by Gore, A. P.
He shook his head. That was far ahead of this. High-tier Silver Grade formations would require special materials, and where would he find those in the Mortal Realm?
Tapping on the formation eye, he inserted a strand of his pure qi into it, activating it and taking control. But his layer one qi Refinement Realm cultivation wasn’t sufficient to activate the formation eye and connect with the four other formation poles made up from the Boundary Forming Array. That’s why he had made a slight modification to the formation eye, enveloping it inside his own version of a Qi Transferring Circle Array. This modified array formation allowed him to channel Qi Stone energy into the formation eye and control the whole formation.
Suddenly, he sensed someone entering his divine sense range and his eyes turned grim. It was a vicious person with layer eight Foundation Realm cultivation—and not the same person who had been trailing him. This person’s aura had a thick scent of blood attached to it, and it sent a chill down his spine. It was like sensing a demon who had sucked a thousand people dry of their blood.
This was getting interesting.
Tapping on the formation eye with his low-quality Qi Stone, he inserted a pure stream of qi into the formation eye. Suddenly, everything in a five-hundred-foot area became visible to his divine sense and thunder cracked, forming a frameless boundary. He had gained control of the complete formation, and now he could see his prey—the beast—and the intruder.
Dressed in complete black, the man had a cultivation of layer eight of the qi Foundation Realm. But that wasn’t the impressive thing about him, instead it was his drawn-out bloodthirsty aura. This man had killed a lot of people. A lot of innocent people.
It was time to play with his prey.
Chapter 14
Killing with Formation
Thunder cracked above the patch of forest where Li Wei had placed his formation. Everything went silent for a moment before a myriad of birds took flight and rushed away from the vicinity.
In that silent moment of life, a fierce smell spread through the air, replacing the virgin scent of the forest and sending a chill through all nearby Ferocious Beasts.
In that silent moment of life, Wei’s heart filled with a distinct memory of his junior brother Chen Xai. Wei had used the same array formation, when they had just started their journey on the path of arrays, to capture a soup pet for Chen Xai. Chen Xai was a great friend. If it hadn’t been for him, Wei might have died even before he broke through into the Marrow Cleansing Realm in his last life. There were many things Chan Xai had done for Wei, and now Wei couldn’t even begin to repay his debt to his brother.
In that silent moment of life, Wei vowed that he would do better and help those who helped him in his previous life.
That was his own path of lazy immortality.
Brandishing his poison dagger, Wei silently jumped to a higher branch and gained firm footing by holding a thick wooden branch with his left hand. From this position, he let his divine sense spread into the formation eye and then spread to everywhere the formation eye could reach. That was a five-hundred-foot radius around the formation eye. It was as if he had gained a new sense. He could spot leaves weaving on thunder current, hear the minute crackling of thunder, and see the startling expression on the black figure’s wicked face.
System: Interface established with Beast Trapping Array Formation.
This “system” again. Other than storing his memories, it had no use to him.
Shaking his head, he jumped onto a higher branch of the Holy Thunder Tree and activated the Beast Illusion Array. The thirty-foot-long Blood Vulture Python turned its head and looked toward the Holy Thunder Tree Wei perched in. The python slithered, and its blood red eyes glittered with greed as a Gall Poison Plant appeared in front of its eyes. It was an illusion created by the formation, but the python didn’t know that, so it dashed forward with ferocity toward the black-robed man.
The black-robed guy looked unsettled when he saw the python heading toward him. But he didn’t remain so for long. He quickly pulled a green pill from his pouch and ate it. A thin film of energy enveloped him. It must have been a Beast Repelling Pill, one that would produce a foul smell that irked almost every beast. But the stranger didn’t know the beast heading toward him was trapped in an illusion; most of its senses didn’t work, so the beast repelling smell had no effect and it continued heading toward the man.
