The room they were in felt like a converted storeroom which was being used as a temporary dungeon.
The conversion likely took an hour and happened at a moment’s notice, as well. There were no bars, no locked door, and no visible guards.
They were simply locked in a room with no obvious way out except one door.
“There are two Inner Sect masters at the door,” Chunhua whispered, pressing her lips to his ear. “I think they’re going to wait for your tribulation to kill you. Then kill me and blame it on you and your tribulation.”
Huh.
That makes sense.
But… why would Bao Jade do this? He’s the sect master.
He would want to keep the sect open, wouldn’t he?
Ash realized the reason didn’t matter right now. Bao was trying to kill him.
A sudden, gut-wrenching feeling speared him as power began to accumulate around him. As though he were deeply buried in a fog; fog as thick and as deep as the ocean.
His tribulation had arrived in full.
And it wanted to absolutely murder him.
Thirty-Eight
Pushing Chunhua away from himself, Ash scrambled to his feet.
“Hide,” Ash hissed and started moving quickly for the only door in the room. “Get behind something because I’m pretty sure that—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the tribulation lashed out with a bolt of Qi Lightning from directly in front of him.
Catching the bolt with his left hand almost instinctively, Ash redirected it with his right hand. Straight toward the door where he was heading.
With a detonation of thunder, the bolt of lightning shattered the door. A brief scream was heard at the same time.
The smell of burnt hair and charcoal was strong. Much stronger than the acrid smoke that was already spewing out of the charred and burnt walls around the door.
Shaking out his hands, Ash felt like he’d made a mistake by trying to redirect that bolt. It’d been incredibly powerful.
To the point that he was almost certain his wrists might be fractured. Or just outright broken.
Maybe burnt?
Lifting a hand to his nose, Ash took a sniff as he marched through the smoking, burning doorframe.
Realizing there was no way in hell he’d be able to tell if it was him or the dead man at his feet, Ash let his hand fall.
Both of the Inner Sect masters were on the ground. One was a blackened log with burnt robes and a great deal of hideous smoke pouring out of his mouth and ears.
The other master was severed in half at the stomach. He was busily trying to scoop his intestines back inside himself, his eyes half-glazed over as he did it.
Not waiting, Ash turned and explored the area.
It was just a blank hallway. Without windows or anything that’d give him an idea of where he was.
Frowning, Ash began to move away from the door and down the only exit available to him.
A stronger bolt was already building in the tribulation that was all around Ash. He could feel it gathering its strength.
Moving at a quick jog, Ash didn’t make it down the hallway before the next strike came.
Digging into his Qi Sea, Ash strengthened himself and the Meridians in his arms. Capturing the bolt with his left hand just as he’d done the last time, he once more pushed it back out through his right hand.
Unfortunately, it didn’t completely work.
Part of the power of the bolt remained inside him, and his arms began to cramp as the Qi attacked the muscles and bones.
Screaming through his teeth, Ash pulled his arms together and crossed them in front of himself. Hunching over them, he did his best to cycle Qi through the Meridians there. To leech it away and into channels made to carry the energy.
The bolt he’d sent elsewhere smashed into the end of the hallway, creating another eruption of fire and explosive Qi.
Stamping his feet, Ash felt like the kid who’d touched the hot cookie sheet and was now blowing on his fingers. Just considerably worse.
Before the pain could completely subside, Ash once more felt the tribulation building up its next attack.
Oh, my fuck! This is too much!
“Yes. Yes, it is! I can’t hold it back anymore. This is beyond my ability!” Locke shouted at him. “Call up our Dao already and let’s not be where it’s going!”
Locke!? What are—
“SHUT UP AND DO IT, ASHLEY!”
Standing upright, Ash dove headfirst into his Dao. Bringing it up into full force, he pushed at his Qi Sea. Pulled at it from the other side.
Set the whole thing spinning at maximum speed even as the tribulation grew and grew.
“—you doing?!?” shouted a voice at the end of the hall.
Ash lifted his eyes to the newcomer and realized it was an Inner Sect learning master. Someone who wasn’t a disciple, but was much closer to a master.
“Perfect. Let’s siphon off all we can from the attack and give it to him,” Locke advised. “Don’t take the full hit, just as much as we can.”
Having not considered the option of splitting the attack, Ash realized that it was possible. The bolt was wide enough that he could possibly peel away part of it and dodge the rest.
Or at least, dodge it so long as he had his Dao employed.
The world and time slowed down around him as he dove into the core of his middle Dantian and his Dao.
There, in the dark confines of that black void, he found something new. New and completely unexpected.
Sand.
An endless amount of sand as flat as the surface of a still lake.
As he stared at the sand, he could also see what was going on around him.
Like the point when the tribulation finalized its newest attack, one with six times the power of the first one, and brought it into the material world.
Ash wanted to deflect as much of the attack as he dared. To strip a chunk out of it and redirect it. The rest would likely return to the Tribulation but that was preferable to dying.
That was his need.
In his Dantian, the sand formed itself into the world outside. Shaping itself into a replica down to the smallest detail.
