really an outsider? Fairy Xiulang, we've known each other for a thousand years, your secrets are my secrets, and likewise."
"Hmph, old Yang, your tongue is sharp and words are sweet, but would you tell me how your disciple managed to manifest such a corpoeal Phantom Beast?"
"That—" He wanted to argue, but the Phoenix' scream from the arena below caught him off guard.
Fa Xiolan was pulling on the whips, her muscles tightening as she increased the amount of Qi poured into them. The Phoenix, on the other hand, dove from the sky toward Long Chen, but the dragon rushed out to intercept it.
However, Long Chen was helpless to do anything, with both arms restrained and Phantom Beast forced to defend, he could only endure the melting of his skin.
"This is a bit of a dirty trick, isn't it?" He groaned, trying to free himself, but the whips tightened further, his blood boiling. However, he didn't look panicked.
Fa Xiaolan remained silent.
A smirk creased Long Chen's lips, his muscles tightening and thunder crackling along his skin. A horn appeared on his forehead, similarly crackling with lighting. Once that happened, all it took was a few thugs and the fire whips snapped.
Fa Xiaolan stepped backward, sweat drenching her forehead.
"You should have given up." Long Chen said, his right hand— now turned into a claw— channelling powerful lighting attack.
Fa Xiaolan heaved a sigh and weaved a series of hand signs. The Phoenix returned to her, disappearing into her body. In almost that same instant, a pair of fiery wings appeared on her back, and she didn't hesitate to lunge at the Long Chen, who was watching the scene with increluity.
It took a long time to describe, but the entire transformation and the attack happened than in less time than it takes a spark to fly off a piece of flint.
By the time Long Chen reacted, Fa Xiaolan was already upon him, fiery claw driving through his abdomen, barely missing his dantian.
"I, Fa Xiaolan, will never give up!" She declared even as blood poured out through her cracking skin, and her wings disappeared into faint traces of ember.
Chapter 35: I will never give up!
"I, Fa Xiaolan, will never give up!" I murmured as I awoke, my body jolting with a sudden burst of strength. My weakening consciousness blazed back to life as the events of the dream replayed over and over again in my mind.
Was that my past life? That dream? It sure seemed like it… I could only speculate, but thanks to it I managed to stay alive.
That's right, I will never give up. So what if I'm at the brink of death? I won't stop fighting until I gave my last breath!
Having said that, I assessed my condition. My injuries became so severe I couldn't feel half of my body, and it took an enormous amount of strength to even open my eyes.
The Demonic Qi spread from my wing to my upper body, and it wouldn't be long before it reached my dantian. I had to stop it before that happened, but I had no strength, aside from my willpower.
However what good would that to in this situation?
I took slow, careful breaths and chanelled my Qi. It had recovered some while I was unconscious, but only one third. That was far from enough.
My natural regeneration worked to the best of its abilities. I had no stamina, and even lifting my wing proved to be a herculean task.
Looking at my skills, there was nothing that could help me regenerate my health and Qi. Of course, I wasn't expecting a miracle, especially not regarding Qi, since it wasn't exactly something that most Spirit Beasts had an abundance of.
System, you don't happen to have any healing skills for me, do you? I asked, hoping that it would be able to get me out of this predicament.
[Analyzing…]
[The only healing skills available cost more than your current Skill Points]
[Bloodline Skills tied to healing would be unlocked upon evolving into a healing-type Phoenix.]
Great…
I coughed weakly and struggled to move my head toward the sky. The forest was beautiful, with the sunlight scattering through the dense canopies. Were it not for them, I would have ended up as a meat paste on the ground, Strengthened Constiution and all.
Just as my consciousness began to fade, the voice of a man resounded in my ears.
"Did you notice, there aren't any more snakes popping up." His remark made me smirk, and I would have chuckled if I could.
Of course there aren't.
A female voice sighed, her tone sounding quite disappointed. "Such a shame, I got so many anti poison pills too. I can't even demand a refund."
"Yeah, those snakes were the biggest danger in this Kong Lin forest, and also the most valuable assets. We could have made our money back if we hunted two dozen of them and brought them back."
