Shattered Lands: Book 8 of Painting the Mists

by Laplante, Patrick

  “I didn’t come here to fight you,” Cha Ming said. “I could have easily smashed and stolen this crystal and left before you could even come. Instead, I called you.”

  The spider clicked its mandibles as if tasting the truth of his words. Cha Ming felt the spider’s eyes on his skin, inspecting it for shivers or tells.

  “I’m searching for something. Have you seen it?” He held out his hand and summoned a spherical projection. It was a golden orb, and inside it, a liquid floated about, shining in all its natural perfection. “It’s called Gold Source Marrow, a precious treasure.”

  The spider’s mandibles clicked again. And you think we would inform you of this treasure like naïve children? So that you could steal it out from under our very legs? How naïve of you.

  “I wouldn’t call it stealing,” Cha Ming said. “I have a good friend, a fox. He says demons prize equivalent exchange. I would trade for it.” Given that he’d just spent his entire fortune breaking through, he wasn’t sure how he’d do that. But he was confident that he could work something out. There were resources aplenty north of Bastion Wall.

  The spider considered his words, then shook from side to side, its large legs aiding it in physically showing its disapproval. Equivalent trade is among equals. You, though strong, are no demon. You are not an equal, only an intruder.

  He’s right, lad, Sun Wukong said from the Clear Sky Brush. You’ll have to show him some credentials. Then he’ll be willing to talk.

  Cha Ming had been hoping to avoid using his abilities. His Demon-Subduing Eyes, though growing increasingly powerful, had become very strenuous to use. Nothing permanent, of course; his regenerative abilities were on par with those of a half-step-blood-awakening cultivator. But even then, it would take him minutes to recover.

  I guess there’s no avoiding it, Cha Ming thought. He closed his eyes and opened them again. His irises glowed, the inner jade ring containing his concentrated Devil-Sealing Intent, and the middle violet ring his Demon-Subduing Intent. The soft golden ring on the outside, wherever it came from, did not contain any such intent. Which was fortunate, as he shuddered at what would happen if it did.

  The light struck the demons. They quivered in fear at his penetrating gaze. Some of them, the stronger ones, simply brought their skeletal limbs closer. He figured it was the spider equivalent of turning over and revealing its belly or neck. Only the largest spider was unaffected. He soon ended the technique, blinking away tears of blood that appeared there. His vision blurred slightly, but only for a half second before returning to normal.

  Perhaps you do have the qualifications to speak with someone, the spider said. I know not what this thing is, though it seems related to these crystals we harvest. But know this: We do not give away treasures, and some treasures are too precious to trade.

  “Please take me to your leader,” Cha Ming said. The spider bowed its large combination of a torso and a head and scuttled away, motioning with one of his legs for Cha Ming to follow. He did so, taking care to avoid crushing the many smaller spiders that skittered all about. The skeletal spiders that had been harvesting the crystals before his interruption continued their arduous task of dissolving the ore one bit at a time.

  The spider moved swiftly, using its large legs to pull itself along the walls as the network of fissures expanded the deeper they went. He realized they were also constantly twisting and turning. The fissure network was like a spiral staircase that led to the ground below the massive crystal that jutted out from the ground in the chamber above them.

  Thousands of feet turned into miles. The temperature even began to rise, something he found surprising since the Ling Nan Plane wasn’t spherical but flat. They passed by groups of larger spiders that lay huddled in other fissures to make way for Cha Ming and his spider escort.

  Finally, they entered a massive chamber ten times larger than the one before. Here, large spiders crawled everywhere. The lethality in their movements was smooth and practiced. They’d evidently gone through hundreds of battles, whether amongst humans, demons, or themselves.

  At the center of the massive chamber was a large gash in the ground. It resembled a vein, for it pulsed with golden energy that rushed through it on its journey to heavens knew where. Next to the vein, on the ground, many metallic crystals were forming. They spread out in a network that expanded to the walls of the chamber and beyond. With every pulse, the crystals grew, and with their growth, the walls shifted slightly. They were held up by large metallic limbs that resembled spider legs.