Then the whole of it began shifting. Moving into new positions.
He watched as the sand clone of himself took a half-step to the right, brought its left hand around, and caught a fork of the lightning bolt.
Bringing his right arm around in the same motion the sand-clone flung it almost underhanded at the man at the end of the hall.
Crunching down into itself, the sand reset itself to its original position and began to go through the exact same motion.
“Mimic it!” Locke called.
Diving into the sand-clone, Ash filled it with himself.
A strange and disorienting view came to him. A world of sand and reality merged together. Where he could see the exact path of the bolt as it came and where he needed to move.
Down to the smallest shifting of his wrist to match the arc the lightning took as it obliterated a floating mote of dust.
Passing into his hand, crossing over his torso, and exiting his right hand, a major portion of the bolt was torn off.
More than Ash was expecting.
Instantly, a sizable chunk of that Qi was fed into the ring on his finger. Into the Hall.
The rest was transmuted into another bolt of lightning that shot across the hallway towards the only other person Ash could see.
Hitting him square in the chest, the man was blown off his feet. He slammed into the wall behind him and became stuck there. Creating an indent of his body as he sunk into the wood.
Catching fire, his head went up like a struck match, his hair crisping and curling as he burned.
“Yeah, I know. It’s not lightning, though. It’s a Qi-infused bolt. It’s all of the elements taking the shape of a lightning bolt. Now go! We need to keep moving. Holding still gives it a chance to power up even more,” Locke commanded. “Oh, by the way. There’
s a whole bunch of people heading this way. Hope you’re ready for a game of hide-and-seek mixed with tag, Chosen One.”
Ash rolled his eyes, but was unable to help the smile he felt on his face as he ran down the hall. Passing by the burning wall-art that he’d turned the master into, he kept moving.
The tribulation, however, didn’t attack. If anything, it seemed to pull back into itself and follow him at a distance.
Running along, Ash realized Locke was right. Moving fast would make it harder for it to get at him.
“No. It’s waiting for your Dao to drain you dry.”
Oh.
Easing up on his Dao usage, Ash tried to go as lean as possible. In the short time it’d been fully active, it had already drained half of his Qi Sea.
Ash quickly realized that even at this minimal amount of usage, it was going to empty his Qi Sea quickly.
Strangling the amount he was pulling on, Ash kept going until he was only taking small sips of his Qi Sea. Once for every two steps he took.
It was almost too much, though. With his perception fluctuating between the world of what-will-be and the world of now, Ash could barely keep them separate.
Seeing things happening for a split second before everything snapped back into reality, only to sprint ahead in time again, was unnerving.
“That’s good! Keep that up! I’ll see if I can’t modify our Battle Cultivation to include this!” Locke shouted.
Reaching the end of this new hall, Ash saw a flicker of someone stepping out from around the corner.
If it really was a master, engaging him directly wasn’t an option.
So… kinda like tag. Minus the tag part.
“I guess,” Locke muttered.
In the next instant, he activated his Dao and the sand-world overlay once more coalesced. Ash could see where he would need to put his right foot down just before the intersection, then duck low, and barrel under a rather potent side kick.
The force coming off that kick gave Ash the impression it would have turned his chest into a bucket.
Planting said right foot, Ash went low and dodged the kick. Dashing past him, Ash once more called upon his Dao on the second step.
And was almost too late.
Massive, instant, and without warning, a bolt of Qi-constructed retribution from the tribulation was barreling down the hall toward him.
Not waiting for the sand-world, Ash dove forward in the air, getting his legs up and out of the way.
Passing beneath him by a scant few inches, Ash could feel the scorching heat coming off the attack. The absolute destruction it promised if he’d even tried to siphon away anything from it.
It was more akin to a coherent beam rather than the loose bolt it’d been before.
Hitting the ground, Ash tucked and rolled, then started patting at his chest with a fiery need. His robe had actually caught fire from the heat coming off the attack that’d been directed at him.
“Look out!” Locke cried.
Throwing himself to the side without even knowing what was coming, Ash tucked his limbs in and tried to roll forward as he landed.
Hitting the wall, he moved a much shorter distance than he expected. His roll ended up being little better than a drunken stumble.
The sword that’d snapped through the air where he’d just been had smashed into the wall, the blade getting stuck in the boards.
“It’s deep, but not life-threatening,” Locke said with certainty.
What is—
Glancing down, Ash could see blood welling up along his right shoulder and upper chest. He hadn’t even felt the blade as it cut him.
Pressing his left hand to the wound, Ash looked at his attacker.
It was none other than Bao Jade.
Growling, the sect master darted forward faster than Ash could even comprehend. As if he were invisible.
Activating his Dao, Ash could see he had few options. Most of them resulted in him getting caught and then his neck being broken with a single punch.
Charging forward at the older man, Ash took the one option that looked like it had the best outcome.
Colliding with Bao Jade, Ash grabbed onto his privates and squeezed for all he was worth.
Squealing in a high pitch, the master of an entire sect collapsed to his knees, his hands darting for his crushed jewels.
