Interlude: The Silkworm/The Centipede Princess/The Damned Archer

Interlude: The Silkworm/The Centipede Princess/The Damned Archer

Friends. Fame. Fortune. What more did a man need in life? They werent necessarily things that required one to travel and adventure to retrieve. If Xie Jin holed up in the Basin and quietly cultivated till he became a Crystal Transformation, then all three of those things would inevitably flock to him.

But what was the point of a life lived like that?

There was a whole world out there. Places far and near that occupied the same threads in the tapestry of history as Zumulu did but wove entirely different pictures from them. There was so much amazing depth to their home that many declared they would never leave it and were not interested in any other place. Xie Jin had butted heads with these elders more than once. Who in their right mind would stand in front of art and only look at one corner of it rather than the whole? Zumulu was so amazing already. What of the rest of the world? His grandfather had chided him on his opinion before, that he wasnt seeing the trees for the jungle. Xie Jin would counter that even in colorful Zumulu with its myriad flora, fauna, and forms. The trees still looked the same.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Though he had to admit, it could still surprise him every now and then.

It had been a rough start to the Trial. The forests were lethal, and the air poisoned the lungs. Brother Chen and Bao Si were nowhere to be found. That Garrison bastard had really misled them. It wasnt surprising, really. Trust the Empire not to know how to interpret his peoples ruins. For any other Qi Realm, it would be a bad situation. Fortunately, Xie Jin was far from being a normal Qi Realm. This place was almost like a second home. He breathed worse poisons while cleaning his grandfathers sheets. As for the trees, knife leaves? Hardly unique. Teeth leaves were worse. Hed collected two interesting durians hed found. Their chemical gas was okay. Hed made similar during his etiquette classes when he was younger. Theyd make good makeshift bombs once he infused Gu poison into them.

He would need it. There were too many Liquid Meridians crawling around. The bastards were practically occupying the pyramids. Besides observing how they worked at a distance, Xie Jin steered clear from them. He would just find some closer to the center. He doubted those high and mighty Garrison bastards were paying attention to the pyramids anyway. If they did then theyd know that where the stone oroboross heads met tails represented North and South. Using that combined with his Gu and it didnt take Xie Jin long to figure out the direction the center of the trial was in. He did run into a weird barrier on the way but it wasnt blocking him. Probably another feature of the trial, hed leave it to the Liquid Meridians to figure out. He made his way deeper into the trial grounds and luxuriated in the rising ambient qi.

There were way more available pyramids here. Conversely, that meant he had no one to challenge to complete them quickly. Waiting them out wasnt entirely bad, at least until his Gu alerted him to an approaching Liquid Meridian, and he was forced to bug out. He was fortunate enough to wait out the timer on a few pyramids, however, and got some decent rewards. The edibles were eaten immediately for his advancement push. The non-edible and not immediately useful were stored away. It would hurt to be forced to give them up to the Garrison once he left the Trial, but it was a trade-off he was willing to accept. They werent that good anyway. The best rewards would come from actively challenging people, not waiting. In a way, it was representative of Xie Jins own beliefs. Truly the ancients were wise.

Hopefully, Brother Chen and Bao Si were faring better than him. With their strength, they were in a better position to benefit from the Trial than he was. It was a bit frustrating that hed have to scavenge his way between stronger cultivators so that he could advance, but such was life. He could only blame himself for the sin of being weak when he needed to be strong. Fortunately, Lady Luck still loved her weaklings. He found an occupied pyramid and, miracle of miracles, it was occupied by a Ninth-Layer Qi Realm.

Perhaps he, too, was the first Qi Realm the woman had seen thus far because she seemed relieved at the sight of him ascending the pyramid. Her bones marked her as a native. The butterflies decorating it spoke to her being from the Eastern jungles. Her stance and butterfly swords marked her as a warrior. Xie Jin would oblige her. His sleeve glowed purple. The women lunged, feathery blue qi dancing its way up her blades. Xie Jin leapt, his hand swinging. They met in the air for a brief before their jumps carried them past each other. Xie Jin adroitly landed at the top of the pyramid. The womans body landed heavily on the steps, covered in a swarm of purple insects, and rolled down. Her blade work was fine, but it was no match for his Swarm Control Skill.

Xie Jin turned his back on his fallen foe and went in to claim his prize. The light pillar collapsed unto itself, and the silver light collected around the altar. Xie Jins breathe hitched as a perfectly round, glass-like fruit with five perfect leaves materialized.

Liquid Core Fruit. He couldnt keep the awe out of his voice.

This was it. His big break. He would become a Liquid Meridian and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Brother Chen. He could hold his head high in front of his grandfather and say his way was not wronglook at how he advanced. He gingerly took the fruit in hand.

The warning of his Gu came too late.