"Madam Po said she'd buy the meat from us, since her grandson is a chef who knows how to avoid the poisonous areas. Otherwise their meat is quite delicious. That's what she told me, at least."
The man let out an audible groan. "Such a shame, it's not like we can fight anything else here. We might as well go back to the village."
"But the pills…"
"We'll send them to some fool who hasn't heard that the snakes have disappeared and make some money back at least."
"That's so evil…" She said, though there wasn't any hint of guilt in her voice.
Dog eat dog, even youngings barely in their Qi Condensation stage have such thoughts. What a shame you met me.
Since the heavens sent me such a lifeline, there was no way I would throw it away. I mustered two needles, the Qi expenditure making the Demonic Qi invade my body even faster, and waited for them to pass beneath my tree.
A minute later, they appeared, and fell in that same instant.
Ignoring the kill notification, I took a deep breath and looked down, then forced myself to fall.
Luckily, I fell on top of the girl, her still warm flesh attenuating my fall. I scanned the area with my Divine Sense and found the man's bag of holding. Without hesitation, I slapped with whatever limb closest to it and looked inside.
Green pills, red pills, white pills, purple pills and… pink pills? Food and… wow, a rope. It looked quite fancy, but I didn't know what he intended to use it for. He had a strange scroll as well, but nothing I could read. Besides that, he didn't have any spirit stones.
I couldn't believe I was longing for spirit stones, of all things. The amount of Qi I got from that tiny sliver was nothing, but even that would help me in such a situation. The girl didn't even have a bag of holding, so there was nothing to search for.
Nothing that could be done about it, though. I took out the pills and inspected them. My Divine Sense fell over them, and whilst the green one was a poison cleansing pill, and the white one was some sort of Qi-infused pill.
The purple pills were some sort of poison, as their miasma was enough to stir up the memories of that damned snake. A single whiff made me nauseous.
What are these people using to make poison? I think the smell alone could kill a small animal.
I didn't want to know what the pink one did, so I threw it away.
The effects of the red ones were a bit more mysterious.
I could tell that it was meant to help with regeneration, but it was of such poor quality it almost looked like poison.
However, it was better than nothing.
Gulp
I forced the green, white and red pills into my throat, my wings and claws barely listening to me, but after pushing the Pain Tolerance skill to its limit, I managed.
They melted inside my mouth, and the amount of Qi in my dantian grew. It was a sorry amount, but enough to help in fighting against the Demonic Qi, who seemed to have no end in sight.
However, my HP was going up, slowly but surely. I'm not sure what the poison pill did, but if it helped counter attack all the toxins within the pills, it was welcomed… unless it had toxins as well.
Argh, I couldn't think about that many things anymore, I didn't have enough mental power for that. I forced myself to swallow the rest of the pills, and got to my feet with a lot of pain. I kept the poison pills close to my, tucked under my wings, just in case I would need them.
I looked back at the two, whose lives had been sacrificed for my survival, and lit their corpses on fire. At least that way the Spirit Beasts wouldn't eat them. I definitely wasn't about to. Humans had little to offer in terms of nutrients and energy, and I also found the prospect disgusting.
I was a human once, after all. As for the scroll and poison pills, I took them with me. As much as I hated the thought, they may come in handy.
After walking for a few miles, I took cover under the base of a tree and looked inwardly. The Demonic Qi had seeped into my dantian, but the natural protection it had stopped it from advancing further.
The sea churned as it fought back, but that only slowed the Demonic Qi's invasion, not halting it.
I tried using my Qi, but the moment I did so, the Demonic Qi advanced by a non-neglibile amount.
Sighing, I leaned back and waited for my health to regenerate. It seemd that due to the demonic Qi, I was locked in a forever 'Combat' state.
But the moment my health rengerated back up to fifteen percent, it started going faster. That had to be an untold effect of my evolution or Dragonbone Tempering skill. I was curious to know what rank it was at, but I didn't have the mental faculty to have so much text flooding my vision.