Not bothering to wait, Ash used a Spring Step to throw an uppercut into the older man’s jaw. Then he dove backward and away from the master.
This was the last place he should be at the moment.
“You… you made them explode,” Locke said in an accusatory tone.
Yeah, well he broke my jaw and tried to kill m—
Inner Sect Master Peng stepped around the end of the hallway and in front of Ash.
From behind him, the tribulation had decided this was a perfect time to launch a massive condensed attack on Ash.
Even before it had built, though, he could feel a second one behind it. Then a third. And a fourth.
His Dao, which was running on the last remnants of his Qi Sea, showed him there was no actual way out of this.
Each and every scenario ended with him being caught or struck by the attack.
Fine. Fine.
No answer? I’ll flow with the only answer I have.
I’ll get caught.
“Chosen One, he breaks your neck quite quickly and—”
Ash didn’t wait.
Plowing straight into the Inner Sect master’s side, Ash came to a complete standstill after spinning the man ninety degrees.
Fast as a thought, the Inner Sect master had his hands around Ash’s neck and was already pulling one way while twisting the other.
Activating Spring Step, Ash did the opposite of what he normally did. He willed his neck to remain absolutely stationary. To the point that he couldn’t even actually breathe.
Struggling against the ability, the Inner Sect master didn’t even see the tribulation’s attack coming for him.
Right up until it blasted into his torso and exited out through the other side.
Ash took the opportunity to leech a significant portion of power from the attack as it ripped through the master.
He deposited it quickly into his Qi Sea and let it flood him with much-needed power. Drenching the poor desert that was his Dantian in a near torrential downpour.
Grunting, the Inner Sect master looked down at himself. He appeared to be whole and unhurt, but something had clearly happened to him.
Taking the chance, Ash kicked out with a foot and pushed against the master’s knee.
Launching himself out of the man’s grasp, Ash landed only a few feet on the other side of the master, but it was more than enough.
Turning to face Ash, Master Peng looked like he was going to grab him again.
Dropping to the ground instead, Ash wanted to get as much clearance as possible between himself and what was coming next.
Because the tribulation had followed through with its plan.
It just kept attacking.
A second bolt, then a third, and a fourth smashed through Peng. Each one entering his back and going right through him.
Each time one whipped past, Ash struggled to shave off power from it and dump it back into his Dantian. It wasn’t as easy as it had been earlier, but it was actually possible after having gone through Peng.
He’s not dying!
“Yes. Yes, he is. Just not in the way you’re thinking.”
Groaning, the master of the Inner Sect put his hands to his stomach. Right above where his Dantian would be.
Collapsing to his knees, Peng looked like a man who was lost and confused. Looking at his hands, he seemed to be contemplating something that only he could see.
A massive beam of tribulation Qi burst out of Peng’s chest. The attack had landed much higher this time, as the man was lower to the ground.
Ash didn’t even try to take any from the attack. It was simply too powerful and wouldn’t be something
he wanted to touch.
Squeaking, Peng collapsed to one side and laid on the ground, unmoving.
“He’s done. And so is the tribulation. Bao Jade is… he’s not going anywhere. Congratulations. You survived, Chosen One, despite the odds. You even defied fate with that dash into Peng. Though we still have—”
The learning master whom he’d dodged under before appeared above Ash. He looked partly charred, but was still alive. Holding a sword in a two-handed grip above his head, he was poised to decapitate Ash.
And he swung the sword down to do just that.
Exploding out from the man’s sternum was a second sword. It’d come out sideways, sliding through the ribs and passing neatly out the front.
Letting out a soft grunt, the man stared at the tip of the sword poking out of his body. He dropped his own sword, which clattered to the ground and fell still.
A hand grabbed the man by the shoulder and shoved him to one side.
Chunhua took his place, looking up the hall one way, and then down the other.
Then she looked back to Ash and gave him a beautiful smile.
“I’m no princess that needs to be saved,” said the woman, holding up the bloody blade in one hand.
“Sure thing,” Ash said, staring up at her. Then he let out a breath and closed his eyes.
“Anyway. We still need to collect the tribulation crystal. It’s as big as a plum. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to swallow that,” Locke murmured.
Swallow… it?
Epilogue
Walking into the small comfortable room, Ash found that he instantly felt better.
Gen was there, lying in bed, reading a book.
He looked for all the world exactly as Ash remembered him.
Though he didn’t seem to have any hair on his head or face at the moment. Not a single strand.
And when Ash looked closely at the older man, his skin had a reddened appearance to it.
Closing the book, Gen set it down on his bedside table and smiled at Ash.
“Hello, Ashley Sheng. Your honored Elder greets you,” Gen said, placing one hand in the other in front of himself.
“Master Gen,” Ash said, returning the salute but bowing his head over his hands toward the other man.
“Oh, I don’t think there’s any need for that. Not for the first time, or perhaps even the second or third now, you’ve provided an exit for me that I didn’t believe was available,” Gen said, putting his hands in his lap. “And yes, you can argue that Yue made the medicine, but you gave her the abilities to do so.”
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