The black-robed man seemed startled, and he looked around, but in the end, he brandished his sword and fought. Maybe a layer five Foundation Realm beast was just a nuisance in his eyes, but he didn’t know that the berserk Blood Vulture Python had the power of a layer seven Foundation Realm beast. The black-robed man was too young to know everything about the world. Even Wei’s two hundred years of experience was nothing when it came to the vastness of the world. “System” was one example. He lacked any knowledge whatsoever about this “system.” It just popped into his vision whenever it wanted to.
“Mad Elephant Stomp.” The black-robed man stomped his foot. Dust flew everywhere, and a dip pit appeared where his foot had struck. A crack spread from the pit, heading toward the python.
What an overbearing martial skill.
The Blood Vulture Python sensed an incoming attack and leaped in the air, avoiding the crack rapidly traveling in its direction. It reached the black-robed man in a breath’s time and sprang at him, jaws wide and fangs exposed.
The black-robed man slashed with his sword, sending a metallic arc flashing through the air. It was so fast that even Wei had trouble seeing it with his naked eyes. But his divine sense remained active, so he sensed the intricate workings of another overbearing martial skill. The sword sliced through the python’s blackened skin and brought forth a stream of black blood that fell like a rain. Smoke rose wherever it touched the ground.
The python wailed and dropped, but it also gained clarity for a moment and turned its head in Wei’s direction.
Wei sensed his illusion blurring, but he didn’t panic. Instead, he tapped the low-quality Qi Stone to the formation eye and sent a stream of pure qi inside it, enforcing the illusion. The pure qi stored in the Qi Stone drained rapidly, and Wei frowned. It was such a waste to use on an inefficient array formation like this, but he really had no other option. This also prevented him from using the concealment array on his robe, so his cultivation aura reverted to normal.
The python’s blood red eyes turned hypnotic, and it attacked the black-robed man with its tail.
Leaping backward, the black-robed man avoided the python’s sharp tail. While retreating, he pulled a palm-sized metal disc from his clothes and threw it at the python.
Although the python had the power of a layer seven Foundation Realm beast, it lacked intelligence and, while under the effects of the illusion, missed the incoming attack. Its right eye was pierced by the metal disc.
Wailing, the python recoiled, slithering away. It had suffered two back-to-back attacks, and it seemed that it would fail to inflict any blow upon the black-robed man.
Wei sighed in disappointment. If the python had pushed the black-robed man into a corner, he could have attacked and inflicted a grievous injury. It seemed he would have to deal a sneak attack himself and injure the black-robed man with his poison dagger before running away. The poison dagger was a vicious weapon, and it should drain vitality from the black-robed man slowly. If there wasn’t another person sneaking up on him, he would have fought head-to-head with this black-robed stranger.
But he didn’t need to execute his plan, as the python suddenly started shedding its black skin and increased in size.
Damn, it was breaking through. Ferocious Beasts had a separate way of breaking through, and there was a slight chance that they would increase their size and power through a breakthrough, as this python was doing now.
The black-clothed man halted and watched the python’s transformation. Waiting for the perfect moment to attack? When a Ferocious Beast underwent a transformation, it was at its weakest
just before it stopped growing. At that time, even a cultivator a whole realm lower than the beast could kill it.
Smirking, Wei threw a dagger he had hid inside his clothes at the black-robed man. Why would he let the black-robed man gain an advantage from the situation?
The black-robed man frowned and looked at the incoming dagger, then sent a palm attack to send it flying back at the source, but by doing so he lost his chance to kill the python.
“Young man, why are you meddling in my fight?” he shouted as he slashed down fiercely at the python.
But the python had regained its clarity, and it dodged the incoming attack and sprang at the black-clothed man again.
Leaping backward, the black-robed man parried the incoming attack with his sword, but the beast was nimble and avoided the attack, lashing at the black-robed man’s left wrist with the tip of its tail.
Blood spurted out of the black-clothed man’s wrist. The python’s tail had cut through his skin, and all the flesh around the wound turned black, withering away.
“Ruthless junior. You’ll pay for this with your life!” Shouting, he cut his withering left arm off at the elbow. Pain flashed through his eyes as he turned to leave, but how could he live?