I was still wounded and hurt, I couldn't afford any distractions, even if this forest could be considered weak, I didn't even have fifty percent of my true combat power left.
Fucking demons… Ugh, how could they be in such an insignificant place, and from humans, none the less? Who did this? Argh these humans, they can't even take care of a measly demonic cultivator?!?
I had to keep my rage in check, but I couldn't forget about them. I could feel my dragons were still alive, my connection to them not quite yet broken. I didn't know if either of the demons had died, but I had to check.
After my health regenerated to a comfortable amount, I stood up and made my way toward the lake.
I clawed on a nearby tree, climbing up then jumping from branch to branch with expert dexterity. If I were a human with no body cultivation, the Demoni Qi in my dantian would have crippled me. But I was a Phoenix first, cultivator second.
So what if I couldn't use Qi? The strength of a Phoenix was not to be taken lightly. And I still had my Bloodline Skills, which didn't consume any Qi. They did use my stamina, which was somehow tied to my HP, but I've steadily been recovering it as I advanced.
I didn't dare activate any of the Active Skills, as those used Qi. That also meant I was locked out of the Nirvanic Flames for a while. That fact alone meant those demons deserved death by a thousand cuts.
As I approached the lake, I heard sounds of fighting. My two dragons were locked in combat with the Copper Demon, but the other one had been sliced cleanly in two by his comrade.
He wasn't moving… not a lot anyway. I wasn't sure if that meant he was dying, was dead, or that something else was going to happen. I decided to hide and observe.
My dragons had enough Qi to last for a few more minutes, but only one of them required Qi. I commanded the Nirvanic Flames dragon to merge with the Phoenix Fire dragon, thus becoming one single, stronger and more stable entity.
The certainty of the Phoenix Fire combined with the short-lived power of the Nirvanic Flameswould surely kill the demon.
Or not.
Somehow, even with the combined strength of the two dragons, I couldn't do much damage to the copper-skinned demon. His defense and offense were too high, and he seemed to have lost all reason and sanity after his friend died.
At his own hands nonetheless.
Well, I assumed he died.
Seeing that, I didn't know what to do. Not only did I not gain anything by fighting them, but I would also unleash a demon upon the forest if I didn't do anything about it.
That would mean disturbing the peace, and cultivators would investigate.
People disappearing wasn't such a big deal, and cultivators getting killed while saerching for treasure was a nattural occurrence, but a demon wreaking havoc? That would surely attract their attention. I didnt want that.
Not to mention that those two mentioned something about a village, meaning there were mortals and cultivators living nearby.
There was only one thing that I could do, but I wasn't sure of my success.
However, what other choice did I have?
I jumped down and approached the fat demon, and commanded the dragons to wrap around him. They were so weak now that they wouldn't be able to hold him down for long, however I only needed a second.
Just one second.
I used Ember Step and rushed in front of him before he even knew I was there, and jumped up, perching on my flame dragons. With hesitation and disgust, I flicked my wings, and threw the poison pills inside his mouth.
The five or so pills melted as they made their way down his throat, and in that same moment he escaped from the clutch of the dragons.
I got sent flying backward, and I couldn't stop myself despite digging into the earth. All I managed to do was slow down some before I inevitably collide with a tree.
Gah—
I coughed out a mouthful of blood and watched the demon. At first, he charged toward me, forgetting he had a perfectly fine whip in his hands, then he stumbled and got back up, blood oozing out of his seven orifices.
I struggled to get up, and his speed had increased twofold upon seeing that. Deep inside I knew I couldn't run in time, even with Ember Step. That didn't stop me from trying, though.
However, his fist descended upon me before I could activate the skill, and then just as softly fell around me, barely missing me as the demon's eyes rolled backward.
The poison was very effective, it seemed.
[You have slain Li Manfeng, Lesser Demon Lvl 6.]
[XP Acquired]
[You have Leveled Up]
[Elemental Phoenix Lvl 12 has become Elemental Phoenix Lvl 13]
[Bloodline Skill: Paralyzing Screech has been acquired.]
[Skill Points Acquired]