Not that it didnt sense the incoming presence in time. It absolutely did. It just didnt matter. By the time his Gu warned him, the cultivator had already closed the distance and appeared atop the pyramid. A vicious, animal-like qi washed over him, causing every single nerve to stiffen and every sense of his to scream at him to run.

The Ninth-Layer Garrison cultivator smirked and crossed his arms. I thought I smelled something good, and I was right. He sniffed the air. Not you, though. Poisonous little bugger, aint you. Really did a number on that bird outside.

Xie Jin quietly ordered his Gu to slink away while he adjusted his grip on the Liquid Core Fruit. The Garrison monsters eyes were riveted on the fruit. Fat drops of red liquid qi dripped from him as if he were salivating, falling on the stone bricks and hunting for prey before turning on themselves.

I am Captain Lu Aotian, the Liquid Meridian suddenly declared.

Xie Jin struggled not to gulp. In these sorts of situations its a bit suspicious to declare your name first. Someone might think youre going to kill me.

Lu Aotian nodded. I am.

Xie Jin measured the distance of his Gu. But why? he asked. I havent done anything. If its the fruit you want, I have other things to exchange for it. If you let me refine it in peace, then I promise to be like a dog and horse for you throughout the entire trial.

You misunderstand, Lu Aotian patronizingly said. Im not going to kill you for the Liquid Core Fruit. Im going to kill you because youre going to run and make me chase you. Dont even lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. Rats like you all have the same face. Im just saving myself a few seconds by getting it over with."

He took a single step.

Im a Black Bone Shaman, Xie Jin blurted out.

Lu Aotian paused. A real look of consideration crossed his features. A Black Bone Shaman? Interesting. He took another step. Ill just have to kill your Gu first, then. Call it out.

Xie Jin forced himself not to move. Just a little bit more. If you dont leave me any room for escape, then Ill just kill myself and curse you. Youre Trial will be ruined, maybe even your life.

Lu Aotian took another step. You said so yourself. Maybe. If it were any other Liquid Meridian, then Im sure theyd be scared, but our power difference is too high for you to be sure. Im a cut above the common rabble, you see. My father is Commander Lu of Stonebridge.

Beast Disaster Lu, the Crystal Transformation Realm. No wonder he was taking his time. The son was just as much an animal as the father.

Well? What is it you want to say? Lu Aotian asked.

His Gu was ready. Purple miasma bloomed around Xie Jin, and he raised his middle finger. Fuck you.

Lu Aotian accelerated, but his hand clawed through nothing but air. Xie Jin appeared outside the pyramid and immediately started running away. Through his connection with his Gu, he could feel the danger it was in as it avoided Lu Aotians angry liquid qi and fled. The Substitution Technique was an advanced and little-utilized application of a Gus theft ability but just like any other Shaman skill once the right moment was found it was impeccable.

Unfortunately, he was too weak, or else he would have been able to fling himself a greater distance. It was only a matter of time before Lu Aotian found his trial and caught up to him. At that time hed be well and truly screwed.

Despite having no reason to do so, the soldier nodded his head and stepped to the side.

The Shaman paced backward. His Mosquito Gus proboscis elongated to the length of a lance and dripped with blood. Do you really think you can cross realms and fight?

I dont plan on crossing realms, Bao Si said. I plan on advancing. She pointed to the Shaman.

Devour.

No matter what anyone had to say about the matter. Duan Ye would maintain with his dying breath the truth and nothing but.

He had shot him.

As a Seventh-Layer Liquid Meridian he was not like the lower layers that were made to drill and march in formation. His strong cultivation and arrow technique had seen him join the skirmishing force to pick off the critical Metal Element users and harry the high-layers of the Garrison while the regular forces ground them down. At first it had been going well, critical Garrison personnel had been dropping like flies and were fleeing like the dogs they were. Hed heard some soldiers gleefully exclaiming that they were successful beyond their wildest imaginations. Duan Ye allowed them their idiotic statements for the sake of morale. Their success was not a surprise. It was expected. Only fools and amateurs allowed themselves to be that surprised. They were merely reaping the benefits of a well-laid plan, nothing more, nothing less.

He was not lucky enough to slay the formation expert, but Duan Ye was proud to say that it was his arrows that laid low two Metal Spirit Roots. It was by happenstance afterwards that he loosed an arrow at the fleeing back of a random unaffiliated cultivator. He was an easy spot against the red uniforms of the Garrison and hed recalled the Second-Layer had somehow noticed their presence at the last moment when they first ambushed the group. That sort of scouting ability could prove annoying even in the hands of a trifling ant so getting rid of him would be further credit. Duan Ye had already moved on after watching the arrow hit its mark and it was only after one of his fellow archer and competitor for glory ribbed him over not checking his marks that he realized the ant had survived and escaped, which was ridiculous to Duan Ye.