Wei pushed his illusion to the limit, and the python charged at the black-robed man’s back. Before he could even take a single step, the python’s tail pierced his chest, killing him in one shot.
But at the same time, an unimaginable pressure bore down on Wei, incapacitating him.
Chapter 15
Unexpected Visitor
Li Wei’s body shuddered as unbearable pressure bore down on him from all sides. Everything in a four-foot radius had turned deathly silent. Even the grass that swayed on the warm breeze stilled. The thunder that cracked in the air turned silent, and his connection with the formation eye cut out abruptly.
A tranquil scent enveloped him, calming him instantly. It was like gaining enlightenment and having nature under control. He wanted to drop on his knees and prostrate himself, but his mind revolted against it, so he stood there like a mountain.
It was a Houtian Realm expert. This was their mark. They had surpassed mortal life, and even nature saluted them by obeying. He was well aware of this phenomenon because he had reached this realm in his previous life. It was the first step on the path of immortality. In front of a Houtian Realm expert, even the old monsters hosted by all empires would kneel and announce their allegiance.
That was a power bestowed by the heavens.
No, it wasn’t there yet. She had half stepped into Houtian Realm, and at the peak of Heart Blood Realm. One more step and she would reach Houtian Realm.
But what was a half-step Houtian Realm expert doing near a city that held no meaning? Even Dark Alley Town was a meaningless endeavor for a half-step Houtian Realm expert. They could take whatever they wanted from emperors or kings. Why would they come here?
“Hmm.” A sweet and surprised sound entered his ears, and the pressure on his body increased from all sides. Even the clean air weighed on him like a boulder pushing him down. His heart palpitated, and he felt like it would burst under the pressure. The thought of spreading his divine sense to check on this expert vanished from his mind.
No, he wasn’t afraid of a half-step Houtian Realm expert, but he didn’t want to die in vain. It also made him realize how fragile his current cultivation was. Even a mere half-step Houtian Realm expert could make his heart feel like bursting from the inside. Even with a strong divine sense, he couldn’t react to an expert’s arrival. If this expert wanted to kill him, he or she would have done it before his divine sense detected them.
Damn. He had to improve quickly. After being an expert himself, he didn’t like this feeling.
But why the heck had a half-step Houtian Realm cultivator come here? They were supposed to go to the Martial Realm. Generally, when a cultivator reached half-step Houtian Realm, they would ascend to Martial Realm and have a clean breakthrough.
“Junior. You have a strong mind.” A soft voice struck his ears, followed by a pure, unbridled, familiar fragrance.
That voice made his heart quiver with complex emotions. It was her voice. Wang Zia. The one he wasted his life on.
His heart beat like an Iron Blooded Horse running away from a predator. Only a few days ago, he’d loved this voice to his bones. Then he’d died and woke back up in his young self, and now he hated this voice to the bones.
Yet it shook him to the core. His hands quivered.
Calm down, Wei.
“Junior, are you afraid of me?”
The sweet and friendly voice struck his heart tune once again. It was the same voice that had awoken him from the edge of death once. He’d been lying in a crevice, waiting for death, with a bloody wounded body. Then a fairy in a white dress came to him, like a celestial from the heavens. She’d given him an opportunity to live again by mending his dantian.
But . . . She’d taken away the same life.
After reincarnating, he never thought he would hear her voice again.
But here he was, listening to the same melody.
Listening to her once again made him realize his heart still responded to her voice. It was a desire buried in his soul, and it responded like a moth to a flame. It had back then, and now it did it again.
Destiny. He’d hoped to change his after reincarnation, but could he really do it?
“Junior, don’t be afraid.”
Wei’s face twisted in pain, hatred, and resentment, but he regained his composure before he turned his face to meet his old love, Wang Zia.
Two peach-shaped eyes stared at him with curiosity. She wore a beautiful white dress that covered her graceful body and hinted at what needed to be hinted and suppressed what needed to be suppressed. Her long black hair flew like a river across her shoulders.