  No, they were spider legs. Strong bones covered in metallic hairs dug into the earth. They were assembled into arches that prevented the chamber’s collapse. These legs were each almost as large as those belonging to the massive spider that rested near the vein, its large, bulbous backside heaving as it breathed, its countless eyes glaring at him with contempt, despite the deference its subordinate paid him.

  My queen, the spider who’d led Cha Ming down here said. I’ve brought the intruder here as you requested.

  Very good, the giant spider said. Now leave us. All of you.

  Cha Ming’s escort and the spiders guarding the queen froze. They blinked in confusion and hesitated.

  You cannot fight him, and if we come to blows, you will die a meaningless death. There is no point in you remaining, she said.

  We can buy you time if it comes to that, my queen, one of the larger spiders said, scuttling up to her and glaring at Cha Ming.

  When did this queen’s orders become suggestions? the giant spider asked. You will leave.

  The spider who’d objected pulled its legs back in in a sign of deference, then one by one, they left, leaving only Cha Ming, the spider, and the golden vein behind.

  “Many thanks for meeting with me, Great Monarch,” Cha Ming said. “My name is Cha Ming. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” Demons were skilled in spotting deception. Keeping up his act as Pai Xiao here would likely backfire.

  Monarch Cha Ming, the spider said, I am known as the Life-Leaching Monarch. Why have you come to these broken lands devoid of life? You are skilled; I can tell as much from your ability to shield yourself from my powers. Why would one such as you, who should care so little for mundane riches, come here of all places?

  “Two reasons,” Cha Ming said honestly. “The first reason is I was trapped while journeying above. I entered a fissure with some companions while searching for ore, and the tunnel collapsed.”

  A common occurrence, the Life-Leaching Monarch said. It is foolish to journey down here with so little knowledge of the fissure’s web.

  “As I now know,” Cha Ming said. “The second reason is that I am searching for something: a stone and its contents.” He summoned an image of the sphere like he’d done before. The golden image spun above his hand, its fluid core flowing independently of the outer sphere’s movement. “This is a Gold Essence Core, and it contains Gold Source Marrow.”

  The spider, seeing the orb, shivered. Not with excitement, not with fear, but with anger. You should leave now, it said. I do not wish to discuss this treasure. It motioned with a leg to one of the many exits where the spiders had gone. That tunnel leads all the way to the surface. You need not return to this place, as I will not change my mind.

  Cha Ming frowned. He didn’t want to go back empty-handed. “In the lands up above,” Cha Ming said, “I’m considered unsurpassed on the plane in formation arts, alchemical arts, and talisman arts. I’m also all right at spiritual blacksmithing, though less so than my other professions. If it’s a matter of price, I’d definitely be able to pay it.”

  Oh? the spider said, its beady eyes blinking. Can you make something from nothing? Can you turn back time and reverse cause and effect?

  “I cannot,” Cha Ming admitted.

  And can you dive into this leyline of gold and coax it to produce another one of these treasures that you want so dearly? the spider continued. It gestured to the pulsing vein in front of it, inviting Cha Ming to come forward.
If so, by all means, go right ahead. While you’re at it, my only requisite payment is that you do it again.

  “You don’t have it, do you?” Cha Ming said. “Someone already took it from you.”

  A few months ago, the Life-Leaching Monarch admitted, its mental voice dripping with anger. I had wanted to use it to gain my mark and enter the initiation realm. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for treasures like that to appear so rarely. I prepared for many centuries to use it. I coaxed the fissures to form complex formations in the earth to protect me. These preparations were almost complete, but before I could consume the core, thieves came and picked it out from under my very mandibles. It shivered again. This time, its legs cracked like a man cracking his knuckles before a fight. Emboldened by this victory, the humans dared intrude ever deeper inside our territory, stealing metallic ore from my younglings and the other demons in the area. They do not fear us as they once did.