He had shot him.

It was a minor irritation all things considered. The ant would end up dead either way under their encirclement but him not dying was an affront to Duan Yes skill. The other archers might not have dared say anything where he could hear them but their mocking thoughts couldnt be hidden from his keen eyes. Every arrow they fired after the ant during the chase had been an insult toward him. He was thankful the ants strange spirit beast blocked their arrows and dispelled their attempts to steal his prey from right in front of him. Duan Ye scoffed at them for their failure. The more difficult the ant was to kill the better he looked, lessening his own failure and magnifying his triumph when he finally killed the ant.

Once theyd trapped the Garrison dogs against the barrier it was only a matter of time. Their futile attempt to stall for time were brushed off by their superior soldiers. Duan Yes had to pick his shots carefully, hed sent one to the ant and focused the rest on the stronger cultivators assaulting the emission node. No reason to let the enemy potentially escape. He found the ant still standing so he sent another. Then another. Hed underestimated the damn spirit beasts liquid qi. It was really quite an annoying defense. The first snicker from the fools hed just insulted was the last straw. He flooded qi to his arrow and engaged his Hidden Dragon Arrow Technique. Seeing it shoot across the battlefield and nail the ant in the head and carry him back into the barrier was cathartic.

At least it was.

Why did the ant get back up again?

He had shot him.

Duan Yes eyes stung as the world flashed white.

His temporary blindness only enhanced the screams and bone-chilling sound of falling bodies and when Duan Ye cycled his qi and restored his vision he was treated to the horrifiying site of their vineshield wall chopped to pieces and the front line of their formation decimated.

The ant. Ant? Was charging toward them wielding a pure white sword. Why was he fast? The fallen front line began dying and losing control of their qi. Their Final Floods were absorbed by their armor and fueled the growth of masses of grasping vines that formed a new wall. The cultivator raised his sword and sword shadows scythed the earth and vines like they were naught but air. Their Water Spirit Roots flooded their liquid qi to form a barrier to block the clearly Metal Element attack. Why was it so strong? They had two hundred Liquid Meridians. The enemy was only a Second-Layer Liquid Meridian Realm. Even if his power was exaggerated beyond belief, alone there was no way he could defeat them.

He wasnt alone.

Dogs that they were, the Empires soldiers were much like their masters in that they never let go of opportunity once they had it in their jaws. Their Earth Spirit Roots were quick to flood their own liquid qi, not enough to overwhelm their shield but enough to disrupt it in certain places. The cultivator was quick to capitalize on the opening, swinging his sword down like an executioners blade and releasing a long scythe of white energy that cleaved through liquid qi and armor alike. The cultivator dove into their ranks without care, surrounded by white shadows that obscured his face.

Kill him! His rival roared, drawing his bow back to its limits.

Their archers were impeccable. Their aim beyond reproach and their speed such that every second they released three arrows. Their Rattan Armor soldiers were brave and disciplined comparable to their forebears whose heavy legacy they shouldered. In the face of the incomprehensible they raised their spears and stepped forward to slay it.

White sword shadows flashed and split their archers arrows. Their soldiers spear fell on his flesh and broke. His pace did not stop in the face of man or vine. Where his sword swung a farmers harvest was reaped and the proud Rattan soldiers were like so much wheat. The Ninth-Layers around Duan Ye cursed and abandoned their bows to move in and deal with the cultivator personally. They were met by the Ninth-Layers of the Garrison. A bear-like man and one of pure fire flanked the cultivator, behind him the Garrison rushed into the gap and tore into the Rattan Armor Army with techniques.

Duan Ye!

Duan Ye instinctively knocked another arrow and filled it with qi.

Hidden Dragon Arrow

It flew like a green blur, invisible to the naked eye. Duan Ye had never shot a finer arrow in his life.

The cultivator twitched his sword and his proud arrow was split in twain. Both halves flew off and dug trenches in the earth behind him. The cultivator snapped his head over and his ruined face locked eyes with Duan Ye. His sword flashed and there were suddenly no more soldiers between them.

Duan Ye! Shoot him!

I shot him, Duan Ye said. He knocked another arrow.

The cultivator sprinted over, liquid qi pouring off him like a writhing dragon. A dragons roar filled Duan Yes ears and his grip slipped. A sword shadow flashed in front of him. His Profound-Rank bow was sliced cleanly in half. The hands holding it fell from his wrists. Duan Ye stumbled back, liquid qi and blood bleeding freely from his stumps that, for some unholy reason, he could not stop. The cultivator pounced and grabbed Duan Yes throat carrying them into the jungle in one bound. Behind them, Duan Ye could see his rivals headless corpse explode into liquid qi. Why? How? As the Rattan Army and the Garrison disappeared from view, he could only wonder how this was possible.

He had shot him.