A warm smile hung on her luscious red lips, making his heart waver once again. Like it had when she’d saved him from the depths of darkness. She was his only light in darkness.
No more. That thought vanished in the void as soon as he remembered the cold metal dagger slicing across his throat, the warm blood gushing out of his wound, and two peach-shaped eyes staring at him. It was this same woman with the dark gray peach-shaped eyes that had killed him in his past life.
How could he still have any good feelings for a poisonous bitch like her? Was she even worth it? In his previous life, she was everything to him, a heavenly beauty, but she was just a deacon of the sect. Maybe he’d aimed too low.
“Junior, are you mute or appreciating my beauty?” Her lips curled in a heavenly smile that could sway even a eunuch’s heart.
He was just a mere mortal.
Damn, she was breathtakingly beautiful, even though he hated her from the core of his heart. “Senior, please forgive me for prying on your heavenly beauty.” Wei shook himself from his daze and bowed respectfully. Of course, it was fake respect. Even if someone killed him, he wouldn’t hold an ounce of respect for this bitch. He just used flattery because this bitch liked it. She loved to praise herself and be praised by others. After reincarnating, he had thought about her a lot, and he had realized she loved to mesmerize men and used them to her advantage. All her displays of overfriendliness were a pretense she used to make others do her work. She had done this many times with him and played with his emotions. If someone had saved a Qi Stone every time he’d acted like a fool in front of her, that person would have become the richest in a city in no time.
“Junior.” She giggled, her body shaking lightly. “You have a direct nature. I like it.”
“Senior, you are too kind. Your beauty transcends the heavens, and it’s this junior’s fortune to meet you in this life,” he said with a bitterness in his heart. Crossing paths with her in his last life had proved to be both fortunate and unfortunate for him. It was an irony. The girl who had saved his life had taken it away in the end.
Was it destiny?
Maybe. But he had different plans for
this life. As she had saved his life originally by fixing his dantian, he’d had no plans to cross paths with her or take revenge. He just wanted a lazy life.
Yet destiny had placed him on the same path as her. What an irony.
His fingers clenched in a fist. If destiny messed with him, then he would go against destiny. If the heavens cursed him, he would go against the heavens. If the gods wanted him dead, then he would go against the gods.
“Ha ha.” She broke into another giggle, the corners of her lips almost reaching her ears. “You have a glib tongue as well. Tell me your name.”
“This junior is called Li Wei. May I know what I should brag to others when I tell them about how I met a heavenly beauty and a supreme cultivator?”
Her eyes turned cold for a moment. “You can guess my cultivation?”
“Junior doesn’t dare. He only knows you are much-much-much stronger than the Li clan’s ancestor.”
She sighed. “That’s right, but the realm I’ve reached, you won’t understand it in this life.”
Bitch. He cursed in his heart. That was true in his previous life, as he’d always remained in a lower realm than her. But not in this life. He would surpass her soon.
“Junior, there’s something in your pouch. I want to see it.”
Wei wanted to frown, but he didn’t. This girl was a half-step Houtian Realm expert, and asking him nicely was already giving him face. If this was any other half-step Houtian Realm cultivator, they would have killed him by now. But her question helped him understand why she’d come. She must be on her journey to experience the Mortal Realm before ascending to the Martial Realm. She was severing her karma with the Mortal Realm. The timeline of their meeting in his previous life matched perfectly.
“This.” He pulled the Green Fang Dagger out with a cloth wrapped around it. “I found it outside the city. But senior must not remove this cloth. When I found it, I accidentally touched it and lost consciousness for two days. Only a cloth can hold it safely. I’m afraid it might taint senior’s jade fingers if you touch it directly.” Even though the dagger won’t hurt a half-step Houtian Realm cultivator, he had to express those words for his own safety. Otherwise, she might get suspicious about how he could hold the dagger without being affected. A Refinement Realm cultivator couldn’t hold that dagger without facing consequences. Du Fang had been a prime example of that.