  “Do you know who stole it?” Cha Ming asked. “Any distinctive features, like hair color, eye color, or pupils? Does a black-haired man with red pupils ring any bells?” If anyone had done this, it was likely Zhou Li.

  Red pupils? A seer? the spider asked. It shook its large body. No seer came here. As for distinctive features, I’d say the most obvious one was the man’s golden hair. He was an older man, a peak-core-formation cultivator. He carried an expensive-looking treasure that shielded me from his aura. He was also accompanied by two strong body-cultivating bodyguards. One cultivated fire and metal, as for the other, I’m not sure. They didn’t fight for long and preferred to leave as soon as they retrieved their spoils.

  Golden hair? A fire-and-metal body cultivator? Two such individuals came to mind, and he doubted he’d be able to find another such pair anywhere else in the South.

  “I believe I know who you speak of,” Cha Ming said. He summoned a projection of Director Yong and Tian Zhi. “Did they do this?”

  The spider shivered in anger.

  Yes, the spider said. The treasure is no longer mine, so I cannot trade what I do not have. You should go now. Do not come back. Life has always been hard for demons, especially when humans are involved.

  Cha Ming thought for a moment. The spider hated humans so much. It was indignant about the cultivators harvesting ore outside. Could he use that? Did he dare use that? A plan began to take shape in his mind. “Would you like to strike back at the humans?” Cha Ming asked. “Not to slay them decisively, but to put fear into them, so that they don’t dare come out into the Shattered Lands for a dozen years or more?”

  The spider blinked. That depends on the opportunity and the price that must be paid. We can sacrifice some of our members if the benefits outweigh the costs.

  “I’m not sure if it will work yet,” Cha Ming said. “But I’m not from around here. I’m from the North, and I’m here to sabotage their city.”

  Humans, the spider said. Always fighting amongst themselves. It seemed disappointed somehow.

  “If you’re up for it,” Cha Ming continued, “I would consider destroying a very large section of Bastion Wall. What could you do if I gave you that opportunity?”

  The spider considered for a moment. I would send a small force into the city, the spider said. Mostly to slaughter powerful cultivators and harvest them for the brood. I would kill the chicken to warn the monkey. I would also make an appearance. Our forces aren’t nearly powerful enough to claim the city, but a taste of my life-leaching abilities will give them something to think about for decades. It will remind them that I, the Life-Leaching Monarch, still live, and can come out whenever I so choose.

  Cha Ming closed his eyes. Many lives would be lost if he did this. “It would be difficult to grasp this opportunity,” he said. “Unless, of course, you had prior information on the timing of such an event. Then you could rush in almost as soon as the break in the wall occurred.”

  And what would you like in exchange? the spider asked.

  “A small favor,” Cha Ming said. “I will leave a sound-transmission mark here so I can give you advanced warning. In exchange, when you charge up, I want you to spare those that bear my mark if you can.”

  The spider moved its mandibles in agreement. Very well, the spider said. You may leave your marks. I do not guarantee I will go—such an outing is risky. But if I choose to act, I will respect your wishes.

  “I also want you to focus on combatants, if you can. Spare the weak who are running away,” Cha Ming said.

  “Also acceptable,” the spider said. “They provide meager sources of energy.”

  “Then it’s agreed,” Cha Ming said. He summoned his Clear Sky Brush and painted white lines in the air. They solidified into a sigil that dropped to the floor in front of the Life-Leaching Monarch. It was a transmission sigil. Then he took out a piece of paper and painted a talisman. It didn’t contain a powerful function and was ornamental in nature. “Those who wear these talismans should be avoided and spared if possible.”

  Very well, the Life-Leaching Monarch said. If they do not fight us, we will not fight them. It then turned toward the exit and pointed. Please leave. You may be a monarch, but you are also human. Humans do not belong beneath the soil. They do not belong near the leylines, which breathe life into this dying world.

  “Leylines?” Cha Ming asked. “Dying world?”

  Go, the spider said again.

  Cha Ming considered prodding further but decided again it. He flew up to the fissure and flew up it. Within hours, he saw sweet, blissful daylight.

  Interlude: Unstoppable

  Feng Ming clutched his chest, gasping for breath. Gong Xuandi did the same beside him. He regulated his breathing and sat cross-legged to regenerate his depleted qi. They were exhausted. Many months of chasing the Taotie had taxed both their minds and their bodies. As they rested, they heard screams in the distance. Domesticated animals bleated as the creature advanced, taking advantage of their break to feast on nearby living things. They heard ripping sounds as plants were torn from the earth, and even fertile soil was sucked into the creature’s ghastly body.

  But what could they do? What alternative did they have? They were mere mortals, and that creature was a god. They fought, rested, fought, rested. The cycle continued, but the creature still grew stronger.

  “Has your dearest sister, the Sea God’s Herald, heard back from the Sea God Realm?” Feng Ming asked the resting Gong Xuandi.

  The large man opened an eye and shook his head. “Not since last time. It seems like it will take much time to manufacture a countermeasure, and even more time to send it over. The process isn’t easy, and it only gets worse when you have to transport something across planar boundaries.”

  Feng Ming groaned. He’d heard similar answers from the Alabaster Group. Both transcendent powers were doing everything they could to contain the creature. And judging from the fact that the South had yet to send anyone remotely powerful enough to intercept or help them, they were also aware of the problem.

  “This can’t continue,” Feng Ming said. “The constant fighting. It’s wearing down on us. Even you, a mighty half-step-blood-awakening cultivator, can’t keep it up.”

  The former Sea God Emperor shrugged. “If you sent a force from the North, I’m sure the South would indulge you and let them pass to join the battle. They might even clear a path for you, laying down carpets to mark the way here.”

  They’d dug deep into Southern territory while chasing the beast. So deep, in fact, that even the peasants knew of their coming. Only stragglers were left behind, those deemed not important enough to warn.

  “We need to force them to help us,” Feng Ming said. He stood up and stretched. Though his qi had recovered, his body was stiff. He wasn’t a body cultivator like Gong Xuandi, as much as he fought like one. His muscles were stressed from overuse, taut in a way that could easily lead to injury. As he stretched, he peered out into the distance, where red lights shone in a darkening sky.

  “I’m done,” the Sea God Emperor said
, summoning his trident. The weapon, though mighty, had evidently seen better days. It was the fifth such weapon he’d used since starting. Feng Ming’s Magma God’s Spear was no different. Despite his ungodly luck, a weapon could only last so long under constant abuse. It was only a matter of time until the cracks on it widened and the weapon shattered.

  “I’ve heard that blood masters are excellent fighters,” Feng Ming said, gazing intently at the red-lit area. “Do you have any experience with them?”

  “I don’t,” the Gong Xuandi said. “Though I’ve heard they have quite the temper.”

  “I’ve heard the same as well,” Feng Ming said. “And it seems the South has grown too complacent. They know we guide it toward areas of lower energy density, avoiding demonic mountains, cities, and other important outposts. I think it’s high time we change that.”

  Gong Xuandi nodded. “Do you want to be the carrot or the stick?” He hefted his trident over his shoulder. There was no opposition or complaint. Their months of fighting the beast had made pragmatists of both of them.

  “The stick,” Feng Ming said, readying his spear. “The beast gets rather frustrated when it keeps missing. It needs a little taste every once in a while to keep it wanting.”

  “I can’t promise to make a good carrot,” Gong Xuandi said. “But let’s see if it likes seafood.” He charged, exchanging a few blows with the frustrated creature before heading off in the monastery’s direction. They’d done this many times before and knew the answer to his question: The beast loved seafood, along with anything else they fed it.

  Chapter 27: Return

  The journey back through the Shattered Lands was swift and unencumbered. Though mentally exhausted from his extended cultivation, as well as the trip through the rocky underground fissures, Cha Ming now knew that Director Yong had taken the Gold Source Marrow. More likely than not, he’d been aided by none other than Tian Zhi.